Originally Posted by: JeffS65I don't want to oversimplify but practice brings confidence. Knowing you can execute what you want your fingers to do.

Ok, I used to be in a band, and have played lots of gigs, including being on live TV a couple of times.

It really is as simple as what Jeff says. You just need to have whatever you're going to perform locked down. You know how you see flashy guitar players scrunching up their faces as they go for that amazing note, riff, lick, whatever? You're watching and its like "wow, that guy/gal can PLAY... they are putting out at their maximum skill level right there, live...". Hogwash. Its just showmanship. A good player has that "amazing" note/lick/riff down pat. They can play it easily... a seasoned professional performer is not playing at the utmost of their ability, but well within it. This is not a bad thing. Sometimes they make facial expressions just for show, other times its because they really do get into what they are playing.... its not bad either way. There's absolutely nothing wrong with putting on a show if its sincere. But the important thing to recognize is that they are in full command of their instrument and are well prepared for their performance. If you can barely pull something off, that's not the time to put it out in front of an audience. You should have it so down that executing the technical mechanics of what you need to play is just second nature. I had that issue with a particular song... it had a repeating riff that was a little complex for me. I simply played it over and over again until I had it down pat and could do it without having to think about it much. This really helped when we would play a gig, particularly because we tended to open with that song.

Also, not meaning to offend, but I completely disagree with Kasperow saying that "a big part of it comes from your audience's reaction to your playing". We never played a gig where people got up or booed or anything, but a few times we'd play a venue where people weren't that into it... sometimes you're doing a small gig, people are just in for a beer, and want to talk to their friends over you're playing... No matter what, you can't allow your confidence to depend on your audience's reaction. You are going to have times where it just isn't clicking with your audience, but if you play as best you can, with confidence and conviction, you may win them over, whether its just a few friends or a crowded bar.

On a more practical note, unless you're trying to cultivate a particular image, ditch practicing in front of a mirror or video camera. Its ok for checking your form (shooting a video of a problem chord change may reveal where you are going wrong, for example), but other than that, its probably going to make you more self-concious. Try to be what they call "third-eye blind". In other words, quite worrying about how you look or are being perceived, and instead just be yourself. You are who you are, if you are comfortable in your own skin, you'll give a much more relaxed and natural performance, again, even if its just to your significant other or a couple of people.