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GUITAR TECHNIQUE TIP OF THE MONTH Your Personal Guitar Lesson |
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It's SO much easier to read a printed article than to read it from the computer screen.
Adrenaline and Altered Perception of Tempo
By Douglas Niedt
Copyright Douglas Niedt, All Rights Reserved. This article may be reprinted, but please be
considerate and give credit to Douglas Niedt.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
I just completed teaching another semester at the University of Missouri-Kansas City
Conservatory of Music and Dance. Observing my students at their guitar juries (see note at
end of article), I was reminded of one of my Rules of Life. Doug's Rule of Life #12 to be
specific. It states:
concert I gave early in my career. The presenting organization recorded the concert for later
broadcast and gave me a copy of the tape to approve. I remember very well after the concert
thinking, "I played really well tonight. I really nailed everything and my fingers really flew." The
next day, when I listened to the tape, I couldn't believe how fast I had played nearly every piece.
Fortunately, I played everything cleanly, but every piece was almost ridiculously fast. Over the
following few months, with a little more experience and reflection, I realized what had happened
at that earlier concert. It was the excitement of the moment and the flow of adrenaline that
helped my fingers "fly," but the adrenaline clouded my judgment as to how fast I was actually
playing.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
In some instances, the adrenaline rush will make you play at a tempo beyond your ability to
execute, and your playing will be very sloppy or totally fall apart. I remember the well-known
guitarist Kazuhito Yamashita performing his first or second USA concert many years ago at the
university where I teach. Unfortunately, the concert was pretty much a train wreck. His English
was not good, but after the concert, with an embarrassed look on his face, he said, "I play too
fast." That night, even he was the victim of adrenaline.
Adrenaline is a hormone that can have many effects in your body. It makes your heart beat
faster. It makes you breathe faster. It diverts blood away from your digestive system and into
your muscles, giving you the utterflies-in-your-stomach sensation. It causes sweating. It causes
hand tremors or shaking. It can decrease how much you feel pain. It can also increase speed
and strength. It is all part of the body's primal response to threat--preparing the body to either
run away or to fight. If a little bit of adrenaline is released, the symptoms are mild. If you get
really upset and a large dose of adrenaline is released, the symptoms can be intense. If your
brain interprets the situation you are in as dangerous or threatening, your body produces even
more adrenaline, increasing or prolonging your feeling of anxiety.
Secondary effects also occur when we are under the influence of adrenaline. The brain goes
on red alert and actually changes the way we perceive the world. We tend to see the world in
terms of threat and danger. We are more likely to notice potential dangers and more likely to
see or think about what might go wrong. Often, the brain takes the next step by interpreting
what might happen as what will happen. Paranoia is close at hand. An activity such as playing
the guitar in public requires fine motor control, clarity of thought, and the complete absence of
negative thoughts. A public performance can become seriously derailed by the altered
perception of the brain under the influence of large doses of adrenaline.
One secondary effect relates directly to our mixed-up perception of tempo when we play our
guitar under stressful circumstances. Though not yet fully documented scientifically, the effect
is commonly referred to as "time dilation." Many people have told stories of being involved in
car crashes where time seemed to slow down or become frozen. Their internal perception of
time went into slow motion, such that they became aware of everything happening in great
detail, but at a rate of time slower than normal. The body's sensory perception acutely
increases when facing a potential catastrophe. It takes in information more quickly in order to
function more effectively in an emergency.
For a guitarist giving a performance, the time dilation effect is similar to that of a driver in an
accident. To the outside observer of a car crash, everything happens very fast. But the driver
experiences the event in slow motion. To the audience member listening to the adrenaline-
charged guitarist, the tempi are too fast. But the guitarist feels his tempi are perfectly normal or
even a bit on the slow side. This can even happen in a guitar lesson, not just a public
performance. I can't tell you how many times I have students tell me, "But I played it perfectly at
home." That may be true. But what is probably happening is that the student is playing much
faster for me in the lesson than he played at home, but doesn't realize it. His hands aren't
ready for the faster tempo; therefore all sorts of things begin to go wrong that never happened
before at home.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
So what does the guitarist do? Simple. When you are under the stress of a public performance
(or for some, even a guitar lesson), remind yourself that adrenaline is affecting your judgment
and perception of the music you are playing--especially the tempo. SLOW DOWN! It will sound
or feel like you are playing too slowly. But good news! It is just right. And welcome the added
speed and strength you receive from the adrenaline pumping up your muscles and reflexes.
But--and this is the key--by slowing down, you will be playing at the correct tempo as perceived
by your audience. Because the tempo will seem very slow to you (time dilation), the song will be
easier to play. You will feel like you have strength, speed, and dexterity to spare.
What is a Guitar "Jury?"
For those unfamiliar with the routine at a university music school, a jury is the student's final exam on their
instrument. At our school, the student performs for a committee of three to six professors. They play a few
scales and perhaps do some sight reading. Then, from a list of pieces they have learned during the semester
(usually 10-30 minutes worth of music), the professors choose at random what they would like to hear the
student play. The ordeal lasts 15 to 20 minutes. The jury is half the student's final grade, the other half being
what I give them for their performance in their weekly lessons. Naturally, the students find the jury experience
to be a bit stressful to say the least.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
By Douglas Niedt
Copyright Douglas Niedt, All Rights Reserved. This article may be reprinted, but please be
considerate and give credit to Douglas Niedt.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
I just completed teaching another semester at the University of Missouri-Kansas City
Conservatory of Music and Dance. Observing my students at their guitar juries (see note at
end of article), I was reminded of one of my Rules of Life. Doug's Rule of Life #12 to be
specific. It states:
- Under the stress of public performance, adrenaline causes you, the performer, to lose
perspective of the tempo at which you are playing a piece. As you're playing, if it feels
like you are really cooking along and you think, "Man, I'm really smokin'", you are playing
WAY too fast. If it feels like you are breezing along at a good tempo, you are still playing
too fast. If it feels like you are playing a little too slowly or that it is a little draggy, it is just
right!
concert I gave early in my career. The presenting organization recorded the concert for later
broadcast and gave me a copy of the tape to approve. I remember very well after the concert
thinking, "I played really well tonight. I really nailed everything and my fingers really flew." The
next day, when I listened to the tape, I couldn't believe how fast I had played nearly every piece.
Fortunately, I played everything cleanly, but every piece was almost ridiculously fast. Over the
following few months, with a little more experience and reflection, I realized what had happened
at that earlier concert. It was the excitement of the moment and the flow of adrenaline that
helped my fingers "fly," but the adrenaline clouded my judgment as to how fast I was actually
playing.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
In some instances, the adrenaline rush will make you play at a tempo beyond your ability to
execute, and your playing will be very sloppy or totally fall apart. I remember the well-known
guitarist Kazuhito Yamashita performing his first or second USA concert many years ago at the
university where I teach. Unfortunately, the concert was pretty much a train wreck. His English
was not good, but after the concert, with an embarrassed look on his face, he said, "I play too
fast." That night, even he was the victim of adrenaline.
Adrenaline is a hormone that can have many effects in your body. It makes your heart beat
faster. It makes you breathe faster. It diverts blood away from your digestive system and into
your muscles, giving you the utterflies-in-your-stomach sensation. It causes sweating. It causes
hand tremors or shaking. It can decrease how much you feel pain. It can also increase speed
and strength. It is all part of the body's primal response to threat--preparing the body to either
run away or to fight. If a little bit of adrenaline is released, the symptoms are mild. If you get
really upset and a large dose of adrenaline is released, the symptoms can be intense. If your
brain interprets the situation you are in as dangerous or threatening, your body produces even
more adrenaline, increasing or prolonging your feeling of anxiety.
Secondary effects also occur when we are under the influence of adrenaline. The brain goes
on red alert and actually changes the way we perceive the world. We tend to see the world in
terms of threat and danger. We are more likely to notice potential dangers and more likely to
see or think about what might go wrong. Often, the brain takes the next step by interpreting
what might happen as what will happen. Paranoia is close at hand. An activity such as playing
the guitar in public requires fine motor control, clarity of thought, and the complete absence of
negative thoughts. A public performance can become seriously derailed by the altered
perception of the brain under the influence of large doses of adrenaline.
One secondary effect relates directly to our mixed-up perception of tempo when we play our
guitar under stressful circumstances. Though not yet fully documented scientifically, the effect
is commonly referred to as "time dilation." Many people have told stories of being involved in
car crashes where time seemed to slow down or become frozen. Their internal perception of
time went into slow motion, such that they became aware of everything happening in great
detail, but at a rate of time slower than normal. The body's sensory perception acutely
increases when facing a potential catastrophe. It takes in information more quickly in order to
function more effectively in an emergency.
For a guitarist giving a performance, the time dilation effect is similar to that of a driver in an
accident. To the outside observer of a car crash, everything happens very fast. But the driver
experiences the event in slow motion. To the audience member listening to the adrenaline-
charged guitarist, the tempi are too fast. But the guitarist feels his tempi are perfectly normal or
even a bit on the slow side. This can even happen in a guitar lesson, not just a public
performance. I can't tell you how many times I have students tell me, "But I played it perfectly at
home." That may be true. But what is probably happening is that the student is playing much
faster for me in the lesson than he played at home, but doesn't realize it. His hands aren't
ready for the faster tempo; therefore all sorts of things begin to go wrong that never happened
before at home.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
So what does the guitarist do? Simple. When you are under the stress of a public performance
(or for some, even a guitar lesson), remind yourself that adrenaline is affecting your judgment
and perception of the music you are playing--especially the tempo. SLOW DOWN! It will sound
or feel like you are playing too slowly. But good news! It is just right. And welcome the added
speed and strength you receive from the adrenaline pumping up your muscles and reflexes.
But--and this is the key--by slowing down, you will be playing at the correct tempo as perceived
by your audience. Because the tempo will seem very slow to you (time dilation), the song will be
easier to play. You will feel like you have strength, speed, and dexterity to spare.
What is a Guitar "Jury?"
For those unfamiliar with the routine at a university music school, a jury is the student's final exam on their
instrument. At our school, the student performs for a committee of three to six professors. They play a few
scales and perhaps do some sight reading. Then, from a list of pieces they have learned during the semester
(usually 10-30 minutes worth of music), the professors choose at random what they would like to hear the
student play. The ordeal lasts 15 to 20 minutes. The jury is half the student's final grade, the other half being
what I give them for their performance in their weekly lessons. Naturally, the students find the jury experience
to be a bit stressful to say the least.
You are on DouglasNiedt.com
BE SURE TO VISIT DOUG'S "SECRET VAULT"
It contains many of Doug's Previous
Guitar Technique Tips of the Month
It contains many of Doug's Previous
Guitar Technique Tips of the Month
Have a comment?
Question?
Suggestion for the website?
We would love to hear from you.
Question?
Suggestion for the website?
We would love to hear from you.
We have a Printer Friendlier (PDF) version of this article that's also easier on the eyes.
It's SO much easier to read a printed article than to read it from the computer screen.
It's SO much easier to read a printed article than to read it from the computer screen.
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Internet. No one else's technique articles and videos even come close. Most of the written tips run
over 20 pages. Most of the videos run from 15-30 minutes. The tips are thorough and the
production is excellent. Check out the free tips in Doug's Vault for a sampling.
A one-year subscription (12 tips) is only $24. That is only $2 per tip.
Purchase a ONE-YEAR SUBSCRIPTION to:
DOUGLAS NIEDT'S GUITAR TECHNIQUE TIP OF THE MONTH
Doug's Guitar Technique Tip of the Month will be sent to you monthly. These are the best on the
Internet. No one else's technique articles and videos even come close. Most of the written tips run
over 20 pages. Most of the videos run from 15-30 minutes. The tips are thorough and the
production is excellent. Check out the free tips in Doug's Vault for a sampling.
A one-year subscription (12 tips) is only $24. That is only $2 per tip.
Be a better guitar player or teacher. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
Purchase a ONE-YEAR SUBSCRIPTION to:
DOUGLAS NIEDT'S GUITAR TECHNIQUE TIP OF THE MONTH
Doug's Guitar Technique Tip of the Month will be sent to you monthly. These are the best on the
Internet. No one else's technique articles and videos even come close. Most of the written tips run
over 20 pages. Most of the videos run from 15-30 minutes. The tips are thorough and the
production is excellent. Check out the free tips in Doug's Vault for a sampling.
A one-year subscription (12 tips) is only $24. That is only $2 per tip.
Purchase a ONE-YEAR SUBSCRIPTION to:
DOUGLAS NIEDT'S GUITAR TECHNIQUE TIP OF THE MONTH
Doug's Guitar Technique Tip of the Month will be sent to you monthly. These are the best on the
Internet. No one else's technique articles and videos even come close. Most of the written tips run
over 20 pages. Most of the videos run from 15-30 minutes. The tips are thorough and the
production is excellent. Check out the free tips in Doug's Vault for a sampling.
A one-year subscription (12 tips) is only $24. That is only $2 per tip.