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stage presence.. (cool stuff to do on stage?)

sixstringshredda
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sixstringshredda
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08/12/2001 3:38 am
ok..
i had a really big concert today... we blew em away.. but i still think our stage presence could be better.. does anybody know any kewl tricks that look flashy onstage..
i saw one guy once, flip his guitar underneath his right arm and bring it around over his left shoulder and catch it.. ive been trying to do somethin like that.. but its hard..

oh well

let me know what you think
the prettiest white daisies
soaking up the red...
she always loved daisies;
but they look more like roses now...
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# 1
Purikah
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Purikah
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08/12/2001 10:19 am
I wouldnt suggest spinning your guitar unless youre capping the straps onto your guitar. And even then u should make sure u have plenty of room. Back flips r always good but i spose its hard to play when doing one. hmmmmm
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# 2
sixstringshredda
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sixstringshredda
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08/12/2001 7:09 pm
guitar straps are capped... now come on people.. you gotta have some advice on making stage presence better.. any ideas to work other members of the band into the action. coordination? come on...
the prettiest white daisies
soaking up the red...
she always loved daisies;
but they look more like roses now...
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# 3
skee1
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skee1
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08/13/2001 4:47 am
I Don't think you need to do back flips,
to to have good stage presence.
Just have the band move a little and look like your,
all really getting into it.
Which really you should be rock'n out anyway.
if your bands any good you should'nt have,
to peform a circus act.

Mark

[Edited by skee1 on 08-13-2001 at 01:24 AM]
yours truly Mark Toman
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# 4
Hootayah
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Hootayah
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08/13/2001 5:43 am
Play a lead solo and solve a rubics cube at the same time.
That'll impress em. :)
Hey you kids! Get outta that Jello tree!! :mad:
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# 5
Barreta_jetstream1
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Barreta_jetstream1
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08/13/2001 6:48 pm
learn to play a solo behind your head. seriously!! i did it once to cap off a Hey Joe final song and u could here the jaws droping at the back of the room. 3 pieces of advice though:-

1. Cheack the crling height behore hand, in pubs theg can get pretty low
2. Only play high up, around the 12 fret (ideal for Hey Joe in E). try it and u'll find out y
3. Practice!! u'll look a right dork if u mess it up
Tandem Felix
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# 6
Joseph
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Joseph
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08/14/2001 4:02 am
Originally posted by skee1
I Don't think you need to do back flips,
to to have good stage presence.


True. A lot of people too much about their stage presence to the point where their music suffers as a result. If you're not recieving the right reaction from your audience, perhaps it has more to do with their material instead of how much times you jump up up and down. It's been a while since I've been on stage, but I'm just not5 the type of person who can stand still, I like to move around alot, where I keep walkin from one side to the next intil I find my sweet spot. And I then I keep moving again. I've always found that it helps to talk very natural with the audience, as if they're your long lost friends. Because you have to find a way to feel comfortable with all of these people to play at your very best.

-Joseph
www.ragmagazine.com
"Swoop and soar like the blues angels."
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# 7
sixstringshredda
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sixstringshredda
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08/14/2001 4:27 am
we dont jump around to the point where the music suffers, we're not punk (thank god).the material is fine.. we get a great response from the crowd.. i just wanna know any kewl ideas to make us looked coordinated.. so we're not doing our own thing.

thanks..

ps.. i would never let the music suffer for stage presence
thats a big NONO in my book.

tony
the prettiest white daisies
soaking up the red...
she always loved daisies;
but they look more like roses now...
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# 8
hendrix_jimi
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hendrix_jimi
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08/14/2001 3:07 pm
i think that sometimes the music suffers because of a lack of stage presence. i saw b.b. king live just a few years ago, and he now plays sitting in a chair. the music was alright, but it lacked a certain energy or passion that i was able to catch even off a t.v. recording of one of his earlier concerts.

or, for example, take pink floyd. currently my favourite band, but the reason for their fantastic light shows is because none of them does anything interesting while they play.

my personal feeling is that, if you're going to play live, you should have a good stage act, or else why not just buy the cd?
excuse me, but i must kiss the sky
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# 9
sixstringshredda
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sixstringshredda
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08/14/2001 10:16 pm
for once someone agrees, thank you jimi.. take tool for instance.. they have no stage presence whatsoever, but they have amazing lights and graphic projections..

now say you can play the music flawles AND incorporate and act into it. wouldnt that be something to aim for? in the studio we are musicians, on stage we must play the entertainer, otherwise, like jimi said, the audience may as well buy the cd.

now come on people, i turn to this forum all the time for advice and i even put my two cents in every now and then, but lets get this topic big, whether some of you want to admit it or not, stage prescence is a big part of a performance.

i wanna create a list of kewl things do on stage (stage prescence ideas!) and lets associate acts and actions with a style of music..

lets get a huge list going..

shredda
the prettiest white daisies
soaking up the red...
she always loved daisies;
but they look more like roses now...
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# 10
Joseph
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Joseph
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08/15/2001 1:55 am
Originally posted by hendrix_jimi


my personal feeling is that, if you're going to play live, you should have a good stage act, or else why not just buy the cd?


Yeah, but sometimes the music does speak for itself. Personally, I would much rather see move movement on stasge in most cases, because yeah it does tend to get boring after a while when a band stands in the same position throughout every show. But, you see it's important for a bnd to feel comfortable on stage, and everyone just doesn't care to bother with finding the perfect stage presence. This doesn't mean that they aren't serious with their shows, it just shows us that they would rather pay attention to their music and communicating with their audience through casual conversation.

-Joseph
www.ragmagazine.com
"Swoop and soar like the blues angels."
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# 11
sixstringshredda
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sixstringshredda
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08/15/2001 6:16 am
come on guys lets rock this topic.

1. Punk (stage presence is easy; look like a jackass)
a)Jump into the air when switching to distortion or a different part of a song {this can be coordinated with the rest of the band too, guitarist, and bass}
b)Wear assortments of ridiculous clothing that have nothing to do with your music.
c)Pretend like your singing out of key (oh no wait, thats just the music)
2. Metal
a)Grow long hair, it looks good when head banging.
b)Stagger around stage at the end of a song like you're dying.
c)Wear your guitar around your knees so you can bend over like a hunch-back (I DONT recommend this)
3. Rock
a)Throw a leg up on a monitor and tilt your head back when doing a thrashing lead.
b)Lift guitar into air as playing an ascending lick..

help me add to it folks...

the prettiest white daisies
soaking up the red...
she always loved daisies;
but they look more like roses now...
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# 12
skee1
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skee1
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08/15/2001 4:17 pm
I've heard alot of bad sounding bands in all styles,
of music that could'nt play for shi* but they had a,
good mc.
Also i,ve heard a few that all they had was a lot of movement on stage but sucked on thier music playing.
BUT the people loved them.
I really think if your band looks like zombies on stage,
plus do'nt act like thier injoying what thier doing they,
will bomb.

Mark
P:s i;ve learnd thro the years even if your band is good,
or sounds good you have to also talk to the people,plus
move around a little.

[Edited by skee1 on 08-15-2001 at 12:24 PM]
yours truly Mark Toman
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# 13
hendrix_jimi
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hendrix_jimi
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08/15/2001 4:51 pm
Originally posted by sixstringshredda
come on guys lets rock this topic.

1. Punk (stage presence is easy; look like a jackass)
a)Jump into the air when switching to distortion or a different part of a song {this can be coordinated with the rest of the band too, guitarist, and bass}
b)Wear assortments of ridiculous clothing that have nothing to do with your music.
c)Pretend like your singing out of key (oh no wait, thats just the music)
2. Metal
a)Grow long hair, it looks good when head banging.
b)Stagger around stage at the end of a song like you're dying.
c)Wear your guitar around your knees so you can bend over like a hunch-back (I DONT recommend this)
3. Rock
a)Throw a leg up on a monitor and tilt your head back when doing a thrashing lead.
b)Lift guitar into air as playing an ascending lick..

help me add to it folks...


lol! the reason your list is so funny is because it's all true!
excuse me, but i must kiss the sky
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# 14
Raskolnikov
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Raskolnikov
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08/15/2001 11:01 pm
My usual stage thing involves some jumping in place, some moving with the music, and when I have my wireless... a lot of running around like a mad man. If a place has two doors I'll go out the back/side door and in the front while still playing a song.

As for stage presance in general:
The best show I've ever seen is Ben Harper, and he sits most of the show. Clutch is awesome, but they only people you see move a lot are the singer and the drummer. Primus rocks, but Ler doesn't move much. On the other hand, Les is either doing a "mad jig" or marching in a circle (when not singing). Brain is a really animated drummer, but drummers don't get quite so much attention. Anyway, do whatever works for your band.
Raskolnikov
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# 15
sixstringshredda
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sixstringshredda
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08/16/2001 5:13 am
finally we're getting some feedback here...
now, lets talk about building the audience up. what do you guys think is the most EFFECTIVE way to get the audience up and into the music? hand motions? saying something while the song is building up to a climax, whats your opinions?

thanks

tony

p.s. btw, how are those wireless systems? are the rumors true? do they cut some tone out of ur sound?
the prettiest white daisies
soaking up the red...
she always loved daisies;
but they look more like roses now...
Permalink
# 16
Joseph
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Joseph
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08/16/2001 6:36 pm
Anyone who has ever seen Soundgarden on stage, well you guys have noticed how this guy just stood in one position throughout the entire show. But it was almost as if he was mesmerized with his instrument, and that made him interesting to watch. With stage presence it shouldn't matter if you have fround the perfect position to attract your audiences attention, what truly matters is if you're comfortable, which expresses great confidence in yourself and your playing. And people notice that...

-Joseph
www.ragmagazine.com
"Swoop and soar like the blues angels."
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# 17
Zeppelin
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Zeppelin
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08/17/2001 12:42 pm
you can burn your guitar, or throw it into the amp, if you are rich enough to buy a new one after every show..
but seriously the most important thing is dont try to do "cool" things, if you are not sure they look cool, and dont put them in places they wont fit.. for example: a band from my town was playing in some club one day and their guitarist played the guitar behind his back.. now this is cool, only if you have a good powerfull solo, in his case he didnt have one so it just looked odd.
in my opinion the best is to move around like jimmy page did, he always looked cool on the scene, even if he wasnt jumping or something like that, his moves still were cool
"They think im crazy..
but i know better.
It is not I who am crazy.
It is I who am mad.."

ren hoek
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# 18
Bardsley
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Bardsley
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08/18/2001 6:23 am
And playing the guitar with your teeth never seems to work when playing "The Boxer", I've don't know why....
"Dozens of people spontaneously combust each year, it's just not that widely reported".
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# 19
Hootayah
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Hootayah
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08/18/2001 11:43 am
I gave up trying to 'move around' a long time ago. I've always had people tell me stuff like 'you weren't moving around very much'
I remember one time I got so sick of it that I went nuts onstage, jumping around and sweating my butt off. Sure enough after the show some guy comes up to me and says 'you weren't moving around very much' and I just about hit him.
As long as the music is good and I'm getting into it, that's all I care about now.
Hey you kids! Get outta that Jello tree!! :mad:
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# 20

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