Copyright 2006 Sadson Music All Rights Reserved. NO part of this site may be used or reproduced in any way without express written permission of the author.
Contact ceo at sadsonmusic.com for questions concerning this website.
Contact ceo at sadsonmusic.com for questions concerning this website.
Overcoming Stage Fright Part 1
Laurie LaCross-Wright
Laurie LaCross-Wright
Until you get used to it, the challenge of speaking or performing in front of a group of people, can cause physical reactions that range from a mild case of butterflies or trembling to breaking out in hives or puking your guts out just thinking about it.
The musician or singer who wants to perform for live audiences but cant seem to get past their stage fright must concentrate on making nervousness and adrenaline work for them.
I was 14 the first time I ever sang for an audience. No, Im not going to admit how long ago that was, but I will say karaoke had not yet been invented. I was the only Freshman in our high school who had signed up to perform solo at the annual talent show and when I got there, I found the auditorium filled beyond its seating capacity with more than 1100 fellow students, friends and family.
Of course, I started shaking very badly. Standing backstage, awaiting my turn to perform, my palms were sweating profusely and my fingers felt too rubbery to make the chords. Remembering the advice of my choir director, I took deep, slow breaths and told myself over and over that I could do this. The slow, deep breathing helped. I calmed myself to the point where I could control the nervous trembling everywhere except my right knee. I figured that was a compromise I could live with, since my hands and voice were no longer wobbling uncontrollably.
I managed to get through House of the Rising Sun as well as any 14 year old singing about a cat house in New Orleans could be expected to, and although I didn't win the talent show that night, I learned that my fear was manageable. That was the day I became a singer. I may not have been the best singer, but in deed and in spirit, from that day forward, I was a singer.
Performing doesn't make me nervous anymore because we generally perform several nights a week, but over the years I have taken short breaks from performing - a two or three-month stretches at most. If I havent performed in a while, I sometimes feel a bit edgy initially, but within a few minutes, any anxiety I have has faded completely.
If fear is preventing you from becoming a performing artist, there are many things you can do that will help you overcome stage fright. Some involve techniques you work on before you try to hit the stage, and some are things you do (or refrain from doing) when you decide its time to go for it.
Things you can do to prepare yourself in advance
Being a performer entails much more than standing or sitting in front of a group of people and delivering a song. Your body language will play an important part in how your audience perceives you and how they react to you. What you say and how you say it is equally important. The more prepared you are, the less chance there is that you will freeze up. It may take a few tries, but soon you will begin to find your comfort zone and suddenly you will realize that youre enjoying yourself.
As you rehearse, visualize that you are in front of an audience. Does the adrenaline start racing through your body just thinking about it? Pay attention to what your physical symptoms are. Take deep, slow breaths. Practice this! Turn your attention inward and focus on calming the jitters in your hands, knees, etc. If your voice starts shaking while you sing, try to relax your vocal cords and try to smooth out your notes. If your palms get sweaty, keep a hand towel nearby.
Rehearse with a sound system if at all possible. Get accustomed to how you sound when amplified. Hearing a monitor speaker blaring back at you can be disconcerting at first, but I personally cannot imagine performing without one now - particularly in a noisy club or when I have a Marshall cabinet blaring six feet behind me.
Expressions and Body Language
Place a mirror in front of you while you practice. This can have a huge impact on your performance and ultimately, on your comfort level. Pay attention to your facial expressions and the twitchy things you may find yourself doing as you perform in front of that mirror. Paste a smile on your face and keep it there. Believe it or not, this takes practice. It sounds silly and you may feel like a loon doing it but it makes a HUGE difference - both in the way you feel, and the way people perceive you.
One piano player we know has this down to a science. He is a pleasure to work with because every time I glance his way, he's got a big happy grin on his face and looks like he's having the best night of his life. In turn, we relax and have more fun at the gig and the audience always smiles back for him too.
Visual focus
Avoid looking at your shoes or the floor while performing. While practicing, look toward the back of the room just above head height. It will give the impression that you are looking at your audience, but won't be as distracting for you.
Scripting comments and banter
Jot down ideas on what you want to communicate to an audience when introducing a song you are about to play. Planning what you want to say your banter will make your presentation smoother and will lessen the chance that you will stutter and stumble while talking. Once again, make your introductions and comments a part of your rehearsal. I recall reading an interview with Reba McIntyre some years back. She talked about how she and her manager worked to keep her shows fresh by rotating or changing her scripted banter between songs. Most major concerts are timed out and tightly choreographed with instrumental segue ways between songs. Nothing is left to chance, including seemingly random comments or chit chat.
Microphone technique
Be very aware of your microphone technique. This is very important. When you speak into a microphone, keep your mouth very close to it. This is one of the most common mistakes performers and public speakers make - and it isn't just beginners who do it.
Speak clearly, and slowly. Pause between sentences. Give people an opportunity to tune in to what you are saying to them, and to react also. Do not mumble and run your words together. Use a louder tone of voice than if you were just talking to someone standing next to you. At performance venues, mics will be set for singing volumes, and most people push harder when they are singing than when talking. If a venue is the least bit noisy and you speak in a normal tone, it will sound like garbled mush out front and people will ignore you, which will add to your own discomfort. Do not be afraid to push your voice a bit.
The same goes for singing - stay close to that microphone. My lips are never more than an inch from the mic when I sing softly, and no further than 4 or 5 inches from the mic when Im wailing at full volume. Clinging to a microphone held at chest level eight inches beneath your mouth is, quite simply, musical death. You MUST get used to holding a microphone (or adjusting the mic stand) so your microphone is aimed directly at your mouth at a horizontal angle. A sound tech (if you are fortunate enough to be performing at a venue or event that has one) can only do so much for you if you are more than 2 inches from that mic screen. The tech will do what he or she can to increase your mic volume, but turning up the volume too high will lead to feedback problems.
Also, when handling a microphone, you must be aware of where you are pointing it. Never aim a microphone toward a PA speaker or monitor speaker. A lot of people dont think about the microphone on the parts of the song they may not sing on. Aiming it in the wrong direction will get you and your audience an earful of painful electronic screeching and feedback.
Remember, if people can't hear you clearly, they will lose interest, the room will get noisy with conversation and your nerves will start jangling again because you'll be assuming they don't like what you're doing - and chances are, they simply can't hear you clearly.
The musician or singer who wants to perform for live audiences but cant seem to get past their stage fright must concentrate on making nervousness and adrenaline work for them.
I was 14 the first time I ever sang for an audience. No, Im not going to admit how long ago that was, but I will say karaoke had not yet been invented. I was the only Freshman in our high school who had signed up to perform solo at the annual talent show and when I got there, I found the auditorium filled beyond its seating capacity with more than 1100 fellow students, friends and family.
Of course, I started shaking very badly. Standing backstage, awaiting my turn to perform, my palms were sweating profusely and my fingers felt too rubbery to make the chords. Remembering the advice of my choir director, I took deep, slow breaths and told myself over and over that I could do this. The slow, deep breathing helped. I calmed myself to the point where I could control the nervous trembling everywhere except my right knee. I figured that was a compromise I could live with, since my hands and voice were no longer wobbling uncontrollably.
I managed to get through House of the Rising Sun as well as any 14 year old singing about a cat house in New Orleans could be expected to, and although I didn't win the talent show that night, I learned that my fear was manageable. That was the day I became a singer. I may not have been the best singer, but in deed and in spirit, from that day forward, I was a singer.
Performing doesn't make me nervous anymore because we generally perform several nights a week, but over the years I have taken short breaks from performing - a two or three-month stretches at most. If I havent performed in a while, I sometimes feel a bit edgy initially, but within a few minutes, any anxiety I have has faded completely.
If fear is preventing you from becoming a performing artist, there are many things you can do that will help you overcome stage fright. Some involve techniques you work on before you try to hit the stage, and some are things you do (or refrain from doing) when you decide its time to go for it.
Things you can do to prepare yourself in advance
Being a performer entails much more than standing or sitting in front of a group of people and delivering a song. Your body language will play an important part in how your audience perceives you and how they react to you. What you say and how you say it is equally important. The more prepared you are, the less chance there is that you will freeze up. It may take a few tries, but soon you will begin to find your comfort zone and suddenly you will realize that youre enjoying yourself.
As you rehearse, visualize that you are in front of an audience. Does the adrenaline start racing through your body just thinking about it? Pay attention to what your physical symptoms are. Take deep, slow breaths. Practice this! Turn your attention inward and focus on calming the jitters in your hands, knees, etc. If your voice starts shaking while you sing, try to relax your vocal cords and try to smooth out your notes. If your palms get sweaty, keep a hand towel nearby.
Rehearse with a sound system if at all possible. Get accustomed to how you sound when amplified. Hearing a monitor speaker blaring back at you can be disconcerting at first, but I personally cannot imagine performing without one now - particularly in a noisy club or when I have a Marshall cabinet blaring six feet behind me.
Expressions and Body Language
Place a mirror in front of you while you practice. This can have a huge impact on your performance and ultimately, on your comfort level. Pay attention to your facial expressions and the twitchy things you may find yourself doing as you perform in front of that mirror. Paste a smile on your face and keep it there. Believe it or not, this takes practice. It sounds silly and you may feel like a loon doing it but it makes a HUGE difference - both in the way you feel, and the way people perceive you.
One piano player we know has this down to a science. He is a pleasure to work with because every time I glance his way, he's got a big happy grin on his face and looks like he's having the best night of his life. In turn, we relax and have more fun at the gig and the audience always smiles back for him too.
Visual focus
Avoid looking at your shoes or the floor while performing. While practicing, look toward the back of the room just above head height. It will give the impression that you are looking at your audience, but won't be as distracting for you.
Scripting comments and banter
Jot down ideas on what you want to communicate to an audience when introducing a song you are about to play. Planning what you want to say your banter will make your presentation smoother and will lessen the chance that you will stutter and stumble while talking. Once again, make your introductions and comments a part of your rehearsal. I recall reading an interview with Reba McIntyre some years back. She talked about how she and her manager worked to keep her shows fresh by rotating or changing her scripted banter between songs. Most major concerts are timed out and tightly choreographed with instrumental segue ways between songs. Nothing is left to chance, including seemingly random comments or chit chat.
Microphone technique
Be very aware of your microphone technique. This is very important. When you speak into a microphone, keep your mouth very close to it. This is one of the most common mistakes performers and public speakers make - and it isn't just beginners who do it.
Speak clearly, and slowly. Pause between sentences. Give people an opportunity to tune in to what you are saying to them, and to react also. Do not mumble and run your words together. Use a louder tone of voice than if you were just talking to someone standing next to you. At performance venues, mics will be set for singing volumes, and most people push harder when they are singing than when talking. If a venue is the least bit noisy and you speak in a normal tone, it will sound like garbled mush out front and people will ignore you, which will add to your own discomfort. Do not be afraid to push your voice a bit.
The same goes for singing - stay close to that microphone. My lips are never more than an inch from the mic when I sing softly, and no further than 4 or 5 inches from the mic when Im wailing at full volume. Clinging to a microphone held at chest level eight inches beneath your mouth is, quite simply, musical death. You MUST get used to holding a microphone (or adjusting the mic stand) so your microphone is aimed directly at your mouth at a horizontal angle. A sound tech (if you are fortunate enough to be performing at a venue or event that has one) can only do so much for you if you are more than 2 inches from that mic screen. The tech will do what he or she can to increase your mic volume, but turning up the volume too high will lead to feedback problems.
Also, when handling a microphone, you must be aware of where you are pointing it. Never aim a microphone toward a PA speaker or monitor speaker. A lot of people dont think about the microphone on the parts of the song they may not sing on. Aiming it in the wrong direction will get you and your audience an earful of painful electronic screeching and feedback.
Remember, if people can't hear you clearly, they will lose interest, the room will get noisy with conversation and your nerves will start jangling again because you'll be assuming they don't like what you're doing - and chances are, they simply can't hear you clearly.