I get so nervous before and during competitions, I know loads of people do but how do you handle/cope with it?

I walk on stage shaking and play piano in front of a panel of EXTREMELY scary judges with my leg shaking i walk off shaking and tripping down the stairs and making a fool of myself.

Someone tell me how to calm myself before competitions, because I'm entering "Young Musician of the Year" competition and i don't want my nerves to get in the way of my performance!

I know it's a rather predictable piece of forum advice now, and Car Expert was probably about to tell you, but eat a banana before your performance!! In your situation, it might not make a lot of difference but it will calm your nerves a bit. Walk on and off with a smile - it boosts your confidence.

First thing: It is only a performance. I know it seems important at the time but try to get into your mind that if you mess up nothing absolutely awful is going to happen. This works for me as I used to get awful nerves and now they are not so bad

Secondly: Close your mind off to who else is there. You are playing piano because you love playing piano and you are very good at it not because someone else said you were good (although this can help!)

Thirdly: Practice performing more. Take all the opportunities you possibly can to perform, the more you do it, the less big deal it is when you do it again (if that makes sense)

Fourthly: Fake confidence. Pretend to yourself and those around you (i would not say other nerous performers is a good idea as they might see you as arrogant etc but family and friends are good for this) you are not worried. You can sometimes kid yourself into believing you aren't all that nervous.

and Lastly: the judges are not that scary, they are humans and have probably all been through (at one stage or another) what you are going through when you perform for them. They want you to do well and are not out to get you.

Oh and how could I forget..... Smile!!!! It relaxes you

Good Luck!!!!!!!!!

xoxoxoxoxooxoxoxoxoxox

Blast, too slow again!

Feel confident - it would make you feel better, and try to .

Car Expert

I tried out Car Experts Banana thing lately for an audition and i was completely relaxed the whole day. OK the people auditioning me wer really nice, but i just wasn't nervous at all.
Was it the banana? We'll never know lol (queue scary tune)

Seriously though, just breathe as deep as you can n think right, i'm gonna show them what i can do.
that normally works for me, along with a banana lol

Well done for being asked to young musician of the year thats amazin!!

Sarah x

I would say that the best thing is to give yourself lots of opportunity to perform! You won't be THAT scared when you are used to it

If you try to enjoy the performance and really get into what you're playing, then judges can only be impressed. Playing a piece note perfect is no good if it is not performed, and in the same way slips are forgiven if a judge can see you understand the music etc.

Wish I could help - I gave up the idea of a solo career when I got to 21, because I couldn't deal with performance nerves. I couldn't eat for a couple of days before the performance, let alone a banana before I went on stage (great for losing weight!) I'm now thinking about returning to a career in music, and hoping that being a lot older will help. I do agree though that being super-prepared was the only thing that would calm me down!

There's a book called "The Inner Game of Music" by Timothy Green, which offers advice on nervousness in a musical content.

My favourite idea is to pretend that it's not you that's performing, but you're favourite performer (for me Dennis Brain), and as that performer is so good, they would never be nervous and would just enjoy the music.

Plus as I'm a girl, pretending to be a tall 30something man from the 50s is quite funny! Well, at least IMHO.

Hope that might help, your local library should have it somewhere.

hornplayer

it gets a lot easier over time! the top pianists perform up to 100 or so times in a year sometimes, so they get used to it.

Generally yeah eat a banana and thinking its only a performance are good pieces of advice, but to be honest i never find they really relax you.

I just try to take my mind off it - i do get very nervous, but just try to do something silly to make myself laugh, just like play a bit of jazz warming up, or think of something funny.

Although i dont like talking to people beforehand! but just try to humour yourself beforehand! it will relax you so much!

Yes, that works for me - I just pretend I'm Emanuel Pahud and that's fine - or helps, anyway.

I have the same problem, but as I've performed a lot over the last few months it's got much better. It's more of a routine - "oh, I have another performance soon" - rather than a thing I dread for weeks on end beforehand.

What really helps me is to keep myself occupied a few days before the performance. I tend to work very hard or find loads of things to do so that I'm too busy to worry (but I do practise of course ).

And always think to yourself: when will I ever have this chance of playing to an experienced audience, who can really appreciate my playing, again? That helps too!
Charlotte

It isn't what you think!! It's the one in Jersey...that I entered for...of my own accord (I'm not quite that standard) but on violin but i still get really nervous lol!!

The nerves will turn to enjoyment of being able to perform in public once you get used to it! Not many people have such opportunities, so tresure it

My oboe teacher recently leant me that to read, cos i get dead stressed, and have problems getting my head out of the way when i play.. i think too much! lol. It's got some very useful advice, so really worth looking up!

Anyway, just a few thoughts.. stuff i find helps personally:

Firstly, don't try and stop yourself being nervous. I know that sounds strange, but bear with me.. The more you try and deny your nerves, the more their existence will seem like a problem in itself, making you feel even more stressed! Instead, just accept them, and basically give yourself permission to be nervous. This makes the nerves a non issue, so you can accept them, put them to one side, and perform.

Before you go onstage, yawn. Again, i know that seems barmy - but it really is impossible to stay tense and yawn properly at the same time. This also has a calming effect on your system, as your body presumes that if you're yawning then everything must be ok really.

When you go onstage, or into an audition room, don't hurry yourself. If you're not quite happy with your tuning, or need to adjust your music, then do so. Noone is going to mind, in fact they're generally glad to see you preparing properly. Also gives you a chance to collect your thoughts, and settle yourself. Sort of, catch your balance!

When you're playing, then perform. Don't be phased by mistakes.. everyone makes them! They're gone, so just live in the moment, and allow yourself to enjoy!

Anyway, good luck with the competition!.. sure you'll be great.

[ps: what on earth is this banana thing?? lol, never heard that one before! have to try it methinks ]

I've never heard of it either! I've heard of chocolate for nerves but i dont eat it so i can't really use that!

Chocolate? That's new to me!

Car Expert

Well you really DO learn something new everyday!

Yes, true!

Car Expert

Anything else you'd like to share with the class?

Erm, remember the bananas as well! Apart from that, no!

Car Expert

I would have thought that eating chocolate would make it worse
After a while, you get less nervous and more excited. I've been performing with my dancing for 13 years and I'm so used to it I rarely feel nervous. The best thing is to be prepared, it'll make you more confident. Also, you could play your piece/s to your family a week before to give you some feeling of how it will go.
Another thing, if you pretend you are confident, it really helps. In the numerous shows I've performed in, I've often had to put on a brave face for the younger ones in my group, and it has made me more confident.
There's always deep breathing.
And a bannana.

Good Luck!!

Basically don't think about it. You get nervous because you're brain goes into overdrive thinking about all the possibilities, what if I fall over, what if I hit a wrong note, etc. Try to focus on something else. Hum a tune. Think about what you'll have for breakfast tomorrow. Think happy thoughts. When I was at primary I was in the high jump finals and discovered you just have to find a different brain track. I sung the Angela Anaconda theme tune to myself and it did actually calm me down. It just gives your brain something else to do. Kind of like an infant. Leave it to it's unhappiness and they will cry, distract the child and they will forget all about their crying. Nervousness is brain thing. Try not to let it get the best of you.
Also, in case you wondered, I came first in the highjump

Distraction's great
I used to do pony club when i was younger, and we'd end up jumping a lot of scary courses of show jumps.. you could see people panicking, and going really pale... especially when the teacher started talking about jumping them without stirrups or reins
If we were freaking, our instructor would get us to go round the course singing.. anything.. often nursery rhymes (baa baa black sheep was a particular favourite!! ). It's impossible to remember the words to song and freak out at the same time, lol. It was very effective.
s xx

But playing Bach and singing Baa Baa Black Sheep is slightly trickier...

Hmm.. you may have a point there..
so thats where i've been going wrong all these years!

The most useful bit of advice my teacher gave me on this topic was to realize that when playing in front of judges, examiners, other teachers, ect., that these type of people will appreciate and be able to detect all the effort that went into learning the piece. The will notice if you have a crescendo in a neat place. They will appreciate your rubato.

The last time I had a performance, (last Thursday), I played Beethoven's Pathetique Sonata (first movement). I proceeded to play the opening Grave the best I've ever played it, then the Allegro was kind of messy, and THEN I completely, utterly, killed part of it. (I won't tell you how, because you'll only start worrying about that happening to you ). And my teacher still raved about it because of the opening Grave. Okay, so she's also biased, but it goes to show that even with mistakes, those kind of people really notice and remember the musicality you show, not the notes you hit.

As a matter of fact, I competed last year in local festivals, and two girls COMPLETELY blanked, (one girl even needed to retrieve her music from the adjudicator to continue!). They both got first place, because I'll even admit they played with great emotion and control other than those bloopers, as HUGE as their were. And these were two different adjudicators in two different cities!

You have to pretend and get into you're head that you are playing on you're own and no one is there at all.If its a concert /festival make a bee-line for the piano/instrument and deeply concentrate focusing on the instrument.Also do breathing exercises.These should calm you down making you more relaxed.
This is what i did in the last festival i took part in and look at the results in my signature !
Only thing now is 22 years later without playing,i cant stop fingers from shaking half way through pieces in front of family and freinds

Oh no it doesn't and oh no they don't, not for everyone. Not all high level performers learn to control their nerves, ever, even with years of practice. Without wanting to mention any names I know of many professional performers who literally shake with nerves before having to perform a solo, whether that be an entire work or just a short section within a work.

I've heard of good players cracking up in auditions too - busrting into tears, the lot. Extremely high stress levels, when you know your monthly income depends on it too, can cause major problems.

With that level of nervousness bananas aren't of use either, it usually takes the use of beta-blockers. Many in the music profession use them but never admit to it, not even to their closest colleagues.

Anyone considering chocolate to dull the nerves, DON'T. Chocolate makes you hyperactive because of the high sugar content, so that will heighten the adrenalin effect even more.

How about very dark chocolate, Lindt 85% or similar? Or, if you're in London, L'Artisan du Chocolat do a
[url=http://www.artisanduchocolat.com/ArtisanduChocolatSite/product/Bars%20and%20hot%20chocolate_Plantation bars/BARCARENERO.htm]100% cocoa solids chocolate bar[/url]

I think you can learn to cope with the nerves and play anyway (unless they are really extreme), but no, there's no guarantee they will go away.

Would there be caffeine to heighten the adrenaline in dark choc though?

I'm not big on the whole herblism thing, however if you tend to get a queasy stomach with nerves, then echinacea tea is actually really calming, and has no caffiene, so no worries there... my aunt introduced me to this recently, and it's great.

With beta blockers - they're very good for getting rid of the adverse symptoms of nerves.. nausea, shaking etc, without dulling the edge that the adrenaline can give for performing. However, if you're asthmatic you won't be able to take them at all.
Another helpful one is Bach's Rescue Remedy..
again i'm venturing into the land of the herbal, but its very good... i used to be a sceptic, and think it just had a placebo effect, until we used it on a horse who alwys went nuts at shows... a few drops of that and he'd be dozing off in minutes... its mad! I dunno how/why it works, but it does.
:] s x

Echinacea drops are good for health, generally, that much I know. But I've never heard of echinacea tea being good for nerves? I'd interested to try, as although I have no reason to be nervous, I like to feel calm, generally, and preventatively, when the kid suddenly gets into a real panic and screams continuously for no apparent reason.

Where could one get this tea in south England, hobo? Do they have it in places like, say, Tesco or Morrison's?

Thanks!

Chocolate in general puts the senses on a real high, especially high cocoa content, even without sugar. The leaves of the cocoa plant are the source of a well known drug that is very addictive. No mention of the name here, but just think about the first three letters of the word cocoa.

I use idea from the Timothy Green book plus some advice from Carola Grindea in her "Tensions in the Performance of Music" book. One of the best bits of advice which really helped about half-way through a concert when I was about to go back on and perform pieces which were a little touch-and-go memorywise was "Allow yourself to fail". Ask yourself "What is the worst thing that could happen?"

So of course, I started thinking "Well the worst thing that could happen is my memory goes so completely that I have to stand up, smile sweetly, crack a joke about how my memory's not quite what it used to be, go off and fetch my music and ask very nicely if there's someone in the audience who could maybe turn pages for me......." No big deal! So armed with that safety-net I went on.............................and played the pieces the absolute best they'd ever been played!!! It's giving yourself the permission which actually releases you to some extent in your playing.

Also when practising I often imagine characters, film scenes, made up stories (made up by me) etc to fit the music and to help me get the interpretation and the mood behind the music, and sometimes immersing myself in these in a performance can help take my mind off other things too. Although often by the time I come to performance many of the images are now redundant so I just immerse myself in the music.

Plus when practising I actually imagine the audience sitting in my study!!! And it's amazing - imagination is pretty powerful, so I can actually feel slight quickening of the heartbeat etc. Not as much as the actual performance, but at least some of those feelings.

Don't start playing too quickly - give yourself time to breathe deeply and collect your thoughts and focus before you start.

(Incidentally I may have already written this on this thread at an earlier date - I can't remember! Example of the memory problem!!! )



Yep I'll add another comment - I know a top concert pianist (but I'm not dropping any names!!!) who even after several years of wonderful playing is now beginning to suffer more with nerves, so it doesn't necessarily get easier. Most top concert pianists would tell you they get nervous beforehand too. They just don't show it.

I have discovered how not to be nervous any more. The last 2 important things I have done, I haven't been nervous at all. That has never happened before, in 10 years. I don't think it's a coincidence that these performances have been the ones I have been the most prepared for. Even playing from memory hasn't made me scared. I'm 100% certain that nervousness = unpreparedness.

Depends on the person: some people have nerves for very understandable reasons, ie unpreparedness, fear about the situation, or whatever. However, there are some people for whom all the prep in the world will make very little or no difference to them feeling nervous... I am one of them! It doesn't matter if I am totally *over*prepared for something, I will still get nerves. Fortunately I don't get nerves to the point where I can't even play, but some do, and for some people those extreme nerves will be present even when they are extremely well prepared. The nerves = lack of prep is certainly a contributory factor for some people, but it doesn't come close to telling the whole story.

I could write an essay on tackling nerves because I have researched it myself so much- but when it boils down to when I have to overcome them, everything goes out the window.

When I was younger, I sat at the back of orchestras shaking like a leaf. Even though I was nowhere near the audience, I was about a million times more nervous than the leader! It's still the same now, and getting worse as I creep forward in my orchestra. Im the better player on my desk, but i'll never be able to take the part of leader because my nerves are so bad. *sigh*

I used to believe in the 'nervousness = unpreparedness' but not anymore really... I mean yes if the more you're prepared then you're less likely to be nervous.. but I can be 100% prepared and i'll still get really nervous. *shrug* It's a weird system.