preparing mentally

r0ckstar

Junior Member
how do you prepare yourself mentally before you play a big show? i have to play my in front of my biggest audience, and i'm really nervous! that and i haven't played for anyone in years.... i'm kind of shy, i only have to play to one song because its just a small talent show kind of thing for my school, and i'll be the only one on stage.

also, what are some quick warm ups to get my hands going. i'll only have a practice pad in the back and a short time to warm up, aside from a few hours before the actual show.
 
A cool warmup I use (particularly on a practice pad) goes like this:

Do 8 strokes with each hand, at a medium tempo.
Then 7 each hand.
Then 6, and so on, down to 1, and then back up to 8 again.

Do the cycle through a couple of times.

There's a Tommy Igoe exercise (i believe, check with Latin Groover for the source video) where you do a bar of singles, bar of doubles, and a bar of paradiddles. Just keep alternating them.


There's lots of ideas around for relaxing mentally before a show. You could try some positive thinking exercises: visualize what the best possible outcome of your playing could be: You nail the song, everyone cheers for you, people come and congratulate you afterwards.

Think of this stuff as you walk out onto the stage.

Take a friend backstage, and talk to them, maybe play a game of cards, something to get your mind off the performance ahead.

Have you performed the song for family or friends yet? If you still have time, get some of them to give you pointers on it.
 
i usually drink a beer, but i'm guessing that's not gonna be practical for you.

other than that, i'll do some warmups like you're suggesting, or go over the songs in my head. it helps to talk to people and joke around before the show. i've played a bunch of shows, but i still get nervous sometimes.

and here's some more advice. if you're nervous try to think about relaxing while you play, and resist the tendancy to constantly speed up or play wild. if i'm nervous i have to consciously think about those things to keep them from happening.
 
i usually hang out with the band before hand. or if i have my ipod, listen to a bunch of songs in the style of the gig. if your performing a solo, maybe listen to some songs in the styles that inspire your solo playing.


i'm thinking more about it, and for me i don't really prepare other than get on the kit and go, and it all seems to work out? i suppose thinking about the music your going to play and how its supposed to feel before you go on stage. or reading over the chart, if its a reading gig.
 
There's lots of ideas around for relaxing mentally before a show. You could try some positive thinking exercises: visualize what the best possible outcome of your playing could be: You nail the song, everyone cheers for you, people come and congratulate you afterwards.

Think of this stuff as you walk out onto the stage.

Take a friend backstage, and talk to them, maybe play a game of cards, something to get your mind off the performance

Negative thinking will drag you down. Doing something like playing some cards is a good idea, something that is not drum related will take your mind of the performance. Warming up is also a really good idea, but make sure not to spend too long warming up, it's easy to begin losing focus after a while on a pad.

Link for the Tommy Igoe video. There's lots of other good warm up ideas on the site too from Peter Erskine, Billy Cobham and others http://www.tothestage.com/MediaDetail.PAGE?ActiveID=1142&IType=2&MediaId=875&MediaType=5
 
My 2c worth.

1. Find somewhere quiet (even outside if need be, in the car if its raining) sit and relax, get away from house music or sound of other bands.

2. Warm up (gentle strokes at first) with simple stuff - singles, doubles etc and tap my feet heel-up and heel-down. I use a metronome clicking at moderate tempo say 100bpm.

3. A few minutes before on-stage mentally play the first song all the way through with the metronome. This usually helps me to nail it live and once the first song has gone well that relaxes me for the rest of the gig.


Richard
 
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