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Location: Triangle area, NC | I haven't played out since college and my buddy and I have put together a bunch of original material and want to gig. Hes never sung live and seems kinda nervous. Any words of wisdom about playing a gig (thinkin small stuff-coffee shops etc) to work out kinks and screw-up in front of the smallest possible audience. Any suggestions is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance all! |
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Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Have a house party with a dozen friends of so.
Perform your set (and record it if possible).
Expect the majority of your friends to be overly kind.
Listen back to the recording you made and judge for yourself. |
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February 2009
Posts: 194
Location: Huntington Beach | Do some practice gigs at your friends houses. Tell them what you are doing and run the scenario like this - your friend invites people you don't know too well over for drinks and appetizers with live music - you guys pretend like its a real gig (show up on time, set up, play one or 2 sets). |
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Location: Flahdaw | Video record yourselves (get a zoom Q3) and do your own critique. Set yourselves up just like you would be playing in a coffee house. If you're anything like me, you'll be far more critical than your audience will be. Post your video here for review, or send it to me. I'll be kind, yet honest. If you're good, there's no reason to be nervous (but you will be anyway. Even some of the greats threw up before every performance) |
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Posts: 1119
Location: Michigan | From my humble experience...make your first song a really easy one. One that you can play without thinking, one that may seem silly easy...just from my meager experience. |
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Posts: 58
Location: Triangle area, NC | All great ideas. I like the idea of throwing a party and playing- minigig. Hadn't even thought of that. Video taping ran across my mind but the audio sounds like shite. Maybe im just not setting up up well. I am all about plying the easy ones first to get the bugs out. Hope I don't throw up. But if I do at least the paint on the elites are like rhino body, makes clean up easy.
Thanks for all the advice so far! I will post once we get a dent recording down. I appreciate you taking time to post. |
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Posts: 400
Location: Northwest Arkansas | Play stuff you know. I mean backwards and forwards. You'll be more at ease. In my case though, I tend to be a little edgy before I play. It keeps me on my toes and I pay attention better. Just remember they (the crowd) doesn't know beans about what's difficult or easy. They just like the tunes. Do your best cover song. When you have their attention. Do your favorite stuff. Originals. Material you really like. I'm getting ready to go solo for the 1st time in 5 years. Been doing band stuff and duos. Play what you love. It'll show in your face. The crowd will dig it. |
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Posts: 7232
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | I don't know about the playing for friends part, I'd rather play in front of strangers than friends any day, but DO use a video cam and record at least your rehearsals..
I also recommend that rehearsals are for rehearsing. Not practice, not learning, but rehearsing. Play your sets from start to finish. If you screw up... oh well... there's no fixing with an audience, there's no fixing it in rehearsal. Just do it better next time. Play the whole sets over and over, assume there is an audience. Just picture them. Put a couple of pillows or chairs out in front of you and call them the audience. That's where you put the video camera.. Then, watch your video.
At the gig it's all about confidence. Remember YOU are the only ones that know your history. As far as the audience is concerned, you are seasoned musicians that have been doing this for years. They won't know any different unless you tell them. Be confident and just enjoy yourself. If you look confident and you screw up... no one is going to care, most won't even notice. So just relax and have fun and enjoy the mistakes and the on-the-spot changes... they are going to happen... just go along for the ride..
For me I am most nervous just before I go on. But as soon as I get on stage, there is absolutely nothing I can do if something goes wrong other than go with it. If it sucks... it sucks.. if it's great.. it's great.. I'd rather it be great... I've done suck... great is more fun.. but don't worry about it either way. Just do your thing.
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Location: Triangle area, NC | I am definitely gonna work the video camera. It so funny, as soon as I or my vocalist start a recorder his volume goes down, I start screwing up and we wind up saying, we need more practice. I like the idea of running a practice like a gig. Flubs and all. I gues at some point. You just play out and do the best ya can. Tweaking sound in practice when you don't know what the sound system will be t at the gig is a little unnerving but I suspect not a huge deal. We're not playing stadiums after all! |
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Location: Flahdaw | The red light of a recorder always screws me up.
Yeah, I'd rather play in front of strangers than friends any day. Most of my friends either don't know I play guitar, or have never heard me, so I would be very self conscious performing for them. |
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Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | twistedlim wrote:
From my humble experience...make your first song a really easy one. One that you can play without thinking, one that may seem silly easy...just from my meager experience.
People like "Heart of Gold" and "Simple Man" (trust me)
Go For It! |
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Posts: 29
Location: Michigan | Be well rehearsed but not over rehearsed, imagine that you are playing successfully before you actually play (see Victor Wooten's The Music Lesson for more on that), relax, without your instrument in hand, for at least a half hour before the gig, and BE CONFIDENT! As Wooten says, in the 12-tone system, you are only one note away from a wrong note - good news, really, because wherever you are, you either go a half step up or a half step down and you're fine - and in the process, no one knows the difference! For more, really, see Wooten's Music Lesson - a great comfort. Mike |
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Location: Triangle area, NC | I had never heard of that approach bout 1/2 step away, takes off lots of pressure. Is that in this forum? |
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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Wooten is a bass player and bass players can more often that not get away with a stray note here or there.....
(I know this for a fact as a bass player for 40+ years)
Try that 1/2 step stuff on 3 of the 4 notes you are holding down on a chord and see where it gets you.
Geetarism....don't over think it, just do it. |
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Posts: 29
Location: Michigan | stephent28 wrote:
Wooten is a bass player and bass players can more often that not get away with a stray note here or there.....
(I know this for a fact as a bass player for 40+ years)
Try that 1/2 step stuff on 3 of the 4 notes you are holding down on a chord and see where it gets you.
Geetarism....don't over think it, just do it.
Yeah, it's easier with bass, I agree, but Wooten is not confining his Lesson to the bass, which is one of his main points. The idea is more of a frame of mind - you have more chance of getting it right than you do wrong, and if someone is going to play out there is some comfort in that. I use this idea all the time and it actually helps me find new solos. Regards, Mike |
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Location: SoCal | I was told, by somebody who's opinion I highly respect, these three rules for the first gig.
1. Don't play something that you haven't practiced a gazillion times.
2. Look the audience in the eye. They don't know you haven't done this before, so don't tell 'em. Don't stare at your shoes.
3. If it ain't fun, don't do it again
And as a minor point, don't drink and gig..... |
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Location: Michigan | moody, p.i. wrote:
I was told, by somebody who's opinion I highly respect, these three rules for the first gig.
1. Don't play something that you haven't practiced a gazillion times.
So true! I was doing a charity gig and was having a pretty good night. I thought I might add a couple of new ones I was working on, but decided it was going so well I just stuck with what I knew and it was my best show. On the other hand, if you play out a lot, Open Mics are a good place to practice new material and see how it goes or what needs to be worked on, but I still agree with the logic of the point that it should be something you can play with your eyes closed (but don't close your eyes, at that separates you from the audience).
One thing I can never seem to do is be relaxed, but if you can be - just be in the moment, so-to-speak, it really helps. Things on stage can go by real fast, but only if you let them. Take your time, don't rush it and playing well-rehearsed material is the best way to go! People will appreciate a well-played song, even if it is easy or simple (some of the best songs are) over a complicated one that is full of flaws.
Now if only I could take my own advice!!
Mike |
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Location: Flahdaw | This is what happens when you play really bad....
http://uberhumor.com/alpha-male |
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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | lambchop wrote:
(but don't close your eyes, at that separates you from the audience).
Rickey Nelson made more than a few million by keeping his eyes closed. |
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Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Don't overly relax. You need a little adrenaline to be at your best. |
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Location: Jet City | My path back to the stage started with doing a few videos and posting them. I was just starting to sing while playing, so I needed to hear back what my voice was sounding like. The next step was a gathering with a bunch of these OFC people. With validation from some people here who's opinion I trusted and valued, I started doing open mics. That's where I met the folks that formed beginnings of what was to become both my current bands.
Eventually, I was back in full swing. |
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Location: Seacoast NH | I disagree with the don't drink and gig comment. I find that a drink or two beforehand calms me right down and allows my nerves not to impact anything. But I'm only talking a couple here not 5 or 6! I think in that case "Don't drink and gig" is perfect advice... |
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Location: SoCal | I wouldn't even think about a drink. Use the nervous energy and a very familiar up tempo tune to start out the show..... |
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Location: Flahdaw | Personally, I wish open mics were at 3 or 4 pm....I'm at my prime then. By 8 or 9 pm I just want to relax and chill....usually in a comfy chair watching some mindless TV. I play HALF as good at 9 pm as I do at 3 pm! |
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Location: Triangle area, NC | ive been learing simple man (shinedown did an unbelieveable acoustic version on youtube). I plan on it!! |
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February 2012
Posts: 58
Location: Triangle area, NC | Is that your instructional link for youtube? Nice stuff. |
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February 2012
Posts: 58
Location: Triangle area, NC | Again, all great advice. I have a few months till we get out there. Practice time together is only once a week at best. There is such a different feel when we play together and amplified. In the meantime i play along with recordings we've done almost perfectly. but in real-time, its a whole different thing! |
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Words of wisdom about first gig (In a while)