Need Advice on performance

[badboy1984]

I've been playing bass for around 1 and half year. Mainly play in church and form a band with my friend in church. My band leader told me today that our group will be playing in the one of the church big event soon. We not sure what song we will play yet and also we all have no experience playing live except the band leader. So I'm very exciting but also very nervous, because i don't want to mess up during the performance.

Any idea or advice i can prepare myself better etc?

[Gearhead17]

Stage Fright is something that I have slowly gotten out of. Experience and good friends are the best ways to get through it. Here are some tips:

1. Fresh Battery in the bass (if it is Active)
2. Extra instrument cables for ALL connections!
3. Tune your bass before everyone is on stage
4. Be able to play the song in your sleep
5. Warm-up your hands before playing (fret-board exercises for at least 10 mins before hand)
6. If you screw up, keep going and don't make a face. No one can really hear it as long as you keep the beat going. You would be surprised how little casual listeners of music understand about notes and who is playing what.....
7. Don't do anything over the top, just relax and show the audience that you enjoy playing bass guitar

Have fun!

[Phalex]

#7 is a big one. Keep it simple.

[Deacon_Blues]

8. Know your tunes (this should be #1) so you can play them without thinking.
9. Have a confident and positive attitude. If you give an image of that you're not comfortable on the stage, people will notice it. This is closely related to #6 as well.

[tZer]

Here's a calming technique you may want to consider trying.

1) Find a relatively calm area to sit down and close your eyes.
2) Sit up straight and take deep breaths. Breathe in deeply through your nose drawing the good air in all the way to the bottom of your lungs. Breathe out slowly through your mouth - blowing the nervous energy out with the air you exhale.
3) As you breathe in, visualize peaceful, calm things - the ocean's waves rolling in and out - the stars - picture yourself floating weightless over the room you will be performing - be above it all.
4) As you breathe out, visualize any and all "bad things" attaching to the breath as it leaves you. Blow it into an abyss from which it cannot escape.

This will help you take your nervous energy (which is a good thing) and keep it from intermingling with negative energy.

You'll be fine - have a great show!


Oh, by the way... You don't have to wait for a big performance to practice this sort of calming technique. Taking 15 minutes out of any given day to do this will re-energize you almost like having a good night's sleep. The clearer and calmer you are in general will always pay off in being more centered and able to deliver a top notch performance.

[51m0n]

Originally Posted by Deacon_Blues

8. Know your tunes (this should be #1) so you can play them without thinking.

+10000

You are there to play the bass. Whatever else happens, if you really know your part your confidence level will be OK, but if you are in anyway not sure of the song then you are going to probably suffer, this being performance #1.

Whatever happens prep yourself and your gear as well as you can, be on time at the venue, give yourself some time alone to just try and take a breath and relax as much as you can right before you go on. Remember you really are going to enjoy this, honestly, and that it is the first of many such occasions.

Enjoy it!

[badboy1984]

thanks guys. alot of good advice to help me out.

I will be prepare as much i as can.