Preparing For The First (Or Any) Guitar Performance

In order to look professional and avoid creating an image of a silly musical rookie, it is within the interest of any guitarist to create and follow a certain effective pre-show routine. A specific “code”, that will protect her from potential failures and furthermore – help her to stand out among other acts in a better way.

Since it is not 1931 (the year when the first electric guitar was created), this guide will examine the preparation for both unplugged shows and the ones that involves cables and amplifiers. But whichever guitar you have - always have an extra pack of strings. A pack of spare strings should always be in your guitar case, as a medical kit in the bag of a soldier. 

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2 Things That Can Ruin Your Concert

I went to a free outdoor concert in Austin recently. We saw a band I’d never heard of who made music I don’t normally listen to.

But I had a great experience, all because of two main things the band did (or didn’t do).

 Two things that all of us can learn from.

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7 Best Outdoor Music Venues Of 2019

Music is the thing that has always remained close to the soul. Whether we are going for a picnic, camping, hiking, road trips, or waiting for something, music is the ultimate time pass. Music can make everything seem more interesting. So, here we are going to tell you some things about the most amazing outdoor music venues. These destinations can surely make a place in the Gear Spie Blog for Outdoor fun. So, explore these places and decide which one you like the most.

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Why You Should Really Avoid Open Mics

Guest post by Jeremy Young. This article originally appeared on Soundfly’s Flypaper

I don’t know how to ease into this article nicely and slowly, so I’ll just dive right into the shark tank: Open mics basically suck.

Sure, they have some value. And by some value, I just mean they have very little value, easily replaceable and replicable in many other live music contexts. But they do help amateur songwriters out in a few ways, namely by offering opportunities for networking, on-stage practice time, and a chance to hash out some parts you’ve still not settled on in front of an intimate audience that can give you honest feedback, before taking that song to the studio.

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How To Get Over String Breaking Phobia Once And For All

A baby lion is not afraid of running alone in the vastness of savanna. The same behavior can be typical for a guitarist, who has only begun a long journey into the diverse world of music. One of the points that he discovers very soon, is that many people - including skilled musicians who use the same instrument-, tend to overreact over little things. And often times it leads to the constant discomfort from even such a regular process as pulling the strings. A human brain is capable of getting rid of many psychological obstacles. And a string breaking phobia is not an exception.

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Ticket Brokers vs Resellers | What's The Difference

It doesn’t take long for things to get murky on the internet. Words bend, blend and get all sorts of switched around depending on who is doing the talking and what point they’re trying to make. So, while the internet is no doubt a revolutionary thing that spreads more information to more people than ever could have had it in the past, it also spreads misinformation just as fast (or many times as fast, if you believe that old adage about the boots.)

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How To Accommodate Fans At An Outdoor Music Festival

Outdoor music festivals can be amazing experiences for people who adore great tunes. If you’re a fan of live music, good energy, and joy, you’re probably a big festival enthusiast. Festival organizers should always go above and beyond to make their guests feel 100 percent comfortable and at ease. They can do so in a handful of different ways, too.

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What Does A Successful Event Planner Look Like?

Sometimes it is imperative that you hire a professional event planner, rather than try and plan an entire event by yourself. This may be due to the scale of the event, the fact that you are not the best at planning or staying organized, or you just may not have enough time to plan the event. Hiring an event planner is a great way to ensure the success of your event. Visit this link, for more details on how to find the best event planner.

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Getting Through A Show When Everything Goes Wrong

Guest post by Patrick McGuire. This article originally appeared on Soundfly’s Flypaper

The thought of playing a show fraught with performance mistakes, sound problems, and an unengaged crowd is one that keeps musicians of all stripes awake at night. It makes perfect sense, too! After spending god knows much time, money, and personal sacrifice writing and creating great music, you feel a lot of pressure to deliver a flawless live show every time you hit the stage.

But here’s the rub: Things go wrong in live shows constantly, and the problems you’re likely to experience aren’t always predictable or preventable, nor are they abnormal in any way. Especially when you’re on the road playing night after night, with different sound in different rooms with different support acts and different audiences, it’s a miracle we’re even able to perform well at all!

Here are a few ways to get through shows where nothing seems to be going your way.

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Stage Creation: How To Set Up The Venue For A Fabulous Show

Producing a play for fun or for the community is great fun and encourages artistic expression in people of all ages. From acting to directing and producing, drama has been a popular pastime for thousands of years. Putting on a show with a zero or low budget requires creative planning. Here are a few tips for designing a stage setting.

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Brand New Book - How To Succeed With Self-Produced Concerts

For musical artists who are just breaking in, or experienced performers who have been at it a long time, this book is a helpful tool to manage the new era of independent music: This guide will show you how to take control of your ability to find or create new places to play, book venues on your own, be your own agent, manager, promoter and publicist. This means taking control of all aspects of the touring business and having a system in place that will greatly increase your proficiency to make it work.

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Live Performances Are About More Than The Music

I had started writing some posts and giving advice on my social media pages, as my way of giving some advice regarding some of the things that I see and hear, both at shows, and on artists’ social media pages. It always seemed to be the same things, coming from “artists,” who excel in playing the blame game: making excuses for why they aren’t succeeding. So, I thought that I would try to be helpful, by calling artists out on their behaviors! It may not be popular, or politically correct, but if an artist can’t handle the truth and some constructive criticism, then they are in the completely WRONG business.

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Amp It Up: 4 Ways To Increase The Gain On Your Next Performance

A huge part of performing is playing to your audience. Many musicians make the mistake of solely focusing on the craft of the music. Practice does make perfect, but here are some other ways that you can increase the gain on your performance.

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40 Ways Bands Can Use Social Media To Increase Engagement At Shows

If you’re a musician, you’re probably using social media in some way to promote your music, invite people to shows, and stay in touch with your fans. We do this so often, we end up going through the motions of engagement without thinking about how the activity affects our SMARTER goals or how we can apply some more creativity to these tools.

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