How to Get Through a Show When Everything Goes Wrong
When your live show truly starts to go off the rails, remember these words of advice, and turn the gig around to finish strong.
-
-
How to Tame Your Nerves Before a Big Show
After working hard to create meaningful music, it can be incredibly exciting when your band starts to get opportunities like opening up big shows. But, unfortunately, the thought of playing to a packed crowd often comes hand in hand with debilitating performance anxiety for some people, including everyone from members of newer, inexperienced bands to…
-
Focus on Simplicity: Exercises to Strengthen Your Foundations in Improvising
By Mike Casey Raise your hand if you’ve heard this cliché before: “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Well, as cheesy as that sounds, I happen to believe it’s right on the money. After all, advanced musical devices, concepts, and patterns are usually just a slew of basic fundamentals stacked on top of one another, inverted,…
-
4 Easy Things You Should Be Doing at Every Live Show
Over my years in the music industry, I’ve seen many, many live shows, both from the stage and from the audience. This means I’ve seen bands make the same mistakes time and time again. And because I’m guilty of making these mistakes too, I created lists of some of the ways bands can avoid these pitfalls without too much effort. These…
-
5 Steps to Getting “Gig Ready”
You just got hired to play a cover gig with a band. You’ve got about a week to prepare, and it pays pretty well. But you’re expected to play about 20 new tunes (give or take), and most likely, you won’t be rehearsing with the band, save for running a few things at soundcheck. What…
-
How to Take Your New Songs to the Stage to Show Them Off
+ Welcome to Soundfly! We help curious musicians meet their goals with creative online courses. Whatever you want to learn, whenever you need to learn it. Subscribe now to start learning on the ’Fly. You’ve done it. You’ve crafted a song from start to finish. Perhaps a couple songs. You’ve poured your heart and soul into your music and spent hours…
-
The Singer’s Diet: 20 Things Vocalists Should and Shouldn’t Eat Before a Show and Why
Just like athletes singers need to be extra aware of what they put in their bodies and the effect different foods have on performance.
-
Musicians’ Checklist: 23 Little Things That Will Help You Nail Your Next Gig
Congrats on getting the big gig! Whether you’re preparing for your band’s first show or your album-release party, these tips will help you learn how to promote your band, make your best impression on stage, and get invited back to the venue to do it all again. At Least One Week Before Put up posters…
-
6 Stage Hacks to Engage a Crowd
During a live gig, the relationship between the artist and audience is beyond that of simply performer and observer. Physically and emotionally, there’s little separation between both parties and a huge deal of direct interaction, both explicit and subliminal. Self-assurance is essential and, as with so much in life, confidence is the key. If a…
-
How to Amp up the Drama as a Solo Performer
Not too long ago, a friend took me to a Willis Earl Beal show. Knowing nothing (behind the times, as usual), I assumed assumptions: He would be a songwriter with a guitar. Such was not the case. The show was much more interesting than that. He performed solo, accompanied only by backing tracks composed on…
