Dealing With Nerves

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Dealing with Nerves

“Before the gig, PREPARE. During the gig, ENJOY.”

Do everything you can to give yourself peace of mind!
Get to the venue in good time.
Set up straight away and double-check everything works.

Before going onstage

  • drink water (not alcohol/caffeine)
  • don’t play what you’re going to perform
  • warm up
  • relax, smile
  • check equipment and tuning
  • loop guitar lead through strap
  • you’ve done your best to prepare – just go for it!
  • the audience wants you to have fun
  • feel good about the fact you’re at the point you can play onstage – look at what you’ve achieved… the audience looks up to you
  • don’t go out to “impress” people, go out to share your music with them

Onstage

  • often you can’t even see the audience (esp big venues)
  • focus your attention
  • breathe
  • smile lots
  • have fun!

Pay particular attention to beginnings and endings (individual songs and the show itself). Keith Moon: “They remember your entrance and your exit. The rest, in the middle, don’t mean a goddamn thing.”

Be approachable/friendly…
The audience is on your side, they want to like you!
Remember the performance is for the audience, not the performer…

Plan what you’re going to say…
Don’t talk too much – at one time, or between each and every song. 
Have a rough script for song intros. => more confident.

Poker face…
Audiences care more about the right notes than the wrong notes.
Don’t make pained expressions or say “sorry”, it lets them know that we are not satisfied with the performance, and therefore they shouldn’t be either.

Smile and look up between tunes…
Smiling connects us with listeners and deepens the human communication between us. It helps us to release anxiety and play better. Acknowledging applause makes the performance more of a form of communication.

Mistakes

  • you will make them – you won’t play at 100% of ability in front of audience
  • learn from them, but don’t let them hold you back/focus on them at expense of everything you did right – especially not at the time!
  • record/video your performances and learn from them
  • if you have a bad experience – “get back on the horse”
  • what’s the worst that can happen?! What happens if your worst fear is actually realized? Find out that your fear is irrational!

Control what you can – forget the rest
We can prepare as well as we can, but come performance time, it is what it is. We should do our best and accept it. Give full attention to playing the music and enjoy the experience.