Quote:
Originally Posted by 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.
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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.