As a musician how do you overcome nervousness on stage?

Question:Ok, so I'm a musician and I know that I'm good enough to be on stage but the only thing keeping me back is nervousness. I have been on stage twice now but I don't perform my best because of the nervousness...Got any Advice?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Ok, so I'm a musician and I know that I'm good enough to be on stage but the only thing keeping me back is nervousness. I have been on stage twice now but I don't perform my best because of the nervousness...Got any Advice?

It's slightly bizarre, but I once had a teacher make this comment: "Do you really think that they care that much about you?"

Sure everyone is watching you, but only a jerk is sitting there waiting for you to mess up. And do you really care what that person thinks? Take a deep breath and exhale (the exhale part is important). Find someone who will be in the audience and who is willing to work with you in advance and will be supportive. If you start to freak out then just focus on that person and exhale.

Take your time to gather your thoughts before the show/presentation. You don't have to race through it.

Personally, I tend to ramble and interject lots of ers, yeahs, and uhs when I speak. If you are giving a presentation then index cards work wonders to help you keep your place and prevent your from mumbling.

Everyone gets nervous in some setting. I sing, and by the end of high school I had completely conquered my stage fright. I could stand in front of a large group of people and be perfectly comfortable. Then, when I got to college and had to sing in front of my fellow music majors my nerves came back. The first time I sang in class I had to literally put my hand on my leg because my leg wouldn't stop shaking. But the next time it wasn't quite as bad, and the time after that it was a little easier. Keep it up and eventually you will find the stage fright management technique that works best for you.

Good luck!

I find if I'm well prepared, I'm not as nervous and when I'm unprepared, I'm a wreck!
Try having a quiet time, like a deep breathing, getting into the zone kind of time before a performance. Be still and center your thoughts, visualize a great performance.

the only thing that really works is time on stage in front of people. just keep doing it and it will get better. and yes, make sure you're warmed up and prepared and relaxed.

Certainly preparation is key, and it will almost always get easier with time and experience. However, for some people, it is more of a struggle. If you find yourself continually nervous (to a debilitating degree) even as time goes by, you may want to look in to some ways to combat the anxiety.

I've read a lot on the topic and found the most helpful to be an older book called "A Soprano on Her Head." Other people find the Don Greene books and the Inner Game series to be helpful.

The thing that makes the biggest difference for me, however, is forcing myself to concentrate on the music, rather on my performance. The more you can take your focus off of yourself and more on the music and what it is that you want to communicate, the better off you'll be. Good luck!

My best advice is to get into the music & do it for yourself, then the audience or the number of people listening doesn't matter. People who play to show off aren't usually very good in my opinion. Others may think they're wonderful because they jump around or whatever & that's OK, but if you really want to be a good musician, singer, actor, performer, it comes from within and you're the only one whose opinion really matters. We're all our own biggest critics.