Let’s talk about what to say and do on stage… It’s always difficult as a new artist to know what to do on stage. Getting the singing part down is hard enough and now you have to move around and be entertaining too…. Sheesh!
Here are a few tips that will make your show look and feel like a professional show and it will make it a little easier for you to plan how your show should be paced.
1.) Move the mic stand…
When you take the mic out of the stand, which I always think is a good idea, please move it behind you. Somewhere in front of the drummer would be fine. Otherwise you have to constantly work around it and can never take the hot edge or downstage center. And when you are in the power position on the stage… guess what…. There’s a mic stand in front of you… people are bothered by looking at something in front of you… they want to be able to see you without looking around something.
2.) Stories
Stories about your songs are a great idea. If you are comfortable with telling personal things about your life, I say the more personal, the better. Your fans want to get to know you and this is a great opportunity to let them know something about your life and who you are. I saw a show recently and the artist did a great job telling stories. They were truthful, some were funny… always a good idea, they weren’t too long, they were relevant to the songs, and they were very personal. It gave her audience a chance to get to know something about her life. It was endearing and the audience responded to her more personally because she was open and let them in… very nice job!
Try to come up with different ways to start the stories so that the beginnings are all different, and make sure you are not over doing the stories. Try a few stories, maybe some different musical elements, maybe a costume change, maybe a dance breakdown. Keep the show interesting. Remember even too much of a good thing can make a show slow down…
And speaking of slow…. slow your speaking down but make sure to keep your voice energized so that people can understand you. If you talk too low or too high in pitch it makes it equally as difficult for your audience to understand what you’re saying. And since you want them to get to know you… that would defeat your purpose.
3.) Gestures…
This is a big one for me. If you are going to move on stage, ONLY MAKE MOVEMENTS THAT ARE ON PURPOSE. If you want to move your arm, intend on getting it somewhere. If you don’t move with purpose, you just wind up looking not confident and uncomfortable. Not all gestures need to be grand gestures, some can be small, but make sure you are moving with a purpose in mind. However, if you are making grand gestures, and these are also sometimes difficult for new artists to do, make them big. My mom used to say get some space in your armpit… get your arm away from your body, if you don’t, she used to say that you wind up looking like you have a chicken wing at your side… use your stage, take your space. It’s your stage; don’t be afraid to claim it. I had a producer tell me once that he told his talent that if they were going to put their arm up in the air to pretend they were throwing a 10 lb weight… I agree! It gives your arm a definite place to go… it’s purpose to make a strong movement. Remember the Bon Jovi video… if you’re old enough you know the one I’m talking about…
4.) Your show opener…
It is my opinion that you should always open your show with an up-tempo, energetic two or three songs, that roll back to back with no talking. Then take your first opportunity to speak to your audience… Please….please… please…. Don’t start your show with a slow song. Unless you are in a coffee house, doing an acoustic set (and even then I probably wouldn’t) grab the attention of your audience. This is your opportunity to say hey, this is something your gonna wanna stay for…
Can you imagine if a James Bond movie opened with James just having morning coffee, reading his next case file for five minutes… NO… You’d turn the channel or leave. You want to be entertained and that opening sequence is always exciting… right… well, why not follow a successful model… Grab their attention right away… Don’t give the audience a reason to leave before you’ve had a chance to win them over. You may be fantastic, but if your first impression isn’t powerful, you run the risk of them walking out before they get to know you.
On the reverse side of that, please don’t make every song over the top. You want to show depth and range as a singer and performer. All of your songs don’t need to be over the top. Use dynamics during each song and through out your set…. It keeps it interesting….
Have fun designing your show. Put some thought into it, don’t just go up and wing it… trust me… the professionals are not winging it!
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