Some great advice here! Can I also suggest carrying a spare guitar strap. The only thing worse than leaving your guitar at home is leaving the damn strap at home! Try playing standing up and playing a guitar, its almost impossible!
Many thanks for the very useful tips. A few that I've picked up over the years -record yourself at home playing through your set of songs and any banter introducing yourself/ thanking the audience etc. Recording always produces some adrenalin in me, like performing live -when rehearsing a set of songs you know keep going if you make a mistake (learning to live with live mistakes is a very useful skill, even if playing at home) -rehearse in front of a mic on a stand (if you don't have the equipment it might be worth investing in some) and stand or sit in the position you're going to perform in -rehearse with your instrument and voice amplified - even at low volume will help. Singing and playing through a P.A. takes getting used to. -play your set and say your stage banter to a friend -rehearse at the same time of day that you expect you'll be performing -if you can't make eye-contact with the audience look at the foreheads of people -think of your performance as practice, learning, and experience for your next gig -making mistakes can feel like the end of the world - it isn't. I've made mistakes and the world is still here
I've been umming and ahhing about doing one of these for ages. This will video will be on my list of things to do before an open mic... thank you very much =D
This is fantastic! I always get so nervous performing and i particularly like the distraction exercise and i'm actually looking forward to giving this a go. Thanks!
Not every "open mic" is truly "open". Many such events limit participation to guitar players, or to folks who are friendly with the host. Some venues do not allow performers who tell jokes, recite poetry, juggle, or sing unaccompanied. Many venues announce performance limits at the beginning of the program (e.g. three songs, or fifteen minutes), but routinely let egotistical losers go over time or sing extra songs, effectively dissing their performing colleagues. I once attended an "open mic" where the hosts declared that "hate will not be tolerated", but then allowed rabid feminazi zealots engage in blatant manhate mongering dressed up as "poetry".
