Solo gig report + footage

[EuroAussie]

So the solo gig came and went and it went basically OK. Friendly bar which Ive played many times before as the guitar player in my duo, just a few people early on so not have to worry about large crowds.

 

Was having a listen to it this morning and wrote down some notes and observations.

 

Overall I thought I it was OK, I was quite 'inconsistent' in terms of delivery, that would be my main take out. There were parts of songs which sounded good, then other parts I still had pitch and timing issues.

 

Its a real reminder that when youre up there alone you really are exposed and its not easy to calm yourselef fully down, focus on the delivery and block everything out.

 

Here my notes, would be great to hear your perspective.

- Lack of consistency within the song: some parts sound good, other parts I sing flat, timing off, need to work on the details of each track

- I tend to default to a 'comfort' tone, which is a sort of higher pitch, breathy tone. Gets a bit bland after a while. I think this is a lot a matter of confidence, repetition and being comfortable withe the material. Interestingly when i sing at home to a backing track, without worrying about playing guitar i can sing fully on pitch and with tonal variety.

- Really important to get into a groove, its really quite tricky to get the rhythm and timing just right when playing guitar and singing at same time.

- Need to remember lyrics, impossible to play, sing and read at same time.

- Too much mumbling, need to be clear with the words.

 

Overall good run around the block, but still needs much work. The good thing is I got some positive and constructive feedback from the bar tender who knows his music. I will work now on details of each track and aim to be more conscious about mixing the vocal tone a bit more to make it more interesting.

 

Here are two tunes back to back which I think show this quite well, second and third track of the show. Probably appropriate for the Gibby forum.

 

OH MY SWEET CAROLINA- I was ahming about doing this track as I still dont know it fully well but thought what the heck, nothing to lose. Good example of what i was talking about. So so start - flat pitch and mumbly, hit some wrong chords, until i started hearing myself in the monitors, got better, some nice choruses, but still screwed up a few chords and lyrics. Needs more detailed work. Must remember words for this one fully.

 

EVERYTHING IS FREE- better effort, more comfortable with the tune, know the lyrics by heart. Used the Hi/ Lo Play acoustic harmony blend on the strumming part, and also a little stomp box i have that gives you percussion effects. More happy with this track.

 

Anyway, its a different world out there, its definitely a journey and the only way to get better is to put yourself out there, play, repeat and get the experience. Learn from the mistakes and review peformance.

 

The good thing is that I know this bar well and they are happy to have me back if I want to keep having my practice runs. The crowd here is not really so much for the music, they like to chat with themselves and are not the clapping crowd (its a bit of a Czech cultural thing) , so its also not about pleasing them, but rather pleasing myself first and foremost.

 

Next one is next Friday, will run through the same material but focus on the details.

 

Here's the vid: feel free to feedback. best in 720p (headphones)

cheers,

EA

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Owd5KNF6vaU&feature=youtu.be

[sparquelito]

EA,

 

Some random thoughts, in no particular order sir:

 

* Great job. I thought your songs were delivered beautifully.

 

* I kept listening for spots where your voice was a little flat (as you described) but I never really heard it.

They say we are our own worst critic when listening to playback.

 

* The balance of your voice and the guitar in the PA mix were perfect.

And the natural reverb of the large room worked wonderfully in your favor.

 

* Your diction and word clarity were just fine in my opinion.

You sang (and spoke, in between songs) with a sincere and warm voice, and you came across as both humble and approachable.

 

* The 'talking amongst themselves and not clapping much' is not just a Czech thing.

Many here in northern Alabama are guilty of it too.

 

Overall, I can objectively offer you a B+ grade, which is well above average, in my experience in bars, clubs, and private parties over the years.

If I were a club owner or restauranteur, I would gladly have you back, and display your posters days in advance!

:)

[AnneS]

Nice job, Mark! I agree with what's been said. You have a good sound going, and you come across as able and sincere. Very inviting. While I commend your post-game analysis, which I agree is one sure-fire way to improve performances, may I also encourage you to bask a little as well?

 

People like live music, and many wish they had what it takes to get off the couch and get up in front of the room. You're somebody whose approach to and delivery of songs is honest and appealing, and nothing so minor as a few mumbled words or off-notes (neither of which I noticed, btw) can detract from the gift you bring, every time you get up there.

 

Bravo!

[MorrisrownSal]

This is a great job Mark

 

1:20 chorus sounds great, and I agree that the natural reverb in the room works really well.

 

In between your two songs you got a request for some TVZ Panch and Lefty. Git Er Done!

[duluthdan]

Cheers to this EA. You do have a good personal style - enjoyed this. [thumbup] Your pitch and delivery is pretty good, getting better and better. Sell the song.

[Buc McMaster]

Good work, sir! I hear a pitch issue here and there but not really a distraction from the performance. The remote location of the video recording makes the audio a bit hard to hear well. If the Marshall has a line out you might plug in a small tape recorder to get a more direct audio signal for your after-show evaluations, or place a small mic on the amp with a cassette recorder for a taped, audio only recording.

 

Again, good job! Takes a lot of cajones to stand up solo and bring it!

[flatbaroque]

Yea good job EA.I was a bit worried cause I thought your last offering had regressed a bit from the progress you'd been making.(Wonderwall?)

But this is back on track.Your live sound is always good..ie guitar sound is great.The vocals have a nice tone and I didn't hear too many issues.A bit of wandering around/ losing the melody and hesitancy .Some pitch problems occasionally..but not much.

But a gutsy performance.Nice looking bar, wouldn't mind a pilsener or two there..

[tpbiii]

If I were a club owner or restauranteur, I would gladly have you back, and display your posters days in advance!

 

I agree. I guess I can spout a few platitudes.

 

A very important thing to remember is that the goals of the venue (to make money by selling stuff), the goals of the crowd (very different from venue to venue) and the goals of the musician can be very different. I could not tell too much about the venue from your video, but it seems like what you were doing was a good match to the situation. Always an important goal.

 

I guess the rule I tend to break too often is always keep it simple. Of course, what is simple depends on you -- it is not a global statement. We once traded guitars with a guy named Norman Blake --- a pretty well know flatpicker who can do amazingly complex stuff. Here is the case his guitar came in.

 

 

As to memorizing words, we live in an environment where (1) we must know lots of songs and (2) words on paper are not an option. I have about 400 songs on my active list. What you want is every one to be so ingrained you don't have to think about it. So I spend my life going over lyrics -- sometimes singing with my wife in the car, and sometimes just going over them in my head when I have a bit of down time. It becomes a habit, and if you like lyrics, it is fun too. But then again, as one of our band members says often "if you are not sick of it, you have not done it enough."

 

I would also like to give you a hat's off for going solo. I did solo stuff long ago (60s), but I don't think I have done a solo gig in nearly 40 years. Either duos with wife or in string bands. Recently I decided to record some solo stuff on audio/video to the archive my early music. It is really hard! I had not realized how much some of my holes were being covered by others. Right now I am practicing just to get maybe one good cut solo of stuff I do all the time with others.

 

All the best,

 

-Tom

[MissouriPicker]

EA, I really enjoyed watching your video. I'm not just saying that. I enjoyed it. Like some others, I believe you're far too critical of yourself (of course, we all tend to do that with our guitar playing, etc,.) I liked the vibe of that room. Good acoustics and ambience. Sounded natural. And I thought you were excellent with your interaction with people listening. It's so much easier to like someone when they connect with us on a human level and I think you connected with them....Not a thing in the world wrong with your vocals. You're easy-to-listen-to. You voice has a strong masculine tone to it. Don't try to change that to fit a particular song so that you can sound more like the original artist. Do it "your" way....and it sounds like you have.

 

I'm assuming you recorded into an IPAD or something similar. It came out pretty good, whatever you used. Sometimes recording a speaker sound doesn't quite sound like what is actually coming out of the speakers. I imagine it sounded even more clear to those who were there.

 

All the advice on knowing the material is exactly right. Play it until you sing the words without even thinking about them......Real good job, my friend.

[Mafy31]

I'm impressed EA. Your setup, balance is great, and your singing was really good.

Your voice is louder than other videos of yours i've seen, much improvements there. Besides, you were almost always in tune.

Congrats, i guess people in the bar enjoyed as much as you (and we) did.

[Lars68]

I believe you are being way, way, WAY too critical of your performance. I thought it was superb. Now it is probably well known in these quarters that I'm not the best judge of pitch, but I guess that makes me representative of the non-musician general public, and to me you sounded great. I don't care one bit if there where notes and chords that weren't perfect. It did not matter at all. You had a great feel to those songs and they fitted well together.

 

If I owned some kind of establishment, I would gladly pay you, assuming your fee is reasonable of course, to come and play

 

Lars

[kwalker201]

EA, great job! I thought it sounded great.

[blindboygrunt]

Fair play to you EA

 

Takes a bit of balls . Sounded good to me

Like folk have said , no one in the crowd is judging us as much as we are ourselves , I'm not saying get all cool about it .

But there was not much wrong with that .

 

I'm throwing in a€5 tip 😄

 

 

Edit , because I'm cheapskate !!

[E-minor7]

You've come a long way since the vague and fumbling start and it's uplifting to watch/hear.

 

Yes, there are still pitch issues here and there - I'm pretty sure you know where, but maybe you should sit down with your Double-Shot partner (or Ms EA) and point out the exact spots so you know precisely where to set in. Well perhaps it varies from time to time, but I presume there are some passages that keep challenging you.

 

Anyway - there is a good feel around your output and the mood is 'right'.

It's the kind of act I'd like to groove to, , , in silent conversation with friends or leaned back listening half dreaming.

 

Have fun and keep climbing, , , like the rest of us. .

[pappy]

EA Thank you for posting. I really enjoyed the 2 songs,and to my ear you did a wonderful job. Great acoustics in the room and you did a [thumbup][thumbup] performance.

Keep up the good work.

Pappy

[BluesKing777]

Sounded good, comments the same as the others above!

 

Congratulations - playing/singing solo is daunting and hard to keep a cool smooth exterior while inside the head 50 different things are happening...voice, guitar, crowd, equipment, management? shoes dirty? They love me? They hate me? Etc. Etc.

 

So what next? Honestly, I played to more people when I went to a friend's house to show him my new guitar! Things are jumpin' in downtown Praggs, eh? Playing to nobody is pretty depressing - done it! Perhaps now you have the little show sorted a bit, look for somewhere noisier. One idea would be to find a pop open mic for acoustica, not metal, and go every Monday night say, rain or shine, good night bad night, keep going. Concentrate on the three or four songs you are allowed, meet a lot of likeminded people to pinch ideas from and have some fun as well. Another idea is to do 'supports' for various acts - this can eventuate from playing open mics sometimes. But you can play to different, and sometimes meaner, crowds..but you get seen. Ignore me if you like.

 

 

BluesKing777.

[Fullmental Alpinist]

<The good thing is that I know this bar well and they are happy to have me back if I want to keep having my practice runs.>

 

That says it all bro. Job well done.

[EuroAussie]

Thanks a lot folks for all the comments, encouragement and constructive feedback.

 

I must say i feel a bit overwhelmed. (in a good way)

 

Yes, you are right, I was being a bit over critical on myself. When I listen to it again with fresh ears and more objectivity 24 hours later I can see why it was praised. There is a lot more good than bad and that deserves to be recognised. I think the foundation has been laid and thats where it all starts. I know I can still do the Ryan song even better and know what needs to be improved.

 

Jesus, if Buc and Em7 are finally giving me positive feedback I must be doing something right .... it was worth it.

 

But I must say again how much of a help the in ear monitors are. For me where pitch is an issue they really are sort of 'auto adjusters' I remember Anne mentioned the idea of using monitors and I took up that advice and delved deeper. Glad I did as it has really helped and i encourage any musician that needs to sing live to get a set as they make a massive difference. Not just in terms of pitch control but hearing yourself back instantly allows for exploring the subtle elements of tone also.

 

Its a journey and one Im really enjoying travelling on, long way to go, but this feedback has been very encouraging. Thanks a lot for all your honesty, the good and the bad.

 

Larry, I recorded this on the Zoom Q4, which has a professional mike and is designed for audio recording, video is secondary.

 

Lastly, the venue is a really great spot, its a fantastic room, with high ceiling and great ambience, its a real pleasure to be able to play there - I was standing where the large table on the right is placed in this pic. Ill aim to get back there every 2nd Friday. Hopefuly can convince Mrs EA to join me sooner or later.

 

Here is a pic.

 

Thanks again !

EA (aka Mark)

 

 

[Murph]

 

A very important thing to remember is that the goals of the venue (to make money by selling stuff), the goals of the crowd (very different from venue to venue) and the goals of the musician can be very different.

 

 

This deserved a quote.

 

Great job for a weird large sounding room. I prefer solo gigs to be dry-er but you surely pulled it off.

 

It's a fine line sometimes to decide when to be background noise, and when to take over the room.

[jt]

Great stuff! Thanks for sharing with us.

[EuroAussie]

I thought Id share a couple more for those that are interested from the second set, where things got a bit more lively.

 

Two tracks that seemed to be appreciated by the audience, this time with a pick.

 

First, a bluesy rocker, for something different, trying more of a harder rock voice to see how it works.

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zg5ARxbjj_o

 

 

And a melancholy, vocally rather tricky tune from one of my favourite albums of the 90's from The Verve.

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS2iGwDdAJc

[blindboygrunt]

This deserved a quote.

 

Great job for a weird large sounding room. I prefer solo gigs to be dry-er but you surely pulled it off.

 

It's a fine line sometimes to decide when to be background noise, and when to take over the room.

 

 

What does 'dryer' mean murph ?

 

Or anyone else who knows ..

[Murph]

What does 'dryer' mean murph ?

 

More dry !

 

Less natural reverb, echo.

 

Some like rooms with that sound, I do not. I prefer a room with more cloth, carpet, things to dry it up some. I think phrasing comes out better and it's easier to hear little things, people talking, etc.

 

I think a room full of naked people would be far worse than a room full of clothed people, especially if they are all my age..........................

[EuroAussie]

More dry !

 

Less natural reverb, echo.

 

Some like rooms with that sound, I do not. I prefer a room with more cloth, carpet, things to dry it up some. I think phrasing comes out better and it's easier to hear little things, people talking, etc.

 

I think a room full of naked people would be far worse than a room full of clothed people, especially if they are all my age..........................

 

Yeah, thats how I interpreted it also. Was also thinking about it too. The room no doubt influences the larger than normal dose of reverb, but also in the 'Play Acoustic' unit that I use there is quite a bit of reverb and a bit of delay that I apply in the vocal sound mix, so that probably influenced it.

 

Ideally i would also like to have a more dryer mix and for next friday might try to pull back on the reverb setting. And youre right its a fine line between being enjoyable and annoying by demanding too much attention from the audience.

 

Something to consider.

[Avery]

EA,

 

Listening to the later videos since I kind of am late on the first batch.

 

But really stellar stuff man. I thought you did a really good job, particularly liked "The drugs don't work".