RE: [Harp-L] Stage Presence



i have been a sideman for years.
i have gotten very good and comfortable with that, too.
there is pleasure to be taken in accenting tastefuly and
making the product better.
there is also safety when things go awry,, just stop playing.

.. as my level and need to do what i want has increased,, this year
thus far i have been a frontman.
as you can see, i am pretty new @ it,,, but if i have learned only one thing,
it's to be yourself.... when you start singin,, the advice is "find your voice".
when you start fronting,, you gotta find your shtick..
if you are a wireless-run-around-the-goddamn-bar guy,, the go ahead.
but only if it's in you and make you feel comfortable.
but you can be relatively stationary and relatively quiet and still command the crowd
with your presence,, if you are supremely confident in that and,
of course,
if you can play.
(it's amazing how many times that gets left out of the equation,,,,, nice shoes or not)


eric
www.myspace.com/erictheass


From: chris smith <harpshredder@xxxxxxxxx>
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [Harp-L] Stage Presence
Date: Fri, 26 May 2006 23:33:27 -0700 (PDT)

   I think this is a very interesting and worthwhile
thread. Of course there are many intangibles and much
subjectivity to this. One person brought up the Red
Hot Chili Peppers as an example of showmanship. I
found them quite discusting with two of them
completely naked onstage one urinating. I kid you not
! Going for the lowest common denominator like Jerry
Springer seems to work in this country but I think
it's quite unfortunate and unnecessary. Oprah shoots
for only postiive, life- affirming topics and is
unbelievably successful. Bruce Springsteen is the most
charismatic musician performer I've ever seen. I think
it's because he's so focused, honest and hardworking
and has a great smile and he's rock music's everyman.
He dresses for the genre: jeans ,Tshirt. I also loved
George "Harmonica" Smith when I saw him back up Big
Mama Thornton decades ago at The Ash Grove. He (a
sideman) played very simply and effectively- always
the perfect little flourish and the audience ate him
up. The one second he came out of his shell he shouted
, "Aw soueee!"
a pig call which probably sounds ridiculous now, out
of context, but there in that cool blues vibe it,
again, was perfect. He was dressed like the classic
bluesman in a brown suit and dress shoes.
    To sum up, all these things are worth thinking
about: genre, dress,
audience interaction (or lack of it-Miles was pretty
good at that). The whole thing is if you're fortunate
enough to play to an audience that's paying attention
and cares as opposed to watching a basketball game or
just talking loudly then you have an opportunity to
work your magic.
 What do you feel comfortable with ? What do you care
about ? Who are you ? How much of yourself do you want
the audience to see and know ? For me the music is the
driving force and I'm not sure exactly what my body's
doing when I'm playing but whatever artifice or
contrivance I
might come up with could easily detract. I do think
the freedom of the wireless is a very fun showy
addition. I'm not a natural public speaker so I tend
to not spend too much time talking though often can
toss out
a line or two that gets laughs. Being gracious to your
sidemen is essential. Interaction is interesting and
engaging (and just fun). Most important I think is
respecting what you do by working hard at it and
focusing. If you focus too much on the audience you
get off-center. I often imagine the show's being taped
and I want to be proud of it. One thing Charlie
Musselwhite did that I thought was very effective was
to simply say ,"Hi" when he took the stage,
acknowledging the audience.
So, here's the situation: you want to connect with the
audience and play the best you can. Chances are if
your playing is on fire you will connect with the
audience. That's why they're there:they want to have a
good time. I've said it before: key into what you're
doing not how you're doing. The audience will let you
know what they think. Don't try to manipulate them
rather appreciate their presence and synergistically
see how high the energy can fly with the finest
performance you can muster.
     Music is one of the highest forms of man's
consciousness-"The Healer" John Lee Hooker

Chris


Chris "Hammer" Smith Hammer Smith Band Official Myspace Page http://myspace.com/chrishammersmith harpshredder@xxxxxxxxx

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