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SRSourire Registered User (10/1/00 10:55:15 am) Reply	Need advice please I'm NOT a soloist at heart, at school I'm required to perform solos for the other music majors four times a semester. I'm pretty much okay playing fast-tempo pieces, but the slow lyrical ones really expose my nervousness. My hands shake, and so does my tone = / It's REALLY embarrassing. I read someone else's post about their church performance and how when they focused on playing for God everything went well. When I play for the class I think of giving them a good performance that they can enjoy, but that doesn't seem to help. At least it didn't help yesterday! Any good advice on conrtolling this shaking problem? THANKS!
susan Registered User (10/1/00 11:23:27 am) Reply	Re: Need advice please My teacher told somebody the other day to try raising her elbow and dropping her wrist. I don't know if it works-- I've never tried it, but it might be worth a shot...?
zambocello Registered User (10/1/00 1:20:58 pm) Reply	nerves For me, the #1 thing is to have my goals well established; i.e. what I want to accomplish with the piece and how to make it happen. Of course this is developed in preparation, not just in thinking about how not to be nervous on the way to the performance. With my mind on phrasing, tempos, tone, structure, etc. I get "distracted" from being nervous. Nevertheless, nerves do creep in from time to time, no? It's good to have one's defences prepared. If I'm getting a shakey bow I focus on bow speed. A little faster bow speed almost always cures the shakes. More subtly, if I just focus on the steadiness of my bow speed it usually cures the shakes. When the bow starts to shake there is the temptation to "grab it!" but I loosen my grip to calm the bow. On the left hand side I have to remind myself to not press the strings through the back of the neck and also to keep my vibrato in line with the string. The muscular tension brought on by performance sometimes makes me "aim" my vibrato on a different line. While you don't want your nerves to affect your playing, I say DO enjoy being nervous. It shows you're human!
Andrew Victor Registered User (10/1/00 1:28:54 pm) Reply	Re: Need advice please The complete advice I would give depends on how old you are. How old are you? Other advice - If one can play to God in church, one can play to God anywhere. Stage fright is very common and very scary. But you know you can play well enough, because you can do it when you practice, and the problem is entirely EGO and being afraid that you will not do as well as you want when there are other people there. The fear causes adrenalin flow into the blood which helps your big muscles move faster, but results in shakiness on controlling the very muscles you need to play. After the right hand starts to shake, then the left hand can tighten up spoiling vibrato, speed, and eventually even intonation (all in the same performance. For wind players, the loss of muscle control can occur in their breathing apparatus and their lips or tongues - whatever you need to use most is what seems to be affected most. The advice to raise the right elbow is good advice for tone production because it tends to force one to draw the bow straight, or at a slight angle in the favorable directin for better tone. If it keeps your right arm from shaking, great. Doesn't help me that way, though. Andy
SRSourire Registered User (10/1/00 3:06:13 pm) Reply	Re: Need advice please Thanks so much to everyone who has replied so far with their good and detailed advice. Andrew asks my age. I'm 45. I've been playing the cello for four years now. Before that I was a flutist for many years (but where's the challenge in that huh? I had this most recent attack of nerves while performing Faure's Sicilienne, which I LOVE, but which I butchered with my shaky whiny tone. Sue
Paul Tseng ICS Staff Administrator (10/1/00 7:00:09 pm) Reply	Re: Need advice please Great advice all around. I'd be a bit careful about raising the elbow (depending one how high it as already). Not to say that the right elbow always stays down, Just be sure not to raise either of your shoulders as it produces tension in the arms, neck and shoulders. Taking the focus off yourself and playing for a higher purpose always helps me with nerves. I played in a new setting today and felt my nerves knocking on the door as I was unfamiliar with the process in a Chinese Speaking congregation (I don't understand Chinese well enough to know what is being said). I wasn't sure when exactly to begin playing during their communion service. But I focused myself on the purpose of my playing (not performing) and though I had a shaky start, it went just fine. So where a good part of shaky bow arms are caused by physical tension, a good deal of physical tension is cause by emotional and psychological (if not spiritual) discomfort. Relax and enjoy this privilege we have of playing the cello and helping people become aware of the soul they have. Paul Tseng, Cello Chat Administrator Today's Quote My Website MP3! The San Diego Cello Society
Ren4236 Registered User (10/1/00 7:06:05 pm) Reply	Re: Need advice please While physical remedies can work temporary miracles, they can cause other problems. For instance, I've tried the raising of the arm thing, but I find that not only is the benefit negligible (sp?) but it changes how I play the cello to a way that I haven't practiced, as well as causing some physical pain. My suggestion (groan ) would be to try reading some of the books that give mental solutions to nerves. Two that I have read and find to be quite helpful are the Inner Game of Tennis by W. Timothy Gallwey, and Audition Success by Don Greene. While they may not be the absolute answer to the problem of nerves, they can definitely get you started on a search for a more permanent solution to performance anxiety.
sarah schenkman Registered User (10/2/00 7:03:07 am) Reply	Need advice please I think one of the best things you can do for the problem of nerves interferring with performance is more performing - even if you have to set up situations. If I've gone a while without performing any solo work (like last year when I had an arm injury) I get much more nervous when I play. It helps to play for more people. Get friends together and play through for them whatever you're going to be playing.
String4tetCellist Registered User (10/3/00 7:37:05 pm) Reply	Solo Performing I'm not sure that this hasn't yet been said, but... Try not playing for the audience, but for yourself and for the composer. Become immersed in the solo Bach (or whatever it is) and just think of that- not that there are a bunch of people there in the room listening to you. Just close your eyes and tell the story of whatever piece you're playing- that is, whatever story you feel it has to tell.
Heather Martley Registered User (10/4/00 9:35:58 am) Reply	Flute/Cello Combo Hi!!!!! I'm really glad to see another flutist/cellist. I've been a flutist for 30 years, a cellist for three. Don't sweat that Sicilienne! You'll be fine next time. For nerves, the best antidote I know is to be absolutely sure I've prepared to the best of my ability (this helps a lot even though I know there still may be some parts I can't perfect). I also try to remember to breathe fully and in a relaxed fashion, and to consciously relax all muscles before playing, expecially the large muscles and the jaw. This transfers right over to cello playing. As a flutist, one of the best images I was taught was to stand while playing and feel the energy go down through my feet and out through the floor. Sounds weird, but it can be very powerful. I'm still trying to figure out how that can be transferred to cello, as we can't stand up! The sensation of relaxed weight is what I would be after. Of course, lots of people use those beta blockers. I've never done it - but they say it works wonders. Good luck!
Bob Blais Registered User (10/5/00 5:30:48 pm) Reply	Re: Flute/Cello Combo Oh, nerves. Icky. For me, the problem is an interior dialogue that happens when I get nervous. I make a small mistake, lose focus, dwell on it, lose track of where I am, ... If this is your experience, you might try a couple of tricks. Heidi Castleman, who teaches viola in New York, said that really singing the melody in your head as loudly as you can while playing tends to leave no room at all for the self-judgement. Another idea is to really focus on something technical, finger position, bow contact, whatever. But really focus intently. This helps me a lot. Bob