How to Overcome Performance Anxiety FAST! Tips Every Musician Needs

[@ubustudio]

I would also encourage musicians who have performance anxiety to try busking. It might not be for everyone but I like the liberty of the lack of obligation and perceived expectations. This lack of pressure to perform will help you work on tunes in public, essentially bridging the practice-performance gap.

[@joeblakeukeman]

Yes, it’s true, busking is a great, fun way to gain experience and learn the tricks of entertaining an audience. They don’t expect too much, and they can move on when they feel like moving on. The energy which you give out is returned to you from your audience! You have to go out and do it to feel the fact of that energy exchange, and how it helps make you break out of your limits and play better. Add some humour to your performance - a little banter, audience interaction - it helps keep it moving. 😉👏

[@rongibbs390]

My wife forbids it!

[@yohna33]

What a perfect timing! I literally just came back from a gig where I made so many mistakes and was feeling a little discouraged. These points are actually very practical and helpful. Your last point reminded me that the experience that I had today will only make me a stronger performer. Thank you for your tips! I wish the best for every musicians that clicked on this video!

[@ArnabSengupta-f2p]

Excellent, excellent points. Such practical advise. 🙏 especially the last point which is about overcoming the ego. So so true!

[@2oot]

Absolute gold Jeff. You articulated well everything that happens when dealing with public performance and how to get better at it. Less ego and more music. Love it. You have given me so much more confidence. Thank you

[@BrianBurgess-jg6bs]

Great content Jeff- excellent advice cheers

[@MFJMD564]

Great tips. I'll try playing much faster to see if I can improve so that when I need to play the song slower, I'll feel it much easier to play. I'll also try to record myself much more often, it's amazing we don't hear our mistakes (tempo for me, sometimes a few dynamics) when playing. And yes, the problem with the word "training" is that we think it's ok to make mistakes since we are practicing, so I don't care much if I play a wrong note, but that's a bad mindset, because I'm actually never preparing my mind for the perfection that a real performance requires. I'll pay much more attention to small mistakes, spend time to fix them. Another point not mentioned in the video is about playing mechanically and actually hearing what we play. The problem when we practice a piece repetitively is that we know it by heart, and we don't even realize what chords we are playing anymore. So if I make a mistake, I can suddenly stop and can't go on because I actually don't know where I'm in the chord progression. If I focus on the progression, and on the chord function, even if I make a mistake, I can slightly improvise to keep the harmonic progression going, and that usually gets me back on track. Ear training is a huge skill for musicians that I need to develop more.

[@Saxman33]

Jeff is right, when i record myself, i tend to make mistakes.

[@grantholland421]

Thank you, Jeff. That really helped. I especially liked your final piece: focus on the music, not on yourself as a player!

[@Sphereal]

I needed this today, thank you.

[@LuanneFose]

Such wonderful advice, Jeff! Not just one perspective but many ways to look at it to conquer performance anxiety. Thank you so much!

[@edwardarling3387]

Great insight! So easy and practical. Thanks Jeff!

[@robindavis726]

Absolutely wonderful. So helpful

[@antwonchris1]

Thank you! nowhere found such clarity about this issue

[@BetterDrumming]

Really great tips and advice! Thanks Jeff! 👍

[@C2C.]

Besides preparedness, the biggest thing that helped me overcome performance anxiety was seeing professionals make mistakes in performance and how they got past it. It was a revelation seeing great jazz singers like Cassandra Wilson or even a badass like Garbage's Shirley Manson hit the wrong notes, miss lyrics, or miss their cues, then shake it off and still deliver. The audiences were always forgiving and even celebrated it. And I also understand after countless performances that I am my biggest critic. Others don't usually hear the flaws that I do because 1) the "misses" were usually the perfections I was imposing on myself to deliver the song I precisely wanted 2) they don't usually know what my/our plan was in the first place.

[@jonnysee2948]

Love this! Well said :-)❤

[@edwardv4546]

Thank you so much. So many helpful tips here. Especially trying to impress people. Most of the time, simple is better. Its digestible. I need to keep this in mind instead of trying to shred too much.

[@eydiguttason1961]

It helps a lot Thank you you're a good menthor in Music🙏🇩🇰🇫🇴

[@mdee2581]

this is good info and great ideas. much appreciated

[@antwonchris1]

Thank you! I feel lucky finding your video, this video

[@gib321]

So much good advice here. As an early intermediate player who has been given an invaluable opportunity to gig with more experienced musicians I go through a weekly dose of humility, nerves and no small amount of mistakes. I hope it will stand to me but sometimes ask myself why I put myself through it.

[@1jgman]

Great stuff! Every point is valuable!

[@fredericlinden]

As you rightly stress, it is important to play a passage impeccably several times, then increase the speed. If I may share one strategy and what I like to experience. Firstly, I play slow, even very slow - the sound must 'integrate' my ear -, I increase the tempo and stop increasing as soon as it is no longer comfortable. Often, I will play it in my head away from the instrument because if the 'picture' is clear in my head, I can play it. I always note the metronome markings in the increments I've practiced the passage ; the next day or later in the day, I start slow again, speed up the process and reach that new speed, switch the speed up again, still noting the increments. When Playing slow, I often will play the passage in double-time, that is alternating slow and fast. This has helped me much. ~~~~~~ Secondly, my point is not directly related to your tips but it might help some. After years of performing new charts almost every single day, I do not always like a rehearsal where I play like (too) well. In rehearsal, I experiment, possibly overplay rhythmically. I do not say making mistakes that will distract others. Then, in the evening, it is time to be in control, to deliver using a few ideas only, it is time to feel full of energy, yet I like the feeling of being on auto-pilot.

[@dvd53]

Thank you! I am Mr. Performance Anxiety himself, and can really use these tips. Piano in my case.

[@mcrafford]

I am 70. I've been playing since age 12. I had a stroke in December. I went to physical therapy and could play again, but not at the level I was at. Its frustrating because my mind thinks can do fills for instance and I've improved greatly. But there are times when my muscle memory doesn't quite Kick in and I'll do things I don't intend. Case in point - I was recently at a gig and in the middle of the song I slowed down drastically not just a little. I thought, "What the hell is this?' As I said its so frustrating, but I'm told it can be two years before I am fully recovered from the stroke, so I keep plugging away. Now I am nervous that my body will do something that my brain didn't intend. I was never nervous before because I was hidden in the background of the band people hardly noticed me and I liked it like that. For me it has always been about the music, but now i worry about screwing up. Funny thing is that my band mates don't even notice every time I screw up and people in the audience don't seem to notice at all. I'm still frustrated at it.

[@mateushayasaka]

I don’t suck in stage…it’s everywhere.

[@ml-ei3nz]

In the old days it was one or two 🍺 and then you’re good

[@johnnywesleysaxophone]

How did u lear piano?

[@johnnywesleysaxophone]

[@wernergrunberger]

wellllll... practiced a ballad "fast" to mimic pressure and got called out on stage for? Playing too fast ;-)

[@davidcox8961]

If you suck at playing sax that's probably why. ;- )

[@hoopanthology]

Also band is probably going to play faster in a live setting if not using a click. That’s not rock n roll anyway 😂