Originally Posted by: suicidalmoose
do you think perhaps practicing directly before your performance helps, as in it's might help you warm up and htus become more comfortable with the guitar before you go up to the stage?

I don't think there is a single guitarist out there that doesn't jam, practice, warmup directly before going on. Usually you're cold when you start playing... it's just like anything else... You have to play for a good 10-15 minutes to really loosen up. It may be more or less for some people. I personally wear my guitar around back stage or off to the side before a gig and just play... then carry it on to the stage with me and plug in. This way, if I know there is a part that I have trouble with or something I can go over it prior to the gig... that way when I'm doing it on stage it's not going to be the first attempt of the night. If there is no backstage... and no staging area for the next band... I usually just go outside with the drummer and his drum pad or go outside with the bass player and jam on some rough parts in certain songs... Once you play enough though your warm ups become more of just loosening your fingers up and getting aquanted with the fretboard... after awhile when you play the same songs over and over you get use to them. That's why practice is soooooo important... especially whole band practice. Chemistry goes a long way in calming you down during a gig... just follow most of the advice on this page and you should shake the nerves right away.