Depending on the type of music or if it’s a performance versus practice, the way I make music will be very different. Although a little crazy, I talk to myself A LOT! When I can verbally speak my mind, it gives me the ability to sort my thoughts. I don’t do this when other people are around because I get embarrassed and don’t want to distract others, but sometimes I still silently mouth the words I want to say. My most used quote is “Oh, hello!” when I play an incorrect note or unexpected sound (not incorrect, but not what I was expecting to hear either.)
I also stretch, wiggle, or jump to get myself hyped up. The physical movement distracts my nervousness temporarily and lets me clear my thoughts before I need to focus. This stemmed from high school during track and field (I was a thrower.) I started doing little jumps, wiggles, or fidgets before I had to throw discus or shot put. It was my little “ritual” before every throw so I could release my tension, focus on my goal, and produce results. Even a small rotation or readjustment with my hands on drum sticks or mallets is a result from my fidgeting.
Lastly, and probably the most meaningful to me, I breathe very deeply before I start playing (especially in a performance.) I know that doesn’t sound very unique or out-of-the-norm but a very long time ago I played in a piano recital and even though I’d played my performance piece multiple times with very little to no mistakes during practice and lessons, I froze up, crashed, and burned in front of about 36-45 people. After I was done playing I was very embarrassed, worried, and ashamed as I walked back to where my family was sitting and my Dad could tell I was upset. He asked me if I wanted to go for a short walk, so we left the recital a little early and walked around a nearby garden. My Dad’s way of consoling me is by telling a story from a similar experience or reviewing what happened and finding a solution so while I was trying my best not to cry he told me that I needed to learn how to breathe before I played to focus and slow down because everything feels like a rush when your doing a performance of any kind. I took his advice very seriously and started to take one deep breath before my concerts, solos, even sporting events. It became another “ritual” for me and it doesn’t work every time, but it calms me enough to still recover from my mistakes instead of giving up and getting upset right away.