Quote:
Originally Posted by vac4873
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.
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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.