please help me!!

[sanje]

 Hi!

 I feel so stupid when writing this, but I am desperate  ... I study piano at the academy - to tell honestly - I still do not know how I managed to get there... Why?? Becouse I am so nervous when I need to perform!!!
  I do not what to do... I have tried everything - therapies, counseling... it did get better, I can't say it didn't... but...
 Every time I perform I feel like I left my professor down... he works with me hours and hours a week, I am suppose to start with studies of the Ravel concert... But how am I suppose to do that?!? I dont have problems with tecnique, not with interpretation...
just that Every time I need to perform is like I cant feel my fingers... it is like a night mare...

  Please, if there is anyone that has some good advise - Please help me...

 I know that being nervous is kinda 'natural' for performance, but... it is killing me... 

thnx!!

[carolina estrada]

u have to find ur own theraphy. listen to your body. it helps to take long breaths so your heart bit slower. Try this when you jump into stage and again before touching the keys.

sometimes is good to have a little sip of white wine....     (not kidding)

[henrah]

Ask your teacher and a couple of your friends to creep in on you when you're practicing and announce themselves after you've finished and tell you that they've been watching you the whole time. See how you feel then, and if you completely break down afterwards. If so, try and imagine that the audience isn't there, and you're just practicing all by yourself.
Henrah


Also imagine they're naked. Just don't get an erection

[landru]

I've heard that a well-known remedy for this for professional musicians/actors/etc. is taking a medication called beta-blockers. I believe they were originally for heart trouble (not sure), but people found out that they calm instances of stage-fright and performance anxiety. They may require a prescription though.

[Kassaa]

Can't you play 'easier' pieces for a smaller audience? ANd let the pieces and the audience grow as you get more experience. You will feel more comfortable each time you played .

[lostinidlewonder]

I fully agree with mental preparation but I also think there is a logical way to combat your nerves.

If you have such nerves you must play in smaller events. Play for as many strangers as you can possibly, even if it is in a music store, retirement villiage, church, anywhere! The more you play for people the nerves an event gives you lessens. The more you peform the better it gets so get out there and play for smaller groups of people.

[sanje]

i red all of your suggestions and I am very gratefull! And thanx for the 'naked' tip, hehe...
 That magic pills sound nice, but I would like to try without such medications for now... and don't trust in chemical things too much... maybe later...
  I guess I'll really have to start performing every week or so... for start... and then see what happens...
  do you think it is even possible to get rid of it eventually?? I heard that more you pleay easier it is, but sometimes I just feel like it is not always true... we'll see... I decided to start my 'anti-nerveous' campaigne next week, on my own... and wait for a miracle to happen )

 thank you all... and please dont stop writing and talking about it... helps me a lot...

enjoy your playing!!

[ryan2189]

The nervousness will eventually become easier to deal with, but many times, despite the amount of performances you are a part of, there is always something that is a little different about each one, whcih is what causes that nervousness. The size of the audience, whether or not it is a competition, if there are other people performing as well, are just some examples. I can say that I was nervous the first time I performed in my teacher's recitals, but once I learned how they worked and what was to be expected, I no longer was all that nervous.

[carolina estrada]

Do you know that Pau Casals had such a terrible suffering from frighten to stage that he couldnt control his nerves so always someone had  to push him (literally) to stage !!

amazing!

[mikey6]

Do you know that Pau Casals had such a terrible suffering from frighten to stage that he couldnt control his nerves so always someone had  to push him (literally) to stage !!

amazing!

Same with Horowitz!

[sanje]

I hear about that too... great pianist having terrible fear... but then again - if I would be playing like Horrowitz I wouldn't be writing this post here, hehe!

[zheer]

Dont worry sanje, and yes you will never be free from stage fright.
All you can do is learn the pieces you will be playing to the best of your ability.

[crazy for ivan moravec]

it bothers me when i don't get nervous just a little bit... it means i will be not focused during performance, meaning it's gonna be a bad one!

about your problem, sometimes it can be attitude towards the art of performance that makes you nervous. sometimes we play for external reasons, for the joy of people praising your playing.. yes it might be fullfilling to hear good comments but the feeling doesn't last.
instead, try to play for yourself and enjoy. don't think of what others might say, comment or whatever. however, this is not that easy to do, it takes practice too.

[steinwaymodeld]

I hear about that too... great pianist having terrible fear... but then again - if I would be playing like Horrowitz I wouldn't be writing this post here, hehe!

Horowitz had a lot of nervous attack before performance too
so it's very natural

[sanje]

yes it might be fullfilling to hear good comments but the feeling doesn't last.
instead, try to play for yourself and enjoy. don't think of what others might say, comment or whatever. however, this is not that easy to do, it takes practice too.

 the best line here is '' it takes practice too'' ... worth every shot... I guess we think that we play becouse of the joy of it... but maybe there is some more of this joy to discover in our playing right??

[mikey6]

it bothers me when i don't get nervous just a little bit... it means i will be not focused during performance, meaning it's gonna be a bad one!

I agree! there were a few concerts last year when I wasn't nervous for some reason and it was some of the worst playing I've ever done.
On the other hand, a major concert I was nervous about a week before for went really well.

[carolina estrada]

It is good to be a bit nervous 4 playing. It is just healthy. Nervous makes us alert.

But when it becomes out of control then we have to do some training as well. Like playing many times in front of friends and other pianists and whoever wants to listen as little "try outs" It helps more than a practising normal day,sometimes.

I like the idea  the jury is s(h)itting on the toilet....hahha   that´s a good one!thanks!

But public at the end just wanna enjoy ur playing. There is and exists , really, an audience athmosphere!

[plunkyplink]

There's lots you can do for anxiety! There are some very good anti-anxiety medications out , and they really work.

I had a couple of public speaking engagements in the past few months and what helped me the most was, right before going out there I would say out loud to whoever is there with me, "I'm going to have a great time out there, it's going to be really fun". For piano performance I guess you could say to yourself, out loud, "I just love those piano pieces I've learned, I'm going to have a great time playing them. Once I play the first note, the hardest part is over it's all fun from there!"

Also, I think about how the audience is really rooting for me out there. They are there because they have fun listening to piano performances, and they are there to simply enjoy themselves, no one is there to be a critical jerk. What's the worst thing an audience can do, realistically? They're likely chided themselves in their head if their mind is wandering and they're thinking about their to-do list, or what their boss said.

One more tip, make sure you have a healthy meal before you go on stage so you're not hungry, and have a good, restful night before the event too. Finally, reward yourself immediately afterwards, like going out for a nice dinner, or getting yourself a little gift. Then, focus on how much fun you had playing at the performance and how good you feel, try not to dwell on the nerves.

[carolina estrada]

this doesnt work for me... actually... my very bests performances have been after drinking night and little sleeping....I dont know why but every human body has a personal way of working.
Try things out and experiment with your reactions

[oksanapianist]

Read SOPRANO ON HER HEAD by Eloise Ristad...............an excellent read regarding stage fright.

Beta blockers do not stop the constant "chatter" in the mind- it's good that you choose to avoid drugs- they won't cure your mental state- just your physical state

I dealt a great many years with this myself and too, have let my teacher down when she had high expectations.....................Eventually I learned that my self doubt came from feeling unprepared- even if I practised 6 hours a day- I felt I should have done more. This is when I realized that I just had to trust that I put in the time- and that no matter what happened- I knew the music well enough to make it through.

Practice making mistakes and getting back on track- play every other measure by memory- take 10 second pauses between measures to test your memory-- all of this combined should give you more confidence in believing in yourself- you can do it.

Lastly- when you do perform- focus on the music- not your doubts and not the audience.

Performing is still hard for me- but I have finally gotten control over something that was controlling me - and that was my mind. You are your own worst enemy.

Best of Luck!!

[plunkyplink]

I have to disagree about drugs not being able to cure a mental state. That's just an uneducated point of view of psychiatric medicine. Trying drugs to help a mental condition that's disrupting one's enjoyment of life, (under the supervision of a doctor), is simply a smart thing to do. If it's not for you, then that's your choice, I don't think you should condemn something that might actually help someone because you don't know the facts.

[perfect_pitch]

What I do to calm down before a performance.. is I go to the place where I'm going to perform and give it a dry run through....

Perform the piece at the venue, when you know there is no one going to be there in the audience. Focus solely on the music and play. When there is no one there, you'll be a lot more focused and relaxed.

When the time comes to perform... Just remember when you had the dry run through and focus on that.

[oksanapianist]

PLUNKYPLINK- unless you have stage fright and took BetaBlockers- then what you are saying sounds "uneducated". We are talking about drugs for stage fright-- not drugs for a menatlly ill person.  This does not sound like a mental patient- but someone who lacks a bit of confidence. If your mind is telling you that you will fail- the drugs will not "overwrite" your mind and give you "confidence". The beta blockers calm your physical ailments of nerves- not your mental "stage fright". The only thing he can do to get over this, is overcome his fears himself. He needs to reach deep down inside and figure out why and what he is afraid of. The drugs don't do that for you. It's ok if you disagree.

[kaiwin]

This may sound stupid, but, it works. 
First of all, think that you play better than anyone else. BE COCKY, ARROGANT, etc...
Move with the music if you need to... breathe...try to listen to recordings that gives the listener what they hear. Try to emulate the same feeling.. You'll do fine 
On slow and passionate passages, go emo, try to make it sing like your going to talk through the piano ( I play mostly minor  ). When practicing don't think of making it perfect but try to make the piece a way to express your feelings. Oh yea, dynamics is important, it shows the level of what your trying to say to the audience (and to yourself). Drugs suck  , there might not be known risks involved in beta-blockers but there is still a chance, taking drugs don't make you a better performer (like steriods in sports).

Hope this helps!
Kaiwin Cheng

[sanje]

Read SOPRANO ON HER HEAD by Eloise Ristad...............an excellent read regarding stage fright.

...

I dealt a great many years with this myself and too, have let my teacher down when she had high expectations.....................

...

Practice making mistakes and getting back on track- play every other measure by memory- take 10 second pauses between measures to test your memory-- all of this combined should give you more confidence in believing in yourself- you can do it.

...

Performing is still hard for me- but I have finally gotten control over something that was controlling me - and that was my mind. You are your own worst enemy.

Best of Luck!!

 That sounds a lot like me... Feelings of letting my teacher down is the worst... But your lines gave me a lot of confidence in the fact that 'everything is possible'...

 thank you!!