Hello from larkstongues

[larkstongues]

Hello, I have a PhD in composition and teach music theory and music history for a living. While I've played guitar since I was 10, I never majored in it and so am still basically an amateur, to my great present-day frustration! I have played some good repertoire in public and have taught beginning/intermediate students. I have a gig coming up in late August that I'm quite worried about. (It's actually on electric with electronic effects but I still play in the classical style even on the electric.) In the last couple of years, I was made to realize that I had been practising with poor technique for years and years, developing many bad habits that were causing me plenty of pain. (My teachers knew I was a composer who was interested in 20th century music so they often gave me very difficult repertoire to kind of hack through, rather than progressing gradually through simpler material.) I've been trying to remedy this, consulting Pumping Nylon and Shearer's Learning the Classic Guitar, working slowly through (Canadian) Royal Conservatory books. Some of the things I'm most concerned about are: improving my precision when it comes to timing and accuracy, especially as I get fatigued; and improving my concentration.

I suffer from anxiety and rumination and also from significant general muscle tension. I try to deal with these things with e.g. progressive muscle relaxation and stretches.

Despite my musical education and experience and (academic) teaching success, I still sometimes struggle with aural skills (not something I teach of course), even sometimes with something as basic as this: http://rhythm-bot.skyleapmusic.com/intr ... -beat.html . I'm not entirely sure what my problem is.

[1abRT]

Welcome ! Did you try mediation, yoga and/or tai chi ? Regular intense exercise also decreases tension and anxiety.

[George Crocket]

Hi Larkstongues

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[Steven Ouwerkerk]

Hi larkstongues
Welcome!
I have suffered from performance anxiety and chronic pain for over 20years. The thing that has helped me is a breathing excises I was shown in a pain management program, it's purpose is to relax the body and release muscle tension. I use this just before I do a public performance and sometimes during a practise session to enable me to focus better.
Sit with your feet flat on the floor. Relax your arms and put your hands on the top of your legs just above your knees. Close your eyes and feel the tension in your body, take note where all your tension is. Now start to relax from the top of your head and work your way down to your neck feel all the tension. Take note of the tension and then slowly relax that part of your body. Do this for all the major muscle groups until you get down to your feet. Remember to hold the tension in that muscle group and then slowly relax. This should not take you to long, just take note hold and then release the tension. Now you can start on the breathing exercise. Take a normal breath in through your nose, with all your body relaxed hold that breath for a few seconds. The next step is important. Exhale slowly out your mouth all of the air in your body and as you do this feel all your tension release from your body. You will feel your body get heaver. Take another slow breath in but, this time feel your lungs inflate, feel them fill with air. Hold for a few seconds and then slowly release the air from your lungs, feel your body relax, feel the air as it goes out of your mouth, feel your chest shrink as the air is released, do this slowly. Now take another slow breath in, as before feel your lungs inflate, when they are full, hold for a few seconds. Now slowly release the air from your lungs, feel the air leaving your body, feel your body get heaver and heaver, feel your body relax as you finish breathing out the last of the air keep your eyes closed and just breath normally for a few more breaths; feel your body, feel how heave and relaxed you are, feel your chest as it moves in and out with each breath.
This exercise should not take you very long, a couple of minutes. As you get better at it you can do it almost anywhere, even on stage. It is about focussing your mind on the fundamentals of just breathing. You only need to do this exercise for the 3 slow breaths and then get on with the task at hand. I hope this will help you with your anxiety and tension, at the very least it will relax you. Another thing that has worked for me is to immerse yourself in what is making you have anxiety. Play frequently for people in all settings possible. The more you face your anxiety head on, over time you will find it will get easer and you will have less anxiety.
Regards
Steven

[larkstongues]

Thanks for the tip!

I already do intense exercise every day and practise mindfulness meditation. I don't do yoga or tai chi.