# Nerves. Talk about it.



## Jtizzle (Oct 9, 2010)

This is a guitar forum so I'm making an assumption that all or at least most of you guys play or have played in bands. So I guess this is a generalized topic for all of y'all. Do you guys get nervous before shows? What do you do about it? Does it affect your playing at all?

Me and my band have our first show tomorrow, and I'm feeling pretty nervous about it. I've been on stage a bunch of times with different bands, and it was even worst since we we're a 3 piece with me doing vocals. But ever since I moved to FL a year ago, this is the first show I'm having here with my relatively new band, not to mention that I'm fairly new to the 7 string guitars. 
I guess I'm just nervous about how people will react to our music.
Anyways, yeah that's pretty much what gave me the idea for this thread. 

Post your stories or whatever.


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## troyguitar (Oct 9, 2010)

Our drummer gets nervous and loses his place in the songs, it's really bad. We're slowly convincing him to practice more so it doesn't happen. Fortunately our music is very basic and un-progressive so the drummer losing a measure here and there doesn't kill the whole show, but it does make it tough on the rest of the band


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## poopyalligator (Oct 9, 2010)

I think being nervous happens every time you are doing something new in front of an audience. I remember the first time i played a show I was like a statue lol. I stood there just really focusing on my playing instead of moving around and looking like i was having at least a little bit of fun. Now it doesnt matter what band I play in or what type of music I play. I just get pumped and the more people the better. I think being nervous in the beginning is normal, and you just have to keep on doing it until that nervousness goes away.


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## Jtizzle (Oct 9, 2010)

Yeah I definitely understand. I've played plenty of shows, but I'll be honest. This is the first time I'm nervous. Even when I have to play in my college recital, which should make me more nervous since I'm playing for other musicians, I don't really get nervous. I don't really know, this is really weird haha.


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## Arteriorrhexis (Oct 9, 2010)

My first show as a guitarist in may was fine. I was nervous as fucking shit but once we started it was fine. Though I think a lot of it has to do with the crowd, if they're not digging then yeah it makes you nervous as shit but if they like it then it's easy to shake off the nerves


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## Koshchei (Oct 9, 2010)

Nerves means you care. Just think of it that way, and they'll go away quickly.


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## Double A (Oct 9, 2010)

I used to get really nervous but lately I just play. Basically that is my shitty advice. Just play, it ain't no thang.


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## SirMyghin (Oct 9, 2010)

I get nerves, but not the kind that effect my playing. I think everyone is a little anxious before they hit the stage, it is control that matters. I have never had trouble with that side of it though. By the end of #1 nerves no longer exist, as the top has been blown off.


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## Origin (Oct 9, 2010)

I get performance anxious to the point that I completely fuck up everything and can't do a single passage properly in front of people. Have yet to play my first show, even though I inexplicably have a reputation as a good guitarist already  I really hate that 'people talking' bullshit. I don't know how I'm going to get over it, especially to play in a band, but I'm leaning towards >2 beers


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## Varcolac (Oct 9, 2010)

I've never really had it. But then I've been playing live with no noticeable fuckups in various bands for going on six years now. Being handed a bunch of Mingus charts and being told "gig's in a month" certainly helped me get over any nervousness I may have initially had. From then on, doing folk music in pub sessions helped strengthen my "don't stop playing if you screw up" instinct. 

I don't get nervous when I'm about to go on stage any more. I probably should though: my first gig with Carpathia is in three weeks, and their "simplest" song is 11 minutes long with bars of 15/16. But instead, I'm excited.

Any advice I can give you? Well, the first thing that I got from the jazz band was "learn your part inside out." Know not only what notes you're playing but their relationship to the rest of the arrangement. Then you'll find it incredibly difficult to cock up, and if you do then you'll know how to get back in. From playing the fiddle and drinking beer in pub sessions, I learnt to just enjoy it. We were there for a pint and we brought our instruments. We enjoyed ourselves and really didn't give a damn if anyone else did. But somehow they did enjoy it, probably because we were.

So yeah. Learn your songs inside out, enjoy yourself, and there's not really much that can go wrong. Unless your guitar dies on stage. But that's nothing five minutes with a soldering iron can't fix.


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## Koshchei (Oct 9, 2010)

My advice is to play in a blues band for your first ever gig. Play something that's so easy that you can't possibly fuck it up, and work your way into stuff you actually like to play


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## nolow (Oct 9, 2010)

Just play in front of people as much as possible. Settle your nerves before a show by just playing through the songs, convincing yourself that you won't mess up.


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## The Hiryuu (Oct 9, 2010)

Any nervousness I may have melts away the second I strike my first note.


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## Riffer (Oct 9, 2010)

I get nervous but not because people are watching me on stage. I get nervous for myself because I dont want to let myself down by missing a part or fucking up. I could'nt care less what other people think of my playing skill. People will tell me I'm good and I accept the compliment and say thank you but I always try to be humble. In all honesty I dont really care who likes or dislikes my playing. Most people who come to shows dont play music and wont even recognize the fuck ups (unless it's a big one). And I usually can tell when someone is nervous while playing and it ruins the show for me, so I tend to not show that I am nervous on stage. The audience is there for a show so you need to put one on for them, regardless of nerves or not.


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## BrutalExorcist (Oct 9, 2010)

I have on and off nerve problems performing live. I think right now I'm telling myself that most people will respect you and hold you in high regard simply for stepping out on stage. The part I get nervous over, the destructive criticizers, I think they'd criticize anyone just to fill the empty void they feel in themselves, no matter how your performance was. You'll never impress this crowd, so worry about the people you can impress, the same people you ironically won't give you much to worry over.


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## LacesOutTyler (Oct 10, 2010)

For me there has always been a feeling of anxiety before I hit the stage, but it's more excitement then anything else. I feel a little shaky but after I get on stage I remember that it's mine to own and then I just have a lot of fun... When you get on stage with your band, just make sure you remember that you're up there with a point to prove. Just be confident, be yourself, and play and your set will go smooth like butter


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## heavy7-665 (Oct 10, 2010)

You know that nervous energy you feel where your body is screming "RUN!!!". Use it. And tear the stage/crowd/universe a new one.


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## Inazone (Oct 11, 2010)

For me, it's the "chores" of getting equipment and people to the venue on time that really sets me on edge. I'm the closest thing we have to a manager, and since we gig pretty infrequently (a few times a year) it seems like we never have all of the prep work done as efficiently as I want. Someone is always dangerously late getting to the gig, or some piece of gear doesn't work right. Sadly, I was the one to have a self-inflicted gear malfunction most recently, and it really threw me off for the first half of our opening song. Things went fine after that, but I was so frustrated that my playing was sloppy for a couple of minutes. Dumb.

As far as nerves from being on stage, think of it this way: Most of the people in the audience WISH that they could be up there doing what you're doing. Make the most of it, because playing live is an experience that many people (even some very talented musicians) will never get to enjoy. When it comes to gigging, live for the moment.


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## Milo (Oct 13, 2010)

My first performance was for a school thing. I had 1200 people watching in a cathedral but I wasnt the only person out front 'n' centre. It got to me that if I stuffed up people would notice and id get self conscious of how I was playing.


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## Evil7 (Oct 13, 2010)

For me my most nervous time is setting up my gear.. I dont know why but once my Shit is all togather and working it goes away!


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## Konfyouzd (Oct 13, 2010)

The way you feel is understandable... 

The way I see it, though, is that ppl are going to either love you or hate you no matter what so just do what you do and enjoy the experience for what it is (even if the audience doesn't).


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## EcoliUVA (Oct 13, 2010)

Riffer said:


> I get nervous but not because people are watching me on stage. I get nervous for myself because I dont want to let myself down by missing a part or fucking up. I could'nt care less what other people think of my playing skill. People will tell me I'm good and I accept the compliment and say thank you but I always try to be humble. In all honesty I dont really care who likes or dislikes my playing. Most people who come to shows dont play music and wont even recognize the fuck ups (unless it's a big one). And I usually can tell when someone is nervous while playing and it ruins the show for me, so I tend to not show that I am nervous on stage. The audience is there for a show so you need to put one on for them, regardless of nerves or not.


 
I think I agree with every bit of this, especially the last part. No matter what, ALWAYS look like you're enjoying yourself. Even if you have to fake the fuck out of it.

Try some basic meditation techniques though: Deep abdominal breathing with some slow stretches or movements while trying to push all the crap out of your head that's making you nervous. Plenty of resources if you just do a quick google search. A few deep, slow breaths go a long way whenever I find nerves creeping up on me. That, and remembering not to give a fuck.

If you do fuck up, laugh. Even if you're screaming inside, laugh like a motherfucker and keep playing. Performance is an exchange of emotions between you and the audience. If you laugh, they will to, and they'll think you're the coolest dude around for being so chill when something went wrong. They'll buy your merch and the women will claw each other's eyes out to see who gets to sit on your meat.

Most of that last paragraph always happens. Part of it happens on rare occasion. I'll leave it to you to decipher which is which.


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## All_¥our_Bass (Oct 13, 2010)

I'll get a little bit nervous, but once it's time to play, I just focus on playing my parts right and everything seems to go fine. I don't get too nervous though since I'm fairly confident in my ability to play well, I wish I could say the same thing for human interaction.


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## Jtizzle (Oct 14, 2010)

Koshchei said:


> My advice is to play in a blues band for your first ever gig. Play something that's so easy that you can't possibly fuck it up, and work your way into stuff you actually like to play



I've played thousands of shows hahaha. It's not that, It's my new band's first show.

Anyways, everything went good. My nervousness went away before the show, but right when we started playing, my hand got completely stiff and I was fucking up all over. I still put on a hell of a show. I could probably post a vid of me going all Dillinger on this shit. I still kinda feel bad for fucking up sooo much, but people liked it.


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## Ryan-ZenGtr- (Jan 30, 2011)

They key to "fear" based responses is to understand it is your bodies "Fight or flight" response being triggered sub consciously. You're brain is creating endorphins to prepare you for the upcoming events. When you feel this "rising" it is important to maintain your breathing, concentrate on "being centered" and realise you are in control of your body, not the other way round. This happens many times in life, not just being on stage.

Serenity is a life skill.

My dad always told me *assumes patriarchal tone of authority*:

"Son, get embarrassed. OFTEN."

Once you get that shit under control, it'll be a breeze!

There's my multi-level intellectual response to it.... ... ...

One more, the Bill Hick's approach... 

Life's just a ride, enjoy it!

It's all just an experience... On a more practical note, as Inazone said, getting the little things together is the real skill. Organising people and equipment, promotion and etiquette are the most difficult constant challenges of musicians. Put your gear out the day before, carry spares, know how to setup quickly and break down your gear... No last minute tweaking at sound check  (If possible)... With all those earthly realm problems out of the way you can do your thing on stage without the woes. Be prepared!!!

One last thing, with breathing you can slow your heart rate. That physical battle is fun to overcome in the beginning, but then you feel nothing after a while, once you have the "Fight or Flight" response under control.

I've been doing stages for ages and I wonder did I eliminate my emotions to be good on stage (or tough situations) by using these techniques. Any one else feel the same?

If you're a real wimp, go take a martial arts or boxing class, That will sort out nerves!!!


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## Jogeta (Feb 1, 2011)

Try to get yourself in the mindset that you're playing with your band and that people just happen to be there.
Not that they are some panel of judges scrutinizing you.

Both ways of thinking about it are true, but the first one carries a lot less pressure 

Don't worry if you make mistakes. Humans have a built in "humanizer" plug-in that nobody seems to know how to deactivate. Mistakes are going to be made - just relax and ride them out when they do happen.

Most important: *HAVE FUN!!* You and your band will give off good vibes if you do, and the people watching you will find themselves enjoying your set more than they would if you had your "bulldog chewing a wasp" face on.
You'll then be able to feed off that energy they have. That energy they give you is the ultimate nerve killer.


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## CrushingAnvil (Feb 1, 2011)

All_¥our_Bass;2175892 said:


> I'll get a little bit nervous, but once it's time to play, I just focus on playing my parts right and everything seems to go fine. I don't get too nervous though since I'm fairly confident in my ability to play well, I wish I could say the same thing for human interaction.


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## MikeMonacoBrah (Feb 2, 2011)

I get nervous before shows, but that's not why I fuck up. I fuck up because I try to have to much stage presence. I try to be like a Ben Weinman at times, when the music I play isn't much like the music he plays. You can be nervous and play perfectly, it's odd. I'm sure you'll do fine though.


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## vanhendrix (Feb 2, 2011)

My advice is twofold (i just finished my degree, this might get psychological):

1. Practice your parts into oblivion. 

Be able to play them 6 feet underwater, upside down in the pitch black. That way you will have relegated most of the material from the prefrontal cortex of your brain (slow processing) to motor areas (fast), and other cortical regions specifically devoted to the playing of those parts. So instead of thinking about your parts, you'll just _do them_, no matter what is going on around you. But wait, what if you think "what am I supposed to play next?" and lose your place on the neck? Well that brings me to point 2.

2. Drink.

Drinking slows the processing of your prefrontal cortex before it acts on any other part of the brain. Before it kills your reflexes and reaction times, it deadens your ability to plan ahead and think clearly. Ride the wave that the first few beers give you (do NOT over do it at this point), and it will relegate your beer soaked brain to relying on your motor cortex to play the songs. If you've learned them well enough, you can play as well (or better) in this condition, and have a fucking amazing time!

Edit: I forgot the most important part!

The sum of my two bits of advice is that you free yourself up from thinking too hard. You know what you're doing? You're playing a goddamn rock show. Even if it's for 3 people, you are still on stage, playing guitar in a rock show. That shit is badass and nobody can take that away from you. Knowing your parts to death, and inebriating yourself just enough, frees you up to have as much (or more) fun than anyone watching you. And that's what it's all about.


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## Path (Feb 8, 2011)

jagerbombs sort me out


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## ZXIIIT (Feb 9, 2011)

Last time I was really nervous was when we played at Bar Sinister in Los Angeles with Android Lust and MKIO. There was a ton of people there, and being L.A, some celebs, but we didn't find that out until later, the show went over well, and that fueled my/our performance.

I still usually get the "butterflies in the stomach" feeling before shows, but stretching and warming up makes it all less hectic.

It's not a huge deal now, with constant practicing and playing shows, but I do get the feeling a lot on big shows (playing to a big crowd is still new to me)


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## noob_pwn (Feb 9, 2011)

I always get pre-show anxiety but as things have gotten better with my band it has turned from nerves into eagerness.
I'll always be a bit stiff on the first show of a tour but that's just the way it is for me. I can't drink more than one beer and still play well, otherwise I forget shit, everybody is different I guess and you need to remember that


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## synrgy (Feb 9, 2011)

I get terribly nervous -- almost to the point of vomiting -- before every show I've ever played. I played my first live show when I was 14, and I'm 31 today. To this day it is not just still an issue, but I think it's actually become worse. 

Once I actually start playing, within 20-30 seconds I find 'the zone' and I'm totally fine. Have yet to really fuck up during a performance.

Still, the nervousness before the set is out of control. On a gig day, I'm basically fucked from the moment I wake up in the morning till the moment I start playing the first tune. Can't eat, can't think, sweating, shaking, the whole nine.

Nothing I've found really takes that edge off, other than just getting up there and playing the set. I tried for a while having a drink or two pre-set, but that just increased the nervousness due to the whole "I might fuck up due to being intoxicated" angle.

On the flip side of that coin, by the time I'm done with a live set, I feel like I just had the best sex of my life.


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## StratoJazz (Feb 13, 2011)

Figure out some kind routine to do before gigs. I've found if you really take a second and consciously breath while your playing(if you're stressed before a solo), you'll be more concentrated on the solo.

Also make sure everything runs smoothly. If people are carrying your stuff onstage, make sure you *KNOW* where they're putting it. I had an experience where people took some of my gear to the stage only to find, i couldn't find any of it till the last second. Smoother things go, the more sane you will be.

If you go to and/or are attending a music school, realize that people will talk shit about you. People do this because they are insecure and like other people to feel bad too.

And keep in mind, a performance on February 6th 2011, only happens once.


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## Concr3t3 (Feb 15, 2011)

I get nervous before a show and it last until about 10 minutes after we're finished playing. Simply put, I'm the type to over analyze everything I'm doing that a lot of times I forget to have a good time. 

I would think the best thing to do to chill the nerves is...anything. Anything to take your mind off of your nerves; just don't bottle your nervers, that makes it worse.


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## Murmel (Feb 19, 2011)

I actually had my first show last night. I wasn't nervous at all really, my biggest fear was that I didn't know how to plug in my bass pedals but that worked out in the end  I was also kinda unhappy with my new haircut earlier tha day, so that did bug me a bit. I don't give 2 shits about how others think my hair look, but if I'm not happy myself I'm just not comfortable  <---- Extremely un-metal, but I play in an indie-band so 

Back on topic, just let loose and have fun. I tore the place apart during our first song, we have 2 bass pickslides which I was totally stoked about. I fooled around with my buddies in the audience and all that jazz.
It was just a great time, relax and try to have the best time. I find that to be the best way to loosen the nerves 

Chill with your buddies before the show, it really helped me. I also met an old buddy I haven't seen for a year, it was great.
One of my lady-friends were there too, and she always makes me happy and calm. Might be because I'm... let's say, a little bit in love with her 
My point is, if you have mates there, they will certainly help you out


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## Albionic (Feb 19, 2011)

Inazone said:


> For me, it's the "chores" of getting equipment and people to the venue on time that really sets me on edge. I'm the closest thing we have to a manager, and since we gig pretty infrequently (a few times a year) it seems like we never have all of the prep work done as efficiently as I want. Someone is always dangerously late getting to the gig, or some piece of gear doesn't work right. Sadly, I was the one to have a self-inflicted gear malfunction most recently, and it really threw me off for the first half of our opening song. Things went fine after that, but I was so frustrated that my playing was sloppy for a couple of minutes. Dumb.
> 
> As far as nerves from being on stage, think of it this way: Most of the people in the audience WISH that they could be up there doing what you're doing. Make the most of it, because playing live is an experience that many people (even some very talented musicians) will never get to enjoy. When it comes to gigging, live for the moment.



same for me. getting everyone there on time with all their gear is by far the most stressful thing for me. once everything is sound checked and done i start to relax although i do have the odd little panic attack onstage that i can't remember what comes next in the song but it always comes back to me


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