🎁 Free AUDIO for the Guided Meditation here: www.justinguitar.com/guitar-lessons/how-to-overcome-stage-anxiety-cm-001

Meditation is everything! I was about to put on a big show, everything about it was never done here. When performing, I always become a bundle of tied up nerves while my outside appears perfectly calm. When going to bed the night before, my guides told me, “there’s not a single person there who can do what you’re about to do.” That totally cured the nerves. I never realized that. I also realized my nerves were stemming from fear of being judged...and by others who can’t even do it at all!

Man, I seem to be hopeless ! Even this video is making me slightly nervous. I get nervous because of fear of bad performance, but even more because I have fear of stage fright and its physical and mental effects on my performance, and so I get stage fright. It's like a vicious circle.

Heheh, When I saw the notification "Stage Fright? Check this out", I mistakenly assumed it was a How To Play video for The Band's song, Stage Fright. 🙂 But the actual the content of this vid is great. (Before becoming a parent, I spent 25 years acting on stage, and the advice to reframe nervousness as excitement is the very advice I give to fellow actors who are struggling with it. Great stuff!)

Great advice Justin. I too discovered that nervousness before gigs was actually my mind and body telling me that I was “ready” to perform. So, by changing how I looked at those symptoms, I changed how I reacted to them thereby overcoming stage fright.

I have stage amnesia... I can usually remember the chords for tunes but the words totally escape me. Drives me nuts... sometimes I'll just make stuff up and hope no one notices.

this made me cry 🥹 and release the nervousness I was carrying 😊 thanks a lot!

The best thing for stage fright is to just get up on stage and as regularly as possible. Every time you perform you're gradually learning how to handle it better. Getting up on stage gives you the later time to review how you did and see what needs improving versus what went well and it's a constant process of doing that performance after performance. Feeling those uncomfortable feelings is all part of it the learning and growth in this area. It's like learning how to swim. You can watch instructional videos on it and think about it (or overthink it) all you want, but sooner or later you gotta get in the water.

thanks for the mental health awareness justin!

Hey thanks for this Justin. This is great. I’ve been reframing anxieties in my life to be excitement for years, and it really works. Most of my life, I was afraid of heights. But when I lived on a sailboat, I had to hoist myself to the top of the mast sitting on a small board, practically swinging free (I had a safety rope tied to me). It was scary at first but wow! The view was amazing. Shortly thereafter, I tried a roller coaster that I had chickened out on several times. I love roller coasters but this one went super fast and then straight up and hovered at the top for second or two before coming straight down. Finally, I got the nerve to try it and wow … it was the best! I was a classroom teacher for years so I’m used to standing in front of crowds and speaking. But I do get anxious when I think of singing. But I’m not there yet really. Once I have stronger skills, I will try to sing and play at the same time and then try this technique of thinking of performance as play and anxiety as excitement! Thanks! Carry on!

Thank you both so much, it might help some day😊🙏🏽💐

Justin & Crew, a truly stunning guided meditation from Cortney... with gorgeous guitar behind it?! The quality of your content recently is impossible to ignore 🤌🏽 My love and thanks at Christmas ❤️ Stay safe and I’ll see you in the New Year 🎸 Con x

Thank you so much for this Justin! You've even out effort in mixing her voice differently. I thought I heard some ever-so-slight reverse reverb at one point. Fright and fear have been strange and.unwanted companions for many years. This helps so much. ❤️

so glad you are addressing this, thank you

So I just started to play a few months ago using your beginner program (which is fantastic BTW) I finally played a few songs last week to my coworkers. I felt all the physical and emotional traits you described in this video. I took myself to a place of calm peace, closed my eyes and played. After watching this video I know I'm on the right track using meditation to harness all the feelings before playing in front of a group of people. Great video and super helpful. Thank you Justin for all you have given to new guitarists such as myself!! Cheers and Merry Christmas!!

Wow. Thanks so much for these thoughts. I really feel that they will help. Cheers, and Happy Holidays.

Thanks, for that I enjoyed that session. And the meditation. I'll have implement that on my next open mic. It was very informative.

Thank you for addressing this topic Justin, it has definitely helped me... And thanks for all you do!😃🎸

So helpful. I get so nervous when I'm about to perform that my fingers don't work right on my guitar. Crazy!!

Thank you Justin, wow💖💖♥♥

Not only great for performing on stage but in all aspects of life.

Hey, I've come 💔💔💔💔💜

I'm fighting back the urge to start cracking jokes as this is a family channel. 😆

Hey man! You're truly an amazing person who's continuously providing such an easy ways to play, learn,understand guitar. Glad to have a part of it💜 (: #Justin_Guitar

This is an AWESOME idea! I have used guided meditation for chronic pain for years. I learned how to practice a few techniques with a pain management doctor. It’s a unique idea to use it as part of our guitar journey. It makes a lot of sense for performance nerves, but it can also be used just to center one’s self before practicing at home. I bet meditation and relaxation can be used during the act of playing, even without the guided spoken audio - can you perhaps create some tabs (for different levels of playing, of course) where we can learn to play some songs that we can use to actively meditate to while playing? My thought is that we learn and internalize the songs. Once we learn them, we play them with our eyes closed and reflect or clear our minds while playing. We can play and do breathing exercises. There are many possibilities. Maybe you can explore those and help us accomplish them? I hope you’ll consider it. Thanks!

The information you provided in this video and the meditation were extremely helpful. Thank you so much for sharing! 💙

One of the most helpful videos I’ve seen! Thank you so much

Great tips! Thanks!

It’s just so strange and frustrating how playing a piece I know very well by heart gets butchered when I play it after pressing the record button on my camera vs not doing so.. wish is started this earlier, but now I make it a habit to always record myself when practicing

Such a great video. The power of reframing is so simple, yet so effective!! Thank you for helping musicians on their path

THAT'S A REALLY GOOD MEDITATION IF YOU HAVE PERFORMANCE ANXIETY BUT THAT IS SOMETHING I HAVE NEVER HAD.....

Interesting topic, I do feel the performance Anxiety/Excitement if I have to follow any choreography or play it from my memory ( if I have not practiced enough) Strangely, if i it's free style dancing/ Zumba I feel excited to be on the stage😄 It's probably because dancing comes naturally since childhood, singing and playing Guitar has happened over the last few years, pretty late in life to become a performer 😄

Thanks Justin, this is really useful. It would also be really helpful to have a lesson on how to control excess muscle tension even when just practicing. I know the general advice is always 'just relax' but I'm sure there are techniques out there that would help.

I love the idea of this and found Justin’s and Courtney’s advice very helpful. Could I ask if Justin you could do a step previous to playing on stage, for example I’m a intermediate guitar, I’ve had lessons and played with someone but the teacher/tutor has created tones, melody’s for you to follow But most of us are stuck inside unable to get lessons to do restriction, myself being a perfect example where I want to compose but I’m my own worst critic by far and often hate what I composed on the fly having that anxiety of well I think it’s poor everyone else will and when presenting a piece to my wife was only 1 minute long she actually didn’t mind it. Just being accepting of one’s self and being the bassist/rhythm and lead in one go (drums) are done on garage band and there is no vocals.

Great video! Thanks. I'm a classical flutist and found this very helpful :)

Amazing man thank you for sharing good tips there..great teacher 💯👌🤘🤘🤙

Enjoyed it.

Wow Thanks bro

MASSIVE ECHOOOOOOO

You forgot to put down CRY 😢 because in certain parts of song it has deep meaning. That happens to me i am very emotional because I feel the song. How can I STOP THAT.

Why be anxious? It’s too late for that just before you go on stage. Either you are A./ prepared or B./ not. If it’s A./ enjoy it. If it’s B./ learn from it. The show must go on. The notes go out and are they aren’t your anymore. Relax.

Ok, I'm more nervous and I have 40 minutes until I perform for our Christmas show

First like

Its horrible trying to play guitar with shaky sweaty hands

Option 2: play in a sloppy punk band. No pressure 👌

Envision everyone has pig masks on