If you are a performer, standing in front of a large and live audience can be a scary experience. When it’s just a few friends or family, playing the guitar in front of people may seem easy. But when it’s a crowded room full of strangers waiting to be entertained it’s a different story.
Whether you are a seasoned performer or completely new to appearing on stage, there are a number of things you can do to make sure you get the very best out of your performance. In this article we have compiled some of the best tips and techniques from the experts – the people who get up and perform on stage with stability and talent every week!
1) Ignore the self-doubt. Have the courage to share your talent with others. Almost every single musician in the world will hear a little voice somewhere in the back of his mind just before he goes on stage that will say something along the lines of “what are you doing? You can’t do this!” Remember that you have worked hard to practice your guitar, and that you know exactly what you are going to play.
2) Know your repertoire. Once you have a repertoire of songs, it only has to be ten or twelve songs that you play well and enjoy playing, memorize them.
3) Mix it up a bit. When you have the ten or twelve songs that you have chosen, take a look at them and make sure that they are crowd pleasers! Make sure there is s a good mix of rhythms and tempos – a variation in music is much more valid to an audience than a selection of songs based around the same chord. Make sure that the songs you have chosen vary in difficulty as well – if it’s your first time on stage then playing something technically difficult may be a stretch – but you should also push yourself a little at the same time. By challenging yourself your skills will develop quicker.
4) Distract yourself. When you play in front of an audience, there will be distractions. So be ready – when you practice at home, put the TV on, or the radio. By doing this you will be training yourself to play with any distractions a room full of people will throw at you! There is one famous case of an outdoor concert going out live where the band on stage had to put up with the next band warming up directly behind them – these sorts of things will happen when you perform.
5) Play easy to start. When you have your mix of songs that vary in rhythm and tempo, make sure you play them in the order that puts the easiest to play first. Many seasoned performers like to begin with a strong upbeat song with a medium tempo – this will get the audience on your side as well as warming you up for the more technically difficult songs later. This way, when it comes to the more difficult songs, your fingers will be nicely warmed up.
6) Sleep! Make sure you get a good night’s sleep before any important gig, as sleep will naturally lower your anxiety levels as well as increase your concentration and eliminating mistakes.
7) No Alcohol! Alcohol and caffeine can be gig-busters. You might think you are playing exceptionally well despite the fact that the audience got bored a long time ago. Alcohol will slow down your reaction time, as well as your awareness. Similarly, caffeine can heighten your awareness, increasing your nerves and making you more prone to mistakes and the inability to put them right.
8) Be prepared! As much as you can, make sure that all your clothes and equipment are ready the night before the gig, thus cutting down on any extra anxiety on the day. Make sure you have the directions to the gig as well – the last thing you want to be doing is having an argument about where the venue is half hour before you go on stage!
9) Be equipped. If you leave nothing to chance, then you diminish the possibility of anything going wrong that can’t be fixed. Stock your gig bag with extra strings and plectrums in your gig bag, as well as extra batteries and leads
10) Relax and enjoy it. What is the worst thing that could possibly happen?? Playing in front of an audience is a massive part of the creative process – the more you practice it the better at it you will get!
Copyright 2009 Liam Gibson (Stage Guitarist)
