Members tlbonehead Posted August 21, 2012 Members Share Posted August 21, 2012 Simple math.If you're among the very best or most popular ever in one skill or another you can afford to cut corners in other aspects of your performance.For those of us that are not? We don't really have that luxury.ahhh, so that is now considered to be cutting corners under the Guido Bible of Gigging? Brilliant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members steve mac Posted August 21, 2012 Members Share Posted August 21, 2012 I am not a big fan of watching folk perform with their eyes closed. I use the lazy M, lazy W method in that you start by looking at the near side left of stage and follow the path of a giant letter M then when you have got to the near side right of stage shift to far rIght and trace a giant letter W. done slowly it appears that you are taking in every person in the audience naturally and after a while you don't even have to think about doing it. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Steven S Posted August 21, 2012 Members Share Posted August 21, 2012 .Guitarists are always staring at their guitars while playing. That doesnt look good!Even experienced guitarists must look at the instrument (or their fingers) while changing chords. Why?? -It looks like they are beginners Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tlbonehead Posted August 21, 2012 Members Share Posted August 21, 2012 .Guitarists are always staring at their guitars while playing. That doesnt look good!Even experienced guitarists must look at the instrument (or their fingers) while changing chords. Why?? -It looks like they are beginnersthey do? What guitarists are you watching? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bob Dey Posted August 21, 2012 Members Share Posted August 21, 2012 For a laugh I sometimes get my face right up to the fretboard while playing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sologrrl Posted August 21, 2012 Members Share Posted August 21, 2012 I am an eyes closed girl when I'm focused or trying to recall lyrics if I don't have that particular song in my book. I try and flick between checking lyrics out of the corner of my eye and making eye contact with the people who chose to sit within 15-20 feet of me first, then sweep across the room just above peoples heads so it LOOKS like I'm making contact but I'm not, I'm trying to focus on timing, lyrics, tone, dynamic and reaction. I find that lately I also look down at the floor while I'm giving the guit-box the gears during big songs/everybody sing along kind of tunes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vito Corleone Posted August 21, 2012 Members Share Posted August 21, 2012 ahhh, so that is now considered to be cutting corners under the Guido Bible of Gigging? Brilliant. Not necessarily. I just think that we should always be striving to do more as opposed to looking for excuses to get away with less. Singing with your eyes closed is OK in bits and pieces but after awhile gets annoying to watch and even starts to look pretentious eventually. If it's a habit for anyone, I'd suggest working on doing it a bit less and engaging the audience more. As opposed to falling back on "well, Joe Rock Star does it and it doesn't seem to matter..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MusicalSchizo Posted August 21, 2012 Members Share Posted August 21, 2012 The eyes closed thing is a constant struggle for me...it's very hard to concentrate when you are taking in your surroundings. When I don't have to play an instrument it's no problem at all. I've filled in on vocals only with a couple of bands and it worked out great and I was able to be very engaging. It's just trying hard not to suck on bass (or guitar) while I'm singing that gets me into "eyes wide shut" mode. I find myself concentrating on keeping my eyes open and then I'll forget the words or hit the wrong string. I might have a bit of a complex about it at this point... Brian V. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Steven S Posted August 21, 2012 Members Share Posted August 21, 2012 they do? What guitarists are you watching? -Those whith electric guitars ..and others whith that acoustic guitars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vito Corleone Posted August 21, 2012 Members Share Posted August 21, 2012 I used to work with a singer who did the eyes-closed thing a lot. Part of it was that he was simply concentrating hard on a note or phrase. Most singers close their eyes when reaching for that 'big' note or whatever. But there was definiately also part of it that was him doing it because he thought it looked cool and made him look like he was a more serious or better singer. It didn't. It just made him look cold and distant from the audience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MDLMUSIC Posted August 21, 2012 Members Share Posted August 21, 2012 I tend to go for that half-closed eyelid thing. I got it from imitating Ricky Nelson on the Ozzie and Harriet Show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Potts Posted August 21, 2012 Members Share Posted August 21, 2012 I dunno..I certainly don't have anything scripted or rehearsed. I'm just hanging out I guess. It's not a huge deal, but occasionally I'm uncomfortable in crowds. Once in a while I get a little claustrophobic in certain situations. Not playing though- I'm as comfortable playing as I am in my living room. So worrying about what I'm looking at or how I'm interacting with people is at the bottom of my thought process. I don't know- I smile, look at people, make eye contact, watch whatever sport is on, check out chicks, and most importantly, people watch because that's about as much fun as playing. I'm also with Guido on the eye closing thing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Howie22 Posted August 21, 2012 Members Share Posted August 21, 2012 I noticed that if Im concentrating on a lick or something it looks like I'm angry. You're a shaved-head dude with tattoos. Don't you always look angry?? :poke: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Potts Posted August 21, 2012 Members Share Posted August 21, 2012 You're a shaved-head dude with tattoos. Don't you always look angry?? :poke: LMAO! (literally) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted August 21, 2012 Moderators Share Posted August 21, 2012 Normally, I'm looking around, making eye contact, smiling, etc. The other day I looked at a video of me doing an Yngwie song, and I couldn't stop laughing. On this particular song during the verses, there are 2 sustained B4 notes on the vocal, with a little D5 grace note leading into it. At the same time as those notes, there is a complex picked run on guitar. I noticed that pretty much every time this little event occurred, my eyes rolled COMPLETELY back in my head in concentration. Something to work on. No, don't change that...if you make it all look effortless, no one will appreciate it...like anything else, the guy who sweats get the raise... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jbviper4 Posted August 21, 2012 Members Share Posted August 21, 2012 I am not a big fan of watching folk perform with their eyes closed. I use the lazy M, lazy W method in that I start by looking at the near side left of stage and follow the path of a giant letter M then when o have got to the near side right of stage shift to far rIght and trace a giant letter W. done slowly it appears that you are taking in every person in the audience naturally and after a while you don't even have to think about doing it. Steve Really good idea. Going to give that a shot this weekend. I am a shoegazer when playing, an eyes closed/sunglasses guy when singing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members donkey 12 Posted August 21, 2012 Members Share Posted August 21, 2012 I look all over - at the audience, guitar neck, the room/space, whatever... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members donkey 12 Posted August 21, 2012 Members Share Posted August 21, 2012 Normally, I'm looking around, making eye contact, smiling, etc. The other day I looked at a video of me doing an Yngwie song, and I couldn't stop laughing. On this particular song during the verses, there are 2 sustained B4 notes on the vocal, with a little D5 grace note leading into it. At the same time as those notes, there is a complex picked run on guitar. I noticed that pretty much every time this little event occurred, my eyes rolled COMPLETELY back in my head in concentration. Something to work on. What are B4 and D5 notes? Been playing guitar for more than 30 years and never heard of these. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members EightString Posted August 21, 2012 Members Share Posted August 21, 2012 What are B4 and D5 notes? Been playing guitar for more than 30 years and never heard of these. It's a method for identifying specific notes called scientific pitch notation. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_pitch_notation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members joshmac Posted August 21, 2012 Author Members Share Posted August 21, 2012 That is really cool and makes great sense for explaining the notes on a guitar especially easy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members EightString Posted August 21, 2012 Members Share Posted August 21, 2012 That is really cool and makes great sense for explaining the notes on a guitar especially easy Yeah, you'll notice singers in particular use it a lot when talking about their range or the range required for a particular song, or even hitting certain notes in a song. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members toddkuen Posted August 21, 2012 Members Share Posted August 21, 2012 I look around some but I have problems with significant distractions: fights, nakedness, that sort of thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members toddkuen Posted August 21, 2012 Members Share Posted August 21, 2012 It's a method for identifying specific notes called scientific pitch notation.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_pitch_notation Standard fare on a keyboard or MIDI instrument. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members EightString Posted August 21, 2012 Members Share Posted August 21, 2012 Standard fare on a keyboard or MIDI instrument. yes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dparr Posted August 21, 2012 Members Share Posted August 21, 2012 I look around at the crowd and watch the people. I sometimes pick my songs by trying to guess what song a person might want to hear. I try not to look at my instrument unless I'm making a big jump on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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