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Posts: 4535
Location: Flahdaw | Today's lesson- you don't HAVE to be a great singer OR a great guitarist to captivate an audience. You just need stage presence. Paul Thorn
Now can SOMEONE give me a lesson on stage presence? |
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Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | I've got a book about it written by Liv Taylor. That's what he teaches at Berklee. I can give it to you at the TUS meeting....
Paul Thorn is awesome btw. |
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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Bobbo's got it. Hang around him and maybe some of it will wear off! |
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Posts: 2241
Location: Simpsonville, SC | I call BS....Bobbo has always been out in right field. |
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Posts: 8307
Location: Tennessee | Wear sunglasses. You become invisible when you have sunglasses on so you can be yourself and you don't have to worry about what people think.
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Posts: 4832
Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | I suppose it helps if your shirt is louder than you....
#1 for sunglasses.
Sometimes I wear someone else's prescription
so I can look smarter without seeing a thing.
Y'get that 'profound & other-wordly' look when
everything's out of focus. |
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June 2011
Posts: 13
Location: SW Florida | when you play guitar, make it look like its really hard to play that part......or make it look really easy like you're showing off.
as for singing...shut your eyes and put a lot of body movement into your singing...the movement distracts the audience and they dont pay as close attention to if you can sing or not. if you shut your eyes, it adds feeling to the song and the people think you're really into it.
if you're reading the words, its best not to shut your eyes.....lol |
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Posts: 4535
Location: Flahdaw | I think sunglasses can work 2 ways....
They do make YOU feel more comfortable, but I think they bother the audience somewhat. It's like talking to someone who's wearing sunglasses and you can't see their eyes....it feels kinda cold. |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | That and wearing hats.
But as usual there are two schools of thought on that... |
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Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | bobbo is the king of sell.
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It's a fine line. I think to much is worse than not enough. Nothing smells more of desperation and "my mommy didn't pay enough attention to me" than overselling a song. Combine "that guy" with any Neil Young song and you got nothin' but trouble.
I'm always wary of doing to much rather than to little. Brian & I have videoed open mics to see how we're doing. There have been times when we think we got it right only to find that we look like a couple zombies.
I've learned that playing for real live people is alot more than just hitting the right notes and right chords. |
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January 2009
Posts: 4535
Location: Flahdaw | I think if you play an original, tell a little story beforehand explaining it. MAKE the audience listen to the song. Paul Thorn is excellent at that. Most successful singer/songwriters do that. With covers, it might get a little strange.
I guess you could say something like..."here's a song from 1979. I remember making out with my 3rd girlfriend to this song in the back of my dad's buick." That'll suck 'em right in, ya think? |
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Location: Tennessee | Don't Touch Me There - The Tubes |
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January 2002
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Location: 6 String Ranch | Oh God! - any church choir |
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Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Originally posted by Slipkid:
I've learned that playing for real live people is alot more than just hitting the right notes and right chords. Back in the 70's when I lived in Boston students from Berklee School of Performing Arts used to come to Hahvid (Harvard) Square to Busk.
This was their Homework.
The money they made was the way that they Kept Score.
And these people would come out as a Band and attract a Crowd.
I just play guitar... These people put on a Show!
(that's the difference between bumming and busking, I guess :p ) |
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December 2001
Posts: 7232
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | We used to put a couple of boxes on stage with wrapping paper and bows. It was our stage presence.
On "chatting up a tune", unless you are good at it... don't do it. I see so many folks go into their "talking" voice when they chat up a tune and it's sounds like the sound guy flipped the mumble switch on. The mic is set for their "singing" voice. In simple terms.. even when you are just talking, you still need to project... you're still performing.
We had TWO self-imposed rules for our performances...
- Thanks only goes to the audience for applause or coming out to the show etc.. No thanking my sister sue who drove us here or joe who helped load the gear... etc... it's not the eff'n grammy's, we're all getting paid.
- Any chat for an original tune was allowed to be ONE sentence and NEVER speak the words EVER "this is an original" or "this is one of our tunes" or anything like that... EVER. Aerosmith doesn't come out and say "this is an original tune we wrote called Sweet Emotion" However, "this is a song about love" or "you might want to get on your feet for this next one" are perfectly acceptable.
I won't comment on the Paul Thorn video, but I think this guy is a good example of stage presence... I can't seem to find any live video, but this is a pretty good example.
http://youtu.be/l1zQAD9nAt8 |
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Location: Colorado | Bobbo: are you assuming those of us around here put in the energy to "think"
Great Pic Bob
Mark |
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Stage Presence
