when i'm playing lead breaks live, everything i know, i forget

[ericguitar]

I don't know what it is but when i'm playing live, so many things I've learned i forget. I've practiced countless hours on pick harmonics, legato, trills, alternate picking, fluidity in general. When i'm playing a lead break at a gig though, I seem to forget all of that and I think too much and sound too choppy. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I was thinking about writing some stuff on an index card and just putting it on my amp.

[R0ry]

Just don't think. Let yourself flow...

For starters, grab a CD, pop it in and just wank all over it. Don't think about things like 'lets try a PH here' or the like, just go with the flow, throwing the harmonics and such in where they sound good. That's how I got to the point where my live playing gained some fluidity. Now, I throw pinch harmonics and legato phrases around without even thinking...it's like second nature.

Overall, I think you just need to sit down and actually play, as opposed to doing exercises and concentrating on certain aspects. There's nothing wrong with just doing exercises, but you'll sound like a robot if that's all you do.

Hope this helps...

[335clone]

Well, they say to learn your theory, then forget it and just play. I have a similar problem, where I practice a song and have a good feel for it, but when it comes to playing it with others, I'll forget what position I was in, the progression, whatever. I just think it's inexperience playing live, and being nervous (for me).

[thamiam]

Rafi Zabor is a drummer who wrote one of the best novels about music ever, called "The Bear Comes Home"

In it, he says that there are three types of chops (mastery of a skill set):
Practice Chops - Playing anything you want at home, playing by yourself or with a CD

Gig Chops - Playing in a live situation, with people of all different skill levels.

Road Chops - Playing night after night mostly the same material and being able to keep your inspiration up.

You learn them in order, and when you move on from practice chops to gig chops, it takes almost as much time to develop your gig chops to a high level as it did your pratice chops. Same thing when you move up to road chops.

Pretty much every musician goes through the process. If you are great in practice but not so good on a gig, consider it an achievement. It's like advancing to the next round in a tournament.

[StratKat]

This is what i call the 50% rule.....

And it persists in my skills to this day.

Take anyone who knows anything about guitar. Their skills in playing dont matter. Then put them up on a stage in front of people (we are theorizing they havent played in front of poeple much if at all).

Anyone who has adrenaline in their system loses some fine motor skills and the ability to think with regards to fine tuning your abilities. Its called the "Fight or Flight" mentality where your body is preparing for whatever is scaring it. You tend to focus too hard on singular things rather than allowing your mind to flw freely and generate new ideas.

Put this mentality in a person who has a little bit of stage fright and its devastating to them.

Whatever i can play at home its cut about 50% when i step up on a stage. UNTIL that is i get over the adrenaline rish which may take a half hour to an hour. Then i start remembering what was forgotten and start playing in a much more relaxed way.

In the Fight or Flight complex you l;ose some fine motor control in your fingers. That is why you seem clumsy at times when you try even harder to play well. The key isnt to fight the feeling, its to relax from the feeling as much as you can. And in the same vien of thought, i tend to purposely not play difficult songs when jamming for the first three or four until i get alot of the adrenaline out of my system. This allows me to play within my current limitations and ability until i get over them.

As time goes on and the stage fright thing leaves ya forever it takes less and less time to get over it. Eventually the fright thing is gone completely and it just takes a song or two to loosen up and go. Its all just part of giggin'.

[StratKat]

The reason i say it still affects me to this day is that after years of gigging and not having this tendancy i now only gig off and on in rare jams. So as ive stepped off the stage more and more, and play less and less, its come back.

But its temporary.

After playing out a few weeks in a regular setting it goes bye-bye and its just biz as usual.

There are a couple things you can do to help alleviate the condition.

1- Play for an hour straight before heading out to jam.

2- Play in this hour standing up with a strap.

3- Visualize the audience and the nervousness you will feel (which is just anxiety) and work through it by relaxing when the felling hits.

4- Remember that the key to a good performance is being relaxed, not tense. So if you hands start cramping, or your eyes wont focus, or your fingers dont hit the right notes at speed, or you get the cold clamy or sweaty hands, then relax, relax, relax, relax.....

All the last things i mentioned come from fighting the feeling, not letting it subside.

Hope this helps!

[ericguitar]

Originally posted by StratKat The reason i say it still affects me to this day is that after years of gigging and not having this tendancy i now only gig off and on in rare jams. So as ive stepped off the stage more and more, and play less and less, its come back. But its temporary. After playing out a few weeks in a regular setting it goes bye-bye and its just biz as usual. There are a couple things you can do to help alleviate the condition. 1- Play for an hour straight before heading out to jam. 2- Play in this hour standing up with a strap. 3- Visualize the audience and the nervousness you will feel (which is just anxiety) and work through it by relaxing when the felling hits. 4- Remember that the key to a good performance is being relaxed, not tense. So if you hands start cramping, or your eyes wont focus, or your fingers dont hit the right notes at speed, or you get the cold clamy or sweaty hands, then relax, relax, relax, relax..... All the last things i mentioned come from fighting the feeling, not letting it subside. Hope this helps!

 

 

Stratkat, excellent points! My God i didn't even think of that. I've been thinking about my playing live getting worse, especially since i haven't been in a gigging band for about 2 1/2 years. The thing is, when I play live now, it's at open mic and i only get anywhere between 3-5 songs. In that period, there are times I really want to rip but as you said, the adrenaline tends to make me a little clumsy, and i do get a little stagefright, especially the first couple songs and especially when someone looks at me. I guess i just have to understand and accept this phenomenon until I get into a gigging band again that does 2 1/2 hour sets. I like your suggestion about keeping it simple. I've always been one to complicate things. I sometimes get caught up in the whole "I have to be better than the cocky guitarist" bit and then I just get more nervous. I'm just going to try and remember to keep the songs simple when i go to open jam and just not worry about superficial junk. Thanks.

[StratKat]

Glad i could help!

I learned years ago when i go to a jam not to try and compete with other players for whos the hot player. I was always trying to make a point when jamming about how good i was. After i stopped that crap and just said to myself "Rob, just play what ya can and if they like it fine, if not who cares. Have some fun and laugh a lil." I found that things were alot easier to play. The competition thing arises from us wanting to be better than others at jams to feel legitimate. But the truth is, that we are all legit regardless of our skill level. Be yourself and have some fun!