Written by Desiree House
Published: March 8, 2014 at 2:32 AM [UTC]
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1. Set up four chairs in a semicircle.
2. Imagine the four people whose opinions I cared most about in those chairs, OR four big time soloists who I admired the most.
3. "Perform" for those people.
4. Imagine what their responses would be, in terms of recognizing the good things, then exploring ways to fix the bad ones.
If you can mentally practice with Heifetz, Kreisler, Ysaye, and Milstein sitting there and speaking to you, you'll probably be okay. :)
The first step is simply to imagine yourself in a performance setting. Gene's suggestion is great way to do that. Another idea is to use a webcam, phone or video cam to film yourself, and imagine it's a TV crew or a recording studio.
As a next step you could, for example, start busking in a quiet corner. Then graduate to busier spots.
Or if you enjoy fiddling do what I did and go along to jam sessions and lead a tune or two.
In my own case I've gradually got used to performing, and provided I'm confident with the piece I don't suffer anything more than healthy anxiety, which even the greats admit to.
If you feel your problem runs deeper, there are a number of good books on performance anxiety for musicians - just search for them on Amazon.
I would also ask your tutors for help - it's part of their role to help you prepare for performance, and if your problem is as obvious as you describe it, it's surprising that they haven't already offered, to be frank.
Good luck - you're not the first to suffer from this, and pretty much everyone gets over it in the end...
If at all possible, try to prepare yourself for that feeling. Find big, empty lecture halls or stages or churches, at odd hours when no one is there, and play your piece there. Listen to yourself and realize that sometimes you can sound like that, and so do others when they play here. The busking idea is a good one. See if you can play in a church service or other low-key venue. Get used to having your instrument sound weird and unfamiliar so it doesn't freak you out when your bow hits the string during a performance.
How often do you perform? If I were you, I'd perform as often as practical. Look for as many opportunities as you can get to play for others. What about playing for residents of nursing facilities and retirement homes?
You say you "hate performing in front of people." I sense that playing in front of people, in itself, isn't what you hate; the way your performances go is what bothers you. Think of one person you like to play for. Start with this person as a trial audience. Then try adding a few of their friends to the group.
Before the recital, get, if you can, at least one full run-through of your program in the actual recital room. Wear the same kind of outfit -- same shoes, too -- for the run-through that you will actually use in performance.
If you're playing more than one piece, try not to lead off with a lyrical one like Meditation from Thais. If you can start with something more aggressive -- a piece with a series of gutsy chords, for instance -- this can help you burn off some adrenaline.
As a kid, just getting into performing, I learned this very early. After the first try at performing, I looked forward to the next opportunity and gained confidence -- not instantly but quite fast. Auditions and recitals were strong areas of mine -- and I don't see why they can't be for more players. The nerves probably won't go away entirely -- and I don't think you'd want them to. I do my best when I'm a little keyed up at the start. Again, perform often.
Hope this helps.
Firstly, I still young with violin so maybe my comments will be useful for you or not.
But! when you playeing the violin in front of audience, just make sure the music come from you mind into the violin then be melodramatic
NOT from your mind to audience and turn back your violin
Warmest regards
Duc
The suggestion to practice in large spaces is very good, especially if you can do it with an audience of some sort.
All that said, it is not much of a problem for me because I seldom play for large audiences and do not get nervous anyway. Sort of the "if you don't like it you can leave" attitude.
Try playing for somebody where you can erase your ego from the performance. Try a kindergarten or a retirement home and you will see that there are other things out there than worrying about how you sound and feel.
I hope this helps :) good luck
And for sure try www.bulletproofmusician.com, read everything, it is the most useful thing I ever did.
You also might want to talk to your doctor about beta blockers. This is going to be controversial, and I am in no way suggesting that this will solve all your problems or even be a good idea for you. That's for you and your doctor to find out together. But, if you have tried lots of different strategies and have performed a lot over the years, but you are having serious performance anxiety, you might want to look into it. I know LOTS of professional musicians who use them, especially when they're in high-pressure situations where they have physical effects as a result of nerves/anxiety. I've never used them before, but from what I've gathered by anecdotes from my colleagues, they're not a magic solution but they take some of the edge off.
No -- stay away from them. Unless they are medically necessary, the cure is often worse than the disease.
I think pleasing yourself first is the top priority, play because you love it and it's fun. ENJOY ENJOY ENJOY and others will enjoy as well. If you do make mistakes, just remember that you are a musician, you are bound to make mistakes, forgive yourself.
Also if you've practiced enough and exhaust all your resources easily attainable, you can say those word confidently and honestly.
Watch Maxim Vengerov's videos, for me, i think he's the most expressive and the most fun player i've ever known.
The problem relates to your acceptance of yourself.
Violin can be for you a great way to reinforce and strengthen your acceptance of yourself. Be proud of who you are, be strong about it, assert your deepest feelings. And people will follow you because everyone wants to feel confidence and love of being yourself.
I have the same problem. I think I have found a way to get by it. When I need to play in front of many people I first go and play on the street. I don't beg or anything, I just get my violin out and play for the people. Believe me that is much more difficult. People look at you strangely but finally a nice mom with the two young daughters will stop and admire you... Just one piece, just for a couple of minutes. Anything else will be so easy!!!!!!!!
I was touched by your post! Here are some ideas as a performer and teacher, based on my own experiences dealing with stage fright. Believe it or not, many people have been through what you have been through. And, there are ways around it, but they do require substantial change.
For me personally, those things involved a few major changes. First, the discovery of food allergies and intolerances and eliminating those things from my diet transformed my life. Gone were many of the things that were plaguing me physically, health-wise and mentally as a result of not feeling well. Eliminating coffee and carbonated drinks, which really irritate the nervous system can also help. So, diet it key. Also, make sure that your body is in order and that you don't have any issues with muscles, tendons, spine, etc. which can irritate the nervous system. If you suspect any of these, seeing an osteopath can be a big help.
Secondly, practicing as much as possible. It doesn't matter what other people do and there is really no limit to how much work one can do. Some have to do more, some less, but doing all the practice that you need so you can do what you have to do is essential so that you feel ready.
Three, fixing your setup and eliminating tension in your playing. This includes proper chinrest, proper shoulder support (or none is the rest or cushion is a hindrance), and proper mechanics and movements. Though some soloists use this successfully, for most people, for me, it meant eliminating the over-rotation of the left elbow and over-spreading of the right hand fingers. Absolutely zero thumb pressure in either hand and making sure that your sound production is lateral.
Four, practicing well. This means slow practice without vibrato, making sure that all notes are in tune, shifts are done well with intermediate notes in tune on every shift and the finger that shifts is on the string before you shift. This means also practicing all the repertoire slowly from beginning to end correcting every mistake at least 5 times in a row without mistake, extending that in early stages of learning a piece to entire passages. It means also practicing technique to overcome any issues in your playing, and practicing performing, going though your repertoire at the end of the day like it was a concert.
Five, mind setting. It is simple, you need to focus your mind on what you want, not what you don't. Don't avoid mistakes, simply work to play well and get things done. Your mind cannot focus on two things at the same time and the body does not recognize between negative and positive thoughts, only responds to the action command in the thought. So, if you tell yourself "I hope I don't miss that shift" your body hears miss that shift and will do it. Also, you are not focusing on what it is you want to do, like getting the shift, so your mind is not focused on the process of getting it. Also, you have to believe that you will get it and that your body will respond to your mind's command, so that you don't over-try. Doubt is why one fails.
Six, practicing good karma. In other words we often fear and receive what we put out. The more critical and judgmental we are of others, the more nervous we get. So, being relaxed, being tolerant, being loving of yourself and to yourself and others and really practice that golden rule of trying as best as you can of never doing, saying or thinking anything about anyone that you wouldn't want to have happen to you. This last sixth part, helps as much as all the rest combined together in my experience. And, even if you do feel nervous, none of it appears in your playing.
Seven, practicing gratitude instead of resentment. In life, we always seem to want more thinking we don’t have enough, instead of appreciating what we have and this in general can create a lot of anxiety, tension and disappointment. It is of course OK to want to achieve more and get better, but we shouldn't forget also all that we have learned and have in our lives. I find that if we are grateful for the opportunity to perform, for what we have and what we can do, we often surpass what we expect, often by a long shot.
Eight, being accountable. As hard as it is to understand why nerves happen to us, the only person responsible for us being afraid is… us! By taking responsibility and dealing with things day by day, note by note, we begin to assume ourselves and this can in turn help us to both accept and transcend the difficulties to allow who and what we are to come through when we play.
Hope this helps and that you can overcome this as quickly and rapidly as possible!
Cheers and the very best of luck!
and read this book - The Chimp Paradox - http://www.chimpparadox.co.uk/
Another tip I would add is to not to perform pieces that you've just learnt and are right at the edge of your ability range. Go for something a grade or 2 lower than you ability that you find easier. Then you can build up to more complex music once you're more comfortable in front of an audience. Start with small audiences and busking, just get use to playing in front of people. Also once you get the hang of it you can start to use your nerves to improve your performances (I've only just started being able to do this) as you should accept that you will never be 100% nerves free in front of an audience!
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