Gear for the mind: Playing live

Discussion in 'Guitar Gear Talk Forum' started by guitardoctor, Mar 20, 2010.

  1. guitardoctor

    guitardoctor Will Rx for food

    Hi guys and gurus...

    Things are moving along... And in a couple of weeks I'll play live for the first time. I'm going to be playing the rhythm guitar portion as a part of a rock song.

    So this is the question: How do you keep your focus? It's easy enough playing in your room with silence and no distractions, how do you deal with the tension, the stress, the unacceptability of mistakes while playing live? When I get distracted I sometimes end up playing the wrong chord, or the wrong strumming. How to avoid distraction with people yelling from the audience?

    I've got two weeks or so, is there anything I can do to condition myself or train myself for the mental part of the event? Experienced guys (Guys who have played live) in the forum please help out with your take on mental tricks and tips to be the focussed guitarist.

    Thanks in advance
     
  2. thehundredthone

    thehundredthone Well-Known Member

    Make sure you have the song down. Practice it at a speed faster than the intended tempo.

    Mistakes go down easier live, the crowd wants the experience not the exact note.
     
  3. ambush

    ambush _RASTA_man_

    There have been times when i stopped playing midway though the song because i forgot the parts, but i have always been able to pick it up from somewhere in between. and not to mention equipment failures. Once i forgot to loop the cable around the strap and i ripped it right off in the middle of a song. I had quite a few performances under my belt at that time, so i didn't panic, i just plugged it back in and rejoined on the next verse. Its not a big issues. Most of the time the people wont even notice, especially since its a rock show..and its all a part of performing live.
     
  4. guitardoctor

    guitardoctor Will Rx for food

    That's a good tip... Looping the cable. How exactly do you do that? I mean at what part of the strap do you loop it and how to secure it?

    And thanks for the tips guys... Feel a more relaxed knowing everyone has similar problems...

    Any concentration tips? I mean how to avoid getting distracted. Where do you guys look at when you play? Do you look at the audience at all or ignore it completely?
     
  5. flood

    flood New Member

    basically, you pass the cable from behind the strap so it kind of sits between strap and your body... instead of just hanging from the guitar to the ground.

    i guess you should try and concentrate on the music annd what your band is doing. not all of us are born with the natural extroversion on stage to get the crowd going - don't worry too much about it, just concentrate on what you're doing.

    it might take you some time to get used to it - the audience loves a band that interacts with it and gets things going - it's your first show, so don'T worry if you aren't the long lost son of freddy mercury there. good luck.
     
  6. guitardoctor

    guitardoctor Will Rx for food

    Thanks a lot guys...

    Could someone be a little more explicit about the cord looping thing. Like is this guy doing it the right way? (See attachment) Or is it supposed to be against the body? Could you explain step by step where the cord goes, starting from the guitar?

    Sorry for being so slow... Thanks for your time.
     

    Attached Files:

  7. thehundredthone

    thehundredthone Well-Known Member

    That's one way. Another is to bring it from in front of the strap, loop around and go into the guitar's jack.
     
  8. guitardoctor

    guitardoctor Will Rx for food

    Thanks a lot, guys! See you on the other side of beginner-hood :)
     
  9. rickkkyrich

    rickkkyrich Guest

    wat are you actually gonna perform??? jus curious.. coz i think by now u must have started rehearsing..
     
  10. guitardoctor

    guitardoctor Will Rx for food

    Yeah started rehearsing but I'm not going to drop the song name or anything. I just don't want to jinx it. Call me superstitious but whatever... Anyway, if you're interested, I'll drop some info once I actually take the leap :)
     
  11. rickkkyrich

    rickkkyrich Guest

    doctor and superstitious ??? Doctors are Gods..
     
  12. guitardoctor

    guitardoctor Will Rx for food

    Doctors are allowed to be superstitious, but only about stuff which doesn't harm anyone.

    Show me a doctor who lets superstition come in the way of the best possible care he can give his patient, and I'll show you a bad doctor.
     
  13. flood

    flood New Member

    explain that to the jains at breach candy hospital who won't allow family members to be fed by non-jains and won't let them eat hospital food because the jain cooking happens with the general cooking.

    for all the money that they have, their stupidity is ridiculous.
     
  14. guitardoctor

    guitardoctor Will Rx for food

    Breach Candy huh... Never been there but I daresay there are good doctors and shitheads everywhere, from the highest to the lowest in the world... I've heard a$$hole stories about the best hospitals in the world, be it Harvard or John Hopkins; and good doctors live and die in little clinics doing their bit the way it's supposed to be done - with knowledge, skills and empathy.

    No one ever said life is fair. So an a$$hole might make a lot of money and a good guy may lose out. Well, shit happens. Big deal. If each guy is satisfied with the trade-off, if he can live with himself that way, well and good.

    All one can do is try to be a good doctor himself. You can't really control everyone, right? There's no law which can prevent people from being jerks.

    What's this jain thing?
     
  15. flood

    flood New Member

    jains are basically gujjus who went the ultra way. they follow mahavir and basically abhor all foods that are interesting in a way. moar here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jainism

    they're also loaded, more often than not.

    this is more of a case of bad patient than bad doctor though.

    how did this thread derail so much in only one page?
     
  16. rickkkyrich

    rickkkyrich Guest

    it happened coz our guitardoctor is superstitious and is not ready to disclose wat he's gonna play..
     
  17. satch_attack

    satch_attack New Member

    if its your first gig...you can be sure u il make a mistake... Either you il forget the song, your equipment il go haywire or you wouldn't be heard (cuz of the mix volume).

    The best thing to do is to practice the song well. I mean, like a hundred times. And the other important thing is to remain calm n composed on stage. This is your first gig so, don't jump around like a rock-star. Concentrate on getting the notes down, n the progressions right. Make sure you always maintain timing so practice with a metronome.

    Have fun at the gig.
     
  18. insatanity

    insatanity New Member

    If u get too nervous then just have a peg or 2...
     
  19. ambush

    ambush _RASTA_man_

    Thats never a good idea. A better way would be to down a 20mg Inderal tab.
     
  20. guitardoctor

    guitardoctor Will Rx for food

    Ah the old alcohol trick? Works at parties, won't work at gigs. Alcohol doesn't relax you, it causes loss of inhibitions, AND loss of fine motor control (which is what you need to do with your fingers), AND increased reaction time, so while it's a great party drug, don't trust any fine work to this one.

    As for inderal, taking Beta Blockers can lead to a lot of side effects... Eg. It can kill an asthmatic, don't give such dangerous advice online to beginners who may not know better. Hope you got yours prescribed by a doctor.

    Thanks for the great advice guys...
     

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