Continuing the series of "stage" topics, I have to tell you about my experience last night.There was a farewell of an excellent local Brasilian band (with real Brasilian singer Denise Dantes) in my town last night and she invited her musician friends to bring their instruments to have some fun together.Well I was the only one who brought his guitar and as I only play surf and not samba I started to think "what the hell am I going to play?" These musicians were true masters of their art and the inevitable moment came.Keeping in mind it was about 14 years since I played in public,no rehearsal,a good zoomed-up samba crowd ,the guys in the band and audience just looked at me with big alcohol influenced smiles,I switched to bridge pup and started a massive trill on the open E string and shot into......Miserlou.I have to take blood pressure pills but I forgot last night before going to the gig.I won't forget next time!
Talk about jumping in at the deep end! I got through well enough to get a good rowdy cheer at the end with the guitarist helping the percussionist with the "surf beat" .I made up the second tune on the fly 'cause the brain wasn't responding to cool calm and collective enquiries,applause at the end and gladly handed back the guitar .
Do you ever really conquer stage fright?Is it a drug?Is it addictive?What tune would you have started off with?
cheers all and can't wait for the next attack(adrenalin not heart)!
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SurfGuitar101 Forums » Surf Musician »
Stage Fright
Joined: Apr 09, 2010 Posts: 30 Italy 
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Posted on Oct 17 2010 07:42 AM
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Joined: Jan 18, 2010 Posts: 672 Delaware 
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Posted on Oct 17 2010 08:50 AM
I think stage fright comes from insecurity, that nagging doubt of "can I do this?", especially when you step out of your comfort zone as you did. Is it ever "over"? Not if you take chances or do new things, which I recommend since inevitably it will make you a better musician. Perhaps the best defence is to have a attitude of "I'll give it my best shot" which you did and it worked, a little scary but it worked. |
Joined: Dec 16, 2006 Posts: 892 Macomb Mich |
Posted on Oct 17 2010 08:58 AM
You handled it well it sounds like... better to deal with that and fail than to not even try:) — |
Joined: Feb 27, 2006 Posts: 5321 the outer banks of north carolina 
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Posted on Oct 17 2010 02:51 PM
this is why i volunteer myself to play in the sg101 convention members jam every year. i have major stage fright. — |
Joined: Jul 09, 2010 Posts: 1153 Lillian Alabama 
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Posted on Oct 17 2010 04:02 PM
iz like gettin on dat board and catchin dat wave!!!!!!! —Enjoying the surf,sun and sand!! |
Joined: Feb 26, 2006 Posts: 3856 North Atlantic 
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Posted on Oct 17 2010 05:33 PM
I got over stage fright years ago, after many gigs and realizing that it's only music ... Have Fun! Rev —Canadian Surf |
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Joined: Dec 16, 2006 Posts: 892 Macomb Mich |
Posted on Oct 17 2010 07:19 PM
I'm too uptight and i suck.. i wont even play a guitar in front of friends let alone something like that:) — |
Joined: Feb 18, 2010 Posts: 260 Lake Forest, CA
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Posted on Oct 17 2010 11:18 PM
I beat stage fright by playing bass. Nobody ever cares about you so nobody notices if you screw up :). —Hot Summer Comes Again! |
Joined: Jun 12, 2008 Posts: 3331 Huntington Beach, CA
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Posted on Oct 17 2010 11:24 PM
Yeah, you can conquer it. Play stuff you know & that you've practiced & you'll be fine. —Radio Free Bakersfield--60 Minutes of TWANG, CRUNCH, OOMPH. |
Joined: Mar 25, 2009 Posts: 76 Gypsy Caravan
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Posted on Oct 21 2010 04:35 AM
That's a great story. I never really experienced stage fright when I was playing WITH people, but the few times I tried to perform solo...oh brother. Forget it. Not fun at all, whereas playing in a band situation is one of life's greatest feelings. |
Joined: Aug 27, 2008 Posts: 1570 New York
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Posted on Oct 21 2010 09:41 AM
I used to get stage fright to the point where I was physically ill before going on to perform. Played in many bands throughout my teenage years and early 20's... so with time it faded. These days I have not been playing out for years and to be honest I am nervous even playing in front of friends or family. I guess I never got over it, just got used to it maybe. |
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Joined: Jan 18, 2010 Posts: 672 Delaware
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Posted on Oct 21 2010 09:41 AM
On keys or vocals the stage frights been beaten out of me long ago. But on guitar I do feel it from time to time, once again it's because I'm not very good and know it. But as I become more familiar with playing the material I relax and have fun. |
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Joined: Aug 27, 2008 Posts: 1570 New York
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Posted on Oct 21 2010 09:43 AM
Even karaoke is terrifying for me, I have never tried it - always chicken out while my friends and wife are having fun. |
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Joined: Jan 18, 2010 Posts: 672 Delaware
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Posted on Oct 21 2010 11:20 AM
I've never done karaoke and I have to admit that I find it amazing people get up and sing (or try to). Usually thier terrified, that is until they 've had a few. |
Joined: Jan 02, 2009 Posts: 1307 The original Plymouth, UK. 
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Posted on Oct 21 2010 11:37 AM
Anybody suffer complete mind blank in the middle of a song? I completley forgot how to start Pipeline a while back - what's up with that?!! Drummer and bass player were chugging along and I'm going into blind panic... Also getting distracted by something like a dropped glass, a random cheer, catching someone's eye and bang! I'm lost, sometimes. I think it's all part of not feeling 100% comfortable on stage - if anyone has any short-cut tips I'd love to read them. But if Kate Bush is too terrified to go on stage, what hope of us mere mortals got? — |
Joined: Jan 17, 2008 Posts: 2188 Atlanta, GA
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Posted on Oct 21 2010 11:53 AM
Oh man, YES! When we had The Madeira in town back in May we were playing our take on the Atlantics' Bombora, a song I've played 7 million times, and I just blank out on the opening melody COMPLETELY. I just could not find it at all. It was a NIGHTMARE. Thankfully this doesn't happen often. I flub plenty like most people do, and you just have to power through, but to just BLANK OUT is a whole new level of panic! HAHA —
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Joined: Mar 29, 2010 Posts: 324 Spain 
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Posted on Oct 21 2010 06:41 PM
The first time I played surf in a gig I was quite nervous as I was the lead guitarrist. We started playing and everything was sounding ok, but 20 minutes later in the middle of a song the rhythm guitarrist started messing the chords, the bassist got lost, the drummer stopped playing and I stopped too. HORROR, DISASTER Now I get quite nervous the first 3 or 4 songs. If everything is ok, then I relax and really have good time. —https://lospipelines.es/ |
Joined: Sep 02, 2006 Posts: 3166 Denver, CO
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Posted on Oct 21 2010 08:11 PM
In essence the story of Caedmon's Hymn (one of the oldest pieces of (Old) English text). I had never thought of it as Misirlou before, however! |
Joined: Feb 27, 2006 Posts: 1070 Ventura County, Calif.
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Posted on Oct 21 2010 08:13 PM
— Be careful following the masses. Sometimes the "M" is silent........................... |
Joined: Apr 03, 2010 Posts: 3201 Jacksonville, AL
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Posted on Oct 22 2010 02:13 PM
This past Wednesday, I performed on stage for the first time in 5 years. Yes, the knot I had in my stomach was massive. However, it was not from any lack of confidence in my own, or my band's abilities. No, it was worry about how much that could go wrong. Perhaps we have been overly ambitious in our stage production but, between a projector, sampler, lighting and many other things, there was just so much to go wrong. In the end, all of that went off without a hitch. However, the load we were putting on the power managed to trip the breaker 4 times during our performance....hahahaha....It was a good starter run. I am greatful that it was for mostly our friends instead of the out-of-town shows we have in the coming weeks. —THE KBK ... This is the last known signal. We offer Sanctuary. www.thekbk.com |
. The pleople kindly started clapping and asking for another song, and we starting playing the next song. I do not know what happened then but suddenly all that nervousness disappeared and I started enjoying the moment and the music we were playing. It was a funny 
feeling like 'we were frightened to screw up and at last we screwed up as we feared so nothing else should worry us then'. The gig ended quite well.Please visit our friends in the surf music community:
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