Nervous when playing in public

[SwtCaro]

Thanks for the encouraging words, everybody!

I think part of my problem is that I'm not entirely comfortable with any of my whistles. They're mostly low-end ones that have mouthpiece problems. I've been playing my Dixon D the most, but it's so quiet, I know it'll have to be mic'ed for the performance, and if I squeak . . . yikes! I tried calling Mike Burke to see if he has any Pro Session Ds in stock, but I'm not counting on getting a call back soon enough for this particular performance. I knew I should have just bitten the bullet and bought one after Christmas. Oh well. So, back to the practice board.

Nano--thanks for the recording suggestion. Did that all the time on clarinet but hadn't thought to with whistle. If I could just quit blowing through the notes (the Dixon doesn't seem to take as much air as I want to give it) I sound pretty ok.

SwtCaro

[E = Fb]

See an MD about Propananol, and anti-stagefright medication.

As for sessions, start your own! Get sheetmusic (perferably with chords) for the tunes you play. Then find another musician who has some interest (that's the hard part). Pubs, book stores, Starbucks etc often don't mind letting people play as long as money is not involved.

[Tyghress]

Beta blockers. You can get a prescription from your doctor.
(or a slug of Jamesons right before you go to play...whichever you prefer)

Hey! That's MY cure!

Actually, I'm plagued by nerves too, unless I'm in a group.

Anyway, if you want a Burke pronto, go to Song of the Sea. They have them in stock.

[Jeferson]

I'll add two things. First, repeatedly tell yourself the truth: you are the best whistle player in the building. Oh, it's bragging alright, but it's OK if you only say it internally. Second, I recommend you pop into the church one or two times when nobody is in the sanctuary. Get up on stage and let your whistle fly. When I started I found that when I'm there all by myself, it becomes MY comfortable whistling place. A few days later, sure, add a room full of people, it's still my place.

As for whistles, get to know one or two of them really well and the maker will become irrelevant. My performance whistles are a tweaked Clarke D, a Dixon Bb, and Susatos in A,C,and Eb. They sound great after being broken in! Of course it's me that's being broken in...

Maybe it's a male gene thing, but I have absolutely no problem doing a whole lot of internal bragging, and the result is that I'm now very comfortable on stage. You've got lots of good advice here. Be sure to let us know about it when it's done!

Jef

[Paul]

SwtCaro, I know what youre talking about. If you freeze up just try to play through it. Make up a few notes till you get back on track. Most of the audience won't notice at all. I've done that while singing in public. Switched verses around or made up a few words etc. Very embarassing, but like I said most people didn't really notice.

Good Luck,
Paul

[Darwin]

For me, the biggest problem is what to do if I get totally lost. That doesn't happen much any more, but it used to. I've found that the fastest thing is to just stop playing for a second or so, listen to the other musicians, and try to come in at the beginning of a bar. If I keep trying to catch up while still playing, I never get back in sync. (If you have a chance to practice with the other musicians, you could try coming in at different points in the melody.)

On the other hand, if you make a mistake in a part of the melody that repeats, play the same mistake the second time through, and everyone will think you did it on purpose. (I learned that one from a Bluegrass banjo player.)

Rememeber that as long as your mistakes aren't really glaring, most of the audience won't even recognize them as mistakes. Year before last, I played a couple of fiddle tunes on guitar along with a mandolin player at a New Years concert. I was having severe shoulder pains and tensed up to the point that I only hit about every third note. Afterwards, quite a few people came up and told me how wonderful my playing was. I was really tempted to tell them that their taste in music was atrocious--but I just thanked them and smiled.

[cowtime]

I think you will find that playing in church is FUN!

I've played on the odd occasion every now and then and the folks just love it. Most have had little exposure to whistles and are amazed that so much sound can come from them.

As someone who is certainly not new to performing music you know that your time spent in practice is time well spent . I like to leave as little as possible to chance. The previous advice to practice in the church ahead of time is a good suggestion. Actually, everything you can do ahead will help the nerves at performance time. It gives you less to stress about. Then you can concentrate on the music.

Above all, have fun. Oh yeah, and be prepared to be complimented on your "flute/recorder" playing.

[whistlegal]

I can empathize. I spent the first couple of years of my public playing frozen with fear and shaking all over. I'd even make an idiot of myself if someone asked me a question. Once on a radio show, the DJ asked me how long I'd been playing the whistles? My response was: "I've been playing thisles for thour years." JEEEZE O' PEEET!!!! This same DJ gave me some very good advice after the show. He told me to embrace the moment and go with it, to unleash all my nervous energy onto the audience rather than holding it in, that the adreneline rush was what was making my breathing erratic and my hands shaky. Strangely enough, trying to follow this advise has helped tremendously. Also, before you step out to play, clasping your hands behind your back and stretching helps with tension. Deep breathing is also helpful. Last, but not least, remind yourself that this is not high school or college and there are no other student whistle players hoping you will fall on your face so that they will look better. Your audience hopes you will be brilliant and welcomes you with open arms. Hope this helps.

[middling]

I had to give the valedictorian speech at my college graduation last year. I was really nervous, but I took a Lorazepam about a half hour beforehand and it worked great. In fact, that's usually what I did before classes, too.
I'm kidding. I have read a study that claims that it is physically very difficult to feel strong fear or anger while smiling. I've tried it before public speaking, etc., as part of a relaxation technique. I think it helps.

[Stu H]

I hate to get on the old 'high horse' here, but we kinda have drifted onto my subject.

As stated earlier feelings of nervousness before a big event are entirely normal and a natural part of our make-up. I suppose it goes back to the days when ancient humans were preparing for the hunt or battle and needed the adrenalin to give them an'edge'

These feelings nowadays may make us a little uncomfortable, but they will not harm us. Taking any form of chemical medication to remove these feelings - to stop us feeling uncomfortable - is something that I would hesitate to endorse.

Why not embrace your humanity rather than supress it?

[Bloomfield]

...

Why not embrace your humanity rather than supress it?

I try to embrace my humanity, but it keeps running away screaming "EWWW!" all the time.

[Stu H]

Bloomfield -

I said embrace, not molest!!!!!!

[GaryKelly]

I spent the best part of 15 years training to make the big team (nothing to do with whistling) and finally made it. At my first major international championship I was hanging around waiting for my event to begin. I was physically ill. Can't remember how many times I had to go to the 'bathroom'. "My heart was in my pants", as they would say in Iceland.

A friend came up to me about ten minutes before the 'start' and gave me some jolly good advice (which of course I thought was cr*p at the time!):

"Enjoy it! It's nothing you haven't done a thousand times before! Close your eyes, take a deep breath. Memorize the feelings you're feeling, the air you're smelling, the sounds you're hearing. Because no matter how bad you think you feel at the moment, when the event's over, you *will* want to do it all over again...but you can't, because it's gone forever. Until the next time, which'll be different."

He was right, of course. I did as he said, and can still remember the day and the moments leading up to the start. Funny, can't remember much about the actual event itself though. But I did want to do it all over again...and couldn't, until the next time, a year later...

So enjoy it, it's nothing you haven't done a thousand times before. Relish the nerves and savour the terror, commit it all to memory, 'cos after the event, you'll want to do it all over again...but you won't be able to, until the next time...

[bjs]

I have played (solo whistle) in public only twice. Both times in a packed church at Christmas. The first time I played my own tune first. That way I figured I can't make a mistake cos its my tune anyway. That helped. I got lost in my second tune and quit early. Some folks afterwards told me I played well and hadn't noticed the mess I made. I was really quaking beforehand. Second time was much easier, but still stressful.

Another point. I had practiced in the empty church and sounded great but it was quite a shock when I played my first few notes with an audience. All those soft bodies out there really absorbed the sound!

I found it helps a lot to play the tune to death the week before and know where to start up again at any point in the tune. Even an audience of one or two can upset my autopilot on a tune I think I know well.

Brian

[susnfx]

Playing music in church reminds me of a meeting I attended where a well known violinist was invited to play at a special meeting at an LDS church. In the LDS church the "chapel" (as opposed to the classrooms and other rooms in the building) is considered very sacred and the quieter the better. There's no applause after any type of performance. I still remember the look on the violinist's face after he finished a beautiful piece of music and returned to his seat in a complete silence. The man conducting the meeting leaped to his feet, hurried to the microphone, and said, "I forgot to tell him nobody would clap!" then turned to the musician and praised the music. The look of relief on the violinist's face was hilarious.

Susan

(Bloo is a great public performer - some of his performances in the chat room have been truly memorable)