Why is it...

[gruzzy]

..that when you ready to get up and take a solo at a show, and you've got all sorts of cool s*** worked out, and you know how you want it all to sound, and you start playing and it doesn't come out at all the way you wanted?!

I'm in my high school jazz band, and we've played a handful of shows and contests and whatnot, and whenever I take my solo in this one song-a 12 bar blues in F-It never comes out the way I play it when I'm sitting in my room jamming along with a recording. Never. Not even at band practice. It's ******* me off because I know I can play better than I do when I get up in front off all those people. I want to be able to play for those people and give 'em a kickin solo, but it just doesn't happen. It's a decent solo and everything, but it's just not what I know I'm capable of.

By the way I just got back from playin at a college jazzfast where the above situation happened..again. And I'm getting sick of it. Any suggestions?

[Shibby]

i'm also in my highschool jazz band...

you'll eventually get over it. I used to be terrified of taking solos and then they would always suck cause i intimidated myself. eventually i've gotten more and more confident and my solos are reaching their full potential. the truth of it is that its impossible to solo/play as with people as you can my yourself.

[SKEETER]

One reason is, and this may sound far fetched, but think about it. When you play in your room, you are in a small enclosed space sitting right in front of your gear. You are hearing all the dynamics and punch right out of the speaker, just like if you are listening to a stereo or headphones. On stage, you are in a much larger room, which makes an amp sound like a transistor radio. Quit paying attention to yourself when you play, and just play, because in reality, the crowd is hearing a much better sound than you are. One of the tricks to playing on stage is to learn how to use gear, and to consider being there a job and not for your own entertainment. An example of this is, when I am onstage, I want to hear the lead guitar, the singer, and the kick drum. I don't want to hear a good mix of the music, I want to hear what I need to hear to know where I am in the song. I play bass in a band now, so I need to hear the kick drum well, and the vocals, so I know where the changes in the song are. When I play lead guitar, I want to hear the vocalist and the drums, I really don't need to hear the keyboard and the bass, I have played on very large PA gear before (15 inch dedicated monitors) and even then, I didn't want to have the entire band in my monitor.
You might try getting an amp stand, which will aim your amp at you. When you stand on stage, unless you have a huge stack behind you, chances are all your sound is shooting past you and out into the room. Amp stands tilt back so that the sound is aimed at your head, which is still turned away from the amp, you face away from the amp at a gig, but most often face it when you are when practicing alone in a room. Most bars do not have a stage big enough to allow you to stand far away from the amp, but when I can I try to be way out in front of my gear...

[gruzzy]

Skeeter, it's not so much a problem of tone, it's more about what I play that isn't up to par with what it should be.

[Fender65Mustang]

Hey guys,
Just friends or family walking in while I'm practicing is enough to make me tense up and screw up. I can't imagine how you must feel, I could never do it. I can perhaps offer two possibilities though. You are in your head too much, thinking about what comes next so your solos don't flow well. Or, you are out of your head (no slam intended) too much, distracted by the audience and surroundings. It sounds like nerves, cause the only diff is the surroundings and the audience right? Like anything someone is unsure about, it is overcome with repetition. Keep at it man! You're already out there and that's the biggest hurdle. My only advice is to play in front of people. As many as you can get to come to every practice or every jam. Do it until it's as natural as picking up your guitar. It's like eating dinner. You would have no trouble eating dinner at home by yourself. But, go out to a 5 star resturant with linen napkins, wines lists and salad and shrimp forks and you might feel a little tense. However, if you do it everyday and live in that world you wouldn't be tense at all.
Keep at it man,
See ya

[Walt Flannagan's dog]

I know it's jazz so I assume that it's supposed to have some portion of improvisation to it, but I do this...

I improvise first. Get ideas flowing and remember the ones I like while playing over a tape or with my band.

Then, I hammer it out. I'll get the things together like getting the timing where I want it and putting the pieces together.

Then, I just practice the hell out of it until it's clockwork.

Any performance anxiety that you might have goes away when you have the confidence that you know exactly what you're doing. And then, I'll find the room to improvise a bit once I know that if I start going into unfamiliar territory, I've worked on it so many times that I can just jump right back in to what I've already rehearsed a thousand times.

[santacruzsnowbrd]

I just got back from a high school guitar jam thing and i must say it was probably the worst playing ive ever done in my life....I played the drums for a few songs....sped them up way beyond the right tempo....and when i started playing guitar, i just forgot what notes to play, its not so much nervousness as forgetfullness for me, i can have everything worked out perfectly, but when i get down to it i just forget what sounds good together, what intervals i should play to make the right sound...Any suggestions

[drumstix128@aol.com]

ive had the exact same problem before. and as one guy stated above, it just takes practice and time. i remember the first few gigs i started playing, and they sucked big time. but as ive gotten more comfortable with myself, and even more importantly, with the rest of my band, ive learned how to open up a bit, and let go a little more, so i can play to my full potential. (which isnt much to begin with, but hey,...)

[gruzzy]

Bump for Mick.

And also, I've played a few shows since I posted this and after reading what you guys said and thinking about it, I had a much easier time-much more comfortable on stage. Thanks.

[mick]

great tips,main one being that i not nuts or alone and it seems this stage fright is more common than i thought,guess it must be natural to kak yourself a bit.
bump for gruz.lol

[supercobra]

I've been in and out of gigging bands for twenty years, first as a vocalist, then a rhythm player/vocalist, and finally as a lead player. I can totally relate to what you guys are saying. When I first started singing, I was in college, in the early 80's. We got some gigs in some big bars in Bloomington, IN and Indianapolis. I used to get really choked up, full of adreneline. I gradually got used to it. Then, as I began to play guitar more on stage, the problem recurred. I still get butterflies when I do a gig, but I can control it enough to perform. I think the answer is more practice. The more confident you are in knowing a part, or the structure you are improvising around, the more natural you can be.

Isn't it awesome that something can make you feel like this? Its like that feeling you get when you ask a girl out for the first time. I'll tell you this, bros, you had better be thankful for it. Other people have to climb mountains or skydive to get this feeling. All we have to do is work up a set of music with some other players. How can you beat that?

[Slipstream]

The first time I played in front of people I was in a band called Section 8. People got up and walked out. I felt pretty bad. One of the last times we played, people were lighting bic lighters all over the place. I felt pretty good. It's just something that comes from doing it a lot.

[crusty]

It's been found in psychological studies that complex things are harder to do in front of an audience, BUT - easy things are EASIER in front of an audience. Keep this in mind because if something's difficult you need to practice it untill you can do it in your sleep - until you think of it as an easy thing and not a difficult thing.

About stage fright - no such thing. It's adrenaline, your body's (energy) gift to you. When you first start performing you are scared by the feeling it gives you, and you call it stage fright. After a while you learn that it's your body's way of preparing you for a big event - a surge of energy that's up to you to use how you see fit. You may have heard of 'channeling' energy. This is it, channel that adrenaline into your playing.

[Slipstream]

I can relate to that. The energy I felt when I first started playing in front of people made my fingers shake. It was very difficult to play rhythm, let alone a lead. Then as I got used to it, the energy made my tear into some riffs that surprised me. I found I could do stuff on-stage that I couldn't re-create at home.

[crusty]

The energy I felt when I first started playing in front of people made my fingers shake

In other words you were getting a surge of adrenaline but you weren't used to it, didt'nt know how to control it, so it made your hands shake. By practicing something until you can do it in your sleep you are better able to 'channel' the energy into your playing. I think it has to do with how you use your mind to direct your actions. When adrenaline takes over you have less control of your motor skills, so you have to have 'trained' your muscles to do what thier supposed to automatically. The better you have trained, the better you will perform. This is where practicing with more speed can be helpful. If a difficult riff is to be played at 100 bpm on the metronome, practice it until you can do it at at least 130. To get it up to 130 you need to increase the metronome speed gradually - it could take several weeks of gradual tempo increments for complicated passages. Here's the important part: when you can do it that fast easily, go back to practicing it at 100, (it should be a breeze) but you have to get used to doing it at the propper speed before you start performing it in front of an audience.

[Slipstream]

Hey Crusty, you're mostly right. It's not that I didn't know how to control it, I couldn't control it. I was scared. I couldn't hold my fingers still. They were literally shaking. I found that if I wore shades I could 'hide' behind them, and that made things easier.

After awhile I was able to play with or without the shades. You just get used to being in front of people. And yes, practice is essential. If I have to perform a tune, I'll practice it until I can't stand to hear it one more time.

I practice scales like I used to practice typing in college (45 wpm). Get something down pat, then push the speed. I haven't used a metronome (or even seen one) since '72. I just tap my foot for time. I'm even thinkin' of makin' a wooden box with a contact mic for percussive accompaniment.

It's kinda strange that now I still get an adrenalin rush when I'm on stage, but not from fear. It's more of an excitement. Like if you're sittin' around bored and fine lookin' lady walks by. Suddenly you have an energy that wasn't there before. What's really cool is when you're feeling this energy and you notice fine babes checkin' you out :toohappy:

[includestdio_h]

You need to practice your solo/solos. It's nice to improvise though.
I had a major problem during one of my first live performances with a jazz band. The acoustics weren't good. It was an opening for an athletic hall at a college so things were echo-ey. Plus, I had to crank the amp up which kind of washed in with all the other instruments.
I had a solo for "Proud Mary". The final product was it kind of sucked. It started out very loud and I was playing the rhythm in the beginning. I couldn't hear myself and I was literally going by feel. I was shaking in the beginning but strumming the chords out calmed me down. So, I knew when I had my solo, I was going to have to go by feel. I messed up the first note and I started losing confidence. I cut some difficult runs I had worked out in order to keep the solo in time with the rest of the band.

I would say map out your solo in sections. Practice the solo. I find that if I happen to crap out a part of the solo, I still know I can come back in at the next mapped part on the down beat... rather than toilet bowl flush the remainder of the solo into a dark and scary embarassing situation.

[motorhead_6]

You have to learn how to get your chi right and keep it right. A few drinks help some people. You cant be worried about it or you will screw up for sure. The best way to not be worried about it is to be prepared and maybe have a few drinks.

[motorhead_6]

If you can try to convince yourself you are the greatest guitar player in the world before you play (quietly to yourself dont say it to anybody elsle). Dont forget to unconvince yourself when you come off stage though. Some guys forget and keep thinking they are the greatest even when they are done playing and NOBODY likes those guys.

[crusty]

The best way to not be worried about it is to be prepared and maybe have a few drinks.

I agree with the prepared part, not so sure about the drinks though. It depends on the person. Some people hold thier liquor better than others. I've worked with a couple of alcoholic musicians and the bands broke up because of them in both cases. I have also worked with musicians who take a few sips before going on stage and they have no problems at all. Some people know what moderate means, others don't.

As for convincing yourself your the greatest, if it works for you that's one way to feel confident. I find that (usually) the audience has been waiting for a while before you get up on stage, and are anxious for some music to start. As soon as they realize the band is up on stage, and not the roadies and techs mulling about, they cheer for you whoever you are. That can be a real confidence builder. When I go on stage I say to myself "this is it, I'm going to do my best - and that's pretty good." And usually If I make a blunderous mistake - I just laugh. It's funny. If the audience laughs too - great, but chances are you're the only one who noticed.

[Slipstream]

My dear ol' Grandma gave me some advice about drinkin'. She said " . . . record yourself when you've been drinking, and listen to it later. If you don't like what you hear, don't drink". Once I've had even one drink, I'm done with everything but relaxin'.