Performance anxiety at practice

[Jaycat]

Hi gang.

I am playing in a three-piece combo (keys, bass, drums) doing New Orleans music and old school R&B.

We have two numbers featuring extended bass solos, which the BL wants me to play note-for-note.

At home... no problem. I nail them every time (mostly).

As soon as I get to band practice, I invariably flub a few notes here and there. Which I chalk up to performance anxiety.

What are your thoughts on overcoming this issue?

 

[gidbass]

Hi gang.

I am playing in a three-piece combo (keys, bass, drums) doing New Orleans music and old school R&B.

We have two numbers featuring extended bass solos, which the BL wants me to play note-for-note.

At home... no problem. I nail them every time (mostly).

As soon as I get to band practice, I invariably flub a few notes here and there. Which I chalk up to performance anxiety.

What are your thoughts on overcoming this issue?

Flubs happen, I think the important thing is to keep going and not give any indication that you played a wrong note...

Good Luck!

 

[Gervais Cote]

Better miss a note than miss a beat for a bass player, keep that in mind.

That happens to me sometimes as well and two things can happen then :

-1 : will do the same song 2, 3, 4 or even 5 times back to back until I get it

-2 : never mind, play the next song, don’t care and compensate with attitude and body language

My band mates are usually cool enough to take option 2 with a little smile on the guitar player’s face and a "who gives a f… " on my drummer’s face.

But eh, none of us are professional musicians so as long as we have fun we’re fine.

 

[JRA]

What are your thoughts on overcoming this issue?

in a word, "mastery." different strokes for different folks at different times: e.g., for me, it's usually a matter of repetition until i get it.

once you've "mastered" it = all the confidence you need to perform it.

 

[bdplaid]

If it's already written I have no trouble with it, my problems come when I have to take a solo of my own!

My approach to learning extended things is to practice it so much that I can't make a mistake. I suggest your apprehension may come from knowing you don't know the piece well enough. That's how my mind works, anyway.

Best of luck with it!

 

[KenD]

"To play a wrong note is insignificant; to play without passion is inexcusable" - Ludwig van Beethoven

 

[FunkHead]

Aren't solos and Note-for-note mutually exclusive terms? My solos are very personal to me...Even if they sometimes suck

 

[Killing Floor]

Do your best. Get as close as you need. Don’t worry that playing someone else’s bass solo note for note is the absolute dregs, since it’s a trio declare yourself band leader and rock on.

 

[Lenny JG]

Hi gang.

I am playing in a three-piece combo (keys, bass, drums) doing New Orleans music and old school R&B.

We have two numbers featuring extended bass solos, which the BL wants me to play note-for-note.

At home... no problem. I nail them every time (mostly).

As soon as I get to band practice, I invariably flub a few notes here and there. Which I chalk up to performance anxiety.

What are your thoughts on overcoming this issue?

Victor Wooten has a great philosophy on stuff like this. There's no wrong notes, how you jam them makes them work or not. You just need to play w/ confidence THROUGH the flubs, the more confident you are, the less people will notice you did something different at all ime&o

 

[Geepers]

Concentrate on maintaining steady, rhythmic breathing while you play. It takes your mind off what you’re doing and lets the playing happen on autopilot. If you can’t play the piece while focusing on your breathing, you haven’t put the piece into muscle memory yet and need to do more reps in the practice room. When Carol Kaye was asked what she was thinking about when playing a gig she said “what I need to buy at the store after the gig”. You may find this video helpful:

 

[NotHereNow]

I think a lot of this can be overcome with familiarity. Playing in front of an audience is a skill honed over time. Be confident in yourself and keep putting yourself out there, and eventually it will become a more natural and relaxed setting.

 

[Wasnex]

Aren't solos and Note-for-note mutually exclusive terms?

In this context playing a solo means you are being featured. A solo can be note-for-note or improvised.

 

[Wasnex]

Hi gang.

I am playing in a three-piece combo (keys, bass, drums) doing New Orleans music and old school R&B.

We have two numbers featuring extended bass solos, which the BL wants me to play note-for-note.

At home... no problem. I nail them every time (mostly).

As soon as I get to band practice, I invariably flub a few notes here and there. Which I chalk up to performance anxiety.

What are your thoughts on overcoming this issue?

Think of it as a form of exposure therapy and do your best to play through, without worries. Eventually you should get over the jitters and stop flubbing.

 

[Billyears IV]

Are the other band members noticing/commenting?

If not, then the only issue is your own reaction. As others have said, keeping playing going without further stumbles or drawing attention with body language/facial expressions is key.

I say to myself, mistakes are going to happen, it's how you deal with them. Hitting essential notes correctly is vital, fills & runs can pass unnoticed with slight slips if timing & feel are good.

I do have some issue with playing cover material note for note. Solos are personal expression, so if it's someone else's, it's not 'my way'. I can learn stuff but some bits will just not be natural to me.

 

[Pocket Dave]

All jugglers drop pins.

The good ones make it seem like part of the act.

 

[Carl Hillman]

Hi gang.

I am playing in a three-piece combo (keys, bass, drums) doing New Orleans music and old school R&B.

We have two numbers featuring extended bass solos, which the BL wants me to play note-for-note.

At home... no problem. I nail them every time (mostly).

As soon as I get to band practice, I invariably flub a few notes here and there. Which I chalk up to performance anxiety.

What are your thoughts on overcoming this issue?

It’s just music.

You are not an air traffic controller or a heart surgeon. Nobody gets hurt or dies if you have a lapse.

One way to get over it is to act as if you are the most confident soloist in the world. If you play that role enough times, it eventually begins to rub off on you.

 

[EddiePlaysBass]

Play it once, it's a mistake. Play it twice, it's jazz.

 

[chris_b]

You get the line right. . . . mostly??

Analise why you are making mistakes during practice at home and when playing with the band. Are they the same mistakes? Where do they happen? Are they in the same place? When you track down where this is happening you can work out why and focus on the bits that you're not getting right.

Don't do half a job. Don't practice it until you get it right, practice it until you can't get it wrong.

 

[Elk]

In short, you don't know them well enough.

Am I being harsh? No; I am being kinder to you than you are to yourself. You say you nail them at home 'mostly'. Give yourself a fighting chance, man! If you're only 'mostly' nailing it at home, under lights with the band and an audience is gonna be a total s**t show with all that adrenaline.

Luckily, the cure is simple. Practice the solos so much that they are not just easy but actually boring. An hour/day every day for a few weeks would not be too much...over and over and over on a loop. Let your mind wonder while you solo, catch yourself, lock back in. You want it to be soaked into your muscle memory. It's only then can you relax into it.

Enjoy the process!

 

[Mastiff_5]

Drink more before rehearsal. When that stops working, add illegal drugs. It worked for decades of legendary musicians.