When I was younger my dad, a public school music teacher, gave me this book. I've read it a few times since then and it does give some great advice on learning and performing.

http://www.amazon.com/Inner-Game-Music-Barry-Green/dp/0385231261/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1207758052&sr=1-8

While it won't sove your problems with performance anxiety it will give you advice on dealing with making mistakes when performing and turning mistakes to your advantage.

The Exotics 1994-Current
The Chickenshack - www.wmse.org
www.thedoghouseflowers.com
www.uptownsavages.com

you hate playing live because of nervousness? haha, just wait till it comes time to record!!

anyways, i can't really help ya as far as live playing, because i don't remember what it's like to be nervous before/during a live set. the band i'm in now is my 4th band, and i've played shows often and at a steady pace since i was around 16. sure, there are mistakes that you'll make as far as playing live, but not a lot of people besides you will notice. remember this for all your mistakes though-blame the drummer, ha.

sadly, i can't help you with recording either, because i have yet to figure out how to calm my nerves during it. i guess i just think too much about how to play things right, when naturally i should play things right anyways, but i overthink and it causes me to screw up because i'm not thinking enough about my actual playing, and sometimes what i think i can do during a riff to improve it usually make it worse, and then i keep making that mistake over and over.

The Tremblors on Facebook!

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Recording is something that I love. But it's still just a form of scribbling. For me, the real excitement and thrill is the thrill of composition.

There is nothing more interesting to me than some sort of discovery that you make when something resolves, rhythmically and melodically.

I saw this picture a long time ago of this famous Greek sculpture that had been left unfinished, of one of the Titans. Half the rock had been chizeled away to define the shape the the God, who looked like he was being freed, or awakening, from the formlessness of the rock, and half of him was still trapped in that formless, undefined mass.

To me, that metaphor struck me as the essence of art and the act of creation--you've brushed and carved away the dirt and debris to reveal a structure that is already there, merely hidden within the chaos. I can never get enough of that feeling you get when you begin to see the thing for the first time.

For this reason--I usually spend more time composing than playing prepared pieces, or playing old compositions. I always like to play something 'fresh'. There have been so many times when I thought what I was playing wasn't working right, but when I go back to listen to the recording, it is almost always the case that I am surprised and excited by what was captured.

On the OTHER hand--I absolutely hate performing. Unless it's a jazz improvization sort of gig--it's the playing the same old stuff over and over thing that gets to me. I can't take it. I can understand why Pete Townsend would want to smash his axe. Can you imagine traveling around for 40 years playing the same songs over and over again? It's one of the circles of hell that a number of commercially successful artists find themselves trapped in.

I was never so unhappy as back in the days when we used to have to go out to do these gigs and play the same old set list, with minor variations. It didn't matter whether or not the audience was into it, generally they were. I just hated playing the same stuff over and over. It was a total turn off. In the 60's it may have been rock, the 70's Bluegrass, and the 80's Planetarium music--if I had to play Old Joe Clark one more time...and the same hold true for surf music..."Play Pipeline!"

I studied the piano for many, many years and learned some very complex classical pieces by Beethoven and Bach. Then, after all this effort to learn to read these complex scores and develop the skills to perform them, you just play them over and over, like a player piano. I discovered I was in the same rut as when I was playing friday nights at the Sock Hop youth dances as a teenager.

I never found any real satisfaction until I put all of my energy into music composition. Then I discovered the connection that caused me to get excited about music when I was just a listener, for the first time, back before I could play anything, and wanted to learn. Of course, your mileage may vary, but there is an issue of the pursuit of Zen in the art of guitar playing.

Well, if you want to become invisible, the best way to do that is become the bass player. No one talks to the bass player unless they are looking for directions to the washroom.

Seriously, I think we all have stage fright to a certain degree, until we're really confident in our own abilities, the abilities of our band, AND the reaction of the crowd. When all three of those things are good-to-go, we can relax and have fun.

And speaking of "rough crowds", even done a gig where you played "House of the Rising Sun" twelve times because a table of drunks threatened to kill you if you stopped playing it? We waited until they were too drunk to stand and then hastily packed our equipment out the back door. Didn't wait to get paid.

Bass Wabbit
The Fabulous Blue Wabbits
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgQj7B3Vql1vxjYxEM29vmQ

I get nervous but I see it as a good thing. It adds to my energy and concentration on the show and adds excitement to the whole experience - being dead nervous before a gig because your set is 80% new in front of an unknown audience, then playing a good set and getting that audience on side is an exhilarating feeling. Bit like taming a lion or something..

Ive enjoyed the few shows i have played but if i had my way i would never play shows other that party jams with friends. Just record as much as you can and enjoy it.

Tenderfoot

How close is Baltimore/DC to Australia?

I learnt the full meaning of 'absolute terror' the few times I played solo. There was a rather uncomfortable feeling in my stomach I don't ever want to feel again.

Tim

Tim O
oestmann guitar

tunes

clips

MustardMan_
I get nervous but I see it as a good thing. It adds to my energy and concentration on the show and adds excitement to the whole experience - being dead nervous before a gig because your set is 80% new in front of an unknown audience, then playing a good set and getting that audience on side is an exhilarating feeling. Bit like taming a lion or something..

Yes, it can be really different depending on what you are doing. I've been playing live an average of 3 - 4 times a week for the last thirty years mostly doing bread and butter rock covers. Going onstage doing that is no different than walkiing into my living room in terms of nerves or whatever. However, when I formed a band to play and sing my original songs ( www.myspace.com/ukeden ) it was a very different kettle of fish: a friend of mine describes as feeling like suddenly standing there with no clothes on and it's true, because suddenly it's a lot more personal. It got easier as time went on. I still get it to a lesser degree with The Pashuns (because of not singing I think) but I still care a lot more what people think of it than I do when playing covers.

http://www.myspace.com/thepashuns

Youth and enthusiasm are no match for age and treachery.

I've played live in a band and live solo, and I hated playing solo. I have too much stage fright to be alone in the spotlight. But, I really enjoy playing together in a band. Anyone looking for a rhythm guitarist in the Baltimore/DC area?

Hey, Delaware and Baltimore are not that far apart- maybe an hour and 15 minutes. I went to a surf gig in Asbury, NJ last night. It was a 2+ hour drive, but more than worth it. Any time you want to get together and play some instro surf, let me know.

Playing live is the sole purpose of our band. Granted we only look to book 2-3 shows a month. Practicing twice a week gets monotonous, but we are writing new material. So that is a love/Hate scenario.

Going into the recording studio is something that I don't care for. That process is very boring to me no matter how involved I am in the process. I used to do a lot of sound work for voice over and corporate presentations. So the "over and over" tweaking of a single part is what drives me nuts.

As for lugging gear up and down stairs. Yeah that sucks. Hasn't happen so much since I moved back to San Diego. Loading/Unloading in the rain sucks, no matter what. Clubs that make you load through the front door and have to maneuver your way through a crowd suck the most, well almost the most. The one drunk the has to stop you to try and talk to you sucks the most when you have 75 lbs. of gear in tow.

_RT