Stage fright - what is it ?

Emp_Fab

I've been hogging the 'Live' section a bit so I'm giving them a break and it's back to my old faithful, Off Topic !

Stage fright....  what exactly is it ?  I've been reading a few threads about stage nerves etc and I too get a bit nervous before going on.  But... really, what is it that we're so scared of that makes us react anywhere from a little nervous to squeaky-bum, butterfly stomach and jelly fingers ?

I assume it's a deep-rooted fear of looking foolish or incompetent in front of other people.  You're scared you're going to play badly and people will point and laugh.  Is that the case for you ?  Or do you worry about something else ?

Why do you care about being judged by complete strangers - most of whom couldn't tell a guitar from a double-bass and think a chord is a thing you pull to turn the bathroom light on ?

What is really at the root of stage fright and how do you deal with it ?

west

i found this interesting ....

stickyfiddle

p90fool

I don't have it any more simply because I do it so often, but early on I used to feel physically sick before every gig. 

I have no idea what I was so scared of, if you'd asked me at the time whether I cared much about playing the odd bum note or forgetting an intro I would have told you it wasn't that important and I would've meant it. 

I was a fairly shy teenager so getting on a stage was an inevitable byproduct of playing guitar to me, not the reason I did it. 

I still occasionally get jumpy even now, but only over silly things like feeling that band mates are underprepared or that I haven't checked a piece of equipment is ok. 

It's a strange, internalising feeling which I'm convinced is distantly related to depression, and when I feel it growing my solution is to keep my head up and engage with my surroundings, rather than staring pointlessly at my left hand. 

It's an odd one for sure, I couldn't possibly care less what most people think of me and I'm confident enough in my guitar playing to get through most musical situations, but it still crops up occasionally. 

There are pressures involved in charging someone a lot of money to perform at their wedding, but that's no different to anyone who is providing an important service and is not related to stage fright in my opinion. 

Snags

For me it's the tension between secretly wanting everyone to think I'm better than I am, whilst knowing I'll probably screw up and play worse than I am. Coupled with a terror of "all the focus is on me, it's all my fault" for any exposed intros etc.

 These days it's very context specific. I've played in church so much I don't care. It feels like home, and I'll just get on with it. If I screw up it's all part of the community feel. But when I started singing (out of necessity) I hated it, because my voice was so rusty, and singing and playing was tricky (other than straight rhythm). Again, now I've done it lots I don't mind, although I prefer to have another (good) singer with me for the songs in stupid keys.

But ... I'm winding myself up to doing an open mic as my last "before I hit 50" challenge, and I will be shitting myself about that. And when I played in the local panto pit band this year I was hideously nervous (didn't sleep the night before) because I was convinced I was out of my depth (no rehearsals, most other people pro or semi-pro). In the end it was fine.

So for me it's fear of the unknown, fear of looking a twat, and a total lack of self-belief.

octatonic

p90fool said:

I don't have it any more simply because I do it so often, but early on I used to feel physically sick before every gig. 

I have no idea what I was so scared of, if you'd asked me at the time whether I cared much about playing the odd bum note or forgetting an intro I would have told you it wasn't that important and I would've meant it. 

I was a fairly shy teenager so getting on a stage was an inevitable byproduct of playing guitar to me, not the reason I did it. 

I still occasionally get jumpy even now, but only over silly things like feeling that band mates are underprepared or that I haven't checked a piece of equipment is ok. 

It's a strange, internalising feeling which I'm convinced is distantly related to depression, and when I feel it growing my solution is to keep my head up and engage with my surroundings, rather than staring pointlessly at my left hand. 

It's an odd one for sure, I couldn't possibly care less what most people think of me and I'm confident enough in my guitar playing to get through most musical situations, but it still crops up occasionally. 

There are pressures involved in charging someone a lot of money to perform at their wedding, but that's no different to anyone who is providing an important service and is not related to stage fright in my opinion. 

My experience is pretty much the same.
Used to get terrible stage fright but it just went away as I did more gigging.
Having a technique base helps, as does being able to play other instruments.
I think it is mostly down to being more experienced now.

digitalscream

I used to get terrible stage fright - it mainly manifested itself as getting the shakes.

I found that the only solution was to be so well-rehearsed that I was confident I wouldn't have to think while playing. I still get nerves just before a really big gig, but not full-on stage fright.

west

A relativly recent ( 1 1/2 yrs ago ) experience really affected me deeply ... a seasond pro of some 30 odd years several hundred gigs some prestigeous sessions teaching/ colledge/ students  etc who never really experienced stage fright ( just a few butterflies ) i went to my mates pub's open mic ...

i hadn't played live for some 7 yrs or so , it was like the walk to the gallows as i clutched my lowden a wooden box with wires ( nothing to hide behind not even a voice ) to the stage area ... 

i managed to pull off the performance by sheer will , my own compositions ( some are tricky ) and a couple of arrangements . i have never felt so bad in my life , hands shook so much i could hardly perform , had to edit and simplify on the fly to get through it , dread to think what the old B.P was like, a truely unpleasent experience almost verging on panic attack ...

i was So angry with myself later on , im not sure if i will bother again , maybe i built it up a bit too much lol  oh that and age may play a part . i think i truly got a flavour of what it must be like for a comedian or an actor delivering a monologue or one man/woman show,  its just You !  if you fuck up its You ! talk about exposed ....

Musicman20

I don't get stage fright if I know my instrument/the songs. So, if I'm not prepared, then yeah I'll be worried I'll fluff it up. Not bothered about being on stage though; it's a rush!

I do however get anxious talking to people who have that awful way of making people feel on edge, like a few bosses I've had. That just annoys me as usually I am pretty happy to be who I am.

scrumhalf

I'd tell you about stage fright, but, er...

vasselmeyer

My very first gig with a band I was so nervous I don't even remember it. However, when I came off I remember thinking "is that it? Why was I nervous" and have never felt nervous with a band since. I stopped playing with a band for a while and then decided to do a few open mics, just me and an acoustic. Again, the first one I was petrified, and after the first one, I was pretty relaxed again.

Some people get it more than once, but for me it seems the first time doing something in public with a first-time experience is where it kicks in. After that, I'm good.

57Deluxe

Best cure for stagefright is go Busking!

You have to NOT let your audience OWN YOU! - - You must OWN THEM!

Best way to do this is not initially play anything that they can 'judge' you against. Don't engage in any compromising conversation like - "I hope you like this, is our first time at this" or somesuch about new material. Play with conviction and be damned.

LuttiS

i always used to get stomach cramps after a gig.. no problems before..

randella

Mine manifests itself as a terrible fear of dropping my pick which I normally hold fairly lightly.  Gripping it for dear life then gives me a cramp.  Lasts for about two songs and then goes back to normal.

I think it's really just a fear of being found out.  You can't really remember keys, intro riffs, how to play over a chord change, your tone sucks, yadda yadda.

As you play more you realise the crowd don't care anywhere near as much as you do and - this is key - are on your side.  They want the band to sound good so they can yell out half of the chorus to 'Money for Nothing' and have a dance.

EricTheWeary

I have always suffered with it, although when I was gigging more regularly it did abate quite a lot. I was talking with my son about Imposter Syndrome ( the fear of being found out) yesterday and a bit of it is that - not so much that there will be an audience who will turn on me more that my band mates will go ' we've put up with you so far but let's face it you're incompetent.'
I don't usually like people I know being in the audience as though I'd have to live with the shame of a poor performance for ever. Very little of it is about looking like a fool in front of complete strangers, indeed the abandonment to do that is part of what makes playing a gig a joy. 

I read a thing with Jools Holland and he said he didn't have stage nerves because he would play as much piano as possible beforehand and then the gig would just be more playing. Although it's quite hard to engineer that situation  there is obviously something about playing and gigging as much as possible that usually helps reduce or at least manage stage nerves. 

I think being in a physically calmer state helps otherwise you end up being like a yappy terrier who needs a walk. A lot of musicians will do some form of physical exercise before a gig (I remember a story about Jaco Pastorius who used to make nervous students go for a swim before a lesson  so they could play bass better). Humping gear into the car and then into the venue might actually help you perform better. As I play a bit of harmonica in the band I find the harder breathing associated with that helps so maybe breathing exercises might help. 

I can't remember who it was but someone on here wrote about a feet apart stance for singing and that has been a bit of a revelation. That is another thing that helps with breathing and it's a more balanced way of standing and helps offset nerves. Such a tiny thing but really useful. 

Phil_aka_Pip

I didn't get it when I was gigging frequently, unless I recognised someone in the audience who I knew was a better guitarist than me. I felt like he should be playing this gig not me.

Lestratcaster

Before my very first show in 2005 I was very nervous, about messing up, about people watching me and the whole first time playing a proper gig thing. I was sick in the toilets before and it was very scary not knowing the ropes. Once the gig started though and the first tune was out the way with no mishaps I started to feel a bit better. Fast forward 13 years and I must have done over 300 gigs now it’s something I don’t get nervous about anymore and in fact, enjoy the live environment. The only thing I get nervous about now is if the equipment is going to work in front of the crowd! The ancitipatiom of everything being perfect is the pressure, you want everything to work and sound good.

Most people I play in front of play in bands or at least play as well but I don’t feel I need to prove anything. Enjoying myself and showing it is what’s important. No one wants to see a musician on stage not looking like they wanna be there!

mudslide73

It's got a lot better. I couldn't eat until after the gig and was worrying about everyone else. I used to get anxious about people I know seeing us but having had my dad say we were "a good band" made me feel ok (I think this was a pivotal moment). These days we're really well rehearsed so any mistakes are minimal. It's more a case of whether we're the right band for the venue now. 

Guitar_Slinger

I get nervous energy before a gig and try to use the buzz it brings to my advantage. At a guitar summer school I asked Pete Friesen (ACM teacher and Alice Cooper guitarist) what he does before a gig. He said one beer and no more. That works for me too.

As for the shaking hands/jelly fingers stuff, I remember one evening during a part-time course at ICMP, Dario Cortese explained it as a panic attack. He said the body sees itself as being under attack, so keeps all your blood in the middle bits for vital organs to function, Therefore your extremities (hands/fingers) have a reduced supply of blood and don't work properly. You also see it on Masterchef when people are plating up under pressure.

Next time you get shaky hands, take a couple of deep breaths and tell yourself it's just your body flapping. Knowing what it is, is half the battle.

jonnyburgo

For me it was knowing I wasn’t very good and fear of being exposed in front of people better than me. Now that I’m a bit better at playing not so much. And really if I’m watching a kid having a go I think “fucking good on yer mate”. It’s all linked to self esteem.

Phil_aka_Pip

Guitar_Slinger said:

one beer and no more. That works for me too.

I used to say one whisky and no more. Same thing I suppose, but in my case the one whisky wouldn't have left me bursting for a pee before the end of the first set, whereas a beer certainly would.