KrisH
December 7th, 2008, 10:26 AM
Okay, I have to share this in order to get closure on the incident. And maybe get feedback on similar experience from others here.
One of my projects is a trio that usually plays one-set performances of original tunes as a warmup for other bands. I play bass. We've done a handful of gigs and it's been well received, and we've had fun.
Last night we did something out of the ordinary -- a totally acoustic show at a bookstore/coffee shop. Drummer used a small portable trap kit, guitarist brought his Gibson jumbo and 12 string, and I brought my upright bass. Problem was, we didn't have quite enough material to do two sets. We all play guitar, so we decided we'd fill out the show with a couple solo pieces from each of us. Great idea.
Have you ever experienced sheer terror? I've played bass for 35+ years, occasionally in front of crowds exceeding 1,000 people, and never felt as nervous as I did playing two Beatles covers last night in front of a dozen or so folks. I felt like a 14 year old again (and not in a good way). I've only been playing acoustic guitar seriously for a couple years, but I've learned some good technique, and can play some moderately difficult tunes with few errors. At home. But I've never played acoustic guitar in front of an open audience before. And all my fingers turn into thumbs when I began playing.
It wasn't pretty. The notes didn't flow freely, and my fingerings were off. At one point I noticed my hand gripping the neck so tightly, I had to stop and shake it out, and I noticed it was vibrating, it was shaking so badly! I took a deep breath and restarted where I left off, and managed to make it through to the end adequately (maybe) and exited. Polite applause. A flub.
The rest of the gig went great and was well received, as usual.
It wasn't the occasional mistakes that bothered me. Each of us missed chords, licks, etc. in our pieces. But it was the overwhelming nervousness I felt that compromised the performance. My partner suggested it was a lack of confidence in a new endeavor, which makes sense, because I've always been in the "back line" until recently. But jeez-oh-man!
On the bright side, I came home afterwards and watched a show about daredevil stunts that went wrong. At least I didn't break a leg.
One of my projects is a trio that usually plays one-set performances of original tunes as a warmup for other bands. I play bass. We've done a handful of gigs and it's been well received, and we've had fun.
Last night we did something out of the ordinary -- a totally acoustic show at a bookstore/coffee shop. Drummer used a small portable trap kit, guitarist brought his Gibson jumbo and 12 string, and I brought my upright bass. Problem was, we didn't have quite enough material to do two sets. We all play guitar, so we decided we'd fill out the show with a couple solo pieces from each of us. Great idea.
Have you ever experienced sheer terror? I've played bass for 35+ years, occasionally in front of crowds exceeding 1,000 people, and never felt as nervous as I did playing two Beatles covers last night in front of a dozen or so folks. I felt like a 14 year old again (and not in a good way). I've only been playing acoustic guitar seriously for a couple years, but I've learned some good technique, and can play some moderately difficult tunes with few errors. At home. But I've never played acoustic guitar in front of an open audience before. And all my fingers turn into thumbs when I began playing.
It wasn't pretty. The notes didn't flow freely, and my fingerings were off. At one point I noticed my hand gripping the neck so tightly, I had to stop and shake it out, and I noticed it was vibrating, it was shaking so badly! I took a deep breath and restarted where I left off, and managed to make it through to the end adequately (maybe) and exited. Polite applause. A flub.
The rest of the gig went great and was well received, as usual.
It wasn't the occasional mistakes that bothered me. Each of us missed chords, licks, etc. in our pieces. But it was the overwhelming nervousness I felt that compromised the performance. My partner suggested it was a lack of confidence in a new endeavor, which makes sense, because I've always been in the "back line" until recently. But jeez-oh-man!
On the bright side, I came home afterwards and watched a show about daredevil stunts that went wrong. At least I didn't break a leg.