TOPIC: Concentration and confidence

I've realized that the songs that I can carry the tune in my head or sing I do well with playing them without the music in front of me. For instance 9lb hammer or Old Joe Clark I can't seem to carry the lyrics with the melody of the banjo arrangement. So my practice and memory become mechanical and not musical. If someone takes the time to put the lyrics written on print outs of the tef tab coresponding with the right notes and measures I would appreciate it. The different arrangements of the different instruments sound great together, but sometimes I get lost in the melody and any musical ability I have goes down the drain and I get lost in the group.

This is such a common thing and I realize how many musicians, regardless of experience or "level" ( I don't like that word when describing someone's er....level) suffer from stage fright, which is what this basically is. I know a few pro's who all say that the first steps of walking on stage are crippling and they must force themselves to go. They also say that once they begin playing it all goes away but they are professional musicians.

I have been playing for several years and I often think I should be better than I am considering how long and often I have played/play. I have also dedicated myself to one particular style and in that sense I am limited. I am my own worst critic.

There is a select few who I am comfortable playing in front of. Even when I record an mp3 to send to my teacher, whom I meet once a month in NYC, I am a bit on edge. Heck, I am often nervous in front of my teacher!

I always have a guitar in my hands at home. If someone outside of my comfort zone walks in the room my concentration is lost and well...you know where it goes from there.

I don't feel easy playing in front of people which is why I am in this class. My theory is that one must confront one's fears in order to resolve them.

So you are not alone.....I would bet that 90% of the class feels the same as you (and me) and are a bit nervous playing in front of others. I am determined to get past it. That is my goal in this class.

We will all get past it together. How lucky are we if this is our only problem!!

Listen to "Stagefright" by The Band.

Play on.........

If you're playing and someone walks into the room, they walked into your room. My take on that is: hey ya'll!... grin and see what happens:cheer: ...

As far as one's personal feelings of how good one is and how people will react to you is a selfish feeling so... get rid of it and express yourself (on the instrument)!!! I've messed up more than I've sounded good but I'm lov'n every minute.

This is also one of the main reasons I started this class, to get over performance anxiety. I do fine with some songs in my living room, but get all freaked out when I get to class and have to play them there. But, I have overcome a fear of public speaking in the past by kind of just doing it. It still is not that easy for me to speak in public, but I can do it now with some prep work, whereas when I was younger, I would freeze up completely. The prep I usually do is knowing what I'm going to say and practicing enough so that I don't stammer or say 'um' too much. It helps to usually have slides to back me up, so I can read the slides if nothing else. The other thing I do before I do a presentation is to ask myself, what's the worst that can happen? And my answer is that I have slides to read, so the worst that can happen is that I'll read the slides and maybe do a mediocre presentation. This surprisingly helps me not freak out and I can actually go on and do more than just read. I also go out of my way not to compare my presentation to others because I'm a very biased judge or myself. So, how can that help me with music? Well, one thing I realize is that I need to practice for class (that's a given). The other thing is, what's the worst that can happen? I'll probably blow the lead, but that's not the end of the world. The hardest part for me in class is to not compare myself to others, but I am trying to accept that we are all on separate musical journeys that cross paths in the class. It doesn't always work.

If you feel you're not prepared to take the lead at the last second, try playing a really good rythmn w/ some walk ups and walk downs. And don't forget to turn up the volumn:woohoo:

A new quote just popped in my head that might help: Live the song, Laugh at your mistakes, and Love what you're doing. That sounds like som'm good I look forward to class not to be reserved, but to push myself. It often draws attention and that's not I want but, I need to feel good about giving it my all:) .

I like that quote. Looks like I'll be doing a lot of laughing, 'cuz I make pleny of misyakes.
I've also had my share of problems with the stagefright thing, but I find it getting easier as I get more comfortable with all the songs, so I'm not as anxious about which song I might end up playing. But now we have new songs so my mind must expand further yet ----lovin every minute of it.