Some thoughts on solo performance...?

[ernstinen]

Mar 8, 2009, 3:16pm, matthoggard wrote:I played in live bands for almost 10 years straight. the one thing I really picked up on,Playing live makes you better. Nothing like a bar full of people to make you be a better player.Being a good player doesnt mean you play every part perfectly. Good players make mistakes and cover them so the audience doesnt even know it happened.Its more than playing well too. To be a successful live performer and to stay busy and keep getting booked, you have to be an entertainer too. Song after song and night after night if your not entertaining, people arent going to remember you. People remembering you is what keeps them filling clubs and buying drinks which keeps club owners and entertainment directors wanting to book you. I have a friend. bless his heart, not a very good singer but he fronted a band that was very popular around here for awhil. What he lacked in vocal skills he more than made up for on stage. He could make a wax figure laugh and he was engaging and got the audience involved and it was always a fun show. (kinda like David Lee Roth)SO its twofold, Be a good player and a good entertainer. You dont have to be perfect. Be human. Thats most people want in a good show. Right on the money, Matt. I've performed live ever since I was 14 years old, and every gig is a learning experience.When I switched from keyboards to lead guitar, THAT'S when the adrenalin kicked in, feeling the vibe from the audience, playing better and better, and learning how to PERFORM. A little showmanship never hurts, even though I never played my Strat behind my back or with my teeth! And you're right, nobody's perfect. The old jazz adage is if you play a wrong note, play it again, and again! Even rock bands like the Allman Brothers do that live if you listen carefully. Dickie Betts sometimes misses a note by one fret, and MILKS it, making it almost sound like Asian music. Be creative, and have fun! If you're not having fun, the audience won't.Ern

[partyofone]

jamie,hey I can relate very much to what you're saying. I want to do the same thing as you. I played in bands through high school and we did shows for students and stuff... nothing is more fun and more nerve wracking for me. I moved out to Nashville to put together a band and we put 5 years into it playing for sometimes nobody but our girlfriends. I wonder if I'll get it together sometimes too... I did a solo guitar gig at a local bar years ago and it was tough. Most people didn't pay any attention but the occasional person that would walk up and say how much feeling I was putting into it impressed them made it worth it.On the musicians topic.. I've struggled with the same issue.. and this was partly the demise of my band. My feeling now is that once I have the killer songs and an artistic vision together then the right band will fall into place. There's so much half-ass stuff going on everywhere and I think the really good musicians hold out looking for that great artist they can get behind and put their career on the line with. Either that or I can pay the best to play with me ha ha.-If i practiced, and just sang over my instrumentals, does it sound impractical to 'really' make the full impact that i might have with a full band...? Yes and no. I did this recently myself... I actually made it a goal to start a project based on more electronic sounds and stylings. There are plenty of hybrid artists out there doing great songs over electronic music. I think this is easier to sell live because it's become more and more accepted due to the large cross pollination of electronic and rock. I think it will be a tougher sell doing straight up pop/rock songs. I'd be more inclined to say just use a guitar or keyboard. BUT... the exception to the rule was The Flaming Lips. They played one of the most unbelievable shows here in Nashville WITHOUT a live drummer. They used backing tracks and incorporated video of him playing. I didn't care AT ALL. I think you just have to get creative with it.-Additionally, if anyone does/or has perform solo... Is it as hard as it seems, being that.. it is all you, and you dont have that 'commaroderie' (or support of a group of friends) or what have you..? Yes... it all falls onto you to engage the audience and sell the song. You have to be that much more interesting... OR have songs so good they sell themselves.I think it may be best to just throw myself out there and go play shows, but there is a part of me that doesnt want to be unprepared.You will be both encouraged and disappointed if you're like me... it's a weird mix of both. I struggle with my voice so it's harder for me too PLUS I'm a perfectionist like you. But as Matt said some people can put on such a great show that they overcome all shortcomings. I say just go for it and just learn from your experiences. I'll be right there with you as soon as I have the songs to back it up!

[ggalen]

Maybe I was a little too strong on the "playing it perfectly" advice. If you have fun, the audience will miss, or forgive, the clunkers.I have done a lot of thinking about the psychology of backing tracks.If you do it right, people hardly care that there is no band up there.What's the right way?1) Resist the urge to do big production numbers just because you can. There is only so much suspension of disbelief an audience is capable of.If you have a 4 piece Memphis horn section and a sweet 3-woman backup vocal...and just a guy with a guitar standing on the big empty stage...it can start to feel a bit karaoke, I think.2) Resist the urge to let the backing track carry it all while you lay back and just strum a little and sing. YOU have to be the focus of their attention. You have to be seen and heard to be playing something exciting most of the time. Let them hear your guitar.I think of the backing tracks as a big luscious curtain behind you. It sets a mood and adds a lot, but you are in the spotlight.You talk to the crowd in a confident, energetic manner, and they will believe in you if they are at all open to listening. And again, it focuses them on you. For me, my backing tracks are a solid drum/bass groove, and a single big pad to make a quiet "flavoring". And on top of that, I am playing fingerstyle Stratocaster, and always taking leads, and usually doing fills and little flourishes while I sing.There is also the issue of where to play. From what I observe, it's bad out there for a solo act. I think the article I quoted above spells that out and makes a GREAT case for house concerts to build a following.Then when you have enough fans to fill a 100-seat venue, you rent one yourself and put on a show.That's my plan, anyway.

[partyofone]

Oh yeah.. .Glen great points on the backing tracks. I too tried to keep my sparse and my the vocal point me acting like a fool on stage And that's an interesting point on playing house parties.. happens a lot here in Murfreesboro for the college scene... not as aware of it in Nashville, but I think it's a great idea.

[mewman]

I made a comfortable living playing solo piano in restaurants at the beginning of my performance career. IMHO, don't spend too much time standing on the high board. Just hold your nose and jump. I played standards and modern jazz and was fortunate enough to have been hired on my first gig by a manager who never told me what to play. If you sing and do originals, don't fall into the trap of being a human juke box. Do what you love and you'll go a lot farther. As soon as you start worrying about what others expect of you, you start down the slippery slope of needing to always work on material that may not really float your boat, if you know what I mean. "It's your thang...do what you wanna do..!!! Just do it and don't waste your time worrying !Mewman

[suzdoyle]

Great comments on this thread. And, Ern, your post cracked me up! And reminds me that the person booking a group doesn't always know what the crowd really wants. During my teen years, my 30s and 40s band was booked to play a trucker's convention, and we were told they definitely wanted our style of oldies music. Needless to say, a few songs into it, it became clear we weren't the right fit for them. A guy in a fancy suit came up and said "I'll give you a hundred bucks if you play some rock 'n' roll." So we broke into a rock 'n' roll set, and it all worked out. Whew! Thank goodness we had the ability to lean into other styles -- and that our Frank Sinatra style singer was good natured about rocking out.These days I'm careful to accept gigs only that I'm pretty sure I'm the right fit for; otherwise I refer to other musicians who would better suit their needs. Even so, I always try to be prepared to go somewhere unexpected -- because after, being in the unknown is what creativity is all about. ,Suz

[ddusty]

Personally, if you are playing original music, I would not go with backing tracks at all. If you want to be "famous" one day your songs and playing should be good enough to carry you through acoustically. There are certain types of music where the backing tracks may be OK, but to me it almost always sounds cheesy. Leave the backing tracks to the lounge acts.If the songs really need more instrumentation form a band. Go play shows, if you don't have a lot of stage experience, go play a lot of open mics. you don't want to bomb at a paying gig and loose it.There is no substitution from live playing, get out there as often as you can.

[ggalen]

ddusty said:"Personally, if you are playing original music, I would not go with backing tracks at all. If you want to be "famous" one day your songs and playing should be good enough to carry you through acoustically.So solo acts are only for acoustic instruments? Solo artists can't do rock and roll? Rhythm sections are off limits?Respectfully, I think that prohibition would effectively take a LOT of musical styles and moods away from the solo musician.Some styles demand electric guitar and just don't cut it strumming on a Martin D28. And a good band of compatible musicians of similar goals and ability is just about impossible to form and keep together once people get older and have more going on in their busy lives. No time to practice. People go different directions. A hassle.

[ernstinen]

Mar 8, 2009, 6:24pm, suzdoyle wrote:Great comments on this thread. And, Ern, your post cracked me up! Thanks, Suz --- that IS a classic gigging story! Even though my wife has heard that story before, when I read it to her (and she was in a bad mood), she laughed and laughed!Flint, MI is the armpit of America. Home of the movie "Roger and Me." The worst place I've EVER played, bar none.We stayed in the most squalid motel I've ever been in. We called it "The Little House On The Prarie." Worst 2 weeks of my musical life, but very educational! The "after parties" were filled with junkies, cherry wine, seriously bad women, and bikers with knives and guns. Whew! Glad we got outta there alive. Ern

[ernstinen]

Mar 8, 2009, 7:58pm, ggalen wrote:And a good band of compatible musicians of similar goals and ability is just about impossible to form and keep together once people get older and have more going on in their busy lives. No time to practice. People go different directions. A hassle.Yea, Glenn, I'm finding that out trying to put together a simple classic rock trio. But I would think, in Minneapolis or here in L.A., you might be able to find at least a few musicians to play with.The bassist I want to work with claims "Cub Scouts" is his reason for putting this off until late spring. He also works with a fantastic "Steely Dan" cover band, which is VERY hard to keep together, yet they keep finding players to fill in. I saw them a few months ago, and they were great! The horn section looked like they came from local colleges, but could really do the charts.My advice for everyone is KEEP LOOKING for musicians in every local music magazine, want ads, postings in music stores, etc. especially if you're in some metropolitan area. There ARE people out there --- ya just gotta dig and find them.For instance, when I found my fave drummer, I went to a Musician's Contact Service, and I was 33 and he was 22, with not much musically in common according to his resume. BUT, we DID have a couple of artists we both liked, and I booked a rehearsal studio to try him out. Bingo! He was perfect for the music I wanted to do. AND, he liked my music, so it was a match made in heaven, given our different influences and our age difference.NOW, he wants to do the rock trio, even though he's a very busy musician, because he knows me and likes my playing and singing.Gotta get the Cub Scout bassist to come on board now --- Ern