A question for the pro's...

[adorshki]

In my own case I'm also helped by knowing they can't send me back to Vietnam if I screw up.

:lol: :lol: :lol: ...Yeah, what's the WORST that could happen? THEY COULD CONFISCATE YOUR GUILD! :lol:

 

[killdeer43]

Along with how we play/practice/prepare/present (the 4 Ps?), it might be good to segue into WHY we play. This was a seminal song for me in the 70s and it still works.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m__yVh5h3e0

I miss John and wish he were still around belting out those fun-to-play-and-sing oldies of his. :wink:

Joe

 

[AlohaJoe]

I started performing at 15. I'm 63 now... here is the short version:

#1 - you can't really practice performing. You have to do it to get good at it. The more hours you put in in front of an audience the better you will get at it, and sadly, there is no other way. Do it as often as you can.

#2 - Performing is at least in part an acting job. Act like you're very calm and cool. Act like you're not nervous. Act like you know what you're doing. You're the one on the stage in front of the room. Be entertaining... tell a story. Look people in the eye, not over their heads, not at your fingers, not at a music stand.

#3 - Pick out some friendly faces and talk/sing to them. Look at others but come back to them. Seed the audience with a few pals. Connect, they're just folks. You can't hide up there, so don't try. Be bold.

#4 - Know your material backward and forward, including any banter, stories etc. Someday they will become 2nd nature and you won't need to think about it, but at first learn your stuff thoroughly, because when you get on stage you will forget half of everything you ever knew.

#5 - Pick material you love... songs that really means something to you. Songs that move you. What you want to communicate is the FEELING you get from it. After all, that's the whole point isn't it?

#6 - Every song tells a STORY. You need to know the words, chords etc so well you don't have to think about them, so you can concentrate on telling the story. It's like driving in a way... you can't think about where you're going if you're concentrating on the operating the vehicle controls.

I studied for a while with a stand-up comedian because I wanted to be more comfortable between tunes and a little funnier. If you can get an audience laughing you've got them. I think I have a good sense of humor but on stage it's a different animal. We like to think that comedians are making stuff up as they go, but they're not, they're acting like they just made it up. I ended up doing some short sets at a local comedy club (without a guitar) and much to my amazement it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be, but it took hours of prep work. if you can live through that you'll be in good shape.

The main thing is to do it as often as you can, and when you get up there try to relax, take your time... breathe, look around, smile! The audience is your friend. Be yourself.

 

[Ian]

Hi All,

I'd just like to thank everyone that's commented here, there's been some excellent advice, any chance it can be saved as a sticky somewhere ?

I'm generally feeling a bit better about things now, I was pretty disappointed with myself afterwards. Anna who runs the folk club popped around on Tuesday evening when I have practice with the guys (OK it's an excuse for gossip and a couple of beers as well), and has asked us to do a three song set at the next club night in March. She gave us a few pointers, and offered a couple of strumming techniques for me, so we are all good to go !! (there's probably a horse analogy in here somewhere).

I'll let you know how we get on, thanks for the encouragement !!

Cheers, Ian

 

[killdeer43]

Dude,

Next stop? NASHVILLE!
Should you choose to accept that mission. :wink:

Stay in tune,
Joe

 

[walrus]

I agree with guitardude, this has been a very informative thread! I have not been performing long, and strictly open mics, and I feel like its getting better and better, but there are some great tips in here. AlohaJoe, your point about looking at people is what I really need to work on - very good advice. I'm still lookng sort of straight ahead, mostly because of nerves. Thanks!

walrus

 

[plaidseason]

I should also note that so many performers I know have an understanding that there is sort of a bell curve to live shows. Most shows will be in the sort of middle 25-75% range. There will be few disasters. And there will be a few all around great ones. Those are the ones we live for. Those are the ones that keep us going.

Simplified, it sort of goes like this for me, I can play dozens of shows hoping for just one more great one. Because I could never, ever quit playing live after a bad show. And then once I have a really great show, well I can't quit after that either, because of the prospect that the next show might be just as great.

I'll second, third, whatever the importance of banter between songs. I'm actually OK with long-winded introductions as long as it's not all about overexplaining the song. It's OK to be funny, even when the songs aren't funny. Here's one of my all time favorite masters of banter: http://www.hulu.com/storefront-hitchcock

-Chris

 

[killdeer43]

Here's one of my all time favorite masters of banter: http://www.hulu.com/storefront-hitchcock
-Chris

Another excellent video! Thanks for the link, Chris.
Now to find the time to watch the whole thing. :wink:

Time is an often overlooked luxury,
Joe

 

[Terry Allan Hall]

Hi All,

Well Sunday night was my solo debut performance at our local folk club. I did the Pete Molinari song " I dont like the man I am", and "House of the Rising Sun". Now I practice every day, I knew both of these songs down pat, played them all through on the same guitar (F30) for the last month. Comes the time to get on stage, the nerves kick in and mistakes aplenty !!

Being honest, I'm never going to be Joe Satriani or anything and if truth be told I'd rather be a spirited failure than a going through the motions technically correct but soul less performer, (so in that respect the gig was an OUTSTANDING Success), but it would be nice if I could deliver the same performance on stage that I do at home...

Here's the question: How do you guys that do this all the time get good at performing ?
Cheers, Ian

Experience...the more you do it, the more relaxed you'll feel.

Chances are, the audience felt you did JUST FINE! 8)

 

[Rich]

The whole bundle of nerves thing comes at different times for me.

In my electric gig I played "Christmas in Sarejevo" for close to 3000 people. It was an amazing experience to look out and see all of those faces looking at me. I was intimidated, but played well and nailed my parts.

....Fast foreward three weeks later: My 2 man acoustic band is playing a lounge and I could not play three notes in a row. Also, my singing was not "on". I wanted to crawl under the stage and die. :lol:

 

[JerryR]

The whole bundle of nerves thing comes at different times for me.

In my electric gig I played "Christmas in Sarejevo" for close to 3000 people. It was an amazing experience to look out and see all of those faces looking at me. I was intimidated, but played well and nailed my parts.

....Fast foreward three weeks later: My 2 man acoustic band is playing a lounge and I could not play three notes in a row. Also, my singing was not "on". I wanted to crawl under the stage and die. :lol:

Sh*t happens :roll:

 

[killdeer43]

I wanted to crawl under the stage and die. :lol:

But you didn't....and therein lies the secret.
Just dust yourself off, and get back in the race.... :wink:

Joe

 

[Rich]

I wanted to crawl under the stage and die. :lol:

But you didn't....and therein lies the secret.
Just dust yourself off, and get back in the race.... :wink:

Joe

Exactly. :mrgreen:

 

[Aerie]

Of course practice is key. But I'd like to say some words about stage fright in general. Stage fright is a very normal and universal experience. We all have it. The trick to understanding it and coping with it is in realizing that it is a time-limited emotional response. It generally has you in its grasp for about twenty minutes or so and then rapidly falls off. The problem is this, very few people are ever on a stage performing in front of an audience for that long. Most folks do their stuff at open mics and the like and they never get the chance to be on that stage longer than 15 minutes or so. This leaves them with the feeling that maybe they just don't have what it takes when in truth, if they could have played a second or third set they would have been fine. All that said, everyone is different and the amount of time on stage really is the second culprit assuming you really are as practiced up and warmed up as you think.

 

[yettoblaster]

...be on that stage longer than 15 minutes or so...if they could have played a second or third set they would have been fine...

An excellent point. I always feel better the second set.

The first few times I played publically I thought I was going to melt into a puddle of nerves. I thought I had discovered something in life i was just NOT cut out to do.

Key for me was learning the material backwards and forwards so I could do it in my sleep, so that even if a bomb went off it would not throw me. That was first and foremost (after learning the instrument sufficiently to say what I wanted to say self-accompianed).

There's always more to learn: working the mic; connecting with the audience, etc etc. It's a life long task, BUT it IS achievable and even can be rewarding (sometimes) after you get used to a certain size audience! Then comes the bigger audience, and the nerves are there again.

 

[Bikerdoc]

Great thread!!!!!! When I'm doing our regular Thursday night session with the guys there may be 50 people gathered around; many of whom I've known. And even though I might be the least talented of "the guys" I feel comfortable enough when it's my turn. But get me in an open mic setting or an actual gig; forget about it. So I have to add a bit of something to the question "how do you do it":

Is there something in particular that makes one nervous? Is it knowing that you may be being critiqued by "real" musicians sitting in the audience? Are we really afraid of missing a chord or failing to remember lyrics?

I've asked myself "what are you nervous about" countless times and I've yet to come up with the answer. But at least I'm giving it a go, facing whatever fears I may have, and gaining a bit more self-confidence along the way. I would also offer that perhaps your comfort zone might be found in one venue at a time.

Again, great thread and terrific advise.
Peace

 

[Brad Little]

I'll add one more. tip. If you make a mistake do not under any circumstances acknowledge it. Play right thru it like it never happened. Don't apologize at the end of the tune.

Even better, if possible, on the next verse make the same "mistake" again. Audience will think it was supposed to be that way!!!

Yep, you'd be surprised at how few mistakes audiences even notice.
As somebody else said, play for people whenever you can, even if it's a small group of friends and/or relatives.
Brad

 

[Ross]

Is there something in particular that makes one nervous? Is it knowing that you may be being critiqued by "real" musicians sitting in the audience? Are we really afraid of missing a chord or failing to remember lyrics?

I've asked myself "what are you nervous about" countless times and I've yet to come up with the answer. But at least I'm giving it a go, facing whatever fears I may have, and gaining a bit more self-confidence along the way. I would also offer that perhaps your comfort zone might be found in one venue at a time.

Some good thoughts, Doc. I get stage fright every time, even in my "regular" open mic venue. Why? I don't know. I've been there dozens of times, I know just about everybody, get compliments (sometimes), etc. It's a mystery.

 

[killdeer43]

I always remind myself of all the mistakes the audience is making! Remember, too, that most of them are thinking, "I wish I could do that." :wink:

Live,
Joe

 

[yettoblaster]

Yep, most of 'em are pullin' for you.

If I get nervous before a performance I tell myself, "So you're nervous: it doesn't have to effect your performance."

Then it doesn't!