Staying relaxed on stage

[ELK]

I have started to play gigs on a fairly reguar basis and now I'm trying to focus on keeping a consistent quality tone. I tend to get tense, and when I do, both my playing and singing become too hard-edged. Do any of you have any tips on how to keep that "practicing at home" feeling - relaxed strumming and calm vocals, even on uptempo songs? I'm sure some of it is just spending more time infront of an audience, but any suggestions would be appreciated.

[ljguitar]

I have started to play gigs on a fairly reguar basis and now I'm trying to focus on keeping a consistent quality tone. I tend to get tense, and when I do, both my playing and singing become too hard-edged. Do any of you have any tips on how to keep that "practicing at home" feeling - relaxed strumming and calm vocals, even on uptempo songs? I'm sure some of it is just spending more time infront of an audience, but any suggestions would be appreciated.
Hi ELK...
Two recommendations:

Breathe
Get lots of experience in front of people


I meet an amazing amount of players who I catch holding their breath when performing - especially when new at it. Then their body goes into survival mode, the heart rate accelerates and their playing goes erratic.

Even for instrumentalists slow steady breathing is a signal to the brain that we are relaxed.

Performing at coffee houses, open mics, jams etc gives you practice which is pretty low stress compared to concerts and high paying jobs and it is good for you to play in all sorts of places to get used to it.

It's a lot like just recording everything you do for a month. That way you get over the fear of recorders - well play in front of people regularly and you get over nervousness.

[220volt]

Everything Larry said, and if all that fails, alcohol would do it pretty quickly.:wink:
Of course only up to the point to get you out of the wheel of tenseness you're in. Once you're out, alcohol is out too. Problem is that some people get caught up in the wheel for too long :(

[-ST-]

Oops - please see my post below. thanks.

Hi ELK<

Take that thought and turn it around.


I have started to play gigs on a fairly reguar basis and now I'm trying to focus on keeping a consistent quality tone. I tend to get tense, and when I do, both my playing and singing become too hard-edged. Do any of you have any tips on how to keep that "practicing at home" feeling - relaxed strumming and calm vocals, even on uptempo songs? I'm sure some of it is just spending more time infront of an audience, but any suggestions would be appreciated.

When you practice at home, visualize your audience at the gig. Imagine that the audience is there with you whenever you play. When you do that, every practice will become a rehearsal, and every rehearsal will add to that "in front of an audience" time feeling.

To do that, I have my rehearsal space set up like a stage. Everything is set up just like I do it live.

Try it. Rehearse as though the audience is listening and enjoy that.

[-ST-]

Hi ELK

how to keep that "practicing at home" feeling

Take that thought and turn it around.

I have started to play gigs on a fairly reguar basis and now I'm trying to focus on keeping a consistent quality tone. I tend to get tense, and when I do, both my playing and singing become too hard-edged. Do any of you have any tips on how to keep that "practicing at home" feeling - relaxed strumming and calm vocals, even on uptempo songs? I'm sure some of it is just spending more time infront of an audience, but any suggestions would be appreciated.

When you practice at home, visualize your audience at the gig. Imagine that the audience is there with you whenever you play. When you do that, every practice will become a rehearsal, and every rehearsal will add to that "in front of an audience" time feeling.

To do that, I have my rehearsal space set up like a stage. Everything is set up just like I do it live.

Try it. Rehearse as though the audience is listening and enjoy that.



More thoughts like this: Practise Practice Rehearsal Visualization Simulation (http://shadowtoonz.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!5FBC981056CCCFC1!1029.entry)


PS sorry for the inadvertent duplicate post. Moderators please delete my post above, thank you.

[Billy Memphis]

You did not say if it was coffee house or other wise but I always start the set with somethign that is well within my vocal range, easy to play and is not prone to mistakes. Something I am so familiar with I could play it in my sleep.This builds my confidence and allows me to hear what the room "sounds like" and gets my blood going. Nothing too complicated right out of the gate.
Also, and it may sound elementary, but when you pratice; pratice the songs all the way through every time. Do not stop and go back over something as you get near to a performance. If you get nervous you will come to the point where you usually stop and guess what? you will stop! Oh what an awful feeling.
That is from my own experience of course.

[aaron1433]

clearing away the mental distinction between playing/practicing/performing and making them more unanimous is a strategy I adopted from John Clayton. It is how I want to approach music for the rest of my days.

[open strings]

I think it helps to be playing right up to when you go onstage. Maybe a different one than what's plugged in.

Practice the songs enough that you are confident with them.

If it's a worship situation, play for an audience of One.:)

[jackweasel]

In addition to all the great advise given above, I would like to add this suggestion. If you have your own p.a./ sound system, try to set your rehersal place where you can practice through it. Sometimes the mic itself can be intimidating, but in my opinion, getting used to your voice though a sound system and learning how to use it is as much a part of putting on a show as being a good guitar player or singer. It's the final link in the signal chain between you and your audience. Be as comfortable as you can with all the tools you use to do your job, and it'll come through as a better performance.
Recently I played a family reunion for some friends [I rarely "gig" these days] and afterwards, my wife gave me a huge compliment on my performance [something she NEVER does] and said, " I can tell you've been practicing a lot with your Bose [L-1] and all your other stuff. It sounded great. You looked like you were having a good time, too."
That's exactly what I needed to hear.

[vac4873]

One thing I haven't seen added is this- take every opportunity you can to play in front of an audience, large or small, and this will make the activity part of what you "normally" do. Play a church, at jails, at rest homes, at schools, wherever you can play for others. When playing in front of others becomes a "normal" activity rather than an unusual one, you will naturally be more relaxed.

Hope this helps.

Matt

[815C]

I think of the room as being full of aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, etc. Kind of a big family get together with no pressure.

Audiences can usually discern if you're uptight - and its no fun to watch an uptight performer. But if you are relaxed and having a good time - and can even laugh off any mistakes - I've seen that sense of fun is contagious.

There is a difference between playing by yourself at home and playing on a stage in front of a bunch of strangers. I think the tips in the thread that have been posted are good ones. Get as much time in playing in front of people as possible/

[fitness1]

two things have always worked for me.

Get to the gig early and while your setting up, do as much "mingling" with folks in the crowd as you can. Even if it's just getting eye contact and a nod or hello. Sometimes that will get them talking to you. Believe it or not, they want you to do well too, and getting some chatter and common ground with your audience will go a long way towards that. This also includes waiters, waitresses and anyone that works in the establishment...get them on your side and they'll be telling the audience/customers that you are "pretty good!"

Also, if you think to yourself "there's noone in the audience that can do what I'm doing" There may be some other musicians out there, but it's not likely there's anyone that plays the same songs the same way you do.

[ELK]

Thanks for your input, lots of helpful advice here. I had a bar gig on Saturday that went very well, a few mistakes on guitar here and there but my vocals were strong and it seems like people notice that more than the guitar. (When you're primarily a guitar player, it's hard to accept that people don't really care how well you play and just want to hear you sing, but it's often true.) Having friends in the crowd helped a lot. A guy asked me to play at his party in two weeks, so that will be the next gig.

[ELK]

.. . . . . . . inadvertent double post . . . . . ..

[ewalling]

I've had the intention of playing in public for some time now. I've got the gear - a Fishman SoloAmp, a mic and some nice guitars - but now I just need the courage! Funny, I can stand before a conference room full people and speak, but even an informal performance on the guitar makes my fingers quiver ever so slightly, but enough that only the most rudimentary fingerstyle piece is possible. In the 80s, when I was living in Spain, a surgeon friend of mine gave me some beta-blockers as an experiment. I took one and then he and all his friends came round to hear me play. It was perfect! Not the guitar playing, I hasten to add, but my nerves. I know drugs are not the way, but that pill certainly cancelled out this reaction. I think in the main, though, it is frequency of performance that does the trick. At a few points in my life when I have played in front of a few people, I've noticed that the problem did diminish somewhat.

[BigRed51]

take every opportunity you can to play in front of an audience, large or small, and this will make the activity part of what you "normally" do. Play a church, at jails, at rest homes, at schools, wherever you can play for others.

Amen! I don't believe there is any other way to get over your tenseness.

As I have pointed out a few times, I am an old person. It has been somewhere over 45 years since I first sang and played guitar in front of people. I'm sure I was nervous, but I really don't remember. I do remember that it took awhile getting comfortable in a "spotlight" environment, where the room is dark, all you see is lights when you look toward the audience, and you can't see the faces. To this day, I much prefer a situation where I can watch the folks and see their reaction, which allows me to change the set to match what they are enjoying the most.

I don't know what style of music you play, but find every possible situation to be in front of folks that will like the the genre you play ... even if it's an audience of one! As you play and sing, make as much eye contact as possible, and smile at 'em! I don't believe that the goal is to keep the "practicing at home" feeling when you have an audience as much as it is getting used to playing and singing well when you're tense ... then sooner or later, the tenseness will fade, and you will really start to have fun.

Finally, if your music style lends itself to jams, find as many as you can and participate often ... just another way to adjust to playing with eyes watching, and people tend to be very supportive.

[taylorDude710]

Beer or bourbon works wonders ;)

[susitna]

I haven't done a gig yet, still working on my repertoire (and trying to teach myself how to sing and play at the same time).

But when I do vocal performances or karaoke, I try to start with a song that's about feeling confident and/or relaxed. That way, when I start to tighten up I just remind myself to take the advice that I'm singing. For bonus points, I try to pick something easy as well. Jennifer Lopez's "Feeling so Good" seems to work wonders for me (now just to make an acoustic version...;) ).

[Billy Memphis]

That is a great idea! Taking the advice of the song you are singing.This shows you can really get involved with your music, which certainly bodes well for you as a performer. Good job.

[El Conquistador]

Beer or bourbon works wonders ;)

a surgeon friend of mine gave me some beta-blockers as an experiment. I took one and then he and all his friends came round to hear me play. It was perfect!

I just heard Steve Earle interviewed on Fresh Air. He struggled with alcohol. He said empahtically that performing drunk hurts performance, not helps it.

However, many people use Inderal, a beta blocker, to deal with performance anxiety. I have lawyer friends that use it before big jury summations. If I am going to be doing a performance that is taking me way out of my comfort zone, I will take an Inderal an hour before. I feel no effects at all. I just simply realize that I am not nervouse at all and really can get into my performance. Here is a link to a discussion of Inderal and performance anxiety. http://www.ethanwiner.com/BetaBlox.html

Works great for me.
LC

[Kira]

Everything Larry said, and if all that fails, alcohol would do it pretty quickly.:wink:
Of course only up to the point to get you out of the wheel of tenseness you're in. Once you're out, alcohol is out too. Problem is that some people get caught up in the wheel for too long :(

He might end up grabbing someone's mic and say "I'm really happy for you and i'm gonna let you finish, but I thought taylor guitars make the best guitars of all Time!"

[murrare]

Beer or bourbon works wonders ;)

I've done all the tricks in the book as far as getting comfortable in front of people: breathing techniques, imagining everyone in their underwear, visualizing playing in front of people at all times, playing as often as possible, etc. Some have worked, but all seem to wear off eventually and I'm back where I started.

If I'm playing a show that's bigger than my comfort level allows, I'll go buy a couple of Jack Daniels shooters to have on hand just in case. I'll shoot one about 15 minutes before hand, and it works wonders. And believe me, I'm not what you would call a "drinker".

I know that drinking alcohol affects your playing in a bad way, but so does anxiety! You'll have to walk that line between being comfortable and being passed out... :)

[Jase]

Some good advise I can't emphasize enough the importance of practicing with a mic and practice plugged in. My first live performance was a bit of a nightmare purely because I was completely thrown by the live sound, I was expecting it to sound like it dies when I'm practising at home. Since then I have practised with a mic and amp and have no problem now, still get the nerves though.

[ELK]

Played at a large party at a farm over the weekend. They initially had me set up outdoors, which was uncomfortably chilly and after about half an hour I was struggling with the typical problems that cold fingers cause. Fortunately, someone asked me to move inside around that time and I was happy to oblige. "Inside" was not heated, but it was still quite a bit warmer, and I played for another three hours. Got some other people to sing some songs, do harmonies, etc. It was a fun gig, and a good learning experience.

[Acoustic Rick]

Hey man, chances are you're worked long and hard to get to where you are if you're gigging already. SO, that being said, just let yourself go. Let the music take you away and you'll get so into it that it wouldn't matter if the Queen of England was in the audience. Dig in and enjoy!

[mellowman]

Looks like you've got some great advice here. For me, starting with some tunes I'm really comfortable with is a big one. That lets me get into flow of the performance without having to worry about the technical aspects of the playing too much. Also, there's no substitute for just doing a lot of performing. It does seem to get easier over time.

[mmmaak]

He might end up grabbing someone's mic and say "I'm really happy for you and i'm gonna let you finish, but I thought taylor guitars make the best guitars of all Time!"
Shouldn't that be Beyonce guitars? :p

[nuclearFishin]

Beta blockers. I was amazed at the number of professional musicians (mostly in big name orchestras) that rely on beta blockers to perform. Of course the other methods should be tried first.

[815C]

I've had the intention of playing in public for some time now. I've got the gear - a Fishman SoloAmp, a mic and some nice guitars - but now I just need the courage! Funny, I can stand before a conference room full people and speak, but even an informal performance on the guitar makes my fingers quiver ever so slightly, but enough that only the most rudimentary fingerstyle piece is possible. In the 80s, when I was living in Spain, a surgeon friend of mine gave me some beta-blockers as an experiment. I took one and then he and all his friends came round to hear me play. It was perfect! Not the guitar playing, I hasten to add, but my nerves. I know drugs are not the way, but that pill certainly cancelled out this reaction. I think in the main, though, it is frequency of performance that does the trick. At a few points in my life when I have played in front of a few people, I've noticed that the problem did diminish somewhat.

Try starting small and easing your way into playing in front of big crowds. Find one family member or friend you can play for in a safe environment. Then bring in 2, then 3, then 4, etc.

[Blindreality]

Part of the problem is that you are trying too hard to make it perfect and when you do that, you put pressure on yourself and tense up. Lots of expirence helps and so does the realization that you can and will make mistakes and it won't be the end of the world. Just keep going and relax. Have fun with it. I often joke with my audience before I play.

Try this, record yourself during practice. Record it as if you are going to produce it. That always makes me want to get it perfect and it never is. That may give you the same kind of feeling as in front of an audience. If you can learn to overcome that, then the rest will be easier.