Systems to Help Performance Nerves
Imagine this: Recital day is here. You have practiced hours and hours and feel ready and excited to share what you have been working on for months with family and friends.
You wake up, have a good warm-up, get dressed and head to the venue. When you arrive, you have a sound check with your accompanist and head back stage to wait until showtime. You feel a little nervous but are mostly excited because you finally get to perform the pieces you selected at the beginning of the semester. You are prepared and ready.
You have so much fun while you're playing. You are able to take musical risks because you are only thinking about the music, not the people in the audience or the difficult passages that you spent 20 hours wood-shedding. You are free!
Wouldn't it feel great to be fully present with the music, free from the nervous distractions of the mind and body?
Let's chat a little bit about nerves.
Musicians are regularly in high-stress situations and have to figure out how to handle the nerves that accompany them.
Recently, I was preparing for a tour and during one of the dress rehearsals, we had fellow musicians come and listen to us. After they left, a colleague said, "Kelly, I got nervous and forgot to support my sound!" We laughed and proceeded with the rehearsal.
Side note: My colleagues know I talk about sound support all the time and ways of dealing with nerves, so we have started telling each other when we forget to support our sound!
When nerves strike, sound support is the first thing to go out the window, along with air speed and other basic playing fundamentals. To combat this, we must prepare for how we are likely to feel when we perform.
I like to use a system so when nerves kick in, my body knows what to do. This system helps me remember my fundamentals, like breath support and air speed. As an oboe player I have a solo every time I tune the band. It is the first note of each concert, played by only me, and it's one I don't want to mess up.
Oboe players, raise your hand if the tuning note makes you nervous!
No matter your career field, nerves kick in because we care and want to do a good job.
Nerves are not always a bad thing. But you must know how your body reacts and practice overcoming them. When nerves strike, you need a system you can rely on that your body automatically does so that you can focus your efforts and energy on making beautiful phrases (instead of how nervous you are!) A system will free up mental and physical energy and allow you to focus solely on the music.
When I am nervous, my sound support goes away first, meaning I am not engaging the muscles needed to support my air, at least not as much as I should. The second thing that goes away is a good breath and the use of fast air.
I use the "Breathe, prepare, play" system that I learned from my former teacher, Mr. Humbert Lucarelli. This system is what helps me and is what I rely on when I perform.
I say silently, "The tuning note (or solo) is coming up." Then I go through my checklist:
Breathe: Inhale. Take a full breath.
Prepare: Engage my muscles, place my tongue on the reed
Play: Release the tongue from the reed and use fast air
If I follow this process, I have set myself up to play well. I have practiced this system enough that my body knows what to do without me telling it every time.
Imagine the freedom a system can bring you. Imagine fully immersing yourself in each note and phrase.
What system works for you? Are you currently using a system? If not, I challenge you to think of your own or use mine and see if it works for you!
Nerves can be very defeating, but we can control how our body responds to stress. I also want to point out that I still get nervous after 22 years of performing! There is nothing wrong with getting nervous before a performance. In fact, nerves mean you care, and a small amount can be good (if they're the excited kind of nerves!) However, don't allow nerves to dictate how well you play.
Systems are one way to help with performance nerves, but there are many ways to handle nerves. Let me know if you have any tips or systems you rely on to help with your nerves!