Why I Generally Don't Enjoy Playing In Front Of Others? What About You?

[EZYPIKINS]

I never used to play at home. But I was gigging and rehearsing all the time.

Don't have allot of gigs anymore but have been working allot. Using music as therapy.

But when I do play in front of others. That's when it's time to shine.

[JGinNJ]

Originally Posted by musicman1951

If you don't enjoy the hours of playing alone you're going to have an extremely difficult time becoming a good player. And I believe that once you get past the first handful of years on an instrument a good part of your practice time should be spent making great music - not just preparing to make great music, but actually making it (both for yourself and as the goal of playing in the first place).

this ^ is really huge, if you're going to succeed at aspirations beyond being a bedroom player (not that there's anything wrong with that). It's something I missed out on because I prioritized a different career, so I just kept practicing at home and didn't perform much for most of my adult life. I'm also a (brass) wind player, and I kind of wish I got it out of my system when I was younger...

[Robin, Wales]

Originally Posted by Puddleglum

I understand, and I've known people that seem to crave being in front of an audience more than playing music. I've also heard people who say, If there is no gig, there's no point in playing.

Sharing art, etc. with the world has been mentioned. I understand the point. Imagine a world where everyone hid his own paintings away and never showed them to anyone. There would be no art galleries, and that would be strange. But those paintings were not created in the first place for the sole purpose of showing others. That part naturally came later.

As the OP, it's been fun reading all this and seeing both sides a bit better. I try and think of a world where I'd never heard my favorite musicians' songs, and that would be the world if everyone was like me and just played at home.

You set a good question initially, which is why it has engendered such a mix of responses. I enjoy music as a performance art - and so I come to guitar with that lens. The guitar is just a tool for performance art to me.

Now I'm no professional, just a campfire hack, but I can still say that my playing/singing is performance art (albeit not that good!) because everything I do musically is geared towards performance.

For example: I'm singing in an MVC tomorrow night at a St David's Day concert in a hotel function room. During the concert I'll have one of the solo slots. I'm doing a Welsh folk song from the 1890s. I could accompany myself on guitar, but I actually have a banjo from the 1890s and I thought that I would write an arrangement on that for the performance. So there's some at home artistic creativity going on. There will be no pa and 70+ folks in the audience - so I've played around with different keys to find what will give me the best vocal projection on the night in that particular space. I don't want to use a lyric sheet but I may have to as it is quite a tongue twister - so I'm thinking about stage positioning, stage furniture etc. The audience will be a listening audience so I have been thinking about my pre-amble and the feel of the whole performance from their perspective.

So you can see that my approach to music (and playing guitar being a part of that) is from a preforming arts perspective. That's my approach - even as a rank amateur middle of the road musician I think that it is perfectly acceptable for me to have that approach to music. And it gives me a lot of challenge and pleasure, many time bound goals, and a sense of achievement when it all comes together.

Others will have different but equally valid approaches their music.

[KevinH]

That's very cool Glenn.

Originally Posted by Glennwillow

...My favorite audience to play for is my wife. She loves to hear me sing and play. I used to play for her every night on the other side of the island in the kitchen while she was making dinner. I have gotten out of that habit, but I should do that again. She is the best, most appreciative audience I have ever had.

- Glenn

[Woolbury]

I have a friend that fronts a band, the Gnarbillies. We cross paths at different get togethers and he always seeks me out and is enthusiastic about playing guitar with me. I'm flattered, but have commented to him that I'm a living room hack, while he performs for audiences. His response was, "I'm an entertainer, you're a guitar player". I think a lot of the discussion here hints at that distinction, but its a real one, they are not one and the same things. I've played instrumental music at friends weddings, open mics for awhile, but without confident singing skills, it's hard to make the jump to entertainer. I have always enjoyed jamming with other musicians who can carry a tune, I'm very comfortable in that role, and enjoy those opportunities when they come up. Meantime, I continue to assemble the endless building blocks that make up my blues repertoire, realizing it's a meaningful journey that doesn't really need an audience.

[jack crowder]

Most places I've lived in have laws against "Cruel and Unusual Punishment." So I play at home. And, when I do play at home, my wife suddenly remembers an appointment she has and she's out the door, even the dogs make a quick exit out their doggie door!

[Guitars44me]

Since I started playing music as a young child, and had a zillion music lessons,
By the time I was in Bands I was thoroughly overtrained! Ha ha ha

But I was a singing drummer, most of my young life.

When I finally wised up and became a bandleader, I quickly realized that just a few evenings on stage would yield a tighter band, than multiple rehearsals.

Playing for appreciative humans this where it’s at for me. Although, I am perfectly happy to play at home as well all by myself.

Do what makes you happy!

Paul.

[Gryf]

I used to feel bad about having no interest in playing publicly. OK, occasionally, I still feel a little like I "should" want to. Yet, I don't. When I was young, I played at school and at some other places. When I entered the workforce, I essentially put the guitar away. I only owned one at that poiont, and it sat in a closet for a few years. Finally the stress of my job had me about to blow a asket, and I needed an outlet-and it was my trusty guitar. I've played and studied for 20+ years now, and can play better than ever. But I'm perfectly happy just letting it be my own thing.

[rllink]

Originally Posted by Glennwillow

My favorite audience to play for is my wife. She loves to hear me sing and play. I used to play for her every night on the other side of the island in the kitchen while she was making dinner. I have gotten out of that habit, but I should do that again. She is the best, most appreciative audience I have ever had.

- Glenn

That's nice really. My wife is a bass player. I guess I should say was a bass player, and a singer. But she likes seventies and eighties rock, and she really does not like country/bluegrass. We have not played music with or for each other for years. Although, I am going up to Minneapolis for a bluegrass festival this weekend and she's coming along, however she is going shopping and there's a fancy restaurant in the conference center.

[Mandobart]

This discussion is meandering in a good way. Reminds me of the question - are you an artist, an entertainer or a musician (or a combination of two or all)?

First, I guess a guitarist who is not a musician is the player who knows some technique, learns a few licks and leads, but doesn't play any complete songs. Guitarists spend more time talking about gear or technique than playing (IMO of course).

A musician is someone who plays music on an instrument. They often play just for their own pleasure.

An entertainer wants to make people happy and likes attention so (s)he will play whatever the crowd wants to hear, even if (s)he doesn't particularly care for it. Example top 40 cover bands, many working musicians.

An artist may or may not be as technically proficient on their chosen instrument, but they strive to create new songs or new interpretations of songs to express themselves. They may want to play for crowds, but only if those crowds will be quiet and listen attentively and appreciate their art.

As a classically trained multi-instrumentalist (and mediocre vocalist) who prefers to play informally with friends for fun but sometimes gets paid to entertain a crowd (but insists on playing only music I personally enjoy), I consider myself mostly a musician, with a little entertainer, and a much smaller bit of an artist.

[schmalex]

I enjoy playing music for myself at home, and I enjoy performing music for other people... unfortunately my technical skills at guitar are just not strong enough to perform for other people outside of my home currently. Even with piano, which I've been playing for years, there are only a couple of songs that I am fully confident in performing in public at a high level. I guess I am confident enough in my singing to perform for the public, but usually that just means karaoke.

[Charlie Bernstein]

Originally Posted by JGinNJ

this ^ is really huge, if you're going to succeed at aspirations beyond being a bedroom player (not that there's anything wrong with that). It's something I missed out on because I prioritized a different career, so I just kept practicing at home and didn't perform much for most of my adult life. I'm also a (brass) wind player, and I kind of wish I got it out of my system when I was younger...

I was married to my work for too many years. I took early retirement and have been gigging as often as I can ever since — almost ten years now. Playing at home before that never hurt. It's why the venues I play at put up with me now.

So I just pay attention to the present and do my best to let the past take care of itself. (It always has.)

[Dave Hicks]

I taught college-level biology for 38 years. When I first started I practiced every lecture before giving it and was extremely nervous before, during and after class. But after a few decades I got pretty used to that role. I wasn't nervous if I knew the material and had some notes to look at to remind me where to go.

Music has worked the same way - 20 years ago when I started playing out, if I knew that I was going to play in front of people I'd have trouble sleeping for a couple days before and after. (Now it's only the night after playing.)

Now I've had a lot more stage time, some of it solo, but mostly with a variety of other players, in both electric and acoustic situations. I have to thank my old friend Ted Brown for running open jams for many years that let everybody who wanted to get up and play.

More recently, one thing that has helped is that I've acquired sort of a band. My wife has learned enough guitar to play chords and does some singing on choruses, etc. Our friend Bob often plays with us, and he is very solid on backup and leads. I've wound up doing most of the singing and choosing songs, which I don't mind too much. I'd rather not be the bandleader all the time. But I know that I've got something to lean on onstage, and that has helped a lot. Playing solo does still make me nervous though.

So experience and helpful people have given me a lot more confidence in playing and singing in front of groups. (But self-confidence can be misplaced, of course.)

D.H.

[Toucan]

When I use my looper, I call it "playing with myself".

[Rickenbacker1]

It’s funny playing out around here . We have so many open MICs going on that I think that is going to be the future .When I interview for a gig the first thing they ask “ how many people can you bring “ ? Years ago I played in a band our bass player’s wife was a school bus driver . She would get 30 people to show up and they were what we called power drinkers . Today I could tell all my friends and maybe four would show up . At our age nobody seems to be big drinkers. Back to the open mics ,so they can have ten artists with most bringing their wife and maybe a couple friends . Ten artists can bring twenty or more people spending money.. The people showing up they just don’t care , they are there to socialize.