Does This Happen To You?

[wyodeb]

I practice daily, and can play my lesson stuff well, but when I get there, my hands shake, and I play as if I've never seen the music before. It's so FRUSTRATING!! I like my teacher, I play relatively well, and it took me years to get up enough nerves to take lessons. I play with our praise team at church weekly, with no problem, but can't seem to play alone in front of anyone else.

Deb :(  

[ricks]

Deb, you answered your own question.  "It took me years to get up the nerve to take lessons".
You are more worried about pleasing, or impressing the teacher than just playing music and enjoying it.
That's why when you play at church, no problem.
You do that cause you want to and enjoy what your doing.
It's a hard thing to get over, and you will have to come up with the solution.  Advice, just relax and don't even think about "messing" up.  Just play.

[wyodeb]

Deb, you answered your own question.  "It took me years to get up the nerve to take lessons".
You are more worried about pleasing, or impressing the teacher than just playing music and enjoying it.

I never really thought about it that way, but you're right. I'm a perfectionist, which is difficult to overcome. I love playing in a group, but would like to be able to play solos, and the only way I can get all my questions answered is with a teacher. I do better when he plays along with me. I guess I'll just have to work at not working so hard..... :(

Deb

[slim]

Hi Deb,

This happens to me frequently.  I practice all week long until I feel that I have the piece under my belt but when it is time to play during my lesson it feels like it is the first time I have seen the music.  It seemed silly, my earlier teacher was 25, technically I could have been his father; I think it was about performing for someone else and not myself.  My new teacher has the great ability to make the lesson seem like a conversation or dialogue and not a recital!

Good luck!

[GIGGLER]

Jeff Beck said that his best playing was when he was by himself. That sure makes sense to me....I've gotten stage fright so bad.....

[poki]

Something i find comforting about posts like this is that now i know i'm not all that different than other folks regarding playing alone in front of others...i used to enter state solo ensemble competitions as a middle and high school student (clarinet) and won some medals but to this day they remain among the worst days of my life...now i will only play my guitar or clarinet to seek personal enjoyment without regard for satisfying anyone else...of course the way i play wouldn't give anyone else enjoyment anyway...
poki  B)  

[Michael K]

Deb,

I am the poster child for stage fright!!  I have trouble playing at family gatherings even seems to have gotten worse as I've gotten older.  I dare not try to finger pick in front of anybody.  Strumming works well because my hands are shaking so bad they've got a head start on the strum. :lol:

I have been trying to learn to laugh about it and struggle through the first song or 2 then it seems to even out, and after I've driven everyone off, I can go back to fingerpicking again :P   That record deal has probably passed me by anyway :(  

[Michael K]

Something i find comforting about posts like this is that now i know i'm not all that different than other folks regarding playing alone in front of others...now i will only play my guitar or clarinet to seek personal enjoyment without regard for satisfying anyone else...of course the way i play wouldn't give anyone else enjoyment anyway...
poki  B)

I hear you 100%  I always say that I play for my own amusement and my wife's aggravation. :D