Do you feel like you’re confident enough as a performer? Do you go to auditions or concerts knowing you'll give it your all from the very first note? Or do you struggle with doubt and nervousness (maybe even days or weeks before your performance)?
If you’re like most musicians, you probably find yourself in the second group more than you’d want. This is not just an unpleasant feeling but also a recipe for failure on stage.
As the hang drum instrument has grown in popularity over the last decade, many people want to learn how to play it and also play it confidently. While the instrument is relatively simple, refining your technique may be difficult. Fortunately, with a bit of devotion and focus, anyone can learn to play the handpan drum confidently with some practice. So, follow these tips to overcome your stage fright and perform well with confidence.
Remember: Confidence isn’t Just About Talent or Practice
The good news is that you can adjust your degree of confidence, and you actually have a lot of influence over it. This may surprise you, as many assume that confidence is primarily a character quality, something you either have or don’t. Others believe that only success or good feedback may boost confidence and that you must avoid making mistakes or experiencing “failure” to become more confident. Many people feel like any lack of confidence is due to a lack of practice.
Well, it turns out that all of these are simply misconceptions. Despite their success, many musicians experience significant self-doubt and insecurities. There are also some musicians who were not the most skilled yet outperformed everyone’s expectations because their trust in themselves was unwavering. Most of us know that practicing more does not necessarily build confidence. So, what do you need to do to gain confidence?
How to Become a Confident Performer
Mastering your self-talk is an essential step in becoming a more confident performer.
For better or worse, we tend to listen to and believe what we tell ourselves. If you repeatedly tell yourself that you are a loser and an untalented hack, you will begin to believe it. You will quickly start to feel like a failure and eventually act in ways that reinforce this perception of yourself, thereby “proving” that you are a failure.
Master Your Inner Voice to Boost Performance and Confidence
Remember that your subconscious mind hears whatever you say to yourself and has no filter. It will absorb whatever you say and eventually accept the most consistent signals as reality — whether or not they are accurate.
Your inner self has no idea or cares what you mean when you say, “I’m never going to be able to play this piece well.” It’s unclear whether you actually lack the skill to perform this piece, if you simply need to work harder, or if you should put it on the back burner for a while. Your subconscious simply absorbs it, and over time, you will feel incapable of playing this composition. You will be more likely to act on this assumption, perhaps working on it half-heartedly, thinking less imaginatively, and giving up sooner if you become stuck. Eventually, you will realize that, as you predicted, you are struggling with the composition. This is known as a self-fulfilling prophecy, and we constantly undermine ourselves (including in our lives outside of music) by inventing fresh self-limiting predictions.
If you want to feel, act, and be more confident, you must first master your mind and start thinking like a confident person.
Most of us aren’t fully conscious of what we’re saying to ourselves, especially when practicing or performing. So, the first step is to recognize and record these thoughts to learn to think like a confident person.
Identify Your Self-Talk
The great majority of the thoughts that your mind generates when you are under stress are unhelpful. They are frequently inconsequential (“What’s the weather like tomorrow?”), overly analytical (“Am I holding my handpan drum at the perfect angle?”), or self-destructive (“I’m probably going to mess up this next transition.”).
Your brain can only focus on a certain thing at a time. This means you can fill your mind with helpful or harmful thoughts—it’s up to you!
Your brain’s focus is like spending money—you can use it to build confidence or to feed self-doubt. There’s no neutral choice; every thought helps or harms your goals. To stop negative thinking, start by noticing what your mind is focused on now.
Change Your Self-Talk
Now is the moment to start modifying your inner thought patterns to be more conducive to confidence and future performance success.
Look at all the negative thoughts you wrote down in your notepad. You’ll notice that these thoughts are often about the past or the future, neither of which you have influence over right now. Failure-related thoughts are likewise unproductive because they do not benefit you in any manner. All they do is make you feel bad about yourself.
Tips to Help You Become More Confident
Practice Regularly
- Create a disciplined practice program that combines technical drills, repertory, and performance simulations.
Simulate performance conditions
- Rehearse your compositions in front of friends and family, or even record yourself, to imitate a performance setting.
- Practice handpan music in various locations to become comfortable with varied performance conditions.
Develop Mental Strategies
- Spend time imagining yourself performing confidently and effectively. Imagine the audience’s enthusiastic reactions and contentment with a well-executed performance.
Positive self-talk
- Create a set of positive affirmations about your performance. Repeat these affirmations to boost your confidence and lessen anxiety.
- Make a list of affirmations, such as “I am prepared and capable,” and repeat them before and after practice sessions.
Mindfulness and Relaxation
- Try mindfulness methods like deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, or meditation to settle your mind before performing.
Create a routine
- Create a set of actions or rituals to follow before each performance, such as warm-up activities, mental preparation, or breathing techniques.
- Develop and improve a pre-performance routine to help you feel grounded and prepared.
Practice relaxation techniques
- Deep breathing, stretching, or listening to peaceful music can all help you relax before your performance.
- Experiment with several relaxation techniques to see which ones work best for you.
Accept Imperfections
- Accept that mistakes are unavoidable in live performances and focus on the whole experience rather than perfection.
- Remind yourself that everyone makes mistakes, and they do not detract from your total performance quality.
Work with a mentor
- Work with a mentor or coach to improve your performance abilities and resolve any stage fright-related worries.
Join a Group
- Join a music group or ensemble to gain experience and share your hang instrument performance skills with others.
Conclusion
A handpan performance is developing confidence that largely considers mental preparation, skill development, and practical approaches. You can reduce your anxiety and have a better playing experience by practicing mental techniques to stay focused and cope well with performance anxiety. Let your love for the handpan pan drum bring you to a more and more fun performance where you’d feel more confident.
