General Music Chat

I'm pretty sure I have a mild case of it. I have great difficulty speaking at a podium to groups of more than 8-10 people, I sweat and stammer and get really panicky. I've always faced 'panic attacks' with the attitude that I'm not going to succomb to fear.

Playing guitar on stage is easier for me, I guess because I'm not the 'frontman' but still it's an issue. I was just curious if anyone else deals with it, and how they deal with it?

Hey ,

Yeah, in the early days I had different forms of it big time..76 -94,I was a functioning alcoholic , so Ill never really know how much that contributed...(Probably alot.. )...What Ive noticed is the better your body is equipped to handle stress ,like gettin good sleep, plenty of B complex,not sweatin the small stuff, etc, the better I handled those situations...Most of mine would happenin during auditons or when I first started doing session work in Nashville..Thats when I felt like I had to be perfect, not show any weakness and ANY area,THEN ...THAT would ALWAYS bring it on... .It could be paralyzing..I think its mostly a confidence thing.Self image and confidence are key to performing..Working and jammin with people who are more seasoned than you can help...You'll see that they're human, make mistakes, have bad days, etc....Ya ever notice that when you take a pill, or a drink (if youve ever drugged or drank), the relief comes instantly before either would really have a chance to work?...Thats what I used to place my confidence and I KNEW 4 beers or 1-2 valium would do the trick...Now , tryin to stop at that point....... They do make a stage fright drug called Propanolo...It blocks the andorphine rush ya get when the mind brings one of those on...Yeah , the adrenal glands
cause the hands and fingers to tighten up get stiff, shake..etc...If its really buggin ya frequently ,like everytime ya play, I would get on a health kick for a while by taking 2 B50s' ,a C 1000 a day and a natural sleep aid (if your not sleepin well), watch your sugar intake...Just doing those things and experience has helped me to where I rarely have one of those bouts..I had one about 2 weeks ago ..I THINK it happened because a really good banjo player I hadnt seen in 5-6 yrs showed up a a jam unexpectedly...I saw him walk in and my RH went to pieces.. It took another 2 tunes for me to calm down and relax and play with confidence again...Not 100% sure if he noticed ....Yeah, just remember that amateurs and pros alike suffer this from time to time , have bad days, play crappy on occasion..Allow your self the same cosideration..Now , go take your vitamins.....


John

wow good stuff. Thanks for the in-depth reply!

When you're talking to a bunch of people, talk as if you are talking to one person.
Pick just one person at a time in the audience, and talk as if to that one person. The whole audience will appreciate that, too . . .
.
And - when performing - as long as you practiced enough to really know your stuff, then you should feel fairly comfortable . . .
.
One thing I've noticed, though: when on stage, it's like I'm in a different time continuum or something.
See, I perform solo acoustic guitar instrumentals, and I often find myself starting a song much too fast, and then I'm stuck with that speeded-up tempo for the whole song . . .
I guess I'm thinking faster, or something; but my fingers have a limit at how fast they can move . . .
The key for me is to start slower than I think I should - but, sometimes, even that is too fast . . .

At the top and the bottom of my song list, I've printed "Start slower."
It helps . . .

Yes - to a degree.
I have played many shows and I still get "jitters" until about the 3rd song in the set. Then I'm relaxed.
Until then, I just look through or past people and not focus on negativity.
I know the set, it's well rehearsed - but I always have some nerves that"wander" during the first couple of songs.
Alot of why I have it now is due to my situation. I've joined a band that has history, albums and an international following,
so I am still looked at as "the new guy" and the last thing I want to ever give is a f**k performance where they get a chance to "bash the replacement".
LOL - it's kind of funny and a stupid reason maybe if you think about it.
I don't know.

One time I got so tense, I was holding my pick so tight, my arm locked up and I could no longer grip my pick! I had to finish the song and the next one with no pick, using my fingernail as a pick until my arm relaxed.

I've been performing for most of my life, and still get a bit of a jitter before I go on stage. It's just not a big deal, and passes about 30 seconds into the performance. That's why I learned early on not to open up with my toughest piece...I start out with something slowish, fairly easy, to work my fingers and my vibe up to where I want to be. Then escalate the show from there.

Leave em' with a bang, as some famous performer said.

If I am speaking before an audience I get really nervous. I have been told repeatedly that the audience simply can not tell that I am nervous. Somehow I pull that off. I'm very very anxious, but nobody knows that but me.

When I am singing, playing, or both. I am All kind of Jacked up on adrenaline and just plain ready to do it. I have never experienced stage fright. I am all go go go like a race horse in the gates. My stomach is excited, but in a totally "let me at 'em" kind of way. I love the stage. I love performing.

I have a feeling I will have stage fright for my first show...One of the bands that was interested in me want me to visit them this monday...I'll probably crap my pants just performing in front of them. But after a song or 2 I'll probably just be my usual crazy self - jumping all over the place like an animal.

Hmmm . . . hey, you know what you can do?
Drink 12 cups of coffee, first . . .
You'll be so damned jittery anyway, that you won't even know if you have butterflies in your stomach or not!

I'm ALWAYS anxious before a performance. But it is not stage fright. In fact, the bigger the audience, the bigger I give it.

The more people the better.

Hey KG,

I've been singing as the frontman for about 20 years and have played all over the country with different bands. I never really had a problem with stagefright untiil the crowds started getting bigger and with most eyes on ya, you tend to get a little "panicy", especially if you miss a note, even though most of the crowd doesn't notice the "screw up"...The way I remedied this was to kick back a 6 pack right before the show...not enough to affect my performance, but enough to loosen up my inhibitions. By the time the first set is over, you're usually comfortable enough with the crowd that you forget about it all together. Although it's probably not the best way to prepare yourself for a gig, it will help get you through the initial rush of adredaline and fear that cause those panic attacks and eventually you won't need to rely on it at all to get you comfortable (and atleast it's better than a needle huh?)...Anyway, that's how I dealt with it for the first few years and noticed that actually, losing those inhibitions and building a quick "friendship" with the crowd, made me a better entertainer and front man. Good luck bro.

Thanks for all the replies.

Jimmy, since I rarely drink (maybe 3 times a year, casually), A 6-pack would probably put me under the stage, or ralphing all over the drums

I get the idea though, a beer or 2 might do the trick, but then I worry about having to run off to take a whiz in the middle of a set haha
Maybe a couple shots of southern comfort might do it!

Public speaking... yes... I am a sales manager and get all kinds of nervous during meetings..

On stage with a guitar in my hands, or ever kereoke I have no fear... It's what I love.

Kramerguy,
if you're basically already a non-drinker, don't start because 'it relaxes you' . . .
That can be the first step on a very slippery slope, my friend . . .

I'm usually pissed off before a performance because we never go on when they say we're gonna or something else just so happens to go wrong. I play with anger in my heart instead of nerves.... somehow it works out very well for me!