How To "Slow Down" Onstage?

[fpuhan]

I'm still new to performing live, and whether it's stage fright, being uncomfortable with the lighting, not being familiar with the sound equipment, I find that when I begin playing, I tend to speed things up. This leads me to missing notes, forgetting lyrics, and otherwise having a less than satisfactory performance.

When I practice, I know that I'm playing a tempo more comfortable to me, as well as for the songs I'm playing. While I can't (or rather, won't) take a metronome on stage, I'm wondering what tips or tricks you can share that I can use to help myself slow down and get into the groove?

[H165]

First, make a final decision on whether or not you really want to slow it down. Most audiences can tolerate about one slow song for every 10 fast ones. They tolerate no slow songs that appear to be "dragging".

I've had to slow a few of mine down due to what I call the "adrenaline pump" of being on stage. For that, I mentally count myself into the song and try to forget I'm on stage. Sometimes I take a small step towards the mic and sing to it like it's a person. I have no clue why this works for me, but it takes away some of the tension, and I tend to stay on beat better.

[rllink]

Most everyone I know has that problem. You just have to keep reminding yourself that it's not a race to get through it.

[Robin, Wales]

Originally Posted by fpuhan

I'm still new to performing live, and whether it's stage fright, being uncomfortable with the lighting, not being familiar with the sound equipment, I find that when I begin playing, I tend to speed things up. This leads me to missing notes, forgetting lyrics, and otherwise having a less than satisfactory performance.

When I practice, I know that I'm playing a tempo more comfortable to me, as well as for the songs I'm playing. While I can't (or rather, won't) take a metronome on stage, I'm wondering what tips or tricks you can share that I can use to help myself slow down and get into the groove?

Yep, I can be prone to setting off too fast when under pressure!!! It is nice to give a song some "space", which is quite different from dragging. I have used the technique you can hear just at the start of the recording of White Freightliner Blues above - TVZ starts a little too slow and then builds the intro up to the speed he wants. This simple technique can stop me opening too fast; and the audience doesn't actually notice this speed change at all. I have heard a live Doc Watson recording where he did the same thing for the opening of Midnight on the Stormy Deep - started too slow and bought it up to a comfortable speed for the opening verse.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by fpuhan

I'm still new to performing live, and whether it's stage fright, being uncomfortable with the lighting, not being familiar with the sound equipment, I find that when I begin playing, I tend to speed things up. This leads me to missing notes, forgetting lyrics, and otherwise having a less than satisfactory performance.

When I practice, I know that I'm playing a tempo more comfortable to me, as well as for the songs I'm playing. While I can't (or rather, won't) take a metronome on stage, I'm wondering what tips or tricks you can share that I can use to help myself slow down and get into the groove?

Hi fpuhan…

Had the same performance faux pas when in college when either singing or playing trumpet solo pieces (my main instrument) during recitals. As a result my tempos were rushed and brain-freezes and subsequent errors occurred.

I'd catch myself holding my breath when not singing, which only made things worse. Lack of breathing would kick my brain into panic mode, and I'd speed up.

My vocal teacher observed this, and spent ½ semester teaching me to take two or three deep breaths (quietly not noisily) between songs, and to not give my accompanist (or self) permission to start pieces till I was relaxed. As a music major solo singing or playing were 2-3 performances a month each.

The deep-silent breathing between and before starting songs remedied my rushing issues. It still does.

Carried this into post-college music performing. During intros of songs (instrumental or sung pieces) I'll do that quieted/relaxed deep breathing, and have been known to repeat an intro before beginning a piece (rare, but still happens when I'm excited sometimes).

I'll intentionally take a slow deep breath while tweaking tuning, or as I banter with the audience.

My gigging partner knows if I repeat an intro, but the audience doesn't.

[EZYPIKINS]

Without using some sort of metronome, tempo can vary from gig to gig, depending on energy in the room.

Try and relax.

H165 says slow to fast ratio 1:10. If playing a dance venue sure.

You can play more slow songs at a different kind of venue.

But. I find, no time between songs, makes this work much better.

I like to start a show with this in mind.

Play first 3 or 4 songs, in a row. With not more than 2 or 3 seconds between the last chord ring out and beginning of the next.

I don't like to talk too much on the mic. I'm there to play.

I like to have sets of three songs to do together.

Weather it be arranged in similar keys, similar tunings, or just three you like together.

That way you have less to remember. Remember the first song of 5, 3 song sets.

And before you know it, you've done an hour set. Without giving the audience time to think.

3 or 4 songs in a row. Say hi. 3-4 more, etc.

I feel I am there to play. So I want to play as much as possible.

I'm not a comedian, so I don't tell jokes. I don't tell stories (Boaring).

I play and sing. If your audience applauds, after a song. No need to interact with them after each song.

Have you ever been to a concert?

As applause is fading, start next song. You can thank them when it's over.

And you'll leave them with a feeling of plenitude.

[Silly Moustache]

Hi, when I returned to performing solo in the early '90s,I started doing the clubs doig "floor spots" and looking for gigs.
An oft heard thing I heard was "can you do two (or three) quick ones?"
consequently I found myself doing two or three ones ...quickly. Not good.

Now I tend to rehearse what I'm going to do by time.

In my own club, I give people 15 minutes, not song numbers, and ask them to prepare a 15 minute spot.
It kinda works.

however much we rehearse/practice at home, performing is a whole 'nother thing. your heart rate is going to be faster and there is always that performance anxiety thing. (NOTE - This is not a bad thing, but call it excitement rather than nerves!

When you start a song and introduce it slowly and clearly (don't mumble) and give your self a "moment," take a breath, and a four/eight bar intro to sing the first line in your head, if it is too fast to sing comfortably - slow it down in the intro, even pause if necessary.

It does take practice.

This "might" help :

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by fpuhan

I'm still new to performing live, and whether it's stage fright, being uncomfortable with the lighting, not being familiar with the sound equipment, I find that when I begin playing, I tend to speed things up. This leads me to missing notes, forgetting lyrics, and otherwise having a less than satisfactory performance.

When I practice, I know that I'm playing a tempo more comfortable to me, as well as for the songs I'm playing. While I can't (or rather, won't) take a metronome on stage, I'm wondering what tips or tricks you can share that I can use to help myself slow down and get into the groove?

It's just nerves and is one of the most common forms of stage fight symptoms
The answer for this is simple and elegant and is vastly overlooked .....
At home get into the habit of practice in the dark (it will change your world)

[JonPR]

Originally Posted by fpuhan

I'm still new to performing live, and whether it's stage fright, being uncomfortable with the lighting, not being familiar with the sound equipment, I find that when I begin playing, I tend to speed things up. This leads me to missing notes, forgetting lyrics, and otherwise having a less than satisfactory performance.

When I practice, I know that I'm playing a tempo more comfortable to me, as well as for the songs I'm playing. While I can't (or rather, won't) take a metronome on stage, I'm wondering what tips or tricks you can share that I can use to help myself slow down and get into the groove?

This is a really common problem, a natural result of "fight or flight response" - too much adrenalin, because you feel you are in a threatening situation. Subconsciously, you want to get it over with and get out - sooner the better.

The good news is, you're aware of it happening! That's not always the case (sometimes it really is totally subconscious).

It's a kind of two-pronged "threat". One part is just standard stage fright - being up there in front of a crowd of (mostly) strangers, just doing all the things you've practised and memorized. (Imposter syndrome plays a part here too: you think you're not good enough, or not professional enough; you're sure the crowd will spot that you're faking it; you're not going to "get away with it".)

But the second part kicks in if you start improvising. This puts your brain in a different gear - you naturally start thinking faster (because you're having to be creative on the spot), and this happens even in private, where you're feeling no stress from live performance, and where you're confident of your skills.

My personal wake-up call was once when practising at home with my gf, just jamming. We put a metronome on just for fun (we never normally did that). She was on piano; I was on bass, just playing walking 4s to begin with. I had no trouble staying with the click. But when I started soloing, the metronome started slowing down. That was the weird thing: it really didn't feel like I was speeding up, it really sounded like the metrnome had suddenly started going slower. That was the first time I'd been aware of this subconscious "higher gear" the brain goes into. I knew I tended to get ahead of the beat playing live in bands, but I hadn't been made so aware how hard-wired the tendency was. And it's quite a separate thing from the stage-fright issue.

The good thing is that both can be cured - or at least treated to some degree! - by the same process: taking a deep breath before you start; centering yourself; feeling like you're "in the moment". No past, no future - just this moment now. Relax and imagine the right tempo in your head. Let it tick for a few beats, mentally, maybe a couple of bars. It can help to close your eyes and focus on that internal metronome. Think of the fastest passage you need to sing or play - run through it silently, to check it's not rushed. Calibrate your beat to that.

Then when you play, feel the beat as if it's something outside you that's carrying you. You're not driving it; you're the passenger, you "sit on it". Or imagine it's a horse you're riding. Don't dig those spurs in; just sit and let the horse carry you; it knows its way...
Sometimes, if it feels like you're still getting ahead a little, you need to "sit back on it" - lean back on your metaphorical seat. (To stretch the metaphor, the stage-fright effect is like being on a gentle downhill slope - sometimes just letting things go and relaxing means they naturally get faster; so you need to apply the brakes a little!)

But also, don't be afraid of taking a metronome onstage. Maybe a pocket one with a flashing light, or one in a footpedal. You only need to switch it on for a few seconds before you start, to check the tempo you're imagining. Maybe try it once, to see if it helps. The drummer in my band does that, for some tunes: checks his metronome for just a few seconds before a song, so as to establish his count-in. (And he hopes that the rest of us don't force him to speed up as we play... )

[Methos1979]

For us (wife and I, acoustic duo) there were a couple issues. First, we would find ourselves practicing songs way too fast. When you have a lot of songs to practice and just want to get through it, you tend to play too fast which then becomes the 'norm' of what you think the song's tempo should be. So then you play it live and add in the tendency to play it even faster (due to nervous energy) and suddenly your slow ballad sounds like speed metal!

We solved this with a two-prong approach: The first thing we do is to establish the tempo WE want to play a song at. To accomplish this we first play the original song by the artist on our phone app and using a metronome (also a phone app) with a tap tempo button, determine the original's tempo. Then we try to play it at that tempo. Sometimes we'll play a song at the exact tempo but sometimes we prefer it a little slower (rarely) or a little faster (more often).

Once we establish the tempo we want to play it at we write that down and then make sure to ALWAYS PRACTICE IT AT THAT TEMPO. That means starting with a metronome to count you in at the actual tempo. We make sure to take a few seconds or more between songs to take a breath and clear our minds. This is also the trick to playing it live - take a couple deep breaths, a sip of water, brief tuning check and only then count yourself in.

It's hard and takes a lot of practice to 'tune out' your surroundings and concentrate fully on the song while still connecting with the audience. But with practice it comes and a big part of that is being comfortable with the song and its tempo and to not feel you're rushing. As you first begin to learn to do this well it can be hard because you will swear that your live performance seems to be dragging when in fact it is not.

[Mr. Jelly]

To answer this specific question, I'd suggest starting ALL your songs on stage slow. At least in your mind. Quit possibly you will discover that you are playing them at a tempo that is more correct.

One thing I try to do on stage is play a verse or chorus through once before starting to sing. But it does depend on the song. Some I do well to start singing right off the bat. That can mentally get me into a particular song correctly.

Your experience is teaching you if you pay attention to the lesson. When practicing think of each individual song with the question what key aspect of it will get my head in the right place while under stress? Then do that.

[tbirdman]

I only play open mics as I've only bee playing 2 years. My instructor advises me to play songs slowest to fastest of my 3 song set.

I consciously need to play slowly.

[Deliberate1]

Let me suggest another, more concrete technique, that worked for me. But in a different context.
I was a lawyer for nearly 40 years. I argued countless cases before a judge or judical panel. Just me and an audience of one or a few - in black robes. Who were literally "judging" me.
Now, if given the opportunity, I can talk as fast as those disembodied announcers who rocket through the side effects of medicationas at the ad's end. And it is not pretty, or effective.
As I stood to speak, whatever I told myself about slowing down, was instantly lost. And it was off to the races
So, I eventually went full analog. I wrote, in big block letters, "SLOW DOWN," on a sheet of paper that went on the lecturn right next to my case notes. And I did. It was the most effective and simple reminder, which explains its effectiveness. Eventually, I did not need it.
Perhaps, if this makes sense to you, there is a way of finding a spot for such an elbow poke - like a note on the top of your guitar that no one else can see.
Hope this helps.
David

[KevWind]

I like what Deliberate 1 said above and there has been lots of reasonable advice that may help.
But will offer my other suggestion again.

Since the Speed UP Syndrome SUS is a function of sheer nerves and worrying about imperfections .. IMO there is nothing you can do or practice that will in fact help as much or as effectively,,, as learning to practice a song well enough that you can play it in the dark.....AND make playing in the DARK an integral part of you practice routine .

What will happen in doing so,,,,,,, is you will convert the nerve racking when on stage,,,,visual/thinking (process about the chords changes /and picking ,,,, into muscle memory.

What often happens to people when practicing at home and engaging in the thinking/visual process is they loose track of the inherent slight miss timings etc. that occurs when thinking about and looking at the changes BUT WHEN ON STAGE with the natural adrenaline and heightened level of concentration and self awareness,,, those little miss steps become painfully obvious and the natural reaction is to speed up..

When you convert thinking into muscle memory your performing Universe changes and you are now free to concentrate on the artistic aspects of your performance as opposed to worrying about the accuracy.. Practicing in the dark is a simple and dramatically effective means to know you have actually converted thinking into muscle memory, and when that happens you step into the world of enjoyment at performing .........

[KevWind]

opps double