It happens to gig musicians that things can go wrong from time to time. Sometimes, the problem is beyond your control. Other times, you can make a few adjustments to avoid them.
OpenLIVE, a hi-res music record and distro platform that has recorded many live sets for bands, offers straightforward advice on how to get the best out of your set and make the most of a recording.
Simple Tips for Increasing Your Performance
Tune yourself, tune your band
It may not seem obvious to gigging musicians, but many recordings contain out-of-tune instruments or instruments that are not in tune. (Let’s not even get started on the vocalists …)
You should buy a good tuner and bring it to the stage. Make sure it has a bypass function so that your audience can hear what you are doing. If you notice that someone or something is off-key during a gig, take the time to correct it. It’s not good to see a band that isn’t in tune live. You’ll be glad you did it right the second time you listened.
Use appropriate volume levels on stage
A FOH (front of house) engineer can only work with so much. The engineer cannot take your lead guitarist to a venue of 100 people with a Marshall stack set to 11 and cannot help but remove them from the PA. The rest of the band will turn up their volume to match.
Your poor FOH engineer will have no control over the sound. You’ll see them going to the bar.
Limit stage volume to the minimum, and ensure equal volumes for all instruments and amps. Trust your FOH engineer to do the magic. If not, it might be time to make a change. Don’t wait to tell them halfway through the gig that you can’t hear through the monitors. If you have the opportunity, get this resolved during the first song.
Record, practice, and learn
You’ve all been there. Or vice versa.
Listen to your friends and family, even if they tell you how wonderful you are. 75% of the time, they are just being kind. Do more. Know your parts. Get your tone right. Make sure you have the right arrangements. Stay sober.
Keep it real and keep going
This is the power of living. It is raw and real. It’s raw and real. That’s why its fans so love it. They are human, and they want you to be. It’s okay to make a mistake, but don’t worry! Your fans want to hear other versions of your songs.
Take a recording of your show
You should record yourself performing live. Not only will you be able to create an amazing audio track or video, but you can also watch back to see what you are doing right and what you are doing wrong.
Recording live performances have many other benefits. You can share more material with labels, fans, managers and the press. It’s also a great way to gauge crowd reaction to new songs or your entire show.
Give your fans a copy of your live track for a small fee.
Many platforms allow fans to access music at no cost. You don’t have to think about giving away your music all the time. It doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t give out freebies to your fans. However, once someone has received something, it is difficult to get them to pay. They wouldn’t why would they?
Your music is a labor of love. You spend hours rehearsing, hauling gear around, and spending money on equipment. People will pay if you make great music!