Looking for help regarding performing live.

[Meteo Xavier]

For other people.
Publicly.

I've going to give my ridiculous excuse for a composing/remixing hobby/habit a break and focus more on actually performing for a bit. I play a modest piano and I'd like to learn to sing with it. I have lessons in place, I just want some tips and information on what it means to perform for others and perform well - like books or websites or even if you have some.

Thanks again, ladies and gentlemen.

[The Vagrance]

Assuming you're doing all electronic, having different external synths/controllers helps a lot. Also, design a special live set that you'll play that's missing an instrument at certain parts so you can play it live and sing. Whatever you do, just don't press play and then sit back and relax, make something special for live shows that people won't see on a recorded album.

[DrumUltimA]

jeez, I do a lot of performing but I dunno.. what do you mean?

[Navi]

DOnt' be sioacried- cscared 0opf perfotming live!!!!!!!!111

THrtd noythjigng to wasiuttty abouy#!@

[SnappleMan]

Too mych black tonight, myf?


Yeah, just keep in mind that your audience will only have as much fun as you're having.

[The Vagrance]

Too mych black tonight, myf?


Yeah, just keep in mind that your audience will only have as much fun as you're having.

Unless you suck yet you're still having fun.

[OverCoat]

What do you even want to do live? Just a piano and some singing? That can be a good act if your songs are good, or you wow people with crazy shit [PIANO DRAGONFORCE].

If you can tell us the extent of what you want to do onstage, some of us can probably help you with the equipment you'll need to use.

EDIT: wait a second, fuck all that shit, you say you need to practice first. Hahaha

[Navi]

Drunken ranting

Errr, sorry about that. :/

[SnappleMan]

You never talk to me on AIM anymore, myf, we've lost contact and such :(

ANother tip for performing live, interact with the audience, really bring your performance to them. Whether it's just talking between songs or bringing someone up to sing.

[Hy Bound]

Sorry if i hijack this thread, but it seems my question is related enough to this as to be stupid to make another thread about it...

I REALLY want to play live and do DJing type things, but what would i have to do/get in order to do so? I guess the question is what kind of equipment is needed in order to play live? I know little to nothing about what goes on onstage: for instance why do the DJs have their headphones on while the music is playing on the speakers? Are they trying to match up the beat before the X-fade it to the headphoned track?

Thanks for any help, and sorry if i hijack the thread.

[Meteo Xavier]

Sorry if i hijack this thread, but it seems my question is related enough to this as to be stupid to make another thread about it...

I REALLY want to play live and do DJing type things, but what would i have to do/get in order to do so? I guess the question is what kind of equipment is needed in order to play live? I know little to nothing about what goes on onstage: for instance why do the DJs have their headphones on while the music is playing on the speakers? Are they trying to match up the beat before the X-fade it to the headphoned track?

Thanks for any help, and sorry if i hijack the thread.

Nah, don't worry about. *bang*

To answer some other questions, I'm just looking for tips, knowledge and ideas to just perform a decent set so I don't play clunky piano or let one voice overtake another leading voice so on and so forth. What to practice so I get the songs done correctly, what to know about performing for others so I don't fuck it up (Yeah, confidence, except I don't have much of that). Obviously I'm looking to start quite small - just what to do so my songs come off sounding good to the public.

[DrumUltimA]

well, first you practice until it sounds right. then you play it for others like that :D

Good ways of practicing though.. hmm... what I do, on my rigerous practice-to-make-up-my-freshman-jury-so-i-don't-fail-out-of-college schedule is actually budget out time for each thing I'm working on, with comments next to it based on what I want to concentrate on that session. Another thing that helps is recording yourself. i haven't been able to do this much lately because my minidisc isn't working, but you'll be surprised to hear what you think you're doing, but not actually are. Or vise versa.

[Meteo Xavier]

well, first you practice until it sounds right. then you play it for others like that :D

Good ways of practicing though.. hmm... what I do, on my rigerous practice-to-make-up-my-freshman-jury-so-i-don't-fail-out-of-college schedule is actually budget out time for each thing I'm working on, with comments next to it based on what I want to concentrate on that session. Another thing that helps is recording yourself. i haven't been able to do this much lately because my minidisc isn't working, but you'll be surprised to hear what you think you're doing, but not actually are. Or vise versa.

Yeah, one of my biggest problems is that I can't very well hear how I play in the context of whether or not it sounds good. I mean I can physically hear it, but I can't recognize very well if I'm not playing it smoothly or correctly.

[Hy Bound]

Sorry if i hijack this thread, but it seems my question is related enough to this as to be stupid to make another thread about it...

I REALLY want to play live and do DJing type things, but what would i have to do/get in order to do so? I guess the question is what kind of equipment is needed in order to play live? I know little to nothing about what goes on onstage: for instance why do the DJs have their headphones on while the music is playing on the speakers? Are they trying to match up the beat before the X-fade it to the headphoned track?

Thanks for any help, and sorry if i hijack the thread.

Anyone wanna answer this?

[speculative]

I'm surprised no one mentioned the obvious?

More cowbell...

Seriously though, if I were gonna play live with synths/etc., I would want to set up everything ahead of time and test it out to make sure all the connections work, etc. If you have a laptop make sure the battery is charged, etc.

[Navi]

You never talk to me on AIM anymore, myf, we've lost contact and such :(

ANother tip for performing live, interact with the audience, really bring your performance to them. Whether it's just talking between songs or bringing someone up to sing.

If I build, will you come? ;)

Yeah, good point. Audience interaction is key. I'd rather see a small artist who interacts with the crowd than a big one who stands still in one place fifty feet away from the audience. That's just me though. I love standing front row.

[Meteo Xavier]

You never talk to me on AIM anymore, myf, we've lost contact and such :(

ANother tip for performing live, interact with the audience, really bring your performance to them. Whether it's just talking between songs or bringing someone up to sing.

If I build, will you come? ;)

Yeah, good point. Audience interaction is key. I'd rather see a small artist who interacts with the crowd than a big one who stands still in one place fifty feet away from the audience. That's just me though. I love standing front row.


I could tell them I'm a registered sex offender, but I think that would clash with the music I'm playing. I'd rather start by playing music in the background.

[The Vagrance]

Sorry if i hijack this thread, but it seems my question is related enough to this as to be stupid to make another thread about it...

I REALLY want to play live and do DJing type things, but what would i have to do/get in order to do so? I guess the question is what kind of equipment is needed in order to play live? I know little to nothing about what goes on onstage: for instance why do the DJs have their headphones on while the music is playing on the speakers? Are they trying to match up the beat before the X-fade it to the headphoned track?

Thanks for any help, and sorry if i hijack the thread.

Argh! I missed this. I used to DJ (I sold my stuff because I didn't have the funds to keep up with DJing) so I'm more than qualified to answer. First off, when you DJ you should have a sizeable collection, enough to make at least 4 different hour-long sets (only re-using some of your songs, not the same songs in different orders), in Drum and Bass that'd probably be around 30-50 records. In order to DJ you'll need the following things:
- 2 Turntables (They MUST be direct Drive's, Belt Drive's are crap. Be expected to spend at least $200 per turntable, I highly reccomend skipping "beginner turntables" and going straight to the MK1200/1210's.
- 2 Turntable Cartridges (The Stanton AL500's/510's work fine)
- A good mixer (Get one with BPM matching if you want, but never use the BPM matching, DJ by ear, just buy a mixer based off of how good it performs)
- A very good pair of DJ Headphones (You should drop at least $100 on these for the lower end headphones. You'll need them to block sound very well.
- A sizeable record collection (like I said before, you should AT LEAST have enough for 4 entirely different live sets just to start off, thats enough to be able to switch up your set in case the crowd ain't diggin' what you're doing)

Now, DJing is a bit hard to explain in words but I'll sure as hell try. Basically, like playing an instrument, it requires A LOT of practice. Despite what Tiesto may think of himself, DJs aren't gods among men, all you are is a fancy record player. The goal of DJing is to transition between two tracks as seamlessly and melodically as possible. Sounds easy on paper but only the best DJs can pull this off consistently. The way you do this is with a mixer. You'll have the volume controls on your mixer, EQ, etc. etc., then you'll have two crossfaders on it. One crossfader will be only for the headphones (which you plug into the mixer) and the other will be for the speakers (what the audience hears). In order to get the two records to blend together nicely, you'll have to adjust the BPM of each record subtley until you can get them synced up, and you do this by adjusting the pitch. Before you start mixing the two, you should always check your headphone's crossfader to make sure they're on beat, if they're not, then always adjust the pitch of the record NOT being played. You want to be able to do all of this work without the audience hearing, which is why the headphones exist. When you're finally confident that you're good to start mixing, then you will start, usually starting on one of the multiples of 8 or 16 bars in the track and not just randomly. How you mix is personal style, how you match up the BPM's is personal style, there's a lot of it that you'll just learn in practice, but everything else stays the same. Expect to bedroom DJ for at least 6 months before being good enough to start doing shows. It'd probably be good to find someone who DJ's to show you how they do it (not from lessons though, all you'll need is a quick one-time explination) to help out.

[Xelebes]

Too mych black tonight, myf?


Yeah, just keep in mind that your audience will only have as much fun as you're having.

Unless you suck yet you're still having fun.

That would depend on the group you're playing for. A small cafe full of dadaists would jeer you on to butcher it up more!

[TheMusiC]

Meteo:

the difference between a good performer and a GREAT performer (this is true in the professional orchestral world as well) is confidence -- performing well is just as much psychological preparation as it is actually practicing the music. there are tons of players out there who'll practice their nuts off, then get on stage and totally blow the gig, usually because they get really really nervous because they want to "play it well." most of the time, when people get nervous, it's because before they play (or while they're playing), they have the whole, "OH GOD I HOPE I DON'T MESS THIS UP, SO MANY THINGS COULD GO WRONG" mindset instead of the "i'm going to do my best to express the ideas within this music to the audience" attitude. be confident -- if you can nail it in your practicing, then you can nail it on stage.

another thing is to make sure that during the performance, you're focused on the music and ONLY on the music, i.e. expressing the emotions and ideas present. a lot of times when people mess up during orchestral solos or recitals, it's because something distracting catches their eye, or they hear something off, or they notice that their shirt is clinging to their arm or something. there's actually a class about this at juilliard -- they actually hired a guy from west point who trains snipers and such, and in the class, the students would play solo in all sorts of environments with all sorts of distractions and crazy things going on (i.e. desks and chairs would be knocked over while they're playing, balloons popped, etc). keep your focus on the music -- don't worry about "how and where i might mess up," worry about "what do i need to do to make this sound good."

also: something that i do (and i know many others who do this as well) to prepare for an audition/performance is record myself playing through the piece(s). i'm an oboe/english horn player, so it's not quite exactly like a piano (=P), but the principle behind this method are pretty similar. for example: when i'm practicing, a note might be out of tune, but i won't be able to hear it because, as the performer, what i hear is sometimes different from what the audience hears. recording yourself playing will allow you do listen from the perspective of the audience rather than from the perspective of the performer. so, i record myself: and, believe me, when i hear that a note i hit in a phrase is out of tune, it never, ever is out of tune again =P.

aaaand lastly, you can learn a LOT from watching professionals perform. note the way they walk on stage, the way they set themselves, etc.

[Meteo Xavier]

Awesome advice, brother. Very, very good!

[Hy Bound]

Sorry if i hijack this thread, but it seems my question is related enough to this as to be stupid to make another thread about it...

I REALLY want to play live and do DJing type things, but what would i have to do/get in order to do so? I guess the question is what kind of equipment is needed in order to play live? I know little to nothing about what goes on onstage: for instance why do the DJs have their headphones on while the music is playing on the speakers? Are they trying to match up the beat before the X-fade it to the headphoned track?

Thanks for any help, and sorry if i hijack the thread.

Argh! I missed this. I used to DJ (I sold my stuff because I didn't have the funds to keep up with DJing) so I'm more than qualified to answer. First off, when you DJ you should have a sizeable collection, enough to make at least 4 different hour-long sets (only re-using some of your songs, not the same songs in different orders), in Drum and Bass that'd probably be around 30-50 records. In order to DJ you'll need the following things:
- 2 Turntables (They MUST be direct Drive's, Belt Drive's are crap. Be expected to spend at least $200 per turntable, I highly reccomend skipping "beginner turntables" and going straight to the MK1200/1210's.
- 2 Turntable Cartridges (The Stanton AL500's/510's work fine)
- A good mixer (Get one with BPM matching if you want, but never use the BPM matching, DJ by ear, just buy a mixer based off of how good it performs)
- A very good pair of DJ Headphones (You should drop at least $100 on these for the lower end headphones. You'll need them to block sound very well.
- A sizeable record collection (like I said before, you should AT LEAST have enough for 4 entirely different live sets just to start off, thats enough to be able to switch up your set in case the crowd ain't diggin' what you're doing)

Now, DJing is a bit hard to explain in words but I'll sure as hell try. Basically, like playing an instrument, it requires A LOT of practice. Despite what Tiesto may think of himself, DJs aren't gods among men, all you are is a fancy record player. The goal of DJing is to transition between two tracks as seamlessly and melodically as possible. Sounds easy on paper but only the best DJs can pull this off consistently. The way you do this is with a mixer. You'll have the volume controls on your mixer, EQ, etc. etc., then you'll have two crossfaders on it. One crossfader will be only for the headphones (which you plug into the mixer) and the other will be for the speakers (what the audience hears). In order to get the two records to blend together nicely, you'll have to adjust the BPM of each record subtley until you can get them synced up, and you do this by adjusting the pitch. Before you start mixing the two, you should always check your headphone's crossfader to make sure they're on beat, if they're not, then always adjust the pitch of the record NOT being played. You want to be able to do all of this work without the audience hearing, which is why the headphones exist. When you're finally confident that you're good to start mixing, then you will start, usually starting on one of the multiples of 8 or 16 bars in the track and not just randomly. How you mix is personal style, how you match up the BPM's is personal style, there's a lot of it that you'll just learn in practice, but everything else stays the same. Expect to bedroom DJ for at least 6 months before being good enough to start doing shows. It'd probably be good to find someone who DJ's to show you how they do it (not from lessons though, all you'll need is a quick one-time explination) to help out.

Thats a HUGE help, Thanks a ton!!! :D :D

I was wondering: I hear that records wear out quite fast if you scratch (which i would most likely learn to do) and was wondering if the CD-based turntables are good quality or are worth it.

[The Vagrance]

Here's a quick rundown on the two:

Vinyl
Pros
+ Most clubs should have vinyl turntables already
+ People who use vinyl are generally respected more by some (like me)
+ Many DJ releases are vinyl-only
+ Vinyl turntables are relatively cheap
+ All sorts of old recordings are available for use
Cons
- Vinyl is slowly becoming less and less popular
- Records cost a lot
- No way to really manipulate records other than by pitch and scratching

CDs
Pros
+ Almost infinite tune selection
+ Multiple ways to manipulate records (+100% pitch anyone?)
+ No need for record press to play your own tunes
+ Easier to lug around
+ Cheaper to obtain songs
Cons
- Takes more time to figure out how to scratch
- Good CDJs cost a lot
- Looked down upon by some

My advice: Spring for turntables, then once you get good with them, spring for the CDJs, then have a mixer than can support 4 inputs and you'll be kicking sucka DJs asses in no time.

[sgx]

Hy Bound - you have Live. Awesome for Live performance. Get yourself some midi controllers with knobs and shit. And you can probably find out a lot of info on techniques for doing sets with Live here http://www.abletonlivedj.com/

[The Vagrance]

Yeah, Live is an extremely popular choice nowadays, from what I've heard, Sasha has a totally pimped out MIDI controller he manipulates Live with.

P.S. Is that Cee-Lo in your sig SGX because that dude reminds me a lot of him in that tiny pic.

[Navi]

That's Chris Tucker from 5th Element.

[suzumebachi]

i feel like the stage is the only place i'm truly at home. which sucks because i don't get to play live very often.

i agree with a lot of what TheMusiC said. confidence is key. the very first live gig i played i was nervous as hell... for about the first song. once i got past the jitters, i had a hell of a time just showing off and being an arrogant cock-- and people love it.

whenever my band is getting ready to play, my band mates are always nervous as hell, and it shows. they usually get over it after the first couple of songs. but as for me, i can't fucking wait to get out there and make eye contact with some totally hot chick while i'm wailing away and shit. or playing along with my friend strykerhorse when he's making up some shit on the spot. there's not a thing like it in the world.

then it's over, and you go back to your normal, pathetic life. you never want it to end.

i could totally go for that lifestyle. even if i never made it big, just driving around the country in a beat up shitty ass van with 4 of my best friends. good times.

[The Vagrance]

Ok, you want to see how a sweet live electronic act goes? Then look at this guy, everything is done live. Despite the power going out at one point he pulls off the perfect manuever to get things pumping again, a huge-ass drop. Anyways, check it out to see what it looks like:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=758207553389565742&hl=en

P.S. - High points are:
Another One Bites the Dust Remix
The build-up for the Untitled DnB track
Heebie Jeebies

[Hy Bound]

Yeah, thats awesome guys; thanks for the help! I recently went to the Global Dance Festival with 8 DJs playing live for 7 hours, so i was definately checkin out what all they did. :wink: