 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Kat
Date: 2001-05-17 01:36
Sorry I'm on here again. I didn't know this was ever here and I have a million questions. Today a played a clarinet trio and it went good, but I messed a few times because my hands were shaking. I got soooooo nervous and I don't know why. I always get nervous infront of people and I can't figure out why. I tried everything; pretending people were on the toilet, being confident, pretending I'm somewhere else and even pretending to play infront of Angels but nothing works!
I have a band director who I've known for three years and I can barely play for her because I get so nervous. If anyone has any suggestions let me know even if there really wacky.
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Author: Bob Curtis
Date: 2001-05-17 02:31
Kat:
There is nothing bad about being nervous -- it just hapens. What is difficult to do is learn how to control the nervousness and put it to good use. Here are some suggestions which might help. I know they helped me.
1). Try playing in front of some friends as you know that they are going to be rooting for you. The more you do this the more confidence you will build.
2). Explain to your teacher that you are nervous and usually they will be very sympathetic. They are there to help you rather than tear you up. They want you to do your best.
3). The world is NOT going to come to an end if you make a mistake!! Just learn from your mistakes and it won't be a wasted thing. The problem is when we do not learn from our boo-boos that is bad.
4). Always realize that you can do better next time, but this is NOW, so try to do your best NOW!!.
5). An ounce of preparation is worth a pound of pretend ... or something like that. Know your material well and rehearse with the other individuals suffiiciently so that you will ALL have the confidence you need to accomplish the job. Don't wait until tomorrow to do the practice you needed yesterday. CONSTRUCTIVE criticism from those you trust can be wonderful.
6). Keep on keeping on!! Remember that you CAN do it and PREPARE to do it.
Good luck!!
Bob Currtis
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Author: Steve
Date: 2001-05-17 03:09
I get nervous too, but in a different way. I'm usually fine as I start to play, but as the piece progresses, I tend to get more nervous. My fingers shake, as do my knees if I'm standing. Anyway, I've found that I'm not as nervous if I only think of the performance as practicing. I pretty much close out everyone in the room, and listen only to the other musician(s). Also, try not to think about difficult passages that are coming up as you play; just focus on the measure you're playing at the time.
I don't know if you can make this next part happen, or if it just does. My best performance ever was kind of like an out of body experience. I totally expected to get nervous. Then I just started playing. I heard myself, and realized I was playing, but on some level, I was just observing what was going on very calmly. That level kind of took over. I played better than I ever had, and I took the mistakes I made in stride.
Good luck to you!
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Author: Steve F.
Date: 2001-05-17 14:27
Hi, Kat -
There are a few things I can tell you about nervousness and the associated uncontrolable shaking and other physical manifestations:
1. It is a holdover from the "fight or flight" legacy left over from our ancestors. Fortunately we don't have to run away from lions or fight invading barbarians, but it sure does get in the way of our performances. It gets better as you get older (us older people have less energy to expend.)
2. It helps if you really know your material. Unfortunately most of us get only one shot to play a piece in a performance. I have been luck enough to play some solos almost a dozen times in the course of a few months. The first time was not my best, because I wasn't comfortable with the piece yet, and it showed. I spent much more practice time on the piece, and it made me much more confident and less nervous.
3. I think some of the nervous energy can be controlled. For example, in my first years at college, I used to have uncontrollable shaking in my embouchure, to the point that I sounded like a billygoat or something. The more I heard myself sounding like that, the worse I got - a never-ending cycle. I figured out that if I consciously added a "jaw" type of vibrato, (not a diaphragm vibrato), where I was controlling my jaw muscles by rhythmically "biting" to produce a slight and not unpleasant vibrato, I was able to quickly overcome this problem. Knowing that I had this tool in my arsenal that I could use at will was very comforting. This made me less nervous, resulting in my not needing to use it all, unless I wanted to for aesthetic reasons. The point is that sometimes by knowing that you shake due to your physical makeup, you may be able to find things you can do to trick your body into obeying. Maybe doing aerobics right before the performance. Maybe a squeeze ball to tire your hands a little before you play. I don't know, experiment.
Hope this helps a little.
Steve F.
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Author: Todd Wees
Date: 2001-05-17 19:16
Kat--
Performance anxiety can be a good thing, IF we can learn to control and use the energy in a positive way. As someone has said, the trick is not to eliminate the butterflies in the stomach, the trick is to get them to fly in formation. Not an easy task.
If you're interested in reading about some ways to control those butterflies, or learn to play "in the zone" as athletes sometimes describe it (like the out of body feeling Steve references above), you might start with two books.
One is "The Inner Game of Music", written by Barry Green, a bass player. He has adapted the sports-related inner game theories of Timothy Gallwey to the making of music. Gallwey was a mentor to Green in the creation of the book. (In fact, you may want to read Gallwey's "The Inner Game of Tennis" first to get a good grounding in his theories.)
The other book is "A Soprano On Her Head" by Eloise Ristad. The author is a music teacher and coach who has worked with a number of musicians to help them reduce their performance anxiety.
Both books go beyond the "think of the audience as naked" advice to explore why we are anxious and they give examples of what has worked for other musicians, as well as exercises to try.
These are just two of many books addressing performance anxiety. Most of them are not music-specific, but may be applicable to our situation. You might want to browse in a bookstore or library and see if one of them resonates with you and your particular concerns.
Todd
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Author: dave
Date: 2001-05-17 19:17
I played with our church group last night, as I've done hundreds of times before, but for some
reason was overcome with nervousness. Not only were my hands shaking but my whole body was too! The more I played, the worse it got. Needless to say I'm sure it sounded awful. I just take solace in the fact that this happens to most everyone at one time or another. About the only thing you can do is just keep trying and hopefully the nerves calm down with experience. I think a lot of times the nervousness isn't nearly as obvious as we think it is - although in my case last night it was hard not to notice the clarinet shaking back and forth!
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Author: ron b
Date: 2001-05-17 22:30
Kat -
We need to get things back into perspective.
First: *YOUR AUDIENCE IS NERVOUS*.
They can't help it. They expect you to mess up, knowing how mortified they'd be if they messed up in front of a crowd, and they're glad it's you up there and not any one of them! They're subconsciously tense, hoping you won't bomb.
Second: *YOU NEED TO HELP THEM* get over that. You do that by putting them, and yourself, at ease -- with the very first note you play... that first note that says;
"I'm here to make some nice music for you".
Then, you re-enforce that with the second note, and so on...
Forget about toilet seats and angels. Please, don't distance yourself that way. That's insulting. You're playing to an audience of real, live, thinking, feeling people.
- ron b -
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Author: LIZZIE
Date: 2001-05-18 01:12
look its good that you get nervous because if you dont then it wouldnt give you the self confidence that you need to play it well.. and also dont worry almost EVERYBODY <including me> gets nervous in front of people and i have been performing since age 2 <not on the clarinet however> and i still get those little butterflys in my stomach!...lol
dont worry you will always get nervous and if you dont then well you are weird..lol
and the las thing i wanna do is see my classmates on the toilet..lol
well i hope it all works out for you and look its ok if your nervous and do you get that thump thump thunmp in your heart when you are thru? well thats what i get any who..... but i LOVE performing in front of people and i expecially love performing with my clarinet <i like to show off> lol
in fact me and one of my good friends play 1st clarinet i am 1st chair and she is 2nd and we are always performing in front of people <but i like it when she absent so i have all of the 1st part to myself> lol------ well any ways i hope you figure out how to control your nerves a little better
Best of luck to you! GOD BLESS Ya'
~lizzie~
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Author: Richard Wessler
Date: 2001-05-18 01:49
Kat
I'm a psychologist and psychotherapist and a clarinet enthusiast (that means I don't play all that well). I've worked with countless persons with performance anxiety (I'm not young) and suffered from it myself years ago. I mean no offense when I say, It's all in your head. Instead of playing for fun and doing as well as you can, you think about what others are thinking about your performance. Serious musicians include a lot of perfectionists. Nothing wrong with wanting and striving for a perfect performance. But if you don't succeed, it's not the end of the world. (You can always become a psychologist.) In other words, perfect performance is a good goal, but imperfect doesn't condemn us the trash heap of ridicule.
Respectfully,
RW
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Author: Ken
Date: 2001-05-18 04:56
A few off-the-cuff observations from a street musician. To a musician/entertainer whether it be actor, stand-up comedy, fire-eater or street juggler, its a celebration of life and the ultimate in human interaction. Live music is among the most exciting, connective, exhilarating experiences that unite people together like no other performing art. It's a unique language and a “reaching out” from performer to audience. For me, general/casual audiences were/are never an issue no matter how large the crowd. Where I personally used to get hung-up/nervous was playing in front of my own peers/music educators that I knew were critiquing and closely scrutinizing every last peep out of my horn. Most musicians share this same anxiety; it's perfectly normal for all of us being intimidated by our own collegues. I overcame that fear/obstacle after one memorable Dixie gig. I had a great night and came off stage pleased/content with the band’s performance. Soon after the show I was informed that Basie was in the audience and I about had a heart attack on the spot. I immediately became insecure, went into a frenzy of doubt analyzing all my solos/improv and finding fault with everything the band played. At that point, I realized I was unjustifiably torturing myself and resolved never to do it again. I had played to my very best ability and that's the most I can ever ask of myself. The world is just too vast to be in competition with everyone else, a more attainable and realistic goal is to get better than MYSELF. Live music is human and spontaneous, it's rarely if ever studio-perfect and that's the joy and beauty of it. Striving for perfection is healthy, but being a “perfectionist” and never satisfied with one’s self is counter-productive and wrought with disappointment and despair.
Setting yourself up “for success” before tripping the lights is of course, the best advantage/edge a performer can aspire to. There's disputably a science to everything, but many times old-fashioned common sense can unlock key answers. Things I do to fight off the jitters before taking stage: 1) Be thorough in my background research of the composer and piece, this will afford me useful knowledge in my presentation. 2) Preparation, preparation, preparation. I put in the shed time and know my music COLD, that's easy to say but it's a discipline that must be undertaken...on and off the horn. Doing this is beneficial in many ways but to a degree it reduces the physical demands, mechanics and programming of fingers taking them out of the way so I can concentrate on making more music. 3) When preparing music especially solos, I "memorize" them then take the music out with me and use it in performance. It's another effective tool/confidence boost as I'm not chained to the page and be more sensitive to interpretation and mood swings. Also, the more familiar I am with the music the better equipped I'll be to "read ahead" in the part, larger phrases and/or groupings not just single notes. 4) Be as well rested and mentally alert as possible, refrain from any stimulants at least two hours before performance, caffeine, sugar, alcohol, spicy foods, and try to avoid any aggravation. 5) Find a quiet spot and clear my head, either close my eyes and rest or read a good book. 6) When standing in the wings I then switch gears and use reverse psychology on myself to build confidence. I put on my game face, get falsely conceited, a swelled head and walk out on stage and project a "check me out" attitude...not overly confident but with calm assurance. 7) Smile, smile, smile! The audience is as apprehensive as I am, a genuine warm toothy grin instantly creates a lighter/congenial atmosphere and guaranteed to get a reassuring smile in return. 8) As the piece progresses, I often think to myself, "I've worked SO HARD not only on this solo but in years of sacrifice and dedication to this instrument I love and respect, I'm not going to let it or me down. I earned the right to play well today and MY audience deserves MY very best effort!" 9) Staying ahead in the music I sneak an extra split second glance in my mind's eye right before I get to technically difficult spots or extreme jumps/sustaining notes that require extra support. 10) If I flub a note, squeak, or trash an entire passage I immediately erase it from my mind and press forward bearing down, even more determined to play my best. (You'd be surprised what people can and can't hear, and what really does/doesn't come across the footlights. That tiny glitch you couldn't believe you just did because you played it perfectly 100 times in row in practice might only be heard by you and/or never make it past the podium or first row). 11) After the performance is concluded I depart the stage or return to the ensemble in the same manner I came in, with a bigger smile no matter how I played and act as professional as I can. God bless and the absolute best. <:-)))
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