Performance

TheGroceryman

Silver Member
So just got back from the jazz band concert (should be putting up a youtube video soon enough), and it went pretty well i think, but, like many have said, it wasnt my best.

I had so many sick ideas for this amazingly groovy song, and in practice i TORE it apart! but come performance time i dunno what happened, instead of playing great, i just played solid. it gets really annoying, i dunno why.

Do you guys have similar hardships? do you have any tips on how to get better at this? Was there ever a performance that you had that you absolutely positively thought you did incredibly well and couldn't have really improved on much?
 
Playing solid is not so bad. Its a confidence game, really.

It takes time & experience and a lot of performances, gigs etc to go out there in front of people, and play in your zone and play up to your potential, and have it all work for you, for the band, for the audience..

In the meantime, if you focus on being comfortable up there and holding it all together so that the overall band sounds good, you're in good shape.

.
 
Ya, I can relate. Let me ask you this. Is there a fear about pushing yourself during live performances? Do you find yourself keeping things solid instead of risking new and cool ideas in a live setting out of a little fear of flubbing?
 
yeah, it probably comes down to you being nervous about messing up in front of a crowd. That's not unusual. I think the more you play out in live settings the more relaxed you'll get.
As you build your confidence your playing should reflect that.


Ya, its perfectly normal. I remember getting to a point playing live that I had to improvise some parts just to break up the monotony. We played alot of live gigs so I had to do something to make it interesting for me personally. It didn't always come across as well as I hoped but thats the fun of gigging when you look back.

One positive thing that happening was that I ended up with an arsenal of fills that I knew were killer that I would stick with. It definately broadened my contribution to the songs.

Gotta take the risk. It builds confidence.
 
My advice? Don't look at the crowd. I noticed during the first jazz band concert (at my school) I played the SAME thing happened to me, and I was constantly looking out to the crowd, but since then I've been concentrating more on listening to the wind players and the rest of the rhythm section (don't concentrate on yourself really), and my performing took off! Try not to be self-conscious, but rather think of yourself in the context of the band -- don't listen to your playing and/or the band's playing, listen to your playing within the band.
 
Back
Top