Got my first real performance gig! Any words of wisdom?
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Got my first real performance gig! Any words of wisdom?
Ok, so I play in a local park over lunch time as often as weather and my schedule allows here in the Phoenix Az area. So far fun stuff. My playing is sort of background sound in the park. Sometime a child or two will hang out by me listening to my playing. On Thursdays there's a group of woman who meet for lunch and give me a little round of applause when I'm done.
I was contacted this morning and asked if I'd play at the Phoenix AZ Japanese Friendship Garden. A group is having and event called "The Spirit of the Garden Anime/Manga". They'd like about 20 minutes of shakuhachi playing. There will be a stage and no other performances going on while I play.
I do have what I call my play book with the music for enough pieces to fill up the time. I'm thinking may filing a bit of time with a narrative about each piece and it's place in shakuhachi history/style.... Etc.
I'm excited about this and just wondering if those of you who perform have any words of wisdom for me about this.
I was contacted this morning and asked if I'd play at the Phoenix AZ Japanese Friendship Garden. A group is having and event called "The Spirit of the Garden Anime/Manga". They'd like about 20 minutes of shakuhachi playing. There will be a stage and no other performances going on while I play.
I do have what I call my play book with the music for enough pieces to fill up the time. I'm thinking may filing a bit of time with a narrative about each piece and it's place in shakuhachi history/style.... Etc.
I'm excited about this and just wondering if those of you who perform have any words of wisdom for me about this.
When you perform you might worry that you won't play the shakuhachi well or not be able to get a sound. Just remember your best playing and realise that it's within your ability. Play the stuff you know the best, don't overextend yourself the first time. And have fun. 
Go on stage thinking you are just in the park or at home practicing as usual.
Personally, I am basically never nervous before I go on stage. This really depends on the person. But some times - I have experienced to get nervous in the middle of a piece.. And then it always helps me to visualise I am at home practicing alone.
The most important - as Tairaku also mentions - is to have FUN ! ! ! And if you don't get nervous - then just enjoy being on stage and playing!
Personally, I am basically never nervous before I go on stage. This really depends on the person. But some times - I have experienced to get nervous in the middle of a piece.. And then it always helps me to visualise I am at home practicing alone.
The most important - as Tairaku also mentions - is to have FUN ! ! ! And if you don't get nervous - then just enjoy being on stage and playing!
Thanks for the advice Kiku and Tairaku. I have a lot of fun and look forward to my park playing, with extra practice to make sure my playing is very solid I'm assuming I'll do well and have fun on stage. I hope this is the start of more performances I'll do here is Arizona and to inspire others to try out the shakuhachi.
"chuck56""chuck56"
A group is having and event called "The Spirit of the Garden Anime/Manga". They'd like about 20 minutes of shakuhachi playing. There will be a stage and no other performances going on while I play.
I'm excited about this and just wondering if those of you who perform have any words of wisdom for me about this.
Hi Chuck, Congratulations! I's always nice being asked to perform. Great advice so far. I'll add to the "have fun" advice. That's what it's all about. In terms of Anime and Manga, I don't know if you've seen the Japanese animated series Naruto. Lots of contemporary shakuhachi music there. I've actually been contacted several times by teenagers asking about the shakuhachi because they heard it on Naruto.
You would be a smash if you learned this flute melody:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-Pxa8CQMW0
Have fun!
- Perry
Overall it was a great experience. I did have some challenges. Besides the temp being 90 degs F., it was outside in the direct sunlight and a 5-6 MPH breeze the main issue was a sound system completely under powered. From the stage to the first row of audience it was about 35 to 40 feet away.
The organizer and I tested it before the event but once the park was filled and I started playing my wife came up and let me know I was not being heard in the audience. The organizer tried to push the system a little louder but it really did not help much. My Shak was already very close to the mike so I tried to play louder. Trying to push the loudness hurt my playing.
For the most part I think the audience enjoyed what they could hear. Yet I knew I was dropping a bunch of meri notes because I was pushing too hard. Again over all it was a great experience and I was not nervous about the crowd.
The organizer and I tested it before the event but once the park was filled and I started playing my wife came up and let me know I was not being heard in the audience. The organizer tried to push the system a little louder but it really did not help much. My Shak was already very close to the mike so I tried to play louder. Trying to push the loudness hurt my playing.
For the most part I think the audience enjoyed what they could hear. Yet I knew I was dropping a bunch of meri notes because I was pushing too hard. Again over all it was a great experience and I was not nervous about the crowd.
Cool! Thanks for the report! And congratulations with the first concert!
And good to hear it went well. Yes amplification can cause problems one way or another.
Let us hear more if you perform again. In fact, performance experiences can be helpful to read, so may I humbly suggest that if anyone has performance experiences they would like to share: Go for it!!!
And good to hear it went well. Yes amplification can cause problems one way or another.
Let us hear more if you perform again. In fact, performance experiences can be helpful to read, so may I humbly suggest that if anyone has performance experiences they would like to share: Go for it!!!
Here's a photo of me playing at the event.
This a a bigger view of the Japanese Friendship Garden here is Phoenix AZ.
I'm thinking I'll have to just go down there and do some playing on my own. I've done that before, find a bench along a path and enjoy some relaxed playing.
This a a bigger view of the Japanese Friendship Garden here is Phoenix AZ.
I'm thinking I'll have to just go down there and do some playing on my own. I've done that before, find a bench along a path and enjoy some relaxed playing.
The mic looks pretty far from you, Chuck! Next time put right above or next to the embouchure and see what happens. I've tried lots of mic placements and find that gives me the most power in a situation like that.
Congrats on your first performance!
Congrats on your first performance!
Very cool, thanks for the info. I would have never felt it needed to be that close.
Do you normally always have the mike close to the embouchure or do you ever do it closer to the root end?
Do you normally always have the mike close to the embouchure or do you ever do it closer to the root end?
If I have only one mic I always do the embouchure... if there's a second one I place it under the root end. Of course you have to gauge the venue and the type and quality of mics. If I'm indoors in a good sounding room then I place it more or less like in your photograph or even a bit further, so the audience gets a good mix of room sound and amplified sound. Outdoors, however... the closer the better.
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