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How many mistakes do you make on average per set, song ?

#61
I expect some mistakes and I don't beat myself up over them, but I do try to analyze how/why they happen so that I can avoid those things in the future. The biggest one for me is losing concentration. If I'm annoyed with someone else on stage who's dragging the tempo or something, I might lose focus and that's when the clams come tumbling out. So I try not to let anything during a performance pull me out of my zone. Not saying I'm always successful but it's something I strive for.

Other than that, it really is a matter of practicing enough that you really know the material well. Mistakes will still likely happen, but you can keep them to a minimum. Just keep playing :)
 
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#62
Mistakes that only you are aware of only count when you're practicing, not at gigs.

I dunno how many mistakes I make. I usually make fewer than the guitar player. I'm more concerned about rushing, which I've noticed occasionally on recordings when I play fingerstyle.
 
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#63
When I was gigging I made most of my mistakes when the guitar player didn't have the capo in the right place.

I'm really impressed by the well reasoned responses in this thread so far. Yes, the perfect song, set or gig is possible. However, it is rare even for the elite professionals I have known. However, what you consider a mistake does change as you get closer to that ability level.
 
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#65
arbiterusa said:
Usually none. I’ll sometimes blow it every now and then. Don’t sweat it if you do; I had a band mate who would get this look of absolute agony on the few occasions he’d blow it, my girlfriend at the time told me “you gotta tell him to stop doing that, it looks really bad”. And it did. Looked way worse than it sounded.
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Yep, I taught myself to smile more broadly whenever I hit a clam. It's automatic now.
 
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#66
Huw Phillips said:
I am practicing a lot and seem to hit a wrong note about 2 or 3 times in a song is this normal or should I strive for perfection
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If I'm over-thinking what I'm playing, then I'm more likely to make a mistake. I usually make mistakes if I'm not paying attention. On a lighter note I know a keyboard player who, I kid you not, flubs every few bars. We call him "Mittens"--lol
 
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#68
The drummer and I have a way of smirking and nodding at each other when either of us screws up. It falls by the wayside and people are none the wiser. I always look forward to rehearsals/gigs where I don’t look at his ugly mug.
A side note: I don’t usually play with a pick but I keep a few in my pocket to throw at the guitarists when they muck it up.:D
 
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#69
One long mistake for me in terms of perfectly executing the original line as recorded; however this “mistake” may be interpreted by the listener as an improvement to the original recording at times…(no so much at other).. I’m mostly impervious to passing gaffs at this point for both myself and others. It’s all about how you manage the inescapable flawed humanity in the art that really matters.
 
#73
That's normal for beginners.
Ive been playing for 25 years or so and I would say in a typical gig I mess up about once or twice still, nothing noticable to the crowd but but to myself.
We're all human and prone to mistakes but after experience sets in it's just second nature and you no longer think you just do it.
 
#74
one or two per song, but nothing anyone would notice but me. not wrong notes or missed notes or out of time, but more like not the exact articulation or one note is plucked a little harder or softer than i meant.

Things that i'm not upset about, humanized performance quirks.

In terms or truly technical errors like a playing a note I didn't mean to or a pushed/pulled on accident that might happen once a night. And again, usually hide it well. you're never more than one fret away from a "right" note and if you turn a flub into a chromatic walk it's all good.
 
#77
Huw Phillips said:
I am practicing a lot and seem to hit a wrong note about 2 or 3 times in a song is this normal or should I strive for perfection
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Stuff I play or have played falls into two broad categories:

1. Stuff that has an exact bassline that needs to be played exactly as written because it is iconic, iconic within the piece, has specific counterpoint, harmony, unison with other instruments. This needs concentration, especially if it is (a) really complex (b) uses fingering I consider unhelpful given my personal techniques or (c) is too simple.

2. Stuff that can tolerate a level of improvisation. If I know the melody for I can somewhat improvise around provided it is in the appropriate stylistic and melodic area. Minor mistakes probably don't matter that much.
 
#79
The longer you play, the....OK, it's not fewer mistakes that characterizes a better player. The thing that changes is what you consider a "mistake". When you start, you play half the song in the wrong key. Many years later, you don't like the attack on a certain note here and there, but...the audience doesn't notice.

Recently, almost all my gigs are on Youtube (church gigs). A few days after, I'll pull the video up, and watch/listen. Most of my "mistakes" (having had a couple days to forget exactly where and how I "screwed up") are not at all apparent - even to me.
 
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