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Post by archtopeddy on Sept 1, 2023 18:58:46 GMT
Here's another idea regarding performance anxiety. For me, the toughest thing to do is filling the deadtime between songs. Lot's of anxiety can build up as you stare at the audience like a deer into headlights. What I do is: have something -- anything -- to say and fill up that deadtime. While a decent joke or "hello, glad to be here," or "how's everyone doing?" works a couple of times, you may need more. I think of things I can say about the song I'm about the perform and "why" I'm performing it. I use an ipad and at the top of each song sheet, I jot down the year it was first written or recorded, who made it a hit, and maybe some story about the song (which is often easy to find on YouTube or by Googling it). I can then refer to these notes when I turn to play the song. People often find this information entertaining and educational. They like to hear why you picked the song and why they might like it. Try it. It eases your tension, helps you make friends with your audience, and stops you from looking like someone just flashed your eyes with a flashbulb.
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Post by richclough on Sept 1, 2023 22:15:26 GMT
Here's another idea regarding performance anxiety. For me, the toughest thing to do is filling the deadtime between songs. Lot's of anxiety can build up as you stare at the audience like a deer into headlights. What I do is: have something -- anything -- to say and fill up that deadtime. While a decent joke or "hello, glad to be here," or "how's everyone doing?" works a couple of times, you may need more. I think of things I can say about the song I'm about the perform and "why" I'm performing it. I use an ipad and at the top of each song sheet, I jot down the year it was first written or recorded, who made it a hit, and maybe some story about the song (which is often easy to find on YouTube or by Googling it). I can then refer to these notes when I turn to play the song. People often find this information entertaining and educational. They like to hear why you picked the song and why they might like it. Try it. It eases your tension, helps you make friends with your audience, and stops you from looking like someone just flashed your eyes with a flashbulb. Good point. Rehearsing the intros and ‘chat’ and memorising something to say is really useful. Sometimes you can wing it, but good to have if you dry up…
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Post by blueshome1 on Sept 3, 2023 19:00:54 GMT
Learning the songs helps no need to show the audience you need a crutch and it ensures that you have practiced not only playing but singing.
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Post by twang1 on Sept 4, 2023 10:03:15 GMT
I've read with much interest your posts. I do not have performance anxiety, mainly due to been playing in front of an audience for a very long time. In a few occasions it happened, expecially when opening for another artist or having some very known players watching closely, but it went away at the first note. I remember opening for Tommy Emmanuel in front of a packed theatre with a very high percentage of guitarists in the audience and the very first seconds of silence... I might start worrying a bit in a middle of a piece, expecially during a fixed and difficult arrangement with some difficult passages to grab. And my advice number one is: breathe! Just before playing I take 3-4 slow, long and deep breaths, sending oxygene to the brain. It helps me focusing, relaxing, concentrating and at the same time collecting energy. Frank
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Post by richclough on Sept 5, 2023 6:21:31 GMT
Re: the calming breath; my partner (Carol Hickson) is a therapist and author and talks to me all the time about this stuff. Basically performance anxiety is flight or fight. The best way to do the calming breath is to breath out for twice as long as you breathe in. It provides a negative feedback into the fight or flight reaction.
I tend to breathe in through my nose for four beats, hold for two, then out through the mouth for eight. It helps if you smile on the out breath. Do that four times for an instant mood change. Works with lots of difficult emotions.
Cheers, Rich
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Post by littlebobby on Sept 5, 2023 6:34:18 GMT
So I had an absolute stinker on Sunday night. Ended up giving up on a song third of the way through because it was awful. A new one of mine. Friends and punters were surprised I was so peed off about it and said it was ok but I was really annoyed with the performance. Hopefully getting back on the saddle tonight. Only way to deal with it is to do it again I think.
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Post by bonzo on Sept 5, 2023 7:09:14 GMT
Sorry to hear about that Bobby. Try not to be over critical of yourself, it probably was better than you thought. Go again tonight knowing the worst (in your mind) is behind you. 🎸🎸👏👏👍👍
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Post by littlebobby on Sept 5, 2023 7:47:20 GMT
Sorry to hear about that Bobby. Try not to be over critical of yourself, it probably was better than you thought. Go again tonight knowing the worst (in your mind) is behind you. 🎸🎸👏👏👍👍 Lessons learned. Not as bad as I thought it was, the song I stopped wasn’t ready for public playing and it’s helped me think through what will be on my list for the tour. And also, never get complacent 😁. Thanks for the kind words.
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Post by Michael Messer on Sept 5, 2023 8:14:06 GMT
So sorry to hear that you had a bad night.
You know, it happens and when these things happen to us, as long as we don't give in, they make us stronger. Just keep doing the gigs and for the first few, maybe just stick to really safe songs that you know inside out. Remember, they me be old songs to you, but your audience have not heard them before, so they are new songs.
Try not to over-think the whole thing prior to the performance. Try to think of it like you are just going to do what you do every evening when you sit down with your guitar.
I admire you for coming on here and being honest and I admire you for stopping in the middle of a song because it wasn't working. That's okay, it's not a crime, it's honest and real.
Have fun!
Shine On Michael
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Post by littlebobby on Sept 5, 2023 11:18:09 GMT
So sorry to hear that you had a bad night. You know, it happens and when these things happen to us, as long as we don't give in, they make us stronger. Just keep doing the gigs and for the first few, maybe just stick to really safe songs that you know inside out. Remember, they me be old songs to you, but your audience have not heard them before, so they are new songs. Try not to over-think the whole thing prior to the performance. Try to think of it like you are just going to do what you do every evening when you sit down with your guitar. I admire you for coming on here and being honest and I admire you for stopping in the middle of a song because it wasn't working. That's okay, it's not a crime, it's honest and real. Have fun! Shine On Michael Led Zeppelin at Live Aid springs to mind. If they can have a bad day, I’m allowed one. Sage words again man. I’m adapting my set list and I’m going to stick to songs I’m familiar and comfortable with for the first few shows and keep practicing the two new compositions and have them in my back pocket for if I feel confident later on. One is a hill country style thing which requires a light touch and needs to be in the pocket timing wise otherwise it falls to bits. The other is a quite intricate fingerstyle almost piedmont style thing but needs to be at quite a high tempo to work properly too. Can play them flawlessly at home and I played the latter with a different less complex arrangement a year or so back and it went well but the new arrangement is much better. Maybe just not the time to be pulling out complex stuff when I’m stepping up in term’s of audiences and demand.
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Post by littlebobby on Sept 6, 2023 7:08:32 GMT
Back on the horse last night. I was still afflicted by the tips from Sunday but ploughed on and pulled off three tunes pretty nicely. Couple of snafu but the lads who know my stuff said they were not apparent to them. Thanks for all the tips and encouragement folks. Much obliged to you all.
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Post by Michael Messer on Sept 6, 2023 7:47:58 GMT
Great stuff! Just keep doing it.
It takes a lot of performances to be able to deliver to a high standard with no apparent mistakes. It also takes even more endless hours of practice to achieve that. If there's a lick or a phrase that feels difficult, try playing it for a hour a day for a week and see how it feels. It does work.
Seeing that word 'snafu' reminded of the band 'Snafu' I used to see when I was a teenager. Micky Moody was the slide player and Clem Clempson was the guitarist. Must have been early 70s I guess.
Shine On Michael
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Post by littlebobby on Sept 6, 2023 8:23:50 GMT
Great stuff! Just keep doing it. It takes a lot of performances to be able to deliver to a high standard with no apparent mistakes. It also takes even more endless hours of practice to achieve that. If there's a lick or a phrase that feels difficult, try playing it for a hour a day for a week and see how it feels. It does work. Seeing that word 'snafu' reminded of the band 'Snafu' I used to see when I was a teenager. Micky Moody was the slide player and Clem Clempson was the guitarist. Must have been early 70s I guess. Shine On Michael Yeah, the thing missing I think is disciplined practice. I do endless noodling but not much focussed work. I was discussing this with the wife a couple days ago and I’m going to try and be more consistent with it. Not heard of snafu but going to work by train today so I’ll check them out on the way home.
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Post by Michael Messer on Sept 6, 2023 9:10:21 GMT
It really does pay to practice, and to do so in a disciplined way. We all noodle and it is important to that as it keeps the hands loose and our musicality alive, but practice is also so essential to improve our skills and to nail those things that we struggle with. Also, in addition to practice, nothing can beat gigging night after night to raise our game.
Test it out and you'll see how it works. Just take a phrase that you either struggle with or can't play, and go over and over it for as long as you can. Do that every day for a week and let me know how it goes.
Shine On Michael
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Post by littlebobby on Sept 13, 2023 8:58:06 GMT
It really does pay to practice, and to do so in a disciplined way. We all noodle and it is important to that as it keeps the hands loose and our musicality alive, but practice is also so essential to improve our skills and to nail those things that we struggle with. Also, in addition to practice, nothing can beat gigging night after night to raise our game. Test it out and you'll see how it works. Just take a phrase that you either struggle with or can't play, and go over and over it for as long as you can. Do that every day for a week and let me know how it goes. Shine On Michael So I took your advice and I’ve been focusing on awkward parts. Coming together nicely. But I may have overdone it a bit because now my hands hurt 😁 Played twice more since the snafu. First one I was not entirely pleased but the audience was. Played again Monday at an open mic in a kind of wine bar. You could hear a pin drop and the feedback from punters and other acts was really positive. Tidied my set up, stuck to a shortlist of songs and focussed on them to practice. Bob’s yer uncle.
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