The number one way to increase the amount of practice time on your instrument that you can do right now!

I’ll bet you cannot guess what it is. It is so simple as to be ridiculous. Keep your instrument out of the case and available at all times. I keep my guitars on stands and I find that every time I have a stray thought or musical question I can easily reach over and pick up my instrument and use it, if only for a few minutes. If the guitar is in the case, in the closet and I have to go and get it,  I will be less inclined to do so.

How Keeping Your Guitar in the Case
can actually Help your Practice

Conversely, if I want to concentrate on only electric guitar or only classical; I will put all guitars away except for the one I want to focus on. Last week I put away my classical and electric and I have focused on only the acoustic steel string by default.

So do whatever you can, place your instrument on a stand, hanging on a wall or any way you can keep it close at hand. You will play more I guarantee it!

Stage Fright

Stage fright is nothing more than a fear of being humiliated in front of many people. This is a very common thing for most people.Public speaking is a gift that many people believe they were born without. Some people can deliver with ease and some people have to work hard in order to manage stage fright. Some of the most famous people in the world have been terrified of being onstage. Famous singer Barbara Streisand spent years in horror trying to deal with her own stage fright and still deals with it today.

There is nothing that you can not do when you train your mind to understand why it happens and learn how best to deal with the problem. You can learn to manage stage fright and its various complications. Most people will feel a bit of stage fright when they appear in front of any audience for the first time. There are always adjustments that need to be made when you are performing in front of people, especially those that you do not know. One must learn to train their mind to not think about the crowd being in front of you. This can be something very difficult, especially for the very young performer but in time you will learn to interact with the crowd without losing the concentration that you so badly need to perform like this.

Do I look at the Audience?

One of the best tips to manage stage fright is to not maintain any kind of eye contact with the crowd. This is something that will change over time as you begin to feel comfortable with your abilities and can look people in the eye as you perform. To do this you need to pick an object or area out and above the heads of the audience and continue to look at that point while you are performing. This gives the audience the impression that you are looking at them when you are really looking over them to avoid stage fright.

Start with an easy song

Start you performance with a piece that is relatively easy and you can do without thinking about it. Something that is in your vocal range and you do not have to worry about forgetting a part of it or making mistakes or missing a high note. Save the hard stuff for later when you are warmed up and comfortable.. This will allow you to manage stage fright by getting the first piece out of the way, so to speak and gain some calmness in your demeanor. If the audience reacts favorably, you will feel much better about yourself and can go on with increased confidence. Build upon small successes to manage stage fright.

Was I Born to Perform?

Some say that people were never meant to perform in front of others. While this may or may not be true but all of us feel the need to gain approval from others and this is why stage fright is such a demon. Learn how to manage stage fright and you will enjoy performing all the more.

If you are going to play at a show, or play for a family member, or whatever the case may be, if you want to be good you must have confidence. How do you do this? One of the best methods that worked for me in my music career is a pattern of thinking that I like to call, “The stage is yours.” When you play for someone, whether you’re playing for 3 people or 300 people, you have to remember one thing.

how to sing

They are there for one reason, and that reason is to see you. You already have your fanfare; because they are sitting down to listen to you. The stage is yours. You have every right to use it which ever way you want to, in order to give them what they came for.   Being timid about your ability is natural, but needs to stop at some point.

If you think that your not a musician because you only know five chords, then remember this; You know five more chords than almost any body else around you. You will never get better, if you don’t think you’re good to begin with. When you perform, give your music attitude that will leave your audience starving for more. Don’t be shy, because this is extremely noticeable to the people on the outside watching you.

While learning to be confident be sure that you don’t become over confident. This is also extremely important. Nobody likes an arrogant performer that is full of themselves, as it is unappealing. Acknowledge your skill, but don’t try to rub it in. You will make people angry, and no one will listen to the music, because they don’t respect the artist.

There is a fine line between being humble, and being cocky, and you don’t want to find yourself on the wrong side of the fence.

So when you get ready to perform, tell yourself the stage is yours, I’m going to show them who I am, and when I’m finished, more people will know my name. Remember that the audience isn’t there to judge you; they are there to enjoy you. If you don’t take yourself seriously, no one else will.

Suggestions for learning the music

Marching Band

Look for any patterns in the beginning, middle and ending sections. When looked at in this way, the time for memorizing is less. The parts in band are often played by more than one instrument. Listen to what the others are playing if you get lost. Do not try to learn the music as a whole all at once. Play a phrase with the music and then try to repeat what you just played without the music. After memorizing the first phrase, connect it to the next by repeating the process.

The ultimate challenge of memory and co-ordination

You can be proud of your accomplishments in marching band after you learn the basics. Quick tips for memorizing are as follows:

If it is possible, work on the music first and then begin to incorporate the marching afterward.

Divide the music into its component bite-sized chunks so it is simpler to work with.

Look for sections that repeat.

Parts are often played by other instruments also. Listen to the other parts if you get lost.

Choosing an instrument may be hard if this is your first exposure to music. This could be a good time to try an instrument and see if you like it.

This is a difficult skill to learn and is not much understood or appreciated. The ability to listen and be responsive  is paramount is this style of singing. You have to begin and end the phrase exactly as the main singer does, you must breathe as they do. It may well be good to think of yourself as the singers shadow, never noticed but always present.

Hopefully you have some input or control over where you sit or stand on stage. See to it that you can see the singer at all times. If you cannot see the face of the singer your job will be difficult indeed. You must watch the main singer always. If you are watching the singer you can see when they make a mistake or intentionally take another repeat etc. Watch the singer intently and always be on the lookout for a simple nod of the head or gesture that may indicate a repeat or change of course.

Learn to blend your phrasing to the will of the singer. You can start your line just behind the singers melody if you want to blend properly. Sometimes you are not sure of how loud the singer will be so start quietly and gradually come up to the proper level after the line develops. Be very aware of consonants at the beginning of a line and try to not emphasize them. Two consonants sung slightly after each other will sound disagreeable and is largely avoidable.

The end of melodies are just as necessary as the beginning. You can avoid embarrassment to yourself if you only will ease off your phrase as the singer comes to the end of theirs. So learn to blend phrases, listen and watch the main singer and you can be a backup singer every band wants to hire.