Hi, my name is Dave, I was just wondering if anyone had any tricks or would like to share any stories that show how distracting the open public can be while performing in public. One story I have goes as follows.

I was performing at a small cafe, right beside the entrance of the store and everyone coming and going would wave and say something like, "You sound great." This being in the middle of a song or at the climax of someones solo. It got to the point where I wanted say something back but that being impossible with a horn in my mouth, so I would slightly bow while playing, but sometimes doing this I would lose focus on what I was doing? Any Suggestions, be in mind I don't want to ignore the audiance.


Peace,
Dave

hey, it could be worse. While a friend of mine was on stage, a drunk came up and began humping the stage monitors!! I am a singer, and I guess it is easier for us singers, as we can react with a wink or a smile, or even have a breath to say thank you. It is Ok to simply make eye contact and rais your brows to an admirer. One good thing to do is always be available after shows for meet and greets. Show goers really appreciate the personal attention from performers.

April
www.soundclick.com/Aprillee

just be thankful all was complimentary, heckling is so much more distracting. just eye contact should do.. in both cases!

I was doing a gig with a female singer & a drunk came up & started licking her toes!

My piano player started a bar fight. I was playing confirmation and at the end of my solo and the beginning of his, someone threw a chair. The bar was full and the police came and took half the bar downtown. At the end of the song the Piano player said, "Where did everybody go?" He missed the whole thing. Had his head down the whole time.

Essentially itÂ’s a natural byproduct of practicing technique, I believe. When you do become distracted from the creative impulse while playing, your fingers (if youÂ’re a guitarist for example), will automatically fall into those habits youÂ’ve developed from previous practicing of scales, riffs, melodic phrasings, etc. until you reconnect with the focused attention of purely musical creativity. These are the benefits of hard, continuous, and steady practice of scales and theory. After a person develops their own voice itÂ’s almost imperceptible to you as a player. Of course, these may not be your most creative moments but they continue the fluidity of the performance in a coherent manner.