It might be warm in the northern hemisphere but its not warm in NZ right now.
Anyway to the gig report:
It wasn't a major gig by any means; it was a blackboard concert which I had decided that I would play. My part in the proceedings consisted of 2 songs. Normally at these gigs I tend to play my own songs but this time I decided to break with tradition and play someone else's songs.
In my opinion GuitarNoises' own, MarvelousOptimist, is an extraordinary songwriter so I hope he doesn't mind that I played my version of his “Doorbell†song last night.
http://forums.guitarnoise.com/viewtopic.php?t=31427 &
For me “Doorbell†is a beautiful and sensitive song and one of my favourites, I hope I did it justice. The other song that I intended playing was “Folsom Prison Blues†by Johnny Cash. I have been practicing this song for about four weeks now and have pretty much nailed the singing and 90% of the guitar, but for the life of me I just can't get B7. I can if I'm sitting down and looking but standing up in a live performance I wasn't comfortable enough to play it, so maybe some other time. I decided to play my own song “Lost Boys†instead
http://forums.guitarnoise.com/viewtopic.php?t=19323 &
I haven't recorded “Lost Boys†yet and this was the first time it has ever been played outside of my living room.
Its funny how sometimes I can get up there and have no problems, but this time I felt a little nervous, I think it was because I wasn't playing my own song first up and I really wanted to do it well, and also there was someone videoing the concert, so I was aware that there would always be a record of any screw up that I made. Oh well I think it went ok, there were a couple of places where I think my voice was a bit weak but all in all I think it was fine. I'll have to track down the video and have a look.
Cheers
Paul
Way to go Paul, a gig is a gig. :wink:
Have you tried the barred version of B7?
Barre B7 at 2nd fret
e—-2i------
b—-4p------
g—-2i------
d—-4r------
a—-2i------
e—(2)i-----
Note in parenthesis is optional
And there is another form you might find even easier. It is a partial form:
e—-X------
b—-4p-----
g—-X------
d—-4r-----
a—-2i-----
e—--------
i= index finger
r= ring finger
p= pinky finger
X= muted string
With this form no barre is necessary. Let your ring finger drape over the G string slightly, muting it, and let your pinky drape over the high E string muting it. So you hold the 3 notes with your fingertips, very easy to fret. And this chord sounds plenty full.
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
Glad to hear it went ok Paul,
Sorry about dobbing you in with the news thread :lol: :lol:
I'm sure what you describe as a screw up isn't as bad as you think , we are our worst critic { now where have I heard that before :lol: }
Something I don't think I could ever do is get on stage in front of strangers , friends and rellies yeah but strangers nooo
Congrats ,
Yet another Kiwi musician / singer
{ whens the Australian tour start ?}
Trev
Here is to you as good as you are
And here is to me as bad as I am
As good as you are and as bad as I am
I'm as good as you are as bad as I am
Glad to hear it went ok Paul,
Sorry about dobbing you in with the news thread :lol: :lol:
I'm sure what you describe as a screw up isn't as bad as you think , we are our worst critic { now where have I heard that before :lol: }
Something I don't think I could ever do is get on stage in front of strangers , friends and rellies yeah but strangers nooo
Congrats ,
Yet another Kiwi musician / singer
{ whens the Australian tour start ?}
Trev
Some Good points. Most of the time a minor screw up can easily go unnoticed.
As for playing in front of strangers I find it liberating to a point.
If I make a total fool of myself I never have to see them again.
Not true with friends and family.
Thanks for the report Paul
John
You know what they say, Paul. We are our own worst critic.
If you don't walk away with tomato stains on your clothing or near misses with beer bottles, you might be doing better than you thought. :D
Bish
"I play live as playing dead is harder than it sounds!"
Thanks guys,
Wes, I'll have a go at the barre chord option thanks. I would still like to perform that song so I'll just have to keep practicing.
John, yeah I know what you mean about family versus strangers I feel the same way.
If you don't walk away with tomato stains on your clothing or near misses with beer bottles, you might be doing better than you thought.
Bish, that reminds me of the "Blue Brothers" movie when they played Rawhide in the cage. Actually Rawhide is another fun song that id like to play sometime.
Trev, thanks mate, but Ive already done the Aussie Tour. Did you see (or have they screened yet) the Bert Bacharach Special on channel nine over there. If you look real hard youll see me in the studio audience in the VIP seats no less :D second row from the front. We got invited to make up the audience at the Sydney State Theatre and got to listen to Burt, Diesel and Leo Sayer amongst others. It was a really fun night.
cheers
Paul
Congrats, Paul!
It's great that you're playing out more and I wish you continued success. Every gig, no matter how small, is something to treasure as well as a chance to learn.
You mention that you thought your vocals were weak. Do you practice with a microphone? Most guitarists, especially those who fall into the "singer/songwriter" area usually don't and the microphone (just like the guitar) is something that requires practice. Case in point - when we just did the Riverside Jam, people were coming up and telling me that they couldn't hear some of the vocals, so I'd go up to the microphone in question and sing into it and it would be working fine. Some of our singers were simply "mike-shy," and you really want to know what you're doing with one.
The last open mike I visited, many of the singers had the microphone pointed at their chins :wink: And many guitarists spend a lot of time looking at their fretting hands, which doesn't allow them to address the microphone with authority.
Even if you're just going through a guitar amp, it doesn't hurt to use one simply to get used to how you want to be when you're singing. You'll be surprised at the difference a little practice can make.
Looking forward to the next report.
Peace
Good point on the microphone David. When I first started performing, I remember my friend Michael saying "turn up the mike, she sings like a girl." Last gig I had, Michaels advise was to practice moving back and away from the mike since I was really belting out some of the tunes and I was too close! Its practice, practice, practice. Also being able to hear yourself in a monitor really helps alot.
Falling in love is like learning to play the guitar; first you learn to follow the rules, then you learn to play with your heart.
Thanks David & Kathy
yes I think microphone protocol, in fact the whole audience performer interaction is definitely something that I will need to as Kathy says, practice practice practice.
Paul
