peformance/presentation nervousness

[hairyharris]

I have tried at least 50 times today to submit a video to my teacher. I can play the song perfect when practicing it. When I click the video button I fall apart. Sometimes I freeze up within 2 bars and sometimes I get further into the song but I simply cannot complete it. I completely melt down/nervousness. How do you deal with it? thanks

[Mandobart]

Do you have someone who can do the recording surreptitiously? You could just sit and play the song normally, repeating each time you end. They can be inconspicuously located and just start recording when they feel like it without signalling you in any way.

[Dave Hicks]

This happens to me all the time when I'm recording, especially vocals and solos. I could never do a one-take Youtube performance. But if I keep going I (usually) get something worthwhile.

D.H.

[JonPR]

This is the famous "red light syndrome". Familiar to probably all recording artists, even experienced pros! Amateurs and beginners just have it worst.

Answer? Just keep the recording going. Screw up? Start again. And again - but don't stop the recording each time, because then you are back to square one. Just take a deep breath each time, and play slower (adrenalin makes you rush, which means more mistakes).
It might take an hour or more (you obviously need the space on disc), but the idea is simply to forget that you are recording - or at least to make it more statistically likely that one of your performances will be OK. Then just edit out all the wrong performances, keep the "most right" one.

But also, as this is for a teacher, don't worry if it's not perfect! They will understand red light syndrome perfectly well, and you don't need to apologise for mistakes - provided, of course, you can actually get through the whole thing, and give the teacher enough to give you useful feedback.
IOW, they ought to be able to tell which mistakes are due to nervousness, and which are due to poor technique or whatever. The latter are what they are listening and looking out for.
And sometimes, of course, it's those technical issues that are magnified by the nervousness - which is a good thing! The teacher is there to help you conquer those.

[Mr. Jelly]

While not disagreeing with the others here I see that your focus isn't on playing the song but on the recording. You can't do both. FOCUS on the song and let the recording take care of itself. Then live with the results. Perfection is not a reality. It's a fantasy.

[mike o]

A few things come to mind. What you are experiencing is normal when starting out recording. Keep at it. It’s gets easier. I would suggest just leaving your recording device run open and edit out a clip you are happy with. I would think your teacher is looking for progress, not perfection.

[Glennwillow]

I think you just have to get used to it. It might help to play in front of a video recorder with its red light blaring out at you all the time until you can start ignoring it.

- Glenn

[JackC1]

Record all your practice sessions and you'll be more used to it. Maybe even submit a clip from the practice if it's good.

[Charlie Bernstein]

Just keep doing it.

As long as you're (a) of drinking age and (b) not an alcoholic, one or two shots (no more!) of your favorite booze can ease the tension. I knew a math tutor who got some of his adult college students past their math phobias that way.

[b1j]

This topic hits home hard for me.

For audio, my DAW, Studio One, has a loop feature that lets you record all or part of a piece over and over until you get it right. I don’t even need to get the entire passage right in a single take, just get every note the way I want it in one take or another. Then I can comp all the best bits into a coherent whole. I’m sure all good DAWs let you do this, thank goodness.

But video: not my thing.

I had to laugh several times last week. I’d rehearse 8 measures until it flowed easily. Then I’d hit the red button and fall apart on the second note.

[Mobilemike]

One way I’ve found is to just let the video roll and play the song a few times in a row, then later you can crop it down to the best take of the song and just submit that.

For me, “red light syndrome” hits hardest just after I hit record, but by hitting it and letting it roll for awhile it seems to take some mental pressure off.

-Mike