Overcome Stage Fright Now
Revised and Re-edited August, 2022
Overcome Stage Fright Now
It doesn’t take tears or even months to conquer stage fright.
This is a step-by-step system that leads to comfort as a performer on stage. Some of the best Las Vegas performers with the strongest stage presence and charisma have used these techniques to overcome stage fright quickly. These are not tricks or thought-stopping techniques. they allow a performer (or speakers) to connect with the audience and to build the relationship, instead of looking fake or like a caricature on a stage. This book may be free on Amazon.
In a single word, experience. The fear goes away, when you have done “performance” frequently, as long as it is simply stage fright. If there are other accompanying issues, such as anxiety or phobias, those take additional work. Normal stage fright can be ameliorated or eliminated. Some people have stage fright in front of a single audience member and others have it with crowds. Some famous singers still struggle with it, but there is help around.
I first sang in front of 800 people when I was 15 years old and my legs were shaking so much that I thought I might fall. For some reason, my voice didn’t shake. The performance went of without a hitch and the applause was loud and long. I was surprised by it. That same year, I performed about 60 more times and it did get easier. I would feel some apprehension prior to a performance; maybe it was excitement. Most performances went well, except the one when I forgot the words in front of a few thousand people at a state fair.
On the road, six nights a week, touring `14 states, the fear was mostly gone. It came back slightly at a concert in Atlanta at the Fox Theater in front of 10,000 people, but only at the beginning of the first song.
Singing in a show in Las Vegas six nights a week, I didn’t feel fear, but after each performance, exiting the stage, I did notice that my heart skipped some beats. Nothing fatal or harmful, but the physical reaction seemed to have lingered. Someone wrote a book about “feel the fear and do it anyway”. I’ve worked with people who had crippling stage fright. One has been performing on weekends for years in Central Florida. She had severe stage fright, but not now.
By the way. it is not a fear of a stage, it is one of people and lacking in confidence. When you know you are better than good enough, the confidence rises. We build on the successes.
For Karaoke And Amateur Singers
Solid Proven Professional Technique For Singers Who Sing Just For Fun
If you choke, you don’t like being the joke at Karaoke. You may not be the next superstar, but you also don’t want to make a fool of yourself in front of your friends. Some knowledge and some practice can go a log way to prevent that scenario. It’s way cheaper than voice lessons or a good vocal coach.
What Is Beyond Musicianship?
Isn’t musicianship the single most important and necessary thing that all great singers have? Most great pedagogues say so.
A singer can sing perfectly in tune and in time and sing with perfect articulation, but not be an artist. Art does not ignore the technical aspects of musicianship, but instead, transcends it.
Inside “Beyond Musicianship”
Excerpt from “Beyond Musicianship”
“INSPIRATION
Inspiration. Desperation. Preparation. Motivation. Dedication. Perspiration. Creation. Proliferation. Continuation. Emancipation. Conversation. Those are all words. They are also cognates in several languages. What do they have to do with singing, performing, or a career in singing?
From where do you get your inspiration? Can you MAKE yourself feel inspired? Watching a video or listening to a song, or looking at a painting or a scene in a photograph may trigger the feeling of being inspired. Watching a film may do it. The next time you feel inspired, think about what brought it on. What happened before you were inspired? Try to be able to create inspiration at will. If you were writing an advertising jingle or music for a movie, you HAVE to be able to be inspired because there is a time limit to get the piece completed. You can get more done when you are inspired.
Are you desperate? Then you have no plan, probably. OR, you should have had a plan a long time ago. Handle your desperation with preparation.
Why do you sing? What is your purpose? Make a list of 100 reasons (if you can) and you will have your motivation; then it will be easier to have dedication to your purpose.”
Musicianship For Singers
Many singers aren’t also musicians, not instrumental musicians. Singers don’t always study music in conservatories or universities. A singer can have functional musicianship, but are unfamiliar with music terminology.
“How To Work With Musicians” was written to:
- Fill the gaps in knowing music terminology.
2. Improve intonation through melodic and harmonic ear training, using the voice and “the ear”.
3. Help singers to speak the same language as musicians and, as a result, improve communication between the singer and musicians.
4. Having an understanding of intervals scales, and chords.
Most singers don’t know what musicians say about the ones who haven’t studied music, nor would they want to know. Friction, tension, and stress may be eliminated or greatly reduced by being on the same page, and by speaking the same language.
This book is about the basics of music, explained in layman’s terms, and it includes the common musical terms as used by musicians.