Live Performance

Hi, guys!
I need some good tricks for live performance with my guitar, I didn't know where to put this topic, so I put it here.
Thx
Dan

Don't get drunk before hand, as it will be only you that thinks you play better under the influence!

Make whatever your doing look really difficult, even if its easy, because people will think your amazingly good.

Close your eyes during solos, if you can, and look like your really into it.

Here are some more things to think about. Most of it is common sense however……

Make friends with the guy doing your sound or bring your own.
Don’t play too loud on stage.

Don’t over run (play more than your allotted time slot), it will only pi*s people off back stage.

Make sure you are at the venue in plenty of time in order to make the best use of any sound checking time.

Don't arrive with lots of attitude, try to get on with people even if all you want to do is punch them ! They may be asking you to support them on tour in a year or two !

Network network, talk to as many people as you can !

Get a line tester, check out the ground on plug sockets, this can save your life !

Have a back up guitar strung with new strings tuned to pitch ready to go incase you bust a string on stage.

Invest 16 bucks in some strap locks

Don’t let your strings get old and rusty.

[Edited by Dr_simon on 08-26-2003 at 10:53 AM]

Strap Locks were the best investment I ever made. When I bought my LP I bought strap locks with it, now that I know how usefull they are.

I bought strap locks and they held up ;), the screw in my guitar didnt hehe, I agree very good investment.

What makes straplocks so great?

~Incidents

Well lets see now...your strap won't come off during your performance and in turn saves you the embarrassement of your strap coming off during your big solo, because we all know..if your strap is going to come off, it will be during the big solo.

Too true...too true. But I would also tell him to make sure he's as calm as he can be on stage. Shaky fingers=shaky playing. But good tricks? do you mean, like, that meedley thing that you can do by hammering on a string with both your right and left hand to produce that Van Halen "I am awesome" sound?

Must be a problem for those who move around alot; I don't run around like an asshole on stage (not that any of you do), and have never had a problem with the strap falling off. Basically, I look at it this way; "What are people noticing, my playing, or my moves?". If you're moving around so that it's your moves they remember and not your playing, you've failed as a musician. You've succeeded, however, as a choreographer. That's just how I see it, I know alot of you like to have fun on stage. That's fine.

~Incidents

harsh, Incidents, but I agree with you...however tactless your comment was.

My Les Paul has a habit of popping its strap even when I’m not moving round that much, well more than a double cut like a strat or something. Hence.... strap locks !

That makes sense, Dr. I play a Les Paul Double CutAway, with no strap problems; However, I now see what you mean. Thanks.

~Incidents

And by the way: how was my previous post 'harsh'? I'm not challenging you in any way, I'm just curious, because I didn't mean it to be in any way, shape, or form. I'm guessing the "Moving around like an asshole" part? It happens, I've found that an overwhelming majority of 'mobile' guitarists are somewhat egotistics, think they are badass/ cool / the best guitarist that ever lived, etc.
What I simply wanted to say was "You think you're great? Show me with the notes, not with your dance moves".

no, I'm not challenging you either, and I've found that generally, yes, it is only egotists who prance around like fairies instead of playing the instrument the crowd came for. And I know what you meant, I was just saying that maybe your word choice was a little harsh.

I liked it. I hate those "Yngwie" wanna-be's that run around the stage like, "Dude, I am so good, AND I CAN RUN WHILE PLAYING!!!" Who cares? Not me.

A little jumping during some heavy songs or some soulful grooving is nice though. No dancing around, or the latest trend, humping your guitar. That is just plain stupid.

If you conform to society's belief of "Electric Guitar Badasses", then guitar humping is a part of the list.

I've recently taken interest in a moderator position, but today it dawned on me; I'll never get it. Why? Because a small amount of the 30,000 members we have on GuitarTricks will cry their eyes out to Jon because I told them that they'll never make it as a musician by not practicing; Because I won't lie to them and say "You'll be fine, keep working at it:D!"; because I won't defend the dumbass GuitarTricks member who says we waste our time on here, in one post, and two minutes later asks us for help in improving his speed; because people cry and cry, say how harsh I am for stating my opinion, many times in occasions when opinions are asked; because when a member on the board gets pissed because he's not happy with the answers that came as results of his question, he'll take it out on those who posted replies, took time out of their own lives to help someone out to the best of their ability, and I'll say "Have respect for those who take the time to post on your thread." and I am the nasty one for saying so, for sticking up for these people; having not mentioned one name, or doing one name-calling, it's my tone that is the problem, my way of speaking. I ask this; is it my tone, or is it your interpretation? Any nasty remark can in reality be a clever, witty sarcastic comment, possibly with a forgotten "lol" symbol; it can also go the other way, but I am the one that is under Tone Watch, although I've yet to say any commonplace profanity-filled phrase, like some of you are already becoming known for. Had we the ability to speak to one another in place of message boards, you may find a different tune in place of what you may consider a cynical, hate-filled wreck. Obviously, I wouldn't be writing this if I didn't have a point, or at least an idea; I believe Jon is looking for sympathizers, and not human beings , for moderator jobs.

[u]I am no longer interested in the position.[/u]

Think what you will, say what you will; comment on how sharp my tone is, I'm pissed off.

~Incidents

That's too bad man. I think Jon was about to give it to you.

Maybe he was, maybe he wasn't. I thought about it, and I kept getting the impression that I was supposed to change, you know, that I could no longer participate in anything interesting, or so it seems.

I understand the moderator's viewpoint, not to bash, not to flame, make sure everyone is doing everything according to the rules, and basically help out; I can do that. What I can't do is fabricate to the board a false persona, a persona that says "Being a moderator takes a moderate person, therefore I am a moderate person!".

I'm not sure why I posted the above, exactly, other than the fact that I started thinking of it in political terms, or 'rockstar' terms, where the big-wig says "You can do this....But you have to change ______(insert anything)". Why not just be yourselves? I mean, I don't get it. Obviously, you can't rip on people as much, and I understand that, but changing traits is pointless. If the job isn't acceptable to the 1300+ post-stylings i've made, why will it suddenly become acceptable, just a few days later?

I think I'm alot nicer than I was a few weeks ago, when I was in the dumps, mentally, but after posting a message directed at nobody, I'm still thought of as harsh!

When I get this completely figured out, like 100% figured out, yeah, then maybe I'll gain interest again; I don't want to become moderator only to have people emailing Jon about me being "harsh", when I don't even realize it.

~Incidents

hmms....

so you want to critique peeps to help them (as you say), but you are not accepting any critique form others. a bit one sided, isnt it? however - jon is doing a good job here and he´s not looking for sympathizers - he´s looking for the right persons. most of us mods have agreed that your tone is too harsh sometimes and we told you. i know from personal experience how difficiult it is to host a website with that many hits per day - especially when it encapsulates the administration of a discussionboard.
there are peeps who come and whine about beeing a moderator or about this and that, and once you tell them that there is no need for new mods or that you think that he/she isnt the right person, they get all upset and start defending theirselves and sometimes they even start calling you names and tell you that your site is crap. thats when you know you have made the right decision.

[Edited by Azrael on 08-27-2003 at 05:48 AM]

Incidents, I think you are getting too heated about this moderator place. I mean I am with you here Guitartricks is not McDonalds, I think people should speak in a more straightforward manner. I think you should not give so much damn about this place. Enough of this I don't have anything to do with it but just thought to give some comment.

About the running onstge thing: I think that everybody should behave onstge as he feels because the audience understands whether you are faking all those funny movements and faces or not. Also I think that the sight of a band in which everybody is standing stiff and looking at their left hand, is somewhat boring. I personally cant help myself from moving and enjoying the music, although when I see the outcome on video I often would say"hmm, maybe I look as a dumbass here :D " but then I realize that I don't give a damn beacause it was all a natural reaction, not something I did in order to look like a kool rockstar or whatever.