I'm not a senior nor a consistent live performer. I used to perform on my company's events and gatherings. However, this is what i have learned over a period of time from my stage performances.
1) Unless you are a maestro, the 100 percentage of your musical capability or talent will never come on a stage performance. The maximum you can achieve on a stage is your 90% of talent. So forget about worrying that you couldn't do justice on stage - If you want to give your 100% perfect performance, you need to be ready with 200% of you best 'practice'
.. so practice, practice .. practice makes you perfect!
2) Stage fear - We all will have this, unless we perform on stage everyday. The more you perform, the less stage fear you will have! But there are a few work-arounds to overcome or minimize this.
- Talk with audience before you start your performance. It will boost your self confidence and self esteem
- If possible, involve audience in your show - interact with them - you will see the difference immediatly
- Give an introduction to song before you start
- Above all, accept all applause and appreciation graciously. Bend your head. Show that your are humbled by the appreciation you are getting.
3) A smile can do a lot - believe me, if you try to smile rather than show your worried face, you and your audience will be relieved a lot. After all, audience know that they are facing a confident guy and not a worried armature. Also, a deep breath can help you - but overdoing it might spoil its purpose.
4) Give credits to your co-performers also - Audience notices everything and if they see that you are sharing the credit with your co-performers, they would appreciate you more. After all, life is all about 'give and take'
5) Nothing can beat practice. I suggest, each song you are going to play should be thoroughly practiced and you should always be ready to manage mistakes on the fly.
- Never use Karaoke track for Live performance
- If you use Karaoke track, you will not be able to correct your mistakes as you perform
- If you are using accompanying artists, you know what went wrong and there is always a possibility to improvise and correct it. Believe me, this is far easier than we think
6) After the show, recollect all the positive aspect and what went wrong in the show. Learn from your mistakes and never repeat a mistake you have committed, in the next show.
Good luck!
