Nerves Options

[bassoonista]

As a teacher I have found that all my adult pupils suffer from nerves to a greater or lesser extent and say that they cannot play as well for me as they can at home. I must admit, I have come to expect it when taking on a new adult pupil and we talk about it. I try to assure them that we are on the journey together, I am on their side and not sitting in judgement, and also that I can hear past the nerves because I am listening for things other than the right notes, and even if a piece is a bit shabby, I can still tell if there are improvements, but none of this really seems to work. It does get better over a very long time. I'm not an intimidating person, at least I wouldn't think I am, I'm not very big, look younger than I am and am quite a jolly person.

It makes me sad that I haven't found a way of freeing my pupils from this. Perhaps it's just part of adult life - we can't regain that lack of selfconsciousness that we had as children.

I think it's a little more than a lack of self consiousness. As adults, we have had years of listening to beautifuly played music, and so we judge ourselves more harshly. I know I want to sound like the recordings I hear, and I don't make allowances for the fact that after only four years, I can't possibly sound like a professional musician. We are more criticial because we have more idea of how a piece should sound...or is that just me?

[lottie]

As a teacher I have found that all my adult pupils suffer from nerves to a greater or lesser extent and say that they cannot play as well for me as they can at home. I must admit, I have come to expect it when taking on a new adult pupil and we talk about it. I try to assure them that we are on the journey together, I am on their side and not sitting in judgement, and also that I can hear past the nerves because I am listening for things other than the right notes, and even if a piece is a bit shabby, I can still tell if there are improvements, but none of this really seems to work. It does get better over a very long time. I'm not an intimidating person, at least I wouldn't think I am, I'm not very big, look younger than I am and am quite a jolly person.

It makes me sad that I haven't found a way of freeing my pupils from this. Perhaps it's just part of adult life - we can't regain that lack of selfconsciousness that we had as children.

I think it's a little more than a lack of self consiousness. As adults, we have had years of listening to beautifuly played music, and so we judge ourselves more harshly. I know I want to sound like the recordings I hear, and I don't make allowances for the fact that after only four years, I can't possibly sound like a professional musician. We are more criticial because we have more idea of how a piece should sound...or is that just me?

I agree with basoonista - I want to play and sound like some of the recordings I listen to. It's hard to tell myself the truth that I'll probably NEVER sound like that because I'm not 'devoting' myself to music exclusively (I do other things too). I am SO hard on myself though and I KNOW how I want to sound even when I'm playing my simple exam pieces.

If it's any help at all to anyone here I don't really have 'lesson-nerves' now because I have let myself off the hook - it doesn't MATTER that I'm not perfect because the main focus of my life is in another field. Recognising that gave me tremendous freedom and hugely improved my playing because I could relax and concentrate on the sound I WAS making and not what I WANTED to sound like. Basically it didn't matter if I made a mistake and strangely I started to make fewer 'nervous' mistakes. I'm still hard on myself and I still make loads of errors but the playing at home is now about equal to the playing in lessons and the teacher and I work together at improving things. I have nothing to be 'afraid' of.

But I still want to sound EXACTLY like Maxim Rysanov in his Schubert Arpeggione sonata recording and that's unlike to happen any time soon (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) !!!

[viola-mad]

I think it's a little more than a lack of self consiousness. As adults, we have had years of listening to beautifuly played music, and so we judge ourselves more harshly. I know I want to sound like the recordings I hear, and I don't make allowances for the fact that after only four years, I can't possibly sound like a professional musician. We are more criticial because we have more idea of how a piece should sound...or is that just me?

I agree with basoonista - I want to play and sound like some of the recordings I listen to.
...

I too think it is more than a lack of self consciousness. I think that our nerves show themselves because we really care about playing well. Sometimes the nerves can be crippling, and I get that in lessons sometimes. Stupidly, it's usually when I have had a week's really good practice and I know I've improved, and then I go and make myself look an idiot.

It's when you have no nerves at all that you need to worry, because that means it no longer matters to you. I'm sorry to say that I've played a couple of gigs when I had no nerves whatsoever (as part of a group, i.e. no solo work). I came off stage feeling flat, disappointed and fed up. No buzz whatsoever, and no fun at all. I felt so deflated that I actually considered resigning from that band afterwards.

The most productive way I have found of using nerves it to try and turn them into excitement. That way you get fired up but not terrified.

But I still want to sound EXACTLY like Maxim Rysanov in his Schubert Arpeggione sonata recording and that's unlike to happen any time soon (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) !!!

Hold onto that desire Lottie! Having something to aspire to can be an incredible motivator.

[katemorrisviolin]

Thanks for this thread, it's really interesting. I suffered terrible nerves with tremor when I played classical guitar, but discovered that I could be nervous and still play anyway as long as what I was playing was only at 70% of my top ability. So I only ever performed music within that comfort zone, knowing I had that margin, so I didn't have to get nervous about whether I was going to get nervous or not. It didn't matter, I'd still manage it. My current violin teacher tells me to imagine I am someone else when I am playing. That's helped. It's taken me a year of lessons with him not to tense up when playing to him. I think it's easier in ensemble too.

[brysonfire]

I'm very glad I started this thread. It's very interesting and reassuring to read so many responses to a topic nobody ever seems to mention when it comes to playing an instrument and performing, even if that performance is only for one other person, within a lesson.

Before I started I never even thought about nerves and I've been quite shocked at the extent to which I succumb, which has consequently led to me negating the nerves rather than simply accepting them as part of the process and continuing anyway. This has no doubt made things worse.

I find playing for my teacher more nervewracking than when we play together. I feel like a different person when we play together and am much more able to relax and give more. Good job I have no desire to play solo!