Buc McMaster Posted March 3, 2010 Share Posted March 3, 2010 After a 4-year hiatus from playing out, I have been coaxed into returning to the stage for an Invitation Only Singer/Songwriter Night hosted by a good friend. I am flattered by the invite but must admit some trepidation at the prospect of standing behind a microphone after such a long layoff. Heck, I haven't even played my guitar more than 5 minutes in the last year.....just kind of lost interest, ya know. Been through that before but now I find myself quite excited with this opportunity. I can do one song or ten.......five minutes or an hour......."Whatever you want to do! Just do it!" says he. It's a showcase thing for original material only, which I have plenty of, but the stage was never my comfort zone even when I was gigging regularly with the band. Never have felt at home with all eyes in the house on me and I'm sure many of you know the feeling. I do have high confidence in my abilities as a writer......the friend hosting the show wants two and maybe three of my songs for his next recording project, and Sheryl Crow is still kicking around one of my tunes......but I have never considered myself more than an average guitar player. Guitar playing to me is simply a vehicle for delivering the lyric/melody and is best left to the pros. But I intend to forge ahead, do some practising and be ready for the show as best I can. I realize that this subject has been wrought over more than once........it just feels better to share the tension. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
albertjohn Posted March 3, 2010 Share Posted March 3, 2010 Buc, if you are remotely like me this is just what you need. I get stale quickly. Unlike you, I don't play anything original, but like the challenge of learning something. When I get like this, my cure is a visit to my teacher, Dr Robert, who will come up with something unexpected. I relish the challenge of learning it etc.. Committing to playing live is the best incentive. I have 2 gigs in a pub coming up over the next 6 weeks. My mate and I will learn a few new songs and have a great time. But I have learned that even if I'm churning out the old covers I've played 100 times, I will still need to practice. Regular cock-ups! In the meantime, my dear daughter has volunteered me to play bass in her primary school's production. It's The Jungle Book and there are 21 pieces to learn. Some of them have got quite complex bass lines (eg I'm the King Of The Swingers etc) for someone who hasn't played bass more than twice in 20 years and whose talent is more Mogli than Belew) Oh and it's on 24 March. So I share the tension my friend. Outside the comfort zone? I really doubt it is for both of us. It sounds like you've got loads of experience behind you. Just keep on rocking 'til you get there. It'll be great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jefleppard Posted March 3, 2010 Share Posted March 3, 2010 no secret to getting used to stage work other than just doing it lots. i had a gig a couple weeks ago and found myself watching hockey on a tv over the bar while i was playing and singing. what i'd like to know is how you've established yourself a writer. sheryl crow? sweet. how do you get in those camps? i'd like to hear your work as well. good luck at the gig. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewilyfool Posted March 3, 2010 Share Posted March 3, 2010 Buc.....I hear you......I'm glad you put it down and got it out. Might try a few dry runs in front of your family or friends before the big night. Sometimes I just go to a local outdoor coffee house and play to myself, knowing that others are listening just to get the practice of playing in front of others. You can do what most people on this forum do to release tension......and buy another guitar......good luck!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkharmony Posted March 3, 2010 Share Posted March 3, 2010 My advice to you is to start drinking heavily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted March 3, 2010 Share Posted March 3, 2010 Back in the saddle again. No worries - your friend with be there with you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buc McMaster Posted March 3, 2010 Author Share Posted March 3, 2010 what i'd like to know is how you've established yourself a writer. sheryl crow? sweet. how do you get in those camps? I wouldn't say I am established as a writer...... A customer out-of-state that I do business with in my day job turned out to be a session guitarist who has worked with Crow in the past. After a couple of years of talking "shop" it came up that I was in a band and wrote' date=' he was a session player/minor league producer.......who'd a thunk it! Anyway, I sent him a copy of a CD we had done, he was impressed and passed it to his friend, Sheryl Crow. So yes, she has the tunes and has expressed interest in recording the title song, but it hasn't happened yet and I'm not holding my breath either! But hey, it could happen. So getting in that camp was not by design on my part......it just happened. [b']BK:[/b] As for drinking heavily........been there, done that and put it down about 30 years ago because I felt like it got in my way. My personal mantra is Pay attention at all times! which is difficult to do when drinking heavily. albertjohn: Yes, a commitment to going live can be a source of fortitude! Who knows - I might get such a kick from this show that I start playing my guitar with regularity again! Thanks for the words of support! This is much like a family here, it seems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McDuff Posted March 3, 2010 Share Posted March 3, 2010 I feel you on using the guitar as a means to convey lyrics etc. I also sit in the early stages of performing for people so that is relate able. All that i have been able to find really is to muscle through it, asking around i have gotten a lot of "don't think about it." and "You just get up and do it." You have some big folks impressed and from what I've seen you seem experienced, so just be confident you will tear it up I suppose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larryp58 Posted March 4, 2010 Share Posted March 4, 2010 Hey Buc! You'll knock 'em out! Just get up there and do it! Have a drink or two and "walk the dog"! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jefleppard Posted March 4, 2010 Share Posted March 4, 2010 BK: As for drinking heavily........been there' date=' done that and put it down about 30 years ago because I felt like it got in my way. My personal mantra is [i']Pay attention at all times![/i] which is difficult to do when drinking heavily. exactly how i feel though its only been 2.5 years. what i've realized is that moving between drunk and hangover is like going from being one kind of a-hole to another. stranger still, sometimes, i miss being a train wreck once in a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larryp58 Posted March 4, 2010 Share Posted March 4, 2010 exactly how i feel though its only been 2.5 years. what i've realized is that moving between drunk and hangover is like going from being one kind of a-hole to another. stranger still' date=' sometimes, i miss being a train wreck once in a while.[/quote'] I'm not a big drinker, either. But a couple shots of Gentleman Jack before a gig does relax me and eases the tension a bit. Not intoxicated in the least. :- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nodehopper Posted March 5, 2010 Share Posted March 5, 2010 Buc...I am guessing you have an advantage in this because I would assume you wrote these songs about something in your life that had meaning for you. Since it is a showcase of Song Writing and not a Guitar or Performance showcase......remember why you wrote the song...feel the feelings that you wanted to express when you wrote it and just communicate that. Keep the mechanics simple as possible, don't add the fancy licks.,,,etc. A simple, pure, straight forward expression of the song will definitely win that particular audience over. The songs ARE good....you KNOW that! You will knock'em out !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyK Posted March 5, 2010 Share Posted March 5, 2010 Not many song writers record their own stuff. By the same token, not many performers write all their stuff.Don't look at it as a performance. Look at it as a marketing tool for your writing. Just put it out there to the best of your ability, good, bad or ugly. Maybe someone will take a couple of your "sows ears" and polish them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
62burst Posted March 6, 2010 Share Posted March 6, 2010 Good answer, Node. The Soul Surfer answer, if there ever was one. Along the same lines, I have someone in my circle who occasionally gets nervous before a gig. I suggest that he keep in mind that he wants to do this, & instead of wasting energy worrying about the audience, just enjoy listening to the sound, & try to please his ears first. The audience will pick up on that energy. Enjoy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buc McMaster Posted March 6, 2010 Author Share Posted March 6, 2010 I would assume you wrote these songs about something in your life that had meaning for you. In some cases' date=' yes, that is true. But I think some of my best comes out of the wild blue yonder, a statement on a subject that is totally foreign to me. I ask myself questions to understand the motivation or situation of the point of view/idea expressed in the lyric. An example is a song I wrote about a killing on a stretch of deserted highway. From that premise, I worked forward.....who was killed? how was it discovered? who did the killing? Certainly I have not witnessed any such event but I can paint a lyrical picture of the scene. [i']Late at night on a two lane road out of nowheresville, The headlights cuttin' the dark like a knife as we topped the hill There in the dirt with a hole in his shirt lay our best friend Bill Slammin' the brakes made the tires scream and we saw him run A shadowy man movin' fast over land escapin' what he'd done. Tommy Lee reached under the seat and wrapped his hand around a gun...[/i] From The Ballad of Tommy Lee MBB 1994 How do those of you who write move from concept to completion? What is songwriting for you? Art? Science? Literature? Prose, or poetry? Fact or fiction? I'm the curious sort...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jefleppard Posted March 6, 2010 Share Posted March 6, 2010 How do those of you who write move from concept to completion? What is songwriting for you? Art? Science? Literature? Prose' date=' or poetry? Fact or fiction? I'm the curious sort...... [/quote'] a thread within a thread! i had to think about this. its one of those things that's so complicated. these days i write lyrics and music separately. i find that any lyric can be contoured or customized to fit into any musical structure. once its written without music in mind, a dropped word here, a syllable alteration etc can be made without losing its meaning or integrity. it reminds me of playing with lego as a kid. actually, i played with it up til a couple years ago with my youngest daughter. these separate processes allows each part of the song the chance to be its best without comprimise. so i would say its a combination of art and science. using the imagination but using math to keep it within a structure so it makes sense to me. i need fences. as for lyrical inspiration, its like drilling for oil. from one little hole in the ground, a whole ocean can erupt. i'll get one line/one idea and that will reveal everything that i think about this topic instantly. a metaphysical geyser. but the mind is no match for the brain so i lose most of it, but if i keep plugging away i'll get enough to write a few verses. i don't overload myself with popular conventions during this part - choruses, bridges.... i just write what's coming. my songs are usually commentary/finger-pointing type so there's often no adherence to a timeline. i'm not usually a "woke up this morning....." kinda writer. some songs write themselves in the time it takes to write them down but most come together from pieces of paper i jot on for a few days while i'm walking around at work. every waking moment is a good time for an idea so i never limit myself that way. once i have enough srcaps, i'll piece together an entire tune - like lego. this question was nearly impossible to answer and i think my answer was BS. lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oedipus Posted March 7, 2010 Share Posted March 7, 2010 Hi Buc, Know how you feel, albeit perhaps for different reasons. I'm a singer/songwriter myself, and though I'm confident in my chops (at least what my songs demand out of me), I always find myself on the cusp of a mental breakdown before a show. For my own part, I think the reason is twofold: 1. I'm an incredibly proud person with a perfectionist bent. Blend those two elements together and there's a strong fear, first, that I'll be judged, and second that I won't perform as I should; and 2. My music is incredibly intimate and I tend to become very involved in its reproduction. Playing in my room can be a spiritual experience, but sharing it with a group of strangers can almost feel inappropriate. Anyway, I have nothing to say except that I feel your sense of alienation and fear. It's hard being a performing ARTIST, especially when it's just you and your stringed wooden box on stage. Sometimes I wish I had at least a pretty young lady to make me feel at east :- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jefleppard Posted March 7, 2010 Share Posted March 7, 2010 Hi Buc' date=' a pretty young lady to make me feel at east :-k [/quote'] pretty and young or just pretty young? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oedipus Posted March 7, 2010 Share Posted March 7, 2010 pretty and young or just pretty young? I'm still young enough myself to demand the former :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
albertjohn Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 pretty and young or just pretty young? Never underestimate the power of punctuation. It could be the difference between a great night out or a whole heap of trouble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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