How do you improve your stage presence?

[jeffb28451]

Lose weight and leave the flip flops and shorts at home.

 

[hbarcat]

That's a great example. I'd take it one step further and suggest that not only would 98% of folks not have noticed, but a good portion of those that did notice would have forgotten about it by the end of the gig. Instead, in the situation you cite, I wouldn't be surprised if 98% of the folks who attended the show will remember the incident clearly now.

Especially with classic rock, I don't believe the audience has anywhere near the expectations of perfection that we sometimes place on ourselves. I've seen some very happy audiences listening to some pretty loose bands. Part of professionalism and stage presence is being able to understand the gig from the audiences perspective.

Know -and remind yourself if necessary- that the audience WANTS to rock out to a confident band. Embrace that and don't mess with that dynamic (even if it is an illusion) by looking less than confident and competent.

I saw the Pink Floyd perform during the Division Bell tour and during the song "Us and Them" something happened which caused everything to go off the rails for a good 20 seconds. Everyone was playing something different, the lyrics were messed up and it sounded so bad that most of the audience was wincing.

But their professionalism rose above and none of the dozen musicians on stage gave any sign that something was wrong, although it seemed to me that David Gilmour was having a tough time keeping from laughing.

They performed the rest of the song flawlessly and the audience cheered as usual. Like you said, 98% of the audience forgot about it. I only remember because my band covered that song and it stuck out to me when they messed it up.

 

[John6]

Move with the music. Have someone video your performance and then watch it. Do you look like you're having fun? If not, what can you do to convey that to the audience? I have a tendency to put on a serious face when I play and I have to remind myself to SMILE because it looks so much better. That's something I learned from watching videos.

If moving seems difficult, practice at home. Work out a little so that you find you're able to move with more ease when you're onstage. Engage with the audience but don't do it insincerely. Nothing looks worse than mugging into the audience with a fake smile. Remember why they're out there and look at them with gratitude.

^^^^ nothing better then film to show you all your bad tendencies.^^^^^^

 

[Sid Fang]

Regarding players freaking out or apologizing when they make mistakes...

Rule #1: Don't screw up the material.
Rule #2: When you screw up the material ('cos it's when, not if), don't let on. Keep your cool, keep your groove, and get back on track at the next note, beat, or phrase.

I've been known to deliberately repeat a mistake to create the illusion that I meant it, but I consider that a character defect.

 

[Cazman]

^^^^ nothing better then film to show you all your bad tendencies.^^^^^^

This! We video every performance with an inexpensive Zoom camera. Gives us lower quality video but great audio. We do not post vids for public consumption but use for internal review of lighting and stage presence. Very helpful.

 

[BassDad1964]

Wear shorts if you play in a Jimmy Buffett tribute band in hot weather...

Cant see from this pic but I am wearing pants. And I am in a Jimmy Buffett tribute band. BTW, the singers, steel drum player and percussionist are all current members of the Coral Reefer Band. They were kind enough to play this gig with us in Warren, Ohio this past Saturday.

 

[Axtman]

My gig last weekend went well. Don't tell anybody, but I practiced standing up and grooving to the music. I did that at our gig. I actually had two people mention how I was really getting into the music while my bandmates (ahem) stood like statues.

 

[Hypercaffium]

Good. That's what you should keep doing.

 

[Rib 13]

For the hi energy market, i find that as a musician gets older, the more and more flashy lights and light show are needed..........

 

[flr82]

gig and gig more. The more you play live the more comfortable you will feel, then just do what's natural.

 

[Pacman]

How did you improve your bass playing? Practice.
How do you improve your stage presence? Practice.

Someone who once worked with Prince related the story of how he practiced kicking the mic stand over, catching the base with his foot, and popping it back up to performance position (the old James Brown trick) for 6 hours at a time, so that it could look spontaneous. Have you ever spent 6 minutes working on some show aspect?

 

[crguti]

Lose weight...

it's North America.

 

[dr doofie]

I know one of the things I really need to improve on is my stage presence. I tend to stand still and/or look at the musicians. What are some of your tips for improving stage presence for a rock cover band bassist? Thanks!

Find Groove Doctor on here and do everything he says. You can tell from his photo he’s like the epitome of cool bass player.

 

[the yeti]

How did you improve your bass playing? Practice.
How do you improve your stage presence? Practice.

Someone who once worked with Prince related the story of how he practiced kicking the mic stand over, catching the base with his foot, and popping it back up to performance position (the old James Brown trick) for 6 hours at a time, so that it could look spontaneous. Have you ever spent 6 minutes working on some show aspect?

sometimes i practice making kissy faces at myself in the mirror, does that count? (chick's really dig kissy faces... boyfriends not so much)

 

[Bubba Road-Dog]

It is refreshing to me to see that people still cared about stage presence or even a professional look on-stage, I was afraid those days were long gone and nobody (particularly musicians) would ever do anything about it. I am sick of these pros that all arrive at the gig in separate vehicles in their stage clothes (what they wore all day), schlep inefficiently with a "hey what do you want to play next" set list. IMO every band that feels they deserve a big payday better draw a big crowd using their proven methods and look and act like pros worth a big pay day. If your band is not in rare air with the Super Stars then you better show some gratitude and humility and be glad you are there and don't act like any prima donna or an ******* they never last long regardless their role because there are plenty of nice guys who play just as well". Bands should have pre-determined an audience tested set list that works or you, stage clothes that you only wear on-stage. Look your part, be a pro and don't be sloppy and lazy when you are getting paid to be there.

 

[adk teleman]

I generally play wireless, when I have no vocal duties on a song I’ll get out and dance with the crowd, or if there’s a drink special I’ll walk over to the bar and order one, this tends to get the crowd ordering the same. But... I’m tame compared to our guitarist. That cat owns the room, he’s s hell of a showman!

 

[LBS-bass]

How did you improve your bass playing? Practice.
How do you improve your stage presence? Practice.

Someone who once worked with Prince related the story of how he practiced kicking the mic stand over, catching the base with his foot, and popping it back up to performance position (the old James Brown trick) for 6 hours at a time, so that it could look spontaneous. Have you ever spent 6 minutes working on some show aspect?

When I was singing with a fairly high-profile group, I used to workout for three weeks before a show, jumping around, running in place, dancing and spinning, all while singing the hardest parts of the material so that I would be ready to execute anything I wanted to onstage without dropping a syllable or losing breath or pitch. It wasn't 6 hours, but it was at least an hour a day for several weeks. Then I'd spend another fifteen minutes working my abdominal muscles so that I had full support for my diaphragm and everything else in the area that supports vocalization.

Nowadays I work with singers who don't even bother to warm up. Drives me a bit crazy.

 

[richntiff]

My country/pop/rock band had a really fun gig last weekend. I recorded the whole thing with my Zoom video/audio recorder and have watched it twice. Seriously - do that. I see what works, and what doesn’t. It’s a fantastic tool.

 

[lucianoxrp]

Movement is key. I try to step away from the mic when not singing and then rush up to it when I have to sing (duh). Seems obvious, but it's an easy way to force yourself to move around.

Of course, John Entwistle was famous for barely moving at all. But then, you're not John Entwistle and neither am I.

And did any one mention not wearing shorts?

Adding flip flops to the list of not to wear
Don’t force it. If you enjoy the music you are making, just let it happen. Loose your natural bassist shyness and let yourself move naturally. Get a long cable or WL and walk the stage, from back to front and back again, left to right, make eye contact with audience.
Take videos of yourself gigging and observe what you like of your moves and what you don’t like.
Watch gigs of bands you like, to see how they move and get inspirarion.
But do it naturally. Everyone notices when you are forcing things.

 

[lucianoxrp]

I've been known to deliberately repeat a mistake to create the illusion that I meant it, but I consider that a character defect.

We probably all did that sometime
Stick to the plan!