Getting Nervous

Hollywood Jim

Hollywood Jim

Platinum Member
Well, this is weird. I have the first drum audition of my life coming up in a couple of days and I’m getting nervous. Don’t know why.

I should not be nervous. I have always enjoyed playing for people. But I guess the thought of a group of people listening to me play drums and evaluating how I play just makes me nervous.

I hope the nervousness does not cause me to screw up. I have not missed or lost a beat in over 50 years of playing.

Any of you guys ever felt this way before?
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You've been playing for over 50 years and this is your first audition? How did you pull that off?

Remember, you are auditioning them as much as they are auditioning you. Keep that in mind and you do just fine. Good luck!
 
I feel for ya man. Try and get your nervousness out of the way now, beforehand. Don't let them see you sweat. You are a confident, capable man and can easily do what they need, and then some. You're friggin awesome. Be the ball Danny lol (obscure movie quote).

I'll drop one of my favorite quotes here for inspiration:

The best way to do art is to dispense with the good and the bad and just get on with it.
 
Its may be easier said than done but I tell myself that my nervous feeling is excitement instead. try to be excited to play. I had stage fright for years and this turned it around for me. Im always first onstage now. Good luck and don't sweat it.
 
Larry, I like that quote. Very commonsense.

I got this one from a health retreat and it struck a chord (so to speak) "Tension is who you think you ought to be. Relaxation is who you are".
 
Love your quote too Anon La Ply. Old Hyde is spot on too. Nervousness = excitement. One is construed as negative and the other is positive. Even though they are the same thing.

Nervousness, not good
Excitement, GOOD!
Fire BAD!
 
It's funny. I'm not nervous performing in front of people per se, but I can get anywhere from exhilarated to nervous to very nervous competing in front of a judge.

Our pipe band played in front of a sold out venue with 8,500 people each show and 15 shows over the course of a week in Switzerland. Cameras zooming around my face and hands. I felt as calm as I'd be in my living room. When we got back, we had 2 competitions. Judge right behind the drum corp each time and other judges walking around the band circle. Both times my mouth got dry, heart felt like an alligator, and my left hand and knees started to shake.

My solution this season: Beta blockers.

Now I'm not saying everyone should take them, but I do recommend researching them. Talk to your doctor about it if you've exhausted options and you're in a situation where having a performance degraded because of nerves is not an option. I practice more than enough for our band purposes and do relaxation exercises, eat bananas, have a beer right before a contest. All with varying levels of success. But we do one contest a month and play for less than 5 minutes every time we go out there. So after constant rehearsals and individual practice- one slip up from anyone of 20 members could cost us the contest. I'm friends with many of these judges and players from the other bands, so it may sound irrational and it probably is. But it's real.
 
All part of being human. Though I say go and play like you're the best drummer they will ever see audition for them, play as if you've done it 100 times before. Keep thinking that way, play like you know how and don't worry what they think. If they act like aholes then pack up and leave and know they were people you were never meant to jam with anyway.

Go get'em Jim!
 
JohnW said:
It's funny. I'm not nervous performing in front of people per se, but I can get anywhere from exhilarated to nervous to very nervous competing in front of a judge.

Our pipe band played in front of a sold out venue with 8,500 people each show and 15 shows over the course of a week in Switzerland. Cameras zooming around my face and hands. I felt as calm as I'd be in my living room. When we got back, we had 2 competitions. Judge right behind the drum corp each time and other judges walking around the band circle. Both times my mouth got dry, heart felt like an alligator, and my left hand and knees started to shake.
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That is exactly how I'm feeling. But it may turn out that I won't be nervous.


Thank you guys for your great ideas !!
I love entertaining people. So that is what I'm going to do. Simply entertain them.

I played for 10 years in a band from 13 years old to 23 years old. After that for (40 years) I played when ever someone needed a drummer so I never had to try out for a position in a band until now.

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I used to do the nervousness-excitement thing too, and it works. I also do whatever I'm doing for MYSELF, not for whoever else may be watching/listening.

Best of luck - let us know how it goes!
 
Put it in perspective.

Would you say that playing drums is as easy for you as riding a bike? Would you be nervous about a bike riding audition?


You will be fine. Just remember, they are amateurs also. Now, if I was auditioning for a "real" gig with big time talent, I'd probably shit myself.

I recently auditioned for the 4th time in my 60+ year life and it was absolutely no big deal.

I remember my first audition @ 18 years old and I absolutely sucked. I didn't ask what songs they would be playing, and I completely struggled and sat there silent and dumbfounded several times.

My second @ 19 was no better, No bass player, just a guitar. It was ugly.

My third attempt was for a lounge type keyboard fronted band and I was a half assed rock and roll banger who played too loud.

In my mid 20's, I finally put something together with some friends and was able to get some experience and confidence over the next few years.

And, yay! Another old drummer in Phoenix :)
 
I had a health instructor in college that called this needless worry. You have either practiced for this and you are as good as you are going to be, or you havent poracticed and worry and nervousness will do you no good. Just go be yourself.
 
New Tricks said:
Put it in perspective.

Would you say that playing drums is as easy for you as riding a bike? Would you be nervous about a bike riding audition?


You will be fine. Just remember, they are amateurs also. Now, if I was auditioning for a "real" gig with big time talent, I'd probably shit myself.

I recently auditioned for the 4th time in my 60+ year life and it was absolutely no big deal.

I remember my first audition @ 18 years old and I absolutely sucked. I didn't ask what songs they would be playing, and I completely struggled and sat there silent and dumbfounded several times.

My second @ 19 was no better, No bass player, just a guitar. It was ugly.

My third attempt was for a lounge type keyboard fronted band and I was a half assed rock and roll banger who played too loud.

In my mid 20's, I finally put something together with some friends and was able to get some experience and confidence over the next few years.

And, yay! Another old drummer in Phoenix :)
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Perfect !!
Your right they are amateurs also. Thank you so much for that !!
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Push said:
Bigger question is how you've never missed or lost a beat in over 50 years of playing.
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I’m sorry, I misspoke. I meant to say I have never lost the beat (rhythm) of the music I'm playing.
I may have missed a beat now and then, but I have never lost the rhythm of the music. Even during solos.

I have an internal metronome inside me thanks to my father.

My father was a great professional drummer his whole life. When I was a very young boy, 4 or 5 years old, he taught me about the rhythm of the world. He showed me how there is rhythm in everything. From the rotation of the planet to the chirp of a cricket. Every time we heard a sound he would point out the rhythm of it and have me mimic that rhythm.

One day he had me listen to my heart. And I learned about my natural internal metronome.
He would set a metronome to a rhythm. He would have me set the rhythm in my head. He would then turn off the metronome. Then he would try and distract me and make me forget the beat. After a while he would ask me to tap out the beat of the rhythm I had remembered. Then he would restart the metronome to see how close I was to the original rhythm. After a while I got really good at doing that.

He did this over and over again for many years. Way before he taught me how to play a drum kit.

Just to show you how bad it can get. Yesterday I was talking to a secretary where I do some work. I had a pen in my hand and I was clicking it open and closed to Billy Jean by Michael Jackson. No music playing just my internal metronome. After a minute or two she screamed “Stop That Clicking !”
This happens to me all the time……………
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Hollywood Jim said:
...I played for 10 years in a band from 13 years old to 23 years old. After that for (40 years) I played when ever someone needed a drummer so I never had to try out for a position in a band until now...

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Ya - when you start young and just kind of hang with people, I can see how you'd never have to audition.

I had a funny audition once - went into it blind on a referral. I had been in a high energy, loud and proud, heavy rock type band earlier, and was used to heavy, hard hitting.

The audition turned out to be for two guys with acoustic guitars. LOL
I didn't have brushes with me - only my normal (for the time, 2B's). Talk about a catastrophe - ha ha.
No matter how soft I tried to play, I think I was the only thing heard by anyone.
It's funny now, but at the time, I walked away with my tail between my legs.

Sounds like you know what to expect though, so it should be no problem.
 
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