As a kid, I'd done "plays" (total improv) with friends for families and such, no big deal. From 6th-12 grade I played trombone in band. Even when I solo'd (not often, but still), the band was around me and I didn't think much about it. Fast forward a few years, the first time I'm playing guitar and singing in front of about 30-40 friends. I only had an electric, and it wasn't really right for the situation, so a friend offered me his brand new Martin to play. First thing I did in my nervousness was whack it against a solid music stand. He just kept smiling, didn't flinch. Then just as I started, the music stand collapsed. I made a lame joke and managed to get through it. Later I found out nobody realized I'd been terrified; they thought I handled everything fine. And the guitar was miraculously undinged!
A year or so later, I'd been rehearsing with a singer/songwriter friend, thinking we'd eventually get a couple more people and look for gigs. He got us a gig as a duo without discussing it. I was not mentally/emotionally ready! "Don't worry, it's just music at someone's house for a dinner." I'm thinking background music. Maybe not too bad. We get there, and there are 30-40 chairs set up in a huge living room with an actual stage, PA, drums, and backline. Everyone else who was there was in gigging bands. We were up first. My mic didn't work. The mic stand collapsed. When I switched from guitar to bass for a song the bass cable didn't work. Etc. Every minor flub stood out to me like a train wreck. After our set was over I went to put our instruments in the van, and just stayed there. When Alan found me later he was pissed. "Everyone wanted to talk to you! They loved your playing and singing, especially on the song you wrote. They thought you handled the problems like a pro." I realized that I let the audience down far more by my insecure reactions than any defects in my playing. Also, I missed dinner. And really, after those trials by fire, it's pretty much been cake since.
Lesson learned? Just dive in.
A year or so later, I'd been rehearsing with a singer/songwriter friend, thinking we'd eventually get a couple more people and look for gigs. He got us a gig as a duo without discussing it. I was not mentally/emotionally ready! "Don't worry, it's just music at someone's house for a dinner." I'm thinking background music. Maybe not too bad. We get there, and there are 30-40 chairs set up in a huge living room with an actual stage, PA, drums, and backline. Everyone else who was there was in gigging bands. We were up first. My mic didn't work. The mic stand collapsed. When I switched from guitar to bass for a song the bass cable didn't work. Etc. Every minor flub stood out to me like a train wreck. After our set was over I went to put our instruments in the van, and just stayed there. When Alan found me later he was pissed. "Everyone wanted to talk to you! They loved your playing and singing, especially on the song you wrote. They thought you handled the problems like a pro." I realized that I let the audience down far more by my insecure reactions than any defects in my playing. Also, I missed dinner. And really, after those trials by fire, it's pretty much been cake since.
Lesson learned? Just dive in.
Nope. This is/was sort of a mantra I could say to myself equivalent to "you got this."
