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 Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 2:23 pm
First of all, I'm so sorry if this isn't in the right section. I wasn't sure if I should put it in the concert discussion or not.
OK, so on the 4th we're having our annual Christmas concert. We're usually the 2nd band playing (there's four bands), and so we're probably playing no more than 4 songs. Now, I'm a clarinetist, which means I'm gonna be sharing the front row with the flutes (we don't have a huge variety of instruments). I'm extremely nervous and I get REALLY bad stage fright even though there's like 50 of us up on stage.
How do you guys get through it? I'm always so scared I'm gonna barf and all the attention will shift on me.
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Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 2:56 pm
I don't get so nervous, since there's like about 100 of us. If I mess up (which I do alot of even during concert) it's not like someone's going to say, 'Hey, that girl messed up, laugh at her!!'. No one's going to hear him anyway wink
Plus, not everyone knows how to play that instrument and observe if you're fingering right.
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Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 4:03 pm
Well, maybe it will help if you think that no one's attention is really going to be on you. They are going to look at the group as a whole. That might be a little harsh, though.
I don't get really bad stage fright. When I get up there, I get all calm, and I can handle it. That's just me, though.
My professors keep talking about a 'zone' that you need to get in. Where it's just you, and none of the audience is there. It's a state of mind to develop, but it's really helpful! I think...There's this book called Toughness Training. I don't remember who it's by. But, it helps you develop a zone, as well as learn how to deal with criticism. It's originally for sports, but the same concepts can be applied to music.
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Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 6:47 pm
My chorus and band teachers told me/us this:
"Don't worry, thinking "Oh, I'm gonna mess up! D:"...Nobody knows YOUR line or music."
:3
I always tell my self, somebody, except ME may mess up..
It's not only ME in band.
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Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 10:01 am
Don't stress it. That will only make things worse. This is what I do, DON'T pay ANY attention to the people watching. Yes, this does work, as I sit first chair in BOTH of my schools bands, and I'm on the end of the row so everyone watching can see me.
If this doesn't work for you, remember, barf in the tuba, it's easer to clean up that way. 3nodding
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Posted: Sun Nov 30, 2008 10:13 pm
i don't really get stage fright when i'm playing in a group, but when i have solo's(or soli's which usually turn out to be solo's or duets lol) i get a little nervous. but here's what you do:
say to yourself "the audience hasn't looked at my music. they do not know what notes i am playing. that was not a mistake. i totally meant to do that all along."
walking on to the stage just ignore the audience, they aren't there.
or you can think of it as just another practice. dress rehearsal whatever.
or just play for ONE person. you're playing for him/her and ONLY him/her. no one else is in the room.
that's basically the process i go through when i get nervous... after a while you get used to the idea of performing, and it's just another concert.
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Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 7:34 pm
I would suggest trying to think about how wonderful you're going to do. And really, I don't think a lot of people pay much attention to the band when they're playing a song they don't know. And they don't pick out specific people to look at, well except like your parents and stuff like that...
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Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2008 9:58 pm
I'm just now getting through a bout of stage fright. I've had this all my life and I've just now found out how to beat it. I'm first chair flutist this year and I have my first (ever) solo. My director told me to read through the first couple of chapters of a book, and it really worked to decrease my nervousness and jitters (It was so bad that I would visibly be shaking, people noticed. sweatdrop )
These are the things I've learned from that book that really helped me out:
- Don't worry about who's listening, that only makes you more nervous
- If you make a mistake, it's alright! It's not the end of the world. smile
- Don't judge your playing too harshly. If you start saying to yourself "That sucked, I must suck too," then you'll start believing it and play even worse. Positive thinking helps only a little while, but sooner or later it stops working (I think it turns back into negative thinking). If you're neutral about your performing, you'll tend to be a little less nervous.
- Whatever happens, happens. Trust your body and reflexes and just let it happen.
- It helps also, like Kibeth said, to get into a 'zone'. What that book said is to get into a type of zone where you're only conscious of your performance and your awareness is increased. Quiet your mind; just let your mind blank and just play. And whatever happens, happens.
It really helped me out, and my nervousness has really decreased! If you want to look at the book I read, it's called The Inner Game of Tennis by Timothy Gallwey. You can apply it to anything really, not just tennis. The first 4 chapters of it at least. The rest is just tennis stuff.
Good luck at your concert! I hope you overcome this and do well! biggrin
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Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 3:46 pm
eat a banana. I know it's crazy, but I've been playing clarinet for 10 years, and that always calmed me down. the best way however to get rid of stage fright is to just perform alot. Play for your parents, friends, band director. Play in front of people alot. It helps the best. You'll get over it eventually and it won't be scary, it will be exciting!
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