Double Bass As you walk on stage, to perform..

[Andy Mopley]

Curious as to what feelings you all go through? Is there still an "anxiety" level that comes over you? I assume that a number of aspects (effective, confident practice, managing nerves, be confident, to name a few) when managed effectively can help, and that for some to feel that anxiety is a good thing (eg if not, means you are not really ready). The difficulty level would also be a concern...

Regards to all

 

[AGCurry]

When properly prepared, I feel excited physiologically but not really anxious... a certain heightened focus which I need to get through what challenges me. I do seem to follow a pattern in which I'm kind of a jerk half an hour before but manage to settle it by showtime.

 

[Ed S]

...I do seem to follow a pattern in which I'm kind of a jerk half an hour before but manage to settle it by showtime.

From what I hear, you must have a heckuva lot of performances!

 

[notabene]

My experience with stage fright has been bizarre enough for me to want to pass it on. I played (as a saxophonist) many stadiums, and some festivals, including "Knebworth" in England which had over 100,ooo paid admissions. No stage fright. The most anxiety producing, physiologically disturbing gig I can remember was at a local sleazy bar playing "original" jazz to an audience of about three, perhaps inebriated strangers. For some unexplicable reason, I had racing heart, almost shaking (not bad for uncontrolled vibrato). I have no explanation, but it is an interesting subject to me, irrational as are so many things to me. Viva chaos!

 

[eerbrev]

for larger group performances, I have little to no nervousness unless I am really, really unprepared. At which point, I did it to myself and It's my own stupid fault for not putting in the time!!!

Chamber performances are a little more nerve-wracking, because in my personal experience they've been less rehearsed and that makes me uncomfortable because I have trust issues . Solo performances with accompaniment are the same. I've just been burned by unprepared music mates too many times.

Unaccompanied solo? Well, I'm back to it being no one's fault but my own, but the level of artistry is way higher and the focus is all on me, so I'm pretty darned nervous even if I am well-prepared. That said, the best strategy I've got is to just really, really prepare, to truly know the music, so that I can trust myself to be able to push through a nervous moment.

 

[Neil Pye]

When I was 18, I played a concert at the Royal Albert Hall. As Principal Bass of my County Youth Orchestra. Mahler's 1st Symphony. I felt no fear, I knew that I could literally play that solo with my eyes closed.

Many years later, I had to do the same thing as Principal Bass of my local orchestra, in a small 600 seat theatre. I can still play that solo with my eyes closed, but it was a very different experience. Palpitations, ringing ears, no breath, tunnel vision, nausea, to the extent that I almost passed out. After that concert I came within a hairs breadth of giving up altogether, that's how unpleasant it was. Since then, I've played recitals, chamber gigs and orchestral concerts and I know that it's only an issue when I think the audience is listening to me specifically. I've learned to deal with it, but nerves can be utterly crushing and very destructive. I have a book called "The Inner Game of Music" which I use to keep me from crumbling! If you struggle, I can't recommend it highly enough

 

[BrotherMister]

It really depends. I think by this stage in my career I’ve done so many last minute gigs and been a sub for high stakes gigs more times than I can count that very little phases me. I’m a bit of a sadist where I gets total adrenaline rush being thrown into gigs where I don’t know the set, the music being played, someone starts a song I’ve never heard of and I’ve got no choice but to go with it or it’s the stone cold read on the last night of a show or something.

As it stands, and fingers crossed, I’m due to do my first gigs since the pandemic began over the weekend. I’m excited to finally get to do it again but slightly nervous because a lot of those chops we can only develop being in the trenches will have taken a serious slump over the past 15 months.

 

[kinnon64]

for larger group performances, I have little to no nervousness unless I am really, really unprepared. At which point, I did it to myself and It's my own stupid fault for not putting in the time!!!

Chamber performances are a little more nerve-wracking, because in my personal experience they've been less rehearsed and that makes me uncomfortable because I have trust issues . Solo performances with accompaniment are the same. I've just been burned by unprepared music mates too many times.

Unaccompanied solo? Well, I'm back to it being no one's fault but my own, but the level of artistry is way higher and the focus is all on me, so I'm pretty darned nervous even if I am well-prepared. That said, the best strategy I've got is to just really, really prepare, to truly know the music, so that I can trust myself to be able to push through a nervous moment.

Could not have said it better myself

 

[David Potts]

The worst nerves I ever felt related to auditions. From the start of my career I will have auditioned about eleven times and by far the worst experience was the last. I was already a rank-and-file player for eighteen years before going for Principal in the same orchestra. In front of the panel I shook like a leaf and my concentration left via the window, accompanied by my intonation and bow control. I survived in my position for another fourteen years but members of the auditioning panel never forgot. This included the guy who won the Principal position. He was 29 at the time and worked so hard that he could play everything in the heap of audition material three times through in one session, very well and without a mistake, before he was satisfied. His reasoning was that even if he got nervous he had one good one in the tank to get through and it was reported that he did - without a mistake. I went in with one in the tank, not having played a solo in public for about ten years and failed. If I had withdrawn, even 15 minutes before going in (as advised by my wife), my standing would have remained higher.

Having said all this there are still passages in some orchestral pieces that, to this day, still make me anxious when they appear in a forthcoming performance. Not all that many but they go way back to bad experiences the first time I played them. A short list of examples would be Mendelssohn's 3rd Symphony and Hebrides Overture, Wagner's Flying Dutchman Ovt, the last movement of Beethoven's 9th Symphony, Smetana's Bartered Bride Ovt, Mozart's Haffner Symphony (No.35), Dvorak's Carnival Ovt, and any Bruckner or Nielsen symhpony.

 

[Carl Hillman]

If I'm going to get nervous, it's more about the musicians I'm playing with than the audience. I don't want to sound bad/incompetent in front of them.

...and sometimes, no amount of preparation will change that when I've got a case of the "I suck"s going through my head.

 

[Treblefree]

I don't tend to get real nervous anymore or at an unhealthy level, but generally giving speeches or if I was to get unusually nervous about playing, it is generally opposite correlation like what notabene mentioned. The smaller audience would cause me more nervousness than the larger audience.

I really only get real nervous when I am underprepared, which rarely happens and only if I ran out of time due to circumstances outside my control. I'm pretty serious about being prepared. That said, I play almost every week year-round and am nearly 48 years years old, so the nerves really don't flare up so much unless I didn't properly memorize this week's set because something came up unexpected and took too much of my time during the week.

 

[Craig Orndorff]

I’m fresh and weak enough a player that, rare occasion that I do (which I’m trying to change) it’s anxiety. Although our faculty band recently recorded a song for graduation and I was pretty relaxed.