Hi - I play the sax and the clarinet and I am a good musician. when I practise at home, I am fine and I play all my peices really well. But as soon as I get up in front of an audience, my hands shake, I lose all sense of timing and I play really badly. Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can get over my jitters????????? Any help would greatly be appreciated!!

I`m one of the lucky ones - I have no problems!

I can only suggest two things...
a) Try to forget about the audience. Pretend they`re not there, that you`re just practicing as usual... Close your eyes and concentrate.
b) There is a more radical yet effective way...
`Course, it depends on you age and parents.
You could really try hypnotism... The stuff really does work, it`s harmless, but it`s unusual... I`m sure that if you found some sort of expert in the field then you`d have no problem getting rid of your phobia.

Sure, sounds like bollocks, but I think it`s well worth a try...

Stage fright i dont really get as im one of those ppl who are over confident and boast. BUT i believe the main reason for ppl to get nervous is that they think they will do badly or they wont do the expectations. IF you have watched the documentary about the thing where you always believe you did worse when you havent and you remember your mistakes much more than your triumphs. When your up there KNOW that you probaly wont get the notes wrong and truthfully and honestly, noone cares even if you gte 10 mistakes.(in the documentary i just said, it explains that ppl get embarrased and overreact about their mistakes like spilling a can and go red in the face but the ppl around them MAY laugh but they are 80percent chance to forget or not bother to remember for more than 2 days). Seriously... you shouldn`t get nervous when you have a group becuz i always think i can always blame someone else... but when i have to perform solo.. IM WETTING MY PANTS.

EVERYTHING i have said is absolutely true. i dont get very nervous when in a group as i feel together and nto singled out and i am a bit boastful and over confident although this information should help you realise that it doesn`t matter if you make a mistake in a group as they will not rememember it nor even know for sure it was you.. just know it came from that area.

WOOO thats my longest post.

alrighty, I`ve never tried hypnotism, but I think the best thing to do, is just to get groups together -friends, family- and play for them. do you play solo or in a band? you could also, just like, get your music teacher (if it is band/orchestra, b/c i`m different with my oboe teacher than with my band teacher) and let him sit there and listen to you practice. he can help you with the parts you`re not sure of, and it can also give you more confidence. i get scared sometimes, mainly just at like all state and jr clinic auditions, but if i havent played in front of someone (like over the summer), i`ll start losing my nerve again. i hope you do great next time you get on stage. don`t worry about mistakes, just be like "wow, more people to see me" lol. byebye

Thanku!!! That will definitly be a big help! Yep, I play in bands and solo and its not too bad in a group!!! As Eric said before it is easier to play in groups because you can`t tell who has made a mistake, but its really in solo performances that i turn to jelly! I will have to put on some concerts for my friends, i think, which should help me! I`m not too sure about the hypnotism though . . . And goodluck next time you perform Corinne! Thanks . . .cya