Question: Gigging Guitarists - Advice Needed

[Deep Eddy]

I'm not a gigging guitarist, but I have been playing as part of a class at a local School of Rock. The "graduation" for the class is a performance coming up in about one month. We will be playing a set of music for approx. 100 - 150 people (mostly family and friends of band members).

So here's the issue: I'm playing a couple of challenging guitar solo parts (Led Zeppelin's Rock and Roll and Shake it Up by The Cars). I'm at the point where I can play the solos pretty smoothly at home (and I will continue to practice those parts every day between now and the show), but I find that I never play them very well at practice with the band. My playing on the solos at rehearsals is really hit or miss. For the most part, I think it's a matter of mental focus.

Any tips or techniques for remaining focused or relaxed on stage - especially when playing challenging songs?

 

[baimun]

Part of it is that playing along to a recording is a perfect little bubble. When live, the band may play it with a little different sound, have some different audio queues or something else that throws your ear.

Find your anchor (the bass line, the rhythm of the bass drum, or such) and lock in on that. Listen for those queues and hang onto to that anchor... then regardless of what other distractions you hear (the environment, a rhythm guitarist being late on a change, etc) you stay locked on course. If you're well rehearsed and know where your changes are the other guys will lock in on you and stay tight. If you get hesitant on the changes or lose timing on the parts of the solo, you may be depriving someone else of their anchor.

 

[Deep Eddy]

Part of it is that playing along to a recording is a perfect little bubble. When live, the band may play it with a little different sound, have some different audio queues or something else that throws your ear.

Find your anchor (the bass line, the rhythm of the bass drum, or such) and lock in on that. Listen for those queues and hang onto to that anchor... then regardless of what other distractions you hear (the environment, a rhythm guitarist being late on a change, etc) you stay locked on course. If you're well rehearsed and know where your changes are the other guys will lock in on you and stay tight. If you get hesitant on the changes or lose timing on the parts of the solo, you may be depriving someone else of their anchor.

Thanks for the input. It's not so much that I get lost in the song in terms of chord changes, it's that I do not play the notes in the solos cleanly (the fast parts,mostly). Fingers end up on wrong string. Left hand and right hand not in sync. Human sacrifice. Cats and dogs living together. You get the picture.

 

[Peeker]

get raging drunk

always worked for me

 

[OGG]

Don't treat practice at home differently that with the band.

Silly as it sounds, it could be the difference between sitting at home rather than standing.

Body position makes a huge difference.

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[baimun]

I don't know about other guys but I ALWAYS play cleaner in practice. Between sweating, stage lights, nerves or whatever its common to only feel like I'm only showing 85% of my capability.

That's where practice comes in. I'm sure NBA players drill half court shots in practice... performing in the spotlight you rely on muscle memory. Practice like its live.

 

[Peeker]

fuck it, it's a gig.
punch the shit outta yer guiatar, drink a keg, kick some dude in the face, and call it a night

 

[OGG]

I always play better at gig time, go figure.

Probably the adrenaline.

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[Peeker]

I do that that the "spice" or whatever of a gig makes us play better

the RARRRARRARAARARARAAR! thing

 

[Jeremy]

I always play better at gig time, go figure.

Probably the adrenaline.

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Same here.

The bit of advice about standing/sitting is a good one too.

When/where is this gonna be, btw?

 

[baimun]

I get too much adrenaline sometimes live. I have to kinda chill a bit and keep my tempo right and stay focused on the lyrics and all the other shit I have to do while playing. Otherwise every song would sound like punk-reggae-speed-metal.

 

[Peeker]

tempo??!?!?

we play friggin' punk rock!

*steals baimun's shorts*
*takes wallet*
*hands shorts to Jeremy as cops arrive*


see ya later!

 

[el diablo]

I'm not a gigging guitarist, but I have been playing as part of a class at a local School of Rock.
So here's the issue: I'm playing a couple of challenging guitar solo parts (Led Zeppelin's Rock and Roll and Shake it Up by The Cars).

You ARE playing some tough bits there! You hit it on the head, If you learn to the "record" and then take that capsule to a live setting, things are going to fall off. Your best option is to just work the band. You know the licks, you likely need to integrate them with a living, not-quite-perfect group.

 

[Deep Eddy]

Thanks for the replies. For the past week, I played along with a backing track of Rock and Roll (found it on YouTube) while standing up and through my amp.

I had rehearsal last night, and it went much better. I made sure I warmed up by actually running through the solo to Rock and Roll before we played the song, and when it came time for the solo I told myself to "Be the ball, Danny". There is a part of the solo where Page does a sort of "walk up" (series of pull-offs) going from the A - D that I still cannot do cleanly. I think I need to give up trying to play that just like the recording and substitute in something else that is similar but simpler. As Dirty Harry once said: A man's got to know his limitations.

 

[Psychotronic]

Practice playing it standing up, and be able to play it without any accompaniment. It sounds stupid, but when you are standing, find a comfortable stance -- spread your feet a bit, bend your knees a bit, lean over a bit -- whatever's comfortable for you. But GET COMFORTABLE, physically.

 

[telecaster911]

Maybe wear your guitar a little higher to get closer to the position it would be while sitting.

 

[BrammyH]

Maybe wear your guitar a little higher to get closer to the position it would be while sitting.

Billy Sheehan is a big proponent of this. I did it for a while, but until I lose weight the guitar sits funny on my big bellah,

 

[baimun]

Maybe wear your guitar a little higher to get closer to the position it would be while sitting.

that's a big one. I see a lot of guys trying to pull off the Jimmy Page low guitar, but then their fretting hand is curled up like Stephen Hawking.

Your guitar should be adjusted so that it "fits" you based on how long your arms are, with the picking elbow around a 90 degree bend.... which can be very close to the same position as if you're sitting down with good posture (not curled over the guitar staring at the fretboard)

 

[Jeremy]

that's a big one. I see a lot of guys trying to pull off the Jimmy Page low guitar, but then their fretting hand is curled up like Stephen Hawking.

Your guitar should be adjusted so that it "fits" you based on how long your arms are, with the picking elbow around a 90 degree bend.... which can be very close to the same position as if you're sitting down with good posture (not curled over the guitar staring at the fretboard)

That's where I'm lucky. I'm built like a fucking monkey. I wear my guitars just below my belt buckle, my arms are long enough that that's the perfect height.

 

[Mark Wein]

For me I need to be able to play the party 3-4 times in a row from memory without making a mistake at tempo and with the standing up/proper guitar height thing and stage energy as close as possible.