How To Overcome Stage Fright (For Guitar Players)

[@HowToPracticeGuitar]

What was your favorite tip from this video? Comment below. Also, if you have questions about practicing guitar, write them below. I might answer your question in one of my next videos. Like. Comment. And subscribe.

[@donald-parker]

You missed the most important rule when playing live and making mistakes: Glare at the bass player or keyboard player, as if it was their fault.

[@kacper531]

lmao yeah

[@vistacyclingtuscany]

Haha!!!!

[@fredstriker2042]

As a bass player I ca concur

[@liamprincetech]

As a bass player I have a two word response for you: git gud

[@arosalesmusic]

It's always their fault!

[@gideonfender2168]

Standing up while practicing is very effective.

[@andrewbendahan1379]

Ok thanks

[@shredd5705]

Yep.. it's the biggest thing. People tend to not do it, because it's not comfortable in long stretches. But huge difference... you learn to anchor your picking hand, so even when you move around and the guitar moves around, you're familiar with it. If you do it only rarely, it will catch you off guard.... also you learn not to look at the fretboard as much, because you can't slouch over the guitar like most people do when sitting down. For the difficult solo part, you can raise one leg on a monitor or amp etc. to get that extra support and reach. It also looks cool

[@bripolar]

Got to do it no questions. Start with your guitar a little too high and lower it after your comfort level goes up

[@tbdog99]

The thing that "fixed"me was the realization that the audience is 100% on my side. The audience doesn't want me to fail, they want me to succeed, so they are my partners, not the judge , jury and executioner. That mindset fixed stage fright for me..

[@eugene2573]

Fav tip: I'm going to be okay with it And have fun 😀

[@HowToPracticeGuitar]

Eugene, totally. It's such a relief to realize this, isn't it?

[@RADERFPV]

Been playing for 30 years, and must say this is some of the best advice I've come across. I agree with all of this, in its entirety. Well done👍

[@HowToPracticeGuitar]

Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it :)

[@edigabrieli7864]

I intentionally play near a open window in my apartment building that face also the rear parking lot where there is a lot of people coming and going at enough volume to be herd but never enough to bother anyone and I see their reaction, that put me in a state of discomfort but it help me mimic the stage while I practise.

[@HowToPracticeGuitar]

Edi, good idea!

[@jamesmaxwell5415]

My favorite tip is playing with a tone different than what I am used to. This will make me MORE confident when my sound is good!

[@HowToPracticeGuitar]

Yeah, totally!

[@schrammguitars]

Great video Mike! One thing that changed everything for me was in a masterclass with classical guitarist who told me when the nervousness shows up say, "Hi nerves, welcome, I wondered when you would arrive. Now let's have fun." When you fight it that creates more mistakes.

[@HowToPracticeGuitar]

David, totally!

[@1scott921]

Nice vid Sir, playing live is a whole different beasts than playing in your room (on a headphones lol). As guitarist myself, in a melodic black metal band and in one punk band I will give some additional advices: 1) Put some self gluing reflective tapes (like the tape-arrows that you'll put on a book pages) on your dots at 3rd, 5th etc. up to 12th fret I'd say. And trim them so they're not sticking over the neck. They are easier to see at darker environments you'll encounter on stage. Secure with more transparent glue tape over them if needed. 2) Use factory build sandpaper grip picks because your hands will sweat, or make some yourself, google it. There are more ways to do it (with sandpaper, or by cutting their surface with a knife to get a grippy texture). 3) Put 2-3 picks in your pocket in case you still drop a pick and then can't find it on a dark messy stage floor (and your solo is coming!). My friend is sticking tip of a picks in a little space beetween pickguard and body of a guitar, he owns a Tele. 4) If you're a long haired dude like myself and don't want to put your magnificent hair in a ponytail during a show then don't always practice with your hair in a ponytail, release it! It's totally different story when your hair is in your eyes (and mouth...). 5) Practice standing up! Walk around while playing. While you're not walking spread your legs a little, get a stance! 6) Practice banging your head if you're a metal dude! It needs to be practiced too! It can totally fuck up your rithm if you try to do it on a stage for a first time. 7) Dim the lights in your practice room, use only a desktop light or something small and turn your back on it so it's not illuminating your guitar neck. This is where reflective tape helps. 8) If you're a blind bat like myself don't wear glasses while practicing if you don't plan on wearing them while playing live. And please don't wear them if you plan on banging your head... 9) With all of the above, reherse with your band, especially before a show, not five days before a show but some month before it, at least two time s a week. If you guys are killing it while rehersing all of you will be waaay more confident on a stage. 10) Buy some decent guitar cable and use it only while playing live because there is nothing more embarrassing than plugging your shitty old cable in somebody's else amp and it starts to make weird cracking noises as you turn it up and the owner of that amp is looking like he's going to axe you while you're explaining to him that it never happened before. I know it from a first hand, total confidence crusher, and you didn't even start to play. Keep that cable somewhere where it's dry and closed. Use it only for a stage! You'll probablly never have to buy another one for that purpose. And be sure it has some lenght (I went with 6 meters). 11) If you're wearing some bulky boots in your metal band or some other not-everyday shoes while playing live put them on sometimes and press a few pedals with it because it'll be weird to do it on stage for the first time. 12) Ask for "tone rehershal" before the show in the club you'll be playing at so you can find some decent tone on unfamiliar equipment, and take a picture of a eq settings so you can dial it when you get on stage. 12) Practice and practice! But when it comes to show, let it go! Let yourself go man! Imagine that you're THE BEST guitar player that club ever had and have fun, do mistakes like a boss! Because you will, trust me. :)

[@yudaman231]

Very helpful tips here, too. Ty

[@DearB_]

I'm going to try . Thanks

[@ensignofindustry1033]

One thing that perpetuates the myth of perfection is the live albums we listen to are often very edited in post production.

[@TheEchoOfPfeifer]

I'm a long run guitar player with lots of experience playing live and those tips are absolutelly on point! I had to face those issues all by myself, with no adivice, and it is great to have someone throwing some light at those problems. Great video!

[@Steenberg_a]

This man just saved my life. I recently joined a band, and my biggest fear ever is playing in front of people. It's happened before where I played a duet up on stage and my hand accidentally slipped and I messed up the whole performance. Since then I could never build the courage. Although, it's been my dream to join a band. So thanks so much for these tips, it is very much appreciated

[@alxdrksoul]

I love/missed your videos mike, you always give the best advice and you speak in a way where you can easily spot your problems and the best way to fix them right away, thanks.

[@HowToPracticeGuitar]

Thanks Alex :) More videos coming.

[@Fire_Angel_]

This was the best video i watched today, youre underated

[@nlwp4635]

Thank u so much………..I watched this video right before a performance and it really helped me a lot. Awesome content

[@Hicks-g1m]

I completely agree with all of this put in the work as much as you can and it'll all just come naturally. Mistakes come and go just keep going

[@TheBladepolisher]

Best tip for me was not to expect mistakes. The point is to have fun. Practice the songs more and know your material. Great tips ! ! For me, I'm my own worst and loudest critic and I do it while I play. . . . . . . . it's an ugly place to be in while doing what you love doing ! ! I try to pray before I play. For me, this works.

[@Deff-lm7ex]

Started playing shows in September just played a show last night and got another one tonite….i started playing bass last year joined the band with a month of experience learned all the songs in time. I’ve played live before as a vocalist but never as a string player. I always catch my mistakes and I’m my own worse critic. After a couple gigs and apologize for my bad playing the band just said “they didn’t notice” no one is perfect and they don’t except anyone in the band to be. Being told that really changed my mind set here I am trying to be perfect and I’m just tripping on myself ever since then we’ve had a lot more shows and I’ve had a blast on stage every time after that. Play and have fun Remember we are there to entertain and to have a good time and show people what we are made of….I’d like to see a lot of the people in the audience try and do what we do. It takes a lot of guts to be up there and play so just remember how brave we are as musicians throwing our selves at an audience. Heads up eyes open big smiles move around!

[@Penguinn_0.o_]

Thank you for this comment. It's really life changing for me.

[@yawarmukhtar4578]

This is channel is ASAP SCIENCE for guitarists, Good Job.

[@themixmusicandmore6280]

I almost had to relearn playing when i started a band. Standing up changes your left hand angle and if youre like me, you get used to playing with your right arm rather than your wrist while sitting so then you gotta learn to play with your wrist

[@jansley13]

man do i need this video... Thank you for your insight on this

[@pvaldovinos1]

Great help! Thanks

[@shivakrishnan9382]

Hi Mike, When I played solo live ,my hands got cold and stiff and started to shiver, my heart was beating faster and I was sweating like crazy,and all the fast stuffs that I had practiced were wasted like broken glass...Is there really a fix for this

[@calebcaleb5159]

I have a performance this week in front of my school and I’m up there alone and I have two really hard solos to play

[@lowccperformance4059]

How did it go

[@jellison7]

This is great! Thank you so much :)

[@peterlaws1653]

it was great

[@MrMarcusko]

Really like your video - very helpful, so thanks. But here's a question: I play acoustic guitar as an amateur and like to make VIDEOS of songs that I learn, which I post and share with friends and family. I work very hard at it and it's a ton of fun, but a video has to be PERFECT (or mistakes must be minor and hard to notice) or you need to start over. No matter how long and intensively I practice and prepare, I find it very difficult to get thru a song on video without blowing a measure and 'killing' the take. It's discouraging and starting to feel like a mental 'block' of some sort. Note that I don't need to perform it like Segovia . . .. I'm just an amateur and aware of my limitations. But my goal is just to get thru a video without breaking down and I'm finding that increasingly hard to do. Any advice? Many thanks!

[@lemonsguitar]

I know im not the video creator but i feel you, what i do is get yourself excited about nailing it. Im the same way even if its something only i will notice i have to re-take. Like i said just enjoy the process and get excited about nailing it

[@Paul8301]

For me it helps to keep your camera rolling while you're playing/practicing. If you make a mistake you just start over. Eventually you will forget it's even there.

[@chrisbarenthin5847]

try not practicing the song for a week or two and then go back, setup the camera and record it. your brain remembers the mistakes too, you have to give it a little time to forget that part and remember all the parts to the song. the brain will forget the mistakes

[@jetclipsAU]

Great video and tips! What I find frustrating though is when I go to a band audition and there's massive expectations of you to nail all the guitar parts just like the originals. This adds lots of pressure.

[@Max-Quest]

Great video

[@kaoquinn]

Awesome stuff!

[@zetasong]

needed this...thanks

[@erwindevries267]

One thing that helped with my stage fright is posting videos of me playing guitar on instagram and getting used to people's reactions

[@james-ob9rz]

How was this made ?

[@rango423]

Thanks Man....

[@GuitarDoco]

Very informative, thank you

[@conorsic7357]

The first time i was going on stage i saw my ex gf and that gave me more stress haha and i started making mistakes at intro riffs

[@janluizleonardi9494]

Great video!

[@jonasirw1]

It totally changes my playing level.. and once I get a flood of nerves, my hands don’t function the same way

[@AnthonySforza]

Huh... Stage Fright has been the cherry bringing my entire thing down (A 5th Element reference), but I hadnt realized that when I went to audition to be a guitarist for a band after not having picked up a guitar for four years... my perspective was that I was going to bomb the audition anyways l, so I may as well have some fun. Only to get through it unscathed. I didnt get the position, but I wasnt dying of anxiety, either. The point being, that I never really thought about applying that to actually performing.

[@edwardippoliti626]

Knowing you are not perfect ,your not going to sound perfect ,but your gonna pull it off ,they just want to you play it !!

[@Psychodermia]

Playing live more often is the BEST way to overcome stage fright. I used to play several times a week and I had ZERO stage fright back then. Now, I play live maybe once a month if I'm lucky, and I am friggin' terrified until I get through the first 3 or 4 songs, and this is with a band! After that, it just comes and goes, but it's tolerable. I usually get a wave of fear just before a big solo, thinking I'll blow it. Overthinking the songs is another enemy. With enough practice, your hands know what to do. Just keep your "eye on the ball", stay in the moment and don't think ahead too far. Some people think that alcohol or drugs make things easier. No way! If I have a drink or two before going on stage, I am so distracted by the buzz that I forget to keep playing. It's really stupid, actually. 😂

[@shredd5705]

Practicing in standing up position is HUGE. It's totally different beast... you're shooting at a moving target. You need to learn to anchor your picking hand in a whole another way. Another thing is physical exercise. Run 10 miles before a show, earlier that day. "When your feet ache, your hands forget how to shake." Exercise calms the nerves, scientific fact. Your body simply has no energy to fire up the nervous system, if earlier that day you went through a rigorous workout. Musicians often don't do sports, but they should imo...

[@Milox914]

Tip for anyone Use sunglasses, if there is one thing I will always do is use sunglasses when performing like slash. Close your eyes and feel the music you have your own "zone" give it a try :)

[@Psychodermia]

I whack my head on my mic stand. 😂😂

[@augustinechinnappanmuthria7042]

Super 💓❤️❤️❤️

[@haziqhusin963]

Tq 👍

[@anxiousx]

I'm glad i stumble across this video

[@paulpapadelta7994]

Willie Nelson admitted that he made mistakes a talk show once it changed my expectation now I think I play better and I have fun with any mistakes I've made

[@amanibrian]

Yeahhhhhhhhh

[@james-ob9rz]

My body and hands and mind shots Down

[@seven336]

Thanks man, that really helps. This topic also has a lot to do with perfectionism and social anxiety too, so it's helpful to work with a therapist on those things to to give you some tools to relax and enjoy

[@richardv.582]

Huge!...

[@aviiky8961]

For tip #2 if i’m going to see guns n roses live to watch the man that inspired me to play guitar in the first place, (slash lol) it’s gonna be a little bit hard to focus on his playing since i might be screaming my lungs out and jumping like a kangaroo 😭🤣

[@LilKali420]

if hitori gotoh (bocchi) did it, you can also do it

[@batchima7551]

Fiddler here. Thanks for the advice helps before concert

[@orpheus8512]

I perform boring onstage i just stand and play with not looking toaudience or doing simple signature move

[@shredbacca]

playing on the street as well i go outside my house with a sign that says free metal and just play

[@joec2083]

You are definitely going to make mistakes it happens. Just keep moving on. The worst thing you could do is stop playing. Sometimes all that jumping around takes away from your playing because you are more concerned about how cool you are trying to look. Just play your instrument and have fun

[@urbanwarchief]

I cant read music but I love playing in front of others when I drink a little and smoke some bud.

[@alexsalinas4241]

First 😁

[@creativesoul96_33]

Whenever I play on my own I play really well imo,but whenever I try to record myself I start playing like shit.

[@lowccperformance4059]

That’s all of us bro it’s just part of the process 👌

[@margita951]

I only strum without a pic

[@MrShaktirock]

The first tip is very helpful for me. I play perfectly in my bedroom but mess up at band rehearsals and mess up even more on stage 🙁 I think there must be a psychologist specially for guitar players 😅

[@shredd5705]

Playing standing up is the biggest thing IMO. If you only stand up in band rehearsals, you don't have enough routine for it.

[@bubba5144]

i just barely embarassed my self i was shaking, stutturing, and messing up all my keys very badly

[@crazykenny6081]

For me I gotta get drunk

[@ThatLawbringerGuy]

Ikr. The best vocal and guitar performance always happens when you're deadbeat drunk. It's like you open some fucking chakra in your body

[@pugglepooch]

😂

[@MarkellosVicente]

👏👏👏👏🪄🎸💞🎸🪄👏👏👏👏

[@annamelanie5151]

Background music is too loud. Yuck

[@Hammer-dw2nf]

Just drink a 5th of vodka