Performing Live
Knowing how to behave when you’re singing for an audience is important if you’re to sing at your best, so here are some practical tips to help you with your next live singing performance.
The Practice Run
Make sure you’ve rehearsed with the band. Before you go on stage, have a minimum of one dress rehearsal. Don’t read the lyrics on your last dress rehearsal, sing everything from memory.
Choosing your outfit
The outfit you select needs to be a good one, because it can make your show. When you choose an outfit, make sure that you wear it during rehearsals so that you get used to it. It is important to ensure that you are able to move comfortably in your outfit.
Walking across the stage
Practice walking to the place you’ll stand on the stage. Walking across the stage is much more difficult than you would think. When you walk across the stage, you want to stop in place, but at the same time you need to have good posture when you do so. Walk to the spot and keep your posture.
Turn the speaker away from you
The experience of singing with a band will be a lot of things, but initially it will be confusing. The speakers will probably be turned away, in which case you will have trouble hearing yourself. Ask if they can turn the speaker toward you. The sound from the speaker can be a distraction, especially if you consider how loudly the band can play. If a specific instrument plays the melody line, you may have to get used to picking out that sound from the other instruments.
Smile
Make sure you smile as you go on stage. You appear far more confident if you look straight at your audience as you walk across the stage. Your smile needs to look genuine even if you’re nervous and don’t want to be on the stage.
Acknowledgment of the audience
When you are singing, you might not know when it’s time to pay attention to the audience. Singers can’t always sing intimate songs in an intimate locale, but you can imagine yourself in a cozy locale if this helps you with your performance. To get a feel for whether to include the audience as part of your song, watch and learn from the seasoned pros.
Distractions will occur
Unlike in rehearsal, a live performance can have plenty of distractions. People can do many things in an audience, such as coughing or even leaving early. Most people are ignorant as to how this can distract a performer, and because you are the performer you are expected to be professional about it. That being said, it would be wise to stage a few distractions as you practice at home. Get a friend to try and distract you while you practice ignoring them and concentrating on your performance.
Keep an eye on your hands
If you’re not sure what to do with your hands during your live singing performance, putting your hands down at your sides is safest. The safest place is at your sides, even if that’s not the most interesting place. You can gesture if you want, just make sure your gesture is complete. Clasping your hands in front of you is another option for your hands.
Okay so now you know some live performance basics. In order to wow your audience you’ll need to work hard to perfect your singing skills. You can either take private singing lessons or use a professional home-study singing course like Sing With Freedom. Also if you’re looking for guidance about the best techniques to promote you and your band, you’ll definitely want to check out Social Bandmaker.