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The
Principles of Practice
Based on "The Principles of Correct
Practice for Guitar"
by Jamie Andreas
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| IN
THIS ISSUE |
September
24, 2000 Volume 12
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Stage Fright Part Two
Okay so now that we have this stage fright thing more properly defined
as what it really is, that is, People Fright, we are in a position
to get some where with it. But first, a caution. Many (perhaps most)
people, including professional performers, never slay this dragon.
They may learn to live with being in it's presence, and learn to
perform even though they must do it while their knees are wobbling!
But they never actually get to the essence of the matter, so that
the dragon is slain, (or perhaps, more accurately, transformed).
The reason they don't do this, is because the matter goes too deep,
too deep into the person themselves, and it is deeper than they
are willing to go.
Andres Segovia, for instance, who is the most famous classical guitarist
of the 20th century, and undeniably one of its greatest musical
performers, was, throughout his very long performing career of some
70 years, plagued with incredible stage fright, often shaking visibly
before going on stage, and having the beginnings of concerts seriously
impaired because of it. He is one example of many world famous performers
who NEVER got to the root of it, and never overcame it.
Segovia did do something however, which to me is ridiculous and
deluding. He did what I call "making a virtue out of a vice",
something people commonly do when they don't want to or can't change
a weakness. They start to "re-shape" their thinking about
it and turn it into something that makes them look good! Segovia
told himself (and others) that suffering from stage fright was a
sign of talent, and not feeling stage fright was a sign of not having
talent! While it may be true that artists tend to be highly sensitive
individuals who are more prone to certain "imbalances"
in their make-up, it certainly doesn't mean that that same sensitivity/talent
MUST lead to the undeniably unpleasant (to say the least) effects
of stage fright.
Interestingly enough, Segovia would, during the course of the concert,
overcome the feelings and start to enjoy playing for the audience,
as many players do. He would say, "before a concert, I want
to cancel it. After I am done playing, I want to start again".
This was certainly a good thing, but why have to repeat the endless
cycle of agony each time a concert comes up?
I have told you this story about Segovia, because I want you to
realize the enormity of this problem of stage fright. I consider
coming to understand ourselves in the context of how we feel about
walking out on stage, or any kind of playing for other people, to
be an ongoing, life long process, that is in many ways as rewarding
and interesting as being a musician itself. And also understand
that I am not talking about a certain kind of "excitement"
we may naturally feel at the prospect and the experience of performing
on our instrument for other people. Even by it's very rarity, it
carries a certain kind of excitement to it. I am talking about the
absolutely debilitating effects, you know, like hearing about how
John Lennon would throw up before a concert! I am talking about
the "scared to death" kind of feelings. I am talking about
things that makes us play worse, not better.
Before we talk about "why" we are so afraid of sharing
our artistic selves with other people, and why we are so afraid
of other people in so many areas of life, let's talk about "how"
we are afraid of other people. Let's start real simple, with common
experiences everyone has, but I don't think everyone notices, or
appreciates what is really going on when they are happening.
How Stage Fright
Think of it this way. When you are sitting on a public seat somewhere
in a public place, maybe a bus, or a park bench, and someone sits
next to you, why do you tense different parts of your body as they
get closer to you? Why do you make an (ineffective) attempt to "withdraw"
from that other person? Everyone does, you know.
Imagine you are walking down the street, all by yourself, and you
are lost in thought, or the scenery perhaps. Why is it, if someone
begins to approach you, walking in the opposite direction, you not
only tense different parts of your body as they approach, but you
will notice, if you pay attention, that even your awareness of your
own self, your own body, changes. You will, for instance, become
very aware of your face, as the person approaches. You will also
notice it is not a pleasant feeling. Observe yourself in this situation.
You will notice yourself doing these things.
If you were walking down the street by yourself, and then saw up
ahead that you had to walk past a group of strangers, you would
really start to react, or rather "contract". You would
tense your body, and "harden" your "body armor"
for the experience of walking past them. I caught myself doing something
very interesting a while ago. I noticed that whenever I walked into
a public place, a store for instance, I would (unconsciously) anticipate
and prepare for encountering the people there by tensing and or
biting on my lower lip, very slightly, but still tensing. I had
probably been doing this my whole life and never noticed. I experimented
with not doing it (you have the power to experiment once you observe
it, not before). I found a very interesting thing. I found that
I felt somehow "unprotected" to walk into a group of people
without tensing and biting my lower lip!
I could only conclude that the reason I was doing this WAS to protect
myself. In my case, knowing my own neurosis so well, I believe it
comes from a childhood of being told to shut up, and being punished
for speaking my mind. So I would do what is meant by the common
phrase people use when they want to say something but are afraid
to for some reason, I would "bite my lip". Most of us
have some similar hidden obstacles. This is an example of what I
mean when I say you must go deep to make real headway with this
situation. It is through a long process of such experimentation
and observation that I began to notice changes in ALL my dealings
with people, including the experience of walking out on stage in
front of hundreds of them.
We have all learned to do these things so completely and automatically
that we don't even notice them. In fact, it's like when you are
in a room, and there is a background noise going on for a long time,
but you didn't notice it until it stopped! Then you are struck by
the "quiet:" that replaces it, but before that, you just
included the sound in your awareness as a natural part of the "background".
That is how these inner reactions we perform in our contact with
other people are. They are so natural we don't notice them. But
you must realize that becoming aware of yourself in this way IS
the beginning of actually being able to change this "stage
fright" thing we are talking about, that so many people are
never able to change.
When you do begin to notice these things, notice how fear of other
people operates in your daily life in the simplest affairs (being
in the supermarket, waiting on line, etc.) it will be a new sensitivity.
It will grow over time. You will realize that the reason you experience
fear of people on the stage, is because you have fear of people
ALL the time.
But exposing such a vulnerable part of yourself as the part that
strives for artistic expression, and requires special abilities,
special TALENTS (my god, what if I don't have any!), now that is
pushing it. Our fear of other people comes bursting out of our seams
by then!
In all the above mentioned situations, you will also notice, as
your sensitivity increases, that the feelings occurring are not
pleasant, not in the body, or the mind, just like stage fright.
It is not a pleasant feeling because what you are really doing in
all these situations is, in fact, trying to avoid the other person.
You are trying to avoid the fact that the other person is there,
that they exist. You are doing this by "hardening" yourself,
and shutting down your awareness by withdrawing your attention from
what is around you, focusing it into your own body, thoughts and
feelings. This is what the word "self-conscious" means.
You are being conscious only of yourself, not others and your relationship
to them.
You see, when you step out onto a stage, or even just go to play
for some friends, you are simply demonstrating the same fear, except
that it is now too big too hide! Normally, we do hide it. It's easy,
since everyone else is hiding their fear in the same ways, and hardening
themselves against us. They are just as afraid of us as we are of
them, as we go about our day to day routines meeting people in the
usual situations, as in the examples above.
Why Stage Fright
Knowing HOW we do the People Fright thing is actually more important
then knowing WHY we do it. You can endlessly contemplate the WHY
and still never change it. But by working with the how, you will
discover the WHY anyway, and notice it changes by itself, over time.
But as far as the reason for all the protecting, all the fear of
other people, the root of it is simply the inability, the refusal,
to love and accept ourselves as we are, with all our "faults"
and imperfections. We do it to ourselves, and then we go around
being afraid everyone else is going to do it too. We condemn ourselves
for the mistakes we make as players, we compare ourselves to those
"great and perfect players who everyone loves and accepts",
the ones we want to be like. Then we reject ourselves for NOT being
so great and perfect.
Also, it can be a vicious cycle, because often guitarists DO have
many imperfections in their playing ability, and the guitar is an
incredibly difficult instrument by it's nature, anyway. So being
a guitarist, especially a soloist, can be risky business. On top
of that, the teaching systems that have been developed over the
years are always incomplete, and largely ineffective for many students.
Don't forget that compared to piano and violin, the guitar is a
newcomer. Add to all that the guitar being a solo instrument, and
guitarists being a bit "quirky" by nature (my opinion),
and you have all the ingredients for a lifetime of mal-adjustment!
But it is our duty to always be trying to find the paths of growth,
and work to improve ourselves, no matter what stage of development
we are at. Without being engaged in that process, and yet still
displaying ourselves before other people while being conscious of
our stagnant faults, is to invite the paralyzing effects of performance
anxiety as a permanent companion on stage.
The greatest players are always working on improving themselves.
They are always aware of the things that can be improved, new territory
that can be explored. But we all must understand that performing
is a matter of offering what you have at the moment, to other people.
So, on a practical level, one of the most potent ways to begin to
loosen the grip of stage fright is to couple an acceptance of ourselves
at the moment, with the process of on-going development. These conditions
themselves provide a sturdy foundation for the wobbly knees of the
anxiety stricken performer.
Developing As An
Improvising Musician
Hello Jamie,
I'm interested in learning to improv. and such, I really like The
Dead and Phish, what kind of teacher should I seek out? Jazz, Classical,
etc. and what are some things I should look for and questions I
should ask when in the process of looking for this teacher. Any
advice you have on finding a good teacher would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Jason
Here's the deal Jason. Learning to improvise is the process of getting
the right tools and then learning how to use them. The teachers
main job is to provide you with the tools, then teach/show you to
use them. You must put in the time (hours of practice over months/years,
to learn to do this. In that sense, it is just like learning to
speak a language. The tricky part is finding a teacher who can give
you the tools in an orderly manner, and make sure you really grasp
them. The tools are all the scales needed, beginning with pentatonics,
the easiest to learn).
Also, an understanding of theory, so the tools make sense to you.
Look for a jazz or rock teacher, not classical, unless they really
have a background in an improvised style. Interview them, ask them
"how do you go about teaching the necessary scales and theory.
Do I need to learn note reading for your approach." Pester
them to give as much detail as possible. Ask about their other students.
How far have they taken people. Who are their favorite guitarists.
The other necessary thing Jason, with or without a teacher, is learn
as many solos as you can. It's a language, so you have to mimic
other people who speak it as part of your learning process. Scales
are the vocabulary, and theory is the rules of grammar. Good Luck.
Jamie
Finally, SUCCESS!
Jamie,
I read thru most of your book. After the 1st week, not only me but
my wife(my biggest critic), noticed a marked improvement in my 'sound.'
I had stopped playing for 15 years and started again in July 1998.
I refused to take lessons again because I was having so many problems
truly understanding the mechanics of playing. I have been looking
for someone with your approach for 2 years. I'm glad I waited.
Your book is definitely an answered prayer. the remarkable thing
about your book is that it helps you 'conceive' how to get the most
sound out of your instrument. All I have to do is 'believe' and
apply your principles and the 'achieve' part is unlimited. I don't
usually get excited about books like this, but I can't ignore what
I hear in my own playing.
I have leaped vertically at least 1 or 2 more levels in 2 weeks.
One mistake I noticed was I was holding my pick on the tip of my
index finger. It felt uncomfortable, but I tried holding my pick
of top of my index finger as you suggested. This stopped me from
having to bend my wrist and the sound was much more consistent and
present.
I don't know when or where this vertical leap will stop, but I'm
going to enjoy the ride while it lasts. Jamie, I want to thank you
for providing me this valuable information. It is worth much more
than money can provide. Think I'll start looking for a teacher now
that I have a better idea of what to look for.
Thanks again,
Ted A
I love getting letters like this, and I have to say, I get a lot
of them. People often think I do some kind of inappropriate "hard-sell",
when I answer someone's question about how to solve a particular
problem with "get my book". The fact is, I say that because
my book IS the answer to the problems players have, because unlike
any other book out there, it deals with the ROOT CAUSES of how those
problems begin, and continue to plague us. And I KNOW there is no
other book like it, which is something so many players recognize
when they get it. If I didn't think that my book was something that
players desperately need, I wouldn't have bothered to write it!
So, if you are looking for the kind of growth that the writer of
this letter speaks of, realize that it is possible for you too.
But guess what, you have to get my book, and, of course, USE IT.
Also, do a guitar playing friend a favor, and TELL THEM ABOUT GUITARPRINCIPLES.COM!
They will thank you for it!
All
material copyright © 2003 by Jamie Andreas, GuitarPrinciples.com |
