I have a bit of a problem.

I'm not new to performing - I've played guitar and sung at open mic nights in pubs full of drunks since about the age of 16. It doesn't phase me, particularly if I'm playing rhythm guitar (thought playing lead, the same problem as below begins to manifest itself a bit).

However, I AM fairly new to performing on trumpet. I'm an adult beginner, though I played brass at school. I sit first chair in a local orchestra, and don't really struggle with that. Occasionally, on an exposed solo section, I'll get the symptoms below, but not too bad. I've also played both lead and second trumpet (combined!) in a big band, and took an improvised solo in front of a room of 100-200 people. No symptoms whatsoever.

Playing solo or in a small group, however...

I shake. Visibly. I'm not FEELING nervous, but I just can't convince my body of that! I genuinely am not feeling nervous - no nausea or any of the other symptoms I used to get as a kid. This is starting to be a problem though. In order to keep my mouthpiece from dancing around my face, I have to use pressure, which any brass player will tell you is bad, and robs me of about a 5th off the top of my range. This is particularly worrying as it happens in grade exams (and I'm looking to take grade 6 in December), but I'm also hopefully going to start playing with a soul/motown band in the near future, and so I've got to get a handle on it as this band will be getting paid and I can't let the side down. The trumpet has a LOT of exposed work to do in soul bands, as it spends a lot of time above the staff.

I'm trying to perform more, in order to get used to it, but can ANYONE offer any alternative solutions? I've heard talk of eating bananas (though if I'm unable to brush my teeth before playing, that wouldn't be ideal - mouldy banana in a valve block wouldn't be fun!), and also using beta-blockers, though I'm not sure what reaction I'd get from my GP if I went in and asked for them! I've tried deep breathing, something I'm supposed to do anyway for brass playing, and that's not helped particularly.

I don't know if this is going to happen with the soul band, as that's mainly 'Maynard Ferguson' playing - loud, high, and powerful. It seems to manifest itself most when I'm having to play with any kind of sensitivity or dynamic range - hard for a trumpet!

Anyone got any ideas at all?

Some people use Rescue Remedy, although I've not tried it myself. If you do a title search for Rescue Remedy, you'll find a thread about it. Good luck - having suffered shaking fingers myself, I sympathise with your predicament!

Thanks, I'll have a look.

You could try Kalms herbal tablets (available from Boots/other chemists). They contain, among other things, extract of gentian and valerian. Valerian can be an excellent calmer. It has proved to be so effective at calming down excitable horses that it is now a 'banned substance' in equine competition...

j

A short spell of hypnotherapy might help? I was very sceptical about this but tried it for dental-phobia and it worked a treat.

I, too have been suffering from nerves, and sometimes for no apparent reason. It would be worth asking your doctor about beta-blockers such as Propranolol - they don't seem to have any reluctance to prescribe these, and the beta-blockers are supposed to reduce tremors etc. (Try asking for Diazepam and you'll probably get a firm rejection!!)
Also, I agree with the previous poster regarding the hypnotherapy - even if you don't want to undergo expensive one-to-one sessions, then you can purchase hypnotherapy CD'S which, if used regularly, can make a big difference. (The one I use is a relaxation CD by Glenn Harrold - I bought it via the internet)
Alternatively, you could have a session or two with a qualified hypnotherapist and they might make a CD up for you specially.
Anyway, good luck with all this - nerves can be a horrible thing, but can be overcome.

Thanks to everyone - I used to take propranolol for other reasons, so I'd like to think they wouldn't mind prescribing it (I'm hopefully seeing a doctor tomorrow, if I can get time off work). I feel a bit weird about the idea of taking something, but if it's the solution, then...

I like the idea of the valerian - herbal ketamine!!! I'm going to hit the supplements isle at Tesco tonight, so we'll see what I can find there. I sound like a right druggy, don't I?!

The hypotherapy is a good idea, but probably not something I can afford right now. Any idea how much sessions run to? Like I said though, I'm fairly certain it's physical, not mental - I don't FEEL nervous, it's just my body reacts as though I am. Would hypotherapy work for that kind of thing?

I maybe should have said that I'm quite 'nervy' anyway, in that I have a pretty fast pulse rate and my hands often shake - I can't carry cups of tea! This is despite being pretty fit (I used to teach kickboxing and run medium distance - whilst I don't do that now I do still look after myself), and doctors aren't concerned about it; it's just the way I'm wired.

Trumpet Ben,

"HYPOTHERAPY" - blinkin' 'eck - how on earth are you going to play your trumpet underwater???!!!!

Sorry - couldn't resist - don't want to make light of a difficult situation.

I suffer from nerves when I play guitar and that's just for our own student's end of term concerts. I can relate completely - up there on your own playing solo classical guitar - you just feel so exposed - it's terrible.

Our concerts had a pre printed order and as it got nearer to my turn I used to find that my hands would get really hot and sweaty - not good for the guitar.

I found that by playing pieces that I knew really well from memory that the nerves got less. I tried the Dog's Rescue Remedy for my Grade 8 exam, but it only made me feel a bit odd!!!

Playing at home in front of friends doesn't faze me in the slightest - try that and see how you get on.

Hope you find a solution that works for you.

Kind regards,

Nigel

Well, it would make playing Handel's Water Music easier

I found that by playing pieces that I knew really well from memory that the nerves got less. I tried the Dog's Rescue Remedy for my Grade 8 exam, but it only made me feel a bit odd!!!

Hope you were playing Bach

As I'm new here, just thought I'd add my initial thoughts. Is it possible you may be gripping the trumpet too hard, especially in times where you are most exposed. This can easily cause the hands to shake which means you then tense up causing the shaking to be even worse.

Not sure if this is the case in your situation but I know I have been guilty of this in the past, so bad in fact I've ended up with red marks on my hand!

Hope you find a way round it and good luck with you exam

I can relate to this - I recently accompanied my son's trumpet exam - it was only grade 3, the music was well within my capabilities and i really didn't feel nervous - but when i sat down to play I looked down at my hands and they were shaking so badly i honestly thought i wouldn't be able to play. I managed it but it was not perfect - although thankfully it didn't put my son off and i managed the exposed solo bit in the middle of one of the pieces, but i felt a complete fool and am now wondering if i could do it again. And I was thinking about offering my services as an accompanist to my son's teacher for other students of his!

I shall try the rescue remedy - i have some at home but tend to forget it!

Propanolol gets my vote. I have the same problem, my mind can feel utterly calm but my body independently decides that playing in public must be a life or death emergency and starts to shake. Propanolol just stops the shakes and the pounding of your heart by damping down the body's sympathetic response, and it does nothing adverse to your mind. You must get it from your doctor and not from a friend, as it can be dangerous for people with asthma for instance. I know you have taken it before, I just mention this for others reading this thread. Any reasonable GP should be willing to prescribe it as performance anxiety is one its licensed indications.
Hope this helps.

Hmmm. Perhaps I should try this when I retake my driving test in a few weeks...

Update time:

I went to see my GP, and apparently it's likely to be something called an Essential Tremor - basically, a tremor with no other symptoms (so not Parkinson's, for example). My hands shake a little at rest - one of the tests was holding a sheet of paper on my outstretched palms. They also shake at times when carrying a tray of coffee, for example. Essential Tremor can become more pronounced in high stress situations, whether that's nerves about performance or excitement about performance.

They WOULD have prescribed Propranalol, but in between me having that before and now, I got prescribed a Ventolin inhaler. I virtually never have to use it, but my GP won't take a chance. Instead, I've got to go see a neurologist, who will probably prescribe me something called Primidone, which is primarily an anti-epilepsy drug, but has some impact on Essential Tremor. The disadvantage (for me) is that I'll have to take it every day... I was really hoping just for something I could take before a performance.

Between now and then, I'm trying Kalms, but they don't seem to help a huge amount. Nor does Rescue Remedy.