Practice Performing

Back in March I posted an entry titled “We Perform What We Practice.”  Now I’d like to take that one step further.  We also need to practice performing.  I spend so much time trying to teach my public school band students how to practice.  The ones who finally get it then need to graduate to the next level of musicianship.  They need to learn how to progress through the stages of practice. 

When we are first learning a song, we need to break it into sections and take it slow.  Eventually, though, we start increasing the tempo and size of the sections until the song is performance ready.  If we spent all of our time playing slow small sections, we will never be ready to perform. 

At the end of this process we have to actually practice performing the music.  There is something different about playing straight through a song without stopping.  New issues can arise that weren’t present when you were playing in sections.  Plus we have to deal with the logistics of the sound mix, managing the background tracks (if you are a smaller act – not full band), maintaining a steady tempo throughout, maintaining endurance throughout, the added pressure of live performance, connecting with the emotion of the song and conveying that emotion (along with many other issues). 

Some of these issues can be simulated and rehearsed in our practice room at home, but it is impossible to create an exact replica of the live performance experience.  Therefore, one of the best ways to practice performing is to perform.  The more time we spend performing in front of an audience, the more comfortable we get performing in front of an audience. 

Many of us share the same excuses of not feeling ready or not having “good” gigs booked.  I am not saying that musicians should just go out and perform without any practice or preparation.  We do need to realize, however, that it is impossible to be perfect.  There will always be something about your performance, song, or recording that you want to improve.  If we keep waiting until we reach perfection, we may never get to perform. 

I also understand that we don’t want to sell ourselves short.  If we have reached a certain level in our musical ability it feels degrading to continue to perform at open mics and other low or non paying gigs.  We want to play for crowds of people and make a decent amount of money.  Unfortunately, until we reach superstar status those types of gigs may be few and far between.  What are we doing with our time during the between stretches?  Would it hurt to play at an open mic once a week just to keep our performance chops up?     

I constantly remind myself that I write record and perform music because that’s what I love to do.  I would probably still do it even if no one ever paid me.  I’ve got to keep a balance with my walk with God, my family and the 9-5 (pays the bills); but I want to use a chunk of that spare time performing music.  The more I do it, the better I’ll get. 

Can You Play This Song? Can You Turn It Down?

                As singer/songwriters we play mostly (if not all) original songs at our concerts.  These songs are our babies.  We wrote them, we think they are amazing and we want to share them with the world.  However, people have various reasons for hiring musical entertainment.  Clients are not always interested in your songs.  To avoid frustration, we should think about why we are gigging and what type of gigs we are looking to do.

               
               Why are you gigging?  Public musical performances provide experiences for the audience.  The more fame an artist achieves, the more people attend his/her concert to hear that artist and those songs.  In this type of situation, the identity of the artists is heavily connected to the experience.  On the other end of the musical entertainment spectrum are audiences who have attended an event for some other reason (to eat or drink, to meet with friends, a carnival/festival) and you are providing additional side entertainment.  This type of audience is not interested in your music.  They would be more entertained by hearing something that they know and can sing along to.  In some cases, they may not even want to hear the music too loud (just in the background), especially if they are trying to talk with their friends/family. 

               
               Therefore, as a beginning artist you have to answer the question, “Why am I gigging?”  If the answer is to make money, then you should be prepared to provide a musical experience that the audience will enjoy.  That may sometimes mean playing cover songs or turning the music down.  This can be very bruising to a singer/songwriter’s ego, but it is often the only way to make money gigging in this harsh industry. 

If your reason for gigging is to promote yourself and your music, then you should continue to perform original songs.  However, you should realize that not every gig will be appropriate for you, and you may not make as much money at first.  You have to be willing to turn down gigs that you feel would compromise the integrity of your music.  You must also strive to build a solid fan base.  The more people there are who are willing to come out and hear you, the more gigs you will be able to book that specifically promote your music.

What Is Good?

               I think one of the hardest parts of being a singer/songwriter is handling rejection.  We receive a double portion of rejection each time a door closes because people are rejecting our song and our singing.  We listen to the radio or watch a singing reality show and think, "Why do people think that is good, but don't like my music?"  What is good?

                The answer to this question is subjective.  Of course there are obvious examples of good and bad within music (a beginning student playing next to an adult professional).  In this discussion we are comparing the various musical works of professional artists.  To an individual, good is what they find musically and esthetically pleasing.  In the music industry, good is what the popular majority finds pleasing or entertaining. 

                It is difficult to get the majority to agree.  Peer pressure plays a role in this process.  Often times people are afraid to step out and claim something as being good.  What if others disagree with them?  Many people will wait for the word of others who are considered to be experts in that field.  If they say that it is good, it must be good.  Other people may wait for a large group of people to label something good.  If that many people think it is good, it must be good.

                Unfortunately, the main way for us to have our music labeled as good (after you've practiced and done everything possible to make it sound its best) is to keep getting it out there for people to hear.  In this process, many people will label it as bad.  We will probably be rejected by most of the opportunities we pursue.  However, all we need is that one opportunity that begins to change the tide.  One person who is an expert in the field and believes in us.  One group of people who enjoy our music enough that they are willing to promote it to their friends and relatives. 

                Getting through all the rejection to that point of acceptance is a long, frustrating and difficult path.  Many musicians give up along the way.  Others lose their motivation and settle for a life of mediocre practice habits and gigs.  Some keep pushing through and never actually make it to the level that they are aiming for.  If you really love music, though, it doesn't matter if you make it or not.  You will keep writing, playing and singing even if no one wants to listen, because music is a part of you.  You just can't give it up.  So keep pushing forward and maybe one day you will make it.    

What Ever Happened To the Art Of Writing A Song?

This blog post title is actually the title to one of my songs.  It was one of those songs that you write and keep tucked away.  Maybe it will grow into something that I will record later on, or maybe it will just serve as the inspiration for this blog. 

My wife and I were watching the Voice last night off of our DVR  ( we’ve been very busy this week) and we found ourselves asking this question (What ever happened to the art …).  We noticed that many of the singers on the show have been performing older songs instead of current music.  We also noticed a difference in the quality of the songs.  Please don’t misunderstand; I am not saying that today’s pop music is totally devoid of content.  I am just pointing out that we noticed a general difference.

We noticed a similar situation during the development of high definition and the advancement of special effects in movies.  Special effects have come a long way over the last few years.  Vivid and realistic images can now be pieced together even though they are generated from different sources.  It allows events to be shown on screen that used to only be visible in our imaginations. 

As this technology began to develop a disappointing side effect occurred.  The content (quality of acting and/or story line) of many movies seems to suffer.  There was so much attention being placed on effects and picture (video) quality that it changed the definition of what people considered to be a good movie.  Action films (or other genres with action in them: i.e. Horror, Si-Fi, etc.) far outnumbered other types of film releases during this time.  This shift seems to be readjusting now.  There are still more action new releases, but the quality of acting and content seems to be coming back up.  This was evident (in my opinion) as I viewed The Amazing Spiderman 2 this weekend (great action, content and acting). 

I believe that advancements in technology have also affected songwriting.  In the past, limited technology forced songwriters to write amazing songs.  The proper marriage of music and lyric was the only way to ensure that the song would have the desired impact on people.  Composers wanted listener to feel the emotion that was felt when the song was written. 

Now songwriters can impact people through the effects and technological “ear candy” that can be produced into the music.  People don’t reflect intellectually on the content and inner meaning of songs while they are dancing in a club (or at a party).  Composers of this type of music just want you to feel the beat and move to it.  Usually the loudest and most driving beat is the one that produces the most sales. 

This, of course, is not true for all songs.  Many styles and genres still try to tell a story or portray an emotion.  There are still songs being written which contain beautifully crafted words linked to music in a way that unlocks the full expression of the content.  However, this aspect of musical composition does not seem to be necessary in order to have a song become a hit.  I wonder how long it will take for listeners to realize this, and demand higher quality songs.