WHY IT MAKES YOU MORE USEFUL:
You make the audience more comfortable, your bandmates more relaxed, and the room more inviting when you’re at ease in front of people. Also, you’ll play better.
WHAT TO DO:
This is really about being afraid people won’t like you. Here’s the truth: nearly everyone watching you on a stage wants to have a good time, and they’re not looking at you critically. They WANT you to do well. They’re sitting in their seat hoping it will be good. Remember— they can’t do what you do. Even if you’re not a terribly good musician, they’re not musicians at all.
So remind yourself every time you walk out on a stage—this is a cool, fun, frankly wonderful place to be. Look what you’re doing!
When you make mistakes, keep moving. Those mistakes don’t really matter much, and laughing at yourself onstage makes you human. Yeah, try to do your best, but remind yourself that those people out there are just like you, and they’d never DARE to get up in front.
Look—you bought an instrument, spent a LONG time learning how to play it, accepted an invitation to play, rehearsed, then you walk out onstage—but you don’t want people to look at you? It’s, like, way too late for that.
THOUGHTS:
I learned this from a guy named Dave who played at the Holiday inn. He made a big mistake, had to start over, made a joke, and kept going. I was horrified for him, but I looked around and everyone was laughing. His mistake endeared him to the audience. It made him human.
There’s a local musician named Randy who I really respect. He’s played onstage all his life, and now he does a solo act. Before he even gets up to play he’s said hello and joked with nearly everyone in the room. He’s your best friend. Yeah, he has a gift for this, but even if you don’t, you could get better at it.
Have you ever had the experience of going to a concert, but not being really interested in the act? You go to see them anyway, and once you’ve heard them play, listened to their stories from the stage, you see them as human and you end up buying their CD on the way out. They’re your new best friends! That’s what’s going on here—the audience wants you to be their friend, and they want to like your music.
So embrace being up front in public.
theusefulmusician.com 