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Stage Presence Tips/"Going Off"

#21
A good thing to do is to go to shows, whether crowded or sparesly attended, and study why one band might go over well while another might not.

Ultimately it is the music, but performance matters too.

Realize that from the stage it might be disheartening to look out and see a big room with only 15 people in it, but from the crowd they don't see an empty bar - they see a full stage and expect to be rocked no matter what.

Also, practice what you'll play. In the case of performance, that inlcudes your moves. Outright choreography will come out as pure mouldy cheese, as will any contrived moves, but if in practice you let the emotion come out of you musically and physically, and by doing so develop a pool of physical expressions you can draw from, then it's that much easier on stage.
 
#23
I think if you truly feel the music and put emotion into it, it will come out showing in your performance. I've always been a big Hendrix fan. I use to watch him meticuliously, but everything he did on stage was just on the fly. He played how he felt at the moment, and he moved how he felt at the moment. (He got very disheartened when people would come just to see him play with his teeth or set his guitar on fire, they were missing the point)

People can have stage presence by standing perfectly still, or jumping all over the place. It's about letting your personality come through the music and how you are feeling at the time. Just act naturally. (I know that might be difficult. Maybe I'm wierd, I'm more natural/comfortable on stage, than when I'm just walking around)
 
#24
I think bassists sometime get away with the whole not moving around issue, but this really disappoints me. Of all the concerts I've been to (granted, the number is less than 10) I've yet to see a bassist truly get into it more than shuffling his feet a bit and bobbing his head. This, I really just don't get.

In my last band, I convinced the guys to play a lot of Anti-Flag. We didn't totally agree on the political messages of the songs, but they were deadset on playing punk, and i was deadset on not playing the boring, tiring 8th note roots the entire time. The point of this story is that when we'd practice the anti-flag songs, namely Angry, Young, and Poor, the guys would almost lose it laughing because here we are at practice and I'm jumping around, using dramatic playing moves, and just REALLY feeling the music as if I were playing to a packed house in Madison Square Garden. Now, granted, I'm quite a hyper kid, but if I can do this at practice, shouldnt guys at gigs (who all of which used wireless setups, making it all the easier to act a fool) get into it the same?

No, I'm not advocating placing performance over music. I'm not, nor will I ever. If you choose to jump around like fools rather than play your music at a respectable level, then i'm afraid you're missing the point. You don't get into music to not believe that the music is the most important thing. But you've got an audience (in my concert experience) ranging from 100 people to 15,000, in all cases when there was at least one part of the crowd totally into the show, now is not the time to say "I've done my part, they're digging it." It's at that point when you turn it up a notch.

To make a long story short, feel the music at practice and jump around there so nothing totally unexpected happens when you start to jump around at a show, but play the music as if you were just standing there in your most comfortable position. Lastly, go out there and knock 'em dead, both audibly and visually. Make both the music fan and the guy who wandered in never hearing a song of yours in his life both walk out saying "what a ****** bassist!"
 
#25
Originally posted by SMASH
I'm more reknown for cool stage moves than my playing :rolleyes: ...
Click to expand...
This used to be me as well. Back when I was starting out, I jumped around onstage like a speed-addicted fish out of water, projecting more energy than the rest of my band combined. It was a blast, and I got plenty of crowd attention, but I've toned down quite a bit in the past year or two. I realized that my jumping around was seriously hurting my playing, especially the more complicated lines my experience was allowing me to play, so I'm a bit less exciting now. That's probably good though; I saw some old videos, and when I thought I was looking all hardcore, I was basically looking like a big dork, albeit a big dork having a lot of fun :rolleyes: I really envy/respect those who can go crazy while simultaneously playing difficult lines (Flea is the best example I can think of that I've seen, but I've heard Jaco was even crazier).

Getting a new bass probably had something to do with it too; I could care less about accidentally smacking or chipping my Squier PJ, but I'm a little more protective of my Carvin baby :) I still play to the crowd as much as possible, just in a less violent fashion. I can't quite compete with my horn section though; on several occasions, they've left the stage during our last song to march around in the crowd and finish the song from the floor, with most of the audience in line behind them. That reminds me, I really should get a wireless...
 
#26
You guys must be playing in different places than I am. The largest stage we play on is roughly16 feet by 8 feet. and we are a 6 piece band. Barely have room to turn around much less jump off PA's and run around:(
 
#27
Great Thread!!!
I really appreciate a great performance, and would like to know if you guys practice your stage show at practices or just during concerts? I must admit that I am like a constipated giraffe at practice, not moving much at all. At shows however I try my hardest to rock everyones' socks off on stage. I'd like to think that it just comes naturally, but I'm sure big bands spend a lot of time defining their stage image. Has anyone ever witnessed a professional band practice? I have not, but I'm sure seeing just one would really revolutionize how my own band practices.
What do you guys think?
 
#28
I find the amount of moving around at practice is directly proportional to the amount of beer being consumed :D

Besides that, we usually have 'mandatory stage presence' practices in the week or two leading up to a gig. Besides acting like idiots, we make sure the frontman is comfortable, try to work out when to do band introductions and plugs etc.
 
#29
I play in a metal band, and if you dont have a stage presence you are dead in the water. Our stage presence is probably our biggest selling point.
One of our friends told us that when they come to see us, its not just to listen to music, its to see a show. And a show we do put on.
It would be impossibe to describe everything, but we move, jump, bang our heads, interact with the crowd and each other. The key is, we have alot of fun and it shows. We do stupid dorky things, like when we play Disposable Heroes, there is a part in the middle, the triple stop, where we all kick our legs like we were are the Rockettes. It probably looks really stupid, but it makes us laugh everytime.
As for the crowd having to be into it. I disagree. One of the best shows we ever did was when we played in front of crowd that was not into metal. They were very quiet and reserved, not paying much attention. We got so pissed off that we thrashed harder than ever before. It was a blast.
I truly believe that stage presence is almost as important as playing the instrument. Notice I say almost. The instrument is always the main thing, but never underestimate your stage show.
Another friend of ours who plays in a different band, once descibed our show as: take band + stage= instant energy.
We play much better live than we do at practice. Why? Adrenaline and we are having such a good time that we dont let little mistakes bother us.
Vegaas

P.S. We never practice our stage show, it is always spontanous. That being said, you do tend to start doing some of the same things at the same parts of songs. For example, we have a song were there is a riff where I just play the E. I always walk over to my beer grab it, raise it to the crowd and have a drink with them.
The whole kick thing is the only thing we ever did in practice, our guitar player did it once and we all thought that it was hillarious.
 
#30
Originally posted by swingbass
You guys must be playing in different places than I am. The largest stage we play on is roughly16 feet by 8 feet. and we are a 6 piece band. Barely have room to turn around much less jump off PA's and run around:(
Click to expand...

Ditto... I'd love to move around more, but if I did, I'd knock over cymbal stands and take out one of the guitarists!

Hey, maybe that's not such a bad thing... ;)
 
#31
quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by mingustoo
as the band, you are like the hosts of the party. So you set the tone.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is such a simple, and concise way to think of any gig. I never thought of it like this. I can't thank you enough.
 
#33
A`ve it LARGE and GIVE it some....

we are entertainers after all:D

do it real however ..... if it feels phoney it looks phoney

I have the opposite problem to most guys....

i have to tone it down mostly....
I have even been kicked out of bands for out doing the egoist lead singers and guitarists.....F**k `em your a long time dead, palls

to quote spinal taps keyboard player
" have a good time, ALL the time"
;) ;)
 
#34
Tons of great advice here. A couple things:

I've never seriously practiced choreography, however there have been times when I've looked at myself in the mirror while practicing at home and tried different moves just to see what looks OK and what looks dorky. For anyone who has to have presence onstage, I would highly recommend practicing in front of a mirror... as a band, if possible (some rental rehearsal halls are set up this way).

As Smash said, band choreography shouldn't look too planned or hokey (I'm thinking of a late-80's concert by Ratt... pretty embarrassing, even for that era). That said, choreography can work when timing and execution and artistry/kewlness are right. That old thrash-metal move where all the long-haired guitarists headbang in sync might be cliche now (or maybe not), but I thought it was neato back in the day.

My #2 band sometimes plays "You've Got Another Thing Comin'" by Judas Priest if the crowd looks like they'll tolerate a metal song (we're normally classic rock and radio rock). For that tune, the guitarist and I do choreographed moves at the front of the stage during the 2nd verse (the drummer sings lead)... it's an exaggerated parody metal move, very Kiss-like, and most people get a kick out of it.
 
#35
Well, i've learned that if you want to be able to get into it more for shows, or just getting ready for shows, you have to play at your practice the way you would at a show. At a practice, you're probably kinda facing each other and in a circle of some sort (that's what my band's like). Try setting up like your facing a crowd; if you can, rehearse at the place of the show and know your surroundings. And if you're gonna go really nuts, look into a wireless.
 
#36
A thought on stage presence. Don't know how many country pickers we have here, but if you happened to see the CMA awards last Wednesday night when Vince Gill did his new number "The Next Big Thang" the gal background singer with the tamborine was the one that excited me about the number just as much as Vince and the music itself. Her movements, her method of slapping the tamborine etc. She stood in one spot, behind the mic, but she was a performance in itself. I don't think you have to run around acting a fool, jumping off amps, etc...just look like you are into the music and having fun.
 
#37
In the past, I've been both deliberately subdued and delibterately hyperactive on stage, and neither of them really felt comfortable. I'm probably pretty lucky in that I'm in a band with a singer who, shall we say, is not the shyest, but all the same, I find that if you just act comfortable onstage and don't try to force anything, you'll be okay. As long as you look and feel like you belong up there, it should come quite naturally.
 
#40
Smash and a few other similar posts are right on. A guitarist in a previous band of mine was all embarrassed to move around on stage, and I always told him that hey, you're up on stage and everyone is looking at you anyway so go for it!

People go to see a live band to be entertained! That's why they call it performing. My only caveat: it has gotta be natural, even if natural of you is goofy lookin'! Nothing worse than a musican who has a few practiced, choreographed moves that come off looking really steril and predictable.

And yes, give everyone who shows up, even if it is only 5 people, one helluva show, they are your customer, and word of mouth is your best advertising. Besides, it's fun!
 

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