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First gig jitters!

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first gig
2K views 8 replies 8 participants last post by  Jolle 
#1 ·
Okay so, I've been playing for about....three months now, and during my last session, my teacher told me that he would like me to join him in playing a duet for a christmas concert sometime around mid-december.

While I'm very excited about this, I'm extremely NERVOUS as well! I still don't know what we're going to be playing. Hopefully, he'll tell me tomorrow, during my next class.

If you could recount your first gig, or have any tips or words of wisdom for me, I would appreciate it! I've never performed before!
 
#2 ·
Be warned - it's very addictive!
Scary to start with especially the day before when you cannot play a note!
Occasionally squeaky if you try to play inconspicuously (Don't) but...
Fabulous afterwards, you will feel a huge sense of achievement and if your Teacher has said you should do it - he/she must be confident of your ability.
Enjoy!
 
#3 ·
First I wanted to say, "no reason to worry" and ask, "what's the worst that could happen?"

but then I realized that the worst that could happen is that you play your first note, which is so piercing that the window pains begin to oscillate at their resonant frequencies, causing the ceiling joists to fail at their bearing seats, plunging the entire roof down, in sharp splintered pieces, on to the crowd, skewering them like so many shrimps on a barbecue, until they bleed out and die.

So I figured it would be best not to ask that question.
 
#5 ·
First I wanted to say, "no reason to worry" and ask, "what's the worst that could happen?"

but then I realized that the worst that could happen is that you play your first note, which is so piercing that the window pains begin to oscillate at their resonant frequencies, causing the ceiling joists to fail at their bearing seats, plunging the entire roof down, in sharp splintered pieces, on to the crowd, skewering them like so many shrimps on a barbecue, until they bleed out and die.

So I figured it would be best not to ask that question.
So basically, I'm going to end up being the sax-playing version of Carrie? D:
 
#4 ·
I was in fourth grade and was just learning the alto saxophone. For our winter concert we were going to play Bridge Over Troubled Water, and for some reason I just couldn't get the whole dotted quarter note thing. The director, a fearsome fellow who was later fired for throwing a chair at a kid, was down on me big time and told us we probably couldn't do the song. So before the show I worked on it with my father hoping to get it right. Sure enough, on the night of the concert the tune was called and the director had us play each line of the tune and then cut us off before proceeding to the next line. And each time he did so, he stared directly at me.

Think I got it right that night though, and gigs from then on were a piece of cake...
 
#6 ·
Try to imgine everyone in their underwear.
Oops, wrong scenario!!

Take some big deep breaths and try to relax into it.
I second the fact that this can become addictive.
Trust your teacher. He/she wouldn't have suggested it unless they had a good level of confidence in you to start with.
Good luck and let us know how you did.
StanB
 
#7 ·
Hi Donna,
Its very important to take deep breaths. Its amazing how much it can help to take several deep breaths to relax you before you start. I always think that smiling helps you relax also. Its hard to be nervous when you are smiling. The scariest part is before you start playing. Once you start your nerves will go away. Have fun, this will be a wonderful experience and its just the begging of lost of joy!
 
#8 ·
Please check the other threads. There was one on this very same subject just a few days ago.
More in the archives. Search "nervous", "stage fright" or related topics.
 
#9 ·
If you could recount your first gig, or have any tips or words of wisdom for me, I would appreciate it! I've never performed before!
First gig :

Can't remember whether this was the first time I played in public, but it was one of the first. I was 28 and played less than a year. Well, basically I taught myself noodling hideously on tenor. I accompanied some jugglers and clowns to hand out flyers for a shop, alone with my tenor. One moment, I was noodling at a terrace close to the Herman Teirlinck institute, at that time a Jazz studio. When I pauzed for a moment, a guy turned to me, shook his head and said half smiling "Boy, you really have some guts, don't you?".

So I answered, half confused, "well yeah, sorry for bothering, but I have to play somewhere. I'll be gone in five minutes, no worries."

He looked surprised at me, and said: "I like that attitude. you definitely need some practice, but keep playing that horn, boy."

Words of wisdom uche uche yeah right... uche uche :

You have to start somewhere. f*cking up doesn't matter, you're allowed to make mistakes. As long as you keep that in your head, you're safe. You have your teacher as a back up, so it will sound good for the public anyway. But don't hide yourself either, enjoy playing. That's the most important part.

I actually just return from a gig. I also played some mistakes as always, I'm still an amateur. But the people don't remember the mistakes, they remember the way you play your sax. This evening, quite some people came to tell us they loved to see us play, because they could see how much we enjoyed it. Seeing us having fun made them dance too.

It's all about the attitude, showing you like it. People are forgiving, definitely when they know you're still learning. Give yourself a nice evening, and the public will go home happy. You'll love it, for sure ;)

Enjoy the first, and keep us updated!

PS : the band I played with this evening : www.myspace.com/ratkabaybal
 
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