Performance Anxiety and “Stage Fright”
I was reading a book not long ago when I stumbled upon a quote from the great Andres Segovia (classical guitar maestro from the 20th century) that really struck me.
He said: “When I go to a concert I am always nervous; then when I have to begin a concert I am ready to cancel it; but when I have finished a concert, I would like to begin again.”
I thought this quote captured the feeling of “stage fright” perfectly, and I took some comfort knowing that even one of the greatest guitarists that ever lived still had to deal with that aspect of being a musician.
Before a performance, do you ever find yourself asking, “Why am I doing this?”
Why do we put ourselves through this anxiety-inducing experience of attempting to perform a piece of music for an audience in spite of our fear and doubts about our abilities?
Well, I think the simple answer is this: Music is meant to be shared.
In the face of peformance anxiety, I think it’s helpful to keep one thing in mind: The audience wants you to succeed! They are not there to judge you, especially in a recital setting. They are simply there to listen to and enjoy beautiful music.
Let’s talk about mistakes.
Before a recital, I tell all of my student this: Mistakes are likely to happen during your performance. It’s almost inevitable (and it’s as true for me as it is for my students). Although you are aiming for perfection, that should not be the expectation. What’s important is that you “roll through” any mistakes, and just keep playing. Don’t let them stop you in your tracks.
Here’s the other thing about mistakes: the audience with RARELY notice them, especially not compared to how you hear them. We are truly our own worst critics in this regard.
That being said, there are a few things you should avoid during a performance:
Don’t try to stop and correct mistakes- the audience will notice pauses or breaks in rhythm much more than they will notice wrong notes or things like fret buzzes, muted strings, etc. Just keep playing.
Don’t panic. It’s not uncommon to lose your spot in your song when you make a mistake. If this happens, simply jump to the next section of the piece.
You don’t need to admit your mistakes to the audience after you’re done. Sometimes I’ll hear performers say things like “wow, that was terrible” or “man, I really messed that one up” right to the audience when they finish their song. This may be an attempt to save face, but it simply draws attention to mistakes that the audience probably didn’t even notice in the first place!
There is also no subsitute for preparation. In other words… Practice!
Muscle memory can be a very powerful thing- and when you are fighting to remember how to play your song through a flood of nerves and anxiety, it can be your saving grace! Remember to breathe, and let that muscle memory take over.
When all is said and done, I personally don’t believe that performance anxiety can be completely overcome. It is an inevitable part of being a performer. But that’s okay- maybe that’s one of the beautiful things about being a musician- conquering that fear and doubt about yourself and getting back on stage in spite of it, so you can triumph!
And just like anything else in life, you will ALWAYS get better with practice.
