Anyone here with anxiety that makes it impossible to record?

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Lonermutant
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16 Jan 2009, 7:55 am

I have severe anxiety that makes it impossible for me to record. I've been trying for a month now to record a cover of a Metallica song with my Bass Pod and Reaper (a recording program), but I can only make it through 1/4 of the song before I go totally stiff, play wrong and have to quit. I've been trying this for a month now and it never gets any better. I take Seroquel (25 mg every night) that I need to be actually able to sleep so I have extreme anxiety. I just want to be able to do what I love to do for more than 5 minutes of a time before I have to lie down. I'm seeing my psychologist in 3 weeks time. I'm planning to wait until I've seen him to try again.
I also have 2 weeks until my birthday. I think a lot of the problem I have is actually related to the fact that I've promised myself a cheap electric guitar so I can do demos of my own songs. I really want to get the recording of this cover out of the way so I can get the recording of the bass part on the intro of one of my own songs before I get the rythm guitar for that same intro done.



ValMikeSmith
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16 Jan 2009, 2:27 pm

I used to help a friend with that problem by sneaking up on him whenever I heard him practicing music and activate the recording machine without him noticing.



Lonermutant
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16 Jan 2009, 2:36 pm

I had this plan of recording this song as well as the intro to my own demo song by the end of the month, but now I'm giving myself an extra month.



pakled
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16 Jan 2009, 9:52 pm

Not me, but lawsie, I've had to go back over and re-record parts of things. One thing to avoid, getting slower and slower...;)

Record a rhythm or click track first, to set the beat. Try playing along, get comfortable with it, and if you mess up, hey, you messed up, and you can go back and record over it.

Once you're comfortable, put it down on whatever recording medium you're using. Remember, the best musicians in the world fluff up things sometimes; it's rare that they go straight to tape (or whatever), unless it's live. If you listen closely, you'll hear flubs here and there.

I recorded about 300 or so songs (covers, stuff I made up, etc) over about 11 years. Some are great, some (well, more than some) are too slow, too rigid, and some are just awful.

Just remember that you let other people hear the finished tracks, and not all the work that went into it.



grahamcakes
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17 Jan 2009, 5:05 pm