Nerves! How do I deal with being nervous on stage?

[Chunkaway]

I am having an issue with nerves on stage lately. The band has recently had some high profile shows/events (live on air performance, recording/videotaping of a show/ opening for national touring acts, etc...) and I have really been struggling with nerves, which has started to affect my performance. (The show we recorded/videotaped was at one of the premier venues in town, it had tons of press and I SUCKED. The entire band was off, but I was terrible. Our in-studio performance was also pretty weak-had to start a song over because of a snafu.)

I'll be playing and I'll start thinking, "Don't screw this part up!" and other such nonsense. I'm really having a hard time staying in the moment, if that makes any sense. I have had issues with nerves before, but recently things have been really bad.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to overcome this issue?

 

[tempobob]

For a quick fix, when you're on stage, just imagine yourself in a comfortable place. See yourself in your practice room, alone, on top of your game and in command.
A great book is "The Inner Game of Music" by Barry Greene.(sp?)

 

[Chunkaway]

For a quick fix, when you're on stage, just imagine yourself in a comfortable place. See yourself in your practice room, alone, on top of your game and in command.
A great book is "The Inner Game of Music" by Barry Greene.(sp?)

Thanks for the suggestion. I'm having a hard time getting control over my mind to keep it from wandering while I'm playing, so I'm not sure how successful I would be imagining myself in a comfortable place, but I think it is worth a shot. By the way, I just ordered the book, so we'll see if it helps at all.

 

[9Lb Tongue]

Don't over think anything. if you have played the songs long enough, then you know them. A certain amount of stage fright is normal, but usually after the down beat you should feel at ease. or at the very least after the first song is over.

After that, if you still feel shaky or nervous, something else is up...

oddly enough, I feel more nervous playing in front of 4 people than 400...

 

[RIDDIM]

It's really very simple.

Your job is to play the music the best you can and give the music what it needs.

The first thing the music needs is your undivided attention.

If you're thinking about other things, you're not giving your undivided attention to the music.

It's your choice.

 

[Exploder]

Sounds like classic aanxiety which can effect anyone at any stage of life.The most confident people can develop fear of driving in busy streets or being in shopping malls and things like that.
I'm no expert but i think you have to practice some realxion techniques that may gradually help you control your nerves.These relaxation exercises will have to come part of your everyday activites and will gradually put you more in control of all anxiety experiences.Will take time and practice but there is no real quick fix ,
Here is a bit of a tip that i try when I'm under pressure playing , start interacting with other band members , laughing ,smiling , stuff like that, at least you will look relaxed even if your not.Also start moving your head to the music like your really into the groove, this makes any drummer look like there on top of it.
Lastly , dont take it all so serious, its supposed to be fun. !!!!!

 

[dcrigger]

Lots of great advice so far.

Sad to say though, so much of "just relax" or "don't think about", I believe comes from simply getting used to that kind of pressure. It is very easy to get real comfortable in our practice space, in our band rehearsal environment and even on our regular gigs. Then when a "big gig" comes up, it's a whole new ball games. I think it came help to "raise the bar" more often in those regular "comfortable" environments - create little stress tests or challenges for yourself to somehow get the adrenaline pumping more often.

Take advantage of all the those times when it really doesn't count as much.

Take a comfortable regular gig - and turn one set into a live recording session... in your head. But make it as real in your head as you can.

Play the next three songs your band runs through in rehearsal perfectly - no matter what - "OMG the red lights on, these three tracks are going on the record".

Just do whatever it takes to get your head in that space - so you can then work on coping with it, playing through it.

Same with your band as a whole -

How many times before your on-air live show did you guys run that show in rehearsal - front to back, no stopping, no matter what. I mean after getting the songs down, blah, blah, blah. The answer should be many, many times.

But again, whether your band does it or not - you can do this sort of thing a lot, in your own head, just for you. No one needs to know anything about it. You might not be able to fake the full experience of whatever fearful situations might come at you - but at least you can build some chops at coping with them quite a bit better.

David

 

[BrownAle]

You're in good company Paul.

I believe John Lennon's last gig was a guest appearance in Madison Square Garden for Elton John. Right before he went on stage he threw up as a result of nerves. Now that's a guy you'd think would have overcome such things.

I recently formed a new band and am expecting gigs soon and I too have major stage fright. I especially hate venues with no stage whereby I have to stand eye-to-eye with the audience. Many of my songs are love songs and I just can't be looking at and singing to some guy(s) in the audience - and you know the audience is usually made up mostly of guys.

The only thing that makes me somewhat comfortable up there is to get totally absorbed into the music. That helps my playing but it doesn't help my stage appearance like trying to make eye contact with the audience. I end up with the classic head-down effect happening.

And I hate that in myself and with any musicians I watch.

BrownAle

 

[jptrickster]

Know your material inside and out.....to me that's the key to a good show. Having confidence and conviction in what your doing will ease the nerves.
We usually start the night with 2 or 3 songs that we can play in our sleep so we can overcome the initial stage fright without having to worry about tunes...from there it's awalk in the park!
good luck, break a leg!

 

[Pounder]

Great suggestions so far. I've tried having a beer or something before playing and that helps reduce nerves, but it also can hinder your playing abilities.

The best performers (including John Lennon) have some stage fright, and this anxiety can be utilized in a positive way, by increasing your awareness and giving you a mental edge, helping to propel you to a greater performing ability. The thing is, you need to use the energy in a positive way so it improves your playing.

As was said the music is most important, and you still want to feed off of the crowd in a good way, but if you feel overcome with anxiety at first (or during) you can close your eyes and listen. Listen to your playing, and how you're making music with the band. I hope you enjoy your own band!

Lastly, keep playing with the idea of imprinting the music to where you can concentrate on giving it energy, instead of playing it right. You should have the playing down, locked into memory. That leaves you to put that extra something into the performance.

 

[Tanco]

I have it too, usualy it goes away after a couple of songs. It used to be worse but i still get nervouse after all those years.

Things that helped me: chewing gum, this may sound weird but really works for me. Also switching stuff in my set-up helps. Couple of weeks ago there was no tom with the drumset they brought for me and somehow it took my mind of being nervous. Stilll bing nervous means its important to you. I had a interesting conversation with a basplayer recently about setting your mind on the song and vibe and not so much on the paterns you play. When i start thinking too much about what im playing it usualy goes wrong

 

[Trey Gray]

Chunk!!!

You're getting great advice. Another book you might check out is Effortless Mastery by Kenny Werner. He's a jazz pianist. It's really helped me a lot. I chew gum as well, but sometimes, I hate to say this and it's partly due to my HD, but I take an anti-anxiety medication. You could talk to your general doctor about that. But, I'm really saying that as a last resort. Just relax, you'll be fine. Good-luck.

cheers,
Trey

 

[Heartbeat]

Good suggestions so far. I'll just add to remember to take some deep breaths while you're playing. When we get nervous, our breathing becomes shallow and we tense up. Not good for a drummer.

Also, you might keep some things nearby that give you inspiration...a picture of your favorite drummer, a favorite drum/music/etc quote. Sometimes those things can give you a little boost.

 

[Cymbalist]

I'll give the same sage advice that has been given to people over the years to help them conquer fear of public speaking:

Imagine the audience naked.

 

[SteveB]

I like David's idea of reversing the situation. It's all head games we have to play with ourselves to get over this. KNOW YOUR PARTS COLD and don't budge even if others pull on you some. There's a certain amount of ego (good ego) that goes along with this as well. YOU are in command of the audience, not the other way around. Playing and lot's of playing will stop the anxiety eventually.

For me, it was always my family that made me nervous, mainly because they were so normal and I was so nuts up there. I felt like I was exposing myself in a way they had never witnessed...got over that one too and they learned to accept that this was a side of me. My father, who was as straight laced as can be, would come to see some of my more powerful bands and once said to me "I can't say that I understand what you're doing up there but I can see the crowd's reaction around me and they are obviously ecstatic." My mother was wise enough to realize that with rock music it wasn't just the notes, it was the volume and vibration. Both were artists so I was lucky that way.

I would recommend that you keep putting yourself in tough situations until it's second hat. This would be no different than standing in Yankee stadium waiting for that throw...talk about people zeroing in on you..or even what an actor must go through.

PS: I was going to add that don't be afraid to spread the anxiety around with your band members. Know your parts but enjoy each other's company while in the pressure cooker. A smile cast toward your bass player will go a long way..trust me.

 

[roubaix]

Stay in your "zone" and just focus on eye contact with bandmates - ignore the rest of the room, just focus on the rest of the band. Maybe discuss this with your guys and let them know you may need a little "atta boy" during a song just to let you know all is o.k.

When I saw John Mayer a few weeks ago, his bass player looked more at Steve Jordan then he did at John. Same thing as when I last saw Clapton. Willie Weeks looked more at the drummer than he did Clapton.

Make it your own little party amongst yourselves.

 

[gryphon]

Do some research on "Visualization" techniques. They are ways of training your mind to operate on a subconscious level so you will perform without having to think about what you're doing. Not having to deliberately play will reduce your stress level significantly. It's kind of like learning through self-hypnosis.

Many elite athletes use visualization as part of their training in sports such as down hill skiing and gymnastics. I used it when I raced motorcycles in younger days and it helped me quite a bit. I would think that playing drums would be a natural for the technique in that you are doing a specific programmed sequence of actions to perform a song.

jim

 

[shuffle]

All good stuff here.
Remember the head-lining band put their pants on the same way you do,in other words,don't feel intimidated-don't be star-stuck!
Relax-just not chemically, and concentrate on intros and outros,lots of communication is necessary.
Play thru your parts,in other words,don't think so much about your parts just let muscule-memory take over,play the tune.
When ya screw up just grin and laugh it off,the world will not stop spinning because of it!
Drive the band,let them know what sections are coming up by setting them.
Have FUN!
Pat

 

[DanC]

Bar gigs etc. don't get me nervous anymore. But when I was on tv a couple of times on a local show, or when I occasionally play at an open-air festival, up there with maybe 1000 or more people watching the band - it would get me nervous inside.

What I do is tell myself to "enjoy it, it'll be over before I know it and the pleasure will be gone". "Try to stay in the moment and enjoy every second of it - it'll make me proud of myself and give me moments to savor years from now".

"As I get older these experiences will get fewer and fewer, so I'd better enjoy this while I can. I've dreamed of this moment and I'll be darned if I'm going to screw it up for myself ".

Seems to work for me.

 

[Black Beat]

Know your material inside and out.....to me that's the key to a good show. Having confidence and conviction in what your doing will ease the nerves.
We usually start the night with 2 or 3 songs that we can play in our sleep so we can overcome the initial stage fright without having to worry about tunes...from there it's awalk in the park!
good luck, break a leg!

I agree with you 100%.I find myself almost being in a trance when I am playing so nerves is not an issue for me.