Ack! Nerves! Help!

[pianobabe56]

Hi- I have noticed that I have ALWAYS had a SEVERE problem with nerves during performances- be it simple performances for friends, recitals, or competitions, I always get jittery. Does anyone have reccomendations for how to overcome nerves?

[anda]

try actually enjoying playing in front of an audience - any kind of audience will do - but really enjoy, not pretend to.

[bernhard]

Have a look here for more discussion on this subject:

https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,2256.msg19267.html#msg19267
(nervousness)


https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,4208.msg39083.html#msg39083
(stage fright)

Best wishes,
Bernhard

[chopinsetude]

Get a low doseage Beta blocker from your Dr.

...it's NOT a narcotic, it's been around for 100 years and its non-addictive.  Its the equiv of taking a buffered aspirin.

People take them before public speaking. 

[dj]

Get a low doseage Beta blocker from your Dr.

...it's NOT a narcotic, it's been around for 100 years and its non-addictive.  Its the equiv of taking a buffered aspirin.

People take them before public speaking. 

wow does this actually work? if so how? kinda cool if it does

[Floristan]

Get a low doseage Beta blocker from your Dr

Yes, it works.  Beta blockers prevent the heart from racing.  They are not tranquilizers, not narcotics.  Some performers swear by them, others believe beta blockers take the "edge" off their performance.

[anda]

Get a low doseage Beta blocker from your Dr

Yes, it works.  Beta blockers prevent the heart from racing.  They are not tranquilizers, not narcotics.  Some performers swear by them, others believe beta blockers take the "edge" off their performance.

works for some - doesn't for others (same as with alcohol). i tried something like that once - most horrible performance i ever gave! i played as bad as it cen get (or worse) and i didn't even care! it was as if i saw myself from outside and i had no control over what happened - not that i cared i never used anything since, and i still prefer self-control. try once (preferably on a stage-performance that doesn't matter too much), see how it feels and then decide for yourself

[chopinsetude]

Get a low doseage Beta blocker from your Dr

works for some - doesn't for others (same as with alcohol). i tried something like that once - most horrible performance i ever gave! i played as bad as it cen get (or worse)

I gave the original recommendation for taking beta blockers- and I agree with the previous post- it can take the edge off, but for me that takes to quality out of my playing - I become a little lazy and careless.  I cannot play while on them, but I offered them as an option and they MAY work for you.

[Brian Healey]

try actually enjoying playing in front of an audience - any kind of audience will do - but really enjoy, not pretend to.

This is good advice, but you might find that to be easier said than done. I would say that you should go ahead and pretend if you have to, and eventually your mind will follow. There is an old saying "fake it till you make it." If you look like a nervous wreck, then you will sound that way. If you exude confidence, even if you're only pretending at first, then eventually your mind will accept that confidence as genuine. Try smiling while you're playing, after a while, you might forget that you were trying to smile and you'll find that you're actually smiling for real. The mind affects the body, but the body can also affect the mind.

[anda]

try actually enjoying playing in front of an audience - any kind of audience will do - but really enjoy, not pretend to.

This is good advice, but you might find that to be easier said than done. I would say that you should go ahead and pretend if you have to, and eventually your mind will follow. There is an old saying "fake it till you make it." If you look like a nervous wreck, then you will sound that way. If you exude confidence, even if you're only pretending at first, then eventually your mind will accept that confidence as genuine. Try smiling while you're playing, after a while, you might forget that you were trying to smile and you'll find that you're actually smiling for real. The mind affects the body, but the body can also affect the mind.

yes, absolutely. also, one of the major problems most young pianists experience is realizing (while performing) that the mind tends to draft, the thoughts wander. it happened to me when i was much younger - i would realize that i was thinking about this or that pianist or teacher or colleague in the audience, and all of a sudden i was getting near the end of the work and had no idea how i got there - did i really play all the work? already? it happened while i was thinking abut something else... forcing yourself to keep your thoughts focused on the music, on each note yu're playing, and singing in your head while playing, that also helps relaxing and feeling less nervous. but this - just the same as enjoying playing - doesn't come over night, but in time. playing on stage is also a thing you need to practice, just the same as you practice your works in your study room.

[rafant]

A change in the own attitude about the experience of sharing music could help to reduce nerves. I’m not saying it’s your case, but, if we’re playing piano to impress someone, or to receive applauses and the admiration of people, nervess will appear. The first thing is to have clear our intimate purpose for playing piano, since the will of our heart determines the kind of thoughts we have.

Let us be sure that our main motivation for playing piano is our love for the music. So, share the music not your abilities. Avoid thoughts such as “let impress them with my fast arpeggios”, or “what a shame if I forget the piece”, since they reveal that one is too much  concentrated about oneself, and worried about the impression one makes on others.

It would be better to cultivate a new music-centered attitude, thinking for example “let me show them how great these Bach’s harmonies sound” or “let us hear how touching is this passage”. In doing so we are deflecting our attention from ourselves and directing it towards the composer’s work, and therefore managing to reduce our nerves. In other words, let the music shine and use us instead of using the music for our own shine. Music is the actual star, not the player.

[pianobabe56]

Rafant- what a great post. I think that it was right on target. Though I've heard that before (your focus in performing should be in sharing the music, not impressing people), I think that you put it in a great light. Too many people (me included) have an amazing love for music, but they still focus too much on themselves in a performance. So when it is recommended for them to stop trying to impress people, they zone out, thinking "oh, that doesn't apply to me." I'm going to take this recommendation to heart. Thank you!

[Tash]

yeah i agree with rafant. i used to get really nervous beforeperformances, and then about a week before my final prac exam at school i was freakin out, and then thought, hey i really want to cane this so why don't i just do it cosi'm quite capable of doing so. and so i just hyped myself up before the performance and wanted to go in there are go 'look at how beautiful this piece is!' and just enjoyed the experience. sure i screwed a few things up but who cares. and then i had my Cmus exam the other day, and i was determined not to get nervous about it because that'd just make me play worse. so remained positive, kept a happy attitude all morning, and when i got in there i almost felt like i was just at home practicing! i just wanted to show theexaminers that i could play well and not let nerved get the better of me, andit seriously worked. positive attitude isthe way to go, want to be bril and think about your mission of wanting to show off the fact that you have theopportunity and ability to play some gorgeous music! don't worry about screwing up, or whether you will convey the feelings you want, because just being determined to do so without freaking out about it will give you the results you want

[rafant]

I'm glad for being of help. Take also in account that to get rid of old mental habits, and to substitute them for the music-centered ones, probably doesn't happen immediately, but takes time. Therefore be patience with yourself.

[nick]

It wasn't mentioned whether you really love your own playing when alone! I think this is most important. I found that when I really like my own playing, even though there are butterflies before performing, they are 'good' butterflies, going 'toward' something rather than going 'away' from something. Hope this helps.

Nick

[MatthewClarke]

We have all gathered together to listen to some beautiful music, I just happen to be the one sitting at the piano. 

[ehpianist]

I addressed some of these issues in the following posts:

https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,5660.msg58371.html#msg58371
https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,5911.msg58177.html#msg58177
https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,5955.msg58354.html#msg58354

Let me know if you have any questions.  I recommend you try and tackle the problem without drugs first and use them only as a very very last result. 

Elena
https://www.pianofourhands.com