StreamLine Posted September 10, 2005 Report Share Posted September 10, 2005 hi guys... I've finally decided to take part in my school's interhouse music competition... i'm playing the solo piece for my house. that is to say I've decided to play the above mentioned piece in front of about 400+ people, basically everyone I know. I've been practicing this piece for the last 2 years. Technically I've nailed it. BUT I've NEVER ever performed anywhere. Not even in front of 20 people. so..... How should I overcome stage fright??!! how can i avoid becoming so nervous that i forget the notes etc!! i'll be extremely grateful for any advice... there are still 2 weeks left before the competition, so if i need to learn to do anything there's still a bit of time! so... please help out!! Roman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marzocchi705 Posted September 10, 2005 Report Share Posted September 10, 2005 You can never really loose stage fright. When im playing live i tend to get really psyked up befor, and force my self on to the stage, 9/10 im comfortable straight away and can play. But as you've never played infront of an auidiance befor, i sugest you play infront of a few people, 20-30, if you can do that youl be fine. Also if your on a stage with lights on you, you wont be able to see much of anything beond the stage anyway. Just remember to have fun with it. And if it helps any, im playing aces high in the talent show at my school in 3 weeks, i have to learn the first solo befor that too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darren wilson Posted September 10, 2005 Report Share Posted September 10, 2005 Experience is the only way to do it, really. Start off by playing for family or a small circle of close friends, then build from there. When you're on a big stage, though, make sure you DO NOT look out into the audience (especially if it's a daytime show or in a well-lit room)... that'll freak you out. I used to get quite nervous before going onstage, but now i really enjoy it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GodBlessTexas Posted September 10, 2005 Report Share Posted September 10, 2005 Stage fright boils down to two things: a fear of failure, and a fear of having people see that failure. Be free of both of them, and it can't harm you. Let me tell you a little story about myself and the guitar club we had at high school. Each year we got to have a concert and it was attended by as many people that could fit into the auditorium of the school. I was 17, and had been playing for about 5 years at that point. I wasn't the best guitar player in the group, but I somehow managed to land the solo spot for the Pearl Jam song Alive, and could actually play it. We practiced and everything sounded great. Fast forward to the day of the concert. I had been in school band before, and had played in front of other people, so it wasn't like I was nervous. Anyway, they run through the other songs, and Alive is the closer. We start to play, and everything is great. The crowd is going nuts, and it's a great time. Then it's time for the solo... I stepped in front of the stage, turned up the volume on the guitar a little, and proceeded to nail the first few notes of the solo when I realized I couldn't hear myself and I froze. I just stood there stiff in horror. Failure is survivable. Lose your fear of it and stage fright won't be a problem. Remember the Alamo, and God Bless Texas... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegarehanman Posted September 10, 2005 Report Share Posted September 10, 2005 (edited) Get your band members to rough you up right before you go on stage; the adrenaline will make you forget about being scared. Me and my bassest smack each other around before we play. Then while your're playing, pretend you're making dirty love to your guitar instead of standing in front 400 or whatever people. People always tell me one of two things when they see me play: 1) I look like I'm having sex with my guitar, or 2) I look completely stoned when I'm on stage. Well, I do neither...so I guess it's just my mood on stage. Funny thing about when I play big gigs...I don't remember them well. When I get off stage, all I remember well is going onto the stage...the rest is just cloudy. Maybe it's some sort of subconcious protective mechanism my brain has. I really don't know. peace, russ Edited September 10, 2005 by thegarehanman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StreamLine Posted September 10, 2005 Author Report Share Posted September 10, 2005 thanks a lot for replies so far, a lot of food for thought... as far as band members... well there wont be any!! That's the thing, its gonna be me playing alone from start to finish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marksound Posted September 10, 2005 Report Share Posted September 10, 2005 I don't know about anyone else, but after 35 years of playing in front of people I still get stage fright. Luckily, it goes away as soon as we start playing. The thing to remember is to just have fun. If it ain't fun it's too much like work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marzocchi705 Posted September 10, 2005 Report Share Posted September 10, 2005 Stage fright is a good thing i say, when im doing a drama production, i go over my lines non stop befor i go on, i never forget them. When playin guitar, i have a practice guitar off stage (i leave my guitars on stage) and i play the set/song loads befor i go on, just so i know i know it, even tho i know i know it, if that makes any sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted September 10, 2005 Report Share Posted September 10, 2005 just don't lose your "soul" just because your nervous. too many guitarists just start playingmindlessly,rather than playing it like the music that it is Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jehle Posted September 10, 2005 Report Share Posted September 10, 2005 Ah, memories. I remember my first public gig. I wanted to vomit I was so nervous. Sound familiar? Thing is, I found it way easier to play in front of 400 people than 4 people. Dude, you know the song. Enjoy the moment. You are going to be a rock star to these people, even if just for 2 and a half minutes. Think of that moment after you finish. People are going to freak out and say, "Dude, I had no idea you could play like that!" You'll see. Jump off the cliff: fly, not fall. BTW, you'll also find out the the rush you get from being in front of a crowd is addictive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
komodo Posted September 10, 2005 Report Share Posted September 10, 2005 (edited) just don't lose your "soul" just because your nervous. too many guitarists just start playingmindlessly,rather than playing it like the music that it is Wes is right. Don't focus on the technicality of the piece. You don't really need to be that good to be on a stage and entertain people. I know WAY back when my first band started playing out, it didn't take too long to realize that the technical solos I was proud of didn't do squat for most people, but one screaming note held out, bent, dive bombed .. . well everybody went nuts. I was watching that Gene SImmons Rock Scool show last night, funny. But he said similar sentiments to those kids. It doesn't matter if you are good, or you suck you succeed or fail. Juts get out there, HAVE ENERGY, get PUMPED, SHOW it and the audience feeds on that. If you watch Vai play live . . .it's almost not so much his virtuosity (although i guess really it is, he's an alien), it's his unreal showmanship. Above all, HAVE FUN. KOMODO Edited September 10, 2005 by komodo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattia Posted September 10, 2005 Report Share Posted September 10, 2005 Enjoy the tune, focus on the music, use the rush/adrenaline you've got, but don't let it run away with you! Adrenaline tends to make me a little jittery at the start of a short set, but after the first few bars go well, it actually tends to help me. If you know your stuff, you'll do fine. People will like it. It's about the feel you put into the music, in the end. If you put in the emotion, pour yourself into the music, the audience will see and appreciate it. Enjoy it! You're sharing something you love with a bunch of people. There's no bad there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickguard Posted September 10, 2005 Report Share Posted September 10, 2005 thanks a lot for replies so far, a lot of food for thought... as far as band members... well there wont be any!! That's the thing, its gonna be me playing alone from start to finish. ← Oh man, I feel for you. I did that once. Only once. I will never do that again! I love being onstage, and as long as I've got a band with me, I'm one happy guy up there. But alone? Brrrr....you've got more guts than me. So I can't help you much I guess. One thing I do nowadays is take a little nip of whiskey right before I get up onstage. Not enough get me drunk, mind you, just enough to calm my nerves. It's actually a big improvement over the obliterated state I usually was in when I was playing back in the early 80s.... Oh yeah, another thing to keep in mind: of the 400 people watching, only about 10 will actually realize if you've flubbed a note. Of those 10, only 1 will care. That'll be the guy jealous with envy because he's not up there and you are. Personally, I prefer an element of 'danger' when I'm going onstage --I like the idea that I never know if we're going to suck, or be great, or be somewhere in between. Everytime I get onstage it's different, a completely new experience. Maybe that's why stage fright doesn't ever really go away? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simo Posted September 11, 2005 Report Share Posted September 11, 2005 Two words....Jack Daniels I've been doing mostly acoustic gigs over the last couple of years which have been really nerve racking, I'm much more confident when I've got a band with me. I get nervous hours before the gig is due to start and I loose my appetite completely but as soon as I start to play I'm ok and when I hear the audience's reaction after the first song I really start to enjoy it then as soon as your enjoying it, it's all over....an hours set seems to last about 5 minutes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmrentis Posted September 11, 2005 Report Share Posted September 11, 2005 just don't lose your "soul" just because your nervous. too many guitarists just start playingmindlessly,rather than playing it like the music that it is Oh man, I could not agree more!! It's very easy to go from playing the music, to just playing notes like a robot and from memory instead of feel. I myself get really bad stage fright even though I have been on stage many times and played in front of tons of friends/families and just random strangers. The hardest for me is singing, I don't do it much anymore, but that was what made me the most nervous by far, after singing a few times, playing guitar was nothing. But do start playing in front of small groups and get trying to build to higher numbered groups. Just ask people you know to listen. Good luck man and let us know how it goes! I'm sure if you practice in front of people you will be fine, most people think it's cool that you can play guitar and will not know if you make small mistakes, although the musicians might but thats no big deal. Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southpa Posted September 11, 2005 Report Share Posted September 11, 2005 (edited) Well there ya go! All it takes is to really know the music where you're at that point where you say, "OK, this is where I'm gonna nail it." Thats what you are up there for, to make the music. And that is why everyone is gathered there, to hear the music. EVERYTHING outside of the music is inconsequential. So drink some JD, get someone to slap you around for a little while, and go make yourself comfortable on stage. Edited September 11, 2005 by Southpa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocksolid Posted September 11, 2005 Report Share Posted September 11, 2005 chewing bubblegum worked for me in the beggining lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Rosenberger Posted September 11, 2005 Report Share Posted September 11, 2005 Visualize the ENTIRE audience wearing nothing but Black Socks. you be so busy smiling you'll forget to be scared Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pr3Va1L Posted September 11, 2005 Report Share Posted September 11, 2005 god i feel you. I played a Vai song too... in front of like 100 poeple. Sisters is the one (easyest song...) but damn... It's hard with all that poeple. Was harder in front of 30 persons though. But i really tought it was easyer to do that than what i normally did. I usually sing when I play, With only my friend (both on guitar...). Damn that's hard because I really feel everyone that's watching me. But i play alright, until it's the time of the solo. Then it gets even worst. One thing. You WILL make a stupid error for sure. Just make sure no one notices it! Anyways, good luck. It's hard, but you'll make it through and you'll nail your song! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesj Posted September 11, 2005 Report Share Posted September 11, 2005 I am NOT recomending this at all, This is actually saying dont do this. It is my understading most big stars get drunk before going on stage, because it easies their stage fright. The ones I actually heard about doing it eventually drank and drugged themselves to death....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted September 11, 2005 Report Share Posted September 11, 2005 considering it is at school...i think that drinking is not an option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duo2 Posted September 11, 2005 Report Share Posted September 11, 2005 Just don't worry yourself to death about it. You'll do fine. Eric Clapton still throws up before he goes on stage. You are going to mess up. It's innevitable. When you mess up just keep playing. If you play a wrong note, play it again like you meant to play it in the first place. The audience isn't gonna care. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jehle Posted September 11, 2005 Report Share Posted September 11, 2005 And... by all means... come back to this thread when it's all over. Everything that we've said here will have new meaning when you read it again. Let us know how it went, the good and the bad. Be cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Sorbera Posted September 11, 2005 Report Share Posted September 11, 2005 For a while I played in front of about 70 people every week. The first time I did it I was so scared I was shaking in my boots. I screwed up prety bad and thought everyone would hate me. But I kept up the evergy even though it diddnt sound as good as it could. When I was done everyone was like "wow that was awesome dude". And next week I went on thinking I was going to be fine and not scared. When I wsa walking onto the stage I got really scared so when I put my guitar on I closed my eyes for about the first 30 seconds of play (looking like I ment to and the music touched me or something...) and when I opened my eyes I kept playing awesome and I've never had stage fright on any size auidence again. so my advice is play in front of a bunch of friends. It's easy to play in front of strangers but it's very hard to play in front of friends who can play guitar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted September 11, 2005 Report Share Posted September 11, 2005 i don't get stage fright...only thing i worry about is getting overly excited.i tend to play too fast and sloppy because of the adrenaline. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.