Dealing with Stage Freight
(I wrote this article on performance anxiety almost 7 years ago, and to date it is one of my most popular!)
The fear of playing in front of people can be debilitating. In the case of students who need to make the jump for lessons to session playing, its normal. For pros who experience, it can range from "normal anxiety" to a serious issue that can wreck a career. --In severe cases where one is a professional, and it can not be managed, consideration of consultation of a mental health professional should be considered.
Prior to doing that, let's look at some ways to deal with the problem yourself...
Some things to understand...
First of all, a lot of what stage freight is really just a rush... part of the high of the music. Second, its a sign... a sign that the person takes the mission before him or her very seriously and cares. For that reason, I think such feelings make the person who has them a better human being. As a result, you shouldn't come down on yourself and think that you're not worthy to play before an audience because you're scared... On the contrary, you should realize that because you take the task at hand so seriously you ARE the type of person who belongs up there... So don't ever allow yourself to question your worthiness to play in a situation that you have an opportunity to play in, especially if you're invited by someone who knows your playing... To care means to have a sense of professionalism, maturity and responsibility - - great qualities, and in fact, many musicians who are also bandleaders (like myself) like to give opportunities to such players because even though they might still have a lot of growing to do, they are usually the type of musicians who grow the quickest.
In the end, the only problem with stage freight is when the fear becomes dibilitating and you're unable to cope with it.
My own experience is as follows :
Part of life is about facing one's fears. I'm going to go out there and do my thing, I will come as prepared as I can and no matter what happens, I will come out with pride and more experience. I want to play well, and I'm here to make great music. I will do my best. I am not afraid what people think of me... whatever mistakes I make tonight, it won't matter... I will learn from them and I look forward to learning from them so next time when I go up I'll be even less scared. I will play my best, learn from my experiences and continue to grow. This is all that matters !
Once you get this little pep talk in your head and come to believe it, I truly believe it will help. Creative visualization also helps. What's your greatest fear? No problem... imagine what you will do if it happens. - - My greatest fear used to be a lead sheet blowing off the bandstand while I was playing a tune I didn't know... It never happened to me... but that's probably because I used to be so scared I'd bring rocks up on the bandstand with me ! (*I'm not joking !) AND JUST REMEMBER, no matter how bad you mess up (and we all do at times), learn to laugh it off. Its not the end of the world... That's one of the advantages of being a Jazz man instead of an anesthesiologist... No one's gonna not wake up if you make a mistake ! Further if you're in the company of more experienced musicians they should be able to cover you. And remember, more often than not, the people who are going to have negative things to say about your performance are the people who could never get up there and do what you're doing anyway or who feel so insecure about there own playing, that they have to belittle other just in order to feel good about themselves. These are not people to look up ! Great musicians with healthy self esteem try to give warmth, love and encouragement with others... this is particularly necessary to keep the music community growing and make sure they have sidemen who are familiar with their style that they can play with. If anyone tries to make you feel bad about your performance, just remember : A great musicians shares his gifts with others (i.e. teaches instead of judges), a lowly one (but who might come off on the surface as a bit shot) makes himself big by making others feel small. If you have the courage and the guts and you step out there in the spotlight and play, you are to be envied and admired... it takes courage, and that's something many people will actually envy you for. NEVER BE TOO SCARED TO PLAY IN FRONT OF OTHER PEOPLE... its what its all about, and as I always say and any experienced musician will tell you one gig is worth about 100 lessons.
Here's another word of advice... if you do get the jitters or panic attacks, you are not alone. As an example, when I used to lead a bandstand on just a MONTHLY basis I used to actually start getting PANIC ATTACKS 2 weeks before the gig and counting down in dread... every horrible scenario would come to my mind... and I'd feel physically sick... almost numb up until the first tune of the set... but once you got me going and I was heated up... boy you couldn't make me stop. I'd suddenly go from fealing weak and vulnerable, to strong and powerful. Yet, for years and years (actually until fairly recently) I used to panic before gigs, but then eventually I sat myself down, forced myself to recount all the worrying I'd been doing, and worrying over nothing, and finally looked myself in the mirror and said, "SCHMUCK !"
In the end, performance has a lot to do with thinking on your feet, being willing to make mistakes (yet knowing how to get up after you do) and building your self esteem. - - The more you get into the routine of playing before other people, the less performance anxiety will effect your ability to perform. - - And the ability to perform in front of other people is one of the most overlooked skills in Jazz... practising and practising and practising will do nothing to teach it to you... it can only begin to prepare you - - getting out and doing it will, and you'll find that once those "faceless faces" that shred your stomache to tatters become your friends, they will inspire you to reach higher and higher levels in your own musical performance !
So, next time you're at a session and not sure whether or not to make the leap, simply pep and pump yourself up.... Just do it, do it, do it... jump in the water and swim... GO ! There's no turning back... head straight for the line then be proud ! I'm reminded of a mentor of mine who once told me that most of the great comedians had one thing in common... they were far better at laughing at themselves than making fun of others... I've taken this advice and it has definitely helped me in a quite a few of life's situations !
Eddie Landsberg
Tokyo, 2005
side note - - Important word of advice. Whatever you do, do not rely on alcohol or sedatives to calm you down before a performance. There's a reason you're not supposed to drink or take drugs before you drive a car. The reason is because it can slow down your reflexes and judgement. When that happens although you are less likely to care about making mistakes, you will be more likely to make them, so my advice : stay natural when you perform. You will also find a secondary reward when you get off the stage or bandstand: A natural high resulting from the release of endorphines as a result of the excitement you just encountered, and in time you will learn to crave this high and as a result become physically addicted to your art. This is a good thing !
The fear of playing in front of people can be debilitating. In the case of students who need to make the jump for lessons to session playing, its normal. For pros who experience, it can range from "normal anxiety" to a serious issue that can wreck a career. --In severe cases where one is a professional, and it can not be managed, consideration of consultation of a mental health professional should be considered.
Prior to doing that, let's look at some ways to deal with the problem yourself...
Some things to understand...
First of all, a lot of what stage freight is really just a rush... part of the high of the music. Second, its a sign... a sign that the person takes the mission before him or her very seriously and cares. For that reason, I think such feelings make the person who has them a better human being. As a result, you shouldn't come down on yourself and think that you're not worthy to play before an audience because you're scared... On the contrary, you should realize that because you take the task at hand so seriously you ARE the type of person who belongs up there... So don't ever allow yourself to question your worthiness to play in a situation that you have an opportunity to play in, especially if you're invited by someone who knows your playing... To care means to have a sense of professionalism, maturity and responsibility - - great qualities, and in fact, many musicians who are also bandleaders (like myself) like to give opportunities to such players because even though they might still have a lot of growing to do, they are usually the type of musicians who grow the quickest.
In the end, the only problem with stage freight is when the fear becomes dibilitating and you're unable to cope with it.
My own experience is as follows :
- Once you gain the courage to just go and jump in the water, it eventually passes, or atleast doesn't hinder.
- The more experience you have playing out, the less you will get stage freight, this is why before the big show you should try to get as much experience playing in front of other people (even if its just friends or family) as possible.
- A good healthy attitude can take you a long way with dealing it.
- Of course, come to the job prepared and remember that even Olympic Skaters who fall down mid-performance still win medals. The issue isn't making a mistake, its being able to calm yourself to a level that you can recover from the mistake without letting it make you so nervous that you begin to make one mistake after another following it. Remember, being a pro doesn't so much mean being perfect as much as it means being able to deal with unanticipated situations. The better you get at dealing with "live glitches" the more professional your playing will appear to be (!)
Part of life is about facing one's fears. I'm going to go out there and do my thing, I will come as prepared as I can and no matter what happens, I will come out with pride and more experience. I want to play well, and I'm here to make great music. I will do my best. I am not afraid what people think of me... whatever mistakes I make tonight, it won't matter... I will learn from them and I look forward to learning from them so next time when I go up I'll be even less scared. I will play my best, learn from my experiences and continue to grow. This is all that matters !
Once you get this little pep talk in your head and come to believe it, I truly believe it will help. Creative visualization also helps. What's your greatest fear? No problem... imagine what you will do if it happens. - - My greatest fear used to be a lead sheet blowing off the bandstand while I was playing a tune I didn't know... It never happened to me... but that's probably because I used to be so scared I'd bring rocks up on the bandstand with me ! (*I'm not joking !) AND JUST REMEMBER, no matter how bad you mess up (and we all do at times), learn to laugh it off. Its not the end of the world... That's one of the advantages of being a Jazz man instead of an anesthesiologist... No one's gonna not wake up if you make a mistake ! Further if you're in the company of more experienced musicians they should be able to cover you. And remember, more often than not, the people who are going to have negative things to say about your performance are the people who could never get up there and do what you're doing anyway or who feel so insecure about there own playing, that they have to belittle other just in order to feel good about themselves. These are not people to look up ! Great musicians with healthy self esteem try to give warmth, love and encouragement with others... this is particularly necessary to keep the music community growing and make sure they have sidemen who are familiar with their style that they can play with. If anyone tries to make you feel bad about your performance, just remember : A great musicians shares his gifts with others (i.e. teaches instead of judges), a lowly one (but who might come off on the surface as a bit shot) makes himself big by making others feel small. If you have the courage and the guts and you step out there in the spotlight and play, you are to be envied and admired... it takes courage, and that's something many people will actually envy you for. NEVER BE TOO SCARED TO PLAY IN FRONT OF OTHER PEOPLE... its what its all about, and as I always say and any experienced musician will tell you one gig is worth about 100 lessons.
Here's another word of advice... if you do get the jitters or panic attacks, you are not alone. As an example, when I used to lead a bandstand on just a MONTHLY basis I used to actually start getting PANIC ATTACKS 2 weeks before the gig and counting down in dread... every horrible scenario would come to my mind... and I'd feel physically sick... almost numb up until the first tune of the set... but once you got me going and I was heated up... boy you couldn't make me stop. I'd suddenly go from fealing weak and vulnerable, to strong and powerful. Yet, for years and years (actually until fairly recently) I used to panic before gigs, but then eventually I sat myself down, forced myself to recount all the worrying I'd been doing, and worrying over nothing, and finally looked myself in the mirror and said, "SCHMUCK !"
In the end, performance has a lot to do with thinking on your feet, being willing to make mistakes (yet knowing how to get up after you do) and building your self esteem. - - The more you get into the routine of playing before other people, the less performance anxiety will effect your ability to perform. - - And the ability to perform in front of other people is one of the most overlooked skills in Jazz... practising and practising and practising will do nothing to teach it to you... it can only begin to prepare you - - getting out and doing it will, and you'll find that once those "faceless faces" that shred your stomache to tatters become your friends, they will inspire you to reach higher and higher levels in your own musical performance !
So, next time you're at a session and not sure whether or not to make the leap, simply pep and pump yourself up.... Just do it, do it, do it... jump in the water and swim... GO ! There's no turning back... head straight for the line then be proud ! I'm reminded of a mentor of mine who once told me that most of the great comedians had one thing in common... they were far better at laughing at themselves than making fun of others... I've taken this advice and it has definitely helped me in a quite a few of life's situations !
Eddie Landsberg
Tokyo, 2005
side note - - Important word of advice. Whatever you do, do not rely on alcohol or sedatives to calm you down before a performance. There's a reason you're not supposed to drink or take drugs before you drive a car. The reason is because it can slow down your reflexes and judgement. When that happens although you are less likely to care about making mistakes, you will be more likely to make them, so my advice : stay natural when you perform. You will also find a secondary reward when you get off the stage or bandstand: A natural high resulting from the release of endorphines as a result of the excitement you just encountered, and in time you will learn to crave this high and as a result become physically addicted to your art. This is a good thing !