Stage Fright

As a guitarist and singer, I need to have steady hands and good breath control, so of course my stage fright manifests as shaky hands and a tight chest. I’ve been dealing with stage fright all my life. It’s a highly unusual thing, getting in front of people to perform. I’m shy and withdrawn by nature, and sometimes I question the wisdom in choosing a career path that puts me in front of people all the time.

Fortunately, my stage fright has decreased over time. Here are some tricks I use. Maybe this will help you deal with your own nerves.

• Accept it. Don’t fight it. The worst thing you can do if you start to get the shakes is to suppress them. You’re experiencing a fight-or-flight adrenaline surge. If you try to suppress the shaking, you only make it worse. I usually start to get nervous about halfway through the first song. If I feel it coming, I literally think to myself, “Hello friend, I’ve been waiting for you!” Nervousness can be your friend. It’s a sign that you care, and if you’re able to channel it, you can use it to add excitement to your performance.
• Breathe deeply and let it out. For me, the best way to release the adrenaline is to take a deep breath and blow out. It helps me to think that I’m actually blowing away the nerves when I breathe out. If I feel the shakes coming, I’ll immediately begin taking deep breaths.
• Arrive in time for a good warm-up and quiet time. Some musicians have no problem showing up just before show time, but I need some serious alone time, preferably in the space I’ll be performing. I like to arrive early enough to set up my gear, make sure everything is in order, warm up a little, and then simply occupy the space for a while without being bothered.
• Prepare! One sure way to get nervous is to come to a gig unprepared.
• Deal with the now. If you just missed a note, don’t worry. It’s done and gone, and there’s no getting it back. If you worry about a difficult passage coming up, you increase the odds of missing what you’re playing at the moment. If you dwell on what’s behind you or ahead of you, it’s easy to get nervous and miss what’s happening right now.
• Perform a lot. The main reason I’ve been able to deal with my stage fright is that I’ve been performing a lot. Although it’s not natural for me to be in front of people, the more often I perform, the more normal it feels.

Here's a site with some more useful tips for dealing with stage fright: http://www.happiness-project.com/happiness_project/2008/02/this-wednesda-3.html