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panthersquall - Posted - 02/05/2011: 11:20:48
Okay then, Mr. David, I expect a full report from you on Feb. 16th; the 3rd Wednesday!
I think we are doing another open mic on Monday, the 14th.
rendesvous1840 - Posted - 02/05/2011: 14:36:07
When you fall, you pick yourself up and keep on moving. No amount of embarrassment is going to change history, and it ain't like either of you committed one of the 7 deadly sins. We move on and it gets better.
I practiced a song to perform with a local Hula school for our annual workshop. We have a teacher come in every January for a 3 day workshop. She is very highly regarded in Hawaii as a teacher. Our local dancers worked hard on this song, and I spent a good bit of time learning to sing it, in Hawaiian, which I don't speak. I played guitar on it, that was the easy part. But we rehearsed it for over 2 months, and found a quiet place the afternoon of the show to run through it half a dozen more times. Before dinner, I played a set of Hawaiian music as a solo act. When the big moment came, I got the tune mixed up in my head, and couldn't get it started! Right there, in front of visiting Hula Royalty! I made 3 tries, but just couldn't get the right tune. Then someone from the audience started singing it. Several others joined in, like a chorus of Guardian Angels, and that was all I needed to get the tune back. I was fine after that, and restarted the song alone. It's good that so many in the audience had come from Hawaii for the workshop, the help I needed was in the house! Very embarrassing, but over the rest of that evening, and the next day, a ton of people came up to encourage me and show their support.
This stuff happens, especially when you get nervous. But we survive and get stronger. And the crowd is on your side, waiting to enjoy what you do. They never have bit me. I have played a lot of open mic's, and coffee shop gigs, but always singing in English. Despite what my English teachers always said, I CAN speak English. Stay tuned to see how embarrass myself next time!
Paul
David M - Posted - 02/06/2011: 02:35:01
Blows my 20 or so audience out of the water Paul, sounds like you're a performer through and through with just the odd blip though to me..!
16th it is then Laurie....gulp.....good luck on the 14th...!!!
rendesvous1840 - Posted - 02/06/2011: 08:16:28
I guess there were about 120 or so people there, a pretty good sized audience for my sort of gigs. Most coffee shops only hold a small crowd. In the 3 weeks since the fiasco, I have played the song several times, even once for our cardiac rehab group last Wednesday. No problems with the tune, though my wife had to help me with the words a bit, since I wasn't planning to play it at rehab, and didn't bring my lyrics. Good thing Mrs.Wanda learned the hula for it, since the hands tell the words of the song. Just one of those things that happens, but no one in the audience wants to see us fail, they're on our side. They're friends, practically family. We all love music, or none of us would be there.
Paul
Edited by - rendesvous1840 on 02/06/2011 08:19:34
David M - Posted - 02/07/2011: 01:04:05
I couldn't understand her words really, but she kept going and still got cheered for belting out the tune...
rendesvous1840 - Posted - 02/07/2011: 08:19:00
Sounds like the crowd was on her side, though the media is making a big to do about it. I don't watch football, so I didn't see it.Having made goofs that I shouldn't make. I can understand it happening, though why sometimes leaves me puzzled.
Paul
David M - Posted - 02/13/2011: 01:44:43
Good luck tomorrow Laurie..!!!....
panthersquall - Posted - 02/13/2011: 07:49:34
Thanks David! We had a good practice last night, so I'm good to go!
And are you ready for the 16th?
David M - Posted - 02/14/2011: 01:12:47
I'm still quite undecided what to play Laurie and it's looming quickly...!
I'll play something and think that didn't sound too bad, but what if it's a bit short and they expect 2 or 3... I'd better be ready..! Then my turn may come round again so another 3 or 4 should be ready, they often have 2-3 goes each at getting up unless the rooms pretty packed from 8pm 'til 11...
Glad you've prepared yourself well and grooved a few Laurie, that must make a world of difference when your turn is coming, I'm sure it'll go great for you both.
Good luck tonight..!!!...
panthersquall - Posted - 02/14/2011: 15:26:49
Hey David, my friend will be here to pick me up any minute. I got serious butterflies, as usual! I'll let you know how it goes when I get home. We can talk about what you should play, then, too.
Ciao for now!
rendesvous1840 - Posted - 02/14/2011: 16:52:08
Good luck,panther. Waiting to hear all about it.
Paul
panthersquall - Posted - 02/14/2011: 20:04:39
Thanks, Paul!
It went well. This was a different bar. And my 4th time up on stage. I still made a couple mistakes, and I wish I could stop doing that! Nobody notices, of course, except me and TGP (Trusty Guitar Player). I have played these tunes 10 million times, so I suspect it's just a matter of getting more comfortable up there so I can focus better, and that is just going to take time.
I played one solo; Backstep Cindy. Then we played 4 tunes together, ending with Cripple Creek, only this time we threw some singing in there, and at the end we paused for a quick count of 1-2-3-4, then played it really really fast. I thought it was great! I like it that we've come up with our own little arrangement of that tune now.
There was not a big turn-out. It was outdoors, and it's down in the low 50's tonight. (Freezing for Florida.) They have outdoor heaters, but it's still uncomfortable. I will be very glad when spring gets here.
Being up there on stage is so different from just sitting down and jamming with people. You have to have enough ego to get up there in the first place, but not so much that if you make mistakes or nobody thinks you're "great" afterwards it's no big deal. It really is all about the music, but a part of you also wants people to love the same music you love enough to play it for them. And sometimes they don't. We play old time music and most people around here have never heard of it. Sometimes just the novelty of a clawhammer banjo player is enough to get their attention and sometimes it's not. There is some kind of fine line between playing for your own enjoyment of the music and playing to the audience, but I am nowhere near being able to figure that out at this stage.
Also, there is a shift in consciousness as the adrenaline kicks in, and I am not even close to being used to that yet. TGP says I get better every time we play out, so he thinks I'm getting used to it. All I can say is I've stopped having to visit the ladies room 20 times before it's our turn, and have gotten it down to a mere 10 times...
But once we are up there, TIME does very strange things. It speeds up and slows down all at once. It seems like we play forever, but afterwards it's only like 12 minutes. Very strange!
I always take a big huge giant breath after we finish our first song. I forget to breathe.
So, David, when you go up there a couple nights from now, just know that it will still be strange and different, but not as scary as your first time. Try to remember to breathe. Don't be afraid to make mistakes, everybody does. And I want a full report afterwards!
Having said all that, it's still the most fun I could possibly have on a Monday night!
David M - Posted - 02/15/2011: 01:45:59
Well done that Gal..!!! It took a big effort Laurie and you pulled it off, you should be proud...
Great that you soloed and sang a bit too, I'm sure you'll start settling down more now and enjoy the experience right through.
I'd have thought any South American state would have embraced old time clawhammer music and made it their own, or am I a few thousand miles out..?..
...forgive my ignorance.
Now it's my turn...!!!... I knew I shouldn't have opened my big mouth...
At least it's indoors, but just a single chair out in front on the floor, no mic, with just a pair of spotlights aimed right at it.......I can hope for the low number count to make 20 or so sit in a ring and take turns as we go round, but it's usually 40-50 eagle eyed musicians starring at the chair..! They don't even talk amongst themselves, just listen intently.
I like to sing quietly indoors to a lot of old timey stuff with banjo backup and the odd little break, so a lot of relevant tunes don't really have an interesting enough solo. Singing I should think is right out of the virgin solo act, so I'll have to rely on my old faithfuls to pull me through and hope I don't run out if we go round and round...
Must keep saying it's no big deal right....It's no big deal.....It's no b.....
rendesvous1840 - Posted - 02/15/2011: 07:53:19
I can relate to wanting other people to like the music, I feel like I'm presenting something the radio here won't give them. Not exactly a mission, but more of a gift of diversity. The radio doesn't play Old Time music, you have to go to the 'net and look for it. Most people don't know to look for it, so playing at open mic is our way of letting them know an alternative is waiting to be discovered. The thought that you are giving someone a gift makes you want to see it received well. You have to accept that a lot of times people aren't listening to hard. They are reading, talking to their friends, making phone calls, etc. But once in a while, someone connects, and will come to tell you about it after wards. Those are special moments, and you will cherish those. Good luck, David. Have fun.
Paul
Paul R - Posted - 02/15/2011: 09:08:49
David, don't worry about your spot being too short. Better too short than too long. As the saying goes, "Leave 'em wanting more." A single chair out front with two spotlights, though - sounds more like a public execution!
I often start with some banter with my fellow musicians. We also give them instructions before starting the song - key, chord changes, and so on. There's a fair amount of coordination. We have to signal the breaks, and who takes them, and signal the end of the song.
On Friday I told a joke that completely bombed. It was long, too, and I took heat for that! But I was able to "use" it the rest of the night, making comments like, "Wait, I forgot to tell another story!". (Response: "That's all right, Paul, don't bother!) It doesn't matter. Everyone makes mistakes, and some are really huge. Even the very best players have goofed up. We laugh and move on. The audience doesn't mind.
When the musicians don't know the song, and it has too many changes, they just take a break. Turn around to give someone a solo, and he's not there! Look out and he's at the back of the room, chatting, or getting a coffee. We just deal with it. We have fun and we laugh at the train wrecks. For a jam with microphones and an audience, it's really relaxed.
Being part of the "back up band" helps, too. I'm up there all night, usually without taking a break, and it makes the solo spots less strenuous. It also gives me a closer look at the soloists, their good points and their mistakes, so I can take mental notes.
Paul, your philosophy is right on. There's a saying, "Don't give them what they want; give them what they need." I always admired musicians like Michael Cooney, who plays several instruments and sings songs that we're not familiar with, giving background before he sings them. Nobody knows the songs I perform, so I usually give a brief explanation before I start. Even musicians at the jam have confused clawhammer with bluegrass. That being said, I try to make the music "accessible" - easy enough for the musicians to accompany, and catchy enough for the audience to stay interested.
panthersquall - Posted - 02/15/2011: 17:00:08
David, wishing you the best of luck, my thoughts will be with you! Have fun, have some laughs! You will make the banjo gods smile :-)
I want to hear all about it afterwards!
David M - Posted - 02/16/2011: 01:26:28
Thanks Laurie and the two Pauls for your support and words of wisdom....!
Everyone else there really enjoys themselves and keeps coming back for more, hopefully I will feel like that after a few goes eh..?
The tune title and key are usually mentioned as a lot of the audience like to strum/play along with each act, people like me who only bare finger pick don't pick up their participation though for fear of drowning them out... I might just mention to them to please play along anyway...
I'm just making too much of it, I've seen plenty of mistakes just laughed off, one lady went up with her squeeze box on her own (as her TGP
) was out that week and she just couldn't think of the tune she'd practiced that day to play, so she came back to her seat and left it that week.
Well, in for a penny, in for a pound....
panthersquall - Posted - 02/16/2011: 17:28:34
David, are you back home yet? Did you do it? How did it go?
David M - Posted - 02/17/2011: 02:22:52
Hi Laurie........SUCCESS....!!!!.....
It's my birthday tomorrow and Julia had arranged a surprise carvery dinner out with my Dad last night, so that made me sweat a bit, but it didn't give me time to stew on things indoors.
We got back in good time to make the Oast house session by 8:30pm, I had to own up to Julia what I had planned and she came along to see how it went...which was good because she gave me a lot of encouragement in what I play.
The room was only about half full but a very tight local semi pro Bluegrass band were up that were really impressive, followed by a few of the good regulars, but then what settled me right down, a learner got straight up confidently and was introduced as it being his first time. The crowd gave him a warm reception, he got right through his Bill Bailey, then got the biggest cheer so far...!...Good for him I thought, he really deserved that.
Well, a few turns later, Graham (the club organiser) then said "Dave, you going to give us a few tunes tonight..?" and I felt myself saying OK (...
) but felt oddly fairly calm, it came out of the blue so it was different from seeing my turn gradually coming in the low turnout ring we had before.
I pulled up the hot seat a little closer explaining I was a bare finger picker, then felt confident enough to explain what brought me to the hot seat and the promise that if a friend from Florida went through her first Open Mic experience, then so would I...So here I am..!! So you're famous over here as well now Laurie...
I'd planned yesterday afternoon to play some old faithfuls, being Scotland the Brave and Swanee River so announced the first one and set off at a fair pace. I didn't feel sick like last time but did want my Mummy. It luckily went without a hitch and after the slow strum to finish they kindly gave a warm hand which was very encouraging.
I looked up at Graham and actually asked if I could play another (..!!!...) which he was keen about so I announced Swanee River and tackled that. I could feel the shakes setting into my fretting hand though and mistakes would have been coming thick and fast if I didn't halt it after 2 full rounds. They were very appreciative and Julia said it came over loud enough from our back of the hall seat and sounded good so I couldn't have asked for more..! (Bless her 
)
Because my turn came round fairly late, I didn't have to go up again, but I'm glad I didn't really, it was an encouraging first dip and I left on a high. Julia enjoyed all the music and said she'd like to go again so it will hopefully be the start of better things to come.
Thanks have to go to this thread for getting me up there (thanks Laurie..!) and everyone's kind support, it's by no means a natural thing for me to do but hopefully will get me out of the frontroom picking rut I'd dug over the last 30 years and I'll settle down and enjoy it over time...
Edited by - David M on 02/17/2011 02:38:45
panthersquall - Posted - 02/17/2011: 03:12:10
WONDERFUL!!!
That's fantastic David! I'm so proud of you! (And your mummy would be too! LOL)
I'm glad I was able to be part of your story :-)
Kudos to Julie for being so supportive, too!
It's always nice to start out on a high note, I'm so glad it went well. I was thinking about you!
You've done it! Congratulations David! ~ applauding you!!! ~
I'm off to work now with a smile on my face :-D
David M - Posted - 02/17/2011: 03:25:15
Thanks Laurie, you're very kind, we're both heading out on the road to fame and fortune now..!..
My CD's coming out in April.
I've just got to make up my mind what to play in 2 weeks time now....
Paul R - Posted - 02/17/2011: 06:48:46
Way to go, David and Laurie!
Congrats, David, on your success. And thanks, Laurie, for starting this thread.
David M - Posted - 02/17/2011: 08:49:12
Thanks Paul.
I think Laurie's thread could get a lot of people out to have a go and kick start another dimension to their banjo playing.
I've found you don't have to be a pro/expert to have a go, it seems an amateur open mic night has a very wide spectrum of talent and each act has it's own attractions/personalities. The audience knows the score with nerves and sorting arrangements as they're mostly players too.
I'm hoping to build on my early attempt and (like Laurie said) build on feeling more comfortable up there and enjoy the experience so it all flows more freely like at home... gradually though, quite a few more weeks of favourites to let the hands do their own thing while I concentrate on the experience...!
rendesvous1840 - Posted - 02/21/2011: 18:25:13
Good deal, David. I didn't see this til just now, as I was away since Thursday. Glad it went well.
Paul
David M - Posted - 02/22/2011: 00:17:22
Thanks Paul.... .... I'm still going through what I could have done better or alter slightly, but I was chuffed how smoothly it went after my other experience. I've just got to try and build on my confidence a bit and settle down.
I was lucky that I didn't make too many mistakes, I owe that to the choice of tunes being ones my hands like to play on their own with very little thought now from me...
Did you play again last night Laurie or are your nights every fortnight too..?
panthersquall - Posted - 02/22/2011: 16:30:17
No, didn't play last night. Since we go to open mic's at the local bars, we can pretty much pick and choose when and where we want to go. Right now we don't have anything planned until March 8th.
grumpsie - Posted - 02/23/2011: 00:49:08
This is the best advice I've ever received concerning stage jitters:
Make eye contact, and remember to breathe.
If you make eye contact, you're making some kind of connection. If you're breathing, you're keeping panic at bay.
Doing these things will change how you feel (for the better) to some extent, but it will change the impression the audience has of you a LOT. Make yourself do it. As the audiences you perform for become more relaxed by the natural, human connection you're making, you'll be ready to work up to smiling and enjoying yourself. Jitters will become a distant memory. If the crowd is having fun with you, you can laugh together at any mistakes you made (watch experienced performers when they goof a line or experience picking melt-down, they always seem to get the crowd on their side).
You need to remember the crowd feels even worse than you do if you're acting too uncomfortable, no matter if it's an open mic or a huge show before a paying crowd of thousands. They want to be shown it's OK to have a good time. Take responsibility for your performance, and show them just that.
Also, congrats on performing! It's a crazy load of fun, no?
Edited by - grumpsie on 02/23/2011 00:50:29
David M - Posted - 02/23/2011: 01:36:11
Good advice there, thanks..!
I'll go back again, but they'll expect me to get up each week now I've made a start..! I enjoyed the cowards way out last year and appreciated the performers doing what they enjoy. It's a bit more of a challenge for me at the moment but hopefully I can pull that round.
How about a solo spot Laurie..?
rendesvous1840 - Posted - 02/23/2011: 09:51:27
The crowd is there to have fun. They want to be on your side, so that's really pretty easy. You have to work to make them hostile. As long as you don't act arrogant, or insult them, they want to like you. "It's the same all over, good people everywhere you go."- Canned Heat
Paul
panthersquall - Posted - 02/24/2011: 17:04:18
David, you better be careful! If I take you up on that challenge and play solo somewhere, I'm gonna have to come up with a new challenge for you, too :-)
David M - Posted - 02/25/2011: 03:05:57
...It can't get any worse than first time going solo...surely...!!...
panthersquall - Posted - 02/25/2011: 16:31:37
hehehehe... (laughs innocently, with a mischievous sparkle in her eyes...) Naw. Can't get any worse than that. hehehehe.... You trust me, right ;-)
David M - Posted - 02/26/2011: 02:30:33
.....The only thing I think could be worse is a solo banjo singing spot on a tune you only picked up a day or two ago...
panthersquall - Posted - 02/26/2011: 05:15:15
Well, no need to embarrass ourselves that way! We want to be good at what we do when we get up there, so I wouldn't ask you to sing a tune you've only just learned.
No, I was thinking more along the lines of adding a fashion accessory to enhance one's stage presence...
And I have just the thing for you, David!
If you are game, that is...
rendesvous1840 - Posted - 02/26/2011: 08:32:18
Run, David, my Spider Sense is tingling! "BY the prickling of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes!"- Shakespeare
It's probably the Donald Duck hat Elton John wore in concerts.
Paul
David M - Posted - 02/26/2011: 13:48:07
I hope it's a favourite undergarment, but I've a funny feeling it's gonna be external somehow...
Now the 100 year old top hat my great uncle used to play in or one of his brother's bowlers might seem a bit odd the second time out...!!
I can see where this is headed......
TonyS - Posted - 02/26/2011: 18:10:33
Just play and enjoy- the crowd will follow. Never stop or apologize - do your best stuff and don't worry about the more advanced crowd handling just yet- again - have fun and the crowd will too. My buddy calls us ' background music'. ie. The crowd is doing something else- when you end, they give a little clap, back to the beer. Real pros won't criticize, those staring think you are great and may become groupies... So you see why we all say just play and have fun... Btw - I'm still scared s***less every first song after all these years! ;)
panthersquall - Posted - 02/26/2011: 18:20:18
No undergarments involved, lol!
Definitely external but nothing so horrible as Elton John's Donald Duck hat, or old bowlers.
Might have to enlist Julia's help...
I'll need a few weeks to get it together, so in the meantime, relax! Just "have fun"!!!
David M - Posted - 02/27/2011: 13:26:29
Sounds like wise words Tony..!
Can't believe the second Wednesday is looming already....
Got some more auto tunes lined up that will hopefully go ok and get me a bit more into it.
'Might need Julia's help...' You could be right, last time I had makeup on was when I entered the pram race in our village at the Queen's Silver Jubilee in 1977 - I was the Mum... 8-) Bit out of practice..
TonyS - Posted - 02/27/2011: 13:59:35
Good Luck - I started a Group in our honor! ;)
"Open Mic Night" - I hope will help us all out a bit, from beginner to pro...Have fun!
panthersquall - Posted - 02/27/2011: 16:22:09
Hey Tony, good idea for a group! I just signed up.
LoL David! I would love to see some pictures from that!
Paul R - Posted - 02/28/2011: 20:24:52
quote:
Originally posted by David M
.....The only thing I think could be worse is a solo banjo singing spot on a tune you only picked up a day or two ago...
Been there, done that - picked it up the same day!
Get them on your side
before
you start. The other week I began with a line I stole from Steve Goodman: "This is the worst song ever written. Hope you like it!" Started right away while the ones who "got it" were still laughing. Got any jokes?
David M - Posted - 03/01/2011: 01:28:59
I think they're fairly interested in hearing me Paul as I sat in the crowd propping up the bar sitting on a bar stool playing along to them going through it for over a year. They finally have a chance to get their own back..!!
It's all very light hearted with a warm hand as you're introduced and go up anyway...then it all goes eerily silent as you begin...
I'm hoping the banjo's thorough clean/polish and new strings will be appreciated this week..! I'll dazzle em visually if nothing else..
How did the virgin solo singing act go...on tune, no running out of puff or forgotten words..?
Paul R - Posted - 03/01/2011: 06:35:33
Well, I did my first "virgin solo" in sixth grade! Stood in front of a choir and sang lead.
First solo singing at this jam was last August when I first went. I'm used to singing solo, but this was new - getting up in front of people and being backed up by complete strangers. The shock, I guess, was because it was nothing like what I expected. I thought there'd be a lot of OT musicians and we'd sit in a circle, like a BG jam I'd attended months before. Nope. Microphones. Audience. Their idea of "old time" was country music. I eventually got up and fingerpicked "I'll Fly Away" on guitar and went and sat down. Later I got up and "sat in" with the backup band.
When I sing with the banjo (I bring banjo, guitar, and mandolin), my main concern is sloppy playing. Also, the musicians can't "see" the chords to follow along - they're guitar players. Yes, the atmosphere at our jam is lighthearted, too, and very, very supportive. We have people get up who are just ... well, "inexperienced". We get experience backing up someone whose timing is, um, erratic. And occasionally we have to play the game of "Guess the Key He's Singing In". Everyone still gets a good round of applause.
Our latest tactic is to step up to one of the mics to sing harmony - without warning. The other thing to watch for is when the singer nods at you to take a solo, and you didn't expect it. On my songs I often tell people when they're going to take a solo. Then again, one may sometimes turn around to indicate a solo and the player has gone for a coffee! Sometimes it's completely solo because there are too many chords for them to follow.
We joke around a fair bit. "This one's in the key of A." "Oh, the Canadian key: 'eh'!"!! We've had the occasional brain freeze where someone can't remember the song. Most people bring cheat sheets to avoid that, even ones who are obviously pro level.
I make sure to have throat lozenges with me and pop one just before the jam begins. I sign in to sing second, that way I get it over with - until the next round starts. Because I'm an old folkie, they usually don't know the song I'm singing, so I try to keep it fairly basic.
David M - Posted - 03/02/2011: 01:11:22
Sounds a friendly place Paul..!
Glad it all went well and kicked off your open mic experiences....
David M - Posted - 03/07/2011: 00:25:48
Good luck tonight Laurie...!!...
Edited by - David M on 03/07/2011 00:26:23
panthersquall - Posted - 03/08/2011: 20:26:46
Thanks David! It went well :-) Gonna post a little about it in the group thingy...
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