Hi Tomo!
I was having a question about performing (not related to this month's challenge though - just about performing in general). When i practise alone, i am certainly not a bad player and everything goes as normal: i get to what i need to do and i am progressing. But then when I have to record something for people, i suddenly don't seem to know how to play anymore and i shut down. Do you have any advice? It's more of a psychological thing I guess.
Many kind regards and thanks for adressing this question!
Ster
Hi Ster! What is it about that red light that goes on and everything changes? I can only speak for myself, but in my opinion, it’s all an “inside job”, which is to say that my mind assigns its own, “meaning” to what’s happening. Suddenly, my focus is on “getting through the recording cleanly” instead of focusing on what I’m playing, so naturally the execution suffers.
So, there is this shift away from mindful focus to the meaning that my mind has assigned to the performance. Easier said than done, but stop listening to what ”it” makes the recording mean.
I think too, that there’s a process here that needs to be repeated until it’s a habit. So Tomo’s suggestion to record every day will certainly go a long way to being in performance mode on a regular basis. And that will bring about the results gradually (don’t expect too fast.) that you intend.
I’ll be very interested to see what Tomo has to say about this topic. I appreciate your post, and it’s nice to see you here on the forum.
In addition to recording yourself I'd recommend playing in front of family or friends, or jamming with other musicians in a safe environment. I would even say visualize playing in front of people when you are alone. I found this was enough to get my anxiety levels high and gives you a small idea of playing in front of others.
Good luck! I too am on this journey!
Thank you for asking this.
This can apply to pro players too! Playing along in your room is easy to play (seems like) but until you record that. You never know... Assuming is super easy and not all correct as concept.
So if you want to be able to perform well in front of LIVE audiences then you need to practice like that.
Try this... play a song or two.... Play a melody, solo and rhythm guitar part... in time. As if you are playing your show!
Recored it and listen it later! You just need this experience.
For instance, say you can play a few songs pretty well (you think ) then record yourself ... entire body, face and everything.
You need to feel that you are on the stage, your fans are smiling & watching you! This way you feel a good tension being as a performer!
That's right! It's time to perform! So once you start, you cannot stop in the middle of song! No matter what, you need to finish until end!
Thank you.
Tomo
Thank you Ken!
Thank you MJS!