How to Perform on the Stage For the First Time Ever

The biggest fear that holds many musicians back is performing live on the stage for the first time ever. It's scary because you don't know what to expect, and you have nothing to compare it to.

I've been lucky enough to do two of those shows. Still, before I experienced the nervousness that I was feeling at the time, I was more worried about everything else like making a living, getting gigs, having an awesome live band, etc. Well, here's my little insight into how to perform on the stage for the first time ever. 1. How should you practice to perform live? I've been practicing for 10 years now and have played live on the stage for a little over a year. So I've gone through this experience. The biggest thing I've learned is that you really have no idea what you're doing until you're performing on the stage for the first time. It's crazy. Before you were playing to an empty room, now you are playing to a full room full of people. Now you have to adjust your singing and playing to fit to the room and people. Now you have to play the music, sing, and work out stage moves to fit the audience. Now it's a lot of pressure to perform to a group of people and you really don't know what to expect. It really is a learning experience. So practice as much as you can, like I've said, get live rehearsal time, practice in front of your drummer/bassist/guitarist, etc. 2. What's the best gear you've ever used? My first guitar was a D2000 and it worked for my first couple of years of practicing and playing on stage. Then I got into my current D2000 which is basically identical to the one I used when I was first starting to play. I don't play on stage with any kind of pedals at this point in time because I haven't needed any more. 3. What are you learning about practicing and playing live? Practicing and playing live have given me more valuable information than anything else that I've learned about being a musician. The people that come to your show are watching you live and seeing what you're doing and what's going on. I get more valuable information out of that than the books I've read or any theory that I've studied. The people who come to your shows get an insight into how you've improved as a musician. They get a glimpse of you and your music. They'll take this information and talk about it amongst themselves. This is how the word about your show gets around. People begin to think about doing shows, or auditioning, etc. 4. Where should you practice? I've found that I practice best when I practice with my drumming and bass playing. When I practice alone I tend to go too deep into the technical aspects and start to lose sight of why I'm practicing. With practicing with my band I can spend more time practicing technique and being creative with the songs I'm playing. Practice with people that you like. Practice with people that are as close to your skill level as possible. 5. Do you have a good sound check? I have a few different ideas about sound checks. If I do a sound check before every gig I feel that I don't really sound good because I don't feel like I've prepared. It's hard to sound good when you're nervous. If I do a sound check that's between the last time I rehearsed and the first time I'm playing, I feel that I have more confidence and know what I'm doing. That works for me. What about a 'just in case' sound check. Is that the same as a rehearsed sound check? 6. How long should you rehearse? For me, if I have a rehearsal with my band before the show, that usually lasts about two hours. Sometimes longer. If I rehearse only two hours, then I have to plan my set accordingly. I do feel like two hours isn't enough time, but the way that I practice, if I rehearse for more time, I tend to forget what I did in the first two hours. So I find that, for me, I need two hours to make sure that I'm not going to forget what I learned the first two hours. I think this is a pretty good approach to practice and learning the music. Make sure you have plenty of time for rehearsal, but don't practice more than two hours. This way you don't get tired of it. Also, rehearse the show sparingly because you'll forget what you were doing and have to start over.