Advice for Playing Live???

Fingolfen

Fingolfen

Well-known member
So... I'm gonna do a thing... Signed up for the October concert at my guitar store / school...

1) Wish me luck... I've volunteered for a song that's going to be a bit of a mountain to climb...
2) Any advice other than practice and try to get in extra rehearsals???
 
Fingolfen said:
So... I'm gonna do a thing... Signed up for the October concert at my guitar store / school...

1) Wish me luck... I've volunteered for a song that's going to be a bit of a mountain to climb...
2) Any advice other than practice and try to get in extra rehearsals???
Click to expand...
In my first year of college(music major), my section leader used to turn to us before concerts and say "don't suck."

Super helpful.
 
Don't get drunk like the home run derby girl... other than that... yer good. Conversely... if things go really bad and you bomb.... just check yourself into rehab and say you were drunk...... I haven't played live since 2005 so take all that with a grain of bath salts.
 
Last edited:
Know your songs. Try to really take in the tension beforehand, the stage fright... It makes the second time so much easier. The heavy heart, the recurring thoughts; they're part of the experience. If you don't feel a little bit nervous, something's wrong with you. This follows in line with the don't go drinking advice; you might go overboard in trying to get your nerves to settle. My period of live performances are over for a while, and not every single person had a camera with them back then, so yeah... I can imagine that modern burden! Be at your best as much as possible! Then again, unless you're an alcoholic... Having my first and only beverage on stage helped me a lot with little bits of stage banter after a few songs (I would otherwise turn really into myself.). But that's only necessary when you got a mic in your face. This also gets better with time, when you start reusing the best bits of previous performances. There's no way around taling feeling very staged when you start out.

I did develop this weird habit of mimicing a pull-the-trigger near my temple, shoot the debilitating thoughts out, right before I got on stage. It never went away.

Anyway, just enjoy being there, and see the whole things less of you being an entertainer and more of a learning experience!

"Please, bear with me..."
 
Last edited:
Fingolfen said:
So... I'm gonna do a thing... Signed up for the October concert at my guitar store / school...

1) Wish me luck... I've volunteered for a song that's going to be a bit of a mountain to climb...
2) Any advice other than practice and try to get in extra rehearsals???
Click to expand...

Just one song?

Solo or with other band members?

What's the song?


None of my above questions matter, because my advice is pretty much universally good:

Advice #1 — S M I L E !

If you have to force yourself to smile, do it; fake it 'til you can't shake it.

Don't worry about mistakes, most people in the audience won't notice any and if you make a mistake that is so big as to be noticeable, laugh it off keep going and people will laugh with you and not at you. After the song is over, do NOT apologise for anything; instead thank people for coming out to the show.

I once worked with somebody whose between-song banter was apologising for every miniscule thing that didn't matter because people were cheering and clapping, dancing and having a good time. Drove me nuts. Do NOT apologise.



Now, if the song happens to be a heart-wrenching tear-jerker ballad — then maybe don't smile, you don't want to look like a psychopath up there.

PSYCHO SONG TRAGIC LOSS.png
 
Feral Feline said:
Just one song?

Solo or with other band members?

What's the song?


None of my above questions matter, because my advice is pretty much universally good:

Advice #1 — S M I L E !

If you have to force yourself to smile, do it; fake it 'til you can't shake it.

Don't worry about mistakes, most people in the audience won't notice any and if you make a mistake that is so big as to be noticeable, laugh it off keep going and people will laugh with you and not at you. After the song is over, do NOT apologise for anything; instead thank people for coming out to the show.

I once worked with somebody whose between-song banter was apologising for every miniscule thing that didn't matter because people were cheering and clapping, dancing and having a good time. Drove me nuts. Do NOT apologise.



Now, if the song happens to be a heart-wrenching tear-jerker ballad — then maybe don't smile, you don't want to look like a psychopath up there.

View attachment 78877
Click to expand...
Smile? Don't assume his gender genre! 🤓
 
If you aren't into it, no one will be. Don't practice till all the feeling is gone. Leave some room for the room and the audience to influence and participate.

I practice standing up which I suggest but also I try to make a conscious effort to root myself through the balls of my feet so I am in a "ready" stance. Maybe it's just me but this makes me feel much more confident when I keep it in mind. Otherwise I notice myself taking an old man pose with my knees locked and my weight on my heels and it hurts my energy.

Good luck!
 
joeyd said:
Playing well is overrated. I used to beat myself up over mistakes. Nobody cared. People did notice when I was too stiff or if I didn't move around. Live music is great because it's kinetic.
Click to expand...
Nobody cares, plus at least in a band setting (or probably with a backing track too) it's much harder to even hear mistakes, plus once it goes by someone might think "huh, I wonder if that was a mistake" but the thought is almost instantly gone. With recorded stuff you can rewind and listen again, but live it's gone right away, so it's much easier to get away with mistakes.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top