Posts in the Music Business & Careers Category at Best Online Guitar Lessons for Beginners and Intermediate Players, Page 2

July 28, 2012 by leregalla

How I Use Tom’s Live Music Method for a Long Solo Show: Song Arrangement, Talking to the Audience, Results (Part 3)

[This post appears in the Backstage member’s area at Live Music Producer Tom Jackson’s Onstage Success. www.onstagesuccess.com. If you’d like to read the full article, email me at Leanne [at] LivinOutLoudMusic.com and I can send you a coupon for a free one-month Backstage Pass.]

There are several ways you can start working on your song arrangements yourself. You can get great ideas from any of Tom’s videos, and of course probably the best source for that inspiration is right here, Backstage!

Spend a little time to watch the video makeovers – I always get ideas from them. For instance, this Webinar Video on Moments That Work has great ideas, and even the answers to the comments at the bottom of the post are helpful!

You can also revisit the webinars where they talk about pulling out moments. There are typical places to look – intros, bridges, interesting licks that can be repeated or pulled out of time.

Start experimenting! As Tom says, “Find the cool parts. Do them a LOT!”

How I Use Tom’s Live Music Method for a Long Solo Show: Mixing It Up (Part 2)

In my last post, I talked about some ways I have successfully applied Tom’s Graph to long solo shows. Today I’ll continue with some ideas for variety and changing the pressure. Please add your own, let’s get a nice list started!

I talked about short breaks as an important part of structuring a long show. If you are worried about people leaving during a break, maybe you could find a volunteer to do something fun and engaging – a CD or other giveaway, or a mini-contest perhaps.

I’ve found that bringing up other musician friends to either play along with you or to take 2-3 songs of their own is also a great way to change pressure during a set or to fill in time during a break. I think we all do this from time to time.

As long as you know your friends are good and engaging – people whose style your fans will like as well – this is a great thing. My audiences in particular LOVE it when I bring my students up to play!

How I Use Tom’s Live Music Method for a Long Solo Show: Show Flow (Part 1)

There are always lots of questions & discussion around how to apply Tom’s Method to long shows. Many times we are booked by clubs, coffee shops, etc. for 2-4 hours – which may not be ideal from a “making an impact” standpoint, but it is the reality.

I thought I would share my experiences with this and then get your thoughts and feedback as well. That way we all benefit!

When I first started with Tom’s Method, the show flow (or what Tom calls his “Graph”) was the first thing I applied. I saw how it worked right away from the DVDs and later when I attended his Workshops.

The concept was easy to grasp and I was comfortable implementing it right away. If one of your greatest fears (like mine!) is boring the audience through Chinese water torture, then the show flow is a great place to start.

Right away I noticed people staying interested because I was mixing things up. I find that this alone separates artists from the crowd.