i know a lot of people get nervous infront of crowds. i've never really been like that. i enjoy playing for others, and i just never get nervous. to answer your question....picture some of the people in there underwear? :P just make sure they're not really hot or ugly as you might get distracted lol good luck ~Firk

The fun is in the song. I play better in front of a group then I do just practicing. I do get a jolt of adrenaline from playing in front of a crowd and do get a little nervous. What I mean however, is that when I'm digging a song, I don't hear, feel or see anyone else. I'm not even really thinking, I'm having fun and letting those creative juices get flowin=o). That's all I meant to do. The crowd is important because they heighten your sensation of the music, but at a point they just disappear for while. Try playing on a street corner to earn some bread and you'll see what I mean.

"Try playing on a street corner to earn some bread and you'll see what I mean." that's different.

this is true. I guess I don't know what I'm trying to say other than performing for a group of people (in a band in some time of setting other than street playing I guess), the fear of the crowd can drive you, but sometimes you just have to ignore the crowd for a bit so that the fear doesn't take over you and f*$% up your playing. After you get past that first moment of fear, you should hopefully be over it for the rest of the night and be able to play without any hesitation. I don't mean to get confrontational, there was enough of that in the vibrato post=o). This is my humble opinion, agree or disagree, that's all I got to say about that.

I think it's a natural reaction to be a little nervous when playing in front of a crowd. The hardest thing for me was singing in front of people, because I didn't like my voice. As I've gotten older, I've gotten more confident, but there are still times, like when we play a song we just learned and maybe haven't had really practiced enough to where I feel comfortable with it, I get nervous. I used to look out into the audience and find a cute girl. I just imagine that she is the ONLY person I'm playing for, and she's wearing ONLY a smile, and that if I impress her enough with my playing, I can have my way with her! It works.....in more ways than one! Well, good luck with that! Jim