public playing! yikes

i was invited by a local guitarist to play and sing with or without him next time he is playing in the area. not ready for this at all, trust me. just nice to have him ask but wondering if i will ever feel at a level i can do something like this. just sharing my thoughts is all. thanks

That's awesome!!! Trust me, you will never feel totally ready to perform in front of an audience. It is an incredible experience though! You just need to go out and do it!

For your first experience, you want to set yourself up for success, so performing in front of a sympathetic audience, such as an open mic, is a great way to start.

In the last year, I played in a band at a couple of open mics and for the first time ever improvised a guitar solo in front of an audience. I was about the most stressful thing I've ever done, but it was an INCREDIBLE experience. Now I'm trying to find a way to keep playing in a band and getting in front of an audience. It's addictive I tell you...

Originally Posted by: maggiorTrust me, you will never feel totally ready to perform in front of an audience.

And that's the facts Jack!

A week ago, I was asked to fill in for a few songs (4) on bass and I did not, at all, know these songs. I had a few days to learn them. I just drilled them until I had them in my head/hands.

When it came time to play publicly, it went just fine. I made a mistake or two and the guitar player messed up once and threw the groove off for a sec.

No one noticed any of that. Just us.

That's the key. Play and keep on playing. If you just gloss by it, pretty much no one will notice. It's not the error but the recovery.