# 1st Gig Jitters...advice?!



## canadiangeordie

hi

Ive been playing in the same band for a year and we are about to start playing our first shows in March. We were going to wait until we have a second guitar player but it is taking us that long to find one, we've decided to get out there, get some exposure, and hope we come across one on the road.
All the other guys have played live before, predominantly in the same band for 10 years. Our chemistry together when we play is good, we were all friends before we formed a band but i am TERRIFIED! The other guys are aware of my nervousness, but may not realise that im actually pretty scared!

I played for 10 years before my daughter was born, and picked the guitar up again just over a year ago after a 4 years absence. Im pretty confident in my own ability once im warmed up, and pretty sure i'll have a great time and totally relish it once im up there. Im just wondering if anyone has any tips/reassurances?!? With me being the only guitar player currently i feel under a bit of pressure. Im in my mid-20's and havent played a gig yet!


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## hollowbody

Well, you gotta start somewhere. I was in the same boat as you a few years ago. I played my first gig at 26. Honestly, nothing is really going to prepare you for the watery feeling in your bowels when you first get up there. I'm not going to tell you to picture the audience naked or anything either. 

Best advice is make sure you know your material as well as you possibly can. Muscle memory will take over and you'll be alright. Once the first song is over, it will get easier, but the first one will be a toughie. Try to plan your setlist so you have something not too tough to start. I wouldn't put your easiest song first either, you want to have a sense of accomplishment, but not too much of a challenge.

Last piece of advice..._listen and count!_ Pre-gig jitters always make me want to get it over as soon as possible. So listen to your bandmates and try not to rush through your parts.


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## WEEZY

Being nervous is good to an extent, it keeps you on your toes! The best advice I can give is be very well prepared so you're not stressing over how to play certain parts and RELAX and HAVE FUN. Your best playing happens when you're relaxed and breathing easy - when you're tense, you tighten up and everything is more of a struggle. When you're on stage, smile, look around at the crowd, dance and get into it and again: relax. 

When someone is very nervous on stage, it shows - they don't smile, they don't look around, they look stiff and serious which is hardly what you want to portray. It makes the audience uneasy when that nervous energy is the focal point.

It's supposed to be fun, so make sure it is! Good luck!


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## shoretyus

Hmm.. Breath deep.... and remember that it's a gig...good or bad it will end, The magic happens when you grab it out of the air hold on to it .. but you have let it go at the end of the night :smile:

If your ready ... your ready. You will find out if all members in your band can handle the pressure.. ( some can't) 

Failing that a litre of whiskey ....sdsre


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## Steeler

*Relax and Have Fun*

When the "Bad Thoughts" start to creep into your head, tell yourself,
"We've practiced for a year, I know my stuff, I'm prepared, etc., etc".

It's all a mind game. If you actually do screw up, most people will not even notice as long as they see you having a good time.

DO NOT mention mistakes on stage, don't even make sour faces.
Have a great gig.


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## marcos

*Gig jitters*

I agree that some jitters is good,it gives you an edge when on stage.If you are like me and been doing this for over 40 years i still have the runs if you know what i meen.I go the bathroom at least 4 or 5 times during that day.Dont know if this will help but if you can go to a quiet place and do a bit of breathing exercises it will help.Listen to classic or light jazz or whatever on your way to the gig,worth a shot.But remember that this is not your day job and you are going out to have fun and thats all.Try and have a small familly party and perform in front of your friends before your big gig.Good luck and keep us posted on how it went.:smilie_flagge17:


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## FrankyFarGone

canadiangeordie said:


> hi
> 
> Ive been playing in the same band for a year and we are about to start playing our first shows in March. We were going to wait until we have a second guitar player but it is taking us that long to find one, we've decided to get out there, get some exposure, and hope we come across one on the road.
> All the other guys have played live before, predominantly in the same band for 10 years. Our chemistry together when we play is good, we were all friends before we formed a band but i am TERRIFIED! The other guys are aware of my nervousness, but may not realise that im actually pretty scared!
> 
> I played for 10 years before my daughter was born, and picked the guitar up again just over a year ago after a 4 years absence. Im pretty confident in my own ability once im warmed up, and pretty sure i'll have a great time and totally relish it once im up there. Im just wondering if anyone has any tips/reassurances?!? With me being the only guitar player currently i feel under a bit of pressure. Im in my mid-20's and havent played a gig yet!


Hi!
Iam playing since 91..and started perfoming in front of pepole in highschool.
Now i do local bar gig, community centers,after-ski party...etc(Small).
Still iam very shy and nervous...dry mouth,cold sweat,shaky hands and the feeling iam about to trow-up or faint or some of the symthom.
Since iam a vocal/Guitar in a DUO...i usually get a lot of attention.
Sadly i didnt found any ways for avoiding that...Playing my shit up there is what i LOVE the most.So its hard to figure out how come i have such a hard time dealing with this.
Anyways i founded that getting wastin..works much better for me then any breathing technique.But i REALLY DONT recommand that...since this shit gonna end-up KILLING ME.

Man iam such a f***ing LOoSER

Frank


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## david henman

...at sixty, i still get butterflies and serious sleep loss when there is a crucial gig on the horizon.

memo to self: stay focused and get the job done right.

that, and hours and hours of reheasals - accept no subsitute!

-dh


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## david henman

...good post, mate!

-dh



WEEZY said:


> Being nervous is good to an extent, it keeps you on your toes! The best advice I can give is be very well prepared so you're not stressing over how to play certain parts and RELAX and HAVE FUN. Your best playing happens when you're relaxed and breathing easy - when you're tense, you tighten up and everything is more of a struggle. When you're on stage, smile, look around at the crowd, dance and get into it and again: relax.
> 
> When someone is very nervous on stage, it shows - they don't smile, they don't look around, they look stiff and serious which is hardly what you want to portray. It makes the audience uneasy when that nervous energy is the focal point.
> 
> It's supposed to be fun, so make sure it is! Good luck!


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## hollowbody

One thing I found helps me a lot is to spend a lot of time before the show in the space you'll be performing. I like to get in early, set-up, have a little run through before soundcheck even (if that's possible), then just try to relax and make sure everything is ready to go. 

I find that doing this makes me feel like the stage and bar/club/etc. is _my_ space and that the audience are sort of like guests at my home. This sense of being a part of the space gives me a level of comfort which relaxes my head and hands. This isn't always possible though, depeding on where you're playing. One gig I did last summer we got in, did a 15 min sound check and went into our first set.


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## shoretyus

hollowbody said:


> One thing I found helps me a lot is to spend a lot of time before the show in the space you'll be performing. I like to get in early, set-up, have a little run through before soundcheck even (if that's possible), then just try to relax and make sure everything is ready to go.
> 
> .


Yeah I hear ya... between setting up the hauling and setting up gear it takes all the time away and not much left to get nervous. Doing theater has helped too.


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## guitarman2

Focus on what you've been rehearsing but don't obsess to the point that it will make you screw up. I was nervous for my first year of playing live. I haven't been nervous since. I just get up and do what I love. Just remember the audience will not be watching you as close as you'll be watching your self. So you'll most likely get away with the odd mistake going un noticed. The exception can be when there are a group of musicians out there (especially guitar players) That is the only thing that still gets me a little nervous. When I know there are other musicians in the audience and they'll be watching my every move. Or at least thats what I might think.


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## hollowbody

guitarman2 said:


> Focus on what you've been rehearsing but don't obsess to the point that it will make you screw up. I was nervous for my first year of playing live. I haven't been nervous yet. I just get up and do what I love. Just remember the audience will not be watching you as close as you'll be watching your self. So you'll most likely get away with the odd mistake going un noticed. The exception can be when there are a group of musicians out there (especially guitar players) That is the only thing that still gets me a little nervous. When I know there are other musicians in the audience and they'll be watching my every move. Or at least thats what I might think.


Very true, Terry. One gig I played I thought sounded terrible. The band was sloppy and I was extra sloppy and I thought I was a total bust. People in the audience, however, said they had a great time and liked our energy. 

Remember, most people don't know songs note for note, they just have an idea of the melody (if you're doing covers) so they won't really notice a small mistake, or even a bunch of small mistakes, so ignore them. And as for the big ones, try to do what you can. 

I played Wild Horses once, and after the intro, when we were about to start the 1st verse (which is very, very quiet so it's a bad time to mess up), I totally came in with a Bb instead of a B. I thought it was the end of the world in my head, but I tried not to let it show and I just slid up 1 fret to the correct note and finished my little riff. I asked my buddy in the audience, who is an accomplished guitarist, about the duffed note during a break, and he said that while it was obvious that the note was wrong, because I managed to slide it up to the correct note and complete the riff as it should have been, it sounded intentional and not necessarily bad or wrong.


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## canadiangeordie

hey
many thanks to everyone for all the input. Some great feedback, ive taken it all on board.
Its the lead work im mainly apprehensive about, with it being metal a lot of it is really fast and i know that even when we practice, when i screw up a note or 2 on a solo, it totally knocks me on my arse. Admittedly the more we jam the less this happens, so firstly we need to practice more!

Its a pretty low key show i think, maybe 100 people max just friends of the band and other bands we know. All going well we've been offered support slots for bigger bands in London. I'll let everyone know how it goes! cheers!


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## Phatchrisrules

Your going to rip them a new one. Trust me. When I played our first show about a month and a half ago, I thought I was going to puke. It helps a little bit too as there is light kind of blocking your vision as to how many people are actually there. Just go up there and half a blast. Our second show (a week or so after our first one) I thought we SUCKED!!! And I mean hard. I just wanted to get out of there. But you know what I still put as much energy into it as if there were 75,000 screaming fans. I still jumped around like a kid with ADD, "danced" with the guitar during a solo and just made it fun for me anyways. 

I asked a friend of mine who was in the audience and he said we killed it! Their were people dancing and screaming and having fun. So remember it is probably not nearly as bad as what you think.

It also helps to play your own original stuff instead of covers because then people don't know when youscrew it up haha.

Anyways, blow the doors off the place man.


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## RIFF WRATH

just get some cheap sunglasses..................


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## bagpipe

Steeler said:


> If you actually do screw up, *most people will not even notice* as long as they see you having a good time.
> 
> DO NOT mention mistakes on stage, don't even make sour faces.
> Have a great gig.


I couldn't agree more. Most people wont notice (or care) as long as you dont bring it to their attention. All the guitarists in the audience obviously will, but they're thinking that they're better on guitar than you anyway, so it doesn't really matter. :rockon2:


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## eric_b

Many many years ago when I was taking piano lessons, I was taught to play right through my mistakes, because the band plays on. I took that to heart... had to, 'cause I made so many. Still applies 40 years later. Good luck, keep on keepin' on.


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## canadiangeordie

bagpipe said:


> I couldn't agree more. Most people wont notice (or care) as long as you dont bring it to their attention. All the guitarists in the audience obviously will, but they're thinking that they're better on guitar than you anyway, so it doesn't really matter. :rockon2:


^ hilarity. So true.


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## Coustfan'01

Just don't get pissed/shy or anything like that if something bad happens. We did terrible things a lot of times(spinning the guitar and the strap breaks, or both bass and guitar getting unplugged from the amps at the same time, etc.) and as long as you don't panic and laugh it off, the show goes on smoothly. And it makes great memories/stories :rockon2:


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## Budda

Your band has been together for a year and it's your first show? then chances are that even if you're nervous, your muscles know exactly what to do.

You'll be nervous up until partway through the first or second song, then you'll feel the rush of being on stage playing for people, and then it'll be amazing. Afterwards, you'll wish you had a longer set, and wonder how you go about making that a reality.

have fun


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## Rick31797

I haven't played live in many years so dont have much advice but i think my first song would be an easy one and the best one i can play under stress.once you get through the first song i would think, you will feel much better.. buy the end of the show, you won't want to leave.

Good luck
Rick


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## monty

Being nervous is just natural, being scared is sort of too. I went throught the same thing, got over the fear but still am always nervous beforehand.
Just know your stuff and try to remember that most folks wont know if you made a mistake here or there.


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## Greg Ellis

I remember my first gig, way back when. I was nervous for sure. It was a very odd sensation, actually - muscle memory took over completely.

I had these odd moments of conciousness, generally as we were ending a song, in which I found myself wondering how well my solo went, cuz I couldn't really remember it at all. It was like I was on auto-pilot, and wasn't aware of my playing at all. I saw the bright lights, and the bodies out there in the audience, and the sound man in the back corner bopping his head up and down, but my guitar was just playing itself, it seemed.

We had some fun at that show when the drummer's high-hats fell and crashed all over the stage. It happened just at the moment that I was holding a chord, waiting for the four count that would kick us into the next song. Instead of tick-tick-tick-tick, I heard tick-tick-KERSMASH. We all turned to look, grinned, killed that hanging chord and let the singer babble at the crowd for a while while the drummer got his kit back in one piece. I think it bothered him more than anyone else.

Stuff happens. Nothing is ever perfect. Your playing might be good, or not so good, or totally amazing; and you might not even know which at the time. Record your gig if you can, so you can evaluate it more objectively after the fact. 

Just roll with it, try to have some fun, and check out all the hot girls in the audience. If you know your songs well, they'll just come out. The songs, I mean; not the hot girls.


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## mrmatt1972

Nervousness means you care. In my experience the jitters (or abject terror ) will disappear once you get a few songs into the first set. My biggest piece of advice for you is don't drink to calm your nerves. In fact don't drink while gigging if you can avoid it. Yeah, it's nice to get loose on 2 beers, but 2 often leads to many more and being drunk is unprofessional. If you want to get called back to the venue, be a pro, be on time, make sure your gear works. Also have fun with it - that's why people go to see a live show in the first place.

Matt


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## Rugburn

The last time I played out was at a friend's birthday gathering at a local bar. We'd all been drinking and partying for several hours prior. A buddy was playing that night and asked me to come up and play "something". I told him I was in no condition for this, but he wasn't taking no for an answer. Having never played with either the drummer or bass player I opted to play a blues shuffle. I was appalled with what I heard coming out of that amp. About five wretched minutes later it was finally time to put an end to the noise. Two seconds later the whole place was showering us with applause. I honestly couldn't believe it. If I had a recording of that performance and posted it here under some "what do you think of my band?" heading, I don't think the reviews would be glowing... to say the least. The moral of this story is : not only is the audience not listening the way you might be, but often they're having a good time and talking with friends and don't have the "musician's ear" for details. If the energy is there and your not absolute beginners with your respective instruments, that goes a long, long way.

Cheers and good luck! Shawn.


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## Budda

only musicians nitpick at concerts


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## vds5000

Budda said:


> only musicians nitpick at concerts


Funny you should say that because I do it all the time when I see live acts.


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## Rick31797

WE always nitpick because we feel we can do it better. I even nitpick the pro's
seen ZZ-top once and he was leaving out important guitar parts.. You know you hear the CD and expect to hear it and they play it live and it's not there.. dumb.
That's what happens when your a 3 piece band live and a 5 piece band in the studio.

Rick


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## Evilmusician

A buddy of mine gave me some advice one time ,If you play great people will applaud you ,and then forget ya the next day .
If you play bad most won't notice ,some will boo ,and will forget about ya the next day ! 

So have fun ,play and enjoy yourself!


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## hawks168

here is my advice which i wouldnt say is too experienced since i played like 2 gigs but i read in a book about ritchie blackmore(if you dont know study up he invented "smoke on the water") where he said its very much a mind game if you go out there and stand in one place and stiff up people will look at you but if you go and hav fun runn arround and put on a show people will say aaah its just a show and will go allong with it which i think is very true


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## Rick31797

ahhh Richie blackmore has to be one of my favorite lead guitar players.If you like Rock and you don't have Deep Purple Machine head, you are missing out.

I agree and think , once you get through the first couple songs, your home free... just injoy,
I have seen pro's like ZZ top stand in one spot stiff as a board..you would think they where standing in mud. and after paying 300.00 for tickets.
Rick.


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## Rideski

FrankyFarGone said:


> Hi!
> Iam playing since 91..and started perfoming in front of pepole in highschool.
> Now i do local bar gig, community centers,after-ski party...etc(Small).
> Still iam very shy and nervous...dry mouth,cold sweat,shaky hands and the feeling iam about to trow-up or faint or some of the symthom.
> Since iam a vocal/Guitar in a DUO...i usually get a lot of attention.
> Sadly i didnt found any ways for avoiding that...Playing my shit up there is what i LOVE the most.So its hard to figure out how come i have such a hard time dealing with this.
> Anyways i founded that getting wastin..works much better for me then any breathing technique.But i REALLY DONT recommand that...since this shit gonna end-up KILLING ME.
> 
> Man iam such a f***ing LOoSER
> 
> Frank


LOL...Hilarious! 

Careful not to have too many drinks before or during the show....I almost fell off the stage last summer (4foot drop).... That would have been bad and embarassing!


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## david henman

...you're going to screw up, occasionally. even the biggest artists do that, sometimes royally! as others have advised here, take it in stride and keep right on playing and never, ever apologize. it makes your audience very uncomfortable or, worse, feeling sorry for you.

-dh


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## mikes

*Get Practice Playing in Front of An Audience*

I found a good way to get some experience playing for crowds is to head down to the local church and sign up to play for Sunday services. You don't have to be religious. Now I play for 300+ people once or twice a month. I was really nervous at first but after the 5th or 6th time it got easier. I'm also playing with people who have been performing weekly for years so it's really routine for them -- that makes me relax. It may not be my favourite music but some if it is pretty rockin'. I've made mistakes while performing but then I've talked to people afterward and found out they didn't even notice.


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