nerves

[pianobabe67]

i play the clarinet and piano and when im alone or with family i can play quite well, i am grade 7 piano
im first unit recording for my a level this monday i have practiced the piece over and over however the thing thats worring me it my nerves i find it hard to contrl them and mess up purly through nerves and i dont want that
any suggestions to help me get over the nerves....

[robert]

Yes there is actually a universal method I have learnt from performing a lot, giving lectures for hundreds of people etc. Whenever you begin to feel nervous, you begin to breath with the upper part of the lungs which is not a good thing. You automatically raise your axles which deformes your position to the keyboard. Also, you heart pumps faster and in worst case, you begin to hyper ventilate which shuts out your brain.

The medicin to all this is to begin to breath with your lower part of your lunges. It should feel like you breath with your stomage. This will take down your puls and a lot other things will feel a lot better. But the most difficult part is to remember to do this when you get nervous. So try this many times at home first and try to make this your procedure.

Also, before a performance, do not drink too much coffee, coke or anything else with a lot suger in it. Believe me, you do not need the extra energy!

[preludium]

The only real remedy I know is to perform as often as possible. This gives routine and strengthens your self-confidence. Many people in the audience won't realize mistakes, not because they are stupid (and maybe they are) but because they are distracted by other things going on. There were people who know about music that told me something I played was great, even though I had a different impression, and probably I said the same thing to others, which may have made them think I'm stupid (and maybe I am). Concentration on breathing as robert mentioned will surely work, not because there is something magic about breathing, but because you avoid thinking about the audience.

[nicco]

Yes there is actually a universal method I have learnt from performing a lot, giving lectures for hundreds of people etc. Whenever you begin to feel nervous, you begin to breath with the upper part of the lungs which is not a good thing.

Wow this is actually true. I especially notice when i have talk about something in front of my class. My breathing gets all short. bleh

[atticus]

If the "nerves" that you describe are things like shaking hands, sweating, rapid heartrate, and racing thoughts then these are caused by the release of chemicals in your body in response to a "perceived stress" (i.e. fight or flight).  No amount of logical thinking will reduce these symptoms since these reactions are caused by chemicals (release of norepinephrine). 

Therefore, when you feel nervous, do not try to fight it.  Just allow your hands to shake, heart to race, etc. and realize that it is a biochemical reaction (not a character flaw).  YOU CAN STILL PLAY WELL even while experiencing these symptoms.  The important things to remember are 1) expect to experience the nervous symptoms, 2) "allow" the symptoms to occur (your hands to shake, etc) while remembering you can still play well with them, and 3) when you make a mistake don't turn inward with your thinking because then you are no longer concentrating on the music and will make more mistakes which escalates the nervous symptoms.  Instead tell yourself over and over to "focus on the music".  You can actually practice this at home by imagining yourself in the situation and concentrating on everything you think you will be feeling...

Good luck,
atticus

[robert]

Wow this is actually true. I especially notice when i have talk about something in front of my class. My breathing gets all short. bleh

Good that you notice it. Then you can do something about it. I often have trouble, in such stressed situations, to remember what I should about the nervousity and think of this later on.

[elevateme]

lol nerves are not all bad you know.  but they really really really test finger memory, and how much youve practised. because when youre under pressure, you panic and its all really down to your fingers as your brain doesnt know what its doing lol

[andersand]

I performed the first time when i was about 10 years old, and ive played solo in front of a lot of people many times since then. It's not always true that the more you try it the less nerves you get. For me it has just gotten worse and now i only play for myself. I can't control it. It's all about the way you think about the situation and it takes a lot of effort and time to change the way you think about it. The tip about breathing with the lower parts of the lungs is very good, especially if you have to talk in front of other people!

[overscore]

A good way is to go busking (with the clarinet, obviously, not the piano). People are only half listening so there's not that much pressure, and you get used to people looking at you. Nobody notices any cock ups you make either.

[elspeth]

Be careful if you go busking though. You obviously can't set up on private property without the permission of the owner, and if you go somewhere public you often need permission from the police and/or a license from the council. And if any shop-owners around where you're playing ask you to move on, you have to go. Also, with the increasing number of residential areas in city centres there are often areas you can't go without annoying the residents.

That said, if you can find a pitch that you're allowed to use and you don't annoy anyone busking's great, and you'll make a bit of money out of it! There's a guy in York who does take a battered old upright piano out busking, he's fab... no idea how he gets it to his pitch though!

[gruffalo]

good advice has been given, but i found the main solution to my problem was through memory. you need to be absolutely 100% confident with the finger and brain memory. lots of mental practice away from the piano. the way i memorize all parts of the piece (obviously bit by bit) before i practice those parts. im not talking about the Gieseking method, i mean i will memorize one section or bar or however much you can take in (H.S) in my head, play it through in my head, and then first touch is from memory + a few repeats and its in. this gives me confidence in memory because i dont use the book again for practice unless for musical reference and only that.