Anxiety

[jicetp]

Hi

I have this rehearsal yesterday and it went......not so well

I had a lyrical solo to play, ppp with almost no sound from the orchestra.
First two notes were ok but the next ones I couldn't ' sit ' on the harmony of the orchestra. To me the tuning was bad and I have to admit that the C trumpet is not my usual axe ( borrowed this one from a friend one week ago ).
So I didn't know where to play the notes....I managed to get through it the first time.

Conductor asked for a re-run ( naturally ) :
that's where it happended : just before playing I felt like s...t , nervousness crawled in and I couldn't play !
Luckely the other trumpet player took over and we decided he shall play this part.

Whats annoying to me is :
this was the end of the piece. we rehearsed 2x three hours before and all went ok.
at the end of the session, we did play the whole piece and everytime I had an exposed thing to play ( which previously went well ) I started to get nervous and I didn't get a good feeling, and playing was not great. I caught some glimpses from other players....very uncomfortable situation....

I talked about it to the conductor ( trumpet player friend of mine ) and he said to me : there are a lot of musicians ( in this orchestra ) unlike you who don't care to play out of tune/rhythm ( b...s of steel ). He tried to convince me that whatever I might think comes out of the horn, just play how you want it to sound the best and if the tuning doesnt goes well....play louder so that it doesnt bother me ( since I wont hear the others ).

We have a whole week of concerts coming and I hope I can overcome this issue......

The day before, I had a gig playing Jazz : no issue
Monday : Big Band rehearsal : no issue


I


Have a great Week End

JiCe

[JayKosta]

[O00Joe]

Obviously you don't want to become dependant but beta-blockers can and will probably help you with the physical aspect of nervousness. They block the adrenaline receptors in the heart.

Of course, it's best to deal with these things without any aid but if you simply can't afford to deal with it, it can help.
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[Turkle]

If I understand your comments correctly, it sounds like you're normally a jazz trumpet player.

Now you find yourself in an orchestra (an unfamiliar setting) playing a C trumpet (an unfamiliar axe).

Look, nervousness is entirely to be expected in this scenario. I don't have any problem getting in front of the entire world and blowing a solo over well-worn jazz changes. But since I so rarely do so any more, when I have to play classical music in that demanding setting, I find myself getting very nervous.

There is simply no other cure for nerves than to practice enough that you feel comfortable. Even if it's an easy part! That means putting in your time on the C trumpet so you trust yourself on it. It also means knowing the music so well that you're "off the page" and can use your ears and trust your musicianship.

(Please ignore the comment someone else left about beta blockers - That is irresponsible drug abuse and is wholly unnecessary.)

I have found that practicing along with my favorite recordings of the piece (different recordings for different interpretations!) is a HUGE help when preparing orchestra stuff. If I play it in context with the recording a whole bunch of times then when I'm on stage it doesn't feel strange and I don't get nervous.

I have one other technical idea. Someone here on Trumpet Herald - I forget who, I'm sorry - posted some comments on how to nail difficult, exposed lines. He recommended nailing the first note - really ensuring that you have that one sounding great - before moving on to the next one. I have started to do this with exposed lines and man, it makes a huge difference. If you have a soft, lyrical solo, take your time and make sure that first note is really great before you go moving on to the next one. That will give you your best shot at really nailing it.

I hope that this is helpful. Good luck!
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Curry 3.

[jicetp]

News :

The gig went well. Conductor just asked a rhythm change in my melody line.

I approached the issue from two sides :

- first one : intonation problems. Spent lots of time with drone playing. Each 12 pitches, first playing octaves, then fifth, then thirds both Major and minor and then scales. Maybe 3-4 mn for each pitch.
As this was the first cause of my problems, getting acquainted with the intonation tendencies of this horn was supposed to feel better.

- second one : I felt ' weak ' and discouraged. So I decided to ' get to it ' and dont hesitate. I did this first thing before the gig while everyone got installed. I blew my lines ( maybe a bit on the louder side ). Having done that, I knew I could play them - alone - .

My mindset was : as long as I dont feel unsecure, everything was going to be fine. If I began to chip a note, or be really out of tune with the orchestra, I knew things could go awol.

Lucky me : every entrance went - almost - as supposed to, so I felt confident with the remaining...

Side note : my colleague trumpet player played my - borrowed - C trumpet. He said : not centered, and out of tune. He plays a Jupiter and the one I have is a Bach ..... We both play GR mouthpieces


Thanks for your reading

[deleted_user_02066fd]

I had an interesting experience in a performance situation on Sunday. I play finger style ukulele fairly well and I sometimes play solo at church, usually during communion or the postlude. We have no full time musician on staff due to $$$$. Several different members have stepped up and volunteer their talents. I don't play trumpet too much these days. We have a young man who plays once a month and he plays very well so no need for me to play.
I have begun to suffer a bit of stage fright in my later years. It does not show up too much in my playing but it's troubled me mentally.
I recently underwent cataract surgery on both eyes and can't use my regular glasses as they are too strong. I have to wait a few weeks to get a new prescription. I'm legal to drive without glasses so I'm not driving like Quincy Magoo. For now I just need reading glasses.
I had my readers on while I was playing during communion and I noticed I could barely see the congregation. Most of my anxiety seemed to go away and I played flawlessly. Out of sight, out of mind I guess. I wish I had discovered this earlier!