Performing

try "every rose has it's thorn" or "knockin on heaven's door" or something with less chords and a slower progression. dhodge has alot of good articles and songs to get you going along... as for stage fright... eveyone gets it at first...you just have to remember that you're just a guy with your guitar playin a few songs... and it'll all turn out

those songs you named are tougher for a beginner than they should be...
but im sure you can get em in 6 months...

good luck

Anything that you can just whack out on an accoustic will be fine - stuff by the Eagles or the Beatles is a great starting point.

Best,

A :-)

Playing songs that you are most familiar with will undoubtedly make it easier when playing in front of people, but I think the only way to get used to it is to do it.

I'm still really not ready to perform, but nonetheless I committed myself to playing at my little girl's wedding about 8 months ago in front of about 150 people. I had fooled around with the guitar a bit on my own for several months and had only taken lessons for about 2 months before the wedding. I had hired my instructor's band to play at the wedding and he and I had been working solely on learning the song I was to play.

I can honestly say that I have no idea how good or bad I was - I could not hear myself sing or play. My teacher was pleased with my performance and everyone who came up to me afterward was complimentary, but that's all I have to go on. Despite that, my first public performance is behind me and I'm looking forward to the next.

What kinda music do you think the group of people listen to?
If many of them are in their early twenties or teens, I would suggest a song like Wonderwall by Oasis, simply because a lot of people know it.

I'm already nervous and it's 6 months away.

This sounds to me like you already have a certain event planned.

How many here were in the Boy Scouts? I was. And I have never forgotten the Boy Scout motto "BE PREPARED". That motto has helped me many times.

And this is your answer. Be prepared. You have 6 months. Start a notebook today. Start with simple 3 and 4 chord songs that are easy for you to play. If this young lady is going to sing, try to find songs that she can sing well naturally. If she has a little difficulty with a song, try playing it in a different key. Songs that you do not play or sing well discard.

If you are going to play at a party or around a campfire, songs a crowd can participate in are great. Everyone loves Mustang Sally because they get to sing "Ride Sally Ride!". Crowds love this kind of stuff. Or Hey Jude would be good. You can get the whole crowd singing "Na Na Na NaNaNa Na, NaNaNa Na, Hey Jude!". Seriously, people love this stuff. Or even corny songs like "Row, Row, Row, Your Boat" that people can sing in a round.

You can play most any kind of song, but I would try to pick very popular well known songs that the crowd is likely to know.

But start now while you have time. Try to schedule at least one good practice per week 2-3 hours minimum. Get your songs down. This is the key to confidence.

"Be Prepared" 8)

I would get a a few songs under my belt and start playing in front of an audience right away. If only for family members at first.

The more you do it, the more comfortable and confident you'll begin to feel. You'll learn techniques to overcome and "hide" your nervousness until you overcome it.

The jitters will be there initially. One technique I used to overcome the jitters was to have the initial song be a song where I play all barre chords. The pressure of holding the chord helped to stabilize my hand and defeat the shakes. I felt more comfortable with barre chords...maybe open will do for you. The pressure is what I focused on and barre chords seemed to work best for me. A funny thing happens within that first song...when you get into it, the nervousness tends to subside.

Like the jitters before a game. Once you take that first hit/shoot that first shot, you're generally ok.

ahhh jrock your gonna love this...there is a site called Paltalk.com http://www.paltalk.com it is a live real time voice chat site ...if you have a mic and a guitar you can play and sing to a bunch of other people while hiding in your own room in your underwear if ya want ....i honed my performing skills on the internet since 1997with varoius other chat sites ..ive been at paltalk since 2000 ..it is by far the best one ...we have an entire live community there ..we gather in rooms and play for eachother ...people from all over the world meet there ... we even meet all over the states for live jams though out the year ..there is also one in canada...you can come there and play all you want ...the community is very supportive and there are a great mix of musicians...all levels of play and all styles of music...i know that there is another forum to post sites and i will post this one there also but i wanted to invite you personally to come meet us . go to http://www.paltalk.com and sign up for a free account ...when you have signed up ...in your main paltalk window go to the pals tab and search for a pal ...my nick is Pitney ... add that nick and send me a private message and ill intro you to the live players there...you will love this venue to pratice in front of people and never leave your house .lol ... its a great place to pratice...hope to see you there ..of course all of you guys are welcome to join us ....you can also find the LIVE players by going to the groups tab...at the bottom turn off the adult filter so u can see the A and R rated rooms ...most live rooms are A rated...but they are all about the music not a pick up place...look for the room that promote "LIVE" music you will find us :-)

hope to see ya there
joyce aka Pitney

Acoustic guitar can be very versatile.

Sure you could learn a few songs to show off if you want to. But then again nobody is going to expect you to play every song someone asks for like the recording. Playing the chords or whatever patterns you want clearly and accurately will for the most part do for campfires I assume.

Sure there are some people who even without really knowing a song, jsut the chords, can play in a very exciting way, adding their own fills and added harmony etc. But I'm sure nobody woudl expect that from someone who's been playing less than a year. I first picked up a guitar well over a year ago and I certainly can't do this.

As for a song you can learn, try anythinh by Neil Young. My sugestion: my favourite album, After the Goldrush. Specifically the first track, Tell Me Why.

I'm trying to learn songs like " Give a Little Bit " and " American Pie ".

If these are the type of songs the people you'll be playing for like, check out the easy song lessons here at this site. "Horse with no name" fits right in with these and so do some of the other songs in the easy song lessons. Practice the songs until you know them and can play them at 110%, then you'll play them at 100% in front of an audience. When you do play don't worry about mistakes, if you make one just play through it. Most likely no one will notice.

I'm just starting to play in front of people (after having picked up the guitar last April). I have found "Margaritaville" to be a good sing-a-long crowd pleaser. They all love to go "Salt! Salt! Salt!" during the chorus. It's a pretty easy song, too, only four chords.

Look in the easy Songs for Beginners for it. there David teaches a picking style but you could just strum it as well, especially for a sing-a-long.

Here are some helpful articles:

https://www.guitarnoise.com/performance.php

-Laz

How many here were in the Boy Scouts? I was. And I have never forgotten the Boy Scout motto "BE PREPARED". That motto has helped me many times.

And this is your answer. Be prepared. You have 6 months.
"Be Prepared" 8)

(Wes consistently gives good advice!) 8)

Remember, J Rock, that your playing is a true gift to your listeners! A true gift is something that the recipient cannot obtain for him/herself. A true gift is not an expectation of perfection.

As Wes points out," Be Prepared."

I have played only a couple of times in front of good friends. viz. they have proven their good friendship by their generous compliments; and silence re: my imperfections.

A couple of David Hodge's, Easy Songs For Beginners will serve you well. May I suggest, "My My Hey Hey" and "Heart Of Gold"?

Later,
Ghost

(If you're going to Harrison Hot Springs, I'll probably be in the nearby campsite...!) :D

Yep. They're looking forward to having fun and are going to meet you more than halfway. You'll enjoy it.

Practicing with your singer is definitely the way to go, maybe even get someone to sit in along with you while practicing. If there iss someone there you'll mentally play your best, the key is to relax. Be Prepared is a great way of putting it. Don't let this campfire program be your first time playing in front of a few people. Start in your basement with you. your singer, maybe 2 or 3 friends, who don't neccesarily have to be going to your campfire. If they do though, they'll be amazed at how much you can improve with simpl practicing.

So, Be Prepared, and practice!

(Dust in the wind, although it seems terribly difficult, isn't. This shouldn't be one of your first songs to try though. It has quite a few chord changes, but because of the finger picking, you only use three strings. So if you do decide to tackle it, don't be scared, just take the time to memorize the changes. There are 12 chords, still, not a terribly difficult song. But be cautious)