Nervousness playing live

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John O.

Posts: 1723
Joined: Dec. 16 2005
From: Seeheim-Jugenheim, Germany

Nervousness playing live

...I'm a busy guy this Summer!

Flamencosummer 2006 Mainz August 23rd I'll be playing a couple of solo pieces at the "Noche de Guitarras" just before Miguel Iven. In July I'll be accompanying dance for different flamenco groups, Tiento/Tango, Fandango, Sevillana, Farruca, Garrotín, Alegría, and Taranta and Polo if my colleague is busy and playing a solo piece. This is the first time I'll be taking such a huge part in any such show.

How the hell do I get this all together? For some of you guys this is standard, any suggestions for first-timers? I know for a fact whenever I get up on stage in front of people I have trouble doing the simplest things because my hands start to shake and I can't think straight. I think July I'll be covering a piece, but August will be full of guitarists and it'd probably be better to do something of my own.

There's almost always local press involved in shows like these, especially for a festival such as the Flamencosummer. Help me, I'm a wreck!!!...

John O.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 21 2006 21:11:09

Ricardo

Posts: 14852
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC

RE: I'm freaking out... (in reply to John O.)

Miguel Iven is a friend and a super player. Tell him Ricardo from USA says hi. We have had good times with Nunez in Spain.

I have seen your vids. You are a very solid player, no worries. Maybe get some little gigs in the restaurant to boost your confidence. Who is your "colleague"?

Ricardo

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 22 2006 6:10:30

John O.

Posts: 1723
Joined: Dec. 16 2005
From: Seeheim-Jugenheim, Germany

RE: I'm freaking out... (in reply to Ricardo)

You know everyone!

That's so cool!

My colleague would be Frank Ihle, "colleague" not meaning by any means I'm at his level. He's done a lot to help me over the past years. He's actually putting together the Flamencosummer and asked me to play. There's a small chance he can't be at the July show in which case I'd be playing for him.

As small as these shows are relatively to what's out there (although it will be a couple hundred people), it's a great first step for me and my name in the area. If the weather wasn't so bad I'd be playing out on the street to get used to playing for crouds again...

Could anybody tell me with my little experience playing live how to know whether something will work live and not totally go to sh*t? Are there tricks to relaxing before a show? There's gotta be more to it than playing something way below one's level?

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 22 2006 6:57:02

larone

Posts: 242
Joined: Nov. 19 2004

RE: I'm freaking out... (in reply to John O.)

Hi there. I've been playing live fo rabout 10 years in all sorts of styles, the last for years has been dedicated to playing flamenco. I would say firstly, make sure you know the tunes backwards and inside out so any nervousness doesn't really get in the way of playing too much. Play for about 45min to an hour back stage to warm up. go out to see how many peopl are there before you start just to gey used to seeing all the people in the crowd. do some breathing exercises before you get on stage. try and pretend you're just playing at a family party or something like that. Also, not alot of people play flamenco guitar, so just think that you're doing something that most people in the whole world can't do so it's pretty cool to be even trying to play it. most people don't know if you stuff up or not and those who do notice make mistake as well and know what it's like. Hope this helps you. Most of all have fun.
Larone

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 29 2006 0:52:56

John O.

Posts: 1723
Joined: Dec. 16 2005
From: Seeheim-Jugenheim, Germany

RE: I'm freaking out... (in reply to larone)

Thanks for the tips, you two! I think my reputation in the area depends a lot on these shows. The July show should be okay because I’ll be accompanying on stage beforehand and can loosen up a bit. The August show will be rough, mostly other guitarists, ouch! I’m already spending a half hour a day on the pieces so nothing can go wrong. If all goes well I’ll post the performance!

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 29 2006 8:15:40

Miguel de Maria

Posts: 3532
Joined: Oct. 20 2003
From: Phoenix, AZ

RE: Nervousness playing live (in reply to John O.)

John, stage fright has been a bugaboo for me for a long time. Yesterday I played "Recuerdos" live, with about twenty people watching, which for me was a big step. I have usually had lots of problems with classical pieces because of fear-induced memory blocks.

In my opinion, you just need experience playing in public. If I were you, I would make it a point to play as much as possible live, and the pieces you will be playing. You want people watching you, you want to feel the adrenaline, but you want to ratchet it up slowly so as not to make it negative. If you want to pull off a good performance, you need to work up to it gradually.

I'm excited for you! What a great opportunity :)

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 29 2006 14:19:14

seanm

Posts: 169
Joined: Apr. 5 2005
From: Halifax, Nova Scotia

RE: Nervousness playing live (in reply to John O.)

John,

Couple of more things to ponder:

Make sure you can play through mistakes (and don't do re-takes)

Also, know that a small glitch or memory issue will seem like minutes to you on stage but the audience only 'notices' for a blink of an eye if they notice at all.

Concentrate on making music before you begin to play. Leave your worries about technique backstage. When performing, you have to trust that all your preparation will do you well ... worrying won't help (easy to say I know but just keep it in mind an you will eventually be able to let the fear go).

If you mess up the first few notes (a common fear) just stop and tune for a sec. The auduence will simply think you are so proficient that you hear an 'out of tuness' that they aren't capable off ... a handy trick that helps you relax on those first few bars because you know you have an 'out' if you mess up.

As bad as any one gig is, it WILL NOT destroy your reputation. A lot of people get so stressed about a debut or similar because they think it is all or nothing. It really really really isn't ... so relax about that.

Try and have someone video tape or at least record your performance so you can honestly access your performance after the fact. This will go a long way toward helping you prepare and relax for your next gig (very important because your memory will amplify your mistakes and forget the great stuff you did do)

Visualize the actual performance with the audience, walking up on stage ... everything from start to finish. This will make you nervous but that is good. Then try to relax and play. The point of this is so that when you actually go on stage you will have 'experienced' the nervous tension already and know the feeling of playing with this tension.

A good book that discusses a lot of this stuff (though there are others I'm sure) is The Art and Technique of Performance - Richard Provost. Good luck.

Sean

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date May 29 2006 15:28:40