trouble with playing live

[the_hook]

I tend to play pretty well at home with no distractions, sometimes sitting, then standing, once I get the song sorted out and memorized. I take my time warming up my hands, arms, and body before I even pick up the bass.

But every few weeks I jam with two others (guitar/drums) and even though mentally I feel ready and able to play, my playing style is quite different.

What concerns me, besides the fact that the bass sounds lousy due to my technique live, is my fingers hurt quite a lot, sometimes wrists as well, and eventually my hands will cramp up badly.

It's like my mind is all clear, but my body has all this anxiety I can't control, and my grip and the force I hit the strings with is far too hard to play for several hours without feeling exhausted and my hands ending up in pain. I haven't played bass too long, and even less time live with others.

What techniques do you use to sync up the mind/body/hands to play efficiently and clean live? What thought process do you use while playing songs with others?

When we jam I'm paying attention to the other players, listening for queues, timing, my pace, thinking of the notes/patterns I play for that song, etc.

 

[Mike M.]

Sounds like you just need to learn to relax. No need to put that kind of pressure on yourself. How long have you been playing? Maybe you're just being to hard on yourself and are just tensing up instead of just getting into it and having fun with your friends.

When I first started to play out (many years ago) I use to get quite nervous. But in time you learn to control the situation and not let the situation control you.

Just relax and have fun with it.

 

[dougjwray]

When playing with other musicians, are you attacking the bass too hard in order to hear yourself? If so, you need to work on EQ to make yourself easier to hear. Or maybe you need a more powerful amp.
When you practice, do you work on endurance? Play along with, say, two hours worth of music without stopping.
And here's an essential thing: keep your muscles relaxed when you play. Develop strength, but don't seize up.

 

[MuzikMan]

I used to have to remind myself to relax on stage quite a bit. I would clench up and hurt my hands, sometimes making them lock right up so my fingers couldn't move at all. I realized that part of the problem was that the band would get louder as the night went on so I played harder to keep up. My solution was twofold. I had to get with musicians who are responsible with their volume and I had to develop a better technique. The floating thumb technique has helped me tremendously.

 

[AfroCubanFunkMa]

When playing with other musicians, are you attacking the bass too hard in order to hear yourself?.

This... Place your amp away from your feet and get some distance.. At least 5 feet so you can hear the actual sound wave.. Bass sound waves are about 5-6 feet long.. Also try a tilt back or get your amp off the ground.. +1,000,000 on relaxin' too

 

[heywhatcanido]

I haven't played in a band in years, but I remember having the same problem as you when playing live. What worked best for me was to just hang out in the back, next to the drummer, sometimes I'd even turn away from the audience. I know people put a lot of emphasis on stage presence, but honestly, what's the point of "rocking out" if you don't sound as good as you could? So yeah, maybe try hiding yourself away in the back, I know it worked well for me.

 

[NKBassman]

Not sure how old you are, but for me a couple of beers usually kills any anxiety I might have pretty quick. That's a very fine line though, between the beers being relaxing and when it'll start interfering with your playing.

The only thing I can recommend would be just to play more! Just get out there with the mindset that's it's just for fun, try to relax, and repeat. If all you're doing is hanging out and jamming with your buddies, you should have nothing to worry about. The more you practice and jam with other people, the easier it gets.

 

[pacojas]

relax,.... it will come. these are normal growing pains. listen to the advice given and FOCUS on the little things around you. every room presents different acoustics, but it's also incumbent on the rest of the band to sound good as a whole.

tell/ ask everyone to help to balance out the levels. my last rehearsal it took an hour to get everyone on the same page. then everyone was happy. if you start cramping, please take a break!!!

 

[fearceol]

All good advice so far. I would like to add something that has not been mentioned yet... breathe. Seems obvious, but what I mean is slow, deep breathing, both on stage ( not always easy, but whenever possible ), and before you go on. Sometimes we are concentrating so much on our playing, that we almost "forget" to breathe. Long, slow, deep breathing will help to relax the body. Also, keeping well hydrated helps to prevent cramps.

 

[Scubapig]

Hey - just to let you know you're not the only one. I have exactly the same issues. It's all that tension built up from knowing you're going up in front of people. On one of my first few gigs years ago, I was so nervous I completely forgot how the song went half way through and kind of ground to a halt. Horrible! A lot of that was lack of rehearsing too.

Having not played that many actual gigs in my life, I still have a lot of trouble relaxing. Like the other guys on here say, it's a case of the more you do it, the more confident you become and consequently more relaxed.

And yeah, I've learnt that rehearsing the hell out of your set doesn't hurt either...

All the best.

 

[sykes of christ]

Try drinking while practicing. This might allow you to relax.

 

[the_hook]

All good advice which I will read a few times and use. Drinking's out, I don't drink much and one beer and it's nap time...

I've been playing less that 2 years (if I add it all up). Problem is we play a lot of Rush tunes (and now venturing into more Prog Rock bands soon like Yes, King Crimson, etc.) and my two band mates have around 20 years experience each. If you know Rush songs, especially the longer Prog ones which we like to play, none of them are easy.

Top that all off with me deciding to learn keyboards (midi synthesizers) and pedals recently so we could play more synth heavy songs like Camera Eye and Subdivisions, and my life on stage got 2x more complicated. I totally enjoy it, but it's a lot to remember and pull off.

On stage I put the amp/cabs about 8 feet behind me, next to the drummer. I will say that there are times when the 3 of us are jamming that I can't really make out everything that's going on.

After reading one post here, I think I may have started playing harder to hear myself better (and to sound more aggresive). I've tried turning up the volume and playing lighter, but it doesn't sound that great to me either.

 

[Rebecca]

<blockquote>once I get the song sorted out and memorized</blockquote>

I used to have horrible stage fright in other contexts, but when I picked up bass last year, I found that it largely went away. In trying to figure out why, I realized it was mostly because, unlike with art music, I wasn't trying to play note-perfect something that someone else wrote (or even something I wrote). With bass, playing rock and blues and stuff, I only *had* to keep the groove and changes, but could otherwise play whatever seemed to fit at the time. In other words, there was very little to memorize, leaving me free to just relax into it.

So, depending on what you mean by getting the song memorized, you might be able to let go of some of that. If you just mean memorizing the chord progression and maybe a few other signature things, then never mind, you're where I'm at anyway. But if you were trying to memorize particular arrangements, I'd suggest trying to let go of that. For one thing, you could do physically simpler things, if you feel your hands cramping. And, if you're like me, you won't be as tense in the first place if you're not concerned with getting each note the same as some preconceived sequence. When you're only having to remember the chord sequence, it gives you brain space to really hear what everyone is doing, fit in with them better and enjoy the jam.

 

[Pacman]

This... Place your amp away from your feet and get some distance.. At least 5 feet so you can hear the actual sound wave.. Bass sound waves are about 5-6 feet long.. Also try a tilt back or get your amp off the ground.. +1,000,000 on relaxin' too

Some good advice here, and some mis-information. You do not need to be 5-6 feet away to "hear the actual sound wave." (how would headphones work, if that were the case?) However, elevating (or angling) the amp can do wonders for you.

 

[NKBassman]

Seems there's two main thoughts going on here... stage fright or anxiety issues, and physical cramping.

To the OP, which would you say is the bigger problem?

In either case, I'm still sticking to my beer solution. haha

For anxiety, I'm afraid the only really way to get past it is to play as much as possible, as I said earlier. Go to jam nights and sit in with the house band for a few songs. Nothing will train you to be more comfortable on stage faster than playing songs you hardly know with guys you've never met. I've crashed and burned, and I've ripped it up, depends on the night, the song, and the guys you're with. Either way you just have to walk off stage smiling and try again next week.

For physical cramping, try turning your amp up and playing with a softer touch. Practicing more will help to a point, but practicing too much can hinder as well. I've really been pushing myself with practices for 2-3 different bands over the last year, and I've been having a lot of problems with stiffness and swelling in my right forearm near my elbow. Be sure to stretch before and after a gig or practice, and if you find yourself stiff or sore afterwards put some ice on it before you go to bed.

 

[NKBassman]

When we jam I'm paying attention to the other players, listening for queues, timing, my pace, thinking of the notes/patterns I play for that song, etc.

I just noticed this comment as well. The more you practice the songs and play together as a group in general, the less you should have to actively pay attention to what's going on around you (hopefully). Jamming more often with your band will help you guys all lock in with each other, idealy to a point where the songs become second nature and almost seem to play themselves. When I've reached that point with a particular song, I float away as soon as the song starts and my hands move of their own accord. It's a wonderful experience.

 

[Marginal Tom]

Drink plenty of water before you play, and while you play, to help with the cramping.

Put your amp on a stand or a chair so you can hear it better, and turn it up until you can hear it well without attacking the strings.

Remind yourself that you're jamming with friends, not playing Carnegie Hall. Also, realize that you'll make mistakes and practice learning to deal with them - try playing roots until you're back on track.

If you still experience hand pain, have a qualified teacher look at your technique. If that doesn't fix the problem, see a doctor.

 

[David A. Egeler]

Drink, but only water, that way you sound good to yourself & your hands & wrist will not swell up. Also keep your bass at the same playing level & angle, regardless if you're sitting down or standing ! Changing that angle will put additional stress on your wrist. Watch the kick drum, tap your toes or grab the time with your knee, you are important to the foundation of the song.

 

[Peppacone]

Just gotta play live more often, experience is key.

 

[Stilettoprefer]

Just chill. The first couple weeks of playing in school every day in front of my peers in band, I would get super nervous and get everything that you're going through. I actually developed tendinitis in my fretting hand... But after a while I realized that they don't really care if I screw up every once in a while and started wearing a wrist brace for the tendinitis problem. Now I can play in front of the entire school (3,000+ people) and not get nervous.

You'll eventually be bomb proof like everyone that's been performing live for years. Just gotta chill out and not freak out over the little mess ups. Eventually you'll become addicted to the rush you get from playing live I desperately wish I was gigging more than once a week because of this.