Performing

Performing is such a unique and individual process that there is no right way or wrong way. What works for one person may not work for another, and what works for you in one situation, may not work in another. The only thing that you can do is to be as prepared as you can possibly be. And the more that you are on stage, the more experience you will have dealing with the things that show up and the better your show will be. And believe me, you can’t fully prepare for all the things that are going to show up.

I remember performing at the Earl of Old Town in Chicago, where we would each do five sets a night, alternating. They had an after hours license that allowed them to sell booze until 4 a.m. About three thirty a.m., a fellow wandered in, walked to the foot of the stage and dropped his pants. I mean, how do you prepare for that? I told him that he was taking a fashion risk and wasn’t pulling it off. The crowd, (yes, there was a crowd) howled and the bouncer escorted him to the street…as soon as they could get his pants back up. But I digress…

Initially, you should simply play every place that you can; every stage, every open mic; every party. Play everywhere and try to notice when the audience is actually with you and when they are not. When they are not, this is a clear indication that what you are doing is not communicating with them as you would wish. Change things. Change the order of songs; change the songs; change the keys; change the tempos; and most importantly, rewrite if it's not doing what you want it to. There is no shame in rewriting, but I’ll save that for another day..

The Warm Up

I don't like going to a performance by someone whose recordings I like and find that they can't sing or play as well as they seem to on the recording. In this digital age, it's easy to make anyone appear to know what they are doing, but watch them live. If they've done the work, it shows. And if they haven't, it shows even more. Painful. Here’s what I discovered that works for me.

Years ago, when I was playing in bars for three or four hours a night, I discovered that I couldn't start out singing my most demanding songs or I wouldn't last the night, so I'd start out with things that were relatively easy to sing. Songs that used the easiest part of my vocal range, and I didn't sing hard, I sang easy. Then as the evening progressed I discovered that I could use more and more of my range, both volume and the drama. I noticed that when I started at say, 8:30, by 10 pm, I was beginning to sound really good. I could do whatever I wanted with my voice and my guitar. And for an hour or two thereafter, I could do no wrong. I was nothing but music. Then fatigue would set in and my vocal chords and finger tips would just get tired…and a little sore.

But the good news is the two hours in the middle there. I became so accustomed to that phenomenon that, when I began to open up shows for Art Garfunkel (www.artgarfunkel.com), or Bill Cosby (www.billcosby.com), I would go to the theatre literally three hours before show time. I'd go to my dressing room, get out my guitar and begin to play my favorite songs, then hone in on what I would be doing that night and finally I play the song that I'll be opening with. Sometimes I sang just that one for thirty minutes. Then when I walked out on stage, I was totally plugged into that song. The audience doesn't have to wait for the music to show up, it's there from the get go.

Of course, there is the other side of this same thing. I once spent a month with Corky Siegel (http://www.chamberblues.com/) in Chicago. For those of you who don’t know, Corky is one of the best blues harmonica players in the world. And his piano playing is right behind that. He does no warm up. He likes to save every single ounce of energy and focus for the audience. This is another way to do it and for him, enormously successful. I have never seen him give a bad or even mediocre performance. He gives his all and it works.

For me, I have had situations where circumstance conspired to deprive me of my warm up ritual and sometimes, I have given a truly wonderful performance, but you never know and if the audience has come to see you they deserve to see a great show. If I prepare, I know it will be good. I feel like “if you fail to prepare, then you prepare for failure” Sounds hokey, but I believe it’s true. At least in my case. I don't have Corky's genius. By the way, during that month, I also never saw Corky touch the piano or the harmonica, …except on stage. Evidently he doesn't practice either. I told you some folks have a larger gift, but, and this is important, we ALL have music in us.

It's natural. It's in you. Don't forget and don't be afraid to let it out. But I still can't get over him not even touching his instruments except on stage. My sometimes partner, John Batdorf, (www.johnbatdorfmusic.com) is just the opposite. He likes to rehease every single thing, so that there are no surprizes for him. Every note worked out in front, and if you've hear our All Wood and Stones, or his early Batdorf & Rodney recordings, you know that this also works great and guarantees a performance that is up to the standard of the recording.

The most wonderful example of being prepared that I have seen is an Eagles concert. I went to the Eagles Hell Freezes Over concert. Timothy B Schmit (www.timothybschmit.com) , the bassist, lived about ten houses away on our street in Woodland Hills and we became friends. So I know that in the six months before the start of that tour, Timothy went into town to rehearse five days a week, eight hours a day, and when they walked on stage, they performed the music impeccably. Some folks complained that it was too rehearsed, but hearing those great songs performed live, right in front of you, and having them be as good as the recording, was thrilling and inspirational. And because they were so prepared, they could be spontaneous whenever it showed up. Fantastic. I went home and started practicing.  

Tomorrow we'll take up the actual performing, O and I want to remind you that this is a learning process for us all.  I need to hear from you about your practicing habits, pitfalls, tips, etc.   Please leave a comment if you have one.   There's a comment clicker at the end of every article.  Thanks.

Comments

[andrew jackson]

Hi James..nice blog. With regard to practicing, I personally and religiously
practice 3-4 hrs a day. About 2 weeks out from a show, I begin working on my
set list, and start charting the songs, by tuning and guitar (I use 4-5 per
show) and begin rehearsing exactly the order on my charts. (could be a 30
min to 2 hrs gig) Depending on the venue, I will rehearse unplugged or
amplified..I find for gigs that will be amplified, I need to get my ears
ready, so I practice a couple of nights with the amplifier right before show
time.

Andrew

[jack]

i'm at work, but on the inside i'm jumping up and down.
james my man!!
thank you for the gift. thank you thank you thank you.
i am, course talking about the datamusicata journal.
looks like i know what i'm doing with my weekend.
like i say, i'm at work and can't dive in yet but the first part i
read is about the warm up and i want to say, i'm glad you have
confirmed something i thought for a long time. going way back to even
you gigs at the grapesteak and the crows nest all those years ago in
santa cruz. i figured you did a long warm up because you always hit
the stage running. i also figured it to be good theater to be unseen
until curtain time.
my romanticized version though had you doing some secret ritual you
had learned while in some far off place with tom robins.. lol
i heard tony bennet say that he has daily voice work he does but, even
when pressed, he won't reveal just what it is.
more on your blog later.
yoo da bomb man!!
jack

[Sandy Jacobson]

James,
I'm glad you're doing this!

You, and most of the musicians I know, are proffesionals...and you all already know what I'm about to say...

As someone who books acts for my show, I was out at a club last week to watch one particular act, but sat through the evening's line-up waiting to hear the act I came to see...and several things came to mind, from a producer's standpoint...that I'd like to share.

To a newer artist, I would recommend that when you've finished your act, stay long enough to have a bottle of water, a soda, or something. Two of the acts that I would have liked to book, slipped out the door the moment they finished and NO ONE had an opportunity to talk to them...and I WOULD have booked them, if I'd had the opportunity to talk to them.

Another act, as I listened with my eyes closed, sounded awesome...a six-piece band, back-up singers, etc. But when I watched with my eyes open, there was a huge disconnect with what I heard and saw. With a few small changes in what they were doing, maybe some coaching, there would be a "connect" and they would be at a whole "other" level in their performance.

Then, one act, hung out the rest of the evening...trying to get people to notice them; that said they had no where else to be. I'd stick to a beverage, unless you have people there to talk to,...and then leave. It simply looks more professional.

Just little notes...hope they help.

[james lee stanley]

Sandy, Good points. Sticking around is something an act should do for even more reasons than you pointed out. Courtesy to the other acts, networking, and the fact is, you always learn something from watching someone perform.

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