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Performance anxiety.
A thing that divides us and brings us together. A thing we have all felt during our careers. A thing that whether we struggle or not, we all have a relationship with.
The anxiety we feel before a performance is mostly caused by our learnt distaste for failure which stems from fear of judgement.
In the long term, we should aim to be at ease with the concept of failure, and incorporate coping methods into our practice so that even if the worst happens it will be manageable.
But for the short term?
1. Keep Your Fingers Warm
Maybe this sounds like a basic point, but you will not be able to warm up if you are not physically warm.
Keeping your hands warm is a vital part of the preparation process.
Try bringing gloves or hand warmers to your concert venue. Churches aren’t necessarily the warmest of places!
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2. Quiet Your Mind
Focussing your mind is not always straight forward, especially if you are not sure what to focus on! Before a performance, take 5 minutes (if you have it) to meditate on a clear space.
Racking your brain through thousands of notes before a performance will not enhance your experience. Try to calm your mind, focus on the now, breathe.
3. Hold or Sit With Your Instrument
It is important that you feel unity with your instrument before performance. Your experience on stage will be a duet or a wrestling match based on the strength of your connection.
So take the time to sit with your instrument, even just touching the wood, there is an inexplicable energy in instruments which you will need to wake up before you perform.
4. Focus On You
Before you walk on stage, give space to how you are feeling. Try to be aware of how you feel, emotionally and physically.
It is not necessary that you attempt to change any of these things right now, being at peace is being at ease with the observations you make.
Realise how alive you feel at this moment.
Walking on stage can feel like a tussle between fight and flight, life and death. But really all we are tasked with is sharing the music we have practised, with an audience made up of people who want to listen.
It’s about time we realised that performance can be a positive experience of sharing our love for music, instead of a fight to be on top of our game.
Learning to love the process backstage is just as important as learning to finesse the process on stage.
Born in London in 1996, Rosie started playing guitar at age seven. She received her early musical education at The Yehudi Menuhin School of Music and went on to study with Zoran Dukic (The Hague, NL), Johan Fostier (Tilburg, NL), Rene Izquierdo (Milwaukee, USA) and Raphaella Smits (Leuven, BE). She has performed in festivals all over Europe, including Open Guitar Festival in Křivoklát, Czech Republic, Glasgow’s Big Guitar Weekend, Scotland, Porziano Music Festival, Italy and the West Dean guitar Festival, UK. Highlights of her concert career include performances at Wigmore Hall, London, The North Wall, Oxford and concerts given on El Camino De Santiago.
Read more fromRosie Bennet
FAQs
Before a performance, take 5 minutes (if you have it) to meditate on a clear space. Racking your brain through thousands of notes before a performance will not enhance your experience. Try to calm your mind, focus on the now, breathe.
How long does it take to get decent at classical guitar? ›
In the early years, the placement and motion of the fingers for the pianist do not need to be as intricate compared to the guitarist. For this reason, it takes an average of two years (maybe more) for the guitarist to produce a nice tone.
How many hours do classical guitarists practice? ›
Some professional musicians claim they practice very little, an hour or two or less a day. But when pressed, these pros confess that at some earlier time in their lives they did heavy-duty practice of six or more hours a day. Moreover, when they have performances coming up, they put in many more hours of preparation.
Why is classical guitar difficult? ›
Whether it be complex arpeggios, right hand balance to bring out voices, string crossing or string leaps, many right hand movements can contribute to the overall level of difficulty. As you progress in your classical guitar studies the right hand develops more finesse.
Do classical guitars go out of tune quickly? ›
Either manufacturing defects or very old or corroded strings can all contribute to not being able to get your guitar in tune. Change your strings often (at least every couple months) and if you have had consistent intonation problems with a particular string manufacturer, perhaps give another string brand a go.
How many hours a day did Chopin practice? ›
Frédéric Chopin: 2 hours a day
Writing to one of his pupils, Delfina, he wrote: “Once again I repeat – don't play more than two hours a day; that is quite enough during the summer.” Chopin did not believe practising for six or eight hours led to the best music-making, and deemed over-practising mechanical and useless.
How many hours a day did Beethoven practice? ›
That number is in fact correct, since the age of seven Beethoven had been practicing for at least eight hours a day vigorously on different instruments throughout his life. This is how he has also managed to develop a musical ear.
How many hours did Mozart practice? ›
Mozart and Beethoven around 7 to 8 hours. There's a good little book called Daily Rituals: How Artists Work by Mason Currey that details the daily lives of composers, writers, painters, etc.
What is the dress code for classical guitar? ›
The more prestigious the venue, the higher the dress code requirement. Some guitarists prefer to wear a suit, others opt for a dress shirt and dress pants, and some still go for the tux. Which you choose will depend on the venue you play in and your personal style.
How can I get faster at classical guitar? ›
Take Time
As with the practice of anything, playing fast takes time. There are certain explosive muscles that can only be developed through repetition, and that kind of strenuous repetition should be spread over a decent trajectory to avoid injury and frustration.
The short answer is no (no pun intended), you do not need to use nails to play the classical guitar, you can use your flesh/the pads of your fingers. What nails provide is more volume, a faster action and arguably more tonal variation.
Do classical guitars sound better with age? ›
So any guitar, made with a great top and voiced/tuned to bring out the best in the wood, will get better with age. Why is this? Wood contains cells that are shaped like tubes.
Am I too old to learn classical guitar? ›
The resounding answer is yes. There really is no limit to what each one of us can achieve, and in many respects age is no restriction. The basic tenets of learning apply to everyone, regardless of age, advantages or disadvantages. Success requires hard work, dedication and perseverance.
What is the ideal action for a classical guitar? ›
The distance between the string and the frets on classical guitars should be 3 mm for the high E-string (E1) and 3.5 to 4 mm for the low E-string (E2). The millimeter values are to be understood as guidelines.
How many years to learn classical guitar? ›
They say that the path from absolute beginner to virtuoso is 10.000 hours of practice. So decide how good you want to be, and then make your own estimate. But seriously I would say daily practice for 3 years to get to a level where you can play easy classical pieces and make them sound like real music.
How long to get to Grade 8 classical guitar? ›
Grade 8 at 4 years is very respectable! The repertoire is comprised of great works that even professional and concert guitarists regularly perform. If you have achieved this then congratulations and you should feel very good about your progress!
How long does it take on average to get good at guitar? ›
So to answer the question, how long does it take to learn the guitar – you can learn a simple song in 30 minutes, but it can take you 2 -3 years to get to a decent intermediate level, 5 years to get really good with what you have learned and 10 years to jump to a more pro level.
How many hours does it take to make a classical guitar? ›
There are variables, of course. One rarely builds one guitar straight through because time is needed for the glue to dry, time between coats of finish, etc. The general answer is 100–200 hours.
