Originally Posted By: Joe V
Here's the million dollar question - did the experience instill confidence and inspire you to want to do more ?

I am a hobbyist musician that has always had a fear of performing and not being well-received. Aside from the fact that it's hard to hold a day job, have a 'life' with your family, and also be an accomplished performing musician (I know many here do that) - I also attribute that fear to:
-- my strong love of music and fear of not doing justice to the songs that inspired me so
-- the unrealistic desire to live up to my own unrealistic expectations, and
-- the strongest of desires to please the audience, and the fear of not doing so

...just sharin' one person's neurotic fear of performance.


I think these are legitimate questions each person has to answer for himself. Based on forum discussions about performing, I know there are many opposing opinions about what the goal should be (artist? performer? entertainer? something else?) and also many different opnions about what is "good enough"

For me there is no "good enough" (to stop trying) but there *is* a sense of doing the best I can *today*, while continuing to improve for the next gig.

And, as Graham said in his own "first gig" thread... it isn't that we don't care anymore as much as we understand that forgetting the words or flubbing a chord change is NOT the worst thing that can happen.

Rational fear leads to preparation... Irrational fear leads to abandonment. Pick your path.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ey71h8ep047758h/AAC12jNM0Hz9Q8zsh5iDeqNHa?dl=0