The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #26

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    Quote Originally Posted by starjasmine
    So listen to your inner voice, practice hard, do your best... and, as the popular saying goes, "feel the fear and do it anyway."It is great that you are tuned in enough to feel stage fright. Use it to become a better musician. The first step to "getting there" is admitting to yourself that you're not there. You'll get there, it just takes some time and effort. As a beginner, you are growing a lot of different skills. When these skills become stronger, you'll know deep down that you have more tools for coping with all of the various obstacles to performance that you might encounter. Knowing that your on-the-fly skills are stronger, along with being better prepared, will undoubtedly calm your nerves a lot. Betcha in a year or three you won't have this problem. In the meantime, hang in there - many of us have been through this!SJ
    WOW! Thanks for the story and support. I'll give it my all

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  3. #27

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    Quote Originally Posted by drbhrb
    I do similar repetitions with a quote from some stoicism book I read at some point - "We suffer more in our minds than in reality". It helps me to realize that in cases like this, there is no real external threat. Stoic philosophy in general is helpful for anxiety and stress. Even when dealing with actual hardship and bad situations it's helpful to try to avoid making situations worse than they actually are.
    I remember reading Martha Nussbaum's book "The Therapy of Desire," which was about Stoicism (and other Hellenistic practices) and cognitive psychology. Massimo Pigliucci carries the lantern for Stoicism nowadays. (He is not alone but he is smart, informed, and insightful.)


  4. #28

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    I would concentrate on what makes you feel the best physically and emotionally in your life. Is it more sleep? Is it companionship? Whatever it is, get that house in order so that you will feel like you can conquer anything. I know for me it is sleep. If I don't get enough quality sleep I am a wreck. Also, I would stay away from alcohol, drugs and medications. They distort time. You want to feel every minute of your life with as much intensity as humanly possible.

  5. #29

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    Note: My answer is not intended neither a joke, neither a disrespect to your professor.
    If you think your are prepared, (because did your homework, so you are) and you are still anxious then...

    Short version:
    Imagine he is naked. Your anxiety will gone, you will be free to be yourself, as you were alone. His presence will not affect you.
    Maybe you hesitate to try this because you respect your professor, and think this is a disrespect. This case drop this idea.

    A bit longer version:
    This technique originally intended to battle anxiety in situation where one is anxious to speak in public, or in front of other people like a corporate team meeting, or a public gathering. Works instantly by treating the anxiety cause not just the symptoms. Treating symptoms are much less effective.

    ***

    To go further this path, you must work on the real causes, but experiencing that you have nothing to be anxious in such an easy way will help you understand and realize that this not anxious mindset is available for you, so you will go for it. Later you will see you professor like a normal man, just like you, who's role is to teach and help you, not as a terrifying person. All of this naked thing can be forgotten.
    Last edited by Gabor; 09-22-2019 at 03:20 PM.

  6. #30

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    You should note that you have something to contribute. That something is very personal for you, and something that you likely worked very hard on. People, including your professor, want to hear it.

    I wasn't a music major in college, but I had to produce a lot of work and present it to juries multiple times each semester. This started as a freshman, btw. The thing that got me through it was the quality of my work. If I didn't feel connected with it, and I didn't feel that it addressed the correct issues, I wasn't going to bluff my way through a jury. All of it contributed to my confidence in a lot of different settings throughout my entire lifetime. If you know, and think about, what you are doing the performance aspect may become second nature. You can look forward to that.

  7. #31

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    Lots of good advice here (for the most part ;-). I'd just add that performance anxiety is something all of us have to deal with, and in some cases have dealt with and put behind us. Might be helpful to remember that your Prof's been through it himself, and is well aware that you're somewhat crippled by it. I'm sure he can see through your nervousness to the talent underneath it and is patiently awaiting your breakthrough. He's seen it a hundred times before.

    My personal story is that I'm an ex-pro player with a few thousand gigs, auditions and so forth under my belt. I thought I was well beyond it. Recently though, after 15 years of not playing with other folks I auditioned for a small group of retired guys playing standards. It was as if I'd never played in a group before. I was pretty impaired and it took quite some time before I could calm down and do anything close to what I'm capable of. I only mention this to demonstrate what a difficult problem it can be to deal with. Don't get down on yourself about it!

    And here's another one. I remember a gig that an ex-girlfriend walked into. It was a difficult breakup and I wasn't over it at all. She was the only thing I could see or think of while I was playing. I took a solo completely and utterly distracted. As it was coming to a close I was pretty sure it had to have been total crap. The audience gave me some of the biggest applause I've ever heard. Just to say that sometimes what you think is going on in your playing isn't necessarily what's getting heard.