It seems to me that there are a lot of people out there who become anxious, insecure and or uncomfortable when they have to talk or perform in front of a group of people. Public speaking must be high on the list of personal stressers for many people.
This anxiety can be used to one’s benefit or make them become paralyzed with fear. With musicians, we try to use this insecurity to our advantage! Some say when this, the most dreaded of all emotions, is lacking before one goes up on stage, you might consider giving it up. By this I mean, some performers believe that if they don’t have butterflies in their stomach or some stress before going on stage their performance won’t be up to par.
I can relate to this topic on some levels. In the past I’ve lost the drive to play guitar and perform live. Actually going up on stage for me is similar to the average person just going to the store, I just don’t get those butterflies in my stomach.
The thing about operating in a public forum that gets me is … will they get into or like what I am playing for them? Will they pay attention to the subtle nuances and examine my guitar technique? Or will they just go, that’s nice. Maybe it’s acceptance that musicians crave for from their audience that makes us crazy.
I take apart everything I want to play into so many sections and perfect, in my mind that is, how they are reproduced and flow from one part of the song to the next. I also have to anticipate how to execute it if say a string breaks in a theatre or bar in the middle of song. I sometimes find that it’s hard to juggle all those issues and bond them together flawlessly into my act without losing my mind in front of an audience while giving the impression that it is all in a days work for a guitarist/performer!
I understand that over the years I’ve lightly touched on this topic before, on most of my other guitar blogs that I have, but I’ve never really been able to answer this question head on. I do think that I may have come across the answer to this question today while glancing through my MACLEAN’s magazine’s BOOKS section by Jonathon Gatehouse (OCT. 12′ 09).
The article was about Margaret Atwood and how she see perceives what her audience gets out of her great body of work. This is the part of the article that caught my attention!
After so many books, she has learned that it is useless to try to point the reader in one direction or the other – they will take away exactly what they want to. “Your not in control of how people read a book. They’re doing their own interpretation.
That’s it! It seems so simple now how she came to this conclusion. It is one of those – “you can’t see the forest through the trees” – kinda thing. My wife thinks that I shouldn’t take an audiences reaction so personally. She says that people are just going out to have a good time and enjoy themselves! I guess she does have a point. Now the hard part is in attempting to incorporate these words of wisdom into my musical mind set!
Sometimes this creeps into my writing style as well. I do not claim to be a wordsmith by any stretch of the imagination but I try. Some people have the ability to express themselves and get their message across and others just wish they had that talent! Most people I talk to say playing an instrument is similar. You may have all the technical knowledge and theory in how to play one but the way you reproduce a song, or the feel for it, is lacking.
So has anyone out there come across a way that helps them overcome their fear of performing or talking in front of people? Or is dealing with this problem just a part of one’s personality trait?
Keep on Jammin’
Personally, over time I’ve found a way to channel that nervous energy into my stage presence. I decide that I’m not gonna stop moving on stage until I can’t move anymore.
The funny thing is, the more I move on stage, the better people think I am (even if it’s the same thing I always play!)
That includes other guitarists! Give that a shot and let me know if it works for ya
Hey Kyle, I like the “I’m not gonna …” part of your comment, classic!
I am not the kind of guitarist that moves around on stage too much … I think? I’ve never payed that much attention to it. You certainly have made me think about this part of my performance.
Next time I play, I’ll have to have someone video tape me and see how I do. I think the results from viewing myself on stage will be an eye opener for sure!
Thanx man!
Great post. I worry too if people are going to like my music, is it to boring, am i entertaining enough, etc. Its something i still struggle, but i have kind of come to a point that i can just be me. Some folks are going to like my music, some probably not, you cant please everyone.
I still get a bit nervous playing on stage, but not so much that its debilitating. I much prefer full gigs to open mics, as i have a chance to play a full set, as things usually sound better after the first few tunes.
Anton
Hey Anton Emery, thanx for your comment!
I too would prefer full gigs. I just don’t have the time or energy right now at this point in my live to venture off back in that direction. I’m so envious of you having that drive and determination to do full gigs!
It’s great to see this post bringing this idea out in the open and talking about it fully! This is the kind of comment that I am looking for on this blog, for this, I thanx sir!
Truly, keep on Jammin’ for as long as you can!
My worry when I play live is that I will mess up royally, and want to get off stage quick!!
Ha, good one Melissa! Me too.
Keep on Jammin’
Sharing your music and playing it live definitely requires a degree of vulnerability. I think a question before I perform live is, “Am I being honest?” If people don’t like it, that’s okay because at least I know was being honest. There will always be someone who doesn’t care for your music. I think our motivation for sharing music can’t be wanting to impress anyone but sharing something because we feel like not sharing it would be counterproductive to who we are as a person and our gifting. We create because we are. I think when we put the pressure on to be someone we are not then a lot of nervousness and anxiety is naturally put on us.
Great comment again Bret! I love how sincere you are in it!
Vulnerability … the achilles heal of most musicians!
I think that everyone exposes themselves to this fragile emotion in everyday life. In high school we we grow up trying not to stand out in the crowd, then after we mature, we have to stand out to be noticed. I think we carry this high school mindset throughout life no matter how hard to try to claw it back?
I find that deep down, musicians as a whole, we’re just plain sensitive/susceptible people. It’s the cross that we all must bear!