I suddenly feel renewed optimism about being good enough to play on stage .....

Rocker

You have nothing to fear except fear itself.

 I have seen guys go to pieces standing on the first tee box on golf courses.  I solved this problem years ago by acknowledging that I might hit a bad shot but knowing that way better players than myself have hit even worse shots from the same tee box.  Despite what you think, nobody will laugh at your efforts.  They are probably too worried thinking about when it comes to their turn to even notice!  Hit a bad shot or duff a chord change?  Ignore it and simply move on to the next....

axisus

Rocker said:

You have nothing to fear except fear itself.

 I have seen guys go to pieces standing on the first tee box on golf courses.  I solved this problem years ago by acknowledging that I might hit a bad shot but knowing that way better players than myself have hit even worse shots from the same tee box.  Despite what you think, nobody will laugh at your efforts.  

er .... won't laugh? 

I haven't played golf for 28 years, but I do remember the last time. I turned up with some friends at the first hole and there were 4 guys just teeing off and another 4 right behind us. The second guy up did some mad slice with his driver and the ball went straight through the leaves of a high tree right next to the tee. Everyone fell about laughing! Boy did I feel the pressure when I stepped up! Fortunately I hit an OK shot.

EDIT: I'm pretty sure people wouldn't laugh with the guitar players of the world though ...

chillidoggy

munckee said:

chillidoggy said:

Wish I was as good as him.

Yep me too he seemed to play some notes that vaguely went with the tune and didn't screw up.  He's several rungs above me on the ladder.

Impressive stuff, and I’m so jealous of him being able to play individual notes instead my usual bashing out a few chords hoping the assembled punters won’t notice. I reckon if I could do the same as him, I’d have carried it off in a pub round here, no probs.*

*Unless the audience was peppered with FB members, of course.

TeleMaster

axisus said:

thumpingrug said:

Hey, he was on stage enjoying himself.  Even if that the extent of what he can do, if he likes it, and people are willing to watch, so be it.

You are absolutely right of course. I was just a bit shocked that that was the level that he was on, eg south of Lil Wayne. Kudos to him for getting on stage though, I never have and I'm pretty sure I never will ....

Why wouldn’t you get on stage?

axisus

TeleMaster said:

axisus said:

thumpingrug said:

Hey, he was on stage enjoying himself.  Even if that the extent of what he can do, if he likes it, and people are willing to watch, so be it.

You are absolutely right of course. I was just a bit shocked that that was the level that he was on, eg south of Lil Wayne. Kudos to him for getting on stage though, I never have and I'm pretty sure I never will ....

Why wouldn’t you get on stage?

I'm a scaredy cat. 

HAL9000

Once you've done it once you're realise it really isn't so scary - especially at something like an open mic where people are generally very encouraging (even if you make a complete pig's ear of things). Do it once and I can pretty much guarantee you'll want to do it again.

DrCornelius

Honestly I kind of liked it - he played around the beat a bit and he had a bit of a groove going on.

To put my comment in context I love Neil Young solos and I've had 4 stellas

chillidoggy

axisus said:

TeleMaster said:

axisus said:

thumpingrug said:

Hey, he was on stage enjoying himself.  Even if that the extent of what he can do, if he likes it, and people are willing to watch, so be it.

You are absolutely right of course. I was just a bit shocked that that was the level that he was on, eg south of Lil Wayne. Kudos to him for getting on stage though, I never have and I'm pretty sure I never will ....

Why wouldn’t you get on stage?

I'm a scaredy cat. 

You're not alone in being scared. I've done loads of pub and other gigs yet I still find it a terrifying experience, and wonder why I do it. Maybe it's a bit like watching a horror film, where I subconsciously want to be frightened. One of our singers would throw up in the bogs prior to any pub gig, she had such bad nerves. 

axisus

chillidoggy said:

axisus said:

TeleMaster said:

axisus said:

thumpingrug said:

Hey, he was on stage enjoying himself.  Even if that the extent of what he can do, if he likes it, and people are willing to watch, so be it.

You are absolutely right of course. I was just a bit shocked that that was the level that he was on, eg south of Lil Wayne. Kudos to him for getting on stage though, I never have and I'm pretty sure I never will ....

Why wouldn’t you get on stage?

I'm a scaredy cat. 

You're not alone in being scared. I've done loads of pub and other gigs yet I still find it a terrifying experience, and wonder why I do it. Maybe it's a bit like watching a horror film, where I subconsciously want to be frightened. One of our singers would throw up in the bogs prior to any pub gig, she had such bad nerves. 

As with all things, supreme confidence in your ability helps a lot. I'm the opposite, I seem to go to pieces under pressure.

Funkfingers

If Seagal got properly into some Blues licks and pulled the traditional gurns, his face would probably fall off.

JerkMoans

Performance anxiety is weird.

I run all sorts of bizarre cases before judges daily - or at least I did, until the Plague hit us - cheerfully facing down Lords Justices of Appeal with nary a flinch.  Wish to argue the toss before the toughest Circuit Judge since Genghis Khan?  I'm yer man.

Grade 6 guitar exam?  Something I'm doing as a hobby, for fun?  Hand shook so much I couldn't play the widdly bits in This Charming Man and butchered Raise Your Hands by Reef.

So props to anyone - even Hollywood actors - who are prepared to get up on stage and risk making a dick of themselves.  I wouldn't do it for all the rice in China.

boogieman

Agreed. Performance anxiety is a weird thing all right. I’ve not got a lot of self confidence in my playing and have often been a complete bag of nerves before a gig (I’m talking a long time back here) but I usually had a permanent grin on my face as soon as I started playing. 

Then a family member has a little acoustic/electric duo thing going with his son. The son has HUGE issues with depression, anxiety attacks and social phobia, so much so that he can no longer hold down his job. You’d never guess it if you saw him playing and singing though, the gigging is a complete release from all his problems and he comes across as super confident on stage. As soon as he steps away from the guitar he’s literally instantly back to being monosyllabic and dismal, even with friends and family. 

phil_b

chillidoggy said:

Wish I was as good as him.

me too. he his genuinely a better player than me

JerkMoans

boogieman said:

Agreed. Performance anxiety is a weird thing all right. I’ve not got a lot of self confidence in my playing and have often been a complete bag of nerves before a gig (I’m talking a long time back here) but I usually had a permanent grin on my face as soon as I started playing. 

Then a family member has a little acoustic/electric duo thing going with his son. The son has HUGE issues with depression, anxiety attacks and social phobia, so much so that he can no longer hold down his job. You’d never guess it if you saw him playing and singing though, the gigging is a complete release from all his problems and he comes across as super confident on stage. As soon as he steps away from the guitar he’s literally instantly back to being monosyllabic and dismal, even with friends and family. 

That's so great that the lad gets to do that - and appears to derive such a release from it.  Music can be truly powerful.

darthed1981

JerkMoans said:

boogieman said:

Agreed. Performance anxiety is a weird thing all right. I’ve not got a lot of self confidence in my playing and have often been a complete bag of nerves before a gig (I’m talking a long time back here) but I usually had a permanent grin on my face as soon as I started playing. 

Then a family member has a little acoustic/electric duo thing going with his son. The son has HUGE issues with depression, anxiety attacks and social phobia, so much so that he can no longer hold down his job. You’d never guess it if you saw him playing and singing though, the gigging is a complete release from all his problems and he comes across as super confident on stage. As soon as he steps away from the guitar he’s literally instantly back to being monosyllabic and dismal, even with friends and family. 

That's so great that the lad gets to do that - and appears to derive such a release from it.  Music can be truly powerful.

Wisdom, was going to post basically the same, that's wonderful.

darthed1981

WiresDreamDisasters said:

Sounds like most blues guitar to me?

*shrugs*

Just went to wis this and found I had already, so although you are at minus 1 wis on yesterday, consider it a "double wis".