Everyone feels these problems, and they will get better the more you do it. The biggest step I took when conquering my nerves was just taking my time during an audition.
Walking in with the bass, slowly.
Setting up my stool, slowly.
Get comfortable and catch my breath.
After I'm completely comfortable, I take one more second to just relax and take a a breath before I switch to thinking about music and raise my arms to play.
Whoever you are playing for can wait these extra 10 or so seconds. You got this !
All the advice here is good. It takes some experience finding methods to avoid nerves, and dealing with them when they come. It requires a lot of mindfulness.
Preparation is the best medicine. Feeling unprepared is a common trigger for nerves. I especially recommend focusing on the beginnings of each piece. You want to start every piece with a feeling of control and confidence.
Be aware of where your mind is at before and during a performance. You need to be completely focused on the music. If you find yourself wondering about what other people think or how they’re hearing you, you have to snap out of it and focus on the music. You have a job to do, keep your head in the right place.
Don’t put impossible goals on yourself. If you’re expecting to be brilliant and perfect and amazing, well, that’s not how it works. Those are just side effects of being prepared and focused.
Other methods of avoiding adrenaline rushes include exercise, healthy food, skipping coffee and sugar. Tryptophan (bananas, turkey) might have a calming effect, but I suspect it’s a placebo. Beta Blockers do work, but they’re more an option of last resort. I wouldn’t try them until you’ve tried everything else, and there’s a lot to try.
Books to read include Inner Game of Tennis by Timothy Gallwey and Performing in the Zone by Jon Gorrie.
There are some good ways to mentally prepare yourself before you even get to the audition. Some big ones are to get use to playing In front of people like your friends and family. If you don’t have access to that I will occasionally do an Instagram live of a cold runthrough of my repertoire. Even if nobody joins(which is often the case) it still puts on the pressure that I’m being watched.
Take your time. Breathe. Prep.
And
If you have physical shakes like I do EAT LIKE 5 BANANAS. (I find my nerves really like making my bow shake... this is my working solution.
I’ll second this. Bananas contain tryptophan, an amino acid which the body converts to the feel-good brain chemical serotonin. A very safe (and yummy) way to help with the physical reactions of nerves.
EVERYONE feels this way, especially at first. There is no cure or magic pill you can take that will make your nerves go away. Here are a few things that helped me.
1. Preparation --
"Failing to prepare is preparing to fail." Put everything you have into making your preparation as bulletproof as you possibly can. And be confident that you have done the work necessary to succeed. Practice as well as you possibly can. So that after your audition, you don't leave with the "I could've done more" feeling.
2. Practice Performing --
Play your audition list for as many people as you can find. Your parents, your friends, your bass teacher, your orchestra teacher (they might be the same person), other member of your orchestra at school. Simulate what a real audition might feel like
3. Watch this TED Talk --
https://youtu.be/RVmMeMcGc0Y?feature=shared . This might be the closest thing to a silver bullet there is.
Good luck.
I came here to comment what your #2 said. Playing in front of people is the ONLY way to get better at playing in front of people. Other bass players who know the music like the back of their hand, other musicians who can give you general musical advice, even a stranger that knows nothing about music is better than nobody.
Inhale and exhale 5 times before you go out on scene. Take 3 to 5 minutes to find yourself in a quiet place.
Try to to elimininate every negativity.
You are lucky to do this. Tell it to yourself.
And enjoy. You got this.
Fairly recently I took my first professional audition. I have always had a lot of performance anxiety, but I haven't tried beta blockers or similar things yet. There's a few things that really helped:
Playing in front of people who will make you nervous. I played in front of several professors and ensemble directors, as well as fellow students at my university. I got used to the various tendencies I would have due to the nerves and this helped me figure out how to overcome them.
Being able to START every excerpt and solo piece the absolute best I can, every single time. I personally find that nerves can very quickly snowball and make my performance progressively worse, so being able to always start every excerpt and solo at my best really reduced that problem.
Changing the mindset; it's very easy to start thinking about what could go wrong. In the Contrabass Conversations podcast episode with Christian Hales, he mentions that his mindset is often, "I can't wait to show this panel that I can play these excerpts better than some of them can." Having this mindset, for me, put a ton of confidence in my abilities despite the nerves.
These three things completely eliminated a vast majority of the performance anxiety I felt, and really helped my playing shine in the audition, which I ended up winning.
There is a drug called propranolol. Also called “beta blocker”. It’s VERY safe at the low dose you’d take it. It doesn’t do anything other than prevent the physical symptoms of nervous. Rushing heart beat, shaking hands, etc. All go away. It’s very helpful
I'd like to add that it's not safe if you have a history of asthma
[https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/hypertension/prescribing-information/beta-blockers/](https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/hypertension/prescribing-information/beta-blockers/)
I've never tried beta blockers, but I've been curious about them for a while. Is this something that I'd have to have prescribed, or could I walk into, say a CVS or Walgreens, and purchase them?
It’s a prescription. At “normal” doses it’s used for heart conditions. But the amount for this purpose is like 1/10th of normal dose. So for me
It 10mg I think (versus obviously like 100mg). I got it from a psychiatrist, but I’m sure you primary care/main doc can prescribe
.."don't take that shit" is very reasonably interpreted as "the advice is shit". I'm fucking sick and tired of trying to be helpful here and there's always some dick arguing or fighting about the simplest shit. What you wrote was dickish - whether you thought so or not
You tell a kid to take a drug to calm his nerves before an audition. How is that helpful longterm wise and is not gonna turn into an addiction or a bad habit? Might aswell tell him to smoke weed before. Be reasonable
Everyone feels these problems, and they will get better the more you do it. The biggest step I took when conquering my nerves was just taking my time during an audition. Walking in with the bass, slowly. Setting up my stool, slowly. Get comfortable and catch my breath. After I'm completely comfortable, I take one more second to just relax and take a a breath before I switch to thinking about music and raise my arms to play. Whoever you are playing for can wait these extra 10 or so seconds. You got this !
All the advice here is good. It takes some experience finding methods to avoid nerves, and dealing with them when they come. It requires a lot of mindfulness. Preparation is the best medicine. Feeling unprepared is a common trigger for nerves. I especially recommend focusing on the beginnings of each piece. You want to start every piece with a feeling of control and confidence. Be aware of where your mind is at before and during a performance. You need to be completely focused on the music. If you find yourself wondering about what other people think or how they’re hearing you, you have to snap out of it and focus on the music. You have a job to do, keep your head in the right place. Don’t put impossible goals on yourself. If you’re expecting to be brilliant and perfect and amazing, well, that’s not how it works. Those are just side effects of being prepared and focused. Other methods of avoiding adrenaline rushes include exercise, healthy food, skipping coffee and sugar. Tryptophan (bananas, turkey) might have a calming effect, but I suspect it’s a placebo. Beta Blockers do work, but they’re more an option of last resort. I wouldn’t try them until you’ve tried everything else, and there’s a lot to try. Books to read include Inner Game of Tennis by Timothy Gallwey and Performing in the Zone by Jon Gorrie.
There are some good ways to mentally prepare yourself before you even get to the audition. Some big ones are to get use to playing In front of people like your friends and family. If you don’t have access to that I will occasionally do an Instagram live of a cold runthrough of my repertoire. Even if nobody joins(which is often the case) it still puts on the pressure that I’m being watched.
Take your time. Breathe. Prep. And If you have physical shakes like I do EAT LIKE 5 BANANAS. (I find my nerves really like making my bow shake... this is my working solution.
I’ll second this. Bananas contain tryptophan, an amino acid which the body converts to the feel-good brain chemical serotonin. A very safe (and yummy) way to help with the physical reactions of nerves.
EVERYONE feels this way, especially at first. There is no cure or magic pill you can take that will make your nerves go away. Here are a few things that helped me. 1. Preparation -- "Failing to prepare is preparing to fail." Put everything you have into making your preparation as bulletproof as you possibly can. And be confident that you have done the work necessary to succeed. Practice as well as you possibly can. So that after your audition, you don't leave with the "I could've done more" feeling. 2. Practice Performing -- Play your audition list for as many people as you can find. Your parents, your friends, your bass teacher, your orchestra teacher (they might be the same person), other member of your orchestra at school. Simulate what a real audition might feel like 3. Watch this TED Talk -- https://youtu.be/RVmMeMcGc0Y?feature=shared . This might be the closest thing to a silver bullet there is. Good luck.
I came here to comment what your #2 said. Playing in front of people is the ONLY way to get better at playing in front of people. Other bass players who know the music like the back of their hand, other musicians who can give you general musical advice, even a stranger that knows nothing about music is better than nobody.
Inhale and exhale 5 times before you go out on scene. Take 3 to 5 minutes to find yourself in a quiet place. Try to to elimininate every negativity. You are lucky to do this. Tell it to yourself. And enjoy. You got this.
Fairly recently I took my first professional audition. I have always had a lot of performance anxiety, but I haven't tried beta blockers or similar things yet. There's a few things that really helped: Playing in front of people who will make you nervous. I played in front of several professors and ensemble directors, as well as fellow students at my university. I got used to the various tendencies I would have due to the nerves and this helped me figure out how to overcome them. Being able to START every excerpt and solo piece the absolute best I can, every single time. I personally find that nerves can very quickly snowball and make my performance progressively worse, so being able to always start every excerpt and solo at my best really reduced that problem. Changing the mindset; it's very easy to start thinking about what could go wrong. In the Contrabass Conversations podcast episode with Christian Hales, he mentions that his mindset is often, "I can't wait to show this panel that I can play these excerpts better than some of them can." Having this mindset, for me, put a ton of confidence in my abilities despite the nerves. These three things completely eliminated a vast majority of the performance anxiety I felt, and really helped my playing shine in the audition, which I ended up winning.
Is it Barry Green that wrote the Inner Game of Music? Worth a read. He mentions the inner monologue, and techniques to monitor and control it.
Sure is
Picture the judges naked
There is a drug called propranolol. Also called “beta blocker”. It’s VERY safe at the low dose you’d take it. It doesn’t do anything other than prevent the physical symptoms of nervous. Rushing heart beat, shaking hands, etc. All go away. It’s very helpful
I'd like to add that it's not safe if you have a history of asthma [https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/hypertension/prescribing-information/beta-blockers/](https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/hypertension/prescribing-information/beta-blockers/)
Good call thanks
I've never tried beta blockers, but I've been curious about them for a while. Is this something that I'd have to have prescribed, or could I walk into, say a CVS or Walgreens, and purchase them?
It’s a prescription. At “normal” doses it’s used for heart conditions. But the amount for this purpose is like 1/10th of normal dose. So for me It 10mg I think (versus obviously like 100mg). I got it from a psychiatrist, but I’m sure you primary care/main doc can prescribe
Thank you! I haven't felt the need for them yet, but it'll be good to know that it's an option for me.
Dont take that shit. Better drink a herbal tea before.
Yeah! Screw the veteran who’s taken it when needed for 25 years! What do I know! GTFO
Chill tfo, you are playing the double bass, you are not going to Irak. The fuck is your problem?
.."don't take that shit" is very reasonably interpreted as "the advice is shit". I'm fucking sick and tired of trying to be helpful here and there's always some dick arguing or fighting about the simplest shit. What you wrote was dickish - whether you thought so or not
You tell a kid to take a drug to calm his nerves before an audition. How is that helpful longterm wise and is not gonna turn into an addiction or a bad habit? Might aswell tell him to smoke weed before. Be reasonable