mark indigo -> RE: my first public performance (Sep. 24 2008 11:07:46)
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quote: I read somewhere that in an anxiety-provoking situation fine motor skills are the first thing to go. I wonder why that is? What is nature's intent here? I mean what good is fumbling or shaking in a "fight or flight" situation? Anyway it's a curse. When you get it bad it's like having glue inbetween your fingers and no strength or co-ordination. There is a third option in response to danger.... play dead. Apparently this is the best option when encountering one of the bear species, can't remember which one! Playing dead involves not breathing either, and I have been told that the shaking fingers that accompany nerves is due to lack of oxygen, the result of tensing up muscles in the body restricting breathing. If you get the shakes, take a deep breath, and then keep taking them (don't overdo it and hyper-ventilate tho')! Have found that this actually works. The other thing that works is that a lot of "nerves" is/are caused by internal thought saying things like " i can't do it", "I'm crap" "it's too hard" etc. Most people are not even aware that this is going on. Preventing these and/or countering them with their opposites/positives can also work. If i feel nervous, tense, or flustered while playing, i just tell myself it's easy and that often is enough to carry me through.... I've had quite a bit of practise at it tho', and done quite a bit of work on performance psychology etc. Here's a really weird (and slightly digressive) one, which actually sort of contradicts the above: when i approach a fast passage or run, I often think "fast" but due to a lot of crazy mixed up thinking from when i was younger and first performing, i attached the label "fast" to putting in more effort, and to put more effort in i tensed more muscles harder, which impairs coordination and speed, so when approaching those passages i think "slow", then i relax, and go faster!
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