Right, so I'm at home and I'm belting out a few reels. I'm totally relaxed and sounding pretty damn good (even if I do say so myself) Then I go to a session and for some reason I get nervous and it all goes to shít.
Its so frickin frustrating. Then I get a complex about a certain place where i made a mistake and inevitably feck it up again in that spot.
Does anyone have any tips for me. or is it just a case of.. 'it will come in time'?
At any rate its not the end of the world I guess, cause I'm as happy listening as I am playing.
this old fella once taught me a trick that goes like this...
Is there someone in your life you can play for, and it really means something to you to play for them, someone like your wife or your mom or something like that?
Well, when things start going bad and the playing starts to get harder and harder and you are sounding more and more like someone kicking a cat across the yard, try and picture that person sitting there listening to you and play to them as if they were there
its supposed to help you find the heart to dig in and play like you really mean it
anybody can play when they are having a good day, but its when things are against you that mental tricks can really help to get you back to that place where you play your best.
there's other tricks, but this one is a good one for distractions and nerves
I would say there are several ways of dealing with this, depending on the problem:
One is the setting:
Practicing at home is an environment where the soundpicture is normally in control (unless you've got kids screaming around). => try pracicing the tunes with a "noisy environment" either together with several recordings or other thing that may be distractive. i.e you need to be comfortable in a "noisy" setting
The other is the nervousness:
As long as it really matters to you how "well" you sound you may find you will have a problem. Once you are so confident about your playing that this does'nt matter you will find there is no reason to be nervous.
There are certainly individual levels as to how quickly this confidence builds - true session savages that are totally ignorant their interaction with others probably have too little of this problem For others there might be ways of "tricking" yourself to overcome this and do your best in all situations - but my best bet is to practice, practice (slow speed first) - overlearn so that you know you have "reserves". It certainly will come in time.
I heard tale of a concert pianist, who would walk out onto stage and would mentally send his inner critic down into the audience to sit next to all the real critics. And every time he made a little mistake, he would chuckle, and send a little mental wink to his inner critic, saying "that one was for you..."
We have all been there brother Savage. It still hits me from time to time almost inexplicably. I find it particularly frustrating when I comfortably start a set and everyone joins in for the first two tunes - then I launch into the third reel and suddenly I can hear the others start dropping out one by one. I've picked some random tune that nobody knows and I am suddenly flying solo. It reminds me of those old cartoons where Wiley Coyote is chasing the roadrunner and suddenly finds himself hovering 300 feet off the ground over a canyon. He was fine until he looked down right?
Just don't look down - and remember you're amongst friends anyway. It's supposed to be fun right? Don't put too much pressure on yourself.
Thanks for the links lads.
Mr GanAinm made an interesting point too, it only happens when I give a hoot.
For example, I havent really touched the guitar since i started learning the fiddle but if I'm asked to do a song i dont bat an eyelid, eventhough I know I'm really rusty. Its because I couldnt give a hoot if I make a mistake on the guitar.
And Jusa, thats a good observation too, i dont tend to be anywhere near as bad if everyone else is playing too because if i think i may falter I just drop my volume to a mere whisper, Ironically the tunes I am most comfortable with are the tunes I usually end up playing solo.
Session, we've all had variations of this. It used to happen to me a lot, less so now for the following reasons [and this is purely personal anecdote/advice for what it's worth]:
1. I now only drink juice [boring] since I find the combo of nerves and alcohol does not mix. Booze [even in small amounts] after a day of work or whatever would relax me, sure, but also not help inthe concentration dept. So if you think it might help in terms of focus either really pace yourself or just drink a 7 up or somehting...oddly it made me feel more confident in my playing...less tired. I could focus more and not worry about screw ups. Later in the evening after loosening up etc I might order a pint and keep an eye on how much I was drinking as eve progressed....for playing, not teetotaller, reasons.
2. play ONLY tunes you know backwards and forwards...no matter how much you like a tune you just learned don't trot it out in public until it's sat with you for a month or two of home playing and is really under the fingers.
3. play *well under your fatest speed * you played it at home. Liked that reel at 95 bpm? Then play it in public [at least for the first few times] at maybe 80 or 85 at the most. You'll feel more confident. Screw ups are less likely to occur and will sound more musical. Try it, you'll see.
As confidence builds you feel much less nervy. And you'll find yourself thinking you're another Tony McManus or Kevin Burke!. ;)
one line from mickrays posting really stuck in my head
"You are your own worst enemy--your own doubts make your defeat more certain than your opponent ever could"
perhaps you should read his whole post for context....
anyway the line and sentiment behind it have stayed with me, and i often think of it in nervy/stressfull sitiations. it helps me focus and chill out.
thanks mickray
knucklehead, one line that sticks in my head comes from when I was a teenager and I folded on the bandstand one night. The bandleader just said to me "I ain't paying you to put your hands in your pockets, kid" and counted off the next tune.
simple and to the point. But remembering it helps he to sort of rally my morale when things are going bad
It may sound corny, but I pray before I play and ask that the music from my heart flows to the hearts of my listeners, giving them joy. It helps me to take the focus off of me and put it on my listeners. seems to work.
Instead of worrying about not making a mistake, focus on enjoying the tune as it unfolds. Music isn't about perfection.
When I tense up, I remind myself to "let it sound effortless" and this helps block any inner monologue about "don't mess up" or "gawd you sound like sh*te tonight" etc. After all, even "mistakes" can sound good if they're effortless....
It's human nature to make mistakes when playing in public; everyone up to and including the top names in the business make them some time or other. It's useful to remember that 99% of the audience don't notice mistakes in performance (REAL listening is incredibly hard to do) - especially if there's no visual feedback from you when you goof up - and those who do will mostly have been there and done it themselves and so will understand. That rare member of the audience who gets uptight about performance mistakes ("I didn't come here to hear wrong notes!") will have his own problems and possibly deserves a little sympathy on his own account.
It's not just that nobody recognizes when you make a mistake, it's how you deal with the mistake once you've made it. I have heard great players do things that I am sure were a mistake, but by the time it has passed, they make you believe that they meant to do it.
But if you get too caught up in the fact that you made a mistake, you're likely to snowball, and end up going down in flames.
So part of it for me is letting go of mistakes... But I still tense up from time to time.
For me it's all a mind game. I recently had to play a slow tune solo infront of a large crowd while being broadcast live on local radio!! I find slow tunes to be harder because they need to be smooth and relaxed. It's important to remember to breathe as the first thing to happen when you feel tense is you stop or shorten your breathing, so a good deep breath in and out helps to blow the nerves away, Don't start until you feel ready and you can feel the physical tension has gone. Then imagine you are in the nice safe practice room - your own front room - and play it as if you are there. Switch off to everything else around you - you can do this while listening to others playing with you, you just switch off the thoughts about how they might be judging your performance and let it go.
If you feel really tense before playing then it can help to scan your eyes slowly from left to right a few times. This works with people who suffer from anxiety and is quick and easy to do.
Also remember that if you mess up there's probably someone who is quite relieved that it isn't only them who makes the mistakes. You could actually be helping to give someone else the confidence to try something.
Thanks for the nice words, knucklehead. Although I didn't invent the ideas, I just have found them useful, for me.
Another thing that Omoto stresses is that no human performance will ever be completely perfect, so there's no reason to beat yourself up over making a mistake.
If you expect to be rewarded for your efforts by a perfect performance, you will always be disappointed. But if you take your satisfaction from making little improvements, day by day, you will pretty much always be happy with your efforts.
as much as I appreciate it when a musician can cover his or her mistake, I also like it when they showcase their goof by shaking their head or laughing or wincing or groaning. Makes em seem human
About 15 years ago I did two live broadcasts on radio. I also did a couple that were pre-recorded and that was no problem. I really enjoyed them. On the live broadcast however, the thoughts kept running through my head that I was going to break down, forget the tunes or maybe throw a wobbly. Something outrageous that would make the papers next day. Incidentally when I heard a recording of the broadcast I was very disappointed and thought that I could have played much better than that. I hate competitions and always have, but about twenty years ago a friend begged me to enter a Fleadh as a duo. My first and last. We won our category and got a medal, but to have to sit there and have an adjudicator criticize your playing was the pits. Never again.
I just saw Paddy Keenan play a house concert (lucky me!) and a tiny squeak came from his pipes during the first or second tune. He said something like, "That squeak was special, for this performance. If you want to hear that tune without the squeak, you can buy the CD."
I've just been listening to some old guitar stuff by Lenny Breau. Just amazing. Sounds like he couldn't care less if it's right or wrong. He's just enjoying the exhilaration of listening to it happen, so fluid and relaxed. Awesome genius.
Bowburner, your reminder to breathe is spot on. Someone just told me a story about a show horse rider who got so tense she literally quit breathing during the competition. Four jumps into her round, she blacked out and fell off the horse.
I remember doing a gig once where our whole band trainwrecked at the same time (I think it was going into the B part of a relatively new tune, and we all just forgot how it went). Stunned silence. Then I leaned into a mic and said, "That was just to prove that this isn't canned music--it's LIVE." The crowd laughed and applauded like we'd just nailed the groove. We started the tune over, survived the transition, and the rest of the gig was a breeze.
Will, you've just reminded me of an old proverb -"The best way to prevent war is to prepare for it" Perhaps if we are prepared for the mistakes then we can handle them better and they won't matter so much? The overall outcome of a mistake seems to rely on how we as musicians handle them when they occur. This seems far more manageable to me than trying to eliminate mistakes altogether,
You've also demonstrated the importance of breathing. Pass out in my local session and someone will pinch your pint and swap your fiddle for a bodhran :-0
My Teacher is John Williams. I struggle with this all off the time on my box. I sit on the piano, guitar or organ and no issues.
Box is new. My inner voice is brutal.
I asked John what he thinks about when he plays. He just says he listens to the tune played perfectly as he goes along... A level of Zen I can't duplicate.
Interesting, zippydw, just yesterday I was talking with another fiddler about the discrepancy between the tune in your mind and how it sounds coming out on the fiddle. This other fiddler was despairing because the inner tune always sounded so much better than the one coming off her fiddle.
I had to admit that every fiddler--every musician--I've ever talked with about this notion has agreed that the inner tune is almost always "better." It's something to aspire to. But that also, as we become better players, the gap is smaller between the two, and sometimes all the more poignant for that. *And* every now and then it all clicks and the outer tune comes out as good or even better than the inner one.
I think having that inner tune to strive for, to try to echo, is hugely important. And it probably *ought* to always improve slightly ahead of your actual playing. Yes, if you let it, this could lead to always being somewhat disappointed that your playing doesn't live up to what you hear in your head. But it's also possible to relax and rejoice in the bits that *do* match the inner tune.
At any rate, listening to that inner tune and following it as you play is a real key for me when playing under pressure. The more I focus on the tune, the less I care about what anyone might think of my playing. And the better I play.
Funny thing about breathing, too. I'm a crappy flute player, but I've never felt nervous when playing it in public. No doubt in small part because I'm breathing fully--no chance to clam up and build tension.
Also, in a session, if I fumble enough notes in a row, I try to just keep the bow going in rhythm (quietly) till I can climb back on board. Mr. Gill once called that "faffing" and that's how I think of it. Often buys me time when switching from one tune to the next and forgetting how the next one goes. Faff for a bar or two while downloading from the mental rolodex, and then you're playing away again.
Remembering to breath is a great one... but for me it was mostly a case of 'it will come in time'
When i was a kid... i competed in estedfords playing the organ. I used to get soo nervous i was sick before i even got to where the competition was being held.
Now i realise that playing music (or dancing) are things that i love doing... and that's something that you don't have to be nervous about.
I want to contribute to this thread, but I'm too nervous. No, truthfully, nerves are an absolute killer as far as I am concerned, and I wish they weren't. I guess its because playing trad has meant so much to me that its ended up freezing me up (I couldn't play in public fer love or money anymore - not that I ever could really play, but I used to play away in public anyway). Love your thinking Davydd and I'm sure it'll be alright for you, Session Savage. I'm about to purchase the book ...
... and I took my fiddle and played sitting on a bench at the side of the Araluen Arts Centre across the street ... and the only thing that happened was that someone asked for directions to the wearable arts rehearsals (and I was able to point them in the right direction ... yay!) ... that was soooooo brave!
Love Nate and daydd's take on this. As with many things in life, performing seems easier if you do it with heart for the benefit and enjoyment of others. Put ego, the left brain and the inner critic into a velvet bag, tie with a ribbon and leave in a corner....it's taken me years to learn this lesson.
Try recording yourself a lot at home (if you haven't done so yet). I can be perfectly happy with a tune and when i start recording (at home) it i get so nervous in front of the recording device it comes out really badly sometimes.
the other thing is, are sure it's nerves, or maybe:
- being drunk (slightly or very)
- being hungry, tired, not settled in yet after the journey to the session, hot / cold, sitting in a very cramped room? or not being able to hear yourself, as someone else wrote?
That's a good point. I am trying to understand my inconsistency in my lessons. I am getting very tired mumbling to myself in front of John "I know I play this better...." and the angrier I get, the crummier I play.
I worked in public service on the streets, so I developed a very bad temper that focusing on ITM is breaking me of.... No one has ever shot at me playing the accordion-yet
Anyway, I take lessons on Sunday AM. Get up at 5 ish. Run through my box lessons. Run through the music I have to play ay 8 oclock mass. eat something. Play 8. and then drive 45m inutes for hte lesson.
On days when I nail the music at 8, I am aweful. On days where I survive 8 on my 50 year old music synapses, I nail the lessons.
Herself suggested that when I am on at 8, I am using alot more energy because I am overcoming adrenaline, and when I get to John's, there is nothing left to beat the adrenaline and jitters. And because I am tired, the frustration pi**es me off quickly.
This Sunday, I am going to try eating one of those expensive protein bars on the way to lessons and see if it does anything more than make me more regular. Also might try someone's suggestion to drink some fruit juice or something.
But I must learn to tell my little voice in my head to stop bad mouthing my playing and hum along..... Maybe the inner music will then sound more like what is coming out of my box!
Throwing up just before a performance is popular in some circles... Personally, I like to wait for the second or third tune before melting down. Or the first tune.
The other night I picked up the wrong harmonica and when I attempted to put an instrumental break in the middle of a song, it came out as a collection of horrible wrong notes. Everyone including me laughed and laughed.
In the sea services, everyone goes through firefighting school because they found that 50 percent of people freeze the first time they are in a fire. So they expose them to fires in school, so that if they face a fire at sea, they will be more likely to keep moving, and do what they need to.
Playing in public is similar. The first time I play a new tune in public, I invariably make a mistake that wasn't there during practice. But the next time is better, and the time after it better.
And I learn to get back on track faster and faster after mistakes the more I play and the better I learn the tune. So dive right in there and keep plugging away. Confidence is built, just as musical ability, by practice, and you can only develop confidence by playing in public.
I remember being so scared of public speaking that in school, I walked away from a podium in speaking class without saying a word. And now I can totally ruin a solo, and laugh about it, instead of hanging my head in shame. So charge right in there, and join the fun!
Al makes a very good point about playing public. I think it is the most effective way to make the old synapses sharp.
Even though I am the church organ guy, from time to time because I live in a wannabe Irish Barrio on the south side of Chicago, at church, I play in on the accordion (or guitar, or whistle) with our other occasional instruments on special numbers or events.
Especially being a relative newcomer to the box, the first time I play something is terrifying, particualy when our piano nazi wants to show off her obviously superb technique at high speed.
But after perfomring a couple of times, Whatever I learned is always solid. I can learn and play in the comfort zone or with John at lessons over and over, I don't have the same solidness as the stuff learned for/played in public.
Strangely I don't know if it is intensity. It seems to work when you are relaxed and oblivious to things around you.
A lot of classical players eat bananas to calm themselves before a performance. they are beta-blockers.
The most eye opening comment about the music I may have ever heard was from Alan Morrisroe, the archaic style melodeon player from Mayo originally, who grew up with the music all around him pretty much 24/7. He had hosted one of our IAANJ sessions, and I recorded it, and sent on some suggested edits for the solo tunes he did and made a few mistakes on, and he said "NO!!!! Mistakes are natural, leave them in". I had never heard anything like that before, when I record the sessions I feel my job is to make everything that is left on as perfect as possible, make peoples' mistakes go away and make them shine. I asked him why, and he said you cannot try to play so carefully that you lose the passion and wildness in the music, period. And when you play like that, from the gut, you are bound to make a few mistakes here and there, that is normal. Leave the mistakes in the CD he said. I don't think I have ever seen such total devotion to the natural sound of the music and the spontenaiety of the music as is demonstrated in Alan. No thought of his own ego or how he sounds to others, just a pure presentation of the heart and soul and guts of the music, where mistakes will happen here and there. This attitude allows him to play with total abandon and passion, he just does not worry about the mistakes or what people will think of him.
The main trick, is when you goof up, don't stop, keep it moving, and often you are the only one who will know you goofed, and if you keep going along people will have mostly forgotten by the end of the tune anyway. Or like Paddy Keenan... a good save on something that does get very much noticed is always good for a laugh. Even the audience knows people can make a mistake and most ITM audiences are just nice folks, many play themselves and know what it's all about, and don't mind a goof here and there.
I had a thumbpick fly off mid tune once, and the fiddler played on while I scrambled to the floor to get it, then picked up the tune again as everyone laughed...including myself. It was all among friends and no one had a bad word to say about it later.
The laughter was good, it was friendly, and broke what could have been a very tense moment and turned it into something amusing. I think the message from Alan Morrisroe would be, don't worry so much, just play your heart out.
I've been on the bandstand when gun fire errupted in the club
I've been on the bandstand during police raids
I've played gigs at nudist colonies
I've watched singers I was backing fall completely off the stage and knock themselves out cold (happened several times actually)
I've played gigs while girls were flashing their tits
played some blues gigs where grey haired old ladies were flashing thier tits. <shudder>
I've played gigs while completely sick with the flu
I've played gigs where the power went out
I've been on the bandstand when famous musicians walked in the club
I've even been on a gig when BMI walked in and shut the place down.
I've played gigs where the audience was mostly motorcyclists and they were fairly well armed and not big fans of modern jazz
I learned to play without looking at my guitar neck because at the clubs I played at as a kid, people threw beer bottles at you if they liked you. You really had to watch out for the full ones.
...so basically, anything that can happen while I'm performing has probably happened to me before, but I always like to see something new, so what have I got to be nervous about?
When I started playing ITM I phoned my Auntie in Ireland who used to dance. I told her I was really nervous that I was going to mess it all up for sure; she replied:
"Don't worry about it. If you f**k it up, just say that's how they play it in the Old Country!"
So I take that advice now and if it ever goes really wrong at a gig I tell that story then add that we're obviously playing it very "Old Country" style. And it's true - more mistakes have been made over the years with each tune than I could ever make - I'm just the latest in a looong tradition.
Doesn't stop me getting really nervous before every single gig though. But then I get out there and it doesn't matter any more, all that matters are the tunes and that I do them justice for myself - damn everyone else!
Beat the nerves?
Beat the nerves?
Right, so I'm at home and I'm belting out a few reels. I'm totally relaxed and sounding pretty damn good (even if I do say so myself) Then I go to a session and for some reason I get nervous and it all goes to shít.
Its so frickin frustrating. Then I get a complex about a certain place where i made a mistake and inevitably feck it up again in that spot.
Does anyone have any tips for me. or is it just a case of.. 'it will come in time'?
At any rate its not the end of the world I guess, cause I'm as happy listening as I am playing.
# Posted on August 27th 2008 by session savage
Re: Beat the nerves?
Looks like you answered your own question. You play better when you can relax & get comfortable. Maybe you are trying to force it.
;)
# Posted on August 27th 2008 by Ben Steen
Re: Beat the nerves?
I think everybody experiences that to one degree or another.
Here's a book that might be interesting to you: http://gymptf.donrichmond.com/
# Posted on August 27th 2008 by Reverend
Re: Beat the nerves?
this old fella once taught me a trick that goes like this...
Is there someone in your life you can play for, and it really means something to you to play for them, someone like your wife or your mom or something like that?
Well, when things start going bad and the playing starts to get harder and harder and you are sounding more and more like someone kicking a cat across the yard, try and picture that person sitting there listening to you and play to them as if they were there
its supposed to help you find the heart to dig in and play like you really mean it
anybody can play when they are having a good day, but its when things are against you that mental tricks can really help to get you back to that place where you play your best.
there's other tricks, but this one is a good one for distractions and nerves
# Posted on August 27th 2008 by Nate Ryan
Re: Beat the nerves?
Nate that makes sense.
Kurt Vonnegut said everytime he wrote he did so as if he was writing for his sister.
It always worked for him.
# Posted on August 27th 2008 by Ben Steen
Re: Beat the nerves?
I would say there are several ways of dealing with this, depending on the problem:
For others there might be ways of "tricking" yourself to overcome this and do your best in all situations - but my best bet is to practice, practice (slow speed first) - overlearn so that you know you have "reserves". It certainly will come in time.
One is the setting:
Practicing at home is an environment where the soundpicture is normally in control (unless you've got kids screaming around). => try pracicing the tunes with a "noisy environment" either together with several recordings or other thing that may be distractive. i.e you need to be comfortable in a "noisy" setting
The other is the nervousness:
As long as it really matters to you how "well" you sound you may find you will have a problem. Once you are so confident about your playing that this does'nt matter you will find there is no reason to be nervous.
There are certainly individual levels as to how quickly this confidence builds - true session savages that are totally ignorant their interaction with others probably have too little of this problem
# Posted on August 27th 2008 by FiddleTramp
Re: Beat the nerves?
Here's another interesting article. Rather simplistic, but you get the point: http://www.howtodothings.com/hobbies/how-to-silence-your-destructive-inner-critic
I heard tale of a concert pianist, who would walk out onto stage and would mentally send his inner critic down into the audience to sit next to all the real critics. And every time he made a little mistake, he would chuckle, and send a little mental wink to his inner critic, saying "that one was for you..."
# Posted on August 27th 2008 by Reverend
Re: Beat the nerves?
We have all been there brother Savage. It still hits me from time to time almost inexplicably. I find it particularly frustrating when I comfortably start a set and everyone joins in for the first two tunes - then I launch into the third reel and suddenly I can hear the others start dropping out one by one. I've picked some random tune that nobody knows and I am suddenly flying solo. It reminds me of those old cartoons where Wiley Coyote is chasing the roadrunner and suddenly finds himself hovering 300 feet off the ground over a canyon. He was fine until he looked down right?
Just don't look down - and remember you're amongst friends anyway. It's supposed to be fun right? Don't put too much pressure on yourself.
# Posted on August 27th 2008 by Jusa Nutter Eejit
Re: Beat the nerves?
Thanks for the links lads.
Mr GanAinm made an interesting point too, it only happens when I give a hoot.
For example, I havent really touched the guitar since i started learning the fiddle but if I'm asked to do a song i dont bat an eyelid, eventhough I know I'm really rusty. Its because I couldnt give a hoot if I make a mistake on the guitar.
And Jusa, thats a good observation too, i dont tend to be anywhere near as bad if everyone else is playing too because if i think i may falter I just drop my volume to a mere whisper, Ironically the tunes I am most comfortable with are the tunes I usually end up playing solo.
# Posted on August 27th 2008 by session savage
Re: Beat the nerves?
Session, we've all had variations of this. It used to happen to me a lot, less so now for the following reasons [and this is purely personal anecdote/advice for what it's worth]:
1. I now only drink juice [boring] since I find the combo of nerves and alcohol does not mix. Booze [even in small amounts] after a day of work or whatever would relax me, sure, but also not help inthe concentration dept. So if you think it might help in terms of focus either really pace yourself or just drink a 7 up or somehting...oddly it made me feel more confident in my playing...less tired. I could focus more and not worry about screw ups. Later in the evening after loosening up etc I might order a pint and keep an eye on how much I was drinking as eve progressed....for playing, not teetotaller, reasons.
2. play ONLY tunes you know backwards and forwards...no matter how much you like a tune you just learned don't trot it out in public until it's sat with you for a month or two of home playing and is really under the fingers.
3. play *well under your fatest speed * you played it at home. Liked that reel at 95 bpm? Then play it in public [at least for the first few times] at maybe 80 or 85 at the most. You'll feel more confident. Screw ups are less likely to occur and will sound more musical. Try it, you'll see.
As confidence builds you feel much less nervy. And you'll find yourself thinking you're another Tony McManus or Kevin Burke!. ;)
# Posted on August 27th 2008 by skin&bow
Re: Beat the nerves?
funny, im the opposite! i always play better in sessions or when somebody is listening!lol
# Posted on August 27th 2008 by tradmoosic
Re: Beat the nerves?
last time i saw this discussed;
http://www.thesession.org/discussions/display/16296
one line from mickrays posting really stuck in my head
"You are your own worst enemy--your own doubts make your defeat more certain than your opponent ever could"
perhaps you should read his whole post for context....
anyway the line and sentiment behind it have stayed with me, and i often think of it in nervy/stressfull sitiations. it helps me focus and chill out.
thanks mickray
# Posted on August 27th 2008 by knucklehead
Re: Beat the nerves?
knucklehead, one line that sticks in my head comes from when I was a teenager and I folded on the bandstand one night. The bandleader just said to me "I ain't paying you to put your hands in your pockets, kid" and counted off the next tune.
simple and to the point. But remembering it helps he to sort of rally my morale when things are going bad
# Posted on August 27th 2008 by Nate Ryan
Re: Beat the nerves?
It may sound corny, but I pray before I play and ask that the music from my heart flows to the hearts of my listeners, giving them joy. It helps me to take the focus off of me and put it on my listeners. seems to work.
# Posted on August 27th 2008 by Wyogal
Re: Beat the nerves?
Instead of worrying about not making a mistake, focus on enjoying the tune as it unfolds. Music isn't about perfection.
When I tense up, I remind myself to "let it sound effortless" and this helps block any inner monologue about "don't mess up" or "gawd you sound like sh*te tonight" etc. After all, even "mistakes" can sound good if they're effortless....
# Posted on August 27th 2008 by Will Harmon
Re: Beat the nerves?
It's human nature to make mistakes when playing in public; everyone up to and including the top names in the business make them some time or other. It's useful to remember that 99% of the audience don't notice mistakes in performance (REAL listening is incredibly hard to do) - especially if there's no visual feedback from you when you goof up - and those who do will mostly have been there and done it themselves and so will understand. That rare member of the audience who gets uptight about performance mistakes ("I didn't come here to hear wrong notes!") will have his own problems and possibly deserves a little sympathy on his own account.
# Posted on August 27th 2008 by Trevor Jennings
Re: Beat the nerves?
It's not just that nobody recognizes when you make a mistake, it's how you deal with the mistake once you've made it. I have heard great players do things that I am sure were a mistake, but by the time it has passed, they make you believe that they meant to do it.
But if you get too caught up in the fact that you made a mistake, you're likely to snowball, and end up going down in flames.
So part of it for me is letting go of mistakes... But I still tense up from time to time.
# Posted on August 27th 2008 by Reverend
Re: Beat the nerves?
For me it's all a mind game. I recently had to play a slow tune solo infront of a large crowd while being broadcast live on local radio!! I find slow tunes to be harder because they need to be smooth and relaxed. It's important to remember to breathe as the first thing to happen when you feel tense is you stop or shorten your breathing, so a good deep breath in and out helps to blow the nerves away, Don't start until you feel ready and you can feel the physical tension has gone. Then imagine you are in the nice safe practice room - your own front room - and play it as if you are there. Switch off to everything else around you - you can do this while listening to others playing with you, you just switch off the thoughts about how they might be judging your performance and let it go.
If you feel really tense before playing then it can help to scan your eyes slowly from left to right a few times. This works with people who suffer from anxiety and is quick and easy to do.
Also remember that if you mess up there's probably someone who is quite relieved that it isn't only them who makes the mistakes. You could actually be helping to give someone else the confidence to try something.
Good luck and keep breathing
# Posted on August 27th 2008 by bowburner
Re: Beat the nerves?
Thanks for the nice words, knucklehead. Although I didn't invent the ideas, I just have found them useful, for me.
Another thing that Omoto stresses is that no human performance will ever be completely perfect, so there's no reason to beat yourself up over making a mistake.
If you expect to be rewarded for your efforts by a perfect performance, you will always be disappointed. But if you take your satisfaction from making little improvements, day by day, you will pretty much always be happy with your efforts.
# Posted on August 27th 2008 by John Galt
Re: Beat the nerves?
cross-posted with Reverend.... great minds, eh?
# Posted on August 27th 2008 by John Galt
Re: Beat the nerves?
and Will CPT too, now that I look more carefully....
I will try to improve my reading skills, to reduce those mistakes.
# Posted on August 27th 2008 by John Galt
Re: Beat the nerves?
as much as I appreciate it when a musician can cover his or her mistake, I also like it when they showcase their goof by shaking their head or laughing or wincing or groaning. Makes em seem human
# Posted on August 27th 2008 by airport
Re: Beat the nerves?
About 15 years ago I did two live broadcasts on radio. I also did a couple that were pre-recorded and that was no problem. I really enjoyed them. On the live broadcast however, the thoughts kept running through my head that I was going to break down, forget the tunes or maybe throw a wobbly. Something outrageous that would make the papers next day. Incidentally when I heard a recording of the broadcast I was very disappointed and thought that I could have played much better than that. I hate competitions and always have, but about twenty years ago a friend begged me to enter a Fleadh as a duo. My first and last. We won our category and got a medal, but to have to sit there and have an adjudicator criticize your playing was the pits. Never again.
# Posted on August 27th 2008 by Free Reed
Re: Beat the nerves?
I just saw Paddy Keenan play a house concert (lucky me!) and a tiny squeak came from his pipes during the first or second tune. He said something like, "That squeak was special, for this performance. If you want to hear that tune without the squeak, you can buy the CD."
# Posted on August 27th 2008 by John Galt
Re: Beat the nerves?
I've just been listening to some old guitar stuff by Lenny Breau. Just amazing. Sounds like he couldn't care less if it's right or wrong. He's just enjoying the exhilaration of listening to it happen, so fluid and relaxed. Awesome genius.
# Posted on August 27th 2008 by wolfbird
Re: Beat the nerves?
Ah, Lenny Breau.
Utter genius!
# Posted on August 27th 2008 by MacCruiskeen
Re: Beat the nerves?
Bowburner, your reminder to breathe is spot on. Someone just told me a story about a show horse rider who got so tense she literally quit breathing during the competition. Four jumps into her round, she blacked out and fell off the horse.
I remember doing a gig once where our whole band trainwrecked at the same time (I think it was going into the B part of a relatively new tune, and we all just forgot how it went). Stunned silence. Then I leaned into a mic and said, "That was just to prove that this isn't canned music--it's LIVE." The crowd laughed and applauded like we'd just nailed the groove. We started the tune over, survived the transition, and the rest of the gig was a breeze.
# Posted on August 27th 2008 by Will Harmon
Re: Beat the nerves?
Will, you've just reminded me of an old proverb -"The best way to prevent war is to prepare for it" Perhaps if we are prepared for the mistakes then we can handle them better and they won't matter so much? The overall outcome of a mistake seems to rely on how we as musicians handle them when they occur. This seems far more manageable to me than trying to eliminate mistakes altogether,
You've also demonstrated the importance of breathing. Pass out in my local session and someone will pinch your pint and swap your fiddle for a bodhran :-0
# Posted on August 27th 2008 by bowburner
Re: Beat the nerves?
Where's Starting Over when you need him?
# Posted on August 27th 2008 by ethical blend
Re: Beat the nerves?
There. You see. Next time you display any nerves whatsoever, someone just threaten to bring back Bruce. *That*'ll learn ya!
# Posted on August 27th 2008 by ethical blend
Re: Beat the nerves?
My Teacher is John Williams. I struggle with this all off the time on my box. I sit on the piano, guitar or organ and no issues.
Box is new. My inner voice is brutal.
I asked John what he thinks about when he plays. He just says he listens to the tune played perfectly as he goes along... A level of Zen I can't duplicate.
# Posted on August 27th 2008 by zippydw
Re: Beat the nerves?
Interesting, zippydw, just yesterday I was talking with another fiddler about the discrepancy between the tune in your mind and how it sounds coming out on the fiddle. This other fiddler was despairing because the inner tune always sounded so much better than the one coming off her fiddle.
I had to admit that every fiddler--every musician--I've ever talked with about this notion has agreed that the inner tune is almost always "better." It's something to aspire to. But that also, as we become better players, the gap is smaller between the two, and sometimes all the more poignant for that. *And* every now and then it all clicks and the outer tune comes out as good or even better than the inner one.
I think having that inner tune to strive for, to try to echo, is hugely important. And it probably *ought* to always improve slightly ahead of your actual playing. Yes, if you let it, this could lead to always being somewhat disappointed that your playing doesn't live up to what you hear in your head. But it's also possible to relax and rejoice in the bits that *do* match the inner tune.
At any rate, listening to that inner tune and following it as you play is a real key for me when playing under pressure. The more I focus on the tune, the less I care about what anyone might think of my playing. And the better I play.
# Posted on August 27th 2008 by Will Harmon
Re: Beat the nerves?
Funny thing about breathing, too. I'm a crappy flute player, but I've never felt nervous when playing it in public. No doubt in small part because I'm breathing fully--no chance to clam up and build tension.
Also, in a session, if I fumble enough notes in a row, I try to just keep the bow going in rhythm (quietly) till I can climb back on board. Mr. Gill once called that "faffing" and that's how I think of it. Often buys me time when switching from one tune to the next and forgetting how the next one goes. Faff for a bar or two while downloading from the mental rolodex, and then you're playing away again.
# Posted on August 27th 2008 by Will Harmon
Re: Beat the nerves?
Remembering to breath is a great one... but for me it was mostly a case of 'it will come in time'
When i was a kid... i competed in estedfords playing the organ. I used to get soo nervous i was sick before i even got to where the competition was being held.
Now i realise that playing music (or dancing) are things that i love doing... and that's something that you don't have to be nervous about.
# Posted on August 28th 2008 by davydd
Re: Beat the nerves?
I want to contribute to this thread, but I'm too nervous. No, truthfully, nerves are an absolute killer as far as I am concerned, and I wish they weren't. I guess its because playing trad has meant so much to me that its ended up freezing me up (I couldn't play in public fer love or money anymore - not that I ever could really play, but I used to play away in public anyway). Love your thinking Davydd and I'm sure it'll be alright for you, Session Savage. I'm about to purchase the book ...
# Posted on August 28th 2008 by Clear Drops
Re: Beat the nerves?
... and I took my fiddle and played sitting on a bench at the side of the Araluen Arts Centre across the street ... and the only thing that happened was that someone asked for directions to the wearable arts rehearsals (and I was able to point them in the right direction ... yay!) ... that was soooooo brave!
# Posted on August 28th 2008 by Clear Drops
Re: Beat the nerves?
Love Nate and daydd's take on this. As with many things in life, performing seems easier if you do it with heart for the benefit and enjoyment of others. Put ego, the left brain and the inner critic into a velvet bag, tie with a ribbon and leave in a corner....it's taken me years to learn this lesson.
# Posted on August 28th 2008 by zepherin
Re: Beat the nerves?
Try recording yourself a lot at home (if you haven't done so yet). I can be perfectly happy with a tune and when i start recording (at home) it i get so nervous in front of the recording device it comes out really badly sometimes.
the other thing is, are sure it's nerves, or maybe:
- being drunk (slightly or very)
- being hungry, tired, not settled in yet after the journey to the session, hot / cold, sitting in a very cramped room? or not being able to hear yourself, as someone else wrote?
# Posted on August 28th 2008 by Mina the Fiddler
Re: Beat the nerves?
Mina
That's a good point. I am trying to understand my inconsistency in my lessons. I am getting very tired mumbling to myself in front of John "I know I play this better...." and the angrier I get, the crummier I play.
I worked in public service on the streets, so I developed a very bad temper that focusing on ITM is breaking me of.... No one has ever shot at me playing the accordion-yet
Anyway, I take lessons on Sunday AM. Get up at 5 ish. Run through my box lessons. Run through the music I have to play ay 8 oclock mass. eat something. Play 8. and then drive 45m inutes for hte lesson.
On days when I nail the music at 8, I am aweful. On days where I survive 8 on my 50 year old music synapses, I nail the lessons.
Herself suggested that when I am on at 8, I am using alot more energy because I am overcoming adrenaline, and when I get to John's, there is nothing left to beat the adrenaline and jitters. And because I am tired, the frustration pi**es me off quickly.
This Sunday, I am going to try eating one of those expensive protein bars on the way to lessons and see if it does anything more than make me more regular. Also might try someone's suggestion to drink some fruit juice or something.
But I must learn to tell my little voice in my head to stop bad mouthing my playing and hum along..... Maybe the inner music will then sound more like what is coming out of my box!
# Posted on August 28th 2008 by zippydw
Re: Beat the nerves?
Throwing up just before a performance is popular in some circles...
Personally, I like to wait for the second or third tune before melting down. Or the first tune.
# Posted on August 28th 2008 by Gzeg
Re: Beat the nerves?
The other night I picked up the wrong harmonica and when I attempted to put an instrumental break in the middle of a song, it came out as a collection of horrible wrong notes. Everyone including me laughed and laughed.
In the sea services, everyone goes through firefighting school because they found that 50 percent of people freeze the first time they are in a fire. So they expose them to fires in school, so that if they face a fire at sea, they will be more likely to keep moving, and do what they need to.
Playing in public is similar. The first time I play a new tune in public, I invariably make a mistake that wasn't there during practice. But the next time is better, and the time after it better.
And I learn to get back on track faster and faster after mistakes the more I play and the better I learn the tune. So dive right in there and keep plugging away. Confidence is built, just as musical ability, by practice, and you can only develop confidence by playing in public.
I remember being so scared of public speaking that in school, I walked away from a podium in speaking class without saying a word. And now I can totally ruin a solo, and laugh about it, instead of hanging my head in shame. So charge right in there, and join the fun!
# Posted on August 29th 2008 by AlBrown
Re: Beat the nerves?
Al makes a very good point about playing public. I think it is the most effective way to make the old synapses sharp.
Even though I am the church organ guy, from time to time because I live in a wannabe Irish Barrio on the south side of Chicago, at church, I play in on the accordion (or guitar, or whistle) with our other occasional instruments on special numbers or events.
Especially being a relative newcomer to the box, the first time I play something is terrifying, particualy when our piano nazi wants to show off her obviously superb technique at high speed.
But after perfomring a couple of times, Whatever I learned is always solid. I can learn and play in the comfort zone or with John at lessons over and over, I don't have the same solidness as the stuff learned for/played in public.
Strangely I don't know if it is intensity. It seems to work when you are relaxed and oblivious to things around you.
# Posted on August 29th 2008 by zippydw
Re: Beat the nerves?
A lot of classical players eat bananas to calm themselves before a performance. they are beta-blockers.
The most eye opening comment about the music I may have ever heard was from Alan Morrisroe, the archaic style melodeon player from Mayo originally, who grew up with the music all around him pretty much 24/7. He had hosted one of our IAANJ sessions, and I recorded it, and sent on some suggested edits for the solo tunes he did and made a few mistakes on, and he said "NO!!!! Mistakes are natural, leave them in". I had never heard anything like that before, when I record the sessions I feel my job is to make everything that is left on as perfect as possible, make peoples' mistakes go away and make them shine. I asked him why, and he said you cannot try to play so carefully that you lose the passion and wildness in the music, period. And when you play like that, from the gut, you are bound to make a few mistakes here and there, that is normal. Leave the mistakes in the CD he said. I don't think I have ever seen such total devotion to the natural sound of the music and the spontenaiety of the music as is demonstrated in Alan. No thought of his own ego or how he sounds to others, just a pure presentation of the heart and soul and guts of the music, where mistakes will happen here and there. This attitude allows him to play with total abandon and passion, he just does not worry about the mistakes or what people will think of him.
The main trick, is when you goof up, don't stop, keep it moving, and often you are the only one who will know you goofed, and if you keep going along people will have mostly forgotten by the end of the tune anyway. Or like Paddy Keenan... a good save on something that does get very much noticed is always good for a laugh. Even the audience knows people can make a mistake and most ITM audiences are just nice folks, many play themselves and know what it's all about, and don't mind a goof here and there.
I had a thumbpick fly off mid tune once, and the fiddler played on while I scrambled to the floor to get it, then picked up the tune again as everyone laughed...including myself. It was all among friends and no one had a bad word to say about it later.
The laughter was good, it was friendly, and broke what could have been a very tense moment and turned it into something amusing. I think the message from Alan Morrisroe would be, don't worry so much, just play your heart out.
# Posted on August 29th 2008 by irisnevins
Re: Beat the nerves?
you want to really know how I beat nerves?
I've been on the bandstand when gun fire errupted in the club
I've been on the bandstand during police raids
I've played gigs at nudist colonies
I've watched singers I was backing fall completely off the stage and knock themselves out cold (happened several times actually)
I've played gigs while girls were flashing their tits
played some blues gigs where grey haired old ladies were flashing thier tits. <shudder>
I've played gigs while completely sick with the flu
I've played gigs where the power went out
I've been on the bandstand when famous musicians walked in the club
I've even been on a gig when BMI walked in and shut the place down.
I've played gigs where the audience was mostly motorcyclists and they were fairly well armed and not big fans of modern jazz
I learned to play without looking at my guitar neck because at the clubs I played at as a kid, people threw beer bottles at you if they liked you. You really had to watch out for the full ones.
...so basically, anything that can happen while I'm performing has probably happened to me before, but I always like to see something new, so what have I got to be nervous about?
# Posted on August 29th 2008 by Nate Ryan
Re: Beat the nerves?
Nate said:
"I've played gigs at nudist colonies"
"I've played gigs while girls were flashing their tits"
Kinda the same thing... really.
# Posted on August 29th 2008 by davydd
Re: Beat the nerves?
the only difference would be what I was wearing
good thing I played guitar for those gigs. you really have to have alot of focus and concentration to play a nude gig on the tin whistle
# Posted on August 29th 2008 by Nate Ryan
Re: Beat the nerves?
Just let us know where you're playing next Nate and we'll all know to avoid it
# Posted on August 29th 2008 by bowburner
Re: Beat the nerves?
When I started playing ITM I phoned my Auntie in Ireland who used to dance. I told her I was really nervous that I was going to mess it all up for sure; she replied:
"Don't worry about it. If you f**k it up, just say that's how they play it in the Old Country!"
So I take that advice now and if it ever goes really wrong at a gig I tell that story then add that we're obviously playing it very "Old Country" style. And it's true - more mistakes have been made over the years with each tune than I could ever make - I'm just the latest in a looong tradition.
Doesn't stop me getting really nervous before every single gig though. But then I get out there and it doesn't matter any more, all that matters are the tunes and that I do them justice for myself - damn everyone else!
# Posted on August 29th 2008 by An Kammneves
Re: Beat the nerves?
Nate... if you got nervous at the nudist colony gig.. did you still imagine them in thier underwear???
# Posted on August 30th 2008 by session savage