HELP! NERVES INTERFERING WITH PERFORMANCE!

[EstrellaAzul]

OK, so I realize what I write may be very common, but it is SUPER DUPER important to me. I am starting to think that no matter how much I practice a song (and record myself while I'm at it), and although I'm satisfied with the way I sound after listening to the recording, as soon as I grab the mic, and am on stage...I become uncomfortable with the mike, and it's difficult to concentrate on the melody and I find myself trying to catch up and then im like oh wait, here comes the high note (which I could effortlessly pull off before because I was actually concentrating well on the song in private), and then it doesn't come out pristine and strong. In addition, my voice ends up sounding SOFTER, and feeling unsupported (don't know if that's the correct term).

 

I don't know if it was the occasion, the nerves, or what, but I'm concerned because I'm hoping to enter a contest tomorrow, and I thought I could pull it off until Tuesday happened. The occasion was my grandmother's Memorial Mass. This was originally intended as a tribute by me to her (she was my mom), but of course, the whole, oo im gonna perform! pops in. So, I practiced and practiced, and recorded, and as mentioned before, I was content. But then, the mass began, and I was nervous. I tried to think, 'look stop worrying about "performing" because this is not about you impressing others, it's about dedicating songs to your mom, and plus this is church'. That doesn't calm me down lol, so then I started thinking, breathe, and enjoy yourself. As soon as I started singing into mic, I just kept automatically thinking about how my voice sounded, and this actually distracted me! It hurt my concentration so much, that I had to keep trying to think of the melody and keep track, to not have to catch up, and everything else I mentioned above happened. This was one song.

 

Then for the second song, minutes before, I was thinking, OK, this is my chance to redeem myself. So, I thought back to karaoke and started to think maybe I do need to think im "performing" to perform well! but honestly, then I just found myself getting stuck on one phrase and making sure it came out the way I usually sung it or at least for it to sound as great as it can, and then I'd forget quickly what came next (Thank God, I had practiced, so I just knew what came next, but I still had to THINK about it.)

 

Goodness, sorry most of these things probably belong on a psychology forum, but I thought I should ask for advice here first anyway! Thank you!

 

P.S. People afterwards said that they loved my "performance," but in spite of this, I still would like to sing in public THE WAY I ACTUALLY SING, not a dumbed down version that resulted from nerves =/

[davie]

Hey there,

 

I think it not only comes to preparing yourself vocally but preparing yourself mentally and emotionally as well. You need to find the balance, you need to concentrate but at the time you should not to think too much or over-analyze the situation. If you're the type of person who tends to be overly anxious when under pressure then you need to work on clearing your mind and re-center your thoughts. Focus more on the performance. There's actually nothing wrong with being nervous, some singers are able to transform their nervous energy into an exciting performance. Nervousness shows that you really care too. Work on performing in front of fewer people at first in a casual setting. Also try to practice in different rooms and settings. Sometimes being too use to one acoustical environment can make it tough to adjust to others.

 

I hope this helps.

[Sing Better In 3 Days]

There is a big difference between singing a "regular performance" and a memorial mass. Honestly, singing a a funeral is probably the ultimate test to performance nerves because of the responsibility you might feel towards the family in addition to the regular anxiety.

 

It was an honor that you were doing this. The family was probably very happy.

 

If you got through this ceremony, you are doing an amazing job. Keep up the good work. Each time that you sing in front of people it will become easier.