As an off shoot comment to the “Circle of Death thread”, I’ve noticed that I can play in front of perfect strangers, but playing in front of my peers causes brain lock- couldn’t think of a tune to start, couldn’t remember the b part, etc.
Michael Eskin suggested having at least one fall back tune that you can play in your sleep. Anyone else have suggestions?
Bananas!!
The potassium in a banana eases the effects of stress and nervousness.
You are describing what is termed in Sports Psychology as,“self efficacy”. e.g playing in front of a group of novices would be easy , then your next audience is Paddy K , Liam Flynn , Ronan Browne etc different kettle of fish 
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Visualisation techniques such as imagining playing in front of strangers , drones falling out , reeds going mental etc could help. Then when you come to actually doing it it won’t be as daunting. Mental imagery does work on some people but others think it’s piffle. Horses for courses , give it a try you never know !
one fall back tune that you can play in your sleep
That’s what I need: more sleep!
djm
Its funny, I have zero performance anxiety in sessions, performances, live TV appearances, but put me in front of a teacher during a tionol circle lesson (another word came to mind) and ask me to play back a difficult technique and I completely fall apart.
Now, let me record the technique, go off in another room for 10 minutes and work it out, come back and play it for the same teacher, and I’m as cool as a cucumber and can play it without anxiety. Its funny how we’re all wired up differently.
My comment to Fel at the meeting was about having a few tunes that you can always fall back toif you’re stuck in the “you’ve got it” during a session or circle of death and have suddenly gone brain dead and can’t remember the tune you intended to play. I think of them as a form of vamping, while I’m playing them I can think about which other tune I’d rather be playing and get things sorted out in my head.
One of my fallback reels is “The Crooked Road to Dublin”, I could play that in my sleep.
Unfortunately, if your sessionista peers know your fallback tunes, then they can go “AHA! He’s blanked out!” when you play them and tease you later. 
The last Paddy Keenan concert I was at ,he said and I quote " I hope there’s no pipers in to-night, I dont want anyone judging my playing.
RORY
We’re not judgemental. 
PJ is 100% correct. I usually eat 1-2 bananas about 15-30 minutes before any performance and it helps to settle my nerves (and stomach). I know this is not a placebo, because I have suffered from performance anxiety in front of friends AND strangers for years and nothing else worked to stop it, or at the very least alleviate some stress…
Give it a shot!
Matt
You can try doing a few push ups too if need be. Assuming you’re not too concerned about other folks judging your push up technique
PD.
You could try seven pints of guinness or if alcohol doesn’t agree with you ,try two lines of coke.
RORY
ps There’s a herbal thing called rescue remedy, you can get it from health food shops. A couple of drops on your tongue and you’ll be totally chilled.
Ganja, mahn. It da only tin.
djm
From www.rescueremedy.com:
Rescue® Remedy has become every > woman’s > emotional ally for its calming and centering energy
Something you want to share with us, Rory?
I’m very much in tune with my femine side,but keep that to yourself.
And if its good enough for your dog it should be good enough for a piper!
RORY
Said the same thing in Pasadena, CA a couple of years ago
Yeah, it’s kind of an on and off thing with me. I can go for months and not even think about it, but then suddenly (usually in front of a small to medium-sized audience for some reason) it’ll hit and I just completely become a wreck. Kinda happened when I was playing some tunes at the Seattle Tionól, actually. After about a minute I just had this “Oh my God what the hell am I doing up here with all these people staring at me?!” kind of moment.
Alcohol doesn’t help, contrary to popular opinion…Well, maybe one drink or two, but much more than that in a short time period and I think for most people the deficiency in their skill will outweigh any relief of social anxiety.
A friend who studied for years with a cranky Russian piano teacher had the following anecdote from said cranky Russian which I think is highly applicable to most any musician: when playing for your friends, you only need to know the music that you’re playing about 50%. When recording in a studio, you need to know it 110%. When you play before a large live audience, however, you need to know it 400%. That is, you can be freaked out beyond belief and on the verge of a heart attack, but the music will still burst forth from your hands by muscle memory alone. I’ve found in more recent gigs that I’ve done that if I start to feel stage fright creeping in, I’ll pull back and play some tunes that I could play heavily drugged in my sleep, and the mere realization that I can do that can help pull me out and keep me feeling relaxed enough to proceed with what I’m doing. Not that it’s perfect by any means yet…Still many years of the old pippety-poppity to practice and keep me busy…
Actually alcohol is a big help to me: as long as the audience is drinking and I’m not .
t
Always keep the audience more drunk than yourself…
The more you do it, the easier it gets. However, I still get a bit freaked out occasionally, so I tune out the audience. I suppose I come across as maybe a bit aloof, but I pretend they are not there, and just play for myself.
Try to imagine that all the members of the audience are naked,especially the nubile one’s, always works for me .
RORY
ps You could always try ejaculating just before the gig,this is a tip I got from Ben Stiller in the film"something about Mary".
I agree completely. There’s nothing better for my confidence than knowing the tune/song inside out, every which way from Sunday.
However, I’m seriously considering a pre-concert banana/Rescue Remedy cocktail for the next gig!