Session question

[boatgirl]

I recently started playing in a session! I love it and it is doing wonders for my timing. I was wondering though why it is I can practice perfectly before session and then forget snippets of a tune during session. The group is really encouraging and have complimented my playing but I still get the occasional 'brain f*rt' and lose it. I have been extremely insecure in the past playing in front of others and it still haunts me at times. Does this ever go away? Any tips for getting beyond it? Thanks

[Azalin]

That one is easy... Practice!! The more you practice a tune, the more you'll be able to play it even when stressed out or under the influence of alcohol. Also, the more you play with people, the less nervous you get and the easier it gets to play tunes.

But nothing beats practicing a lot, lot, lot... and a lot!

[anniemcu]

What Az said.

[Bothrops]

boatgirl: Congrats! I had my first session a little time ago, and it was really amazing and I had a lot of fun.
I'm also VERY insecure, and I also forgot many tunes while I was playing (even in some tunes that I've been playing for a long time). I assume that it was due of the nerves, and that could be solved playing with people more frequently.
In my session I played mostly with a flute player (we were the only musicians who played melodies, the rest were bodhran and guitar players), and I knew some tunes that the flute player didn't, so, I played some tunes alone, with the guitars and bodhrans accompanying me. It was very exciting.
I'm positive that you'll be able to play with confidence in no time, if you keep going to the sessions. It's nice that people encourage you!


Cheers,
Martin

[crookedtune]

Congrats, Boatgirl! I second what Bothrops said. Playing in a session, with live musicians, is a real treat, and a great learning experience.

Coming from other types of music myself, I noticed a few things about ITM sessions. First, serious Irish-trad musicians are actively working to preserve something that has deep roots and lots of history. That's a good thing. The difficult side is that they can tend to be rather strict in their interpretation and (possibly) intolerant of less than "traditional" style playing. In other words, what you're attending is not a "jam". It's a "session". I defend that mindset, but it can be challenging for a newcomer.

Second, you need to be very aware of session etiquette, and not overstep your status as a new player. Becoming a contributing session player is a journey that can take months or years. That's OK, and everyone respects a serious student. What will not fly is the beginner who wants to make a big impression.

Personally, I'm taking a "time-out" from our local session, so as to listen, listen, listen, and then maybe play, listen, play.

So, take that for what's it's worth, and have a great time!

[Mick Down Under]

I can understand that nervousness boatgirl. I'm just starting to learn some tunes and try to practice as much as possible. I found that I wanted to practice when I was on my lunch breaks at work, and having lots of (public) secluded areas to sit, I finally overcame the nerves enough to play at proper volume. You just can't make a decent tune while trying to play really, really quietly. So there I was in my little secluded corner playing the theme song to Braveheart with feeling and intensity and eyes closed. When I finished I opened my eyes to an audience of half a dozen strangers who all started applauding me. I must admit shock and embarrassment, but also a certain degree of pride and joy.


Mick

[Key_of_D]

I wish I could get over being nervous playing in front of other people... I'm not as bad when I'm playing with others I've known and played music with a good while but even then I'm not as comfortable as I'd like to be. Forget playing in front of a crowd, blah, I think I'm terminally ill with stagefright.

My hat's off to people who can play solid without even thinking twice about it.

[anniemcu]

I wish I could get over being nervous playing in front of other people... I'm not as bad when I'm playing with others I've known and played music with a good while but even then I'm not as comfortable as I'd like to be. Forget playing in front of a crowd, blah, I think I'm terminally ill with stagefright.

My hat's off to people who can play solid without even thinking twice about it.

It only comes with that endless practice thing... you finally get to the point where you know they're not going to skin you even if you do screw up, and you relax more.

[bepoq]

To accelerate this process, I find it to be very helpful to constantly change the context of your memorization and practicing. Memory works by reconstruction rather than being analogous to, say, a tape recording. Context plays a significant role in how your memory reconstructs things. Regularly change that context as you practice - practice in different places, practices at different times, practice with the tv or radio on (in very short doses, because it is rubbish for the rest of your playing), every time you think you have the tune, go and play a different one 'til it is driven out of your immediate memory and then bring it back and play it again - then do it again. Although it still doesn't solve the problem of the sympathetic nervous system and fear etc, which are yet other changes of context very hard to reproduce, it will get you used to keeping the tune even when other things militate against you doing so, including nerves.

One way to try to get a little fear and adrenaline running is to use the old match practice. Take ten of them and place them to your left. Each time you play the tune (or whatever you are trying to master) well, you put one match to your right, gradually moving them all across until they are all on your right. If you make a significant mistake, you move them all back though. About the time you get 7-9 of them across for the third or fourth time, nerves of a sort kick in. Learning to focus and play well in spite of them can be helpful in moving toward public playing.

The others are all right, I reckon, it is all about practice, but certain ways of practicing may well be able to accelerate things a little. Good luck, and welcome to the session.

[jim stone]

Practice enough and perform enough and
sooner or later it becomes routine.
Try giving lectures to groups of 70,
by the way, with the room revolving and
the butterflies lifting one's feet off the floor.
Sooner or later it becomes routine.
Practice, practice, practice....
and patience. Human animals can
get used to anything.

[brewerpaul]

Depending on the setting, there may be a LOT going on at a session aside from the music. Waiters wandering around if you're in a restaurant/pub, spectators walking here and there and talking, people eating and drinking,cell phones ringing, other instruments catching your eye, etc. It's easy to get distracted.
Sometimes, I simply close my eyes or look down at the floor to at least shut down some of the extraneous visual input/distraction.

[Carey]

To accelerate this process, I find it to be very helpful to constantly change the context of your memorization and practicing.

bepoq is exactly right about this. If you always practice in the same place, you mind will get used to it and when you go someplace else, it's trying to pay attention to many other things in addition to playing. But at home it can ignore all the familiar (static) things. I used to deal with this by staring at a spot - someone's shoe, the pint on the table, whatever. It helped. But there would eventually be some bigger distraction, like the someone coming into the pub that I had to look at and process and then the wheels would come off my tune.

While knowing the tune very very well will give you the confidence to play it, I think there is some sort of brain trick you have to learn too. like rubbing your stomach and patting your head at the same time. You will notice that folks who have been playing in public for a long time can play the music and carry on a conversation at the same time (well, wind players can't so easily, but they can nod and wink etc.) I'm sure you have seen groups on stage talking among themselves during a performance.

Yes, you have to know the material dead, but you also have to be able to play and think about something else at the same time. Just like rubbing and patting, you have to do it to develop the skill. I began by reading my e-mail and this forum while playing the tunes I knew best. Then I would look out the window and watch what's going on out there. Only by playing in a distracting place will you develop the ability to play in a distracting place, so don't worry if you lose the tune at first. I think that's pretty normal. The more you do it, the less it will happen.

So yes, practice the tune, and practice playing distracted too.

[Belgian_Waffle]

When I finished I opened my eyes to an audience of half a dozen strangers who all started applauding me. I must admit shock and embarrassment, but also a certain degree of pride and joy.

I've had that a couple of times and it is a shock...

As for the distraction thing, I do have that too. I can play the tunes quite well but as soon as my teacher starts to play along or even worse, to make variations, I'm gone. I just lose it... Aah well, time and practice...

I do practice at playing while not paying attention to my playing (like while reading a newspaper or watching a movie with subtitles) and that works well...

[Key_of_D]

It only comes with that endless practice thing... you finally get to the point where you know they're not going to skin you even if you do screw up, and you relax more.

I'm not worried about being skinned by the people I play music with at the pubs, I'm worried that I will never get over the fear of performing/playing for someone or an audience of some sort. I always get nervous, for example when I'm suddendly playing a tune all by myself that none of the others in the session know, or I'm on stage, or doing a smalltime gig, it never fails... That adrenaline starts rushing at the speed of sound, fingers tense up, I tense up, I become so self-concious over every little thing, my breathing sounds shakey if playing whistle, can't control hardly anything if playing pipes, (which makes for a horrible recipe) and yeah that's pretty much how it goes - which ultimately makes the music I'm trying to play suffer. Although it does help when I have a beer or two, or perhaps a shot of whiskey, or two...

I'm thinking I just need to face the music more you know, face your fear by doing what scares you. Because over time I do seem to be doing a little better when "in the spotlight" as it were, but nothing really spectacular obviously. Maybe it's one of those problems that slowly over time goes away... Either way, it's feckin' frustrating.

[boatgirl]

Well thanks to all of you for your replies. My question was really about nerves I guess and perhaps not titled correctly! Practice seems to be key and I love to practice so that shouldn't be a problem. The idea of changing up the practice location is a good one and I do already practice at home, at the laundrymat and at the playground with my kiddos as well as on the boat. The problem is when I get with other musicians and, well, seem to lose it on the occassional tune. I suppose this is all due to nerves, as I know these tunes we play quite well. Sometimes I think I could just pinch myself because I am playing with really good musicians who are so wonderful and encouraging and this has been a lifelong dream of mine. I will continue to attend session, as the group is supportive and really fun, playing better each time hopefully. That was a form of "practice" that was suggested I believe, just playing with others. I really think bepoq's advice is what I needed to hear though so I will try that memorization match practice trick. I think that will actually help me a lot! With regard to closing my eyes or looking at the floor to keep focused as brewerpaul mentioned, I had thought of doing that because I sometimes do just that during practice but I have this thought that when playing with others I may open my eyes and everyone will be staring at me with shock that I am playing in the wrong key or the wrong tune entirely! Yes, really ridiculous I suppose but I do tend to get lost in the music when I close my eyes (I just don't know if I would get so lost I may be playing my own tune)!

To Key of D, there may be hope for us yet! Confidence in our abilities I think is what is required - try that match stick trick, I will.

Thanks again and happy whistling all!