Learning to Burn

Performing comes naturally to a few people, but most musicians need to spend as much time learning about performing as they do about making music itself. Some recent articles share ideas about how to make it happen, through preparation and good coaching.

In the March 2004 issue of Acoustic Guitar magazine, Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers shares some tips for performers of all types (adapted from his book, The Complete Singer-Songwriter).

Rodgers assures us that "even the shiest, most reserved musicians can become effective and even great performers, because they have a secret power: belief in their music."

How to translate that belief into action? Rodgers makes some specific suggestions, paraphrased and summarized here:

1. Be Yourself, Even When You're Adopting a Stage Persona
"Your identity as a performer is some version of yourself, and it has to come across as authentic to the audience."

2. Learn it By Doing It [This pavilion's motto!]
"Nothing teaches you about performance more effectively and quickly than just doing it."

3. Practice Realistically
Practice at home using the same setup you'll use in performance. Also, "go through your set from start to finish without tuning for ten minutes, or taking a break for chips and salsa."

4. Practice Talking
"Think in advance of some of the things you might say during your set… Practice these little raps along with your songs at home, then at the gig take note of what worked and what didn't…"

5. Use Your Nerves
"Those butterflies in the pit of your stomach are a source of energy that can help you rise above your everyday self and deliver a great show… Think of your pre-show nervousness as something that helps you get pumped up to play your best."

6. Ease Into It
Warm up beforehand, both voice and hands. Start a set with easy, comfortable songs. Get into a groove. Also, the tweaking that the sound-person will be doing early on will throw you if you're starting with unfamiliar or challenging material.

7. Don't Apologize
Audiences find apologies "annoying… Who wants to be told that you're not going to deliver as good a show as you could or should?"  See #8…

8. Use Your Mistakes
"Everyone flubs a line or a chord sometime, and it is not a disaster… If you laugh or shrug it off or play with it, a mistake onstage can be an opportunity to bond with your audience." Prepare yourself to deal with glitches, both musical and equipment-related.

9. Respect the Audience
"They're giving you their time and money." Note that respect doesn't always mean having to be sunny. "There's a long tradition of taking a provocative or confrontational stance with an audience," when approached respectfully.

10. Stay in the Pocket
Don't rush! Your adrenaline will try to kick tempos to high gear, so get the groove in your head before you start the song, and stay with it.

11. Take the Long View
"Most long-term careers are built one fan at a time… No single gig is definitive; each is a step in a process of developing and learning and sharing."

Learn more about Rodgers's book or browse the other music selections at BackBeat Books

Visit Acoustic Guitar [March 2004 - article in print only]

"Not to shatter illusions, but do you really think Usher is hitting those silky notes without thinking about his vocal technique? Or that a singer as gifted as India Arie hasn't worked for hours to learn how to use her voice? Or that since Rob Thomas of Matchbox 20 is a rock 'n' roller, he doesn't care what his voice sounds like? Natural talent has to be developed, and these stars all share one thing in common: vocal coach Jan Smith.

The Atlanta native has been teaching for 17 years, with the past several years seeing her become the "go-to gal" for vocal coaching, vocal instruction, and vocal production in the R&B world.

Her relationship with her artists is a two-way love fest. Smith praises Usher as "the greatest vocal athlete she has ever worked with… totally untainted by the industry." Her take on India Arie: "a precious human being and one of the most balanced artists I've even come in contact with. I love her heart." Rob Thomas reports that his voice has gained two octaves in range since starting his work with Smith.

(The magazine reports that Thomas brought Smith, a Grammy Trustee, backstage at the 2000 Grammy show to warm up his voice before his onstage appearance with Santana.)

Smith herself has released 4 CDs and is still hoping for her own big break as a vocalist.

Visit Jan Smith at her site