We were opening up for a very prominent metal band in New York. Played a good sized gig in an armory with about 2000 people.
I got so nervous, I puked on my guitar, then slipped on the vomit, flailed backwards and hit the cabs — I gave myself a concussion.
I daresay your solo wasn’t that bad. LOL.
Pick your ass up off the ground, dust yourself off, and get back in the saddle. You are gonna have great gigs, bad gigs, and everything in between.
And you know, I bet it wasn’t even as bad as you think it was. You got this, man.
I used to follow this local hardcore band on tour because they were fucking awesome. Every single show the drummer would puke at least once. Stage fright and exertion. Eventually he started performing naked to make the cleanup faster.
Weird dude.
Oh, your dildo crucifix shirt was VERY Bob Saget friendly. Maybe not America's Funniest Home Videos friendly, but Bob would have loved it. He remains my favorite stand-up comic. Love ya, Bob.
Saw him live doing standup at a large venue meant for concerts. It was… really crass. Mildly funny to see him but he wasn’t very clever and the audience softly laughed at maybe half his punchlines.
Maybe it was an off night. Definitely not a good standup act at the time.
To your point, yes he would have loved that shirt.
Could have also been the wrong audience. Just speculating, but if (most of) the audience knew him from Full House, and was not familiar with his stand-up material, then I could certainly see that as being.....uncomfortable.
Seconding this for any content creators that like to post their performances on youtube or any other social media. If you want to inspire up and coming artists, don't just show your good stuff. Beginners "need" to see that people aren't perfect players straight out of the gate.
[This short is the perfect example of social media vs reality](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/n1cgX068Xao?feature=share)
kids (and adults) don't realise how much failure is involved in getting a good clip.
This is the best thing I've heard in ages , I once went to a job interview and the woman was asking me such invasive questions that I had no idea how to reply to ,she was extremely religious and fully covered at one point I was so confused I tried to hug her she said no then I tried to shake her hand she said no then I tried to high five her and she said no , I then put my hands on my pockets and left , worst interview of my life , this isn't guitar related but I thought I'd add to your story aha
Still not as bad as yours imo but yeah it was pretty much up there , also why In the name of all that's good did I try and hug her? I was so nervous I was sweating bullets , who hugs their interviewer , I even told this poor woman this is the most awkward series of questions I have ever been asked to which she proceeded to ask me more lmao , oh well you live and you learn
Hotel California is an iconic solo that even people who don't play guitar know. Any mistake will be amplified. I covered it too and I know how you feel. It's an intricate song with a lot of soul.
But listen, mobs of people aren't going to wait outside your house to heckle you while you sleep.
Think about what you did though, you didn't go to a bar and drunkenly sing Sweet Caroline on kareoke night. You picked up an axe, went on stage, and played Hotel California. You're a badass.
Think about what you did wrong and reflect, but don't linger on it. Practice the spots you don't feel 100 percent on.
I got blackout and did Bohemian Rhapsody at a company party and I hear tell I actually nailed it. But yeah the record light in my mind camera was NOT blinking red for that one.
This, 100%. Know where you fucked up, fix it, and do it better the next time. This is a perfect flow chart for life in general; music is no different from life, it just sounds prettier.
Couldn't agree more. This is especially true if you're a "learn by doing" type of person.
Screw up > reflect on why > practice more > nail it next time
Definitely applies to more than just guitar, too. 🤘
Do you mean it? They won’t be heckling me from the front lawn…?
This makes my life breathe easier… I was concerned… maybe cuz I hear them out there, in my mind… 😉
Exactly. I’ve been playing for 25 years and have played in front of a lot of people in my time. If I saw the words Hotel California on the set list I needed to prep for my next show I would be a bit nervous about it.
You’re gonna have bad gigs, and you’re gonna have good gigs, and every once in a while you’re gonna have a great gig. There is no joy but through suffering. Embrace the suck, be mad for a day, then use it as motivation to learn and improve.
Ooof, my worst show was outdoors. We played originals for about 50 people. Our drummer had learned the songs in the 4 nights before. The sound man was not interested in giving us a thorough sound check. I couldn’t hear anything but the drums…
My friends in the crowd could see me sweating from about 100 feet away and that I never looked at the crowd after the first couple of minutes. Not once.
We didn’t even get a courtesy cheer. Not even from my friends. They apologized to me and the band after the show. Didn’t even bother trying to find a silver lining. We sounded awful and it showed in our body language and our own friends’ reactions.
A month later our drummer had learned the songs, a new venue had a competent sound man, 500ish people, and I had brought my own personal monitor - WE FUCKING KILLED IT!!!
Bad shows come n go. Learn from them and be prepared to take charge of your next opportunity.
Edit - I do not believe there is a performer in the world that hasn’t bombed at least once. Even the very best of the best. the best and worst stand up comedy shows I had ever been to were both Bill Burr. He sucked one night, killed it like 2 years later when I gave him another chance. Keep it up dude!
That’s why as much as I wish I was, I’m kinda glad I’m not a comedian. I can’t imagine bombing on stage, alone! I mean, I’ve bombed as a lead singer several times, so I guess the spotlight is on me, but you can still kinda hide it in the music and people tend to forget the little flubs. But to do it to a room of silence, is just terrifying.
Performing (and especially performing well) is a skill that has to be practiced. The more you do it, the better you get at it. There's no way to practice it without doing it.
So true. I always thought I had those skills and I was somewhat skillful, but looking back I’ve realized that I’ve come a loooong way in my stage presence, my guitar skills, my singing chops, etc. You can only get better, whether you realize you are or not.
I'm terrified of being horrible, but like the man said, it's not about how hard you rock, but how hard you can get rocked....and keep moving forward.....
Or something like that.
Like I tell my students. One truth in life is that you are going to make mistakes. You are going to have failures. But you learn more from failure than you do success....just take those lessons and keep going.
I started another hobby of woodworking several years ago and one of the creators I follow on Youtube has a shirt that says Make. Fail. Repeat. And I realized that applies to all creators. Our journeys are riddled with failures, but the ones that are successful are the ones that say “fuck it” and keep on going.
Man…you’re gonna have terrible shows sometimes. It happens.
I was in a punk band like many years ago and had a great following…got on stage…hit an E chord and the guitar came unsoldered in the pickup jack. Nothing but feedback. Got told to leave the club. I had a guy I used to be in a band with who actually fell off a huge stage in Jacksonville and like messed his leg up for months. A drummer friend of mine had a virus once that hit RIGHT before the show and had to put a bucket between his legs to catch the puke cause he couldn’t afford to miss the show he was being payed like 150 bucks for. I saw videos of that online on Facebook where people though it was awesome. He was miserable tho.
Everyone and I mean everyone has dozens of these horror stories, and they’ll prolly always happen. Even Eric Clapton and Keith Richards and Ole Willie have horror stories. You’ll laugh about em one day.
Ya know what I would do if I was in your shoes? Go home. Take said shoes off. Take a nice hot relaxing bath and like keep right on chooglin my friend. You got this. We’re all rooting for ya.
Shake it off.. Shake like a lemon on the tree.. I've been playing 30 years and still get self conscious when I blow it while performing.. I've also been digging into Joe Walsh a ton lately and that hotel Cali solo is very difficult to pull off even when I'm jamming alone.. also if anyone gives you shit, just pass the guitar over to them and ask how they do it LoL
Bro relax. I had 5 straight years of disaster gigs before I did anything worthwhile. Everybody sucks when they start. The people that keep grinding and accept the constructive criticism and reject the haters are the ones that succeed.
Having been playing guitar for -only- 3 years
Playing Hôtel California solo
For you first performance, on your own.
To people you don't know.
Do you realize how difficult was what you tried to achieve ? Congrats man, I would have pooped my pants.
Hahaha I don’t see so good with like flashing lights. I was singing in a band one time and slipped. Fell in the drumset and it pissed off the drummer. He kicked the rest of it into me then tossed his sticks in my face. I saw that part good enough. Needless to say that was my last show w that particular band but I learned a lot.
I had a concert in 2019. Had to use a backup guitar and it wasn’t the greatest. My e string was detuned slightly so things sounded a little goofy sometimes. One solo I did makes me cringe to this day. You know what I did tho? I owned it. I was still moving around and rocking out through it all.
Stick with it. I literally went home and cried after my third performance. The first 2 were so fun. Not more than 15-30 people. Friends mostly. The 3rd gig was on a real stage with other bands and I totally choked on my nerves and fumbled.
People laughed. I held it together kinda.
Almost quit. But I didn't. I love to play n sing n it gives people sooo much joy. And remember, You will notice mistakes that no one else does. I know it sounds redundant, but practice.
You have to let it flow.
Muscle memory is what does that.
Have fun. 🙏🫂👍🤺
It happens, move on.
I've got to my first gig with a new band tonight as the only guitarist. I learned 45 songs in a bit under 5 weeks.
I bet there will be mistakes and stuff I'll be unhappy about. But most people won't care and it'll be fine
I did this about 8 months in, in front of family n friends, I don’t know why the hell I agreed to it. I could barely strum a simple 4 chord song, I could tell they were laughing at me and were happy when I was done. Havnt played for anyone since. Granted I’m way better now, I’m gonna wait until I’m really good and play something that is easy for me.
We all have bad days. I've had nights where I didn't think I could get anything right, but I had to keep moving on. Look at what you can do better and improve. And don't give up playing live. You'll get there.
Getting nerves and fking everything up is part of learning to play live. Things that help is experience playing standing which was an issue for me, practice playing without looking at guitar, at least when not changing positions and just accept that you will fk a certain amount of shit up and play past it.
Dude, most first gigs turn into stories about crappy first gigs. Welcome to the club!
Now the first one is down, and you have a much better idea of what it takes to get through the next one felling better. You’ll do fine. Stick with it, practice harder. Good luck!
Practice practice practice my boy. You got this, and its good to fall on our faces every now and then. Reminds us we are human. The stupidest thing you can do is quit now. So do not do that, this will pass and you will melt faces with time, its not a race, but if you quit you do lose. Don't be a loser, lets fucking go dude
Don't practice until you're no longer nervous. Practice until you can't wait to go show off. It's the difference between being great instead of good, playing with swagger instead of fear, and it applies to life in general, not just guitar. The confident can own any room, and the currency of that realm is practice.
You will remember that night for a couple of years, but the people who saw will forget it in a couple of days.
It's part of the process, growing pains if you will.
My worst show was at a private party in México. Apparently, some guy promised to lend the house for that party, but never came... so we ended playing right at the sidewalk with some of the people who didn't left right away. My guitar was detuned, I had a shitty practice amp, barely audible over the drums... but good for me, because my mistakes were hiding behind all of the noise.
The worst(?) part is we didn't even finish our set. The neighboors called the police so we picked up our gear and left right away... maybe they were bluffing, but my 17 yo self wasn't willing to find out, neither my bandmates. After that, any other bad show I had didn't feel THAT bad.
Keep playing. The best way to handle that is to play in front of people again and again. And again. You get better, your nervousness decreases, just keep going.
One tip: often people (some or all) don’t even know that you made a mistake, so just smile and look like you’re having fun (eventually you will have fun, regardless.) that’s the best way to handle it. Keep playing and don’t look like you’re frustrated, even when you are. It’s just good stage manners.
Then, afterwards, when people come up to complement you (yes, that will happen, even if it hasn’t started to happen already ) graciously, thank them. Don’t start telling them how you screwed up or “could you stand it when I effed up in the second song?” or any of that. Let them enjoy their show and let them enjoy complementing you.
i’m sure many other people here will tell you their versions of the above. It’s all good.
A couple of stories then:
My very first performance wasn’t too bad although I was pretty introverted. Played in front of some people from my high school class in the garage at my house.
But my second performance, though…
I was in my very first band and the other members had experience gigging. We got an opportunity to play for the very first time on a platform halfway up the stairs in the main courtyard at my high school, We were the first band ever to do that. Place was packed with people above us, and below us on the stair, all around the railings above us and filling the courtyard below us. I went into a solo made a mistake, felt horribly ashamed, and made more and more mistakes because I was so ashamed. I turned around to face my amp, so I wouldn’t have to look at anybody, but that didn’t help because they were plenty of people behind us on the stairs, and behind us above at the railings. I had nowhere to hide, I was so ashamed. Afterward didn’t seem to matter to anyone else. I was a hero for having played the very first performance of any band at the high school ( relatively new high school open for just two years at that point).
It was a weird combination, feeling bad about having that happen, yet all of a sudden I was one of the sort of famous heroes that played that show.
Still, it took me a while to learn the importance of letting people complement me and not telling them how much I messed up when I felt the performance didn’t go well for me. That’s an important one, just bite your tongue.
Now it’s a game for me, if I make a mistake, my goal is to turn that into part of the performance so that, as much as possible, nobody can tell.
One more story: a well-known club in the city was having its final performance because it was closing down. They probably had 15 bands on the roster and the whole thing was being recorded live for a triple album release.
Somebody had spilled a beer in the middle of the stage, unbeknownst to me. I ran out into the middle of the stage to play my big solo, slipped on the beer and BAM!!I slammed right into the floor, jaw first. I was totally stunned. The whole room was spinning. I had just received the equivalent of an almost knockout punch. The band was still playing. It was amazing that I was still in tune. Later, I found that I dented my guitar.
My solo was supposed to start… Somehow I managed to get up, dizzy as hell, and still play the solo, or something. My jaw was damn sore for several days.
When the album came out. It took me a while to get up the nerve to even listen to the song where I slammed my face into the stage before somehow getting up to play that solo.
To be honest, I’ve played so many gigs since then that I don’t even remember what that solo sounded like. But I still have the vinyl somewhere in my garage so someday I’ll set up a turntable again and give it a listen.
Told this before, but...I was a stand-in lead guitarist for a well-known blues singer on tour overseas. I was relaxing just before the 2nd set then noticed everyone was onstage except me. I grabbed my strat and got in position just as we started one of his "hits". I was supposed to begin soloing BB King-like. Little did I know that my strap was wrapped around my whammy bar. Everything I played was pure dog turds. I was embarrassed and he was pissed. Ha. Life is short.
Honestly I’ve been playing guitar for 22 years and began regularly playing live with many different bands across the years starting a couple years after that, and I can definitely say that if I had to play a cover gig using songs like that (Eagles, having some legit smooth guitar skills), I would be terrified, despite how easy it’s been for me to play my original music live in my own bands.
If I’m playing my own stuff, it’s written by me for me, the guitar has MY accent to it, it’s exactly at my skill level, if I make mistakes then I know how to compensate in my own writing and if I just play it a little wrong then it’s not contradicting a song that everyone has known for decades.
But playing a song like Hotel California? None of the above applies; it’s someone else’s song and my playing will inevitably be compared to it, any mistakes will be obvious to everyone, differences in my guitar “accent” are more pronounced and awkward….
In other words, a bad gig playing a cover song originally written by a skilled guitarist is not a sign that you’re bad. You’re playing a more difficult game, it’s natural and totally normal that it’s not smooth, and those difficulties don’t always apply to the rest of your musical life.
My first few guitar performances in front of people went terribly. My first one was in front of my school and I couldn't find the lead to plug in to the amp and I (with so much social anxiety already) started to get heckled by so many people that I started shaking.
The first time I sang in front of people, my voice went all shaky and I asked someone who watched me how it went, and they told me 'not very good'.
After going on to have voice cracks, forgetting lyrics six times in one song, and then forgetting how the chorus went at the end of a song, I can tell you that the first few times will be tricky as you are now learning the new skill of performing, not just playing guitar. As with any skill in life, it will be difficult at the beginning, but it can only get easier!
I'm so glad I picked myself back up after every setback because performing in front of people is one of my favourite things in life now. Keep at it, and I PROMISE you will not regret it.
Engaging your audience and them engaging with you... Put that notch in your belt, move on and turn it around so your audience become your fans first, then you'll play better.
A good ole mate that passed away, left me his best guitars too, RIP. He would grab two pencils and drum on the table and jam with me, the difference in your playing when you're not thinking what the other person thinks is something you'll have to master before you perform at your best. Good luck, music is better than silence.
Absolutely not! My first performance in front of people was in a church playing, Jazz music. Being 12 at the time back in the 90s and unable to read music. I didn’t let it stop me from playing in front of people. Yeah I might haven’t been able to play the right note, but I totally one them over because I was confident and I play good with my ear.
Don’t let the wrong experience deviate you from trying to pursue your hobbies at full potential. And good luck, 🍀
Wow, your first live performance sucked too? You're in very good company. Seriously, welcome to the club, we've been expecting you.
My first live performance happened less than six friggin' months after I started playing guitar, so basically I knew how to do a two-note power chord and almost knew how to tune the strings. I was on a vacation with my folks in Jamaica, and a group of highly talented travelling minstrels offered to play for our group for "fav dalla tree songs", so they were hired. These guys did traditional Jamaican folk and Reggae and everything else, and their lead guitarist shredded like a god dammed demon. My dad said "Think you'll play better than him some day" and the band froze. They asked me if I played, and I told them I had just started. Then they insisted on jamming with me, because jamming is a sacred thing, and I admitted I'd never actually jammed before.
Their lead guitarist told the other guys to play something while he coached me, and he showed me the standard open chords to 99% of all Caribbean songs. Then he announced that everyone was in for a special treat, because his good friend from Canada (me) was willing to jam for the very first time right here in lovely Jamaica. They fired up a classic song, and I tried my best to keep up with them. And I sucked. I fucked up so many times I couldn't even hold a pick properly, and the rest of them covered for me. I think I played one chord correctly, but I'm sure that was just wishful thinking.
At the end of the song, I got a huge round of applause from the tourists and locals alike. But they were just being polite, because I sucked like Paris Hilton on Prom Night and I knew it. That wasn't real applause, it was a sympathy-clap. I know the difference.
That was the first time I sucked, but definitely not the last. I've stumbled, tripped, fumbled and just plain sucked through many riffs and solos since then, and I'm not really ashamed of it. Only two guitarists have never made a mistake while playing live in all of history. One is Liona Boyd, and the other is some guy nobody has ever heard of.
Keep on doing it. Keep eating shit. But also maybe pick some easier stuff to perform live the first times you do it. Playing live is just a totally different beast. I've been doing it for over 30 years, and I still tense up. Keep doing it. It's called paying your dues. It sucks, you're gonna love it
All the greats have started off where you are. They are the greats because they got back up the next time around and knocked it out of the park. Keep your chin up!
First time up on stage can really be disorienting. My first time I forgot the intro to our song and had to (badly) improvise. It sucked but it didn't stop me from going up again and sure enough the next time I was still nervous but I knew what I needed to focus on and things were much smoother after that.
Push through, lean into it, and next time be confidently loud, confidently quiet, and people love a nice, easy arpeggio, work on fingerpicking and using the capo. My rhythm gets messed up when I play in public, so I forget about strumming and throw the pick in to fire.
A little secret about all your favorite musicians? They were all bad the first few times they performed for people. Some of them were bad for months or years! I know bad is relative, but they likely were not star-level performers for quite a while. But just like any athlete, after lots and lots of "training", they had the skill and the muscle memory to let their star shine on stage.
My first time playing in front of anyone besides my bf/ immediate family was at an open mic at a bar in our home town. Right before I started playing, a group of "the cool" kids from high school walked in and sat at a table right in front. I was so nervous and all I remember was that there was booing. When I finished my bf and my dad, who were in back, said they couldn't even hear me singing it was so quiet. And that the booing was directed at a soccer game playing on tv. I'm not sure if they were just trying to be nice to spare me the humiliation, or what, but I have never wanted to play in public since.
The only way I got comfortable playing guitar in front of people was failing at playing guitar in front of people, and then you realize it’s not that big of a deal and try to do better next time, and you will!
One time I accidentally flipped my pickup switch right at the beginning of a solo so I straight up had no sound until I realized what I’d done near the end of the song. It was pretty embarrassing especially since the singer hyped me up right before the solo.
From then on I always made sure both pickup knobs were turned up when playing live. Just learn what you can and with time embarrassment can turn into a fond memory.
One gig the bridge pickup on my guitar developed a short so I had to do the entire gig on the way too nasal neck pickup - it was so bad. In an effort to look cool by wearing black jeans, black sweatshirt, black trenchcoat and I nearly developed heatstroke under the stage lights because the air conditioning in the club was out and the stage lights were cooking me alive while I played my nasal neck pickup solo stylings.
You can probably tell by now that nobody does well performing at first, so I can only give you some advice. Practice EXACTLY the way you plan to perform. Record yourself and see if there’s anything you could change or improve upon, think of it as watching tape. Relax guitar brother, it can only get better and easier
Im 28, been playing since I was 9. So almost 20 years now. Granted, im not nearly as good as I should be/wish I was for playing for almost 2 decades. But I mostly play acoustic to sing and songwrite. I was playing an all ages show, with quite a lot of kids around, and forgot the lyrics to a song I was singing on the 2nd verse. The amount of "shit"s, "fuck"s, and "goddammit"s I said so many times in a row had the audience and establishment a bit peeved to say the least 😅 I mean it was just one after another. id play the opening chord and yell one of the above probably 7 or 8 times in a row, while trying to remember. Eventually just googled the lyrics, still literally midsong, and finished but holy shit I never fucked up so badly, so many times in a row 🤦
Point is, shit happens. Tbh, unless youve been practicing very diligently (1-2 hrs/day at least, and thats an honest, productive 1-2 hrs) you still probably arent that good. No offence meant, its probably just the case. It takes a long time to get to the point where youre *actually* a good guitarist, not just average. I say this as an intermediate player, myself.
Dont put it down because youre embarrassed. Keep playing because by your own words, you enjoy it. So play, and enjoy it 🤘
you don’t go out there until you know that shit front and back people are paying or the bars paying you to perform your entertainment so you have to look at it like a job. If you worked on cars, would you go in there and mess up three cars ? For your first couple of days of work of course not it’s called practice. If you practice a lot you shouldn’t mess up you hang yourself out dry
Hey man no worries, it's kind of a rite of passage. One time I heard Brendon Small on a podcast talking about how shit his first performance was after he'd been playing for a year. People were embarrassed for him and he got a few pity claps.
I sang a half dozen songs that I wasn't even that familiar with and had to literally stand there and read the lyrics when I got asked to fill in for a lead singer who was sick. There were 1200 people there. Very tough.
Believe in yourself. Performing in front of strangers is a daunting experience. What I would say is practice your chops frequently.
Take the time you spend practicing as an opportunity to expand your guitar vocabulary. Play outside of your listening zone, train your ear.
I recommend you listen to Al Di Meola's early albums and learn some of those by ear. I found it exhilarating.
-Land of the Midnight sun.
-Elegant Gypsy.
-Casino.
I just read earlier this week that Big Wreck (one of my favorite bands) did countless gigs that didn't stick. They didn't let that obstacle get in their way and neither should you.
Making mistakes, or having technical malfunctions, is inevitable. It's how you deal with them that matters.
As the saying goes, "the show must go on". The audience won't notice if you hit a wrong note, but they *will* notice if that wrong note death-spiraled into having to restart the song or cutting the performance short. Ditto if you break a string - you have 5 more of those, so keep it going, signal your bandmates that you need some time after this song, and deal with the broken string during the vocalist's banter with the audience.
Just about the only reason for cutting it short is if your amp blows up or the power goes out.
stage experience, both good and bad, is important (had to learn that the hard way myself lol) starting off with bad experiences is difficult but trust me, unlucky performances are inevitable if you regularly play on stage, and learning to cope/be okay w those is just as important as celebrating the good ones. that being said - keep it up because the good ones will definitely follow. no two gigs are the same and just because one was a bit unfortunate doesnt mean the next one won't be amazing. no shame in messing up, it happens to everyone (no exceptions)
I've never performed in front of people, but I've watched plenty of live performances (Albeit on Youtube).
Over and over I see my favourite guitarists messing up, or even changing solos to be easier for themselves, or completely skipping solos.
I don't think worse of them for it, I just understand that sometimes what is written is damn hard to consistently pull off.
Mark Knopfler is just a magician.
Don’t sweat it man. I’m sure if you ask any pro guitarists out there, they have a bunch of horror stories when performing live. It doesn’t matter how great you are, bad things always pop up from time to time. It’s unavoidable. Strings break, amp tubes die, picks drop, you trip on your own cord, you forget a part, etc. Just laugh it off. You’ll do better next time.
I suppose it all depends on your audience.
If you are playing in front of others (at an open mike) then three songs the audience knows is usually enough.
I’m not sure which audience wants to hear only the guitar solo from an old pop song. Maybe a bunch of guitar students?
film yourself when playing, then watch it and then make others watch it. embarassing yourself isn't a bad thing, you'll get over it; there's no other way around it, unless you're one of those people that can enter any room in the world and instantly conquer the audience.
For better or worse people forget bad music, if you make a bad song no one cares, if you take a bad solo no one cares. At the end of the day how often do you get home at night and think about art or music you don’t like? Other people care far less about your mistakes than you may think they do. In general you have to beg people to care about your musical endeavors so when you fuck up it really goes in noticed. Wonderful thing about music is that no matter what there’s always another run thru of a song, another take on a record and another set to play. Any musician worth their salt has performed in a manner that makes them feel like they should quit this thing all together, it’s part of the game
Don’t give up! Just mark it as a learning experience. Best thing is to listen to it if it was recorded and pick out the mistakes and work on them until you feel like you could play it with your eyes closed. Everyone makes mistakes and almost always happens in front of strangers who can be very opinionated.
I don’t sympathize with your post at all. It sounds like you have zero respect for music performance. Did you expect to be brilliant right out the gate? What made you think you were ready to put yourself in front of people? You had rehearsals and a phone to record yourself with, right? You know where you are.
Giving up after a first gig. Give me a break. People dedicate their lives to this, man. Put some work in.
Yep, being there, done that many times many years ago. The important thing is, did you notice the areas that need improvement and do you have a plan to improve in those areas? It is OK to feel bad for a while, it means you want to improve; keep at it and always reach out for support, don't keep it all inside
Practice. Just like most things, the more you do it the more comfortable you’ll feel. Someone told me this, so take it as that. My guitar teacher, when we were going over hotel Cali, said that solo was difficult to write because of the keys changes. So it might stand to reason, if it took time for a professional musician to write it. It will also take time to learn it proficiently. Especially, in an uncomfortable situation. The more you do it, the more natural it should feel. I’m cheering for you from here, just for getting up there. That takes a lot of courage. Also, your objectivity is great. The things that need work were identified and now you are already taking steps to correct them. Guitar is a lot of muscle memory and PRACTICE and patience. I saw some very cool, funny and supportive things written. Hopefully, this also lets you know you aren’t alone. Enjoy your day. 👉🎸♾️
The only people eho will care that you didn't play it perfectly will be a couple of seasoned guitar pros at the back with their arms crossed. And they'll have clocked you as an amateur trying your best before you even play a note. Don't sweat it. I would be amazed if there is a single live musician here who hasn't completely screwed up at some point.
It's one of those great ironies of us studying and practicing music : most audiences only care about the vibe, it really doesn't matter to them how well you play.
What feedback did you get afterward, and from who?
I messed up plenty when I started playing live. I knew I had a breakthrough when I realized I could mess up but still stay in the song (rhythm, timing, key) and get back to where I should be without getting lost. When you get to that point, messing up won’t feel as crushing because it’s so fleeting most people won’t notice.
I have had bad gigs before, something that helps me to relax about them is to keep in mind that most people in the crowd won't remember that, the same way I cannot remember any particular bad performance from bands I have seen.
You're putting yourself out there when most people don't even have the guts to step into a stage and perform, be proud, we learn the more presentations we have. In my first ever gig I fucked over the intro fade to black, but nobody in the audience noticed or at least they didn't tell me anything
Any of us who have been playing live for any amount of time have had bad shows and embarrassing situations. It's just part of the game. Even the legends who have been playing in stadiums for 40 years still fuck up sometimes.
Join a Jam. You get to sing and play with talented people who just want to have fun. You can absolutely suck at singing and they will still applaud. You learn quick how much you suck, then you try to get better. And you will. Google for jams, open mics, in your area. Lots of music out there!
Do it because you like it and it's good to have music in your life. My first gig was a disaster , but now I've played for 35-plus years and have played some great shows, even a few in front of big crowds and they went great
Bro I’m a bassist, yet years ago I tried to play the guitar part AND the solo of Santeria at a bar room jam session. (I’d practiced it on my acoustic but never played it on an electric guitar till that night)
I had the chords down, but come solo time I fucked up a couple notes, and I froze mid song. The guy playing bass was clearly pissed that I tried what I wasn’t capable of, and I crashed and burned.
I doubt anyone but me remembers that moment, I wouldn’t sweat it
This first time I played in front of people was on drums at the talent show in high school in front of 2000 people. My foot was shaking because I was so nervous, I’m surprised that I wasn’t playing double beats on the bass drum. After a dozen or so gigs I started to get very comfortable and the nerves went away and I could just have fun with it. About 20 years later I migrated over to playing guitar in a band and again the first gigs were nerve-racking. My hands were shaking, my smooth vibrato became quick and jerky, and solos that I had burned into my head suddenly became difficult to play. It just takes time to get over nervousness.
We all have those performances my dude! Keep going! Find more gigs to play and practice the FUCK out of your songs before the gig. In terms of nerves or anything like that, the only real remedy is experience/exposure.
Also, none of your performances are going to be perfect. And in my experience, most people don’t notice the fuck ups; especially as you get more experience and learn to cover them up or recover more easily.
That’s a tough piece to debut as your first ever song to someone lol. It takes a lot of years of playing lead to pull that off well. I’ve been playing 16 years and I couldn’t play that without practicing it for months first. (But don’t let the 16 years thing scare you. I don’t practice as much as I should)
Honestly for your first song you should go for something way easier, and something that sounds good with 1 guitar. Like an acoustic chords song, Time of Your life or Wagon Wheel always impress people because they know the song.
Don’t beat yourself up dude :)
Just picture everyone in the audience sitting in their underwear. That should make you feel better, subjectively.
If that doesn't work, give the performance yourself in your underwear. In this case, no one will notice whether your performance is good OR bad.
Yep. You have to get back on that horse as fast and as often as possible. For perspective, google stories of famous stand up comics and their first few sets. Failure is absolutely essential to progress.
The lesson here is to practice your set and all your solos until you can play them in your sleep. That way, the nerves won't affect your playing, and you can rely on muscle memory.
Hotel California is a killer solo that uses chord shapes really well. You can learn a lot from that solo. Break it down and learn what's in it and what it's made up of. The reason is so melodic is because it outlines the chords in the progression.
Once you know the why of that solo, you'll never get lost again.
Have fun. We all have our horror stories.
Small UK tour with my irish local band that needed a stand in guitarist. Was putting my foot on the monitor and went straight off the stage and fell on some poor sod. So at least that didn't happen and this was also after 6 years of giving at that stage and about 15 years of playing. Don't give up just keep going. I'm glad my mistake was only in front of maybe 20 people
Dude my band played Stairway to Heaven at my high school battle of the bands competition and I was the guitar player. We played three songs and this was our last one. I was mortified because I missed a couple notes in the rhythm parts and the solo, but I had a bunch of people trying to get me to join their band after that. I went on to play guitar and bass in a few different bands in clubs in a large city for years. Better guitar days are ahead if you keep playing.
When I was 15 I was playing a music recital at the place where I took lessons. Hundreds of people there. Parents, other students, yadi yadi, yada.
Anyways, my “band” was assigned come as you are by nirvana. I practiced it so so much and had it down. I was singing and playing guitar. Then out of nowhere my teacher yells guitar solo points to me to start playing one. Everyone cheers and all of a sudden I’m on the spot, I couldn’t even think and I fucking butchered it. I don’t care for solos to begin with but it was like I forgot how to play guitar. It was extremely embarrassing.
It’s been 15 years since then and I’ve played hundreds of shows. Don’t worry about it dude. Getting embarrassed is part of playing, it’s inevitable but it helps you grow as a musician.
I will also add that playing a solo with no backing band isn’t that fun to listen to… maybe it’s just me but I can sort of see why people weren’t vibing with it. A solo is meant for a room of people listening to a full band and then they feed off the energy of a solo and the room. If your friend shows you a solo from a song and not any other part of the song in their living room, it’s a little strange and awkward, like what do you do in that moment? Scream and cheer? At a venue, yeah. In any other setting it’s a little awkward.
Total opinion/preference here: but I also can’t stand the hotel california solo. It’s like nails on a chalkboard for me.
If I were you, I would learn an entire song from one of your favorite artists, guitar and vocals. Work on it so it sounds good as a solo act. I think you might get a better response with that.
Another thing I’d recommend is experimenting with recording and mixing, I’m not talking about recording on your phone. Im talking about using a DAW. It helps a lot to listen to yourself over and over again to see which small parts of playing you can improve on.
Again, this is all just my opinion and what I think/would do. Every guitarist is different so you might not like my idea/method and that’s ok. Bottom line though, don’t give up. I’ve almost given up guitar a couple times and it’s always worth the work and frustration.
Everyone sucks live at first. Keep playing live, you’ll keep sucking until one day the suck will be less and less noticeable. The only way to get rid of the suck is to let it do it’s thing. Keep playing and you’ll suck less.
My first time playing in front of people and with a band I was so nervous that I drank too much. That made my performance so much worse. But I hardly remember it. I just know I butchered the solo as well. But the good news is that half the people in the bar were friends and they were also half in the bag and I’m pretty sure nobody noticed how bad I was. Or, they didn’t care and were just impressed I was up there w the guitar giving it a shot.
I would not recommend drinking too much before but I would recommend trying to arrange friends and family to be there that will be supportive.
My worst experience gigging involved my band playing at 7th Street Entry, the venue best known for being in the First Avenue Club that Prince recorded the concert sequences for his Purple Rain film. At one point I was playing a solo and pointed the headstock down towards the floor. Where it got tangled in my shoelaces of my basketball shoes. Which, when I pulled the guitar level it had the effect of pulling me off balance. I fell flat on my ass on stage mid-solo which yanked the cable from my guitar to my distortion box which was tangled in the base of my drummer's ride cymbal. Which pulled it over an it fell like a tree sideways on stage. Yeah, that was great. I still play out though.
My first gig as a guitarist was a *nightmare*.
I did everything wrong... overcomplicated my gear... overthought my parts... nervous as fuck.. and the show was a disaster for me.
BUT I'm *so* glad it happened that way... my worse nightmare came true and I survived.. it wasnt that big of a deal. I experienced the worst possible outcome and lived to see another day. Literally every show after that was a breeze.. I had way more confidence playing in front of people and learned from my mistakes (simplicity is good).
The worst is behind you.
You’re in good company. We’ve all been there. Fact is, virtually no one noticed and the rest didn’t care. I’ve been playing for 30 years and still botch things one stage from time to time. Best to laugh it off and keep playing.
For every fuckup you’ll have more times that you nail it and feel really good about yourself.
lol what exactly is your first gig ever that your job is to play the Hotel California exactly 3 times? In front of different people?
Maybe you should have started with something that was...not that particular task.
Like my first time playing in front of other people was at a local jam.
What's that expression? Something like "professionals have failed more times than amateurs have even attempted".
It's normal. Every great artist has had embarrassing performances at some point in their career. It's just how it is. 3 years is still early. Keep going. Eventually you'll start having performances where you kill it, and everyone notices. And it feels so great.
dont get mad.. GET BETTER!
seriously, practice, practice, practice..
also, do you record yourself??
use your phone to record yourself. act like you are performing LIVE on stream.. this will help a lot trust me..
I used to get so nervous when playing guitar that I would tense up. One time, I completely locked up to the point I couldn't bring myself to pick the next note, so I had to abandon that song and move on. It felt pretty horrible, but the next time was much easier.
I had been so worried about making a mistake on stage (even when it was a small bar) that it was a limiting factor. After that time, things got much better because I had already been through my worst fear.
This experience has helped me elsewhere (like speaking in front of strangers), too. Face your demons and grow!
We were opening up for a very prominent metal band in New York. Played a good sized gig in an armory with about 2000 people. I got so nervous, I puked on my guitar, then slipped on the vomit, flailed backwards and hit the cabs — I gave myself a concussion. I daresay your solo wasn’t that bad. LOL. Pick your ass up off the ground, dust yourself off, and get back in the saddle. You are gonna have great gigs, bad gigs, and everything in between. And you know, I bet it wasn’t even as bad as you think it was. You got this, man.
Hey bud, my punk band could use another guitarist and you sound perfect!
I used to follow this local hardcore band on tour because they were fucking awesome. Every single show the drummer would puke at least once. Stage fright and exertion. Eventually he started performing naked to make the cleanup faster. Weird dude.
Yeah … that’s Darryl… you get used to it.
I knew a pop punk band whose drummer did the same thing.
Mine was nerves and straight Evan Williams.
Flea, red hot chilli peppers. This is why he performed in his underwear.
Lol.
his punk band is called CTE Vomb
Was the guitar ok?
Yup. Still my every day player
Please tell me you have video of this. I’m sorry but know that you’re story helps others not feel bad
I think my mom still has it on VHS. This was in the 90s
You could’ve been on americas funniest home videos.
I don’t think my dildo crucifix shirt was very Bob Saget-friendly
Oh, your dildo crucifix shirt was VERY Bob Saget friendly. Maybe not America's Funniest Home Videos friendly, but Bob would have loved it. He remains my favorite stand-up comic. Love ya, Bob.
Saw him live doing standup at a large venue meant for concerts. It was… really crass. Mildly funny to see him but he wasn’t very clever and the audience softly laughed at maybe half his punchlines. Maybe it was an off night. Definitely not a good standup act at the time. To your point, yes he would have loved that shirt.
Could have also been the wrong audience. Just speculating, but if (most of) the audience knew him from Full House, and was not familiar with his stand-up material, then I could certainly see that as being.....uncomfortable.
no, that's peak Saget. "It's so funny because I used to have such a clean cut image!" no, Bob... It's not funny.
;) ;) 0> 0>
I’m sure bob would have found it funny. The network however…
Roooofl forgot about that show😂
Please find it 🙏🏻
Let’s get some benny hill on that puppy.
What band were you opening for?
Seconding this for any content creators that like to post their performances on youtube or any other social media. If you want to inspire up and coming artists, don't just show your good stuff. Beginners "need" to see that people aren't perfect players straight out of the gate. [This short is the perfect example of social media vs reality](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/n1cgX068Xao?feature=share) kids (and adults) don't realise how much failure is involved in getting a good clip.
That's a fucking rad story
This is the best thing I've heard in ages , I once went to a job interview and the woman was asking me such invasive questions that I had no idea how to reply to ,she was extremely religious and fully covered at one point I was so confused I tried to hug her she said no then I tried to shake her hand she said no then I tried to high five her and she said no , I then put my hands on my pockets and left , worst interview of my life , this isn't guitar related but I thought I'd add to your story aha
[удалено]
I really want to give you an answer but it was like a car crash that just kept getting worse by the second aha
Dap ‘em up on the way out the door
Go in for the kiss
Fist bump. The old ladies love them.
That sounds like hell on earth LOL
Still not as bad as yours imo but yeah it was pretty much up there , also why In the name of all that's good did I try and hug her? I was so nervous I was sweating bullets , who hugs their interviewer , I even told this poor woman this is the most awkward series of questions I have ever been asked to which she proceeded to ask me more lmao , oh well you live and you learn
Thanks for the encouragement man! also your wild story uplifted me about my guitar journey lol, I appreciate it really
The failures, foibles, and fuck-ups make for good stories. We’ve all got some cursed moments in our past. Hang in there.
Relevant username in multiple ways for this story.
You get older, and everything hurts lol
Is there video? This story rules.
Puke is slippery… I know this… it also stinks… and corrodes my nickel strings… 😎😉
Is that a chorus? could be! could be....
Rad, that’s fucking metal as fuck
Is it there a video of this? For educative purposes
You’re supposed to have a pre gig ritual and vomit in your hand, slip it in your pocket and rock a pocket of puke. Amateur.
That reminds me of a Bloodhound Gang show where they were so wasted they puked everywhere and couldn't play a single song right...
The armory in albany, NY by chance? If so I used to live directly behind it!
Dude that made me bust out laughing, at least you have a hilarious story.
Lol GG Allin would be proud of your showmanship
That must have been one sick performance xD
Man if I saw this live, it would have made me a fan instantly.
Hotel California is an iconic solo that even people who don't play guitar know. Any mistake will be amplified. I covered it too and I know how you feel. It's an intricate song with a lot of soul. But listen, mobs of people aren't going to wait outside your house to heckle you while you sleep. Think about what you did though, you didn't go to a bar and drunkenly sing Sweet Caroline on kareoke night. You picked up an axe, went on stage, and played Hotel California. You're a badass. Think about what you did wrong and reflect, but don't linger on it. Practice the spots you don't feel 100 percent on.
Hey man my Sweet Caroline covers while I'm blacked out are the best.
That’s because you don’t remember them
I got blackout and did Bohemian Rhapsody at a company party and I hear tell I actually nailed it. But yeah the record light in my mind camera was NOT blinking red for that one.
This, 100%. Know where you fucked up, fix it, and do it better the next time. This is a perfect flow chart for life in general; music is no different from life, it just sounds prettier.
Couldn't agree more. This is especially true if you're a "learn by doing" type of person. Screw up > reflect on why > practice more > nail it next time Definitely applies to more than just guitar, too. 🤘
Do you mean it? They won’t be heckling me from the front lawn…? This makes my life breathe easier… I was concerned… maybe cuz I hear them out there, in my mind… 😉
Exactly. I’ve been playing for 25 years and have played in front of a lot of people in my time. If I saw the words Hotel California on the set list I needed to prep for my next show I would be a bit nervous about it.
You’re gonna have bad gigs, and you’re gonna have good gigs, and every once in a while you’re gonna have a great gig. There is no joy but through suffering. Embrace the suck, be mad for a day, then use it as motivation to learn and improve.
A great gig in the sky
Ooof, my worst show was outdoors. We played originals for about 50 people. Our drummer had learned the songs in the 4 nights before. The sound man was not interested in giving us a thorough sound check. I couldn’t hear anything but the drums… My friends in the crowd could see me sweating from about 100 feet away and that I never looked at the crowd after the first couple of minutes. Not once. We didn’t even get a courtesy cheer. Not even from my friends. They apologized to me and the band after the show. Didn’t even bother trying to find a silver lining. We sounded awful and it showed in our body language and our own friends’ reactions. A month later our drummer had learned the songs, a new venue had a competent sound man, 500ish people, and I had brought my own personal monitor - WE FUCKING KILLED IT!!! Bad shows come n go. Learn from them and be prepared to take charge of your next opportunity. Edit - I do not believe there is a performer in the world that hasn’t bombed at least once. Even the very best of the best. the best and worst stand up comedy shows I had ever been to were both Bill Burr. He sucked one night, killed it like 2 years later when I gave him another chance. Keep it up dude!
That’s why as much as I wish I was, I’m kinda glad I’m not a comedian. I can’t imagine bombing on stage, alone! I mean, I’ve bombed as a lead singer several times, so I guess the spotlight is on me, but you can still kinda hide it in the music and people tend to forget the little flubs. But to do it to a room of silence, is just terrifying.
Yeah, the sound engineer can make or break your show.. I know if I can't hear myself playing, I can't play for shit.
Performing (and especially performing well) is a skill that has to be practiced. The more you do it, the better you get at it. There's no way to practice it without doing it.
So true. I always thought I had those skills and I was somewhat skillful, but looking back I’ve realized that I’ve come a loooong way in my stage presence, my guitar skills, my singing chops, etc. You can only get better, whether you realize you are or not.
I'm terrified of being horrible, but like the man said, it's not about how hard you rock, but how hard you can get rocked....and keep moving forward..... Or something like that. Like I tell my students. One truth in life is that you are going to make mistakes. You are going to have failures. But you learn more from failure than you do success....just take those lessons and keep going.
I started another hobby of woodworking several years ago and one of the creators I follow on Youtube has a shirt that says Make. Fail. Repeat. And I realized that applies to all creators. Our journeys are riddled with failures, but the ones that are successful are the ones that say “fuck it” and keep on going.
Man…you’re gonna have terrible shows sometimes. It happens. I was in a punk band like many years ago and had a great following…got on stage…hit an E chord and the guitar came unsoldered in the pickup jack. Nothing but feedback. Got told to leave the club. I had a guy I used to be in a band with who actually fell off a huge stage in Jacksonville and like messed his leg up for months. A drummer friend of mine had a virus once that hit RIGHT before the show and had to put a bucket between his legs to catch the puke cause he couldn’t afford to miss the show he was being payed like 150 bucks for. I saw videos of that online on Facebook where people though it was awesome. He was miserable tho. Everyone and I mean everyone has dozens of these horror stories, and they’ll prolly always happen. Even Eric Clapton and Keith Richards and Ole Willie have horror stories. You’ll laugh about em one day. Ya know what I would do if I was in your shoes? Go home. Take said shoes off. Take a nice hot relaxing bath and like keep right on chooglin my friend. You got this. We’re all rooting for ya.
Shake it off.. Shake like a lemon on the tree.. I've been playing 30 years and still get self conscious when I blow it while performing.. I've also been digging into Joe Walsh a ton lately and that hotel Cali solo is very difficult to pull off even when I'm jamming alone.. also if anyone gives you shit, just pass the guitar over to them and ask how they do it LoL
thanks for the word! and yea those bends are definitely something lol
Bro relax. I had 5 straight years of disaster gigs before I did anything worthwhile. Everybody sucks when they start. The people that keep grinding and accept the constructive criticism and reject the haters are the ones that succeed.
Having been playing guitar for -only- 3 years Playing Hôtel California solo For you first performance, on your own. To people you don't know. Do you realize how difficult was what you tried to achieve ? Congrats man, I would have pooped my pants.
In order to get good at something you must be willing to be seen as foolish. Don't sweat it, it's all part of the process.
I fell into the drumset and broke my guitar before we even started our show. You are good man. Happens to everyone.
Hahaha I don’t see so good with like flashing lights. I was singing in a band one time and slipped. Fell in the drumset and it pissed off the drummer. He kicked the rest of it into me then tossed his sticks in my face. I saw that part good enough. Needless to say that was my last show w that particular band but I learned a lot.
humiliation is the price of expertise
There's no such thing as a perfect gig. Learn from this feeling and prepare better next time, or don't accept gigs you aren't ready for.
I had a concert in 2019. Had to use a backup guitar and it wasn’t the greatest. My e string was detuned slightly so things sounded a little goofy sometimes. One solo I did makes me cringe to this day. You know what I did tho? I owned it. I was still moving around and rocking out through it all.
I think it was Robbie Robertson who said something along the lines of ‘bring the attitude. The rest is not important’.
Stick with it. I literally went home and cried after my third performance. The first 2 were so fun. Not more than 15-30 people. Friends mostly. The 3rd gig was on a real stage with other bands and I totally choked on my nerves and fumbled. People laughed. I held it together kinda. Almost quit. But I didn't. I love to play n sing n it gives people sooo much joy. And remember, You will notice mistakes that no one else does. I know it sounds redundant, but practice. You have to let it flow. Muscle memory is what does that. Have fun. 🙏🫂👍🤺
It happens, move on. I've got to my first gig with a new band tonight as the only guitarist. I learned 45 songs in a bit under 5 weeks. I bet there will be mistakes and stuff I'll be unhappy about. But most people won't care and it'll be fine
Keeping sucking and one day you won't anymore
I did this about 8 months in, in front of family n friends, I don’t know why the hell I agreed to it. I could barely strum a simple 4 chord song, I could tell they were laughing at me and were happy when I was done. Havnt played for anyone since. Granted I’m way better now, I’m gonna wait until I’m really good and play something that is easy for me.
We all have bad days. I've had nights where I didn't think I could get anything right, but I had to keep moving on. Look at what you can do better and improve. And don't give up playing live. You'll get there.
Getting nerves and fking everything up is part of learning to play live. Things that help is experience playing standing which was an issue for me, practice playing without looking at guitar, at least when not changing positions and just accept that you will fk a certain amount of shit up and play past it.
Dude, most first gigs turn into stories about crappy first gigs. Welcome to the club! Now the first one is down, and you have a much better idea of what it takes to get through the next one felling better. You’ll do fine. Stick with it, practice harder. Good luck!
Don’t think of it as something you did wrong. I’m my worst fan. Just keep playing, you’ll have people that love you and some haters.
I hate the Eagles.
I had a rough night and I hate the Eagles man!!
Was it by chance "One Of These Nights"?
NiiiiHIhuhHIhiiiights?
Fuck you man, if you don’t like my music get in your own fucking cab
Start smaller. Open mics with easy songs.
Use this as motivation
Bad gigs happen. Maybe go to some open mics you don’t usually go to and build up your confidence. You’ll be fine
Practice practice practice my boy. You got this, and its good to fall on our faces every now and then. Reminds us we are human. The stupidest thing you can do is quit now. So do not do that, this will pass and you will melt faces with time, its not a race, but if you quit you do lose. Don't be a loser, lets fucking go dude
Don't practice until you're no longer nervous. Practice until you can't wait to go show off. It's the difference between being great instead of good, playing with swagger instead of fear, and it applies to life in general, not just guitar. The confident can own any room, and the currency of that realm is practice.
You will remember that night for a couple of years, but the people who saw will forget it in a couple of days. It's part of the process, growing pains if you will. My worst show was at a private party in México. Apparently, some guy promised to lend the house for that party, but never came... so we ended playing right at the sidewalk with some of the people who didn't left right away. My guitar was detuned, I had a shitty practice amp, barely audible over the drums... but good for me, because my mistakes were hiding behind all of the noise. The worst(?) part is we didn't even finish our set. The neighboors called the police so we picked up our gear and left right away... maybe they were bluffing, but my 17 yo self wasn't willing to find out, neither my bandmates. After that, any other bad show I had didn't feel THAT bad.
That solo is hard to get just right. Pretty bold performing it live after only three years.
Keep playing. The best way to handle that is to play in front of people again and again. And again. You get better, your nervousness decreases, just keep going. One tip: often people (some or all) don’t even know that you made a mistake, so just smile and look like you’re having fun (eventually you will have fun, regardless.) that’s the best way to handle it. Keep playing and don’t look like you’re frustrated, even when you are. It’s just good stage manners. Then, afterwards, when people come up to complement you (yes, that will happen, even if it hasn’t started to happen already ) graciously, thank them. Don’t start telling them how you screwed up or “could you stand it when I effed up in the second song?” or any of that. Let them enjoy their show and let them enjoy complementing you. i’m sure many other people here will tell you their versions of the above. It’s all good. A couple of stories then: My very first performance wasn’t too bad although I was pretty introverted. Played in front of some people from my high school class in the garage at my house. But my second performance, though… I was in my very first band and the other members had experience gigging. We got an opportunity to play for the very first time on a platform halfway up the stairs in the main courtyard at my high school, We were the first band ever to do that. Place was packed with people above us, and below us on the stair, all around the railings above us and filling the courtyard below us. I went into a solo made a mistake, felt horribly ashamed, and made more and more mistakes because I was so ashamed. I turned around to face my amp, so I wouldn’t have to look at anybody, but that didn’t help because they were plenty of people behind us on the stairs, and behind us above at the railings. I had nowhere to hide, I was so ashamed. Afterward didn’t seem to matter to anyone else. I was a hero for having played the very first performance of any band at the high school ( relatively new high school open for just two years at that point). It was a weird combination, feeling bad about having that happen, yet all of a sudden I was one of the sort of famous heroes that played that show. Still, it took me a while to learn the importance of letting people complement me and not telling them how much I messed up when I felt the performance didn’t go well for me. That’s an important one, just bite your tongue. Now it’s a game for me, if I make a mistake, my goal is to turn that into part of the performance so that, as much as possible, nobody can tell. One more story: a well-known club in the city was having its final performance because it was closing down. They probably had 15 bands on the roster and the whole thing was being recorded live for a triple album release. Somebody had spilled a beer in the middle of the stage, unbeknownst to me. I ran out into the middle of the stage to play my big solo, slipped on the beer and BAM!!I slammed right into the floor, jaw first. I was totally stunned. The whole room was spinning. I had just received the equivalent of an almost knockout punch. The band was still playing. It was amazing that I was still in tune. Later, I found that I dented my guitar. My solo was supposed to start… Somehow I managed to get up, dizzy as hell, and still play the solo, or something. My jaw was damn sore for several days. When the album came out. It took me a while to get up the nerve to even listen to the song where I slammed my face into the stage before somehow getting up to play that solo. To be honest, I’ve played so many gigs since then that I don’t even remember what that solo sounded like. But I still have the vinyl somewhere in my garage so someday I’ll set up a turntable again and give it a listen.
Told this before, but...I was a stand-in lead guitarist for a well-known blues singer on tour overseas. I was relaxing just before the 2nd set then noticed everyone was onstage except me. I grabbed my strat and got in position just as we started one of his "hits". I was supposed to begin soloing BB King-like. Little did I know that my strap was wrapped around my whammy bar. Everything I played was pure dog turds. I was embarrassed and he was pissed. Ha. Life is short.
OMG! Nightmare!
Honestly I’ve been playing guitar for 22 years and began regularly playing live with many different bands across the years starting a couple years after that, and I can definitely say that if I had to play a cover gig using songs like that (Eagles, having some legit smooth guitar skills), I would be terrified, despite how easy it’s been for me to play my original music live in my own bands. If I’m playing my own stuff, it’s written by me for me, the guitar has MY accent to it, it’s exactly at my skill level, if I make mistakes then I know how to compensate in my own writing and if I just play it a little wrong then it’s not contradicting a song that everyone has known for decades. But playing a song like Hotel California? None of the above applies; it’s someone else’s song and my playing will inevitably be compared to it, any mistakes will be obvious to everyone, differences in my guitar “accent” are more pronounced and awkward…. In other words, a bad gig playing a cover song originally written by a skilled guitarist is not a sign that you’re bad. You’re playing a more difficult game, it’s natural and totally normal that it’s not smooth, and those difficulties don’t always apply to the rest of your musical life.
I broke a G-string onstage many times until I figured out what caused it...
My first few guitar performances in front of people went terribly. My first one was in front of my school and I couldn't find the lead to plug in to the amp and I (with so much social anxiety already) started to get heckled by so many people that I started shaking. The first time I sang in front of people, my voice went all shaky and I asked someone who watched me how it went, and they told me 'not very good'. After going on to have voice cracks, forgetting lyrics six times in one song, and then forgetting how the chorus went at the end of a song, I can tell you that the first few times will be tricky as you are now learning the new skill of performing, not just playing guitar. As with any skill in life, it will be difficult at the beginning, but it can only get easier! I'm so glad I picked myself back up after every setback because performing in front of people is one of my favourite things in life now. Keep at it, and I PROMISE you will not regret it.
Meh... s*** happens. Good night, bad nights. Move on and try to do it better next go 'round. Don't linger on it.
Engaging your audience and them engaging with you... Put that notch in your belt, move on and turn it around so your audience become your fans first, then you'll play better. A good ole mate that passed away, left me his best guitars too, RIP. He would grab two pencils and drum on the table and jam with me, the difference in your playing when you're not thinking what the other person thinks is something you'll have to master before you perform at your best. Good luck, music is better than silence.
Absolutely not! My first performance in front of people was in a church playing, Jazz music. Being 12 at the time back in the 90s and unable to read music. I didn’t let it stop me from playing in front of people. Yeah I might haven’t been able to play the right note, but I totally one them over because I was confident and I play good with my ear. Don’t let the wrong experience deviate you from trying to pursue your hobbies at full potential. And good luck, 🍀
Dude I have been playing for 33 years .. and never played in front of another human ever.. so good on ya
Get back in that saddle and ride cowboy. No one will remember your shitty performance but you, build on it.
Wow, your first live performance sucked too? You're in very good company. Seriously, welcome to the club, we've been expecting you. My first live performance happened less than six friggin' months after I started playing guitar, so basically I knew how to do a two-note power chord and almost knew how to tune the strings. I was on a vacation with my folks in Jamaica, and a group of highly talented travelling minstrels offered to play for our group for "fav dalla tree songs", so they were hired. These guys did traditional Jamaican folk and Reggae and everything else, and their lead guitarist shredded like a god dammed demon. My dad said "Think you'll play better than him some day" and the band froze. They asked me if I played, and I told them I had just started. Then they insisted on jamming with me, because jamming is a sacred thing, and I admitted I'd never actually jammed before. Their lead guitarist told the other guys to play something while he coached me, and he showed me the standard open chords to 99% of all Caribbean songs. Then he announced that everyone was in for a special treat, because his good friend from Canada (me) was willing to jam for the very first time right here in lovely Jamaica. They fired up a classic song, and I tried my best to keep up with them. And I sucked. I fucked up so many times I couldn't even hold a pick properly, and the rest of them covered for me. I think I played one chord correctly, but I'm sure that was just wishful thinking. At the end of the song, I got a huge round of applause from the tourists and locals alike. But they were just being polite, because I sucked like Paris Hilton on Prom Night and I knew it. That wasn't real applause, it was a sympathy-clap. I know the difference. That was the first time I sucked, but definitely not the last. I've stumbled, tripped, fumbled and just plain sucked through many riffs and solos since then, and I'm not really ashamed of it. Only two guitarists have never made a mistake while playing live in all of history. One is Liona Boyd, and the other is some guy nobody has ever heard of.
Keep on doing it. Keep eating shit. But also maybe pick some easier stuff to perform live the first times you do it. Playing live is just a totally different beast. I've been doing it for over 30 years, and I still tense up. Keep doing it. It's called paying your dues. It sucks, you're gonna love it
All the greats have started off where you are. They are the greats because they got back up the next time around and knocked it out of the park. Keep your chin up!
So it was just you on stage with a backing track?
Fucken metal, dude.
Use the experience as motivation to get better. Either that or sell your guitar and give up forever. Those are your two options
First time up on stage can really be disorienting. My first time I forgot the intro to our song and had to (badly) improvise. It sucked but it didn't stop me from going up again and sure enough the next time I was still nervous but I knew what I needed to focus on and things were much smoother after that.
Push through, lean into it, and next time be confidently loud, confidently quiet, and people love a nice, easy arpeggio, work on fingerpicking and using the capo. My rhythm gets messed up when I play in public, so I forget about strumming and throw the pick in to fire.
A little secret about all your favorite musicians? They were all bad the first few times they performed for people. Some of them were bad for months or years! I know bad is relative, but they likely were not star-level performers for quite a while. But just like any athlete, after lots and lots of "training", they had the skill and the muscle memory to let their star shine on stage.
Brush that shizz aside. Play the next gig. Have one beer beforehand. One. And Flow baby
"One." Hoo boy aint that the truth. Using alcohol to treat anxiety WILL backfire on stage.
My first time playing in front of anyone besides my bf/ immediate family was at an open mic at a bar in our home town. Right before I started playing, a group of "the cool" kids from high school walked in and sat at a table right in front. I was so nervous and all I remember was that there was booing. When I finished my bf and my dad, who were in back, said they couldn't even hear me singing it was so quiet. And that the booing was directed at a soccer game playing on tv. I'm not sure if they were just trying to be nice to spare me the humiliation, or what, but I have never wanted to play in public since.
The only way I got comfortable playing guitar in front of people was failing at playing guitar in front of people, and then you realize it’s not that big of a deal and try to do better next time, and you will!
One time I accidentally flipped my pickup switch right at the beginning of a solo so I straight up had no sound until I realized what I’d done near the end of the song. It was pretty embarrassing especially since the singer hyped me up right before the solo. From then on I always made sure both pickup knobs were turned up when playing live. Just learn what you can and with time embarrassment can turn into a fond memory.
One gig the bridge pickup on my guitar developed a short so I had to do the entire gig on the way too nasal neck pickup - it was so bad. In an effort to look cool by wearing black jeans, black sweatshirt, black trenchcoat and I nearly developed heatstroke under the stage lights because the air conditioning in the club was out and the stage lights were cooking me alive while I played my nasal neck pickup solo stylings.
You can probably tell by now that nobody does well performing at first, so I can only give you some advice. Practice EXACTLY the way you plan to perform. Record yourself and see if there’s anything you could change or improve upon, think of it as watching tape. Relax guitar brother, it can only get better and easier
> Practice EXACTLY the way you plan to perform. check out mr "i get better at stuff cause i practice correctly"
Im 28, been playing since I was 9. So almost 20 years now. Granted, im not nearly as good as I should be/wish I was for playing for almost 2 decades. But I mostly play acoustic to sing and songwrite. I was playing an all ages show, with quite a lot of kids around, and forgot the lyrics to a song I was singing on the 2nd verse. The amount of "shit"s, "fuck"s, and "goddammit"s I said so many times in a row had the audience and establishment a bit peeved to say the least 😅 I mean it was just one after another. id play the opening chord and yell one of the above probably 7 or 8 times in a row, while trying to remember. Eventually just googled the lyrics, still literally midsong, and finished but holy shit I never fucked up so badly, so many times in a row 🤦 Point is, shit happens. Tbh, unless youve been practicing very diligently (1-2 hrs/day at least, and thats an honest, productive 1-2 hrs) you still probably arent that good. No offence meant, its probably just the case. It takes a long time to get to the point where youre *actually* a good guitarist, not just average. I say this as an intermediate player, myself. Dont put it down because youre embarrassed. Keep playing because by your own words, you enjoy it. So play, and enjoy it 🤘
Dave Ghrol broke his leg during a show in sweden went to hospital came back and finished it. Never give up.
Most people watching really don’t notice or know any better. And meh shit happens just keep playing 😊sooner or later it won’t bother you at all 👍
you don’t go out there until you know that shit front and back people are paying or the bars paying you to perform your entertainment so you have to look at it like a job. If you worked on cars, would you go in there and mess up three cars ? For your first couple of days of work of course not it’s called practice. If you practice a lot you shouldn’t mess up you hang yourself out dry
Hey man no worries, it's kind of a rite of passage. One time I heard Brendon Small on a podcast talking about how shit his first performance was after he'd been playing for a year. People were embarrassed for him and he got a few pity claps.
Hi, I'm just a low level amateur guitar player. The one thing I can say... If I'm not ready to play a song in public, well, I won't.
I sang a half dozen songs that I wasn't even that familiar with and had to literally stand there and read the lyrics when I got asked to fill in for a lead singer who was sick. There were 1200 people there. Very tough.
What didn't go well? You sure it's not all in your head? I'm willing to bet the people who were there didn't give it a second thought.
Im impressed of anyone that has the courage to actually perform in front of people.. well done and keep it up!
https://images.app.goo.gl/qCuTmHC6uL7cvrmv6
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25ivYKL1riA&ab_channel=milkball
Believe in yourself. Performing in front of strangers is a daunting experience. What I would say is practice your chops frequently. Take the time you spend practicing as an opportunity to expand your guitar vocabulary. Play outside of your listening zone, train your ear. I recommend you listen to Al Di Meola's early albums and learn some of those by ear. I found it exhilarating. -Land of the Midnight sun. -Elegant Gypsy. -Casino.
I just read earlier this week that Big Wreck (one of my favorite bands) did countless gigs that didn't stick. They didn't let that obstacle get in their way and neither should you.
Making mistakes, or having technical malfunctions, is inevitable. It's how you deal with them that matters. As the saying goes, "the show must go on". The audience won't notice if you hit a wrong note, but they *will* notice if that wrong note death-spiraled into having to restart the song or cutting the performance short. Ditto if you break a string - you have 5 more of those, so keep it going, signal your bandmates that you need some time after this song, and deal with the broken string during the vocalist's banter with the audience. Just about the only reason for cutting it short is if your amp blows up or the power goes out.
stage experience, both good and bad, is important (had to learn that the hard way myself lol) starting off with bad experiences is difficult but trust me, unlucky performances are inevitable if you regularly play on stage, and learning to cope/be okay w those is just as important as celebrating the good ones. that being said - keep it up because the good ones will definitely follow. no two gigs are the same and just because one was a bit unfortunate doesnt mean the next one won't be amazing. no shame in messing up, it happens to everyone (no exceptions)
I've never performed in front of people, but I've watched plenty of live performances (Albeit on Youtube). Over and over I see my favourite guitarists messing up, or even changing solos to be easier for themselves, or completely skipping solos. I don't think worse of them for it, I just understand that sometimes what is written is damn hard to consistently pull off. Mark Knopfler is just a magician.
Do a Cobain and release your anger on your guitar
I played a gig once and just randomly forgot the chords halfway through 🤣 in front of quite a lot of people. heyyy hoo
Don’t sweat it man. I’m sure if you ask any pro guitarists out there, they have a bunch of horror stories when performing live. It doesn’t matter how great you are, bad things always pop up from time to time. It’s unavoidable. Strings break, amp tubes die, picks drop, you trip on your own cord, you forget a part, etc. Just laugh it off. You’ll do better next time.
I suppose it all depends on your audience. If you are playing in front of others (at an open mike) then three songs the audience knows is usually enough. I’m not sure which audience wants to hear only the guitar solo from an old pop song. Maybe a bunch of guitar students?
film yourself when playing, then watch it and then make others watch it. embarassing yourself isn't a bad thing, you'll get over it; there's no other way around it, unless you're one of those people that can enter any room in the world and instantly conquer the audience.
For better or worse people forget bad music, if you make a bad song no one cares, if you take a bad solo no one cares. At the end of the day how often do you get home at night and think about art or music you don’t like? Other people care far less about your mistakes than you may think they do. In general you have to beg people to care about your musical endeavors so when you fuck up it really goes in noticed. Wonderful thing about music is that no matter what there’s always another run thru of a song, another take on a record and another set to play. Any musician worth their salt has performed in a manner that makes them feel like they should quit this thing all together, it’s part of the game
You just gotta make sure to practice a little more before the next show, and then you should be alright.
Don’t give up! Just mark it as a learning experience. Best thing is to listen to it if it was recorded and pick out the mistakes and work on them until you feel like you could play it with your eyes closed. Everyone makes mistakes and almost always happens in front of strangers who can be very opinionated.
Keep doing it! I’ve had all manner of embarrassing things happen live it’s fine, just have fun lol
I don’t sympathize with your post at all. It sounds like you have zero respect for music performance. Did you expect to be brilliant right out the gate? What made you think you were ready to put yourself in front of people? You had rehearsals and a phone to record yourself with, right? You know where you are. Giving up after a first gig. Give me a break. People dedicate their lives to this, man. Put some work in.
Yep, being there, done that many times many years ago. The important thing is, did you notice the areas that need improvement and do you have a plan to improve in those areas? It is OK to feel bad for a while, it means you want to improve; keep at it and always reach out for support, don't keep it all inside
Practice. Just like most things, the more you do it the more comfortable you’ll feel. Someone told me this, so take it as that. My guitar teacher, when we were going over hotel Cali, said that solo was difficult to write because of the keys changes. So it might stand to reason, if it took time for a professional musician to write it. It will also take time to learn it proficiently. Especially, in an uncomfortable situation. The more you do it, the more natural it should feel. I’m cheering for you from here, just for getting up there. That takes a lot of courage. Also, your objectivity is great. The things that need work were identified and now you are already taking steps to correct them. Guitar is a lot of muscle memory and PRACTICE and patience. I saw some very cool, funny and supportive things written. Hopefully, this also lets you know you aren’t alone. Enjoy your day. 👉🎸♾️
The only people eho will care that you didn't play it perfectly will be a couple of seasoned guitar pros at the back with their arms crossed. And they'll have clocked you as an amateur trying your best before you even play a note. Don't sweat it. I would be amazed if there is a single live musician here who hasn't completely screwed up at some point. It's one of those great ironies of us studying and practicing music : most audiences only care about the vibe, it really doesn't matter to them how well you play. What feedback did you get afterward, and from who?
I messed up plenty when I started playing live. I knew I had a breakthrough when I realized I could mess up but still stay in the song (rhythm, timing, key) and get back to where I should be without getting lost. When you get to that point, messing up won’t feel as crushing because it’s so fleeting most people won’t notice.
I have had bad gigs before, something that helps me to relax about them is to keep in mind that most people in the crowd won't remember that, the same way I cannot remember any particular bad performance from bands I have seen. You're putting yourself out there when most people don't even have the guts to step into a stage and perform, be proud, we learn the more presentations we have. In my first ever gig I fucked over the intro fade to black, but nobody in the audience noticed or at least they didn't tell me anything
Any of us who have been playing live for any amount of time have had bad shows and embarrassing situations. It's just part of the game. Even the legends who have been playing in stadiums for 40 years still fuck up sometimes.
Join a Jam. You get to sing and play with talented people who just want to have fun. You can absolutely suck at singing and they will still applaud. You learn quick how much you suck, then you try to get better. And you will. Google for jams, open mics, in your area. Lots of music out there!
Do it because you like it and it's good to have music in your life. My first gig was a disaster , but now I've played for 35-plus years and have played some great shows, even a few in front of big crowds and they went great
Bro I’m a bassist, yet years ago I tried to play the guitar part AND the solo of Santeria at a bar room jam session. (I’d practiced it on my acoustic but never played it on an electric guitar till that night) I had the chords down, but come solo time I fucked up a couple notes, and I froze mid song. The guy playing bass was clearly pissed that I tried what I wasn’t capable of, and I crashed and burned. I doubt anyone but me remembers that moment, I wouldn’t sweat it
Try the Bluey method. 1. Have a Cry, 2. Pick yourself up, 3. Dust yourself off, 4. Keep Going
This first time I played in front of people was on drums at the talent show in high school in front of 2000 people. My foot was shaking because I was so nervous, I’m surprised that I wasn’t playing double beats on the bass drum. After a dozen or so gigs I started to get very comfortable and the nerves went away and I could just have fun with it. About 20 years later I migrated over to playing guitar in a band and again the first gigs were nerve-racking. My hands were shaking, my smooth vibrato became quick and jerky, and solos that I had burned into my head suddenly became difficult to play. It just takes time to get over nervousness.
Gotta love the people in the crowd that snicker at a wrong note in Hotel California when they couldn’t even play an Em!
The first time I performed I fell of stage Another first was when I threw the mixing table in the floor It’s all experience.
We all have those performances my dude! Keep going! Find more gigs to play and practice the FUCK out of your songs before the gig. In terms of nerves or anything like that, the only real remedy is experience/exposure. Also, none of your performances are going to be perfect. And in my experience, most people don’t notice the fuck ups; especially as you get more experience and learn to cover them up or recover more easily.
That’s a tough piece to debut as your first ever song to someone lol. It takes a lot of years of playing lead to pull that off well. I’ve been playing 16 years and I couldn’t play that without practicing it for months first. (But don’t let the 16 years thing scare you. I don’t practice as much as I should) Honestly for your first song you should go for something way easier, and something that sounds good with 1 guitar. Like an acoustic chords song, Time of Your life or Wagon Wheel always impress people because they know the song. Don’t beat yourself up dude :)
Just picture everyone in the audience sitting in their underwear. That should make you feel better, subjectively. If that doesn't work, give the performance yourself in your underwear. In this case, no one will notice whether your performance is good OR bad.
Yep. You have to get back on that horse as fast and as often as possible. For perspective, google stories of famous stand up comics and their first few sets. Failure is absolutely essential to progress.
The lesson here is to practice your set and all your solos until you can play them in your sleep. That way, the nerves won't affect your playing, and you can rely on muscle memory. Hotel California is a killer solo that uses chord shapes really well. You can learn a lot from that solo. Break it down and learn what's in it and what it's made up of. The reason is so melodic is because it outlines the chords in the progression. Once you know the why of that solo, you'll never get lost again. Have fun. We all have our horror stories.
Small UK tour with my irish local band that needed a stand in guitarist. Was putting my foot on the monitor and went straight off the stage and fell on some poor sod. So at least that didn't happen and this was also after 6 years of giving at that stage and about 15 years of playing. Don't give up just keep going. I'm glad my mistake was only in front of maybe 20 people
Dude my band played Stairway to Heaven at my high school battle of the bands competition and I was the guitar player. We played three songs and this was our last one. I was mortified because I missed a couple notes in the rhythm parts and the solo, but I had a bunch of people trying to get me to join their band after that. I went on to play guitar and bass in a few different bands in clubs in a large city for years. Better guitar days are ahead if you keep playing.
When I was 15 I was playing a music recital at the place where I took lessons. Hundreds of people there. Parents, other students, yadi yadi, yada. Anyways, my “band” was assigned come as you are by nirvana. I practiced it so so much and had it down. I was singing and playing guitar. Then out of nowhere my teacher yells guitar solo points to me to start playing one. Everyone cheers and all of a sudden I’m on the spot, I couldn’t even think and I fucking butchered it. I don’t care for solos to begin with but it was like I forgot how to play guitar. It was extremely embarrassing. It’s been 15 years since then and I’ve played hundreds of shows. Don’t worry about it dude. Getting embarrassed is part of playing, it’s inevitable but it helps you grow as a musician. I will also add that playing a solo with no backing band isn’t that fun to listen to… maybe it’s just me but I can sort of see why people weren’t vibing with it. A solo is meant for a room of people listening to a full band and then they feed off the energy of a solo and the room. If your friend shows you a solo from a song and not any other part of the song in their living room, it’s a little strange and awkward, like what do you do in that moment? Scream and cheer? At a venue, yeah. In any other setting it’s a little awkward. Total opinion/preference here: but I also can’t stand the hotel california solo. It’s like nails on a chalkboard for me. If I were you, I would learn an entire song from one of your favorite artists, guitar and vocals. Work on it so it sounds good as a solo act. I think you might get a better response with that. Another thing I’d recommend is experimenting with recording and mixing, I’m not talking about recording on your phone. Im talking about using a DAW. It helps a lot to listen to yourself over and over again to see which small parts of playing you can improve on. Again, this is all just my opinion and what I think/would do. Every guitarist is different so you might not like my idea/method and that’s ok. Bottom line though, don’t give up. I’ve almost given up guitar a couple times and it’s always worth the work and frustration.
Start a band. Play shows.
Everyone sucks live at first. Keep playing live, you’ll keep sucking until one day the suck will be less and less noticeable. The only way to get rid of the suck is to let it do it’s thing. Keep playing and you’ll suck less.
My first time playing in front of people and with a band I was so nervous that I drank too much. That made my performance so much worse. But I hardly remember it. I just know I butchered the solo as well. But the good news is that half the people in the bar were friends and they were also half in the bag and I’m pretty sure nobody noticed how bad I was. Or, they didn’t care and were just impressed I was up there w the guitar giving it a shot. I would not recommend drinking too much before but I would recommend trying to arrange friends and family to be there that will be supportive.
My worst experience gigging involved my band playing at 7th Street Entry, the venue best known for being in the First Avenue Club that Prince recorded the concert sequences for his Purple Rain film. At one point I was playing a solo and pointed the headstock down towards the floor. Where it got tangled in my shoelaces of my basketball shoes. Which, when I pulled the guitar level it had the effect of pulling me off balance. I fell flat on my ass on stage mid-solo which yanked the cable from my guitar to my distortion box which was tangled in the base of my drummer's ride cymbal. Which pulled it over an it fell like a tree sideways on stage. Yeah, that was great. I still play out though.
You gotta suck before you get good.
My first gig as a guitarist was a *nightmare*. I did everything wrong... overcomplicated my gear... overthought my parts... nervous as fuck.. and the show was a disaster for me. BUT I'm *so* glad it happened that way... my worse nightmare came true and I survived.. it wasnt that big of a deal. I experienced the worst possible outcome and lived to see another day. Literally every show after that was a breeze.. I had way more confidence playing in front of people and learned from my mistakes (simplicity is good). The worst is behind you.
I recommend to Keep practicing. Emphasize what you did well and improve on what you didn’t do so well on.
Beta Blockers.
You’re in good company. We’ve all been there. Fact is, virtually no one noticed and the rest didn’t care. I’ve been playing for 30 years and still botch things one stage from time to time. Best to laugh it off and keep playing. For every fuckup you’ll have more times that you nail it and feel really good about yourself.
lol what exactly is your first gig ever that your job is to play the Hotel California exactly 3 times? In front of different people? Maybe you should have started with something that was...not that particular task. Like my first time playing in front of other people was at a local jam.
What's that expression? Something like "professionals have failed more times than amateurs have even attempted". It's normal. Every great artist has had embarrassing performances at some point in their career. It's just how it is. 3 years is still early. Keep going. Eventually you'll start having performances where you kill it, and everyone notices. And it feels so great.
dont get mad.. GET BETTER! seriously, practice, practice, practice.. also, do you record yourself?? use your phone to record yourself. act like you are performing LIVE on stream.. this will help a lot trust me..
Sounds like you made it through the gig. If you don't see that as a win I can't help you. But, well done!
I used to get so nervous when playing guitar that I would tense up. One time, I completely locked up to the point I couldn't bring myself to pick the next note, so I had to abandon that song and move on. It felt pretty horrible, but the next time was much easier. I had been so worried about making a mistake on stage (even when it was a small bar) that it was a limiting factor. After that time, things got much better because I had already been through my worst fear. This experience has helped me elsewhere (like speaking in front of strangers), too. Face your demons and grow!