onewilyfool Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 Thought I'd share some funny moments on this latest gig..... 1. My first three songs, people applauded each song!!....lol...that is a first for me, and I must admit, made me a little self conscious. I know how some performers LIVE for that kind of recognition, but it took me totally by surprise....I was a little shy about it....but what the heck, this is just a learning experience for me....The two women who started all the applause, were from Spain, so maybe it is more of a cultural thing to applaude in their country, but it was fun anyway.... 2. Today, a very nice man was sitting right next to me....this was the first time someone sang aloud next to me.....and.....he DIDN'T have a very good voice, OR know all the words......lol.....but still it was kind of fun, even though he did throw me off from time to time. Also, he made requests, which was a new one for me. Imagine, Rocky Racoon, and a few others I managed to "fudge" my way through.....lol..... 3. It just seems to happen via "Murphy's law" (No offense Murph....lol) that every time I start a slow soft song (today it was "yesterday') That the steamer for the milk or the grinder for coffee starts up.....lol....but I'm learning, to see when a customer goes up to the counter to wait a bit and try to hear what they are ordering.....if I hear "Latte"....lol.....I take a little break......it's all about learning..... 4. Had more experiences of "relaxing" into the song, and slowing down the pace, getting more into the song, more conscious than automatic......this part of the Gigs has been the most enlightening for me.... 5. One last thing, I caught myself REALLY pressing down on the strings today, and it tired out my fingers and made DEEP grooves in my callouses....lol.....I noticed it happened more when I was trying to play louder. As if pressing harder on the frets makes the guitar louder.....probably just a little nervousness......but something to watch... 6. One thing that is great about this kind of venue, is that I'm basically "background" music, so no pressure of being on a stage, etc....just good practice... Again, thanks in advance for your support.....Wily Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nodehopper Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 Hey Wily.... Have you thought about trying an Open Mic again. Now that you have all this experience...it would be a real gauge to see how much this has helped. Also how to translate what you have learned at the Coffee Shop into the stage environment. I have a feeling you will find this has helped a ton and the Open Mic will seem a lot easier now than they did before. Just curious to hear a report on how this has propelled you to the next level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vincentw Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 Regarding #6, I have found stages to be safety zones. Everyone is different of course, but being removed from the closeness of people's stares can be very liberating. It also depends on the kind of music you are playing, of course. But I say, don't fear the stage lights, they can be your friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EuroAussie Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 Sounds like you're really easing yourself into this gig Wily. Thats great to see, you even seemed to have started a karaoke sing along, cant be a totally bad thing ! How is your set list, are you adding or rotating tracks or focusing on given set list but trying to get it just right through repetition ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlondBlake Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 vincentw I can only agree. Learning it the fingerpicking way for less more then a year I'm far from stageready but sure have some gigging experience with previous bands. I found it more easy to play in front of a 2.000 people crowd (everyone has some kind of expectation) instead of a small pub-gig with only 20 people and none of them potentialy interested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larryp58 Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 I found it more easy to play in front of a 2.000 people crowd (everyone has some kind of expectation) instead of a small pub-gig with only 20 people A lot of truth in that statement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhanners623 Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 3. It just seems to happen via "Murphy's law" (No offense Murph....lol) that every time I start a slow soft song (today it was "yesterday') That the steamer for the milk or the grinder for coffee starts up.....lol....but I'm learning, to see when a customer goes up to the counter to wait a bit and try to hear what they are ordering.....if I hear "Latte"....lol.....I take a little break......it's all about learning..... As a veteran of many coffeehouse gigs, I can assure you that: 1) The espresso machine is the bane of singer-songwriters everywhere; 2) The only thing louder than the espresso machine is the vacuum they use to clean the espresso machine; 3) I've experienced both during gigs and, yeah, it almost seems like the baristas wait for the quietest fingerstyle song to fire up the infernal machines.... Glad you had a good time, though. Performing is fun. Usually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewilyfool Posted February 16, 2011 Author Share Posted February 16, 2011 Sounds like you're really easing yourself into this gig Wily. Thats great to see, you even seemed to have started a karaoke sing along, cant be a totally bad thing ! How is your set list, are you adding or rotating tracks or focusing on given set list but trying to get it just right through repetition ? I know about 30 songs by heart.......so do those as the urge arises....I've introduced two new ones in the last couple of weeks, Georgia on my mind, and San Francisco Bay blues......so I add here and there. I don't think I ever play the same song twice in the same way. Here is one I'm working on below. Thanks for the kind words gang! http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/make-you-feel-my-love-bob-dylan-song-tribute-clip/20618df391c06a68021320618df391c06a680213-405843346145?q=to+make+you+feel+my+love+song&FORM=VIRE3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onewilyfool Posted February 16, 2011 Author Share Posted February 16, 2011 Just wanted to add one more thing, and would appreciate some help......I can only play about 2 hours or so, before my fingers on the fretting hand give way to pain or divots on the finger tips making playing much harder. Also the next day, or two, my fingers are sore......any advice??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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