Thank You Toney (Southpaw41L) (Page 1 of 2)

good for you topdown,I played in a small band in high school but never alone,even that was scary.

Well done Jeff. The first time is always the most frightening and particularly to go solo, had it been a duet with Toney it would have been far easier, but not so rewarding.

So get a mic, plug in at home and keep the neighbours awake while you get used to it.

Roger

Jeff,

I am proud of you, now you need to get some confidence and rock the house. Toney is a great guy and I'm sure you made his day

Buy a mic and plug in to an amp and practice with it and you will be on your way.

Later Wayne P

I just love happy endings! Way to go!

Thanks everyone - I just hope I wasn't so horrible that I get another opportunity (after some additional practice for sure). Funny - I have no problems belting out a tune in my living room or in front of friends - the mike and amp make it a totally different experience.

I've got to thank many of my chordie friends for giving me the guts to do it. Besides Toney, Guitarpix, Zurf and TubaT have all personally shown me the way - that is in addition to watching all of the youtube and soundclick posts from various members.

One thing I am sure of is, the next time I will be better!

papaguitar - I just did some easy Prine and Cash tunes - the one that messed me up was the D6 chord in Hello In There - I've played the song a thousand times and haven't missed the chord in a long while, but yesterday I couldn't find it for the life of me.

^ dino - I've attempted a few vids - lack of recording equipment and a general disgust of hearing myself prevents me from posting. I'm a 47 year old man playing for my own enjoyment  -the fact that I got up in front of strangers for the first time in my life is good enough for me - no need to record it and have it floating around cyberspace for critique or ridicule is necessary.

Maybe one day when I have the time and equipment, I'll throw something up -In my previous attempts, I'd stop after one minor mistake. I don't have the time for that.

Come on down for a jam and hear me live on the back porch - I'll take all the input you can give and give you all the food and  libations you can stand!

Jeff, because we normally hear ourselves talk and sing internally and not solely with our ears, a recording then sounds like a stranger and it does take some getting used to. Rest assured if you sounded awful Toney is honest enough to tell you, so don't be so down on yourself.

Roger

So today, 2 weeks after my virgin performance, I once again had the opportunity to play a few tunes during one of Toney's gigs. Toney's voice wasn't up to par today and it seemed there were many musicians in the pub willing to lend a hand. This was both good - because it was more like an open mike setting, and bad - because playing in front of other musicians just added to the nerves.

Anyway, since my first attempt, and along the advice given here, I have purchased a microphone (Shure SM58) as well as a mixer (the Behringer that jerome posted as such a bargain from Amazon). I only received the equipment earlier this week, but have made an effort the past few days to get more comfortable playing standing up and singing into a mic. Even the little bit of practice was very worthwhile.

Although there is still a lot of work to be done, my level of confidence and therfore playing was 10X better than the first attempt - not saying it was good, but it was a whole lot better. I chose some songs I thought I was more comfortable playing and singing and just watching the audience nod their heads in beat gave me added confidence. Goes to prove that musicians are awesome people - I felt the applause was heartfelt as they were all beginners once. Hey - If I can continue to improve at this rate, in a few years I may not be bad to listen to.

Lesson learned - I've got to got to practice these songs so I know them inside out backwards and blindfolded. It is so much easier playing at home than it is playing in front of people. If I flub at home, I usually have no trouble playing through it, and I've got to learn to do the same in front of a mic - most folks wouldn't even  notice a missed chord if you can sing through it, but stop singing (like I did) and your dead.

The best part of the afternoon was after my short set, an 87 your old man asked to borrow my guitar and did a few "old country" songs. I was glad to oblige and the smile on my face lasted through all 3 or 4 of his tunes. May I be so fortunate to still be singing and playing when I am his age.

Thanks again Toney - You ARE the MAN!

Way to go Jeff.
   Continue on your journey of musical bliss. There's nothing like the high you get from knowing you can entertain people. Enjoy every minute of your new found love. Don't worry to much about the mistakes, it happens to most everyone sometime. Cover them when you can and make a joke out of it if you can't. If you make a joke of a mistake most people will see the human side of your performace and still accept you as a real person. It works for me  and I've ben playing out for years. Best of luck.

   Joe

Sorry I missed you, Tops. You have the best attitude about performing and that will serve you well. Hope to see a vid of you some time soon.
You bought a great microphone. I bought my first SM-58 after I saw the Rolling Stones singing through them on a concert tour. They take a beating and sound great.

toots

Oh... and Jeff... it couldn't have been as bad as my husband's try around the campfire during the July River Jam.  Trust me and everyone that was there... he must have stopped 10 times in his song to straighten himself out, saying a word that's not fit for Chordie, then continuing on.  I still laugh just thinking about it (and yes, I'm pretty sure I have it recorded as well).  I can't wait to hear one of your recordings!!!