Stage Fright

[stephanie-piano]

Yes, I have stage fright. At home I can play perfectly (well, not exactly perfect) in my teacher's studio and even when we have rehearsals! But once the real thing comes, its very rare for me to go onstage and play no mistakes at all. Please, HELP!

[Mozartian]

Welcome to my world.

[molto-marcato]

I'm somewhat relieved that this seems to be a very common problem. Here's my story:

I'm no professional pianist but i think i'm familiar with stage fright. When i was a student of chemistry i often had to give talks to an audience of scientists, professors, students. In that time i developed a sever stage fright which led me to cancel a lot of talks. As a result fright got even worse.
Strange thing for me was that while my talks were quite sophisticated and i always got positive feedback i always felt insecure and very nervous beforehand. So stage fright has nothing to do with your ability to give a good performance. In this time the thought of giving a piano recital, audition in front of even a small audience would have killed me.

Things changed after a time. I now have to give talks on a regulare basis (if you include seminars and practical courses nearly once a week). Since then it has improved vastly and to my surprise it has impact on my musical performance stage fright, which has diminished since then. I now give small concerts for family and friends and this is perfectly ok for me. Its even fun. Sure i'm still a little nervous and make more mistakes than at home in my room but thats ok.

So as an essence i'd say perform as much as you can in order to engage stage fright. Perform for friends/family/whoever you want. Even a bad performance can help.

Never cancel a performance due to nervousness, never pretend you were ill or something. It will get worse every time you do that.

best regards

[teresa_b]

I have had a terrible time with stage fright over the years.  My suggestions?

Realize you will make a mistake or two, and it doesn't matter.

Realize the audience is admiring YOU for being able to go up there and actually PLAY what they can only listen to! 

Realize why you are up there on stage--to do what YOU WANT to do!  (Why would you get sick and scared to death as a result of achieving your goal?   Makes no sense.  Enjoy the experience!)

All the best,
Teresa

[cjp_piano]

Almost everyone experiences stage fright/nervousness to some degree.  Most will tell you that they never actually got over it, they just dealt with it.  They just conceded that they were going to be nervous and played anyway.

Make yourself perform often and you'll get use to playing while you're nervous.  Like teresa_b said, just realize that you'll probably make some mistakes, oh well!

[radmila]

It helped me something that I learn form Stanislavsky's book My Life in Art. He mentioned in his book how actors should squize fingers of their hands so the body can relax. I try to find a spot in my body (in my case chest - of course, as a pianist I cannot count on my fingers) where I push all the pressure, nervousness, and negative energy while on the stage. Suddenly, I can become very relaxed and able to control myself. For me works very good.
And think of music all the time - phrasing and character. And have emotional connection with the piece.
Radmila

[xire]

I have stage fright too. I didn't performed that much yet, so that's probably also a reason that I still have stage fright.


Anyway, one thing helped a lot for me. You can think of things like: "just imagine everyone is looking up to you, cause you can play the piano way better than everyone else", "everyone makes mistakes, just deal with it", "even the concert pianists have nerves before they get on stage" etc. etc, but that won't help you. What really helped for me is to enjoy the music you're playing. Enjoying the music is not something you have to think of... It's something you have to do. If you're enjoying the beautiful music you're playing, your hands will flow like water and you'll get a nice, warm feeling inside of you... You're enjoying the music!

[rc]

All good advice!  Stage fright is something all performers are familiar with - it's part of what you must go through as a pianist.  So don't worry, it's natural.

Something else to think of is how many of the most famous pianists in history would talk of how many of their notes would "fall under the table".  Meaning they made a lot of technical errors.  But they were terrific musicians in spite of this!  What I get out of that is that the audience doesn't really care about the mistakes - they care about what comes out right.  They care about the beauty and expression, the right notes.

Just tonight I was at a friends house, they asked me to play.  I have been out of town and unable to practice for a week, the plastic keyboard they had felt weird and had no dynamics.  I was totally unprepared and my playing was full of mistakes, hesitations and memory lapses.  But it didn't matter.  They weren't listening for my shortcomings, they were listening for what came out right.  I believe that's how most people listen, they're rooting for you.

Something else to consider is that people have an easier time connecting with you when you make a mistake.  There've been studies showing that a person who trips and falls is more likable than one who never makes a mistake.  It's more human, people can relate, you're not some superhuman machine, you're like the rest of us.  Basically, mistakes are nothing to be ashamed of.

But let's be realistic and balanced.  we all want to have note-perfect performances, to do the best job we can for the music, and there ARE people out there who will judge you by your mistakes.  They're the ones at the back, with their arms crossed and their brows furrowed.  I would suggest not to take such judgement personally.  If you can aknowledge your own mistakes, then nobody else can hurt you with their opinions, they can only inform you.

Overall the point is to not take yourself TOO seriously.  Do the best you can, but be able to laugh at your shortcomings.  To get down on your mistakes is counterproductive. If you're getting 1 wrong note for every 10 right, you're still giving and enjoyable performance.

A good habit to cultivate is flow in practice.  What I mean is to practice playing through something but not to break the flow in the incident of a mistake - rather to be able to keep playing what comes next.  What I've found useful in cultivating this is thinking ahead a bar or so, it keeps your mind in motion and when a mistake happens the instinct is to play whatever comes next rather than stop and correct (so the flow isn't broken, and it doesn't disrupt the musical expression as much).  To do this with everything you practice, it will come out in performance.

It's not about the mistakes, it's about how you handle them.

[nocturnelover]

Well I get stage fright INFRONT of my teacher!!!!!! When she gets me to even play scales I just freeze up! She asked me to play a piece for the concert and I was going to but then stage fright got the better of me. To me I think that stage fright is best beaten when you practice whatever it is your playing just practice, practice, practice, practice to the point where you could play it with your eyes closed, to the point where your hands could fall of in the performance but you still are able to finish the piece LOL! So much so that no matter how nervous you get you couldn't possibly make a single mistake, even if you play robotically in some sections!
PS I don't know what it's going to be like when I go for my first exam *shudder* cold, clamy and trembling probably!!!!!!! Yeah I have terrible nerves!!

[thalbergmad]

Well I get stage fright INFRONT of my teacher!!!!!!

Me too, to the extent that sometimes i have skipped lessons.

To me, playing the piano is so personal that there are a few that i would wish to share it with.

Thal

[rc]

To me I think that stage fright is best beaten when you practice whatever it is your playing just practice, practice, practice, practice to the point where you could play it with your eyes closed, to the point where your hands could fall of in the performance but you still are able to finish the piece LOL! So much so that no matter how nervous you get you couldn't possibly make a single mistake, even if you play robotically in some sections!

I agree completely, there's nothing better than to be well prepared!

I'd also add, in addition to practicepracticepractice one should also performperformperform.  The more we get up on stage, experience the stagefright to the marrow of our bones and play well in spite of it, the more we develop confidence in our ability to make music, the less stagefright is a problem.

From Neuhaus, in The Art of Piano Playing:

"Those who have not learned to think dialectically and have not had sufficient experience in their working life, frequently confuse these two concepts: freedom and arbitrariness which, in actual fact, are contradictory.  This position retains its full significance and is applicable (even indespensable!) to any activity, including that of acquiring an artistic piano technique.

Since confidence is the prerequisite of freedom, it is confidence that one should stubbornly strive for, first of all.  Many inexperienced players suffer from an inherent timidity, a sort of 'pianophobia' which manifests itself thus: they frequently play wrong notes, make many unnecessary movements, are often stiff, do not know how to use the natural weight of the hand and arm (they hold their arm 'suspended' in mid air), in short, they show all the signs of insecurity with it's unpleasant consequences.  And although it may seem that this insecurity is purely physical, a question of mobility, you can take it form me it is always first of all psychological: either purely musical or a component of the players character (shyness, indecision, vagueness, everything that makes it so easy to tell the humble from the impudent).  None in whom these faults are deep-rooted can be taught to play the piano well with the help of only technical skill, however good and appropriate.  If such a person must become a pianist, it is essential to influence not only his physical but also his psychological make-up, in other words, to re-educate him as far as this is possible."

[thaicheow]

Try deep breathing before performances. Very very slowly, breath in by counting 3 times, and breath out by counting 7 times. Hope it helps.

[jazzerman]

Some good posts here.  What I might suggest is that as pianists we sometimes feel that we are being judged while playing.  This comes from learning in an environment that is filled with competition and fear.

When we try to do our best to impress we are unconciously trying to sell ourselves.  For what purpose?  So others will think well of us.

How do you stop trying to sell yourself?  By remembering what you're selling when you play.  You are selling the concept of behavioural change in your audience.  They come in with one attitude and leave with another.  Your music reminds them that life is worth living and that all is well with the world.  Regardless of mistakes (everyone makes 'em) the vast majority of people in the audience can't do what pianists do.  Therefore, it stands to reason that if they are judging you then it doesn't matter because they couldn't do any better anyway.

You do not have to sell yourself or your ability.  You just have to think of yourself as an audience member and what would you want.  In others words picture yourself in that audience and say WIIFM.  What's in it for me?  Great music, good entertainment and a nice break from my everyday life.

Once you realize you're not selling yourself then all of a sudden the pressure is off and you can just be you and do the best you can.  If you keep trying to sell yourself and your music you will always have stage freight. 

All the best,

http://www.paultobey.com/piano-lesson.html

[bonjing]

i also have a stage fright too. I don't know if I can be able to conquer my fears. Whenever I played in a large crowd i always messed up because I concentrate too much to the audience. i think i'm gonna switch my piano major into something else, probably into a health field.   

[mattgreenecomposer]

I posted this on a different thread ....If it is beyond your control  (which for some people it is) use Propanolol.  I promise it works wonders.

[arensky]

Here's my view; scroll to the top.

http://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php/topic,14402.msg160393.html#msg160393

[pianochick93]

Depending on your audience, most of them wont know the piece, and wont realise if you make a mistake but keep going.

If you still get worried, play a piece that has so many odd sounding chords in it that it wont sound strange if you hit a wrong note. (First and last bits of Rach's 2:3 prelude come to mind)

[leslieb547]

When I gave my first public performance nearly 3 years ago (at age 70!), I was very, very nervous. Before I sat down to the piano I said to the audience "I,m going to play a number of miniatures today - some you will recognise, some by composers you will recognise, some you may not recognise and some the composers might not recognise". This preamble got me a nice friendly round of laughter from the audience and helped me to realise that they were on my side. I've now done around a dozen recitals and the nerves have only got slightly better, the main problem being that poor eyesight, coupled with a failing memory, means I have to sight read every time - even pieces I must have played hundreds of times. I suppose the real answer is to practice, practice and practice and then concentrate, difficult at times. As others have said, it is important to realise that most of the audience ARE on your side. Good luck everyone. Les

[lostinidlewonder]

As soon as come to a realization that you don't care about what other people think about your playing, the better you will play in public.

I use to care a great deal and it didn't make me play mistakes but make me over play my music. I would over do things to "show off" because I wanted to impress people. The same thing happens when you are scared about making mistakes, it hounds your mind while you play and all you can think while you're playing is, "OH don't stuff up, they will all laugh."

Learn to listen to yourself closely and listen so intently to the sound you produce that you do not think or listen to anything else. This takes a lot of practice but you can get to such a state of mind that no matter where you play you are listening to yourself so closely you have no time to think about whats around yourself. Thats how I can explain how I play in public, otherwise I would be shaking and wetting my pants.... I feel like this before going on stage, but when you there bang its all gone you have a job to do, you do it, and you do it how you practiced it, and you listen to yourself, you don't care about other people.

[dmc]

This is a facinating topic on so many levels.  Think about it - you're all alone (or virtually so if you're a soloist with an orchestra) in front of an audience that you imagine to be hostile and critically scrutinizing your every move.  And using the piano as a vehicle, you're about to expose your most vulnerable sensibilities to them.  As if this weren't bad enough, you have the additional distractions of an unfamiliar environment (vs practicing in the privacy of your own home) and an instrument that isn't the same one you're used to.  Now you have to perform some of the world's most challenging music.  No wonder people cheese up !

Even the great ones get stage fright.  What sets them apart is they have found a way to turn these "negatives" to their advantage.  That’s how you beat it.   Nerves is just another form of energy.  Make it your friend by making it familiar.  For me, the biggest problem is adjusting to the distractions that come from being away from the more relaxed home-alone practice environment (including visitors who may ask me to play).  The first thing is to realize the stage fright is absolutely normal.  It shows you care which really matters to an audience.  They know you want to reward their courtesy & attention which is why they're pulling for you.  One thing that works for me is when practicing a challenging piece, I sometimes will ask my wife to sit in the chair that faces me right next to the piano & listen.  What I'm trying to simulate by doing this is the distracting feeling of being scrutinized.  Since she's very close (maybe 4-5 feet away), I have to work harder to block out her presence.  But this helps me focus more on the music.  She's not knowledgeable about classical music so I can make a mistake or two (or more !) that she might not hear.  BUT…if I react to a mistake (even subtlely), she notices immediately.  So something like this might be a good mental drill that hopefully prepares you for a performance environment.  The more experience you get in this setting, the more comfortable you'll feel when its for real.  Try it a couple times with someone.  Doesn't have to be for a long period of time.  Maybe 15-20 minutes.  Then repeat it a few days later (or as often as someone is willing to help).  It will also give you something to visualize when you perform.

Good luck !

[amanfang]

I posted this on a different thread ....If it is beyond your control (which for some people it is) use Propanolol. I promise it works wonders.

Agreed.  20 mg an hour and a half (or so) before the performance keeps my heart normal and my hands from shaking.  Doesn't do anything for the "mental chatter" but at least it helps control many of the physical symptoms of nerves since it keeps the adrenaline in check.

[leslieb547]

There are some interesting, and very relevant, observations on this subject and related aspects of performing, in a very good book by Susan Tomes (pianist with the Florestan Trio), called The Musicians Alphabet, published in 2006. A good read. Les

[nick]

1. be able to play your piece well alone.

2. play that piece many many times in front of people BEFORE the recital or performance. (couple of x's a week is good)

Nick

[amelialw]

I get stage fright easily too, well at least it's not as bad now as how it used to be.

it used to be so bad that i would even start shaking when i played for my teacher and no matter how hard I practised I would never be able to play for her as well as I could. The problem started going away a couple of months back and now I can play really well for her without having a nervous breakdown anymore.  I perform regularly each month or so for my church after a piece is done for practise.
Just the other day when I went for my competition I got a little too nervous, started out too loud for Bach, made a few little errors for Haydn and overdid it on the 1st 4 pages of my etude which resulted in a weak ending so now this is my next issue that I have to really address but at least it was'nt that bad as it used to be and i'm pretty happy with what I got.

[gjkoster]

Hi,

Last Saturday, I took part in my first 'sort of' recital. It was a recital given by all students of my piano teacher so it was no solo performance. But that does not matter a lot for this subject as 50-70 persons where present. I was the first person to play, and although the audience was positive, I did not play my best at all. A number of things play a role imo. At first, the circumstances are different from what you're used to. A different piano with a different touch and sound. Also the acoustics are different; I normally play in a normal sized living room and not not in a hall of 20 times (or more?) as large. It makes sound 'behave' a lot different. In the end, the image you have of how a piece should sound is partially based on your own practise and the sound you're used to. Not that this is a valid excuse but together with the tension you already have, these little differences can cause a performance to be less than normal. And the trembling fingers of course! Looking back, I'm quite satisfied although I remember every mistake I made... On the other hand, experience tells me that the most critical listener is usually my own self...

Cheers,
GJ

[cforlana]

There's nothing to fear but the fear itself.

What's the worst that can happen, really?

[sarah the pianist]

I get stage fright too, try to play slower than normal (even though you don't). When your nerves get going you think that you are playing slower than you actually are.I was playing in a competition and Ihad to play a slow piece! to me it sounded painfully slow, but to other people it was just right, I hope this helps

Sarah

[dora96]

I have been a few performances last three months. My problem is not the stage fright, in fact, I feel quite proud and high during the performance.
My weakness is - I practice all my repertoires in memorization, I don't look at the book when I practice at home, or during rehearsal. However, when the real performance starts, little nervous, I just can't think or concentrate enough to play the music. I use the book, but I am also distracted by book and need to turn pages. I have been quite frustrated about it. Regardless what  performance, I will start off  using the book. However, I don't feel right. 
At once  performance, there was piano with stain yellow keys, and there is quite gappy in the keyboard, It also distracted me from playing the music. I know I need to overcome this sort of unexpected instrument and event. Most my performances are in community hall or meeting room, dinning room,  the audiences sit  really close. It sometimes makes me hard to concentrate.

Last week, I was playing in nursing home, there was 2 parrots in cage, and every time I played in double forte, the birds squalled, and making the performance really difficult, but the people loved it and I made mistakes, they appreciated the time and effort I gave. I don't feel great but I don't feel disappointed, but I wish I could control my concentration. It is really annoying me that I can do anything at home, the kids are running and screaming and the T.V. is on.  I still can play with memories, but why can't I do the same there. I hope the more I perform in the extreme and strange environment. ( audiences' coughing , wheezing, whispering, walking away),  I will get better and better.
Do you have any suggestion help me to concentrate better? Thanks

[popdog]

I think most people should be able to get over performance anxiety.  One of the best things my teacher ever did for me was provide opportunities to perform regularly sine I took my first lessons.  After performing frequently you just get over stage fright, so make sure you take every opportunity you get to perform.  Suggestions about using friends/family members so far are good ones.  Another thing which I think helps is to record yourself playing, which has several effects.  Firstly it imitates a real performance - you will find you get more nervous when playing whilst recorded, which is valuable experience in itself.  Secondly it gives you a 3rd person perspective of your piece and allows you to polish it up to recital standard.  This is very helpful, and I would do it more than once if preparing for a major recital. 

But in my experience, the single most important thing in controlling nervousness is preparation. If I have to perform something which isn't ready I'm much more likely to get nervous than if the piece is well and truly prepared.  After all, if the piece is prepared, what have you to fear? 

popdog.

[Bob]

Trick yourself into thinking that those people are actually there during practice. 

And keep focusing on the music.

Just get yourself over the idea that other people are listening.  More practice performing.

You could also have someone purposely try to distract you while you're performing.