The Steel Guitar Forum

I started playing in dance bands with older married fellows when I was only in my mid-teens.....

I have no recollections of ever being "stage fright".

Playing 'live' radio shows did tense me up a little bit, like making a recording.........

But......live television shows were fun and again, did not really cause me to go into shock.

BUT....I once had the honor and privilege to play LIVE on stage for the recently expired Northwest Steel Guitar Association up in Spokane, Washington. I was surrounded with really fine musicians and a wonderful audience. I was litterally terrified! My right foot on the volume pedal was jumping up and down uncontrollably and I kept catching the top of my finer picks on the next higher string and I made a complete fool of myself. It was as tho' I'd never played the g'tar before. It was so bad, I had to leave the stage and excuse myself. I could not find a hole deep enough to crawl into.

Have any of YOU ever experienced this phenominon?

WHENEVER I learn there's a steel guitar player in the room, I go to pieces.

Ray,

I think that is just a natural thing. Nothing wrong with you.
Over the years I've played the dobro a lot on stage with bluegrass bands. I knew there were other dobro pickers in the crowd, but I guess I knew none of them were any better a picker than I was. But now, if Jerry Douglas had walked in there...I don't know what I would have done. I sure I would have gone all to pieces and would feel very intimidated.
Not the way it should be, but we're only human.

Now, with the steel...everyone is better than me..I would feel intimidated no matter. I'm working on changing that. Maybe some day I'll be in the top 99%.

Dennis

Dance band!! The other is fun too but I like the long steel rides you can get away with when folks are dancing. Not so sure they wold like it so much if they were sitting dlown listening.

Ray, I've made my living for 45 years playing guitar and singing in clubs and concerts etc., and I never really got nervous.

But the first time I played Steel Guitar at a Steel Guitar show I don't think I drew a breath the whole set. Playing steel in front of a room full of Steel Guitar players, I had never had such a feeling of nervousness. I got through it, though I don't think I played my best. I recall playing Sleepwalk - and when I went to play that harmonic riff the first time, it just went "plunk"!

Afterwards I talked to some of the other players about it, and I came to realize that we're all in the same boat - everybody gets nervous playing in front of other steel players. Because of this, everyone more or less understands how it is - and they're not sitting there picking out mistakes, or being critical of technique etc. For the most part they want you to do well and have a good time.

So the next time it was a lot easier, I was much more relaxed and I did have a good time playing my set.
Once I had that experience under my belt I was okay after that.

If you talk to the audience - tell them they're beautiful, crack a couple of jokes, relate an amusing anecdote, compliment other players and so on - it bridges the gap between audience and performer and helps immensely to ease any tension you may be feeling..

Ray, you're one of the best Steel Players I've heard.
Would you like to come to the TSGA Jamboree in Dallas next March and play in the Non Pedal Session?
If you would, let me know and I'll put your name on the roster.
It's on March 13th from 10:00 til 4:00 at the Sheraton Grand DFW.

I'm so eager and happy to play that I'll play anytime and anywhere. That goes especially for paid situations.
I sometimes get nervous on stage for the first song or two. It passes once I get into the swing of things. But I did have your experience this summer the first time a recording microphone was put in front of me. I felt like I totally choked. Everybody else, of course, said oh no I wasn't that bad. But I'll wait and see what the results are before I decide.

Back in "64 I was leading off the 2AM set at a very small club in East St.Louis with an Ike Turner instrumental (Prancin') when Ike Turner came into the club and sat at a table less than six feet away. Undergarment soilage instantly became a major concern.
I was 18 years old and had known Ike for several years, but he had never heard me play especially one of his numbers. I don't know how I made it through the song, but at the end Ike gave me the ok sign and I was able to calm down enough to play reasonably well for the rest of the set.

Interesting discussion. I struggle with this question too, even after 4000 shows. Not on steel--which is new to me--but on my other instruments.

My take: It's a psychological issue.

It helps to develop self-esteem. It helps to avoid criticizing oneself. It helps to love oneself. It helps to be true to oneself.

It helps to accept the idea that what others think of us is less important than what we think of ourselves.

I like to play primarily for myself, even in front of an audience. If I enjoy myself and appreciate my music, everything else works out fine.

Of course, this is harder when surrounded by one's peers. Or someone one admires.

I found the book "Effortless Mastery" by master jazz pianist Kenny Werner very helpful in working on this issue.

Steinar Gregertsen's motto--"Play to express, not to impress"--rings true.

Your kind words are truly appreciated. (Ain't it great how younger people treat olde timers.....) Sometimes, they even rush over and carry in the heavy equipment. I'm beginning to enjoy gettin' olde.

I sincerely thank you for the invite. At least I'd have some time to practice, huh?

When I played Spokane, WA., my good, good friend Joel Johnston was was my accompanyist and vocalist.
He chanced to mentioned after the 3rd song, that I
"really had no reason to be nervous, 'cause everybody in the audience had listened to Jerry Byrd's tunes thousdands of times -just like I had-
and they knew every note that Jerry ever played and would recognize immediately if I were miss one".

With that comment I was truly finished for the day.

I would much rather play for a dance band or at a good old fashion dance. At a dance, people hear your music and follow what you are playing. When they hear the band play a number, or a solo that was done well, more often than not, you will get a much appreciated round of applause. I also find it very relaxing to play at a dance.

On a stage at a bar, you could be three keys out of tune and no one would notice.

Now a live performance in front of a still audience gives the musician a whole new planet of worry. Ninety-nine percent of the time you are backing up a vocalist who is depending on you to be on top of everything, including his or her mistakes. I think most of you who have backed up vocalists know "that look". You also know darned well that everyone else in the room noticed it as well.

I agree with Rick, you're a very good player, I just listened to you on Charles Tilly's site. I used to get nervous and shake when I sang, but I never have on guitar or steel. I think I just accept how mediocre I am and have fun. If I tried to play a show on the lap steel I would be very nervous indeed, because I'm very unsure of what I'm doing.

I believe you've got far more experience than I, but I've noticed something similar (actually a bit diffrent, but...whatever.) to what you had happen about myself. If I PLAN to perform, I'm fine. If I play on my own, I'm better. If I unkowingly get caught, or get overheard, when I don't know it, I go to pieces, and can't continue. The same goes for if someone puts me on the spot. I just can't play a thing; though if I'm "showing off", or planning to play for someone, I'm ok. I always thought that was really strange; my friends say that's par for the course(insinuating I'm strange).

Played a lot of dances and weddings in the late 40s, 50s. They were the easy jobs. Like mentioned above, playing bars is something else again. A drunk tried to pour beer in my guitar once.

I'm new to steel, but have been playing shows in the Bay Area for 30 years. I spent the 90's backing a very gifted Little Walter style harmonica player. No nerves there because I wasn't the attraction, but it was a great way to get my stage legs. One time I was hired to back a locally legendary harp player. I was pretty nervous then because I wanted to impress. When I took my first solo I started spitting out every lick I had ever played, heard or thought of The old guy turned around and said "Save some of that for later, it's gonna be a long night". Good advice.

More recently, I fronted a swing band. That was a hoot! Dancers make it fun for you when your playing that Joe Turner tune for the 10 millionth time! Give me dance shows...they're the best. It's 2-way entertainment.

I once had the honor and privilege to play LIVE on stage for the recently expired Northwest Steel Guitar Association up in Spokane, Washington. I was surrounded with really fine musicians and a wonderful audience. I was litterally terrified!

I was invited to play a set with couple other great musicians at the NTSGA jam, I refused the invitation, not because I tought I was too good for it but because I am the worst critic of my own playing and if you ask me what I think about my playing I would probably tell you that is on borderline of sucking...enough said I guess....

Db

I got over stage fright/nervousness decades ago! But,,,,, My old band here in Cleveland used to do a lot of opening act gigs for touring stars. Never had a problem. But one day we opened for Loretta at Ponderosa Park. A stage gig. No big deal. I'm carrying my case into the backstage lounge. I open the door, and there's John Hughey lookin' at me! Instant butterflies for two reasons. One, I'm gettin' to meet one of my two steel guitar heroes, and two, he's gonna hear me play! He'd never seen a Kline guitar, and we talked for about a half an hour. Wonderful man! But by the time I hit the stage, I was a nervous wreak!