I'd like some warm up advice, as well as general advice on how to keep a level head while playing live.

well search is a good button--

but soak your hand in warm water over night to relax the muscles, take 1 or 2 shots before the show to calm you down.

thats what i would do

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start messing around with scales on your guitar 10 minutes before you go on, doesnt matter if its plugged in or not, just to get your hands warmed up

dont let yourself psyche you out



gigging gets easier every time you do it, so dont be ashamed if you fuck up once or twice your first few times.

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If you screw up just get back on track and dont stop....just keep going and find your place.

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I used the search button twice and didn't find anything to my liking. Thanks for the tip regarding warm water though. That sounds great. Fuck, thanks to anyone who replys to this thread with good advice.

I always like having a quick run through of the songs before we get to the venue drink a can of sparks and as said if you fuck up keep going chances are you will pull it off with no one will notice oh and most importanly always make sure your sound leval is equal since some venues dont mic you up just get some friends on diffrent parts of the room to make sure you can hear everything.have fun and good luck playing shows is a addiction

sparks is fuckin good

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Thanks for the good advice, metal brother. The venue we'll be playing at does happen to mic the instruments, so that's a positive thing.

hell yes I adore sparks dosent get you so wasted so you can play fine with a few

yeah it is its always good to have sorta a intro song thats what my band does just so we can always be sure on everything and agian have a fun time and get ready for a addiction worse then crack oh and I almost forgot leave a few pics on top or your amp you never know when you could drop a pic its never happend to me but ive seen it happen plenty of times

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The warm water trick is also good if you want to pee the bed or make someone else do it. If you'd really want to go the heat route I'd think that a linament of some sort would be better just don't get it in your eyes. on your instruments, or anything like that. Having your hand in water that long could make the skin on your fingers more tender and uncomfortable.

Since you don't drink much, I'd say to take a few deep cleansing breaths (I knew a guy that mediated prior) and remember millions of people do this and you have to begin somewhere. And remember to have fun.

I asked my friend that does gigs. He said --"sometimes i dont. Sometimes i play acoustic guitar for awhile (makes electric strings feel like yer playin on silk), or drink half a cup of vodka
or i play bass for a while before hand"

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know the material inside and out

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Good idea in regards to the pics. I think I might just get one of those pic holders that go on the mic stand. I imagine this will be quite addicting, I mean fuckin a it's a live show. And hopefull we impress whoever we play for.

Now matter how tempting to calm the nerves try to avoid the drink till after you've played!

The night before check all your gear, amp settings, programs on effects racks etc, guitar leads(including spares). Are all batteries charged up? Do you have enough spare plectrums, strings and so forth.

Warm up with scales and riffs prior to going on. Take slow deep breaths if you feel the stage fright building. Believe me once you burst in to the first song that will all pass and you'll be thinking 'Hell I'm on stage! Fuck yeah!'

One thing I was told was 'play every note like you meant it even the wrong ones!' If you cock up(and you'll drop the odd duff note) don't make a big deal out of it. Avoid looking round in panic!

Avoid shoe gazing, look up, make eye contact with people you know, smile at girls you don't know, throw some shapes, you are allowed, you are on stage and you are having fun so make the most of it. Audiences respond more to bands who look like they enjoy entertaining.

Most important of all...........Enjoy yourself. This is why we play guitar, this is why we work hard writing songs and strive to keep a band together so make the most of it because before you know it you'll be doing the rock n' roll ending on the last song of the set and it would have only felt like 5 minutes have passed since you first walked out on stage!

Good luck

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Haha i read that and instantly thought of the party trick where you do that to make someone piss themselves in their sleep.

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Be sure not to pee yourself or pee on anybody.

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Warm water??? Pee on the crowd...R Kelly would

Good luck dude

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I always like to get in the pit before i go on--- just to get the blood pumping.

Dosen't help if you're the opening act however. If you put on a good fucking show the animals in the crowd wont give a fuck if something goes wrong. Our lead singer fell off the front of the stage one time(peabody's in cleveland---about 4 foot off the floor)--we just kept jamming while he got in the pit, it turned out to be the best show we ever played.

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I suggest some hard FingerBanging the day before.
You have a GF....right?

I think it has all been said here, but the only advice I can add is play like it is your last moment on earth and have fun. Don't get wasted before you play but a beer or 2 seems to help some. I have even walked outside to be alone for a minute just to breath and center myself mentally. Enjoy and good luck.

I hope you get a good crowd but remember there are always going to be a few assholes that hate whoever is proforming. Pay them no attention until later in the parking lot. Then kick their ass

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It's sort of a bizzare cycle. Both excersize your fingers, so you get really good at both the more you do one or the other.

/girlfriend loves me

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You'll do better than Walpurgis (Bob) did at his first big show in our backyard in front of about 60 people. He broke a string and didn't know how to restring or tune it so I grabbed that guitar and they switched songs and instruments for another song and I did it for him. Then they played the other song after that.

Mom to the rescue!!!!!

Oh yeah, make sure you stay hydrated while you're playing, too. You don't need to pass out on stage from that. Bob's lead guitarist used to bring a gallon gas can of water with him, but some people might frown on that. Just make sure it has a lid.

And tape down your wires across the floor if you need to. A vocalist losing his mic all of a sudden in a bar gig isn't too cool if you're playing to strangers.

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Make sure your strap it on well or use a strap-lock system. I saw a show where this dude's strap came off, his guitar fell and the neck broke...that sucked for him

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If he finds out you told us about that he will never show his face around here again

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seriously LBXXX thats the kind of thing no one ever should find out about

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Hell yeah. I mean naked bady pics is bad but THAT! That it one of those things that people might never recover from. NEVER!

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i've never heard of that technique... except at somones b-day party. see somone fell asleep, and what u do is put their hand in some water and they should piss themselves. all i gotta say for a is to strech ur fingers. sorta like doing a stop hand thing just ur moving ur fingers out words. then masage ur palm some and it should feal like a millon bucks. ohh yea, dont forget to practice for a about 15-20 mins its just like a sport or working out. u need to warm up and stretch as well warm down.

ALWAYS REMEMBER TO: forget the small things but if they throw somthing at u. kick some ass cuz their will be some dickheads in the crowd

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Good ideal. I got a cramp in my index finger once while playing infront of people and it sucked. Ruined me for nearly 5 minutes. It was one of those cramps that causes your finger to spasm, curl up and sent pain all the way through your forearm.

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If I did have a girlfriend, I'd finger her every chance I got. Unfortunaltey I'm a metalhead, and the majority of attractive women seem to be repulsed by that.




You give some good tips. I'm easing up a bit, we play a show right after this one too. Thanks man.

Good thing I don't live in your area. I never had a girl not like me because of my taste in music.

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Practice the songs the days before the gig until you know them inside out.

Get your gear prepared, get some extra-strings if you break one on stage or, even better, get a backup guitar which is ready and waiting at the side of the stage.

Do some scales or riffs you like as a warm-up, just play anything you like, you just need to get you comfortable with your guitar (because you already know how to play -your- songs by heart).

When you are on stage, try to get yourself into the "groove" (sound shitty, I know), just get the feeling of the songs and the will play themselves. Just have a good time and enjoy the time on stage.
If you fuck up, just go over it like nothing happened.

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Firts of all: You can play all the songs perfect, so don´t matter. Sometimes is more important the feeling you transfer to the people are listening to the songs that the sound itself.

SEcond: This is your first concert (I think a lot (or all)of the people won´t know any song except the Real Fans and the Groupies.)

Third: Normally when you are nervous your heart goes fastaer, that is the thing that makes a lot of people make faster their tempos (watch out, don´t stay nervous)

4th: 2 or 3 beers are perfect except you are like me, and can´t play the same speed with only one beer. My brother drinks a litre or two and he still plays as fast as other times or better. You have to know if you play better with beers or without (like me).


The most IMPORTANT thing, you have been working very hard to play this gig, so ENJOY and fuck the rest.

ENJOY

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Practice before you go and when you get their. Also, throw back a couple of Sierra Nevadas with your boys and Good Luck!

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how gay is it to go into a pit before playing yourself?

seriously. you gotta be the cool gangster type guitarist, that's checking out the crowd, titties and the beer tap.

if you're the opening act for a well known band, don't expect everybody to go apeshit during your set, most people are there for the other band
IF, you're opening for a big band, be sure to play a tight show and say something about buying your cd/demo/whatever, you're getting your name out there. If people like your band, they will go apeshit anyways after a couple of songs, but you gotta warm up the crowd, thats why you're fucking opening.

anyways, after playing a bunch of shows you won't have to open anymore, which is better. though it does have ONE BIG DISADVANTAGE!!!

: you have to wait longer till you get shitfaced off free beer

Wow dude, Im printing out what you said. I have a show in september and its the first one where the dudes are going to Pay me. Thanks for the inspiration.

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well i'd just realize the fun of it. if it were me i'd get a buzz before the show, but not drunk. definitely not drunk. but a buzz i think would punp me up, personally.

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i know what you mean man.

yea same. I wouldnt even go as far to say a buzz, maybe one or two shots for me, it relaxes muscles and doesnt make me sweat as much.

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I've had more than my fair share of hot women, and honestly girls are never a top priority with me. I'd rather spend money on rare black metal albums than dinner for some social prostitute.

I really do appreciate the comments from everyone, even the sarcastic and/or derogatory ones.

.............. you get free beer........dayum I need to go play from wherever your from lol.stingy venues in las vegas damn them.

wait. you seriously are not going to tell me that's not a rule of thumb in the USA?

'the band gets free beer'

or at least a load of vouchers/coins for drinks a person.

In my personal experience, no it is not a rule of thumb.

american politics/society+alcohol=cunts

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take a dump before the show

yeah make sure your bowels are free

Also try not to fart, because you never know when you might just shart

Yeah, I've heard many a tale about vocalists straining to reach notes only to find they fill up their britches and look down to see they are touching sock!

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me and you both my friend

Good to see I'm not the only black metal fan around here.

I am really stoked about all the advice I've been given.

Here's what I have gathered:

1.Warm up your hand, and also your skills
2.Fingerbang some girl the day before
3.Know the songs inside and out
4.Relax and stay focused
5.An increased heart rate can also mean an increased playing speed
6.Don't shit your pants on stage
7.Get laid after the show.

Metal Magic

no we never get free beer just waters and 1 redbull or soda if we want it

2. You my as well just bone the piss out of her. Relieve your stress inside her.

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That'd be real fun.

Yep, dont wanna shit on stage, nor crack a woody

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Sacrifice an animal of some kind on stage.

allright, really important stuff.
1st, you will fuck up. theres no avoiding it. you probably will fuck up atleast once for your next 10-15 gigs. what youve gotta realise is it doesn't matter.
next, no matter what advice you try to remember, you will probably not follow it once your onstage. the nerves just get to you.
you need to know the songs so well you can play them backwards in your sleep and then some.
When you fuck up KEEP GOING, dont stop. whatever. even if you break a string on a floyd rose guitar, keep going. even if you break your leg.
even if you have a heart attack and die. eye contact is essential.

what to do before.
make sure you get a sound check! the worst thing you can do is to have your instrement too loud or too quiet. too loud and you cant hear the band (pluss its embarrasing if your drowning everyone else out of the mix). too quiet and you wont know if your playing it right.
when you set up your gear, make sure every thing is working, and make sure everything is in a sensible place. dont put your amp in a place where you cant get to it, or in a place where somebody is likely to use it as a table or anything. make sure its in a position where it will not deafen one of your band mates. DO NOT put your pedals within 1.5 metres of the stage front. (i made that mistake once, and some drunk twat kept leaning on them with his elbows. DO NOT arrange your cables so that you or anyone else could trip over them, or where you do not have enough slack to move where you want to. if you use pedals with batteries, get new batteries.
buy 3,000 picks, and put them in a good place. do not put them on top of a flat surface, as if its loud, the vibrations will shake them onto the floor. i personally put them in my right trouser pocket.
get hold of some kind of tuner with a bypass, under no circumstances should you have to a) subject people to that awful noise when unplugging leads from amps, or b) subject people to an untuned guitar.
also, tune your guitar just before you go on stage. venues temperatures vary immensly, and can often change the tuning of you guitar.
put brand new strings on your guitar the day before the gig, but make sure you play them in.
as far as preparation goes, everybody is different. do not do physical harm to yourself. do not get too wasted. actually thats hypocritical of me, im often on a third or fouth pint by the time i get onstage.
most importantly, KEEP YOUR COOL. do not let the nerves get to you, staying calm is the only way to stay on top of what your doing.
when i am waiting to go onstage, i generally act like im not. i just sit around having a drink with friends like any other evening. by all means, get excited, but get excited like your just about to watch your favourite band play, not like your about to bungee jump. and just before you go on, triple check everything. make sure you have enough water (or beer), and can see the setlist.

onstage:
try to look like your enjoying yourself.
NEVER ADMIT YOUR MISTAKES. it really ruins a show to hear a band say "sorry for being shit" to the audience.
NEVER HOLD THINGS UP. dont make the audience wait to hear the next song. you wanna catch them while they're still applauding the last. if you have a problem like a broken string, or an out of tune guitar, it can't be helped, but make sure you let the other guys know discreetly. dont let them start a song if your not ready, but always when you finish a song, you should make sure your ready for the next one before taking a drink or breather.
DONT STOP. important. just dont.
dont noodle in between songs or at the end of the set.
noodleing at the beggining is ok to check everything is working, but keep it to a bear(bare?) minimum.
dont worry if the audience doesn't accept you. it really doesn't matter. most likely you will get a luke warm reception, so expect nothing.
dont bitch about the other bands.
dont repeat songs. dont start songs again. if the worst happens and you have to stop in the midle of a song, fuck it and do the next one.


in conclusion:
some stuff i said nobody else has, and some stuff i said lots of people have already said. you could read this whole thread, take everything in, but you will probably only do 1/20th of the stuff you intend. or you could just do what you do, and after a few gigs, you will know all this stuff anyway. you probably will feel like your onstage for five minits, if that, but you will remember all of your mistakes. make sure you do something about them next time.

... oh yeah, have fun, and let us know how it went.

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Amon Ra - Thanks for the rundown. That was some helpful stuff.

I GUESS I CAN UNDERSTAND WHY SOMEONE FROME THE NETHERLANDS WOUD THINK IT WAS GAY TO GET IN THE PIT BEFORE A SHOW, BUT YOU GOTTA REMEMBER OVER HERE IN THE U.S.A. WE'RE NOT A BUNCH OF EUROTRASH DOUCHEBAGS. IF YOU HAVE BANDS PLAYING BEFORE YOU, IT MEANS THE WORLD TO THEM THAT SOMEONE IS SMASHING HEADS TO THEIR MUSIC. MY BAND HAS GIVEN A-LOT OF BANDS THEIR FIRST SHOWS AND GETTING IN THE PIT FOR THEIR SETS GIVES THEM A MEMORABLE FIRST SHOW AND WILL MAKE THEM MORE AT EASE WHILE THEY'RE ALL UP THERE SCARED SHITLESS PLAYING IN FRONT OF 500 PEOPLE.


SUPPORT LOCAL MUSIC (AND YES, IT'S COMMON PRACTICE (AT LEAST IN OHIO) TO GIVE THE BANDS FREE BEER)

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cunt

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1. if they're scared shitless to play, they shouldn't be up there (yet.)

2. if you need to 'play the nice guy' and get in their pit because you have to put them at ease, you're just a cocksucker.

3. I will judge for myself if I like the band and if I need to mosh like a crazy nazi bitch. if I do, it won't be to a band playing before me, simply because I'll be backstage enjoying other things. (I will be sure to get hooked up with a cd though, if I like them)

4. someone from the Netherlands? man, I've played with a bunch of USA and UK bands, I never saw those guys going apeshit in the pit so you're not going to tell me you guys over there all behave like hippies and mosh it up to bands you don't like. (though you're just moshing to put them at ease and score points.)

5. you're just plain stupid aren't you?


Love,

your Euro-trash douchebag.

I agree on that one.

i think it somtimes helps to have an extra pick in ur mouth. unless ur singing, the reason i usually play with one pick in hand and one in mouth. is when i get nerves i usually start biting my tounge and its easier when u can just see it right under u. well its just a prefrence. there's this sticky shit that u can put on the side of ur guitar to hold picks, i forgot what its called though. i think steve vai uses it

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Good idea about the pic in mouth, but I do vocals.

You could just use blu-tack or plastercene to stick a pick to your guitar.

Ghetto

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hey for my first gig i used plato. now thats ghetto. good thing it was a shitty guitar

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Play-doh? HAHAHA!

I got another show this Saturday. My band is on a flyer around town, and things seem to be falling into place quite nicely. I'd like to thank all the people who gave me beneficial advice, and hell, even the ones who were purposely derogatory too(hell at least it's good for a laugh.)

Or to your face

Pull a Van Halen on stage next time. Man, I've always wanted to do that with death metal.....

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Tomarrow night Get a good nights rest tonight and get there early for sound check. Then hang out and meet some people there and make a good impression. Don't tell them you are with the band. Let them see you later.

It will help relax you knowing you have some friends out there.

Best of luck to you

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I don't have to show up until 7, but I'm getting there at 5 just to make sure shit's cool. This show is going to give me good experience for the show next friday, which is actually a big event.

I would love to be there. I would like playing with you all if you needed a extra player but that isnt going to happen being so far away. This thread has given me the itch to play live again

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have a good one

the adenalin will kick in and it will all be good
no idea what music you play but take the audience by the throat!!!

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Well, the show starts at 9pm, so I have about 5 hours. Maybe I should start warming up. We play melodic speed/death/black metal or something. It's not specific, we use alot of elements from many types of metal. Influences include Megadeth, Dissection(old), Anthrax, Iron Maiden, Countess, Mutiilation, Death etc. Just a very diverse style of metal in a very compact and effective form.

Soulinsane, I'm sure you're a badass guitarist. our bassist is supposedly going to start doing guitar after the shows.

I bet you are having a great time at the moment May the Metal Gods be smiling on you.

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Last night was fucking crazy. I had a great time and I got alot of postive responses. I'm getting my music up here pretty soon.

I didn't have much time this morning to fill in on the details so here goes. The show didn't start until 11pm. I was running around scales for the majority of the time before we got on. I made a few minor mistakes, but none that were noticeable. As I was doing vocals, some overweight drunk guy kept grunting absurd things that did not make much sense. The crowd, though quite small, was very enthusiastic and incredibly close to where I was playing. It was a very intense feeling.

The set seemed to go by rather quickly. We played 6 songs altogether, and after we finished it felt like we just got started. The adrenaline is fucking intense, I was literally shaking on the first song. After the vocals kicked in on the second, I felt quite competent and continued with the set. It's just a shame I don't get to do this every day, it was incredible.

david lee roth??!?!?!
http://www.concertshots.com/May%20I...Atlanta5302.JPG
or
http://www.pamspaulding.com/graphics/dlr.jpg

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8 mile?!?!?!?!
http://www.postdead.blogger.com.br/vomit-24.jpg

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