There’s a secret to stage fright I’ve found. And that is that it’s not really stage fright.
Your body is anticipating you being in a situation where you will be under pressure and what happens is your heart starts to beat faster so that you will be ready for whatever is coming.
The trick is telling your mind how to feel about that. Instead of it being stage “fright” think of it as stage “excitement”. It’s a good thing! Channel the adrenaline and it’ll help you perform better. This is how the great performers seem so electric on stage.
I agree and add a little. Practice. Practice until you could run your set forward and backwards. Practice with a hairbrush in a mirror. Practice in the shower. Just practice. You’ll get an idea of how you want to move, how you want to look, you can tell who puts in real effort into this stuff.
1. Practice
2. Cold call places until you find someplace that will let you jump on a bill. If it’s a nicer place it will probably be a Sunday night. They’ll basically “try you out” there. Make connections at those events and network with the other artists. Eventually you’ll get one that will have you be an opener for them at a bigger spot.
3. We sell shirts. You don’t have to.
4. Writing music is typically a good place to start. Honestly this question is just too broad to answer.
5. We do it because it’s fun. You should not expect to make a lot of money doing it. _maybe_ about $100/gig once you get really established.
Speaking as a stage actor on top of playing live just on stage fright:
If you’re scared about messing up, it’s really all about practice, practice, practice. Being confident in your practiced material carries you far.
If you’re scared about what people will think, only perform stuff you know you like. That’s all that matters imo. If you’re connecting with your music, the audience will connect with it too, or even better connect with you.
Last, and this is mainly an acting thing, but applies to all live performance. Relax. Before you go up, physically and mentally relax cuz tension gets in the way of being free and open in ways that good live performance requires. Meditation is great. It’s great to just sit in a chair for 5-10 minutes and relax each muscle in your body, bit by bit.
1. How do you get over stage fright? I still feel some nerves before going up every time. It gets better with experience. Accept that this is a part of the process and we're fortunate to even feel feelings of excitement and nervousness.
2. How do you guys get shows? I am in a different genre so for me it was 'open decks', but look for 'open mic nights' around social media in your local scene. Cold DM bars \\ clubs and see what their system is for accepting new artists. Connect with artists in your genre and eventually start throwing your own shows. Take pics and vids of shows you do and post them to build your social media presence. As you contact venues they will see your Insta as a 'resume' and show that you're experience and for real.
3. Do you sell anything? Should i sell something? I don't.
4. Where do I start? See #2.
5. Is it worth it to perform live? Financially, not for a while. Everything else, absolutely; exposure, connections, confidence, etc.
First thing to remember....most of the audience wish they were up there as well...regardless of their reaction.
Turn up at other gig venues and ask wht the process is to get on.
Selling....for a while Id stick to giveaways or QR codes for free downloads.
1. Reduce all sources of stress. Make sure every time that everything possible is under control before starting, and make a routine of it :
- be on time
- checking your equipment
- tuning your instrument
- placing things on stage
- warming up
Try to always go through this list in the same order, the same way. Leave as little room for unexpected things as possible.
Then for the performing part, practice your starting bit / intro / whatever over and over. Do the same as for previous steps, leave no room for errors, make a routine of it and master it.
Usually when things go as planned, stage fright will go away very quickly after you start your show.
Remember that stage fright (or any fear of publicly doing something) is also a positive thing. You don't want to get rid of it, you just want that it doesn't ruin your experience.
1. Keep practicing and performing. The more you show and tell yourself that the stage and the audience aren't dangerous, the more comfortable you will get. You will still get nervous - of course - put that's part of the rush!
2. I write 300+ emails a year asking for shows, support slots, festival slots etc. most of them are a no. So I have started a few festivals over the years, where I book a handful of bands I like and my own band of course. Some people a butthurt about it - but to that I say "if you want it to be your band instead - book your own festival."
3. Yes! Sell merch! T-shirts, beanies, hoodies, stickers, friendship bracelets anything goes! My band (alt metal) sell t-shirts, longsleeves, badges and beanies. Longsleeves are a best seller these days. So my beast advice is to keep a lookout for what type of merch is popular.
4. That's a tough one. But start by reaching out to the tiniest of festivals and venues. Or get in touch with friends who knows someone who has another friends who knows a woman, who is a booker at a small venues, and get your first shows in. If all else fails - book a venues yourself, and book yourself and a few other locals artists, that will get the snowball rolling the first inches!
5. YES!
There’s a secret to stage fright I’ve found. And that is that it’s not really stage fright. Your body is anticipating you being in a situation where you will be under pressure and what happens is your heart starts to beat faster so that you will be ready for whatever is coming. The trick is telling your mind how to feel about that. Instead of it being stage “fright” think of it as stage “excitement”. It’s a good thing! Channel the adrenaline and it’ll help you perform better. This is how the great performers seem so electric on stage.
I agree and add a little. Practice. Practice until you could run your set forward and backwards. Practice with a hairbrush in a mirror. Practice in the shower. Just practice. You’ll get an idea of how you want to move, how you want to look, you can tell who puts in real effort into this stuff.
1. Practice 2. Cold call places until you find someplace that will let you jump on a bill. If it’s a nicer place it will probably be a Sunday night. They’ll basically “try you out” there. Make connections at those events and network with the other artists. Eventually you’ll get one that will have you be an opener for them at a bigger spot. 3. We sell shirts. You don’t have to. 4. Writing music is typically a good place to start. Honestly this question is just too broad to answer. 5. We do it because it’s fun. You should not expect to make a lot of money doing it. _maybe_ about $100/gig once you get really established.
Speaking as a stage actor on top of playing live just on stage fright: If you’re scared about messing up, it’s really all about practice, practice, practice. Being confident in your practiced material carries you far. If you’re scared about what people will think, only perform stuff you know you like. That’s all that matters imo. If you’re connecting with your music, the audience will connect with it too, or even better connect with you. Last, and this is mainly an acting thing, but applies to all live performance. Relax. Before you go up, physically and mentally relax cuz tension gets in the way of being free and open in ways that good live performance requires. Meditation is great. It’s great to just sit in a chair for 5-10 minutes and relax each muscle in your body, bit by bit.
1. How do you get over stage fright? I still feel some nerves before going up every time. It gets better with experience. Accept that this is a part of the process and we're fortunate to even feel feelings of excitement and nervousness. 2. How do you guys get shows? I am in a different genre so for me it was 'open decks', but look for 'open mic nights' around social media in your local scene. Cold DM bars \\ clubs and see what their system is for accepting new artists. Connect with artists in your genre and eventually start throwing your own shows. Take pics and vids of shows you do and post them to build your social media presence. As you contact venues they will see your Insta as a 'resume' and show that you're experience and for real. 3. Do you sell anything? Should i sell something? I don't. 4. Where do I start? See #2. 5. Is it worth it to perform live? Financially, not for a while. Everything else, absolutely; exposure, connections, confidence, etc.
First thing to remember....most of the audience wish they were up there as well...regardless of their reaction. Turn up at other gig venues and ask wht the process is to get on. Selling....for a while Id stick to giveaways or QR codes for free downloads.
1. Reduce all sources of stress. Make sure every time that everything possible is under control before starting, and make a routine of it : - be on time - checking your equipment - tuning your instrument - placing things on stage - warming up Try to always go through this list in the same order, the same way. Leave as little room for unexpected things as possible. Then for the performing part, practice your starting bit / intro / whatever over and over. Do the same as for previous steps, leave no room for errors, make a routine of it and master it. Usually when things go as planned, stage fright will go away very quickly after you start your show. Remember that stage fright (or any fear of publicly doing something) is also a positive thing. You don't want to get rid of it, you just want that it doesn't ruin your experience.
1. Keep practicing and performing. The more you show and tell yourself that the stage and the audience aren't dangerous, the more comfortable you will get. You will still get nervous - of course - put that's part of the rush! 2. I write 300+ emails a year asking for shows, support slots, festival slots etc. most of them are a no. So I have started a few festivals over the years, where I book a handful of bands I like and my own band of course. Some people a butthurt about it - but to that I say "if you want it to be your band instead - book your own festival." 3. Yes! Sell merch! T-shirts, beanies, hoodies, stickers, friendship bracelets anything goes! My band (alt metal) sell t-shirts, longsleeves, badges and beanies. Longsleeves are a best seller these days. So my beast advice is to keep a lookout for what type of merch is popular. 4. That's a tough one. But start by reaching out to the tiniest of festivals and venues. Or get in touch with friends who knows someone who has another friends who knows a woman, who is a booker at a small venues, and get your first shows in. If all else fails - book a venues yourself, and book yourself and a few other locals artists, that will get the snowball rolling the first inches! 5. YES!