gj Michelob -> RE: Breaking the Ice before playing.... cold hands (Mar. 25 2009 17:55:22)
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I struggled with this for years, but have come to realize that it is all psychological. I had to play outdoors once, it was FREEZING....my fingers went numb after a few minutes until my fingers could not feel the strings AT ALL. At that point, my playing became "normal", but it just felt like I was playing with someone elses hands. It was weird, but I realized the fingers still move...it is all about your mind. If I am warmed up...but very nervous for some reason, then I still can't play good. Paco de lucia once said "if you THINK you are going to make a mistake...you are lost...". REally you need to have confidence, then you can play no matter what the conditions. But how to get that is the trick. For me I need 2 things....a glass of REd wine or sherry to calm the nerves a bit and warm the blood, to relax more than anything...and inspiration to perform well. That can inspiriation is really important and can come from many different sources, but mainly, from you audience or fellow performers. So that is me...but someone like Paco needs more than that to gain the confidence. You can try his method if you want. He; Smokes weed, keeps his RIGHT hand in a plastic bag to keep it warm and moist, has hot soup backstage before playing, needs a certain sized chair...mic,, monitor system etc, and keeps a spot of petroleum gel on his guitar for his right hand finger tips. So if anyone one of those things is missing, it can totally throw him off for the night, just like the rest of us humans that need certain things to get in the right mind set to perform our best. Ricardo ____________________________ New CD available here: http://www.flamenco-teacher.com/storeitem?item=800106 What an awesome post, Ricardo. I will add nothing more than a thank you.
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