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Joined:
November 2008
Posts: 1119
Location: Michigan | Only one mild "train wreck" (Brad's analogy) when the Tigers had the bases loaded and I got caught watching the game while playing. Maybe by night number 20 the nerves will subside. It was great fun I was fortunate to have the whole coffee house help out in the chorus of "Homeward Bound" Great fun!!! Thanks for the encouragement Slip! |
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Joined:
September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | HA!
I would have had a hard time keeping my eyes of the telly myself!
It's fun when things go right. And just another learning experience when they don't.
Good for you Rich. |
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Joined:
November 2008
Posts: 1119
Location: Michigan | Thanks BRad. Fortunatly I did not have to follow this act:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axy9L7X-vcg
What a voice and a very, very good guitar player. That Tak she had blew me away. I have never heard an acoustic plugged in sound as good. |
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Joined:
January 2003
Posts: 92
Location: San Francisco, CA | It gets easier every time you do it!
6 |
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Joined:
August 2005
Posts: 616
Location: cincinnati, ohio | Yes, it does - but you have to be careful it doesn't get TOO easy, Rich. You still have to focus. Even after 40 years of playing live, I still find my mind (very infrequently) wandering, watching the game, checking out the babes, whatever.
The main thing is, if you DO flub, don't make a big deal out of it. When I first started playing all those years ago, I got some sage advice from singer/songwriter Walter Craft. He said, "If you f*ck up, don't flinch." Most of the time your gaffes won't be that obvious. If they are, make a joke out of it. In my band, I use a capo a lot and Laura plays a keyboard with a transposer (a pianistic equivalent of a capo that lets you play in one key while sounding in another). Very rarely we'll start a song in two different keys! :D When that happens, we just laugh, I affect my best NFL official's voice and announce, "False start - five yard penalty!"
The main thing is to have fun with it, and I'm glad to see you are. Keep it up, Rich! |
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Joined:
December 2006
Posts: 6996
Location: Jet City | Rick, I'm stealing the "False Start" thing.
Rich, keep it up man! We need video |
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Joined:
November 2005
Posts: 4833
Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | I'm stealing it too.
Old adage I heard young, 'It's not how well
you play. It's how well you play your mistakes.'
For the most part, if you keep going and don't point it out
most won't even notice. |
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Joined:
August 2005
Posts: 616
Location: cincinnati, ohio | Steal away, guys. :D They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. I actually came up with that line when I got distracted by a football game; it really got a big laugh, and I've been using it ever since.
fillhixx: great advice. Unless it really IS a train wreck, nobody probably will notice. Even the pros fluff up from time to time. I even saw (gasp!) James Taylor make a mistake (sort of) once. He had just played "Carolina In My Mind" which uses a capo on the 3rd fret. Then he went to play "Sweet Baby James," which doesn't use a capo - but he forgot to take off the capo. When he started singing, he got a funny look on his face and frowned down at the capo, but he just kept going. It was at the top of his range, but he didn't miss a note. I was probably the only person in the crowd that knew what was going on, because I play both those songs, but it just goes to show you that even the best have brain cramps from time to time.
Keep on truckin'! |
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Joined:
November 2008
Posts: 1119
Location: Michigan | Thanks for all the advise and support. Got my 3 song set list (all you can do) ready for the next time! |
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2nd open mic...better than the first
