Subject: Fwd: [Harp-L] Re: Getting over stage fright

[EGS1217@xxxxxxx]

Winslow writes in response to Cathy's request:
 
"Message: 8
Date: Mon, 01 May 2006 16:25:11 -0000
From: "Winslow  Yerxa" <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Fwd:  [Harp-L] Re:  Getting over stage fright
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Message-ID:  <e35cp7+9op2@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Content-Type: text/plain;  charset="ISO-8859-1"

--- In harp-l-archives@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "Cathy  Storey" 
<cathy.storey@...> wrote:

> I hope to one day be  able to play in front of others, 
> but for right now the thought of it  makes me weak in the knees!!  
> How do you get over that??  Any  suggestions.....??

Cathy - 

We all go through that to varying  degrees and have different 
solutions. For me it was realizing that What I  was doing was sharing 
something with friends - a story, or a good feeling.  Feeling like 
you're having a conversation with your audience helps soften  the 
feeling that you're on display and all the feelings of "Why is  
everybody looking at me? What'd I do?"

Also, the nervous energy that  you experience can be used. If you can 
channel it into your playing, you can  heighten the intensity of the 
atmosphere you create when you  play.

Winslow"
 
.....I have a similar problem as does Cathy, in that I still have  difficulty 
in playing even to my best friend or a family member.  I did do  a bit better 
at this past Buckeye...sitting down with a few of the older (more  forgiving) 
chromatic players...making sure to play under their music...but do  admit to 
managing to stay with the music despite feeling my stomach  would drop out the 
couple of times they fell away leaving me on my own with  the guitarist 
Bill...particularly on Sleepwalk (one of my most comfortable  pieces to play in 
public on chromatic, besides Danny Boy). 
 
 I no longer feel "on display" when part of a group....that helps an  awful 
lot.  But I still don't think I could ever get up on a stage  behind a 
microphone...or play by myself in a Jam, and I've been at this a lot  longer than 
Cathy.  I know I have to somehow break free of the  fear...but simply don't yet 
know how to....when along with it I lose  all my air!
 
Elizabeth