Originally Posted by: KasperowHaven't been this nervous since my exam in March, where I halfway through started to think that I was just saying some random b******t that didn't make any sense in any language. Turns out afterwards that it went well enough to get me an A on that exam. Different situation, I know, but I still suffered from performance anxiety, just like I'm doing now... So it's true what they say. I'm the person who's least qualified to judge my performance.

It's pretty funny that you bring up the test analogy - it is VERY applicable and something I thought about myself. As long as you put in the honest effort to prepare, everything will go fine. Any strategies you may have for dealing with test anxiety will apply here too!

I've also experienced what you talked about with the solos. As I performed one of my improvised solos I cringed internally when I played the end of it and thought "why the hell did I just do that...rather than trying to show off with that crap at the end, I should have just left well enough alone!!". Listening to the recording, I thought "wow, that sounded really cool!".

It didn't throw me off because I had practiced that phrase and it sounded good at the time. I don't know why it didn't sound good to me on stage, but part of me knew it was good, so I went with it. It's happened to me at other times also.

A friend of mine who is a professional musician gave me this advice - "if you mess up, smile! Don't shake your head, don't frown, just look at your audience....and smile!". The original post here gives similar advice. When things went wrong for us on stage, his voice actually played in my head "smile Rich, SMILE!!!". I can actually see where my demeanor on stage changed at that moment, and it makes a difference.

I've said this before, but I think it warrants repeating - relax and enjoy the experience! Don't think "I can't wait to get this over with!". You will never have this particular experience again, so relish it and take it all in.