Advice on pre-performance jitters.... Revisted. Again. Sorry.

[JimDunlop]

This may sound like a REALLY weird question, coming from someone who has, in his lifetime appeared in public many times: playing piano, singing solo, speaking, acting in theatre, even lecturing to large audiences.....  The latter three don't phase me much (I'm a teacher)....  Heck, I've even been on TV a number of times....

So get this... As hard as it is to grasp, given the volume of public performace that I've done -- you know what?  I've never been able to adequately develop a SOLID strategy for overcoming the pre-performance jitters.  For some reason, even though I have tried many a relaxation technique before going on stage, I can't even seem to control my body's physical responses to the stress or nervousness.   And no, contrary to what many people seem to say, for me it definitely DOES NOT get better the more I perform..... 

It's never been so bad that I couldn't perform -- heck, I usually do a fairly good job and usually receive compliments on my performance, (but could do a MUCH better job, IMO if I could do something about my problem)...  I'm usually never comfortable on stage, and it ties my stomach in knots, even though, perversely enough, I enjoy playing and singing for people.  But the last performance I did, even though I carried it out almost EXACTLY the way I had rehearsed it, when I looked down at my hands & legs at the end of the piece, they shook like they belonged to a heroin addict in some ugly stage of withdrawl.

Can anyone else relate to this?  More specifically, does anyone have any good ideas to share about how this can be overcome?  For me, "self-talk" doesn't do a lot of good.  I can try to convince myself as much as I want that I should just enjoy my performance, but my physical reponses just won't listen to my brain. 

You may refer to books if you wish, but I would have to order them, and likely not have time to read them anytime soon....

Oh yeah,  and referring to drugs/medications probably won't help much....  Anything you recommend is likely going to be illegal here in Japan... :-)  A wholistic approach may be more helpful here.  Although many over-the-counter items and vitamins may be obtained here or shipped over for personal use.  (Eg  beta-blockers are probably out)

P.S.  I did a forum search for this subject and came up with a couple, including this one: https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,479.0.html  but unfortunately I didn't seem to glean anything too terribly useful from it.

I also came across a thread that recommended playing "strip Mozart" but unfortunately the logistics of that one may prove somewhat impractical.

Sorry to revisit this topic that's been brought up before... But maybe I can luck out and get something that I didn't from the other threads I've read to date.

Thanks for your patience everyone!

JD

P.S.  I was meaning to follow up on some old threads (on different parts of this board) that I posted but it may be meaningless except for the benefit of those who participated in them and never received an answer.  So, if they're watching this thread: here goes.

1.  My alias IS derived from the brand of guitar picks.  One day (years ago) I needed an alias for an online forum, and I just happened to have a pile of Dunlop picks by the keyboard.  The name stuck.

2.  My reharmonization of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" went off beautifully.  The church LOVED it!!!   I hope to do more along the same lines. 

3.  The same church, after having had a "taste" of what it's like to have a pianist AND a keyboard player filling in extra instruments and harmony (on a borrowed instrument) decided to purchase a keyboard/digital piano.  My choice. (Cause I'll be the only guy playing it).... Budget: under 80,000 yen.  My choice, Casio's brand new Privia PX-400R.  Seems to be the best compromise between a decent-sounding digital piano, and a multi-functional fancy instrument board...

 4.  My own digital piano seems to be "steady and holding" after its broken-hammer incident.  I've been "stress-testing" it (heh-heh) with some intense pieces since I've fixed it, and it seems to be holding up well.. Still haven't decided about when/how to replace all 88 hammers with the new, re-engineered ones by Roland.

5.  I hope to be getting a copy of a "Peanuts" songbook in the mail soon, that contains "Linus & Lucy" among other Vince Guiraldi masterpieces...

[jlh]

Personally, I tend to play better when I'm performing (I think the nervousness helps a bit), but I know that's not always the case for everyone.  Most serious musicians are introverts (how else would they be able to sit alone for hours on end practicing?), and then when put in a situation where we're the center of attention it can be a very discomforting situation.

I'm sorry you're struggling so much with this... have you thought about getting some professional help from a psychologist?  There may be things they can do to help, I don't know.

As far as supplements, you might try:

St. John's Wort
Folic Acid
Magnesium
Niacinamide
Vitamin B-Complex (especially B2 and B12)

I'm not a doctor and don't pretend to be, but I do know that those particular vitamins and herbs have shown themselves to be useful in calming the nervous system.

[ehpianist]

jlh,

Please read my post on the following thread:

https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,5911.0.html

Let me know if you have any questions.

Elena
https://www.pianofourhands.com

[JimDunlop]

EH: Thanks for the tip... I looked at the book on Amazon, and it's certainly a bit on the expensive side.....

Can you give me an idea of what exactly in this book is helpful in the way of dealing with performance issues?  I'm usually a very practical and pragmatic individual (some call me blunt) and when I see section headings or chapter titles like: "Cry like a baby, Baa like a sheep" I get a bit skeptical. 

Also, any practical advise for the interim?  I have another performace on Saturday, and this one is going to take more work than the last one, because I'm performing a vocal solo as well as accompanying myself on the piano.

Cheers,

JD

P.S.  Yeah,  getting a shrink to help with this would be nice.. Except, like I said, I live in Japan.  The field of psychology is FAR behind the rest of the world here -- even if I could find a good one, 99% chance he wouldn't speak English.  Plus, did you know that most Japanese psychologists are Freudian-trained?  My ego and superego couldn't handle the Oedipal complex associated with piano-playing.  :-)

The vitamins might be a good bet.... I'll look into that some more.  Maybe there are some websites that can give me more specific info... But I'll definitely research it.

[jlh]

Very good advice, Elena! 

I was actually trying to offer some lesser covered aspects to this topic.  Since JD obviously has a considerable amount of experience, anything else I had to offer would be old news relatively speaking.

[ehpianist]

Hi JD,

I looked in amazon and they do sell it in the "buy it used and new" category for $11. If you click on the book image (where it says "look inside") you can also see the chapter names and also in page ix the things covered in each chapter.

The book is laid out in a slightly goofy mini-novel form.  The main character works with 3-D web and skeptically starts seeing a crazy guru in Montana called Kumi to try and get over his nervousness whenever he wants to make a presentation.  Each chapter is dedicated to different techniques to prepare for any type of public performance, be it speaking or playing or anything else.  At the end of every chapter there are notes summarizing the basic concepts of each chapter.  They are mostly excercises to trick your brain into letting go of all the badly learned fear habits we have associated with public performance. Among the ones I have used the most are:

 -  When you imagine a performance coming up and you get nervous just thinking about it (you know, that uncomfortable feeling in the stomach, shoulders begin to tense), think back to a time when you have felt that you have truly accomplished your goal, or played great, or felt really fulfilled.  Relish in that emotion and let it take over your body, then keeping that emotion you will visualize yourself playing the future performance with that same emotion inside.  This sounds a lot easier than it really is, it took me several attempts to really transpose the sense of fulfillment into my live performance in my head.  This teaches your brain what it feels like to perform feeling your best. (I start doing this about 2 months before  a performance and stop and focus on doing it any time I think about it casually and feel myself getting nervous, eventually I associate the performance with a positive outcome). 

    For the learning process he teaches you to see yourself and your performance from different perspectives.  See yourself as, say, a teacher listening to you, a member of the audience, your mother.  Anything to get out of your head and see the larger picture.

[argh!, I wasn't done and it posted, now edited]

    Techniques for staying in the moment.  Loss of control during performance is due to the fact that we are not focused on what we're doing at that precise moment, every moment, but rather our head gets filled with useless commentary on what we're supposed to be doing.

  And there are many many more.  I am doing a hack-job of explaining the excercises but hopefully it gives you an idea. Reality is that I don't think anyone uses all the techniques he offers at one time but rather they pick and choose according to their needs. 

Again, they require mental effort on the part of the person doing them, and believe it or not they are tiring at first, but the results will be worth it.  You will still feel excited during performance and slightly jittery but you will be able to be in control and, most importantly, enjoy the moment.

I mentioned this book to another pianist in another forum and she purchased it to prepare for her music exams.  Not only did she find it helpful but she even started using it with her father who had Alzheimer's and saw that he would get less stressed out when he forgot words and this enabled him to remember them more quickly.

Like I said, the novel part is goofy on purpose. No self-respecting person ever feels comfortable reading a self-help book, which is essentially what this is, and the author made light of it.  Also towards the end of the book there is a chapter on living healthy to perform healthy which I've never paid attention to!  I was lucky to have met Michael Colgrass when I studied at NEC and have kept up sporadic correspondence with him for over 10 years now and all his methods have been researched with professional musicians, at workshops at music conservatories throughout the world and other types of professionals for many many years.   He was also a performer himself (played drums in the original West Side Story orchestra with Lennie). He knows what he's talking about and has . You only have to lose $11 (plus shipping!) and I know how much you can gain.

If you read it do let me know what you think.

Elena
https://www.pianofourhands.com

[ehpianist]

As an addendum,

My hands used to shake incontrollably too!  I notice a marked difference between the performances I prepare with mental excercises and the ones I don't.

Also recently I've been testing the validity of a theory put forth at another forum, and I must say that it has been right on target every time:

About 3 hours before performance, do some excercise!!  Anywhere from 15-30 minutes, get your heart rate up.  I have not felt tired while performing after doing this and what it seems to do is get your body flushed with adrenaline and extra oxygen before the performance which somehow lowers the adrenaline levels a few hours later when performing.  Don't ask me the scientific evidence, I have no idea why it works for me. I thought it was a joke and tried it out of curiosity (I jogged gently for about 10 minutes, 3 hours before a performance) but when I got to the stage I felt absolutely calm and my hands weren't shaking at all and I could focus on the music only.

You can try this, if it doesn't work, get the book! 

Elena
https://www.pianofourhands.com

[JimDunlop]

Exercise about 3hrs before performing?  Interesting... Now that's advice I can put to use right away! :-)  I'll let you know how it turns out.

As for the book, I will try to snag a copy of it if I can.  Thanks for trying to summarize a little better for me.  But like I said, that is something I will probably have to consider over a long term, as it takes time to order and read a book.

If anyone else has any comments, please feel free to contribute.  If you can relate to my situation, knowing what worked for you would also be helpful.

Cheers,

JD

[Nina_too]

I've used the exercise thing as well... in a slightly different way.  I've jumped up and down, waved my arms and/or jogged a bit backstage (pay attention to the lines of sight in the wings! ), but just before I come out to play.  It does burn up some of that adrenaline that was released.

The "scientific" explanation I got (don't know how valid it is) is that your body is stressed out and getting ready for some sort of "flight or fight" response by pumping adrenaline.  You have to do something physical to get rid of the adrenaline, which will make you calm down.   In other words, your body can't tell the difference between performing on stage and having to run away from a charging wooly mastadon!

Any way, I've found it does help.

[JimDunlop]

I can just imagine the stage directions for that one.

(Enter stage left: wooly mastadon. Charging.)
 

[nick]

I have found from my experience that playing too fast to be in complete control, musically, is the cause of much nervousness. We cannot help but fear losing control while performing, and the fastest way to lose control seems to be playing a bit beyond ones technical ability. So I make sure I know my speed that is perfect and comfortable,  which means musical, and I know what speed is not that. I work this out in the practice sessions as the performance gets closer. Only in this way can I feel the music as I perform. Otherwise, it seems to just be to get the performance over with without derailing, which is the wrong state to be in. Hope this helps.

Nick

[Antnee]

      Well event though you claim it doesn't work I now have almost no nervousness because I have played for SOMEBODY, I mean anyone, at least every day these past six months. And each time I did I was 'performing' in my mind. And I must say It has made all of the difference to me.

[janice]

      Well event though you claim it doesn't work I now have almost no nervousness because I have played for SOMEBODY, I mean anyone, at least every day these past six months. And each time I did I was 'performing' in my mind. And I must say It has made all of the difference to me.

I totally agree, Antee!!!  The key, I have found, is to set up situations for yourself so that you can "practice" getting nervous.  Every time I perform (even though it is mainly in church) I am NEVER nervous.  And that is because I have "practiced" getting nervous, plus I never do a solo unless I know it forward and backward.  I used to shake violently.  And I figured out that it was because I wasn't 100% ready, even though I felt I was at the time.

Check out this article!  It change the way I practice and perform  and it basically changed my life!  It is a MUST read for those who get so nervous that it is a hinderance more than an asset.  The style of writing in the articles at PracticeSpot is sort of childish and "fun", but there is great information here!

https://www.practicespot.com/article.phtml?id=12&t=24

             J.