Your first performance
Discussion
Tonight I am playing an open mic night, this will be the first time I have ever played in front of strangers. I'm both excited and terrified.
So tell me about the first time you played in public to set my mind at rest or make me think 'well at least it can't be that bad'.
In fact tell me anything, to take my mind off of things!
So tell me about the first time you played in public to set my mind at rest or make me think 'well at least it can't be that bad'.
In fact tell me anything, to take my mind off of things!
Z06George said:
Enjoy it! I was 7 or 8 in front of a 200-300 people and I spent so much energy on making sure I nailed the music that I forgot about the audience. Whilst that sounds like a good thing it meant that I didn't really enjoy it to be honest so just relax and have fun!
Thanks, I'll try and remember that. I've got 35 or so years experience of making a fool of myself in excess of your 7 ot 8, so hopefully I can make good use of that.
One phenomenon I've found to be true about playing live is you find an extra little 5% in your playing in terms of accuracy & feel which I imagine is tied into the psychology of not wanting to f
k it up in public. You'll also probably go off at breakneck speed & if you can watch out for that, you'll be doing yourself a favour. Also, nerves are normal - the cure is being sufficiently well rehearsed.
k it up in public. You'll also probably go off at breakneck speed & if you can watch out for that, you'll be doing yourself a favour. Also, nerves are normal - the cure is being sufficiently well rehearsed.
I've been performing since I was about 6 years old and I still get butterflies, even though it's my job nowadays. I think the trick is to use them as part of it and remember simple, silly things like the world isn't going to end if you make a mistake!
A friend of mine often says he looks forward to making his first mistake whenever he performs, because that gets it out of the way and the pressure not to make a mistake isn't there anymore. I think he's got something, there.
A friend of mine often says he looks forward to making his first mistake whenever he performs, because that gets it out of the way and the pressure not to make a mistake isn't there anymore. I think he's got something, there.
I was 17 & it was August 1990. I wasn't old enough to be in the pub but what the hell I had a Strat, a flowery shirt on & an amp that was covered in carpet (some 50w Fender tranny thing), more importantly I had good hair. What I did lack was any skill at this point (open chords all the way, I hadn't mastered bar chords). We had a drummer who had started playing six weeks previous & a singer who'd never sang. What is was, was ....reasonably ok. I had a REM/Blue Aeroplanes thing going on & jingle jangled/arpeggio'd a fairly tuneful racket, drummer stuck to the basics & singer (played bass too)got away with it.
I can remember it all very vividly & quite fondly tbh. We even stuck together through most of the 90's & had a bit of success. I'd quite happily rewind to August 1990 on stage at The Toby Jug in Doncaster & do it all again. Relax, have a drink, enjoy it. It'll pass in a blur then you'll want to do it again....good luck with it !
I can remember it all very vividly & quite fondly tbh. We even stuck together through most of the 90's & had a bit of success. I'd quite happily rewind to August 1990 on stage at The Toby Jug in Doncaster & do it all again. Relax, have a drink, enjoy it. It'll pass in a blur then you'll want to do it again....good luck with it !
OK, so I can now add my own account of my first performance.
I was feeling pretty nervous, the act before us (me and my guitar instructor who played rythm) came on and introduced himself as someone who won the voice in Germany. This did not help my nerves, he was really good but unsurprisingly poppy. Watching him I couldn't even remember how to hold a guitar.
When he finished I tuned my guitar and the nerves went away, the guitar felt right in my hands and I remembered what I was supposed to be doing.
We played 3 songs, Knocking on heavens door was a bit ropey, wipeout went fab and the crowd really liked that, finished with breaking the law and that was the best I've ever played it I think.
People were really positive and encouraging and it felt awesome.
I'm still buzzing. Time to master some more songs now!
I was feeling pretty nervous, the act before us (me and my guitar instructor who played rythm) came on and introduced himself as someone who won the voice in Germany. This did not help my nerves, he was really good but unsurprisingly poppy. Watching him I couldn't even remember how to hold a guitar.
When he finished I tuned my guitar and the nerves went away, the guitar felt right in my hands and I remembered what I was supposed to be doing.
We played 3 songs, Knocking on heavens door was a bit ropey, wipeout went fab and the crowd really liked that, finished with breaking the law and that was the best I've ever played it I think.
People were really positive and encouraging and it felt awesome.
I'm still buzzing. Time to master some more songs now!
ehonda said:
Tonight I am playing an open mic night, this will be the first time I have ever played in front of strangers. I'm both excited and terrified.
So tell me about the first time you played in public to set my mind at rest or make me think 'well at least it can't be that bad'.
In fact tell me anything, to take my mind off of things!
Awesome mate. Good work.So tell me about the first time you played in public to set my mind at rest or make me think 'well at least it can't be that bad'.
In fact tell me anything, to take my mind off of things!
I played a lot in my younger days on piano and Clarinet, you know, school performances and what not, but the more interesting "first time" was the first gig I did on drums:
I was at a party for over 40s. I was 15 and helping my dad out at the time who was in the band who were playing.
They called me up mid song to drum with them. I was rather drunk, had no idea what I was doing, had never heard the track before, and still.... it worked itself out and much fun was had.
You'll be fine man.
Edited by Jazzy Jefferson on Friday 8th August 11:20
It was in July 2000, I was 24 and it was my first semi serious band, we were called Blight and most people told us we sounded like a mixture of Megadeth and The Almighty. Up until 2 months before the gig, I was the lead vocalist in the band, then our rhythm guitarist quit and because I owned a guitar (but at the time was pretty much a bedroom guitarist at best if truth be known), I was thrust into that role as well as doing vocals....that was the part that made me nervous, fortunately as someone else has said you seem to somehow gain accuracy when you play live. The gig was to about 30 people in the back room of a pub, fortunately the bill was a good one so most of the crowd were well up for it, and we even had a small mosh pit going at one stage, I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Gassing Station | Music | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff