Do you get nervous before performing?

[Lev]

..I have my first gig with my new band coming up in a couple of weeks, the only thing concerning me is that I might get nervous, go blank & forget half the songs!!

anyone know any good techniques for coping with gig nerves?

[Rocket]

...anyone know any good techniques for coping with gig nerves?
Solid practice... and get your set down cold!

[marnold]

Nerves are a good thing. It shows you care. Use them to your advantage. If a time comes when you don't get nervous at all, you probably don't care anymore.

I don't know if there's better advice than what Rocket has given. Since public speaking his a huge part of my work, I find that if I go through everything so that I know it perfectly . . . and then go through it one more time, everything works well.

One "solution" that many have come up with is to have a few beers before playing. Be careful with that because while it may lessen your nerves, it very well likely will also lessen your playing ability. Obviously that doesn't work real well before I get in the pulpit either :)

[Monkus]

Ditto the Reverend Rawk !!!

If I didn't have butterflies they would be very conspicuous by their absence. It would probably mean I should be doing something else. One thing I've found though, after the first four bars, they go away. Remember you're playing because you love it, thats the important thing. Have fun !! and embrace the butterflies.

[sunvalleylaw]

I think Rocket's advice is the best, but what do I know, I have performed just a few amateur "gigs". It is true for me that I am most nervous before I start, and settle in once I get going. I always want our group to start with a song that is well within our comfort zone and almost a gimme to get us going. Then it is easier to go for it. I love beer, but beer before performing does not help me.

[Plank_Spanker]

Solid practice... and get your set down cold!

Best cure there is...................................:D

I don't get nervous before gigs anymore......................but I do dial up the focus.

[evenkeel]

Rocket is spot on.

This is a subject that hits close to home for me and I've posted about it before. Sometimes I get very nervous, other times not so much. Why is not always something I can figure out.

Here are a couple of things I find helpful.
1. A beer or A glass of wine is fine. Much more and sloppy seems to take over for nervous.
2. Before you go on stage, if possible, warm up a bit. Scales, chord, riffs whatever. Just loosen those fingers up. Same thing with your voice.
3. There are probably songs on your set list that are easy or at least easier. If it makes sense from a show perspective try and play the song you are most comfortable with first. I find once I get going things are always more comfortable.
4. Have fun, relax, and smile. Sounds corny but it works for me. I will often look for Mrs. Keel in the crowd. She'll give me a grin, I smile back and it does help!!! :) :)
5. Have a gear check list and go over it before you leave the house. A good way to get rattled is to arrive at a gig and discover you left something at home. I went to a gig with a set list in mind, picks, capos, harmonicas all the usual junk, except the bloody harmonica rack. I quickly came up with a new set, but it was annoying and nerve rattling.

Good luck and have a great time.

[Spudman]

I still get nervous after over 30 years. It's not bad but it's enough to notice that I am slightly different than sitting at home.;)

I've found that a good vomit does wonders. Really cleans the system. (kidding)

One shot of Jagermeister and some push ups works for me. The shot calms and relaxes and the push ups get the blood/testosterone going so that when I hit the stage I feel like I own the stage. But probably the biggest thing to get over the jitters is to have a band well enough rehearsed and competent enough that you can always go out and kick booty.

Sometimes sunglasses for the first couple of songs help too. It separates me from the audience and allows me to focus on playing until my confidence returns and I can make eye contact with the audience.

[Rocket]

One shot of Jagermeister and some push ups works for me.
Jagermeister?
(Well, that explains the vomiting!)

[Plank_Spanker]

Have a gear check list and go over it before you leave the house. A good way to get rattled is to arrive at a gig and discover you left something at home.

I have a packing and gear preflight ritual the night before a gig, and I double check the gear before I walk out the door. I also bring spares for everything. There's no more naked and lonely feeling in the world than to be on stage and have an amp (or other essentials) go down with no spare.

[just strum]

Don't know first hand about gigging, but I've heard so many professional performers that have been doing it for years say they get nervous before every performance. I think that has something to do what Marnold noted "Nerves are a good thing. It shows you care." and to assist easing them, what Rocket said "Solid practice... and get your set down cold!"

I think there are some good tips and comments here.

[Robert]

I used to be very nervous, but not anymore. Time (= experience) solved it for me, I think. Also, being comfortable with what you're playing helps of course. I once played at a wedding, and I played a classical piece of all things. I was NERVOUS then! Because I wasn't comfortable with playing it.

Over time, I think we all learn ways to fake our way successfully, at least when we are in a band. There's always vocals, bass, drums, etc that we can hide behind now and then in case something is up. Then just come back strong for the chorus or for the next song, etc! Works for me. :D

Definitely DON'T drink too much... I have tried that and your playing falls apart completely... for some reason, timing becomes an issue. It's like rhythm leaves the body when alcohol enters it.... :(

[Tone2TheBone]

..I have my first gig with my new band coming up in a couple of weeks, the only thing concerning me is that I might get nervous, go blank & forget half the songs!!

anyone know any good techniques for coping with gig nerves?

A couple of brewskies will do the trick.

[ShootTheGlass]

Troy Stetina gave a good piece of advice : when people get nervous, they tense up, so if you feel yourself getting nervous, just move around, walk about a bit. As you loosen up, youll feel the nerves ease up :)

[Rocket]

...for some reason, timing becomes an issue. It's like rhythm leaves the body when alcohol enters it...(
...and YOU'RE the last one to realize it!

[wingsdad]

Try to avoid eye contact with the audience; pretend to, but lock an image in your brain that you're looking at a roomful of people in their underwear.;) It will either groos you out, turn you on or just make you laugh a bit inside.

[Fab4]

I only get nervous in two situations:

1) If I don't know the material very well and the gig is important...for example, when I had to play a long orchestral piece (mostly in 13/8 fer cryin' out loud) behind Mark O'Connor at a music festival. Six hours of woodshedding with the score and the CD in the afternoon before the gig helped a lot and it came off okay.

2) If I'm doing solo fingerpicking stuff, where all eyes are on me the whole time. I have a tendency to "blank" on the complicated stuff, and I get left hanging there with no where to hide.

At a clinic a few years back, I asked Martin Simpson (a terrific British fingerstylist) about this problem. He says he never blanks and didn't really understand the question. But, he said, "I spend all my time practicing fingerstyle guitar, and thinking about it and performing it." Ah.

Those of us with lives outside of music don't have that opportunity, but one thing I've found that helps is visualization (Simpson's "thinking about it" factor). If you can "play" a whole piece in your mind, accurately visualizing every chord and run, you can do it on the gig. Again, it's all about preparation.

Eventually, when you've racked up some experience, you'll become more confident in your ability to handle all kinds of situations and contribute something valuable to the party. Then the nerves turn from "Oh, God..." to "Let's rock!"

[markb]

One "solution" that many have come up with is to have a few beers before playing. Be careful with that because while it may lessen your nerves, it very well likely will also lessen your playing ability. Obviously that doesn't work real well before I get in the pulpit either :)

As this chap famously found out :cool:.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1536544/Curious-incident-in-the-night-leaves-Bishop-of-Southwark-with-black-eye-and-sore-head.html

[Plank_Spanker]

Eventually, when you've racked up some experience, you'll become more confident in your ability to handle all kinds of situations and contribute something valuable to the party. Then the nerves turn from "Oh, God..." to "Let's rock!"

Exactly!

I don't get nervous, but I do get keyed and focused. Come time to start, I'm like a horse in the starting gate - turn me loose! :D

As far a alcohol goes to calm nerves, be very careful. I have my ritual shot and a beer for the first set, water the rest of the night. I'm no guitar hero when I'm trashed.

[t_ross33]

Exactly!

I don't get nervous, but I do get keyed and focused. Come time to start, I'm like a horse in the starting gate - turn me loose! :D

As far a alcohol goes to calm nerves, be very careful. I have my ritual shot and a beer for the first set, water the rest of the night. I'm no guitar hero when I'm trashed.

+1 - LET 'ER BUCK

[marnold]

As this chap famously found out :cool:.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1536544/Curious-incident-in-the-night-leaves-Bishop-of-Southwark-with-black-eye-and-sore-head.html
Oooh, that's some sig material right there.

FWIW, if something like that had happened to me, I would most likely be removed from office. If it had been a "higher up" he at least would have had to resign his position if not from the ministry in toto.

[sumitomo]

Marnold dosen't Paul say something about being under the influense of the spirit and not of wine?Sumi:D

[marnold]

Marnold dosen't Paul say something about being under the influense of the spirit and not of wine?Sumi:D
The Scriptures give many warnings about things like that. One of the requirements of a pastor is that he is "not indulging in or addicted to much wine." Thus my comments in my previous post. Having said that, I don't want to sway this thread any further away from where it already is :)

[Lev]

Thanks for all the great advice. We had a rehearsal yesterday and it sounded great. We had to change our bass player last week and the new bassist really made a massive difference to the sound. So my nerves have eased somewhat. Nothing like a good rehearsal to build confidence.

[Katastrophe]

Rocket's right. Play the songs untill you're bored to tears, then one more time. It helps with the nerves a lot.

I used to have to look down for the first couple of songs.

[Carlström]

Man i miss playing live, havn't done it one and a half year i gotta get back in to it!

No i don't get nervous, i used to get nervous about getting nervous but i realised i didn't get nervous so there was no need to be nervous about being nervous....... :confused:


i do like a glass whiskey or wine before going up but it's more because i enjoy having a glass with good friends (which hopefully the people you are playing with are) so it makes it a social event abit more than just up and perform.

But to me it's pretty much the same having a big meeting at work, i know what i'm talking about good enough to improvise if i head away from the original plan (read: know the song good enough to make your mistake not sound like mistakes)


and most important, have fun!

[Lev]

thanks guys, big gig tomorrow so I'll let you know how the nerves hold up.

[pie_man_25]

One shot of Jagermeister and some push ups works for me. The shot calms and relaxes and the push ups get the blood/testosterone going so that when I hit the stage I feel like I own the stage. But probably the biggest thing to get over the jitters is to have a band well enough rehearsed and competent enough that you can always go out and kick booty.

Sometimes sunglasses for the first couple of songs help too. It separates me from the audience and allows me to focus on playing until my confidence returns and I can make eye contact with the audience.

I have to disagree with alcohol, in my last band's first gig (my last with them) the guitarist,singer, and bassist drunk (I was the drummer), and I was the only one that could play sober. I just excercised, practiced, and kept a cool head. It probably helped that I had the drum kit to separate me from the audience. But yeah, alcohol can be very bad, I know plenty of people who have drunk to help with emotions, and it turned to an addiction, I'm not saying it WILL happen, but it certainly could. But yeah excercise definitely helps, and sunglasses can help too (psychologically). Just practice hard and it will show on stage.

[jpfeifer]

Sure I get nervous. But the key is to figure out how to prevent the nervous energy from taking over your performance, and how to use it to your advantage.

A few things really help.
Good rehearsing:
One of the things that really helps is good rehearsing, both on your own and with the band. By good rehearsing I mean the following:
- when you rehearse, try to find the spots in your tunes that everyone struggles with. Then concentrate on these areas and get them smoother, don't just blow through them the same way every time. Try to fix them so that they're no longer problem areas. Sometimes it really helps to slow down the tempo and work very deliberately through the tune (I do this when I practice a song by myself and it really helps when I get back with the band). This tends to help with getting all of your parts down and more fluid. It also helps your timing. If you can play it slowly and very clean then it only sounds better when you bring it up to tempo.
- If the band is struggling with vocal parts (harmonies, etc) on a tune, then put down the instruments for second and sing your parts un-accompanied until everyone has their parts down and knows their part. Once you have this, then do the same thing with instruments again.
- If you're struggling with remembering lyrics then try rehearsing the tune as a poem and just repeat it to yourself over and over while you're doing other things (such as driving in the car). Do this until you can recall all of your lyrics without having to think too much about it.

Mental rehearsal:
- even when you aren't playing with the band, try visualizing yourself playing through the tune in your head. Think of the areas of the tune where you need to go for a certain chord, or accent, etc. Think of the places where you need to turn an effect on/off, etc. Just rehearse in your head all the things that you would go through. This can help when you actually play it.

Nervousness isn't necessarily bad altogether. It can add energy to your performance. Just don't let it keep you from playing your best.

The key thing to fight nervousness is concentration. Your rehearsals just help you to concentrate on the music rather than the external things. Just keep your head into the music and having fun with it and the rest will take care of itself.

-- Jim

[Plank_Spanker]

The key thing to fight nervousness is concentration. Your rehearsals just help you to concentrate on the music rather than the external things. Just keep your head into the music and having fun with it and the rest will take care of itself.

-- Jim

True words. :dude:

[Brian Krashpad]

Just prep/practice as much as you can, and then once you're up there have fun. Also, have a backup for most everything (strings, 9-volts, second guitar, etc.), because Krashpad's Guitarist's Corollary to Murphy's Law is "Whatever breaks or malfunctions will be the one thing you didn't bring a backup for."

If you're really concerned about blanking on the music, make cheats and lie them on the floor, and glance down if necessary.

[Fab4]

If you're really concerned about blanking on the music, make cheats and lie them on the floor, and glance down if necessary.

The last few times I've seen Sting perform, either live or on TV, he had a music stand in front of him...and a lot of artists use teleprompters that look like floor monitors (they do their audio monitoring through in-ears). My theory is, if Sting wants/needs/gets away with having cheats on a stand in front of him, so can I, especially if I'm doing casuals or one-offs where it doesn't pay to even TRY to memorize the stuff.

[Jimi75]

When I was younger I dealt with some lighter form of stage freight, nowadays I just jump on stage and play - the only occasion I recently became nervouse was on X-mas eve when a friend and I had to perform an acapella version of Amazing Grace in front of the community during the X-mas ministry. For "normal" gigs, I make sure everything is comfortable for me, which means my amph is warm (the tubes), batteries in my pedals are full, my back up guitar is on stage ready at hand, everything is positioned well, for e.g. the microphone, my personal Talisman is on stage. I need at least 30 minutes to warm up and I do it all on my own apart from the colleagues. Sending out a little prayer before important gigs can also be a great help to release pressure. I always try not to look the audience in the eye during the first two songs. Eye contact can be a killer in the beginning of a set! I concentrate on the songs and I make sure that I get into the groove. The groove depends on the entire band so it differs from gig to gig. After having earned the first two applauses it's time to get in contact with the audience, then I have get used to the situation and to the given circumstances of the location and I feel relaxed in playing and moving on stage and playing together with the band.

[Brian Krashpad]

The last few times I've seen Sting perform, either live or on TV, he had a music stand in front of him...and a lot of artists use teleprompters that look like floor monitors (they do their audio monitoring through in-ears). My theory is, if Sting wants/needs/gets away with having cheats on a stand in front of him, so can I, especially if I'm doing casuals or one-offs where it doesn't pay to even TRY to memorize the stuff.

I just have a terrible memory, period. I can forget lyrics to songs I've written. For my side bands where I'm just doing the occasional backing vocal, I have a book of lead sheets with chords, and will glance at it at the beginning of the song to refresh my memory, but rarely if ever need to actually use it during a song.

With my main band, it's the opposite, I know the music but may have probs with the lyrics. So that book is of lyrics rather than chords. I try to do the same as with the chord lead sheets, a glance before starting, but if I go up on a lyric I'll look down during the song.

I put the songs in the books so that 2 songs are visible (left and right pages) at once, so I only have to turn a page every 2 songs instead of every song.