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Performance anxiety at practice
- Thread starter Jaycat
- Start date
Well, it certainly could be performance anxiety; only you can judge that. But I can think of other reasons for this too. For example, you are probably practicing at home in an environment with no distractions, and watching your hands the entire time. In contrast, there are lots of distractions when playing in a room full of people that might cause lapses in attention. In particular, one such "distraction" is that, hopefully, you are not staring at your hands the entire time, but at least occasionally looking at your bandmates and making eye contact with them. That's a good thing to do, but that momentary break in concentration can easily give birth to a flub.
Something specific that happens to me at practice more often than I care to admit is that everything is going great, and I look around the room as if to say to everyone, "This sounds great -- we're killing it!." At that moment I am doomed, and a flub is inevitable. (My bandmates report that the exact same thing happens to them.)
Playing solos replicated note for note seems to be missing the point.
By far most professional recording artists does not actually do this.
But aside that, I can relate to performance anxiety, I get it every time I need to record.
I am fine with playing live with people, but as soon as I need to record it the anxiety starts and messes up my performance.
It's the expectation and doing something irrevocably that has to be perfect that causes it.
Breathing exercises does help, or what in meditation practice is called grounding.
Try this:
Close your eyes, inhale slowly and deeply through your nostrils and all the way down to your stomach, then exhale slowly through your mouth, all the while concentrating on your breath and the path of the air stream through your body, do this just for a couple of minutes before you need to perform.
Helps imensely with calming the mind and rellaxing your body, and actually works with any form of anxiety.
You might need to practice it some time though, before you start to actually be able to do it with immediate effect.
Do NOT try to empty your mind, but DO try not to get attached to the thoughts that streams through it, and it will ease it self down after a while.
By far most professional recording artists does not actually do this.
But aside that, I can relate to performance anxiety, I get it every time I need to record.
I am fine with playing live with people, but as soon as I need to record it the anxiety starts and messes up my performance.
It's the expectation and doing something irrevocably that has to be perfect that causes it.
Breathing exercises does help, or what in meditation practice is called grounding.
Try this:
Close your eyes, inhale slowly and deeply through your nostrils and all the way down to your stomach, then exhale slowly through your mouth, all the while concentrating on your breath and the path of the air stream through your body, do this just for a couple of minutes before you need to perform.
Helps imensely with calming the mind and rellaxing your body, and actually works with any form of anxiety.
You might need to practice it some time though, before you start to actually be able to do it with immediate effect.
Do NOT try to empty your mind, but DO try not to get attached to the thoughts that streams through it, and it will ease it self down after a while.
Last edited:
deepestend
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- Feb 21, 2003
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Def some good advice about over practicing and mastering it more.
But also, the only way to it is to go straight through it. Really think about what's getting between you and the solos. While you think you are trying hard to get the solos right, it sounds like your anxiety etc. is actively working to make it harder for you to get them right. You can be the most practiced musician on the planet, but if you've got anxiety inbetween you and the notes, you are going to stumble.
I'd work on some relaxation techniques before playing and maybe even some visualization type exercises the night before. Overall, it sounds like you need to get into a flow state where you aren't overthinking so that you don't get messed up when you inevitably do play a wrong note-- because that will happen, or maybe you'll be totally on, but the others will be off and you'll have to compensate on the fly.
I used to do this kind of thing all the time... totally mess up simple things that I knew how to play. It's a lot about confidence, letting go of the anxiety, and getting in the moment.
But also, the only way to it is to go straight through it. Really think about what's getting between you and the solos. While you think you are trying hard to get the solos right, it sounds like your anxiety etc. is actively working to make it harder for you to get them right. You can be the most practiced musician on the planet, but if you've got anxiety inbetween you and the notes, you are going to stumble.
I'd work on some relaxation techniques before playing and maybe even some visualization type exercises the night before. Overall, it sounds like you need to get into a flow state where you aren't overthinking so that you don't get messed up when you inevitably do play a wrong note-- because that will happen, or maybe you'll be totally on, but the others will be off and you'll have to compensate on the fly.
I used to do this kind of thing all the time... totally mess up simple things that I knew how to play. It's a lot about confidence, letting go of the anxiety, and getting in the moment.
My main thought is note-for-note solos sound boring. Do you think the New Orleans cats are not improvising the solos each time?
So be that as it may, I would take mistakes as opportunities to actually improvise, come what may.
Just stay in the game, land on your feet, and only your persnickety BL will know anything went awry.
People are not perfect. Only machines can do something exactly the same over and over again.
Don't call it a solo, it's a bass line. Learn it and play it right.
When I have an important sub gig coming up I play the set every day for a week, or longer if I have the time. My aim is to play the set better than the regular guy does. I turn up prepared and determined to give my best performance every time.
Play your problem bass lines every day until you can't get them wrong.
When I have an important sub gig coming up I play the set every day for a week, or longer if I have the time. My aim is to play the set better than the regular guy does. I turn up prepared and determined to give my best performance every time.
Play your problem bass lines every day until you can't get them wrong.
the solo is written. the notes don't change based on whether or not you're bored. i'd rather know it so well i'm bored so that I can nail it than get it 'mostly' right and flub it at rehearsal.
Hmm. Miles Davis was famously quoted as saying (paraphrasing) that notes don’t mean poopie. The note is like 20%. The attitude of the MFer playing the note means 80%.
I would not want that attitude to be “bored”. Of course YMMV.
1st, when u make a mistake NEVER STOP playing. Keep going.
2nd. I am the worst for playing note for note on bass riffs. So no help there other than practice it about 100 times. Seriously, that is what I do.
3rd Anxiety, I have it also, no help there. Try looking looking at your fretting fingers
2nd. I am the worst for playing note for note on bass riffs. So no help there other than practice it about 100 times. Seriously, that is what I do.
3rd Anxiety, I have it also, no help there. Try looking looking at your fretting fingers
Sounds to me like making a mistake is an opportunity to go totally off script, ditch the note-for-note baloney and play some music from the heart.
There's not a chance in hell Miles Davis would rather play with someone with an attitude who doesn't know his lines than a guy who has practiced his lines inside and out so much to the extent that they become boring to practice. He may have said 'notes don't mean s**t' but that does not literally translate to 'you don't have to know your lines'. He famously death stared Herbie on live television for flubbing one note. Can we please get real.
No, that is not the case at all. There were no “lines” in his bands. Daryl Jones said that he would actively sabotage you if you played the same thing that had worked on a previous night.
He may have given Hancock the hairy eyeball for sucking, but certainly not for “not knowing his lines”.
In fact Herbie was interviewed about the idea of “wrong notes” and like many of the greats, how it is not actually a very useful concept.
The story goes he was playing the wrong chords to a certain section of the song, and when he realized it he also realized that Ron Carter and Miles were “playing his part right” - playing things that bridged the gap back to correct chords.
Speed: the usual play it slow and speed up, BUT then actually go beyond that speed. I was at uni and this beast of a lecturer used to do this with some busy tunes (pretty sure one was teen town). The reasoning is to help you relax at the written speed which helps with articulation and prevents rushing. Its amazing how many students were able to relax playing busy 16 note patterns after doing this. You also never know when the drummers had a bad day and is for some reason playing everything 10bpm faster than usual!
Play around: at home, add notes, take notes away, make playing it fun. That way, psychologically, you are in more control of the solo. If the band don't mind the fumble sometimes I'm sure they won't mind you adding something fun to it and bringing some personality. Own the fumble! Hahahaha
Play around: at home, add notes, take notes away, make playing it fun. That way, psychologically, you are in more control of the solo. If the band don't mind the fumble sometimes I'm sure they won't mind you adding something fun to it and bringing some personality. Own the fumble! Hahahaha
Keep doing it is the simple answer. But do you actually FEEL anxious at rehearsal? it's natural to be at least a little anxious when performing with or in front of others. the more you do it, the more comfortable you get with it.
I've found that it's easy when you're playing at home to the record, but when you get to rehearsal it sounds different. I've found that can throw me off. The room, maybe different tempo, instruments are missing, cues you're used to hearing etc.. along with all the other good advice given here, make sure you know the solos separate from the record, so that no matter what's going on around you, you can play what you've practiced.
