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Anybody struggle with performing?
Hi everyone,
I played for some people a couple of weeks ago in a singalong kind of format. I completely lost my place and had to stop playing to recover. I took it as a good thing at the time since we all just laughed and kept on going. I thought it would help me relax a little when I played in public because essentially the worst thing happened and it was okay.
But, ever since that happened, I’m struggling to play at all. My routine is totally off. Any ideas or advice on how to get back to enjoying playing would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time.
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6 Replies
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Lori, take the “spilled milk” approach. Take it as a lesson learned. It happens to all of us. You’ve got this. 🧐🧙♂️😎
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Thanks for the encouragement Marty69! 🙂
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Hi Lori.MT!
So glad to hear that you were able to share your guitar playing journey with some friends!! It sounds like you all had fun, and that’s the important thing!!
Everyone I know gets a bit of “stage nerves” whenever playing in front of an audience, or a camera… It’s just a part of being a musician I guess. You can play it cold at home with just the dog listening, but as soon as someone is watching or recording, you lose your place and forget how the song goes. The best cure for these stage nerves that we all get, is…. you guessed it, practice. Play in front of people more often, go to open mic’s and/or video yourself. The more you do that, the more you will get used to how your mind and guitar fingers react under the stress of the spotlight. After a while you get used to it and it’s easier!!
If you go to the “Play for Us” section of the community here, there is a link to several virtual (zoom) open mics that are hosted by many of your fellow TAC members here. Best wishes, and have fun!!
Carol 3M Stillhand
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Hi, Carol-3M-Stillhand!
Thanks so much. Good to know it gets easier. The camera idea might be a place to start. Maybe try that for a bit and see how that goes. Then maybe I’ll be able to try again. Thanks!
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Hi @Lori.MT , I had a very similar experience that you described. I was playing a song at the SNL VOM a couple of months ago when near the end of the song, I had a brain freeze – I couldn’t remember the next verse and had to stop playing. Check out my post about that night:
https://tonypolecastro.com/family-forums/topic/gettin-by-with-a-little-help-from-my-tacfriends/
Everyone who attended that VOM was so supportive and encouraging despite my mishap. So I believe that @Carol-3M-Stillhand ‘s suggestion about the VOM’s is a good way to go👍
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Thanks for sharing your experience, Bill_Brown. It helps to know others have had the same thing happen and have gotten through it.
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