How Do You Know If You're Good Enough?

[Rhomylly]

So the local chain bookstore is advertising for accoustic musicians to play in its coffee shop. Audition and interview.

 

How do you know you're good enough to perform? Do you ever know?

 

Yes, I performed in a street fair last summer, but it was very loud and my Stagi just wasn't up to cutting through excessive crowd noise so I was mostly ignored. Which made me happy. Got my $30 check from the city and got out of there.

 

And, since I'm actively considering this, what passes for folk musician chic these days? At the street fair I was pregnant enough that my wardrobe options were quite limited

[Frank Edgley]

I think that if you're happy with your playing, and you have made it through the past experience you should do fine. It helps the nerves if you have someone to play with.

[harpomatic]

I would recomend practicing in public, on the street, or in the park, etc., as a good thing to do at any level. Not that you should set a spotlight on yourself, and shake pedestrians for cash, but simply practice in open public places. Find a good way to sound, blend into the environment, be there. There are no laws against it, good for a change from so individual and private of an aproach of playing in your room. Good way to observe your own progress.

[Mark Evans]

You've been given some very wise advice already. I would only add that performing for people is a gift you give them. How is up to you. Wear what makes you feel happy.

 

Rock on Rhomylly!

[Greg Jowaisas]

I think the advice of playing in public places is very sound. You will have an additional challenge of "trying to keep the music flowing" when someone takes a particular interest and stops or comes closer to listen. I think adopting an approach of "sharing the music" rather than "performing" helps take the pressure off and may serve folk music better (even on stage).

 

The dreaded acid test for improving your playing is to record yourself and then listen to the playback. You Must promise yourself not to be devastatingly critical,

but to listen for aspects of your playing where you think you can improve. You Must also find 3 things that you like about your playing. (Positive reinforcement is quite powerful and otherwise you will be tempted to never do this again!)

 

Music making is, at best, a continuing adventure! That said, I must now go and tape myself for the first time this year. Be gentle, be positive, Greg!

 

Regards,

 

Greg J

[David Barnert]

So the local chain bookstore is advertising for accoustic musicians to play in its coffee shop. Audition and interview.

 

How do you know you're good enough to perform? Do you ever know?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sounds to me like you've answered your own question right there.

Audition

If you're not good enough, you'll be told. If you pass the audition, go for it!

[Mark Evans]

If you're not good enough, you'll be told. If you pass the audition, go for it!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Rhomylly, an audition situation has many factors and variables to be considered. I would caution against taking a negitave audition as the word from on high. They may be looking for something specific, or they may have no idea whatsoever as to what they want and have no idea as to what they are doing.

 

As a former artistic director of a small opera company I can tell you there have been many fine, talented singers audition for me who were not what I was looking for in a specific role or voice type. There was rarely the time to explain why (150 singers show up for a audition to cast six roles...you move on).

 

On the other side I have been stopped mid aria and told "thank you". Had I accepted what I could have understood as "you are not good enough", then I would have pulled within my shell and quit. At another audition I could do no wrong.

 

I booked my old band Shady Grove. Some venue agents were very dismissive and frankly crude. Others loved our "thing". You have to know from within who you are....and have a very honest person you trust to give you a critique (this is rarely a family member).

 

Again. Rock on Rhomylly.

[Samantha]

For me, Rhomilly, part of being good enough to perform in public is being able to cope when things go wrong. If you can cheerfully "la-la" through a verse or grin at the audience and tell them you've forgotten a line or two, or coolly stop and start again if your fingers have really lost the plot, that is a very valuable skill. Of course, no-one wants things to go wrong, but if you can take the odd glitch in your stride, so will your audience, and they'll have forgotten it by the end of the gig; if you blush bright red, stammer, apologise profusely and get very embarrassed, so will your audience, and neither you nor they will enjoy the experience.

Samantha

(edited for typo)

Edited May 31, 2005 by Samantha

[Rhomylly]

Wow. Thanks everyone, for the encouragement.

 

It turns out the bookstore in question is so desperate for performers that the audition didn't even happen. For all they know, I really, truly suck. But this Saturday night, I am playing. As I have no CDs to sell, I hope they will let me put my case out for tips.

 

But I really am curious here, what do *you* wear when you're performing?

[Greg Jowaisas]

Coming from the Pete Seeger/Woody Guthrie school of high fashion folk denim and chambrey I suppose I am not really qualified to dispense chic wardrobe tips.

 

But how about something that says: "This is who I am and I'm glad to be here!"

 

Best of luck, (and send us a pic)

 

Greg J

[Guest]

When I was gigging regularly (in my past life as a harper) I used to wear the standard black toursers, white shirt, but basically as long as you are clean, tidy and modest (in relation to whatever you gig's location) you should be fine

 

Hope that helps,

Cheers

Morgana

[Mark Evans]

As we say in opera..."In bocca al luppo" ! Enjoy the rush!

[Jim Besser]

But I really am curious here, what do *you* wear when you're performing?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Very loud Hawaiian shirts for dances or busking; standard white/white kit for Morris, but with the addition of an absurdly garish vest, and a bowler hat with a rubber chicken attached. I really believe in providing listeners with some visual distraction.

 

Oh yes, and something cool. I always sweat a lot -- the stage lights, or the stage fright, or both.

Edited June 1, 2005 by Jim Besser

[David Barnert]

I wrote:

If you're not good enough, you'll be told. If you pass the audition, go for it!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Reading subsequent posts, it appears I was not clear. I certainly did not mean that one should take a rejection to heart. Only that you should take an acceptance for what it's worth. It might just mean that the judge of your audition is less critical than you might have expected, implying in turn that the audience may be as well.

 

Of course all this is moot now that there was no audition and you've got the gig. Let us know how it goes.

[bigsqueezergeezer]

Jim has it right for me, the loudest shirt I can lay my hands on! (I have quite a collection these days)

 

Derek

[stuart estell]

But I really am curious here, what do *you* wear when you're performing?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

It really depends on the gig. For classical recitals I wear all black (black shirt and trousers) as I don't like wearing a jacket while playing the piano. For anything else, I basically go on stage wearing whatever I'm wearing Usually jeans and a t-shirt with some sort of slogan on.

[JimLucas]

So the local chain bookstore is advertising for accoustic musicians to play in its coffee shop. Audition and interview.

How do you know you're good enough to perform? Do you ever know?

As others have suggested, it's not just a question of being "good enough", but whether you and the gig fit each other. (That's true in any context. Some households are compatible with cats, some with dogs, some with both, and some with neither.)

 

But there are things to consider if you want to be reasonably prepared.

... For what length of time will you be expected to perform? Do you have enough material to perform for that length of time without repeating?

... -- If the audience changes during that time, you may be able to get away with repeats. But too much repetition could bore the staff, who are also "audience".

... -- Your "material" includes any speaking between numbers, if the format calls for that. Reasonable pauses and applause also add up.

... Visit the place, possibly even as a customer, to learn what the performance space is like and how it relates to the audience. Also to get some idea as to the sort(s) of people you'll be playing to. (Visit a few different times. The makeup of the "audience" may vary by time of day or day of week. I say that even though I know there's not another Saturday night between now and your first gig.)

... If possible, visit while someone else is performing. Is the audience attentive, or are they treating the performer like background to their conversations? (If the latter, you have to accept that they're not going to respond to story lines in songs, only to the music.)

 

And, since I'm actively considering this, what passes for folk musician chic these days?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Be yourself. Wear something on the nicer end of what you would feel comfortable in as a customer there. Wear something fancy only if you have a fancy act to go with it.

[Ken_Coles]

Rhomylly, I don't recall Portales, New Mexico as being the centre of high fashion. I'm sure anything reasonably neat will do. There is a balance of showing respect for the audience (OK, once you're famous you can dress raggedy) and sticking out by being too neat.

 

I did a "first concertina gig" (I've played countless times as a brass player) a couple of years ago where I went solo in front of a mike for an hour at a park concert. I mixed up stories, songs, tunes, and one poem. It was great fun and I heard afterwards I kept if moving well. But I was probably over-ready to do something like that by about five years...technically I made lots of mistakes but didn't care as it was musical enough anyway. I haven't had another chance like that one since; too many moves recently to meet the right persons.