Stage Fright, How do you fight it? Options

[Cosmin Lupu]

hey guys,

since I've seen MonkeyDAthos' post about forgetting the songs before going on stage, i thought that this would be a great opportunity of sharing your experiences and advices regarding battling and of course, conquering stage fright.

I was once told by a friend - totally monstrous guitarist and musician, that our time on stage is our own personal private festival, and the people in the audience are our guests - how do you enjoy your festival? By sitting like a trembling chicken not being able to utter a faint smile? Or by being generous to the people who came to celebrate with you?

It made wonders for me that night (it was my first time alongside a symphonic orchestra back in 2008 and I was so nervous that I was barely able to hold my pick between my fingers)

Since then, I'm trying to be a "better host" at my festival each time

How do you fare with stage fright?

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[Ben Higgins]

I'm generally ok with stage fright. I do get nervous and anxious but the overall feeling is adrenaline and wanting to just get up there and get on with it. I think going on stage in a band is much easier as you're not carrying the responsibilty alone but if it was a solo performance like yours was, Cosmin, then I think I would be a mess !!

It's interesting to read your view on inviting the listener.. I've read similar things in Zen Guitar (I know, I mentioned the book again) where it describes inviting the listener into your living room (which is the stage) and showing them the same attention and courtesy as if you were entertaining a guest. The flip side of the coin is that we would then be less inclined to waste the time of the guest by showing off or playing without heart.

All interesting stuff !

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[Cosmin Lupu]

I'm generally ok with stage fright. I do get nervous and anxious but the overall feeling is adrenaline and wanting to just get up there and get on with it. I think going on stage in a band is much easier as you're not carrying the responsibilty alone but if it was a solo performance like yours was, Cosmin, then I think I would be a mess !!

It's interesting to read your view on inviting the listener.. I've read similar things in Zen Guitar (I know, I mentioned the book again) where it describes inviting the listener into your living room (which is the stage) and showing them the same attention and courtesy as if you were entertaining a guest. The flip side of the coin is that we would then be less inclined to waste the time of the guest by showing off or playing without heart.

All interesting stuff !

Thank you Ben! well, regarding the flip side - I think that as in all matters, balance is a must, so we should invite the listener into our living room but in the same time, keep a natural flow, without showing off up to the point where natural becomes forced.

I managed to get my hands on the book

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[Ben Higgins]

Thank you Ben! well, regarding the flip side - I think that as in all matters, balance is a must, so we should invite the listener into our living room but in the same time, keep a natural flow, without showing off up to the point where natural becomes forced.

I managed to get my hands on the book

Agreed ! And........


YESSSSS !!

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[Jerry Arcidiacon...]

In my opinion, it's just a matter of experience. Play as many gigs as you can and you'll enjoy your live shows. Sometimes even a seasoned player can feel some tension before going on stage in some special occasion but it's just fine as long as we keep control of our instruments.

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[Justin Myrick]

The stage fright that I used to over come was when I was in high school drama plays. I'm not sure if one gets the same experience as playing guitar in front of an audience but I know that at least when I was up about to go onstage I of course became nervous. When I went out I would just focus on the lights in the background. Usually it blanked everything out so I could focus on what I was supposed to do. If we had a daytime show, minus the bright lights, I would just take a bunch of deep deep breathes and calm myself down. Believing in yourself and your preparation is the most important thing.

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[Cosmin Lupu]

The "friendly face" technique works nicely too

In fewer words - find a friendly face in the crowd and communicate with that person - it usually boosts your confidence a lot!


And of course, you could be very well prepared, made sure that your sound check was perfect, your tone sounds outworldly awesome and you are totally warmed up... and thus totally confident in what you're doing - that's the perfect scenario right?

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[jstcrsn]

I would like to add a small side thought to this

There is nothing like playing live
as I look back ,almost every gig went wrong some where
the gigs that were perfect were few and far between but I never have remembered those shows
the shows that went wrong have great stories , and the band got a lot of laugther out of them.
andyou will learn more from stuff going wrong than from stuff going right.
Sometimes if I mess up when it gets to that part again, I will play the same wrong part ,even if it is out of key,so the crowd will at least know I meant to do that

the only way to get there is to do shows as much as you can- 1 show I remember in a park only had two guys and they were ther to play basket ball - but there is another story

don't worry, have fun, play often,enjoy it all fully

it's Rock-n-Roll

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[Cosmin Lupu]

I would like to add a small side thought to this

There is nothing like playing live
as I look back ,almost every gig went wrong some where
the gigs that were perfect were few and far between but I never have remembered those shows
the shows that went wrong have great stories , and the band got a lot of laugther out of them.
andyou will learn more from stuff going wrong than from stuff going right.
Sometimes if I mess up when it gets to that part again, I will play the same wrong part ,even if it is out of key,so the crowd will at least know I meant to do that

the only way to get there is to do shows as much as you can- 1 show I remember in a park only had two guys and they were ther to play basket ball - but there is another story

don't worry, have fun, play often,enjoy it all fully

it's Rock-n-Roll

I totally agree mate! I've had some awesome gigs (one of them two weeks ago) where I haven't played perfectly but the feeling was so intense and the crowd so awesome that i forgot the mistakes in an instant. It's all about the feelings you manage to transmit, but nevertheless you have to gain a lot of experience on stage to be able to fully let go

cheers!

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This post has been edited by Cosmin Lupu: May 2 2011, 04:36 PM

[Todd Simpson]

Getting one's "Stage Legs" is a very important step in becoming the musician you want to be. It's awful to get "Stage Fright" but usually it only happens when players have not spend enough time performing in front of other people. It's easy to fix, just play in front of anyone you can! As often as possible.

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[thefireball]

I pray to God. That always helps.

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[Bogdan Radovic]

I played a lot of shows but I do get the stage fright from time to time. What it does to me is actually something positive - I get much more concentrated on what I'm playing and somehow everything sounds in "slow motion" It's a weird feeling. Negative effect is that it tends to make my hands cold so It harder to play

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[Ivan Milenkovic]

For me it passes as soon as I get on stage. Stage freight is something that happens just before I start to play, and it's a mild nervous feeling with slightly increased heartbeat rate.

I think Cosmin (and his teacher before him! ) has a strong point there: The purpose of a gig is to go out there and have fun. If you are having fun, audience will have fun as well, they will feel the energy, and give it back. If you are stuck, stiff, sweating, and don't let your emotions flow (and don't do something crazy on stage), it will not be that great. Of course it depends on the audience as well. Lots of great crowd that yells and have fun will have lots of positive effect on performers, so it's a two-way interaction.


I played somewhere around 200 gigs now, and one thing I've learned is this:

Audience remembers unique people on stage, people without fear to do what they want, to be free on stage. If you're free on stage, you can be sure you will win the audience's respect. If not, they will not remember you.

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This post has been edited by Ivan Milenkovic: May 8 2011, 10:00 PM

[Cosmin Lupu]

For me it passes as soon as I get on stage. Stage freight is something that happens just before I start to play, and it's a mild nervous feeling with slightly increased heartbeat rate.

I think Cosmin (and his teacher before him! ) has a strong point there: The purpose of a gig is to go out there and have fun. If you are having fun, audience will have fun as well, they will feel the energy, and give it back. If you are stuck, stiff, sweating, and don't let your emotions flow (and don't do something crazy on stage), it will not be that great. Of course it depends on the audience as well. Lots of great crowd that yells and have fun will have lots of positive effect on performers, so it's a two-way interaction.


I played considerable number of gigs, and one thing I've learned is this:

Audience remembers unique people on stage, people without fear to do what they want, to be free on stage. If you're free on stage, you can be sure you will win the audience's respect. If not, they will not remember you.

Well spoken Ivan! Very, very well spoken

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