Here goes: Performance nervousness that shakes your sound is a Catch-22 problem. The antidote is confidence. But fear that you might sound shaky is a guaranteed confidence-buster. (That is, if you're afraid you'll sound quivery, you probably will.)
To break the vicious circle, you need to gain the confidence that comes with playing so frequently under the pressure of performance conditions that you simply get used to it & the fear diminishes or goes away. Over time, you build the confidence that only comes from having already played steadily & repeatedly under real-time performance pressure.
How do you get that kind of confidence when your performance anxiety is already feeding on itself?
First, you promise yourself that if you're going to mess up it won't be because you're not prepared. Second, you do whatever it takes to acquire plenty of performance experience. You form or join a small ensemble (e.g., brass quintet, woodwind quintet) where there's no place to hide & in which you do lots & lots of public performances -- not just rehearsals, but real performances (i.e. you go out & get gigs).
After a while, you'll get so accustomed to the pressures of public performance that you won't be shaky any more. Your confidence will grow to the point that even when you're nervous, nobody will know but you. That's because your sound will be consistently strong, steady, & sure. And that confidence will carry over into self-assured auditions, as well as solid ensemble playing -- even when you're on the spot with a solo that all your fellow ensemble-members, plus the audience, are waiting to hear you play.
There is no substitute for performance experience. Individual practice & ensemble rehearsals are fine; they're indispensable. But they aren't enough, because they are just not the same as real performances in front of real audiences, and that's the kind of frequent, repeated performance experience you need to beat those shaky-sound jitters.
Keep practicing & good luck.
-- Alan Cole, rank amateur
McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.
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At 06:58 PM 12/7/2004, you wrote:I am a High School student and I am taking place in many auditions. Every year from now until graduation, I will take place in many auditions: Region Orchestra, Region Band, Pre-Area, Area and State auditions. So far, I aced the Region Band audition, taking first chair, and just yesterday I had my Pre-Area audition. I did horrible at Pre-Area. Many times when I go to audition, when it is my turn to play through the etude asked, I will start of great, but as I progress through the piece my lips will blow out and I will have no endurance. My endurance has never been a problem for me, but at these auditions, it seems that when I get nervous my lips just fall apart, leaving my virtually unable to play notes of any kind. The weirdest thing though is that after completing the audition, I will go outside and run through the etudes and play them near perfect. Can anyone help me figure out what to do? My state audition is in one month, and I want to be able to play it there like I rehearse it at home.
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