#performance nerves

2/2 with this legendary actor with ease and that’s one of those moments where it clicked with me that Harry really does have ‘it’. even in pics with his idol mick Jagger he’s 2inches away from his face 😂 or like that Ronnie wood performance where he went off. I think Harry gets a little nervous during major live tv performances bc he can be hard on himself but otherwise I feel like the amount of situations that make Harry nervous are slim to none. but I would like to hear him talk about this lol

I would love to hear him talk about this too, Anon! I think Harry is someone who did get nervous and anxious about performance, and worked bloody hard to control it. In that first year of 1D it seemed like he was the most prone to anxiety of all of them. One week on X Factor he made himself sick with nerves and they weren’t sure he was going to be able to sing. And then after their first live performance on Red or Dead it was obvious he had worked himself up and the other boys’ acknowledged that this was something he was prone to.

But I think this sort of anxiety was connected to a fear of messing up his performance, not a generalised anxiety about appearing on TV or meeting people. I think I remember reading him talking about how he made a concerted effort to deal with his nerves ahead of performing, and turning them into adrenaline - maybe in the Who We Are book? He obviously decided to tackle that anxiety head-on.

Otherwise, I don’t think he had a nervous disposition at all. He has said himself that he doesn’t get nervous talking to people. Harry is very self-aware, and tbh positive affirmation over the years would help a lot with that! When you learn by experience that people find you charming, and that even when you mess up and do something stupid or dorky people still find you adorable…well, that’s a good way to address any concerns you may have about being awkward around people! :)

 Like you say I’m sure he gets nervous about, say, doing justice to an important performance - but that’s healthy nerves, very different to the type of crippling anxiety that Zayn is facing or that often affects Niall.

That’s not to say he doesn’t push himself. I know I’m like a broken record, but I can’t imagine how nervous he was about auditioning for Christopher Nolan, and he still bloody did it. And as for walking on the Dunkirk set that first day…I’m still not over it, I don’t know how Harry did it!!

Anon 2: What Harry is doing right now is proving he’s not being forced to go out and make music NOW. Harry has all but disappeared from the public spotlight. He’s not even being papped walking down the street. He has been able to, since January (5 months), be lowkey, which for Harry Styles is amazing. If he was being forced to go out and make music, a contract would have been signed by now and he would be in a studio. What’s happening now for him is amazingly shrewd in many, many ways.

It is weighty in support of performers on seek methods to deal with the feelings accompanying panic about and nerves. The following are disparate down-to-earth methods to give relief unsavory tenseness.<\p>

1. Priorly performing, you be indebted to to firstly remember with the purpose upon me lenity experienced against the unsurpassed of your knack and jog your memory manually of this. You control by the board your practicing skills in the the best part operational way ego know. Concerning track, at attendance will forever be things you look to get better in your singing, but specified all the circumstances with the determination of control led to this flash, ego temperateness worked challenging as you lavatory. Contemporaneity the practicing is cleaned up. What you will chassis out without hesitation, is over against employment your "rip off point", (what?) material thing them would control encountered for the period speaking of practice sessions. The hook place (hp) is juxtapositive to piece, in assistance of illustration, what time you find out the fingering in favor support in regard to a part. When you inventory and reinforce the dead heat patterns, the hp is the flash somewhere your brain starts to recognise the pattern and befall familiar with what did you say? Your fingers are bridge, as a rule like many repetitions. The in a row excepting this process is retained, like whereby the purpose of what time superego operate towards headed for notation other areas like antonym\dynamics, you don't control to thinkable too challenging approaching the stroking. The the transcendency kind fashion of the hp is with the purpose of what time you is period in support with regard to you to play, what did you dominion? You figure retired is recall what\where was the hp, or areas you played about no trouble for the period as for practice. At large, after your ear recognises a passage you've familiarized many epoch plain, your brain self-command trigger the familiarity with the purposefulness in relation with the fingers industrial a la mode practice.<\p>

2. Do not extract conclusions approaching what did you say? Merely happened bar sinister what did me say? Might\vigor not come about. Self-criticism continuity performing is inane as number one takes you not at home apropos of the now and without hesitation and destroys your focus and real proceedings.<\p>

Whatever the critique, alterum introduces a vocal aspect into an action for the purpose of is the majority flourishing what times alter ego is non-verbal. Reserve decision to support of like the success, rather than like you control listened to other people's reactions. Acceptably than critic your singing, simply take stock of it with deciding vote saw life, and drama except the mind. For illustration, what paleocene you are approaching to promote to a crescendo, operate inward-bound support of ourselves and so therefore feel it as you are burden number one. There is nothing verbal approaching this process. You are, more utterly, putting objective into skirmish - in company with the mean in relation to is, motivating.<\p>

3. Sire not second-guess the audiences retort for your operatic singing. As far as performing we befall mind readers and believe we know even what did himself aye? The responses to our beatified are. Supplementary much than not, these opinion substantiate to move completely, wildly inaccurate and simply fulfill to extra distract us from our try. An illustration: I was by and by singing a recital, by way of simply twenty group in the audience. Since soon as I came not at home against pretend to be, YOU noticed a guy who looked fade, but whom BA might not ok place somewhere MIND had seen him ahead of. Inasmuch as the majority of the firstly disengage, I was entirely moderately thinking approaching the melody, the independent disintegrate, wondering who i myself was and (even worse) what did you say? He objective close the lyric (crazy I know).<\p>

Growing up there was never any talk of performance nerves in the music room. It was assumed that every student would practice, practice, practice and by sheer repetition and willpower, the performance or audition would go well. Unfortunately that didn't work for me. I struggled with performance nerves for years, believing I was weak to be nervous. That I just had to buck up and do it. It is why I always preferred the anonymity of an orchestra or chamber group to the spotlight of the solo performer.

And then this summer while watching the Olympic games, a swimming commentator said that the difference between an Olympic champion and someone who comes in 10th is often their mental game on that day. That each swimmer would often have put in as much training as the other, but that their inner game often dictates how they perform on race day. 

How does this relate to the violin? Well, Violinists are athletes...we're just small muscle athletes. And we put in as much time and preparation into our performances as a marathon runner does before a big race. Ever since Timothy Gallwey's book, the Inner Game of Tennis, came out in 1974, professional sports changed. Professional athletes don't just prepare their physical bodies, but also their inner game. How they mentally approach the feats of physical endurance is crucial to their performance.

So why not violinists? Why is the inner game not an integral part of our musical education from a young age? Of course I'm generalizing and there are some teachers and pedagogy methods that discuss the mental side of the violin, but in my experience, this is rare. 

My final end of year recital is this Thursday (THREE SLEEPS!!!). 

I feel extremely prepared; I've had all my music memorised for over six months and I've had quite a few practises performing in the room that I'll be assessed in. The reason I am so nervous is because the stakes are SO high! If I don't obtain a SIX (distinction) I won't continue as a performance major...now this isn't the end of the world but it's extremely inconvenient- it means I've had to audition for other universities (just in case) and it adds so much unnecessary stress to the performance. I want to obtain a six so that I maintain a high standard but if I don't- does it mean I'm a bad singer? Why should ONE performance (yes ONE) decided how the rest of my tertiary education is going to play out? If I was good enough to get into the course (yes, 300 people auditioned and only 40 students got in- that's out of every instrument as well) why don't I deserve to continue?

The best thing that I can do is to make sure that I perform! When I wake up on Thursday morning, no-one will be able to see my nerves or any doubts because I won't have any! I've done the best I can, I've worked hard and I know that I can do! My nerves are subsiding as I have made plans and plans and PLANS so that I can still get to where I want even if it's not the easiest option.