Questions tagged [performing]
Playing or singing in front of an audience.
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How can I overcome the fear of performing in front of an audience?
I have been learning how to play Spanish guitar for more than two years and half.
Every time my friends ask me to play something, I get scared and my hands start to shake.
How to break this fear?
I ...
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answers
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How to play a song without making mistakes?
I have played keyboard quite a while and now I'm starting to practice some classical music like Fur Elise. When I see a live performance of any musical instrument, there seem to be no errors at all. ...
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Tips for how to stay calm before a concert
I have a big performance coming up and I am SUPER anxious that I'll mess up the song or something. I need help from anyone who has had experience with orchestra concerts and that sort of thing. How ...
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I am a singer who has problems with tempo
I'm a singer and I have a decent voice. But I'm getting really frustrated because I can't seem to get my timing right while singing during live performances.
I have no problem singing along with a ...
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How to select a key-signature for a song
There are so many songs in pretty odd key-signatures like 4,5,6 sharps or flats. At least this is my impression when I listen to songs on the radio/net while trying to follow them on my piano/guitar. ...
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How can I increase my vocal endurance and sing longer without getting hoarse and losing my voice?
I sing either solo or as lead singer in my band, on shows lasting from 3 to 4 hours. I do take a break occasionally and sip water between every other song. I also avoid alcohol before and during my ...
- 27.1k
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Where/how can I get a song's backing track without a specific instrument so I can play for it? [closed]
I've been playing with the violin for a while now.
The latest song I learned was He's a Pirate from Pirates of the Caribbean. 'cuz it is a lot of fun.
I want to make a video of me playing it. And it ...
- 1,389
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8
answers
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Every time I press 'record' I forget how to play and sing!
I have a very simple home setup with a 4-channel USB interface, into which I plug my electro-acoustic guitar and a decent mic (SM58). Purely for fun/learning/curiosity what I sound like, I will often ...
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How to avoid stopping when I play a wrong note on the piano
When I play any sheet music by memory, if I realize (by ear) that I play one wrong note, I always stop/get stuck and cannot continue playing. This is very bad in case I need to perform.
So how to play ...
- 687
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Stage volume levels in rehearsal and performance
Two questions in one here. Often when rehearsing or at gigs, I'm asked to turn up my volume "'Cos we can't hear you!" when the band is already quite loud. Very rarely will the others turn down to ...
- 188k
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Do ear plugs have a big effect on ability to hear the music?
Ear plugs are likely a good idea for anybody performing amplified music (or even enjoying amplified music). But what is the effect on the ability to hear your fellow musicians when playing in a ...
- 634
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What is the best way to learn to sing harmony?
I am quite capable of singing the lead vocal but have a difficult time finding the 3rd or 5th harmony in order to harmonize with someone else. Is there a method of learning to hear or find the ...
- 27.1k
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Vocal range of a crowd
I am planning to sing a song and which has a vocal range of D3-D4.
I want the crowd to join in too. Should I raise or lower the tune of this song to better fit the crowd's range?
Which key or vocal ...
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answers
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How to make a career out of music?
I have a full-time job but I am also very interested in making a part-time career out of music. The aim would be to continue learning as well as making some money out of this passion.
So what would ...
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Ritardando, Rallentando, and Allargando
Three common musical markings for gradual slowing down are ritardando, rallentando, and allargando. How do these differ from each other in interpretation and execution? For example, I was taught many ...
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Should I worry about painful fingertips?
I just started to learn playing the (electric only for now) guitar, and I love it! I've read on a few pages that it was normal for my fingertips (those that I use on the fret board) to hurt in the ...
- 1,746
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Can't feel meter when playing
I can't feel the meter when playing along very well, sometimes not at all.
Note I can feel the "pulse" just fine. I have no problem tapping my foot to the beat in time but I can't feel where the one ...
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What are good tips for remaining composed during one's first public performance?
One's first public performance can be daunting in terms of the amount of anxiety involved. How should first time performers who have never been on stage (or performed in front of unknown people) deal ...
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Why was no first prize awarded at a competition?
No first prize was awarded at the Sendai International Violin Competition this year.
Unfortunately the article gives no explanation for this, stating only that:
No first prize was awarded at this ...
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Overcoming "tracking nervousness" when recording a take?
I'm in that nasty position of becoming nervous when I hit the record button. I can be in my own little studio, no pressure whatsoever, playing perfectly, but as soon as I hit that record button, my ...
- 731
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How can I avoid making unpleasant facial expressions when playing difficult chords?
When I'm playing (learning) difficult chords on guitar (ex: F,B7) my facial muscles (basically lips) form a weird action (I felt it and I saw it in the mirror).
I feel I'll get used to it as I go and ...
- 921
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3
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5k
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Same note in two staves [duplicate]
I have only just started to learn (on my own) to read music and play the piano at the grand old age of 64! Please can someone tell me how to play the same note on two staves? I keep being asked to ...
- 71
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Piano mordent with two notes
I'm trying to play Brahms' Hungarian dance №11 and there is a technical question.
How do I play a mordent from the 4th measure? Whether both notes should be played with mordent or just the upper one? ...
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How do you sync a Roland Boss RC 300 Loop Station to external rhythm sources?
I'm looking for ways to fatten the sound of the combo I play with. But the band plays tight tempos in strict 32 bar choruses.
Is there any way to sync the Roland Boss RC 300 Loop Station to external ...
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votes
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answers
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Forgetting the musical notes while performing in concert
Yesterday I performed my favorite piano piece "Liebestraum no.3" by Franz Liszt in an audition.
I forgot a lot of its musical notes although that I prepared it very well and I even played it a lot in ...
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3
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What is the difference between Overdrive and Distortion?
What's the difference? They sound vaguely similar to me and I can't tell a distinct difference sound wise. What is the difference in tone, harmonics, etc.? Are they the same? Which one is better and ...
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Why are conductors required at orchestra performances?
I am not a music expert and I have always wondered why orchestra performances require a conductor to play. The musicians are presumably professionals who have had much practice at this point, so why ...
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How would you live perform a piece whose recording has a faded ending?
Much recorded pop music has endings that fade to silence. If a live all-acoustic band is trying to perform such pieces, it's not really feasible to do a fade. So what other techniques are available to ...
- 11k
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Developing Stage Presence as Guitarists
Where do I start to develop a good stage presence as a guitarist? While guitar-specific stunts (like the guitar spin, etc) are good to know, but I'm more interested in knowing general rules for ...
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What can I do to stop getting nervous before and during a performance? [duplicate]
Normally when I have a piano performance/recital I tend to get nervous. I have done a couple of exams, and all I do is stare at the wall. But then I start sweating and then my hands are all sweaty ...
- 606
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11
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Practice to avoid mistakes or practice to cover mistakes
I am having a debate with the drummer in my band. His view seems to be that it is inevitable that musicians will make mistakes so it is more important to practice recovering from mistakes than it is ...
- 400
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5
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What exactly is the act of playing behind the beat? [duplicate]
I am a guitarist trying to improve my rhythmic feel and have been told to play a little more behind the beat. This is in a studio setting. How should I approach this to be more consistant in playing ...
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What are some tips for battling forearm fatigue for performing long passages of fast notes (keyboard)?
I am unable to play, for example Chopin etudes (most of them) and Fantaisie-Impromptu because less than 30 seconds in, my forearms fatigue. I slow down a lot and it is physically painful to proceed ...
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How does a advanced classical pianist start to play pop music?
I consider myself an advanced classical pianist, being able to play many Etudes, Ballades and Sonatas by Beethoven, Liszt and Chopin, for example. However, I have been struggling to play pop music for ...
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How do you count many bars of silence (rests)?
Playing in a jazz band there are often 5, 6, or 8 bars of silence. This is no problem as I can count them on my fingers. But how do I count larger rests, for example 52, 112, or even longer rests, as ...
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How can you sustain a long note on electric guitar smoothly?
Sometimes a song calls for a very long sustained note, or a long sustaining chord, such that the length of the note is beyond what you can expect a guitar to naturally sustain, let alone sustain ...
9
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7
answers
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How do I learn to sight read?
I started my school’s jazz band recently and I really struggle playing with them. It’s just really different to playing by myself alone, where if I make a mistake I can just go back and keep repeating ...
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How to play a piece right in one take?
Whenever I try to record myself playing, this happens:
-I play the first few bars, I hear a tiny mistake (even the smallest thing like playing a note a bit too loud than I intended), and even if I ...
- 91
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3
answers
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Techniques to Improve Vocal Volume?
I am a singer who typically does acoustic guitar type performance, but I've been playing with full 'rock' bands for a little while now and am having a terrible time of getting 'loud' enough to cut ...
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4
answers
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How do you come in at the right moment in a memorized performance?
I'm memorizing the Haydn Trumpet Concerto for a performance in June. I'm rehearsing with the orchestral backing on an MP3 player, actually performing with a pianist on the day. Once I actually start ...
- 11k
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Pop filters and dealing with plosives in live performance
I was just listening to a recording of a performance I did a few weeks back, and couldn't help but notice the ridiculously explosive P's and B's. I'd obviously like to avoid this. I can't recall ever ...
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Covering songs by other artists - does money change hands?
Many bands cover songs by other bands, unofficially at concerts, or usually on live recordings (for example, Kurt doing Man Who Sold the World by David Bowie, at an MTV unplugged concert.
I always ...
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How do you not get lost between measures?
How do you not get lost between measures? For example, if I start on measure 28 and the the next measure down is measure 40, how do I not play early or late?
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Can Reich's Piano Phase be emulated with a delay unit?
Assuming a very clean digital delay with a "repeat n times" mode set to one repeat (like "Multi" on the EHX Canyon), mix at 50/50, and time starting at zero ms and increasing from ...
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How do I simultaneously play two notes of the same pitch (i.e. two notes in unison), but with different accents? [duplicate]
I usually know what it means when a note has both a stem pointing up and another pointing down (What does this note have a stem pointing up and another pointing down?), but what if it has something ...
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I am a singer who has problems with keeping rhythm and beat [duplicate]
I'm a singer, but I am getting anxious because of being rhythmically challenged. I've had vocal training, but none seemed to really know how to help me out in this respect. I'm fine with everything ...
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(Vocal) Harmonizer Pedals: How do live performers use them?
I've seen plenty of live musicians singing with a guitar, but recently I've been noticing that some of them were singing in harmony with themselves! Obviously, I soon realised it was the work of a ...
- 12.5k
2
votes
1
answer
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When should vocal soloists memorize music?
Are there any general guidelines for modern practice about when vocal soloists should memorize their music instead of using a score? I've seen in many performances even of "standard" works like the ...
- 1,833
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votes
2
answers
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Not-so-awkward body movement while playing violin
As I have mentioned in previous questions, I'm someone who likes to get really into the music. I sway around, and enjoy the song with movement. I notice professional violinists sometimes almost dance ...
- 3,847
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votes
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answers
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What are my options to incorporate a sub-woofer into a PA system for live music performance?
My current PA system I use with my band (usually 2 guitars, a bass guitar and drummer - with 3 vocal mics) consists of a powered mixer (Mackie 808S) driving passive speakers with 12" low/mid drivers ...
- 27.1k