Open mic success

[tonyo]

Had an open mic win on the weekend and wanted to share the journey to encourage those who find performing in public a bit daunting.

Started playing guitar 7 years ago in my early 50s. Did my first open mic within about a year and learned heaps. Stuff like you can't turn your head from the mic to look at the fretboard without losing volume through the mic. Didn't have a lot of problem with nerves because I was just thrilled to be where I could play simple songs in front of others, benefited by kind audiences.

Once I got to playing more advanced songs I hit the nerves wall big time. Would start a song that I'd rehearsed plenty and played well at home, but on stage would have the jelly fingers and miss a note and then the nerves would kick in and I didn't enjoy the performance at all. My wife (a good and not always kind critic) said the mistakes were either barely or even not noticed by her / others in the crowd but in my head they were certainly noticed and it was no fun (understatement of the day).

So, to beat those nerves I kept at it and always started with a slower / easier song and it got better slowly. My frustration was always that I knew I could play my songs a LOT better than what I did on stage.

Earlier this year I had my first open mic where I finally felt I did my songs justice. The nerves still meant it wasn't as good as at home but a significant breakthrough.

Besides sticking to the start with a slower song, I also stuck to an approach of getting a lot more open mics under my belt.

Friday night was my 65th open mic and the first one where I felt stupendous at the end of the performance. Only made one minor mistake in strumming a chord and it wouldn't have been noticed by any one. It finally felt like all the hours of practice and painful previous performances was well and truly worth it.

I didn't much nerves before the performance but after my heart was racing. It was a good sized crowd 60+, not the biggest I've played to, definitely not the smallest.

I'm not suggesting I won't struggle with nerves again or make mistakes or worse performances, but that elation at the end was so strong and so enjoyable I'll be back again and again.

[Paddy1951]

Hooray for you! You won! Your success this time, will bring more success because you just gained a big chunk of confidence.

Even the best players/singers make mistakes. Doing so only shows your human.

Even the best entertainers get nerves.

As you pointed out... Most audience members don't even notice mistakes. Most will cut you slack if they do.

Remember your success. Keep going.

All the best to you.

[Pitar]

Just thought I'd congratulate you on the big step. Paddy1951 pretty much covers my sentiments regarding your confidence building.

[DukeX]

Thanks for sharing your great story and congrats on your well earned success!

[Mr. Jelly]

There are mistakes made all through most performances. The trick is to never acknowledge them, act like everything is fun, right, wonderful and keep going. That's why they call performances acts.

[RustyAxe]

A wise friend told me, decades ago, “no one knows what you intended to play”. Keep going, keep it musical, get back on track. Congrats on the win!

[C-ville Brent]

Congratulations on things going so well - there are breakthrough moments and its great to have them. Your persistence has paid off.
I try to start off with something that I could probably play in my sleep that is upbeat because I seem to play "faster" when I'm nervous... and I'm still always nervous at first. Best of luck and keep going!

[Silly Moustache]

Well done, and a couple of hints to share :

1. Get Really hydrated, NOT booze, water lubricates the brain and the muscles.
2. Get tuned up, all your gear ready before you are called up, no last minute panics.
3. if its an sm58 or similar dynamic mic - DON't talk or Sing touching the Mic - you won't be understood - 3-6" back.
4. Start with a really easy number first.
5. Use the applause time to adjust tuning if necessary, and prepare for your second number.
6. Always look at the audience and say thank you slowly and "sincerely".
7. any spoken intros, slowly, clearly, simple. (remember your mic craft).
8. WE ALL MAKE MISTAKES ! The art of performance is not to play perfectly, it is to not let the audience know (expression, loss of beat etc.) - JUST KEEP GOING!


Preparation : Rehearse your spot WITH chat, and retune/capo fits and intros included. If you have a 10 minute spot, make the whole thing 9 minutes, if it is 30 minutes, make it 28 minutes, organisers, mcs etc., love a timely performer.

[6L6]

FUN, ain't it!?

Well done!!!

[ManyMartinMan]

Good job. I was reminiscing a couple of months ago about when I used to take new material I was working on to open mics. This was 30+ years ago. I remembered that they used to vote by applause for a "winner" for the night and wondered (in an age where everyone is "worthy" of notice) whether that was still done. Good to hear.

[Pitar]

Applause is pretty much vanilla across the board these days. Everyone gets a trophy unless there's truly a standout who gets top nod.

[tonyo]

Thanks all. Appreciate the responses.