Stage Fright

[Milkman]

Who here suffers from this?

I do. It's manageable but I still feel a sense of dread for hours before I play the first note.

After that, I'm fine and in fact I often wonder if the stage fright doesn't turn into positive energy and result in a better performance.


I played a very enjoyable show tonight. It was an all ages thing at a place called Willow Lake Park. It's a little summer getaway near Oakland, On where working folks have their summer trailers and generally kick back.

We played in a band shell to a packed and very enthusiastic crowd.

Like I said, once I got past the pre show anxiety I had a hoot.:rockon2:

[violation]

I do... bad.

I've only played infront of more then 25 people like... twice? Filling in for a friend both times. I'm assuming it will get better the more I do it, but the like 10 minutes I was up there I was insanely nervous. It's more the thoughts in my head though... "okay this is next... why is the band playing so slow... gotta slow down... okay don't screw this part up...", etc.

Everything went fine but I'm paranoid like that, haha.

[iaresee]

I don't know about it getting better. I still get the same feeling before I play live that I did 15 years ago. What's changed is that I now love and embrace that nervous edge. I don't think it's so much fright as it is a desire to make every show my best yet. If I'm not feeling slightly uncomfortable and anxious before a show I start to worry I'm getting too comfortable, not pushing myself hard enough, baring enough of my soul so to speak. When you're ready to pour your heart and soul out on stage you've got to feell a little nervous about the reaction. It's all part of the rush.

[davetcan]

I sure do. I usually lay awake most of the night before going through all of the lyrics, I'm sure I'm going to completely forget some of them one day. I tell myself it would be different if I could just stand at the side and play guitar but I doubt it. I still haven't played out very much, and when we do it's usually once every couple of months, so it may get better if I did it more. Got a gig coming up next Saturday and I'm already getting nervous. :smile:

[davetcan]

I don't know about it getting better. I still get the same feeling before I play live that I did 15 years ago. What's changed is that I now love and embrace that nervous edge. I don't think it's so much fright as it is a desire to make every show my best yet. If I'm not feeling slightly uncomfortable and anxious before a show I start to worry I'm getting too comfortable, not pushing myself hard enough, baring enough of my soul so to speak. When you're ready to pour your heart and soul out on stage you've got to feell a little nervous about the reaction. It's all part of the rush.

I like this explanation and approach. :food-smiley-004:

[Milkman]

For some it eventually goes away.

For me it hasn't, in fact it may be a bit worse now. When I was a side man or at least not right out front, I don't recall it being quite as bad.

The anxiety I feel before the gig however is more than worth it for the rush I get playing a good show, not to mention the euphoria I feel the day after the gig.

[Kenmac]

It's funny, I've never experienced stage fright. There may have been a touch of nervousness my first time out but nothing as severe as what the late John Lennon went through. Before every single Beatles performance he'd throw up and that's pretty extreme. I'm actually a quiet person offstage but I've been told when I'm onstage that I have a lot of stage presence but it's not something I'm conscious of, I just get up there and play.

[NewGuitarGuru]

It's funny, I've never experienced stage fright. There may have been a touch of nervousness my first time out but nothing as severe as what the late John Lennon went through. Before every single Beatles performance he'd throw up and that's pretty extreme. I'm actually a quiet person offstage but I've been told when I'm onstage that I have a lot of stage presence but it's not something I'm conscious of, I just get up there and play.

I guess John was like the Glen Hall of music.

I have gotten nervous before performance, but it usually fades away once I get going. The largest crowd I've ever played for was probably like 500 or something close to that. It was at my school talent show... which did not go well at all for me.

[ClintonHammond]

"I've never experienced stage fright."
Ditto... I donno if it's because I've been on stage almost my whole life.. or if it's the knowledge that, at the end of the day, I'm NOT in control, and things are going to happen that could not be planned for so it's silly and pointless to worry about them....

It has been my exp. that for those who DO suffer from Stage Fright, the worst thing they can do is treat it with booze and or drugs. I've seen too many ruin themselves that way.

[PaulS]

Use to get it when I first started out. Over the years it has died down but then again as milkman mentioned when your the side man it is a bit easier to relax. Now I might get a bit before a big gig, but the bar scene has become no problem as far as stage fright goes.

[I_cant_play]

I've only performed a handful of times and I've been a bit nervous. I find I just have to put myself in a completely relaxed state of mind and not take the gig too seriously. I realize that most people do take their performing and music seriously, but I think it's important to not have that kind of mentality right before the performance. The way I see it is if you screw up you screw up, so what then. You can either improvise your way out of it and odds are no one will notice or worst case scenario you stop in the middle of a lead after you hit a wrong note.....well...what's done is done just keep going. I just remember that most of the people in the audience I'll never see again and I feel confindent enough in my playing that I won't really be embarassed even by a really bad screwup.

I actually think the fact that I took some drama in high school and had to do speeches in front of an english class really helped me lose a phobia of these kinds of situations. I used to be a very VERY shy and very easily embarassed in these public situations. I remember being on the verge of telling my english teacher that I won't be able to go through with my speech because I"m just too nervous feeling like my head was going to explode. However, as time went on I got more and more comfortable and I took on more of a *&^# it!" attitude about it and it's worked like a charm ever since. In fact I think the best thing to get over this kind of a phobia would be to have a total disaster gig once or twice then you see it's not so bad. I had that experience in my classes and after a while you get over it.

Also I realize that my analogy with presentations and acting isn't really the same as performing in front of 100s or 1000s of people but I find it much harder to perform in front of smaller groups than larger groups. I find playing in a guitar shop really intimidating for some reason while if someone told me I had to play in a club tonight and scrape some songs together I'd have no problem with it.

[ClintonHammond]

The #1 cure for Stage Fright that I have seen is an audience hollering "MORE!"

:-)

[chaoscypher]

I've never played in front of a large audience but I have acted in front of like 100-200 people and I really liked it.
My wrists go numb like 30 mins. before I go on-stage but by the time I go on I'm excited because I get to perform.

I guess it just depends upon what sort of person you are; and you can never let the crowd get to you otherwise
you'll end up making mistakes. If you go out with positive energy then the crowd can only offer the same back to you.

[violation]

The #1 cure for Stage Fright that I have seen is an audience hollering "MORE!"

:-)
I heard it was alcohol... lots and lots of alcohol. :food-smiley-004:

[Tarl]

I never have gotten the fright but I do get excited before a gig. Sort of like before a hockey or football game and you just want to get that first hit in and get going.

[ne1roc]

Wow, I am surprised at how many guys have stage fright here? I am the only one in my band who suffers from it, so I thought I was a bit strange. By the end of the first set, I settle in, but I have a hard time making eye contact with the crowd throughout the evening. When I got back into gigging two years ago,
I came pretty close to throwing up before my first show. :eek:

I'm shocked Milkman has it? It doesn't show in the photo's. Stones

[Milkman]

Wow, I am surprised at how many guys have stage fright here? I am the only one in my band who suffers from it, so I thought I was a bit strange. By the end of the first set, I settle in, but I have a hard time making eye contact with the crowd throughout the evening. When I got back into gigging two years ago,
I came pretty close to throwing up before my first show. :eek:

I'm shocked Milkman has it? It doesn't show in the photo's. Stones

Well that's because by the time we hit the first few chords it's completely gone.

Like I've said it's not a rational fear. I don't believe you can find a rational cure. It's just something I have to deal with. Once I'm up there I'm fine.

[david henman]

...i rarely get stage fright anymore. i used to seriously choke, especially vocally - my throat would go completely dry, when i saw another musician in the audience, but i've gotten over it.

however, i get very angry and/or intimidated when things screw up, like gear malfunctions, or the club manager complaining that the music is too loud, after we have taken drastic measures to keep the volume whisper quiet, and i can clearly hear every conversation in the room over the music.

so, its anger i have to deal with. its a problem, because you have to be completely relaxed in order to sing properly.

-dh

[Michelle]

I never have gotten the fright but I do get excited before a gig. Sort of like before a hockey or football game and you just want to get that first hit in and get going.

I guess that describes my experience though I don't do hockey or football. I psych up a few days before, practice a lot and tell myself I'm gonna kick-ass, couldn't do it if I didn't think that, I think, I think too much....

Very much at home on the stage, my whole life is like a performance, not much in life that I fear other than what crazy notion might posses me next.

[ClintonHammond]

"I heard it was alcohol..."
Only if you want to end up a go-nowhere waste of skin.

[iaresee]

...i rarely get stage fright anymore. i used to seriously choke, especially vocally - my throat would go completely dry, when i saw another musician in the audience, but i've gotten over it.
Isn't it funny how knowing another musician in the audience can throw you off like that? It used to really put me on edge and then I realized that I certainly don't sit in the audience and judge every note coming out of the other bands, so why would they? Whether or not that's true it helped put my mind at ease.

however, i get very angry and/or intimidated when things screw up, like gear malfunctions, or the club manager complaining that the music is too loud, after we have taken drastic measures to keep the volume whisper quiet, and i can clearly hear every conversation in the room over the music.
Gear trouble always stresses me out. I hate rapid fire changes of bands where you've got 10 seconds to set up. I did an outdoor Canada Day show last year and I set it all up and when I did the sound check I thought my Mesa was stuck on the red channel. Even when the green channel light was lit I was getting red channel drive out of the cab. I was freaking out. My bass player walked over to my board and switched off my SD-9 pedal and everything was cool. I always carried that pedal as a back up for the Mesa should it ever die. It did/does a great single rectifier red channel impression. :D

[simescan]

Well, I haven't played on stage for um,...well,...a realy long time, but I remember how terrible the feeling was 'til the second or third song into every set. I used to actually mumble to myself to get through it...

[Milkman]

It doesn't matter to me if (insert your favourite monster guitarist here) is in the crowd. There always seems to be a lot of musicians at our shows.

The guy I had doing sound for me on Saturday is TEN times the singer I'll ever be.

I've even had a well known player sitting in the crowd while I was covering HIS song.

Again, it's not a rational fear for me. It's dumb.

[dwagar]

I agree about the musicians, once you get your head around the fact that there are always going to be better players than you (get out of the gunslinger mindset) and that you're just there to have fun, it's not a problem.

[ClintonHammond]

"once you get your head around the fact that there are always going to be better players than you and that you're just there to have fun"

+1!!

[Robboman]

I don't get stage fright, but I should... I suck! :banana:

If anything I'm to busy worrying about the mix and the room EQ (if I'm mixing myself from the stage). The performing part of it is kinda like auto-pilot. It's weird because I'm generally a shy, quiet introverted guy. I'm way more nervous about giving a business presentation to 10 or 12 collegues than I am playing and singing to 1000 plus, which I've done the odd time besides the routine bar gigs.

[Budda]

i always feel like im gonna throw up about 5 minutes before i hit the stage, but thats it. once im up their, provided people are actually Noticing that there's a band on a stage (my town isnt that great for shows), then im good to go.

[violation]

"I heard it was alcohol..."
Only if you want to end up a go-nowhere waste of skin.
Don't talk about EVH that way! Haha.

[Milkman]

It goes away.

[GuitaristZ]

to get rid of stage fright...



wear a buckethead mask and a wig...

[I_cant_play]

Again, it's not a rational fear for me. It's dumb

I suppose that's why it's considered a phobia. Most spiders can't hurt you but people still freak out.

once you get your head around the fact that there are always going to be better players than you and that you're just there to have fun

I think that's a very important thing to realize whether you ever perform live or not. It's all about being secure in your own playing. If you think about it, when people get irritated when someone insults their playing it's because they know it's true. As long as you're aware of how much you can do and what your shortcomings are, there is nothing no one can say that will bother you. This is true not only for guitar playing but many other things too..

[Lester B. Flat]

I do... bad.

I've only played infront of more then 25 people like... twice? Filling in for a friend both times. I'm assuming it will get better the more I do it, but the like 10 minutes I was up there I was insanely nervous. It's more the thoughts in my head though... "okay this is next... why is the band playing so slow... gotta slow down... okay don't screw this part up...", etc.

Everything went fine but I'm paranoid like that, haha.

25 people is a small intimate crowd. That's tougher than 250 or 2,500. The more the merrier and less intimate and more relaxing it becomes in my experience. I don't suffer from stage fright but I get "butterflies" before a gig, anxious to get on with it. Chomping at the bit. I love it.

[chaoscypher]

Imagine everyone in their underwear?

[david henman]

It doesn't matter to me if (insert your favourite monster guitarist here) is in the crowd. There always seems to be a lot of musicians at our shows.
The guy I had doing sound for me on Saturday is TEN times the singer I'll ever be.
I've even had a well known player sitting in the crowd while I was covering HIS song.
Again, it's not a rational fear for me. It's dumb.


...um, i don't think you're going to find many players that will claim that stage fright is...rational.

:smile:

-dh

[Milkman]

...um, i don't think you're going to find many players that will claim that stage fright is...rational.

:smile:

-dh

Perhaps not, but reading the responses, quite a few seem to want to assign rational causes to it.

[Bob Rock]

I always get a little stage fright before I get up to play but once you get going it's a gas. I think a little stage fright is natural. I think it helps fuel the performance.

[buckaroobanzai]

Getting onstage in front of a crowd of people I don't know at a bar...easy
(although it didn't used to be - it just kinda stopped bothering me a few years back)

Playing & singing solo in front of a few friends - terror beyond words for me.

Anyone else?

[iaresee]

Getting onstage in front of a crowd of people I don't know at a bar...easy
(although it didn't used to be - it just kinda stopped bothering me a few years back)

Playing & singing solo in front of a few friends - terror beyond words for me.

Anyone else?
+1 to that! Don't ever ask me to pick up a guitar around the camp fire. I freakin' hate being the jukebox for a night out with friends.

[Paul]

Never. Period.

There are a lot more guitarists that are better than me than there are guitarists worse than me. But on that day, at that venue, I got the gig. There must be a reason for that.

Milkman can play circles around me. It's inconceivable that I get calls that he doesn't. But I do. I've been playing for most of the past 25 years. Everything I've learned, everything I've practiced and rehearsed has prepared me for that gig at that moment. If 25 years ain't enough, then I'll never be ready.:smile:

I'm not a fan of the Pantera/Metallica/Megadeth style of music. But Dimebag once said in an interview that it didn't matter how bad a guitarist sucked, he ignored the suckage and just heard the music. And the music is always a beautiful thing. If Dimebag gets it, there is no reason the rest of us shouldn't get it. I'm convinced that the audience does.

I've played Willow Lake too. I was playing 50's & 60's oldies material, completely different from what Tommyknockers play. We got asked for autographs by kids who were born 40 years after the material first charted. I've got a lunchtime gig outdoors this Friday. My bass player has a conflict, so I've booked a piano player in his place. The quintet on stage on Friday will be the first time that unit of 5 musicians will play together, ever. The drummer is unavailable for a rehearsal this week, but I trust him. I'll be playing a pub night at a local retirement home next month. The audience is anywhere from 65 up to over 100. That's covers people who grew up with silent movies to the first generation of Rock and Roll fans. But as long as we play good songs, and play them with a moderate degree of skill and complete emotional commitment to the message of the song, we'll be fine.

It boils down, (to me), to a bit of arrogance. I am completely aware of my technical and musical abilities on the instrument. I am even more aware of my limitations. But I am foolishly arrogant enough not to care. I enjoy the music, I enjoy the musicians I work with, and almost without fail the audience comes along for the ride.

[Jeff Flowerday]

I definately get butterflies before the first set and even a little before the second and third set. They subside but never really go away completely during the set.

That said I don't have allot of stage experience so I'm hoping with time it will get better.

[Milkman]

I definately get butterflies before the first set and even a little before the second and third set. They subside but never really go away completely during the set.

That said I don't have allot of stage experience so I'm hoping with time it will get better.

It may and it may not.

Sometimes I wonder if it's a subconscious preperation device, a way to get my blood pumping so I walk on ready to rock.


Maybe I do it to myself deliberately. Some players like to be relaxed on stage. That's not my thing. I want to the adrenalin.

[nj_lanser]

Eventually it should be gone. I was nervous in my first few presentations and than it reduced dramatically. Just remember it's all in your head.

[david henman]

+1 to that! Don't ever ask me to pick up a guitar around the camp fire. I freakin' hate being the jukebox for a night out with friends.

...same here. people are always shocked to find out that i don't know even one song all the way through, much less every song ever written. i try to explain that i'm a songwriter, but that goes right by 'em.

-dh