Performance Problems

[Peter Brook]

Hi,

 

I played my first real gig yesterday to "the public" although I have been playing out for Morris dancing for over a year. It was at a "Hopping" festival at Bodiam Castle railway station (Kent and East Sussex Railway)

 

I had three problems yesterday which were really annoying and I'd like your advice on how to tackle them.

 

The first issue is speeding up and not keeping to a consistent pace throughout a tune. In particular I seemed to speed up after a run or particularly difficult phrase.

 

The second one was that I would get half way through a tune and would think about what note was next and my mind would go blank. I managed to hold it together in most cases and only crashed really badly once.

 

The third problem was when people were clapping or tapping their feet or humming the tune. It made the previous two problems even harder to deal with.

 

Any one had similar problems or got solutions!

 

thanks,

 

Peter

[Samantha]

the only solution i have to problem number three is to shut my eyes. Then I can't see what the audience is up to!

[David Barnert]

For the memory thing, think about your music in advance as a story. Each phrase or section leads to the next and each should remind you of the next. Other suggestions are learn to sing the tune, also write words to it and learn them.

 

The speeding up thing: take up contradancing (or square dancing or any other form of dancing appropriate to the music you're playing--or not) and imagine you're pacing through it as you play. Also, practice with a metronome.

 

A few performance suggestions, not specifically related to your problems but they may help. Before you take the stage, make sure your hands are clean, you're not hungry, you don't have to pee, your fly isn't open, your shirt's tucked in, you have a comfortable seat, etc.

 

And most important, play more gigs.

[Guest]

Ditto to the above.

 

- Keeping a constant tempo - could you try tapping your foot in time?

 

- Your mind going blank - happens to me occasionally, and in my case it's either a case of a bit of nerves, or my mind wanders and then I suddenly think "Opps -were in the tune am I?" The only thing I can do is stop thinking about it and rely on the hands to know what they are doing (muscle memory and all that). They usually do

 

- Distractions from the crowd: well hey, if they are humming and clapping along, they're having a good time . If they're clapping evenly in time, could this help with the tempo problem? Perhaps you could try finding something to focus on (a nice tree, the dancers etc).

 

Another thing you might like to try is to practice at home with the TV or radio on in another room (something with talk/noise rather than music). This sometimes helps you get used to other audio distractions.

 

Overall it sounds like it went really well Definitely play as many gigs as you can, and don't worry about it - it will come all come together

 

Hope this helps,

Cheers

Morgana

[Henk van Aalten]

Another thing you might like to try is to practice at home with the TV or radio on in another room (something with talk/noise rather than music). This sometimes helps you get used to other audio distractions.

This helps me a lot. I even sit in front of the TV, watching a football game and play concertina at the same time.

[Jamie Boorer]

Hear hear, the more you play in front of people the better.

In my experience, speeding up through the twiddly bits in a performance situation is a product of adrenaline and tension, particularly in the neck and shoulders. I sometimes make a conscious effort to relax generally and lower my shoulders in particular, also take a few slow deep breaths if there's time. Concentrating on breathing and being relaxed can help turn your attention away from the 'punters' and perhaps from overanticipating upcoming busy passages.

But most importantly: Congratulations and Well Done! for taking the plunge

 

Jamie

[barndance]

Hi

 

I had the same problem re learning; speeding up on the 'easy' bits - got round it by doing the rounds of all the local sessions, and by practicing more with others. There is also an 'in ear' metronome advertised on eBay thay may be of interest - contact me if you need more details.

 

Twofold suggestion re point two:- Firstly practice until everything becomes automatic, so that you know you won't get it wrong, rather than you can get it right. Secondly, work your way up from low-key gigs such as charity do's, folk clubs etc - find bands who will let you sit in 'acting/unpaid' at the back without a mic just to get the 'feet on stage' feel, then work up from there. Again, I may be able to help here. If you still suffer from nerves then find someone else to work with in a duo - there is far less pressure this way, and you can cover for any 'fluffs' (although I'd always prefer to have a single musician for Morris).

 

Re the audience joining in - If you practice with others, this becomes easier to deal with. The hard part is deciding if you can 'go' with the rhythm (or one of the rhythms!) the audience have, or if you need to keep to the original. I just concentrate on the tune, and play as few notes as possible as loudly as possible.

 

Overall, when playing for a dance group, I would pick on the most solid dancer and just concentrate on their feet - letting them set the speed.

 

Hope this helps

Paul Hurst

[Tina]

Great advices and here is some in addition

 

Things to do to prepare yourself

 

- practise while loudly reading a newspaper

- ask others to distract you while you're practising

- using a metronome is never wasted time

- go to your favorite place out in the woods and practise there

- get the candy bar you always wanted to know how it tastes like

 

Before the performance starts

 

- play in the backroom of the stage (in case there is one)

- have fun (oh well ... not only then but for me it worked specially when the others were nervous, stressed or in a mood for argueing ... and not taking it all too serious is always a good way to deal with whatever challenge)

- relax ... you will get out of here way sooner as you thought

 

On stage

 

- take your breath to focus on and relax with it whenever you feel like loosing control

- don't fight the stage fright but just watch it

- imagine the audience is dressed up all in their night gowns

- imagine they love you (... yes they do)

- imagine you're sitting in your favorite place out in the woods

- just fall in love with the tune you're playing

 

After the performance

 

- - eat the candy bar

 

And play as many gigs as you can get ... enjoy !

Edited September 14, 2004 by Tina

[Jim Besser]

I'd like to throw something else into the discussion of stage fright: the question of concentration.

 

I've performed a lot over the years, and while often nervous, it's generally held in check. But often I have a problem concentrating-- especially when I'm playing something I know very well. Watching the dog walking by instead of the dancers is sometimes a problem, but I also sometimes have trouble when I start worrying: wow, this A part is going great, but will I really remember the B when I get there?

 

What I'm wondering: how do people focus attention when they're playing?

 

Do you think in words about what you're doing? "Hey, watch out, tricky passage ahead?" "Don't forget to start the next passage on the G row."

 

What are you thinking about as you play? How do you keep focused in a way that is useful, and doesn't lead to getting too tangled up in thought to actually PLAY?

 

Is it something more primal -- listening, feeling the music in your bones, etc?

 

It seems to me that concentration -- the right KIND of concentration -- is a key to taming stage fright. What I'm wondering about is what constitutes good concentration.

[David Barnert]

It seems to me that concentration -- the right KIND of concentration -- is a key to taming stage fright. What I'm wondering about is what constitutes good concentration.

I suspect the key is not how to concentrate during performance but how to concentrate before it. In addition to my notes, above, your preparation for the performance should include sufficient practice that the material presents no surprises. Every moment of the performance should be mentally mapped out so that you know what it will take to get through it (even if it doesn't include playing it as well as you might think it should be played). Then, as mentioned earlier, the performance moves from one "friend" to another with no unexpected threats, and each is linked to the next with some sort of association you have included in your mental mapping (also see previous post).

 

We may not be professional musicians here, but we should endeavor to prepare for public performances as if we were. Take the seriousness you bring to your day job and apply it to making the best performance you are capable of by following these guidelines.

[Alan Day]

I have similar problems to Jim,with regards to concentration.

I have decided that if I am doing a stage type performance, then I must not look at anybody,as I start looking for their reaction.I have had many instances where this has thrown me in the past,suddenly a yawn,one picked up a newspaper and started reading it,a coughing fit,someone sneezing,a baby crying etc.I start to have an imaginary conversation with the person "Excuse me mate, put that paper down it`s putting me off ! etc.This not looking at the audience is great for concert work but for dance band work ,then I would recommend looking at the dancers.This in turn creates problems when the dancers you are watching do it wrong and once again "The other way,you did this in the last dance.It is by looking at the dancers however that you can control the speed and insure the timing is correct.

I do think that in many cases musicians put themselves under a lot of pressure by getting up on stage too early in their playing career,I admire them for giving it a try and certainly the experiance is good,but why not play solo a few times at sessions, or with a group of friends, before you submit yourself to the great pressure of a large audience.

Al

[Peter Brook]

Thanks very much everyone for your contributions and good advice.

 

I don't think the problem was lack of knowledge of the material, most of it was relatively simple morris tunes, or straightforward things like the cotillion or michael turner's waltz. I have been playing all this material in sessions and to accompany morris dancers for the last year.

 

A lot of the problems were to do with my mind going blank and not remembering when to cross from left hand to right for example. So when I should have been playing G B G, or G D G I was playing G A G or G F# G. Not disasterous musically but of course i knew it was not correct and the tension then goes up.

 

It was also only the second time I have been accompanied by my wife (in public) - she plays guitar and I think we need to practise more together.

 

I think the breathing and visualisation would help a great deal - and next time I'll make sure someone else can look after our dog! We had her with us all day as there was no one else available.

 

thanks everyone,

 

Peter

[Tina]

Interesting topic!

 

One time I watched my own dog sneak towards some sandy playground in the corner of the public garden where we were playing, to leave a doggie doo. Strange this did not throw me out of tune. The surprises came when I found I had forgotten to practise certain parts of an arranged set hidden in the middle of it .... aah too late ... take a deep breath ...

 

For me it is important to not think about how to play the tune and not focus too much on what my hands and fingers are doing as they follow patterns of movements (anglo) too mysterious for my brain (provided it works at all, at that point). While playing I recall the tunes by these patterns, as much as I recall the sound of single notes by the push or pull action combined with where the button is placed ... this is pretty common, is it ?

 

So I just try to navigate the sometimes overwhelming flow of non-rational sensations and feelings and kinda bundle them and direct them into the music. Thoughts are not always helpful. Sometimes I use just the program lying at my feet to anchor myself to (needs to be printed in BIG letters). When performing with others, communication helps too - by looks or gesture.

 

Have a good time practising

[cplayer]

peter

i think we all at some time have had these problems,I still drift off now and again

coming to thinking what comes next ,well somehow or other the fingers never let you down.

as for changing from end to end well get a 39 button concertina (anglo)!

[Daniel Bradbury]

I can remember two instances where distraction completely got the better of me. While playing banjo with my old time/bluegrass band during an outdoor concert, a bird dropped a "hello message" on my arm. My first thought was "O.K., it's over and I can handle it. But as I continued to play, it kept oozing down my arm until I just couldn't handle it any more. A number of people in the audience witnessed the whole thing and were waiting, almost taking wagers on how long I would last.

 

The other instance was again at an outdoor venue, a stage set up in the garden behind a pub. This pub/restaurant was next door to a "biker bar" and as we were playing, a car drove down the ally, spraying the bar next door with automatic weapons fire. As chips of plaster and perhaps bullet fragments were raining down on us, I dived off the stage, followed in turn by the guitar player and then the mandolin player. The fiddler kept playing while looking at us incongruously, wondering why we were behaving in such a manner. He thought someone had set off some fire crackers in the alleyway. Personally, I think that guns and bullets are an acceptable excuse for loosing ones place if not more.

Edited September 17, 2004 by Daniel Bradbury

[Peter Brook]

I can remember two instances where distraction completely got the better of me

 

.....a bird dropped a "hello message" on my arm....

.....a car drove down the ally, spraying the bar next door with automatic weapons fire.

 

Personally, I think that guns and bullets are an acceptable excuse for loosing ones place if not more.

I think those are very valid excuses..... men with guns and birds firing bullets are not nice things to happen in the middle of a set!

 

We'll see if anything comes from the gig. A bloke came up to me afterwards and asked for our card - he said that he could put some work our way. We got chatting and he said that he organises charity concerts in a place called Peasmarsh. So I said what sort of people have you had performing in the past... oh he says...... Paul McCartney came down one night !

 

I won't hold my breath...

[Theo]

It seems to me that concentration -- the right KIND of concentration -- is a key to taming stage fright. What I'm wondering about is what constitutes good concentration.

 

To me that's it in a nutshell.

 

Try reading "The Inner Game of Music", authors name forgotten. It describes how to deal with the inner voice that can either be saying positive or negative things as you play. And it describes the kind of relaxed concentration that is ideal if you can achieve it.

 

On a personal note I have had similar problems and at one point I decided to enter some competitions at music festivals. I did not expect to win any prizes, but it was the most stressful possible performance situation. Having done that a number of times (and even won the occasional 1st!), everything else is relaxed in comparison.

 

And the more you play the better it gets. tunes or sets of tunes become like familiar friends.

 

Keep on playing.

 

Theo

[allan atlas]

THEO: re: the memory problem. . . . . . . .if the best string quartets in the world can have music and music stands on stage. . . . . . . .if the truly spectacular second quartet directed by Astor Piazzolla never went out on stage without music. . . . . . .if the metropolitan opera (and most other first-class opera houses) can have a prompter beneath a canopy at the front of the stage. . . . . . . . .

 

WHY SHOULD'NOT YOU HAVE MUSIC IN FRONT OF YOU................WHY SHOULDN'T ANYONE HAVE MUSIC IN FRONT OF THEM. . . . . . .is it a matter of what you or the group LOOKS LIKE. . . . . . .as i've said in other contexts: you're making music, not posing for a sculptor...................

 

remember: Fritz Kreisler's wife had to shove him out on stage. . . . . . .otherwise he would continue to cower in the wings..................allan