Standing in front of a few friends and family and playing the guitar seems incredibly easy compared to standing at the front of a room full of strangers waiting to be entertained. Standing in front of an audience as a performer can be a very scary and intimidating experience.
The good news is that it really doesn’t need to be. It doesn’t matter if you are completely new to performing on stage or you are a seasoned performer, there are a number of things you can do to make the very best of your performance. In this article we will show you some of the tips and techniques to make sure that you perform at the very best of your ability every time you go on stage. These tips have been taken from the experts – those who get up and perform with stability and amazing talent every week.
1) Ignore the self-doubt. Always remember how hard you’ve worked to get here – have faith in your music and your talent – know exactly what you are going to play and share it with others. Every musician at one point or another has heard the little voice in the back of his mind that proclaims that getting out on stage is madness!
2) Know your repertoire. Get a repertoire of around ten or twelve songs that you really enjoy playing, and then memorize them. Choose songs that you know and play well.
3) Mix it up a bit. Of the ten or twelve songs that you have chosen, make sure that they will please the audience. By this I mean make sure there is a good mix of rhythms and tempos – an audience is more likely to want to listen to a variation of music than a number of songs based around the same chord. Also, the songs that you choose should vary in difficulty as well. This doesn’t mean that if it’s your first time on stage you should play Flight of The Wounded Bumblebee at full pace. You know what you are capable of, and try and push yourself a little bit. By challenging yourself you will develop you stage skills quicker and more effectively.
4) Distract yourself. 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. 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!
5) Play easy to start. Seasoned performers often start with a strong upbeat song with a medium tempo – not only does this warm you up nicely, but it also warms the audience up as well. Then, when the more technically difficult songs come later both you and the audience are prepared. Put the songs that you have selected in order so that the easiest to play come first. By doing this, when you get to the more difficult songs your fingers should be nicely warmed up
6) Sleep! As much as possible, ensure you get a proper night’s sleep before any important gig. Sleep is well-known for naturally lowering your anxiety levels. Not only that, it will increase your concentration and help to eliminate mistakes.
7) No Alcohol! Alcohol and caffeine can be gig-busters. Alcohol will slow down your reaction time, as well as your awareness. You might think you are playing exceptionally well despite the fact that the audience got bored a long time ago. 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. Make sure you have all your clothes, equipment and directions ready the night before. This will seriously cut down on any extra anxiety before the gig. The last thing you want to be doing is having an argument about where the venue is an hour before you are due to go on stage.
9) Be equipped. Stock your gig bag with extra strings and plectrums in your gig bag, as well as extra batteries and leads. If you leave nothing to chance, then you diminish the possibility of anything going wrong that can’t be fixed.
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)