Question About Solutions To Stagefright

[TomT]

Hey guys,

First of all, sorry I'm not more of an active member of your forum. I love it but I just don't have a lot of time for the computer.

I've been doing open mics at a local venue for a little over two months now and every time I perform, I feel like I drank a pot of triple-brewed coffee on an empty stomach. I can't feel my fingers and my singing wavers all over the place. in short, I rehearse a song until I nail it but I always blow it live. I was hoping this was all due to not performing for several years and that I would shake it after a few weeks but it looks as though it's a real problem I'm going to have to deal with.

It's infuriating because I don't feel nervous and I don't overthink myself into some sort of distructive spiral. It's a very positive musicians gig I go to so it's not like I'm having tomatoes thrown at me by some heckler. I guess I get overly self-aware when I'm on stage and it's like there are two of me fighting over the guitar at the same time.

Anyway, enough psychoanalytical bs. I've been reading up a little on Beta Blockers and I was wondering if anyone else who has this issue could share a little advice on the subject.

tia

Tom

[john]

hi Tom

It is fairly easy to get caught in some sort of self-awareness hell on stage, at least for me when it happened I was on some level nervous about personal scrutiny even though I was rehearsed etc. and felt confident about the music. It still comes down to some form of stage fright.

I found that a few things on stage helped:

• Focus on a few individual members of the audience and sing/play to them. This works in several ways. If you are focusing truly on them, you wont be focusing on yourself, plus it makes for a more engaging performance for the audience.
  
• Get into the meaning of the song you are performing. An emotional connection between you and the song can help pull you out of self-analysis. Yet again this also makes for a better performance from the audience perspective.
  
• Interact with other band members during songs.
  

Both of the above are active ways to avoid that hyper-self-awareness. They take a little practice to do effectively.

The reason, I decided, was that I was so rehearsed and comfortable playing that performance was sort of automatic... leaving my mind space to wander into self-analysis, and the stage is not the place for that! It happened when I was getting back into performance after a break and had somehow forgotten to take the show to the audience. ie I had remembered to prepare musically for the show, but had forgotten about other aspects of performance. A simple reminder, a mini eureka moment and a little practice and the problem went away.

Focusing on conveying the song to individuals and interacting with the audience gives your mind something constructive to do.

Although you may be rehearsed etc the notion of being judged is higher at an open mic night.

One other point to make would be that not all anxiety is necessarily obvious or apparent. We might not be aware of just how nervous we are before a performance. You might not feel that way on the surface and when the initial symptoms are noticed it comes as quite a surprise. That surprise part I think makes us more vigilent in looking for that issue again in the future, each time it happens we look for it more the next, and eventually it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. By breaking that cycle of thought by focusing on something/someone else it reduces the ability of the problem to take over.

I hope this helps

Cheers

John

[TomT]

Thanks John. That helps a lot.

I thought about what you said and I can see how to apply it to my issue. Because it's an actual stage I'm on, the lighting prevents me from seeing people clearly in the audience and I allow myself to hide behind the mic and music stand without trying to really connect with them. I read somewhere that Jim Morrison started his singing carrier with his back to the audience. I suppose I've been doing the same thing We all do plenty of hanging out between sets but once I'm up there, it's just me and the spotlights. After the open mic session there's an after-gig round where whomever wants to stick around can pull up a chair and we do a circle set. I do much better here because it's much more intimate and it feels like playing for the sake of playing.

So that's what I'll focus on next week. That and the fact that my enthusiasm outweighs my patience and I should probably sit on a new song for a few weeks before performing it.

[Desertrose]

Hi, I really don't think the beta blockers are the answer. I've been on them for much of my life and they didn't do anything when it came to the anxiety related to performing.

What your body is doing is perfectly "normal'. It's the whole fright/fight/flight thing. Heart rate increases, respirations increase, blood gets pumped to your heart and brain instead of your extremities.

It's a percieved threat though and it starts in your mind.

Really honestly I feel the only way to overcome this "fear" that is triggering the natural physical response of "threat" is by constant repetitive exposure.

Visualising a different (positive - with less uncomfortable physical restrictions) outcome is really important and as much as it might sound like mumbo jumbo it really does help.

I do however feel for you guys that have to both play AND sing. I only ever had to face trembling knees and the shaky voice.

I always found that after a few songs these feelings would lessen - so maybe it's harder if you're just getting up to sing one song?

[IELMusic]

I agree, beta blockers are definitely not the answer. I know exactly how you feel, I used to feel the same way, and still do sometimes. In my experience, the only real way to get over these feelings are to simply continue to perform, but keep a few things in mind:

- Try not looking at the audience, instead, look past them or over them. From where they're sitting, it'll still look like you're looking out into the crowd.

- Don't even think about how much you practiced, don't think about where you are, don't think about anything related to the performance, just go with it. Sometimes this can detach you from the situation a little and, in doing so, calm your nerves. On the flipside, if it helps, try the opposite and simply allow yourself to become lost in the song.

- Finally, I find it really helps to get your jitters voer with before you go on stage. This may sound strange, but next time, maybe 5 or 10 minutes before you go on stage, try to scare yourself into that feeling on self-awareness you get on stage, then try to calm yourself down. You'll still feel a little shaky when you go on, but it should be mostly out of your system by then, so you can perform unimpeded. I personally, do this everytime I know I'm gonna be on stage, trust me, it works!

Good luck!

[Dolce]

First of all you need to be able to play to one or two friends- and then their friends -you have to realise one thing and one thing only -the fact people are watching you can't prevent you being who you are and expressing that though music.

Don't allow an audience to intimidate you -they want you to do well and want to be pleased -if you have the confidence you can do that -there is nothing to be afraid of -enjoy it.

[Rudi]

stage nerves can be a severe problem.

Its something you can get used to with regular gigging, up to a point.

A little nerves can keep you focused and attentive to detail. A lot of nerves is debilitating. Johns advice is good/ I would add a little more.

Self consciousness is at the core of stagefright. You need to refocus on what you are doing in order to forget your self consciousness. If you can close your eyes and perform, that is ideal.

Before you go on, focus on your breathing for at least 5 minutes. Take long deep breaths, similar to sleep breathing (overdo it and you will hyperventilate). When taking the stage, dont feel obliged to say anything. Talking at this point can spoil your composure. Just get into the groove of what you are doing.

The audience? They are important but entirely incidental to what you are doing. That is the attitude.

[TomT]

Well, this Thursday (7/12/12) the training wheels come off. It will be six months and counting since I began playing at open mic venues in the Boston and Metrowest areas of Massachusetts all starting with Amazing Things Art Center in Framingham, MA. With the help of all the new friends I have made in this time, and again in particular those at Amazing Things (Who are affectionately known as "Hooligans" as dubbed by the venue's host and gifted musician Dan Cloutier), I have come full circle.

It's really incredible how this community, without seeming to consciously do so, can be so utterly beneficial to a new performer such as myself. Although it's true that I have put an enormous amount of effort into re-learning how to perform, song-write and build a solid library of songs that I am proud of, it is still up to these people who share a gift and an interest to again share it with you.

I will be conducting a reading at Amazing Things on Thursday with my good friend and supremely gifted musician Ilona Maki. Come Friday, I will post the evening's performance on my facebook page "Thomas Targett", my music webpage "TomTargettmusic" also at facebook and finally at my Reverbnation page. I encourage anyone to give it a listen. I know it's good and I know it's all because of people like you.

I finally discovered the true secret to performing not only fearlessly but victoriously: Good friends.