Playing Live For The First Time: 5 Tips
The time for live shows will come again, and while you can use this time to do things like prepare your material, stepping out onto that stage for the first time can still be an intensely nerve-wracking experience. Here, we look at some ways you can better prepare for your first live show.
In this most recent post on MusicThinkTank, contributors Alex Bruce and Billy Saefong offer five key tips on how to prepare yourself for playing live for the first time.
“Firstly, good sleep and exercise routines translate into more energy and lower anxiety. Both of which are very helpful on the day of the performance. Secondly, stretch and warm up beforehand to make sure you’re physically ready to play, in a muscular sense. Give yourself at least 30 minutes of practice so that your hands are ready to play, and your mind is sharp for when the lights go down. Don’t let hitting the stage be the first time you’ve played all day, that’s going into the situation cold. Playing beforehand, or earlier in the day, is really important in being and feeling ready. But of course, don’t go the other way and play 12 hours straight and risk injury!”
