Performance anxiety - how to control it

dj_ando · 10-22-2005, 09:44 PM

Hey guys. Many drummers, musicians, actors and anyone in the performing arts industry suffer from nerves before a performance. In fact, if someone has never felt nervous before a gig or something, then I don't think they're really passionate enough about what they do to be doing it. But anyway, I too used to suffer from pretty bad nerves before a big show, and it is something that can affect your performance. There's a great bell curve graph that I'd attach if I could find it anywhere, but basically there are two distinct levels of nervousness. Up to a point, your nerves and anxiety will most likely improve your performance. It gives you enough adrenaline to really allow you to let loose, and it gets you excited. Then, there's a certain point where, as your anxiety increases, your performance will drop further and further. This is when you're at the point where you may be shaking, sweatting badly, breathing too quickly.. This will have a negative affect on your performance, which obviously nobody wants.
Edit: here's a good one

I've been looking into this for quite a while now, and I'd like to share with you guys the techniques I find are the best at combatting nerves. Not getting rid of them completely, but keeping them under control so they will assist your performance, not hamper it. I urge all of you who suffer from the same problems to at least try these, and if you think it's stupid then feel free to ignore it. It may seem a bit strange to some, but have an open mind!

1. Breathing
From now on, whenever you're in a situation where you're feeling nervous, I want you to take notice of your breathing. At first, don't alter it. Just see what it feels like and keep that feeling locked in your mind. Usually, if you're nervous, you'll be taking shorter, more shallow, breaths and you'll be taking them more often. Once you've acknowledged this feeling, then adjust your breathing. Take deep, slow breaths. Focus on controlling it and slowing down your heart beat. Do this same thing every time you're nervous. You will learn to take notice every time your breathing becomes short and shallow, and you'll be able to fix it before it is allowed to make your nerves even worse.

2. Progressive Relaxation
Ok, this one is a bit harder to explain. Some of you may be familiar with prog. relaxation, others won't. It's an exercise not all that different from meditation, which focusses on putting your body into a state of total relaxation.

Firstly, find a quiet and comfortable place, where you won't be distracted. For the first time this may take up to 20 minutes (if you're doing it properly), though it may be less. It depends on how well you pick it up. In the interest of keeping this post to a readable size, go [url=http://users.bigpond.net.au/dj_4nd0/relax.html]here[/url]. Those are all the body parts you should focus on, in that particular order (you can condense it after the first few goes). I start with my index finger because it's nice and small, so it's easy to focus on just that. Basically, you want to go through each of those parts of your body and focus entirely on each part, one at a time. Feel that part and nothing else. Then, when you're focussed, let go of all the tension in that area. Feel the weight of it, let it be totally relaxed. Only move on to the next body part when you feel it's totally relaxed. It's a good indication that you've done it if, say your finger, feels a lot heavier and tingles a little bit.
Note: you can come up with different orders - whatever you're more comfortable with

Be very patient with this exercise, as it's something you must do properly if you want to benefit from it. Practice it often, and you will get better at doing it. You should find that you can feel even more relaxed, and you can do it faster. Then, when you're nervous at a performance, you can do a quick check through your body and release all the tension you have built up. It's like a mini version of the above exercise. The more you practice the real thing, the more efficient you'll be at relaxing before a gig. When your body is relaxed, you'll have a lot more control over it, and in turn you should get rid of some of the nerves as well. I find it's a great help when I'm really about to shit myself before playing!

3. Visualisation
This needs to be used in conjunction with progressive relaxation, or there's no point to doing it. This is particularly useful if you've got a really big gig coming up, or an audition, or something that you're really freaking out about - however, it is time consuming. For this, you really should know the place you'll be performing, otherwise it's very difficult to get it to work. Basically, this is about visualising yourself going to this gig or audition or whatever, and everything running smoothly, you playing great, and all the while you're feeling relaxed. So here's how it's done:

Firstly, you need to do this right after doing progressive relaxation. Your body must be totally tension free. Once you're confident that this is the case, begin to picture yourself on the day of the gig. Probably start from when you're about to leave your home to go there. There are two things you need to be focussed on at all times: your visualisation, and your body. If at any stage you feel tension creep into your body somewhere, you need to stop the visualisation, bring yourself back to a state of total relaxation, and start again. Picture yourself loading your gear into the car, hopping in, driving there.. whatever it is you'll be doing. You get to your gig, you set everything up, it all goes fine, and most important of all you're feeling RELAXED! Remember, if at any point you're not relaxed, you've gotta take it back a while. Not necessarily right back to the start, but a significant step back from the point at which you felt tense. Continue on running your visualisation through your mind, right through until your performance. In your head, see yourself playing well, everything going fine, and most of all your nerves are under control and are boosting your performance.

Start doing this early - say, a few weeks before the gig - and do it often. The more you do it, the more you will benefit from it. The idea is that if you can go through the whole visualisation without letting any tension creep into your body, and you do that over and over, that feeling will be locked in your brain. Come the day of the gig or audition or whatever, you'll feel relaxed and you'll be able to manage and control your nerves. I've done it for several big gigs, auditions and exams. I'd usually be so nervous that I would shake like a rattlesnake, but I've been able to control my nerves, and everything has been great!

Perhaps all that stuff isn't for you, but I thought I'd just share with you guys the things that work best for me and other drummers I've spoken to about nerves. What tips and tricks do you guys have up your sleeves when it comes to anxiety control?

aznriceball · 10-22-2005, 09:49 PM

I, for one, think that this post was very considerate!

Mr. Grill · 10-22-2005, 09:50 PM

The way I find helps me relax is to be prepared before a gig. And when I say prepared, I mean to have a nice long bath before leaving your house. Next, have a quick band practice so you're sure the songs are in everyone's mind. Next, have something light to eat, drink lots of water, and just hcill out. Thinking about how nervous you think you're going to be is just going to wreck your nerves.

When you arrive at the gig, make sure everything is set up the way you'll feel comfterble playing it. Then make sure again. When this is done, you may do a soundcheck, and maybe a quick runthrough on one or two songs. Just chill and relax until the show. Regardless, you're going to feel nervous and anxious, but hopefully this will have made you comfterble beforehand.

dj_ando · 10-22-2005, 09:54 PM

well, i know how much it sucks to suffer from really bad nerves, and how it can just make you feel terrible when you fuck everything up at a gig because you're freaking out too much.. we're all here to share the music we have inside ourselves to everybody who wants to listen, and i don't think it's fair that any of us should have to be screwed over by some silly feeling of fear or whatever it is that makes us feel nervous! sorry i wasn't very concise

RichHunt · 10-22-2005, 09:56 PM

The best thing to help nerves is to just have experience. Nothing is better than playing infront of more and more people. The more you play, the more used you get to it.

dj_ando · 10-22-2005, 10:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RichHunt

The best thing to help nerves is to just have experience. Nothing is better than playing infront of more and more people. The more you play, the more used you get to it.

not for everyone. my teacher is jim piesse, a fantastic drummer who's been around for aaages. he studied with joe morello amongst others, and is probably australia's master of technique. he does workshops all the time, teaches a lot, plays with everybody.. but he always tells me about how there are still situations for him where he'll totally freak out if he's doing a gig with some really big names who he hasn't played with before, or he's doing a workshop for pro's, these techniques help him control his anxiety. some people were born performers, others will never feel totally comfortable on stage in front of a big crowd. i'm just suggesting ways to help the second category of people

DruMMeR_BoY14 · 10-22-2005, 10:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RichHunt

The best thing to help nerves is to just have experience. Nothing is better than playing infront of more and more people. The more you play, the more used you get to it.

I agree totally. I've been performing infront of crowds since i was in year 5 and I hardly get any nerves whatsoever now before I go onstage.

Chippy569 · 10-22-2005, 10:19 PM

guess i can start practicing this now, i'm playing the Quest in MSP on nov 26th.... main stage!

my biggest concert prior was 150 people, there should be damn well near 600 at this show, minimum!

RichHunt · 10-22-2005, 11:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dj_ando

not for everyone. my teacher is jim piesse, a fantastic drummer who's been around for aaages. he studied with joe morello amongst others, and is probably australia's master of technique. he does workshops all the time, teaches a lot, plays with everybody.. but he always tells me about how there are still situations for him where he'll totally freak out if he's doing a gig with some really big names who he hasn't played with before, or he's doing a workshop for pro's, these techniques help him control his anxiety. some people were born performers, others will never feel totally comfortable on stage in front of a big crowd. i'm just suggesting ways to help the second category of people

I used to freak out heaps when getting ready to perform, like for instance having to rush off to the toilet before I play several times. But that's part of the excitement and the more you play the more you get used to it. I'm not saying you can cure yourself of nerves, in fact, you shouldn't because nerves are part of the game.

Motleyguy · 10-23-2005, 01:00 AM

When I started drumming, it was on my own on the snare, in solo competitions for my pipe band drumming. So I found playing with a band, behind the kit, not being judged or having people looking for mistakes helped me relax immensely on it's own. otherwise I would just chill out and relax in the backstage area or bandroom if there was one, do some rudiments and keep my hands going.

Iodus · 10-23-2005, 01:08 AM

i wish i'd been told that before
My first show was in front of 1200 people, i didn't screw up and i don't get nerves anymore, sometimes it's just best to get thrown in the deep end

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chippy569

my biggest concert prior was 150 people, there should be damn well near 600 at this show, minimum!

man, 600 people would've been nice! -good luck

~~Corkofski~~ · 10-23-2005, 01:17 AM

my mum has shoved me on stages since the age of 5, so i have no problem with nerves.

first drumming show i played was 200 people, biggest ive ever played was 3500 people

Skin Beater · 10-23-2005, 01:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iodus

i wish i'd been told that before
My first show was in front of 1200 people, i didn't screw up and i don't get nerves anymore, sometimes it's just best to get thrown in the deep end

man, 600 people would've been nice! -good luck

How the hell is your first gig in front of 1200 people?

***Permanent Solution*** · 10-23-2005, 01:20 AM

I find that once I'm into the gig I'm much more relaxed, it's always that first song I feel like puking when I start, but by the end I'm like "Hey, I know this stuff, piece of cake." and I'm all set.

Iodus · 10-23-2005, 01:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skin Beater

How the hell is your first gig in front of 1200 people?

...eh
was scary as hell, but now gigs are easy

Double Bass Jim · 10-23-2005, 02:00 AM

Good post.

Even the best still get nervous... It's all apart of the thrill and enjoyment of playing live.

dj_ando · 10-23-2005, 02:30 AM

well, i hope this helps at least a few people.. took me a fair while

as i've said, and you guys have said too, a bit of anxiety helps your playing. this is mainly for people who sometimes suffer from nerves to the point where it negatively affects their playing. for example, i'm doing these exercises to prepare for my audition at the sydney conservatorium in december, just to make sure i don't flip on the day.

the way i see it, controlling your nerves is something that, if you're not too good with it, needs to be practiced just like all other aspects of drumming. after all, you can have great chops, great grooves, great everything but if you're totally shitting yourself on a gig, your playing isn't gonna be nearly as good as it could be. i for one never want to let that happen, so it's something i keep handy along with other practice exercises.

larsROCKS · 10-23-2005, 03:06 AM

When i started doing music as school we had to perform every week. the first week i shat myself. i thought id b fine but when i got up there i froze. but now about 6 perforances later i can do it quite confidently. just believe in what your playing and know u hav put in the time to learn it and u'l b fine

thats just my 2 cents worth

Ill Mitch · 10-23-2005, 02:01 PM

I always get really nervous before a show, but once I get playing I feel fine.

daveplaysdrums · 10-23-2005, 03:24 PM

I think I must be lucky that i don't get nervous before playing a show anymore. These days I jsut turn up and play. There's a real thrill in performing, but without the anxiety, it feels even better. The worst thing is that I have the most kit out of all the band, so afterwards, I'm still packing up while they're drinking with the audience... that sucks...

10-22-2005, 09:44 PM	#1
dj_ando spizzichino for president Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: sydney, australia Posts: 349	Performance anxiety - how to control it Hey guys. Many drummers, musicians, actors and anyone in the performing arts industry suffer from nerves before a performance. In fact, if someone has never felt nervous before a gig or something, then I don't think they're really passionate enough about what they do to be doing it. But anyway, I too used to suffer from pretty bad nerves before a big show, and it is something that can affect your performance. There's a great bell curve graph that I'd attach if I could find it anywhere, but basically there are two distinct levels of nervousness. Up to a point, your nerves and anxiety will most likely improve your performance. It gives you enough adrenaline to really allow you to let loose, and it gets you excited. Then, there's a certain point where, as your anxiety increases, your performance will drop further and further. This is when you're at the point where you may be shaking, sweatting badly, breathing too quickly.. This will have a negative affect on your performance, which obviously nobody wants. Edit: here's a good one I've been looking into this for quite a while now, and I'd like to share with you guys the techniques I find are the best at combatting nerves. Not getting rid of them completely, but keeping them under control so they will assist your performance, not hamper it. I urge all of you who suffer from the same problems to at least try these, and if you think it's stupid then feel free to ignore it. It may seem a bit strange to some, but have an open mind! 1. Breathing From now on, whenever you're in a situation where you're feeling nervous, I want you to take notice of your breathing. At first, don't alter it. Just see what it feels like and keep that feeling locked in your mind. Usually, if you're nervous, you'll be taking shorter, more shallow, breaths and you'll be taking them more often. Once you've acknowledged this feeling, then adjust your breathing. Take deep, slow breaths. Focus on controlling it and slowing down your heart beat. Do this same thing every time you're nervous. You will learn to take notice every time your breathing becomes short and shallow, and you'll be able to fix it before it is allowed to make your nerves even worse. 2. Progressive Relaxation Ok, this one is a bit harder to explain. Some of you may be familiar with prog. relaxation, others won't. It's an exercise not all that different from meditation, which focusses on putting your body into a state of total relaxation. Firstly, find a quiet and comfortable place, where you won't be distracted. For the first time this may take up to 20 minutes (if you're doing it properly), though it may be less. It depends on how well you pick it up. In the interest of keeping this post to a readable size, go [url=http://users.bigpond.net.au/dj_4nd0/relax.html]here[/url]. Those are all the body parts you should focus on, in that particular order (you can condense it after the first few goes). I start with my index finger because it's nice and small, so it's easy to focus on just that. Basically, you want to go through each of those parts of your body and focus entirely on each part, one at a time. Feel that part and nothing else. Then, when you're focussed, let go of all the tension in that area. Feel the weight of it, let it be totally relaxed. Only move on to the next body part when you feel it's totally relaxed. It's a good indication that you've done it if, say your finger, feels a lot heavier and tingles a little bit. Note: you can come up with different orders - whatever you're more comfortable with Be very patient with this exercise, as it's something you must do properly if you want to benefit from it. Practice it often, and you will get better at doing it. You should find that you can feel even more relaxed, and you can do it faster. Then, when you're nervous at a performance, you can do a quick check through your body and release all the tension you have built up. It's like a mini version of the above exercise. The more you practice the real thing, the more efficient you'll be at relaxing before a gig. When your body is relaxed, you'll have a lot more control over it, and in turn you should get rid of some of the nerves as well. I find it's a great help when I'm really about to shit myself before playing! 3. Visualisation This needs to be used in conjunction with progressive relaxation, or there's no point to doing it. This is particularly useful if you've got a really big gig coming up, or an audition, or something that you're really freaking out about - however, it is time consuming. For this, you really should know the place you'll be performing, otherwise it's very difficult to get it to work. Basically, this is about visualising yourself going to this gig or audition or whatever, and everything running smoothly, you playing great, and all the while you're feeling relaxed. So here's how it's done: Firstly, you need to do this right after doing progressive relaxation. Your body must be totally tension free. Once you're confident that this is the case, begin to picture yourself on the day of the gig. Probably start from when you're about to leave your home to go there. There are two things you need to be focussed on at all times: your visualisation, and your body. If at any stage you feel tension creep into your body somewhere, you need to stop the visualisation, bring yourself back to a state of total relaxation, and start again. Picture yourself loading your gear into the car, hopping in, driving there.. whatever it is you'll be doing. You get to your gig, you set everything up, it all goes fine, and most important of all you're feeling RELAXED! Remember, if at any point you're not relaxed, you've gotta take it back a while. Not necessarily right back to the start, but a significant step back from the point at which you felt tense. Continue on running your visualisation through your mind, right through until your performance. In your head, see yourself playing well, everything going fine, and most of all your nerves are under control and are boosting your performance. Start doing this early - say, a few weeks before the gig - and do it often. The more you do it, the more you will benefit from it. The idea is that if you can go through the whole visualisation without letting any tension creep into your body, and you do that over and over, that feeling will be locked in your brain. Come the day of the gig or audition or whatever, you'll feel relaxed and you'll be able to manage and control your nerves. I've done it for several big gigs, auditions and exams. I'd usually be so nervous that I would shake like a rattlesnake, but I've been able to control my nerves, and everything has been great! Perhaps all that stuff isn't for you, but I thought I'd just share with you guys the things that work best for me and other drummers I've spoken to about nerves. What tips and tricks do you guys have up your sleeves when it comes to anxiety control? Last edited by dj_ando; 10-22-2005 at 10:21 PM.

10-23-2005, 01:00 AM	#10
Motleyguy Torso On Wheels Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: The Ridge... Posts: 2,613	When I started drumming, it was on my own on the snare, in solo competitions for my pipe band drumming. So I found playing with a band, behind the kit, not being judged or having people looking for mistakes helped me relax immensely on it's own. otherwise I would just chill out and relax in the backstage area or bandroom if there was one, do some rudiments and keep my hands going.
	Digging: The Afghan Whigs - Gentlemen

10-23-2005, 02:00 AM	#16
Double Bass Jim Registered User Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 7,698	Good post. Even the best still get nervous... It's all apart of the thrill and enjoyment of playing live.
	Digging: Yngwie Malmsteen - Perpetual Flame

10-23-2005, 03:06 AM	#18
larsROCKS TIME MARCHES ON Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Australia Posts: 187	When i started doing music as school we had to perform every week. the first week i shat myself. i thought id b fine but when i got up there i froze. but now about 6 perforances later i can do it quite confidently. just believe in what your playing and know u hav put in the time to learn it and u'l b fine thats just my 2 cents worth Last edited by larsROCKS; 10-23-2005 at 03:30 AM.

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10-22-2005, 09:49 PM	#2
aznriceball Infectious? YES ftw! Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Phoenix, AZ (it's the dry heat!) Posts: 5,856	I, for one, think that this post was very considerate!

10-22-2005, 09:50 PM	#3
Mr. Grill --. Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Fresh Meadows, New York Posts: 4,470	The way I find helps me relax is to be prepared before a gig. And when I say prepared, I mean to have a nice long bath before leaving your house. Next, have a quick band practice so you're sure the songs are in everyone's mind. Next, have something light to eat, drink lots of water, and just hcill out. Thinking about how nervous you think you're going to be is just going to wreck your nerves. When you arrive at the gig, make sure everything is set up the way you'll feel comfterble playing it. Then make sure again. When this is done, you may do a soundcheck, and maybe a quick runthrough on one or two songs. Just chill and relax until the show. Regardless, you're going to feel nervous and anxious, but hopefully this will have made you comfterble beforehand.

10-22-2005, 09:54 PM	#4
dj_ando spizzichino for president Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: sydney, australia Posts: 349	well, i know how much it sucks to suffer from really bad nerves, and how it can just make you feel terrible when you fuck everything up at a gig because you're freaking out too much.. we're all here to share the music we have inside ourselves to everybody who wants to listen, and i don't think it's fair that any of us should have to be screwed over by some silly feeling of fear or whatever it is that makes us feel nervous! sorry i wasn't very concise

10-22-2005, 09:56 PM	#5
RichHunt Hmm.. Nice brushes. Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Melbourne. Posts: 4,465	The best thing to help nerves is to just have experience. Nothing is better than playing infront of more and more people. The more you play, the more used you get to it.

10-22-2005, 10:19 PM	#8
Chippy569 MXDP: The New Pit Join Date: May 2004 Location: Houghton, MI, US Posts: 13,176	guess i can start practicing this now, i'm playing the Quest in MSP on nov 26th.... main stage! my biggest concert prior was 150 people, there should be damn well near 600 at this show, minimum!

10-23-2005, 01:17 AM	#12
~~Corkofski~~ Banned Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Performing Cunnilingus on your Mum Posts: 4,513	my mum has shoved me on stages since the age of 5, so i have no problem with nerves. first drumming show i played was 200 people, biggest ive ever played was 3500 people

10-23-2005, 01:20 AM	#14
*Permanent Solution* Feb. PPOTM \m/ Moderator Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: In a theater near you Posts: 43,546	I find that once I'm into the gig I'm much more relaxed, it's always that first song I feel like puking when I start, but by the end I'm like "Hey, I know this stuff, piece of cake." and I'm all set.

10-23-2005, 02:30 AM	#17
dj_ando spizzichino for president Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: sydney, australia Posts: 349	well, i hope this helps at least a few people.. took me a fair while as i've said, and you guys have said too, a bit of anxiety helps your playing. this is mainly for people who sometimes suffer from nerves to the point where it negatively affects their playing. for example, i'm doing these exercises to prepare for my audition at the sydney conservatorium in december, just to make sure i don't flip on the day. the way i see it, controlling your nerves is something that, if you're not too good with it, needs to be practiced just like all other aspects of drumming. after all, you can have great chops, great grooves, great everything but if you're totally shitting yourself on a gig, your playing isn't gonna be nearly as good as it could be. i for one never want to let that happen, so it's something i keep handy along with other practice exercises.

10-23-2005, 02:01 PM	#19
Ill Mitch Registered User Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 2,536	I always get really nervous before a show, but once I get playing I feel fine.

10-23-2005, 03:24 PM	#20
daveplaysdrums www.adremelech.co.uk Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Northants, England Posts: 344	I think I must be lucky that i don't get nervous before playing a show anymore. These days I jsut turn up and play. There's a real thrill in performing, but without the anxiety, it feels even better. The worst thing is that I have the most kit out of all the band, so afterwards, I'm still packing up while they're drinking with the audience... that sucks...