Stage Craft Secrets
You have the tunes, you have the gig now comes the difficult task of marrying the 2 together so your show becomes an “Event”. Something that is talked about for days, weeks or years to come and a display that lives long in the memory of those in attendance. How do you achieve such a feat? Stage craft! And here are our top tips:
KNOW THE MUSI C INSIDE OUT
The first essential is to make sure you’re absolutely on top of the
music. This is the physical or technical side of self-confidence. You
have to free yourself from worrying about whether you play the
right notes or sing the right words. This means rehearsing to the point where
you can almost play without thinking about what you’re doing. Here are a
couple of pointers to help you.
PRACTICE AS IF YOU’RE PLAYING LIVE -
To get ultra comfortable with your material rehearse as if you’re gigging.
This means sticking to the set list in terms of which songs and the order you
rehearse them. You can work out song starts (who does what), where there are
potential problem areas (down-tunings, guitar switches etc).
Playing the set-list when you’re practising is the same as a “dress rehearsal”
and will itself help ease any stress on gig-night. When it comes to the gig
you’ll have been through the same songs in the same order in rehearsal
countless times before. This will increase your confidence and technical mastery
just like playing gig after gig.
HANDICAP YOUR REHEARSALS
You can make performing feel much easier on gig night and so increase your
confidence by “handicapping” yourselves at rehearsals. Rehearse without
letting your singer check out his lyric sheets or guitarists stare at fret boards.
This will also help keep your focus where it needs to be when the time comes
to play live: Out towards your audience!
Drummers and guitarists can also handicap themselves with weights on their
wrists. You don’t want to overdo it and risk injury of course, so you can for
example, use a heavy watch and/or wristbands when you rehearse. You then
leave your wrists bare and so lighter and easier to play with whenever you gig.
RELAX ONSTAGE
Onstage you’ll perform and relate to your audiences better
if you’re feeling relaxed. Crowds can often tell when a
performer is uptight or anxious and it can make them
uncomfortable too. Concentrate on your breathing pattern as this is a key to your feelings of either
tension or relaxation. Once you’re aware of your breathing, just deepen it and
slow it down. This will naturally dissolve feelings of tension and replace them
with calmness. You have to keep on top of it as you’re learning and gaining
performance confidence. Repeat it over and over. Eventually, like most habits
you develop, you’ll find it’s become second nature.
However, all of the advice in the world can’t beat experience. So accept every gig offered and learn by experience.
