on stage...

[welfareloser]

i watched a friend play his banjo on stage at an open mic night, and he burned down the trailer park... especially impressive since he's only been playing for three months. part of me wants to get up there next time with my fiddle, part of me just ties in a knot and wants to puke at the mere thought of potentially screwing up... i am very comfortable with public speaking, but playing music is just a whole 'nother level of public nakedness... am i a freak, or does anyone else run and hide at the word "performance?"

[attgig]

I hear ya...
solo performances kill me..
Auditions...AHHHHHH!!!! kill me now!!!!

well, first a little note about myself...when I get nervous, I gag (don't ask me, why cause I don't know). So, I remember my first day(s) of school - in Kindergarden - I'd gag so hard that I actually threw up on my way to school!!!!:puke:
Fast forward to my high school years...
I like to sing, and I try out for my state's regional & all state choirs...well, singing & gagging just do NOT go together! :)
but u know what? I got in :)..
so welfare, I know the feeling, but JUST GO FOR IT!!! you never know till you try :)
and watch 'coyote ugly' for inspiration :)

[hoey222]

no - i get that way sometimes -
i'm usually the most nervous during the first song - then i calm down
i usually try to play something i am VERY comfortable with to get me started.

but you have to let it go - people will remember a great performance rather than single out certain notes.

in all reality - unless you're in a completely different key - most listeners dont notice a few bad notes.

i think it's just fear of rejection - "what if they dont like me" kinda thing


try to play with him in a rehearsal type setting - you may be able to build a little confidence about performing on stage.

anyway, i hope you play, it's nice to share

[Kim]

Go for it Welfare! (says Kim, as her stomach curdles at the thought of actually getting on stage herself);)

[Jenny]

Originally posted by hoey222
but you have to let it go - people will remember a great performance rather than single out certain notes.

in all reality - unless you're in a completely different key - most listeners dont notice a few bad notes.


That's exactly what I've learned. I've been singing and playing the piano since 1st grade (That's about 18 years ago - man, I'm getting old! lol). I was in plays and musicals and did solos and stuff at church and school and community all my life. And you know, until the last few years, I don't remember ever being nervous. lol (Oh, and I danced-ballet, tap, & jazz-for 13 years, too.) But just the last few years, when I go to sing a solo at church, I get so nervous that I almost throw up every time. And EVERY TIME, our choir director reminds me that 98% of the congregation (or audience, in your case) isn't a musician. Those people won't notice the little mistakes you may make, as long as you don't acknowledge them. It helps calm me down every time. :) Good luck and go for it! :)

[welfareloser]

yeah, as a kid i played guitar, and did a bunch of recitals, and that wasn't so bad, because the guitar is fairly forgiving and there were two other guitars playin with me. but the fiddle is sort of assaulting... if you hit a bad note on a banjo, big deal, you're hitting about 5-10 notes per second, so nobody notices. guitar and dobro and mandolin are the same. but a fiddle is just loud and there are no frets to save your but when your hand doesn't hit the strings right and ... *shudder* okay, i'm being a freak. i could pull it off.

there's three of us, a banjo, a guitar, and a fiddle, that are going to get together and jam sometime soon (i'm the one dragging my feet... i can't even take playing in front of my two best friends...) so the practice would probly help me get more comfortable.

hell, i actually managed to pick out a reasonable tune on my buddy's guitar last night (this after 15 years of no guitar playing... i've never even played a full-size guitar before last night! :P ) and it sounded reasonable, so if i can pull that off i guess i could make my way through a coupla songs on an instrument i'm actually good at...

or i could just run and hide.

[Grimm]

I would normaly say, "why bother?", but you seem to have a real fear issue here.

Do it just because you are afraid of it.

[mojo]

i picked up the banjo ONCE at a bonfire and could for some reason play it better than the dude that brought it inside of 5 minutes. not that i'm any good. they're tuned to open G i believe...aren't they? feel free to correct me if i'm wrong....i prolly won't bother to look it up.

anyhow, you know my feelings on this. practice till you feel good about getting up there. it would be easier to accompany someone on stage than to do a solo performance (focus is not fully on you).

incidentally, how can you tell if a banjo player is on a level stage?

....drool comes out of BOTH sides of his mouth! :heh:

[Markel]

Go for it! Maybe this is how Flatt and Scruggs got their start! :D

[welfareloser]

Originally posted by mojorisin
i picked up the banjo ONCE at a bonfire and could for some reason play it better than the dude that brought it inside of 5 minutes. not that i'm any good. they're tuned to open G i believe...aren't they? feel free to correct me if i'm wrong....i prolly won't bother to look it up.

anyhow, you know my feelings on this. practice till you feel good about getting up there. it would be easier to accompany someone on stage than to do a solo performance (focus is not fully on you).


yep, open g... heh... i dint wanna come out and say it to him, but i think the banjo is easy as hell, and extremely forgiving.

actually, i think the part that would make me uncomfortable is my friends hearing it. but i'll get over it after a few jam sessions, i think.

and i'm passing on the drool joke, that's priceless. :hihi:

[El Scorcho]

i didnt know you were so musically talented wfl:)

[Sir_Froggy]

Originally posted by welfareloser
i watched a friend play his banjo on stage at an open mic night, and he burned down the trailer park... "

wut does that mean?

as for me i've gone to too many piano recitals and i just stopped caring :P

that's the trick just care enuff to do well but don't care enuff about wut other people think..yep that's the trick *nods head*

[welfareloser]

Originally posted by Sir_Froggy


wut does that mean?

as for me i've gone to too many piano recitals and i just stopped caring :P

that's the trick just care enuff to do well but don't care enuff about wut other people think..yep that's the trick *nods head*

"burning down the trailer park" means "stirring things up" in a white-trashy sense... so, like when a banjo player gets a crowd hootin and hollerin... or when my kid rips off his clothes and tears around screaming, knocking over furniture, and crayoning everything he can reach... prime examples of burning down the trailer park.