How do I not panic and feel more comfortable when improvising a s

Today did an alto solo for the song What Is Hip? and I feel like I choked a bit. Right before I went out on stage I had these little phrases and runs I wanted to incorporate but when the piano player handed it over to me I completely forgot everything I had played minutes earlier, and was now essentially trying to stitch together notes from the pentatonic scale I was using.

 

I've only been playing for a year and I have very little experience in soloing. I have done solos before that felt great and when listening back to I really enjoyed but I'm scared to even listen to the recording I made today. Also I didn't feel as nervous as I've felt before. When I first started soloing my friends pointed out my fingers shaking over the keys, which I didn't do today.

 

If anyone has any advice on how I can become more comfortable improvising a solo in front of a crowd I would really appreciate a reply.

Thank you.

Reply To Post [Report Abuse]