Performance Technique Workshop

notes and observations by Doug Clegg <CleggYolk@aol.com>

Know Thyself (at least, know the material you will present). You have to know it as well as "Happy Birthday."
Don't overeat before the gig. The food will occupy too much room and rob you of much-needed air capacity.
You've earned this gig. Be at home with it.
PRACTICE.
Don't take a nap! It puts your voice to sleep, and you'll never get it back in time for the gig.

Stretch, walk, or otherwise get your body loose.
Use your diaphragm to breathe. Breathing actually causes you to relax, and you need to get in control of your breath to sing well. So spend a few minutes doing some deep breaths.
Tune your instruments, and warm up your voice. It does no good to go around talking needlessly...it scatters the energy that you now need to begin focusing. Do some singing.
You've come a long way to get to this point. Even on a bad night you still sound pretty damn good, so don't fret about how your performance will be. Nervousness begets nervousness.
Do a good sound check. You really need to be satisfied with your sound, and you have to be able to hear yourself well. One of the biggest distractions while you're onstage is sound you're not comfortable with. Get to know the sound person, and make sure that he/she knows what you want on stage. Show the engineer your dynamic range during the sound check, get the levels set, and try to keep them consistent throughout the performance.

Watch your tempo. Breathe.
Set order: Deliver the songs in an order that enhances each piece; i.e., songs of like groove, style, key, etc. should be carefully arranged so as not to all come together in the set.
Songs that share common ideas can be grouped up to 2 or 3.
- Within such a mini-set use good sense as to what the material is, how much the audience can take of the topic. Vary the tempo, as in a full set.
- Above all, the opening song should be
  - strong
  - indicative of your stuff
  - very well-known (by you)
  - something that a wide range of folks will connect with.
  - something you can shake loose with, nerves-wise
Move your body. Nothing conveys nervousness more than a tense body, and moving also loosens up your breathing.
Perform with conviction. The audience wants to love you, so let them. Don't be afraid of the crowd.
Use good mic technique. Don't swallow the mic, and don't pull away too far -- your voice will thin out. Don't pop your "ps," and make sure you move in and out according to your dynamics.
Watch yourself perform, and see how well you're doing. If you need to, recreate a familiar, comfortable environment (the proverbial shower).
Don't say stupid things. If you haven't anything worth saying, let the music speak.
The audience is a whole. Keep this in mind as you perform. They become of one mind as you take them places.

If you get nervous, your left-brain usually takes over. Music is a right-brain function. Listen to the sounds of the music. Nothing will bring you back to the song, and the right-brain (which is the part that knows all the words and chords), more quickly than listening to yourself play.
It comes down to focusing your mind. Get control of your mind. You're much better off focusing on the music than on being nervous, which just feeds itself. Think of it this way: if you have butterflies, try to get them flying in formation.
It's not a matter of not being nervous, but of how to perform well whether or not you're nervous.
If you have trouble getting an instrument in tune on stage, use a tuner.