by Tom Hess
It’s no secret: playing music well with your band during live shows is not the same as playing well in your garage.
This makes it critical to know exactly what to practice to eliminate live playing mistakes and adjust for any problems that may arise in your music career.
Here are 3 easy ways to improve your band’s musical performances, so you can grow your music career faster:
1. Prepare For Anything That Could Go Wrong During A Live Performance
There are tons of things that could potentially go wrong during a live performance, such as: lighting problems, sound problems, broken strings, playing mistakes, etc.
All of these can be embarrassing for your music career
Work together with your band to think of solutions for as many of these problems as you can think of for your music career. Invest some time into practicing to prepare for some of them.
For instance, practicing in low/no lighting or putting headphones on and playing without being able to hear very well.
2. Work On Crowd Participation During Your Live Shows
Playing great live music is 50% music/50% performance.
Your shows are much more fun for your fans when you involve the crowd by talking to them between songs or incorporating them into your songs (ex: by clapping their hands or singing along). Brainstorm with your band to come up with ideas for how to do this. Then see how well it works and refine the things that don't work.
3. Make A Plan For Stage Movement
Don't make the common mistake of standing still while playing on stage.
This makes your shows feel boring for the audience. Make them fun and engaging by performing with your instrument and thinking of ways to move around the stage with your band members.
These are just a few ideas to get you started, but there are many more in this article about preparing for live music performances. Check it out to learn many more ways to improve your live shows.