It doesn’t matter if you are completely new to performing on stage or you are a seasoned performer, there are a number of things you can do to make the very best of your performance. These tips have been taken from the experts – those who get up and perform with stability and amazing talent every week – we have compiled them here to make sure you perform at the best of your ability every time you go on stage.

1)    Ignore the self-doubt. Have the courage to share your talent with others. Almost every single musician in the world will hear a little voice somewhere in the back of his mind just before he goes on stage that will say something along the lines of “what are you doing? You can’t do this!” Remember that you have worked hard to practice your guitar, and that you know exactly what you are going to play.

2)     Know your repertoire. Once you have a repertoire of songs, it only has to be ten or twelve songs that you play well and enjoy playing, memorize them.

3)    Mix it up a bit. When you have the ten or twelve songs that you have chosen, take a look at them and make sure that they are crowd pleasers! Make sure there is s a good mix of rhythms and tempos – a variation in music is much more valid to an audience than a selection of songs based around the same chord. Make sure that the songs you have chosen vary in difficulty as well – if it’s your first time on stage then playing something technically difficult may be a stretch – but you should also push yourself a little at the same time. By challenging yourself your skills will develop quicker.

4)    Distract yourself. There is one famous case of an outdoor concert going out live where the band on stage had to put up with the next band warming up directly behind them – these sorts of things will happen when you perform. When you play in front of an audience, there will be distractions. So be ready – when you practice at home, put the TV on, or the radio. By doing this you will be training yourself to play with any distractions a room full of people will throw at you!

5)    Play easy to start. Seasoned performers often start with a strong upbeat song with a medium tempo – not only does this warm you up nicely, but it also warms the audience up as well. Then, when the more technically difficult songs come later both you and the audience are prepared. Put the songs that you have selected in order so that the easiest to play come first. By doing this, when you get to the more difficult songs your fingers should be nicely warmed up

6)    Sleep! Make sure you get a good night’s sleep before any important gig, as sleep will naturally lower your anxiety levels as well as increase your concentration and eliminating mistakes.

7)    No Alcohol! Alcohol and caffeine are the destructors of many a good concert. Alcohol works by slowing down your reaction time, and your awareness of what is going on around you. Therefore, you might think you are playing superbly, when really the audience switched off quite some time ago. Caffeine does the opposite – it heightens your awareness which leads you to become even more anxious and make more mistakes.

8)    Be prepared! Make sure you have the directions to the gig – the last thing you want to be doing is having an argument about where the venue is half hour before you go on stage! Make sure you have all your clothes, equipment and directions ready the night before.

9)    Be equipped. Stock your gig bag with extra strings and plectrums in your gig bag, as well as extra batteries and leads. If you leave nothing to chance, then you diminish the possibility of anything going wrong that can’t be fixed.

10)    Relax and enjoy it. What is the worst thing that could possibly happen?? Playing in front of an audience is a massive part of the creative process – the more you practice it the better at it you will get!

Copyright 2009 Liam Gibson (Stage Guitarist)