Stand out from the rest of the open mic crowd...
It's essential reading material for anyone who owns an acoustic guitar, but if you have already made the jump into the world of live performance, here are 10 tips for playing an acoustic live that will make you stand out from the rest of the open mic crowd:1. Be nice to the sound engineer
The
nice man or lady on the desk has The Power, so always be polite and
respectful, even if they are treating you like a total amoeba. Learn
their name, use it, and thank them before you leave.
2. Put your tuner on the floor
As
well being in tune (hooray!), your floor tuner will also enable you
to mute the guitar when you're mumbling between songs [Oh, and don't
mumble between songs]. It might be a separate unit, or built into
your floor preamp/effects unit.
3. Buy a new battery
Yes,
they're ridiculously expensive, but that battery in your guitar needs
to be fresh to provide signal. Change it (or them) regularly and always
have a spare in your case/gigbag. Anything less is amateur night.
4. Stand up!
Unless
you're famous enough to not have to and/or you're on a high enough
stage where people can see you, stand up while playing. Your body is
more open, you'll be more animated to look at and if you sing, the air
has a better chance of coming out.
5. Bust the 'back
Your
guitar may have a manual notch filter on the preamp, which is there
primarily to fight feedback.
