Perfect Tempo when nervous

[grivan]

Hello All,

Not sure if this happens to all of us, but when I'm about to play infront of large crowds I get very nervous and when I'm playing my tempos go all over the place. I've been playing for a while but it still happens.

When I play on my own by myself I can play perfect tempos. This weekend I play a first show show with a band and really don't want timing issues. Any advice? Need to get out of the nervous zone to focus on my tempos. Thank you all.

Timing is everything.

[jonescrusher]

Plenty of metronome practice beforehand; work on being able to sing the tune coming up on the setlist and tap out the time on your leg just before counting in the tune; take a metronome with you on stage, preferably one with flashing leds, dial in the tempo and play along to get you started.

[jivadayadasa]

I know that feeling all too well. Some tempos are harder than others to reign in due to the energy you get from the crowd. I remember playing songs with one band that had tempos that were not exactly in my "comfort zone". You know, the ones you want to slow down or speed up to feel "right" or find that pocket. I remember reading Cobham discussing that while playing with "Jazz is Dead" and it has been true for me.

Also, don't forget that your band mates might also tend to speed up with that live audience energy/nerves/rush. I had to really concentrate and not get carried along with the flow when things started to drag or speed up. You CAN keep everyone together but it's not just you up there. Good bands have great chemistry, sometimes from long practice hours, sometimes from some other type of bond. Maybe talking with your mates about this will ease your mind and, with everyone conscious of the issue, perhaps you can keep it smooth throughtout the show. Being aware and staying aware of it while your playing is most important, not in order to stress you out but to keep your concentration.

Good luck

[keep it simple]

It's a problem for everyone, from the very top to the very bottom. It never goes away, you just learn to manage it. It's not a do I or don't I get nervous, it's a matter of degree. Anyone who pretends otherwise is fooling themselves.

First bit of advise is don't be surprised by it, expect it.
The first number is the killer. Deliberately play the first number at a slightly slower speed. That way you'll hit it about right.
Play a little lighter than usual. Hitting harder naturally speeds your playing up.
Relax and have a few conversations around the bar before you go on stage. Don't just hang around with the band.
Try judging your timing by the back beat rather than the down beat. That will detatch your reliance on the band timing a little.
Overall, have fun. Good luck & remember, bad practice = good gig.

[dairyairman]

i've had a lot of trouble with that in the past, but i think i have it under control now. i always try to focus on relaxing while playing in front of a crowd, no matter how nervous i get. if i can make myself relax, it's lot easier to keep the tempos under control.

i know what it's like to have other musicians pull you faster. i usually fight that by playing really hard backbeats. they have no choice but to follow me.

[grivan]

Thnks guys, yeah I think my guitarist speeds up a lot sometimes and bad thing is that he starts most of the songs, I'm going to work closely with him. Thanks for all the advice, this is helpful!

[mcbike]

You need to have a conversation with the group before hand and discuss what might happen. Especially before you hit a large stage.

It also helps to be fully warmed up and even push it in the warm ups to let a little fatigue set in. I also like to take a short 20 minute walk 30 minutes before showtime and then use 10 minutes to warm up.

My band always rushes like crazy on big stages with big crowds because there is so much energy. We have all been working to get this undercontrol. Sometimes I give the singer a heroin signal (slap the elbow, fake shoot up) so he knows to keep the tempos down. It will feel like you are playing songs painfully slow when you have that much adrenaline, but if you listen back to recordings they will be perfect. Your audience should hear the song at the right tempo, when you play songs too fast they can't follow along and will miss alot of the nuances of the song.

I like the warning about the first song! I always hate the first song especially if it's a new venue and a new crowd. I always wish I could just fast-forward to the 2nd song.

[grivan]

Yeah I think the adrenaline and heavy playing really get our tempos up, we play hardcore so we have to have full blast energy. I'm going to have to incorporate that heroin move in our live performances :) thanks.

[denisri]

Hi
I find having a metronome near me on stage...That I use to set the count off of some song helps me keep in touch with time reality. Denis

[Darbuka]

i always find that knowing the melodies really well will help me kick in to the right tempo.

http://www.darbukaplayer.com
http://www.fingersoffury.com.au

[larryace]

It's good that you are concerned about the right tempo and realize that the nervousness can adversely affect your speed. The first step in solving the problem is identifying it. OK so you can get nervous at times. What can you do so you either don't get nervous or don't let the nervousness affect your tempo?

[grivan]

I talked with the band last night, we agreed to practice with metronome and will try to remain relaxed at shows.

thanx for all the input guys.

[dairyairman]

good luck with the metronome. they can yield interesting results. i brought my metronome and headphones to band practice a couple times. for each song, we decided in advance what a good tempo would be and then we played the whole song while i listened to the metronome through my headphones. what we discovered is that most songs sounded about right at the beginning but towards the end they seemed glacially slow. apparently, we were so used to speeding up, the songs didn't sound right when we played them at a fixed tempo. that was a bit of a wakeup call!

since then i've gotten a lot better about speeding up all the time, but i still speed up a little depending on how hyped up i am.

[sciomako]

First bit of advise is don't be surprised by it, expect it.
The first number is the killer. Deliberately play the first number at a slightly slower speed. That way you'll hit it about right.
Play a little lighter than usual. Hitting harder naturally speeds your playing up.
Relax and have a few conversations around the bar before you go on stage. Don't just hang around with the band.


Very good advices. I found playing light and relax are the key to maintain good tempos live.

Try judging your timing by the back beat rather than the down beat. That will detatch your reliance on the band timing a little.

Never thought of that. Interesting.

[grannydrums]

creaking gate here--- I cannot keep the right tempo whether it is practice or gigging, so i have an in ear metronome--no matter how much we all want to speed up we cannot because I am the speed police and we have to do it as i (or that annoying little click in my ear)says.

[jordanz]

Something else to remember - keeping time is the responsibility of everyone in the band not just the drummer.

Something I've found is that you should pay attention to the bass player. If you are anxious about the time at a given moment listen as hard as you can to the bass player. Unfortunately, if he or she is also nervous at that moment nothing will help. The point is to rely on others in the band when you're feeling weak.

[Darbuka]

I find that remining my self to be more present helps alot. Also, if someone else knows the song inside out then ask them to count those tracks in!)
Thats a great thing to do if the song has really fast parts for the guitarst or fiddle player etc.
Just my 2 cents worth.
Fingers of Fury Darbuka (http://www.fingersoffury.com.au)
Darbuka Player Blog (http://www.darbukaplayer.com)

[larryace]

Also, you have to not let the energy get the best of you. Do you work a day job? Do you get all excited and nervous before you start that? Probably not right? Why is playing any different? Because you make it different.

Just because you have 500 screaming people wanting you, just stay cool, you have to act like it's no big deal. Don't be a victim of the hype, you have to keep a steady hand to captain your ship. Think of yourself as the leader. An effective leader doesn't get all emotional when he has a job to do.