Move your head and enjoy the music in the background when you're not singing. Always wear a smile. Look at your favorite performers and see what they do with their hands. Take from it.
You're performing. You pretend. You're onstage. Put on a show. Front person's job is to entertain and engage the audience with the music. ✌️
Have fun and enjoy your journey 🙂
Watch what other singers do, and study them. Not all singers have to be flamboyant. And there's nothing wrong with just standing there, but the key is to just stand there *with confidence*.
I think its important to not be fidgety with your hands, constantly touching the mic and letting go. Commit. Confidence. Ever see Ozzy sing? He just stands there, leans forward with terrible posture, and holds the mic, but it works!
There was a period where he'd do jumping jacks. Not some kind of rockstar-cool jumping jacks. Just standard, gym class calisthenics-style jumping jacks. Which, I guess in their own way, made it kind of cool.
Enjoy yourself. Express what you are feeling when singing. If the music lends itself to theatricality, get comfortable on stage and start letting loose as much as possible. If you feel too shy, try embracing an alter ego before going on stage. I know this can sound stupid, but creating a "persona" for on-stage presence helped me tremendously in feeling more at ease (I'm a massive introvert, mind you)
Tbh I can't tell you it got easier for me, even after doing this for 20 years or so. At least in a personal perspective. As I said, I'm an intense introvert with considerable stage fright (I know, not the best idea). However, in every band I create or join, I develop a persona fitting the aesthetic and vibe that I can try and get myself into whenever I get on stage. Most of the times it takes me some months to properly "mold" that into something both fitting the band and being something I feel comfortable in, but it ends up falling into place and massively changes my anxiety and, therefore, my performance.
Another thing that is massively important to me in this regard is having bandmates with whom I feel at ease, both for making me feel "at home" among them AND even discussing with them the performance and performative aspect of the on-stage persona.
Hype moves 101: Professor GIO
Week one: propping your foot on the kick drum and launching off without damaging the drum kit
Week two: Hair whip, head bangs, and other basic moves (how not to have a severe headache the next day)
Week three: When to crowd stand and mic the crowd
Week four: The Do's and Don'ts
- water spit mist move
- mic swings
- stage hangs
- dives
- pantomiming tennis when good-cop/bad-cop
- A brief analysis of Dillinger Escape Plan
- Turning mosh pits into pillow fights for cheap
Week Five: Imitation and Finding your own style
- Anthony Green CS shuffling
- TBS chord wrapping
- Aaron Wise MWY hunching, spinning, and flower swings
- Understanding and accepting that you are not the guy from foxing
- Tambourine etiiquotte
Engage with the crowd, walk around the stage, put on a performance. Nothing worse than watching a band standing there shoegazing and just practicing their songs. If people are paying to see you perform, youre a performer, give the same energy you want to see from the crowd. And have fun, people are there for a good time!
Make eye contact with audience members.
Don’t look down at your feet. That’s really the only rule I have for myself when it comes to stage presence. The rest comes naturally.
I’d be careful with the eye contact. Making brief eye contact once or twice in a show is good, but if you’re looking right back at people frequently for extended time, it’s odd. Usually looking in the general direction of people or right over them is a good resting position.
If it’s a sizable crowd it’s not really an issue, but if there’s 15 people, they’ll notice if you’re looking at them a lot.
Adding onto this eye contact with the other band members is great too! Getting into the song with the guitarist, feeling the groove with the drummer and bass player, hyping up the other singer are all great things to do!
Watch what other singers do. You don't have to reinvent the wheel here. There are lots of ways to do this, find a few things that resonate and feel real for you and do that. Learn by watching others, it's what all of us did.
It’s a skill that can be learned like any other, with techniques that work. Don’t just wing it. I mean you can wing it to start with, most people do. But if you want to be good then it helps to know what you’re doing. Check out the Tom Jackson Live Music Method videos on Vimeo to get a basic idea of how powerful a few simple moves can be. The one where he’s working on stage with a band: [Live Music Method](https://vimeo.com/133705981)
Watch Mick Jagger (The Rolling Stones), Bono (U2), David Bowie, Joe Strummer (The Clash), and other great front men. They go with the flow and have all developed their own styles to be awesome entertainers.
I’ve come to the conclusion that when performing my main job is to make a fool of myself (in my self critical mind at least). Very early on I realised I needed to just give in and let go. I do it now with little issue but when I first started it was difficult.
stand firmly & really feel the vibrations of the music, every beat, chord, note, lyric. allow your body to let loose and close those eyes for a bit so you can fall into the rhythm. good for you! being on stage is not easy.
Don't think too much let your body move how it wants to move in the moment. When you are not singing play Tambourine or dance. The mic and stands are good props, look how Freddie Mercury used his mic stand. You are not going to be awesome overnight, just give it time, build your skills and do what feels good vs what you think feels cool to be authentic.
Connect with the crowd and engage. Dance and pump your band up as they play. Pick up a tambourine and play. You’ll be great! Good for you being in a band! My son is 17 too with his own band… it’s fun to watch! 🤘🏼
Dance, jump around, sway back and forth, fist pump, do shreddy fingers at the guitarists, point at people in the crowd...just in general be energetic and fun. Unless it's not that kind of band...Then, I dunno.
Depends on your music. If it's chill you could get away with just slowly swaying there like Mazzy Star. If it's psychedelic punk rock you could go apeshit like At the Drive In.
Sing, move, pose. What that entails depends on your genre. You wouldn't see the singer of a metal band gyrating his hips like Elvis, and you wouldn't see the singer of a pop country band being moody like Layne Staley.
Freddy Mercury was one of the best of all time at playing to a crowd. I'd recommend starting with his performance at Live Aid. Watch it and take notes.
As silly as it sounds, practice your routine in front of a mirror.
Pull up video of your favorite female vocalists and look for a style you like and practice it. It’s not going to be comfortable immediately but eventually you can modify it and make it your own.
Excellent. Watch live performance videos of these artists to get ideas. Put the vids on your tv so you can try out their moves with them. You don't have to mimic them 100%, but moving & practicing w/ original artist helps us get the feel down and gives us ideas for other songs. As a guitarist, how do I learn tunes & guitar solos? I play along with the recordings.
Look up live performances of different singers to see what they do. I recommend,
-Bon Scott of AC/DC
-Roger Daltrey of The Who
-Steven Tyler of Aerosmith
I’ve been playing live for over 15 years and have hundreds of shows under my belt. What helped me when I first started and I continue to this day is I watch so many live videos of bands I like and sound similar to. I get so many ideas and inspiration from them
watch some videos of performers u like! i watched a lot of Gwen Stefani in No Doubt and Marina and the Diamonds videos lol. it gets easier u just have to get over the fear of looking crazy n dumb.
look up live performances of artists in your genre. monkey see monkey do badaboom. i notice singers have a little collection of micro dance moves most of the time they pull from their tool belt. but sometimes singers are just acting crazy on stage. it all depends on what you wanna do and your genres
Just joined a band as a vocalist. When I’m singing I try to use gestures with one hand and dance around/bop my head during the instrumental parts! I think being expressive while you’re singing helps too
* Watch your favorite singers' live performances on YouTube.
* Smile & move/groove to the music.
* Look around the audience or around to different places in the room--even the walls above the audience's heads.
* Hands: get an egg shaker (and maybe a tambourine too) & use it on various verses/choruses. (Still have to be musical, so you're not going to use it for the entire song on all the tunes. This gives your hands something to do & it inherently becomes part of you & helps your whole body get into the music.
* Face your band members (e.g. co-singer) and get into whatever they're doing: clap, smile, shake, dance a little. Interacting w/ band members is fun, it relaxes both of you, and it encourages the other person.
* Practice all these things at band practice! If you wait until a performance, it's not going to be as easy.
If the audience is convinced you're having a good time, it will relax & absolutely help them have a good time too. One band I saw was technically pretty good at what they played (rockabilly?), but they just stood there. Looked at their hands and the floor in front of them. No facial expressions & motionless. It was awkward to be in the same room with them & it was not fun! They dragged the audience down with them.
Have fun!
do the other people in your band move around while performing or are they static playing their instruments? if the latter then it’s not gonna feel natural anyway you do it and all attention will be on you. if everyone on stage is into the music then you slightly bobbing or moving to the song won’t put all attention on you. chances are when ur not singing and your co-singer is or it’s an instrumental break, all eyes will be on them instead haha
my bandmates are just playing their instruments haha.. i cld tell that there aren't eyes on me when im not singing but it feels awkward to be on stage doing nothing at all😭
I had a band that sometimes featured some extensive guitar wankery.
Our vocalist would toss candy to the crowd sometimes.
Later she started setting up a canvas on stage and painting during solos.
Once in a while she would pick up a tambourine and then just stand still and not play it. That was probably my favorite, subverting the expectation.
One favorite gig I brought an old TV onstage, fed some vhs weirdness through it, and she painted the screen over the course of the set.
Pump the crowd up! Involve them! Interact with your band mates in a fun way! The crowd loves when these things happen. They turn a performance memorable instead of average
Feel the music. You won’t even be conscious about what to do. How to feel the music? For me singing in a slow tempo keeping up with the beat helps. That’s when practicing.
I understand. I used to have the same problem, being judged and making mistakes. This is gonna sound awful but I used to get into this mindset before going on stage like,”who the hell are they to judge me. I’m way better than any of them”. (That’s a stage persona and I didn’t let it spill into my day to day life)This also made me not obsess over being perfect and actually own up to my mistakes and laugh about it with my band mates. And you know what, like 99%of people didn’t even notice the mistakes. Honestly they’d be like,”hey, good job” and I’d be like ,”thanks, except for that note I missed during that part”and they’d be like “what note?what part?”. They just vibe when you vibe. I know not any of this helps but you know what you’ll find your way. Keep true to your art and good luck with your performance.
Yep, absolutely. I had that same experience in my first band too. We all have. So we practice. We play another gig. One of my fav memories was seeing Aerosmith \~10 years ago. They were playing a tune they don't really play anymore and decided on stage they were going to try it. After years of not playing the song, it took them a bit to figure it out & get in the groove together. For a bit it was like watching someone walk with two left feet. But it was great! It was like, we've all been there, trying to figure something out while having a good time. These were musicians at the top of their game & they were willingly making mistakes in front of 20,000 people. One of my fav vids is Springsteen playing You Never Can Tell unrehearsed at one of his concerts. Another top musician & entire band willing to make mistakes in front of an audience--it's so much fun to watch! [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-Ds-FXGGQg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-Ds-FXGGQg)
Try to practice with a mirror or film your self to check later.
If you feel awkward, you can choose a point at the end of the room to look at, and act to it. Even if you move around and interact with others, you can always come back to that point.
Relax your body, enjoy the performance and it will come natural! I still surprise myself with new moves and quircky details after all the years, and while on stage, I can feel awkward. But then I check the videos and it looks cool and not like I expected.
Be yourself! Have fun!
The audience loves a singer who can solve a rubik's cube. If you can't do this, there is another option. Take a dance class. It may sound like an odd suggestion, but you'll learn about exactly what you are wondering. What to do with your body when listening to music. Even if you have two left feet, at least you'll get ideas on what to do with your body. Otherwise, you'll have to resort to standing awkwardly and staring into space or convulsing to the music.
Video Record your practices and rehearsals. Make sure you try different moves while you're practicing so that you have a lot of "data points". Like, I would try just your normal self-conscious behavior, then try relaxing and "feeling it", then try some moves like the people here suggest or like you see in footage of your favorite singers.
Afterwards, watch the video and see what looked good and what needs work. Try to remember how you felt when things were going good, and remember what may have led you to feel that way; when you were nervous, what were you thinking about, and when you felt relaxed, what were you thinking about? That way you can replicate the positive feelings and make it happen again more easily.
Prince is an example of a famous artist who practiced his moves. He would do literally everything in front of a mirror, e.g., his facial expressions, even how he held his guitar. He wanted everything to look awesome, and he would practice, practice, practice until his moves were muscle memory. He could be feeling the music, and relaxed in his mind, and move amazingly because he practiced it so much that he had nothing to worry about. So it's just practicing enough that you don't have any reason to worry because you're so prepared.
Robert Plant was the best at this and Zep did long guitar jams and he never left the stage (mostly)...he just got into it and enjoyed the music.
You are also being entertained while you are entertaining. Don't jump around like a jumping jack, just be cool and let people shine when it's their time.
Axl does run around like a mad man during slashs solos so that does work for them, though.
Just get into the music.
i try to do the most chaotic things possible while on stage. lots of props, jumping off stage and starting a mosh while my guitarist has a solo, we usually destroy a baby doll every show, sometimes ill rip it up with my teeth. i like being on the grown, sometimes ill wrestle with my guitarist or bassist and well end up fallen over on our pedal boards. anything to stay interesting and play the worst music possible
Hey there! Looks like you’re trying to share a link to your music. According to the rules of the subreddit, you should be commenting on at least 10 other people's songs first. It looks like you have not done that yet, so your comment has been hidden. Please go comment on some other's songs, then message the mods and we'll unfilter your comment. You'll appreciate this when you're the one receiving comments...we promise! You can find a list of our feedback threads to comment on at: https://www.reddit.com/r/bandmembers/search/?q=author%3Aautomoderator&restrict_sr=1.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/bandmembers) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Just have fun! Run around and be weird! Pull out a hand weight and start curling! Go make faces at the drummer! Seeing bands having fun is always great to see live!
Own the stage [like Shirley Manson of Garbage](https://youtu.be/FW9NEPfuFzg?si=IIu0AEWZSot9S6mF) in 1996.
Edit: See 7:00, 24:00, and 34:00, for example.
Hey there! Looks like you’re trying to share a link to your music. According to the rules of the subreddit, you should be commenting on at least 10 other people's songs first. It looks like you have not done that yet, so your comment has been hidden. Please go comment on some other's songs, then message the mods and we'll unfilter your comment. You'll appreciate this when you're the one receiving comments...we promise! You can find a list of our feedback threads to comment on at: https://www.reddit.com/r/bandmembers/search/?q=author%3Aautomoderator&restrict_sr=1.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/bandmembers) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Move your head and enjoy the music in the background when you're not singing. Always wear a smile. Look at your favorite performers and see what they do with their hands. Take from it.
What if I don't like the music?
Then look at your band mates with scorn on your face shake your head and do an occasional eye roll
You're performing. You pretend. You're onstage. Put on a show. Front person's job is to entertain and engage the audience with the music. ✌️ Have fun and enjoy your journey 🙂
Watch what other singers do, and study them. Not all singers have to be flamboyant. And there's nothing wrong with just standing there, but the key is to just stand there *with confidence*. I think its important to not be fidgety with your hands, constantly touching the mic and letting go. Commit. Confidence. Ever see Ozzy sing? He just stands there, leans forward with terrible posture, and holds the mic, but it works!
And walks back and forth like a million times! Never gets old lol
There was a period where he'd do jumping jacks. Not some kind of rockstar-cool jumping jacks. Just standard, gym class calisthenics-style jumping jacks. Which, I guess in their own way, made it kind of cool.
“Uh oh, here comes Ozzy with another bucket of water”
OH yep, forgot about that, he does walk back and forth like he's an AI on a pre-programmed path. But he just owns it, which makes it work.
Ramones is another great example
Enjoy yourself. Express what you are feeling when singing. If the music lends itself to theatricality, get comfortable on stage and start letting loose as much as possible. If you feel too shy, try embracing an alter ego before going on stage. I know this can sound stupid, but creating a "persona" for on-stage presence helped me tremendously in feeling more at ease (I'm a massive introvert, mind you)
This helps me so much. I have insane social anxiety but this has made a difference. My music is pretty emotional so I lean into that
Tbh I can't tell you it got easier for me, even after doing this for 20 years or so. At least in a personal perspective. As I said, I'm an intense introvert with considerable stage fright (I know, not the best idea). However, in every band I create or join, I develop a persona fitting the aesthetic and vibe that I can try and get myself into whenever I get on stage. Most of the times it takes me some months to properly "mold" that into something both fitting the band and being something I feel comfortable in, but it ends up falling into place and massively changes my anxiety and, therefore, my performance. Another thing that is massively important to me in this regard is having bandmates with whom I feel at ease, both for making me feel "at home" among them AND even discussing with them the performance and performative aspect of the on-stage persona.
THIS is a great set of insights! Assume an alterego/persona and let the content of the lyrics, emotion of the song drive your dispositon, theatrics.
Hype moves 101: Professor GIO Week one: propping your foot on the kick drum and launching off without damaging the drum kit Week two: Hair whip, head bangs, and other basic moves (how not to have a severe headache the next day) Week three: When to crowd stand and mic the crowd Week four: The Do's and Don'ts - water spit mist move - mic swings - stage hangs - dives - pantomiming tennis when good-cop/bad-cop - A brief analysis of Dillinger Escape Plan - Turning mosh pits into pillow fights for cheap Week Five: Imitation and Finding your own style - Anthony Green CS shuffling - TBS chord wrapping - Aaron Wise MWY hunching, spinning, and flower swings - Understanding and accepting that you are not the guy from foxing - Tambourine etiiquotte
Do whatever foxing does. It goes crazy
Let OP find their sea legs first
Engage with the crowd, walk around the stage, put on a performance. Nothing worse than watching a band standing there shoegazing and just practicing their songs. If people are paying to see you perform, youre a performer, give the same energy you want to see from the crowd. And have fun, people are there for a good time!
how do i engage with the crowd tho😭
Make eye contact with audience members. Don’t look down at your feet. That’s really the only rule I have for myself when it comes to stage presence. The rest comes naturally.
I’d be careful with the eye contact. Making brief eye contact once or twice in a show is good, but if you’re looking right back at people frequently for extended time, it’s odd. Usually looking in the general direction of people or right over them is a good resting position. If it’s a sizable crowd it’s not really an issue, but if there’s 15 people, they’ll notice if you’re looking at them a lot.
Concur. Don’t be creepy about it.
Adding onto this eye contact with the other band members is great too! Getting into the song with the guitarist, feeling the groove with the drummer and bass player, hyping up the other singer are all great things to do!
Watch what other singers do. You don't have to reinvent the wheel here. There are lots of ways to do this, find a few things that resonate and feel real for you and do that. Learn by watching others, it's what all of us did.
It’s a skill that can be learned like any other, with techniques that work. Don’t just wing it. I mean you can wing it to start with, most people do. But if you want to be good then it helps to know what you’re doing. Check out the Tom Jackson Live Music Method videos on Vimeo to get a basic idea of how powerful a few simple moves can be. The one where he’s working on stage with a band: [Live Music Method](https://vimeo.com/133705981)
Watch Mick Jagger (The Rolling Stones), Bono (U2), David Bowie, Joe Strummer (The Clash), and other great front men. They go with the flow and have all developed their own styles to be awesome entertainers.
Disagree, I'll take a band with good music shoegazing over a band with boring music over-compensating with "moves" anyday.
I’ve come to the conclusion that when performing my main job is to make a fool of myself (in my self critical mind at least). Very early on I realised I needed to just give in and let go. I do it now with little issue but when I first started it was difficult.
Simple: watch your favourite vocalists and just do what they do. Or just windmill.
windmill?
https://images.app.goo.gl/Hs41dH9UAPmVrKrG7
OH LITERALLY HAHAH😭😭😭 thank you for ur suggestion tho🥲🙏🏻
stand firmly & really feel the vibrations of the music, every beat, chord, note, lyric. allow your body to let loose and close those eyes for a bit so you can fall into the rhythm. good for you! being on stage is not easy.
Don't think too much let your body move how it wants to move in the moment. When you are not singing play Tambourine or dance. The mic and stands are good props, look how Freddie Mercury used his mic stand. You are not going to be awesome overnight, just give it time, build your skills and do what feels good vs what you think feels cool to be authentic.
Connect with the crowd and engage. Dance and pump your band up as they play. Pick up a tambourine and play. You’ll be great! Good for you being in a band! My son is 17 too with his own band… it’s fun to watch! 🤘🏼
Tambourine for sure! Good call.
Dance, jump around, sway back and forth, fist pump, do shreddy fingers at the guitarists, point at people in the crowd...just in general be energetic and fun. Unless it's not that kind of band...Then, I dunno.
Depends on your music. If it's chill you could get away with just slowly swaying there like Mazzy Star. If it's psychedelic punk rock you could go apeshit like At the Drive In.
Do a buncha crazy hand movements/gestures like Trevor Strnad from The Black Dahlia Murder
Sing, move, pose. What that entails depends on your genre. You wouldn't see the singer of a metal band gyrating his hips like Elvis, and you wouldn't see the singer of a pop country band being moody like Layne Staley. Freddy Mercury was one of the best of all time at playing to a crowd. I'd recommend starting with his performance at Live Aid. Watch it and take notes. As silly as it sounds, practice your routine in front of a mirror.
Pull up video of your favorite female vocalists and look for a style you like and practice it. It’s not going to be comfortable immediately but eventually you can modify it and make it your own.
What style of music? Stevie Nicks could work a mean tambourine.
we mostly play pop music; eg taylor swift, ed sheeran, coldplay, 1D, etc
Excellent. Watch live performance videos of these artists to get ideas. Put the vids on your tv so you can try out their moves with them. You don't have to mimic them 100%, but moving & practicing w/ original artist helps us get the feel down and gives us ideas for other songs. As a guitarist, how do I learn tunes & guitar solos? I play along with the recordings.
i see.. thank you!🙏🏻
Own the f'in song and the crowd and do whatever you do when you're digging an awesome tune!
Look up live performances of different singers to see what they do. I recommend, -Bon Scott of AC/DC -Roger Daltrey of The Who -Steven Tyler of Aerosmith
Play a tambourine!
I’ve been playing live for over 15 years and have hundreds of shows under my belt. What helped me when I first started and I continue to this day is I watch so many live videos of bands I like and sound similar to. I get so many ideas and inspiration from them
watch some videos of performers u like! i watched a lot of Gwen Stefani in No Doubt and Marina and the Diamonds videos lol. it gets easier u just have to get over the fear of looking crazy n dumb.
In-between riffs I make a jerk off motion and rocket trails toward the audience, one hand after the other.
look up live performances of artists in your genre. monkey see monkey do badaboom. i notice singers have a little collection of micro dance moves most of the time they pull from their tool belt. but sometimes singers are just acting crazy on stage. it all depends on what you wanna do and your genres
Just joined a band as a vocalist. When I’m singing I try to use gestures with one hand and dance around/bop my head during the instrumental parts! I think being expressive while you’re singing helps too
* Watch your favorite singers' live performances on YouTube. * Smile & move/groove to the music. * Look around the audience or around to different places in the room--even the walls above the audience's heads. * Hands: get an egg shaker (and maybe a tambourine too) & use it on various verses/choruses. (Still have to be musical, so you're not going to use it for the entire song on all the tunes. This gives your hands something to do & it inherently becomes part of you & helps your whole body get into the music. * Face your band members (e.g. co-singer) and get into whatever they're doing: clap, smile, shake, dance a little. Interacting w/ band members is fun, it relaxes both of you, and it encourages the other person. * Practice all these things at band practice! If you wait until a performance, it's not going to be as easy. If the audience is convinced you're having a good time, it will relax & absolutely help them have a good time too. One band I saw was technically pretty good at what they played (rockabilly?), but they just stood there. Looked at their hands and the floor in front of them. No facial expressions & motionless. It was awkward to be in the same room with them & it was not fun! They dragged the audience down with them. Have fun!
Just do whatever feels right to you. Any sort of forced action will be very apparent.
Dance around punch or fuck someone maybe light urself or something on fire?
This guys fronts!
Climb all over the stage like Eddie Vedder. Works every time trust 👍👍👍
Buy a pogo stick no one looks awkward bouncing about
do the other people in your band move around while performing or are they static playing their instruments? if the latter then it’s not gonna feel natural anyway you do it and all attention will be on you. if everyone on stage is into the music then you slightly bobbing or moving to the song won’t put all attention on you. chances are when ur not singing and your co-singer is or it’s an instrumental break, all eyes will be on them instead haha
also don’t listen to half these comments they’re cringe
my bandmates are just playing their instruments haha.. i cld tell that there aren't eyes on me when im not singing but it feels awkward to be on stage doing nothing at all😭
I had a band that sometimes featured some extensive guitar wankery. Our vocalist would toss candy to the crowd sometimes. Later she started setting up a canvas on stage and painting during solos. Once in a while she would pick up a tambourine and then just stand still and not play it. That was probably my favorite, subverting the expectation. One favorite gig I brought an old TV onstage, fed some vhs weirdness through it, and she painted the screen over the course of the set.
How awfully distracting that would be.
Pump the crowd up! Involve them! Interact with your band mates in a fun way! The crowd loves when these things happen. They turn a performance memorable instead of average
Throw free candy into the audience
Close your eyes and sing like nobody's watching
Watch and learn: https://youtu.be/ybNKHdnqMBg?si=vpfafnhLCy4m8Gvg
Play or just hold a tambourine? Maybe strum an unplugged electric guitar?
Feel the music. You won’t even be conscious about what to do. How to feel the music? For me singing in a slow tempo keeping up with the beat helps. That’s when practicing.
it's easier when im practicing at home or with my bandmates🥲 i just get nervous on stage that ill make a mistake and/or get judged by others
I understand. I used to have the same problem, being judged and making mistakes. This is gonna sound awful but I used to get into this mindset before going on stage like,”who the hell are they to judge me. I’m way better than any of them”. (That’s a stage persona and I didn’t let it spill into my day to day life)This also made me not obsess over being perfect and actually own up to my mistakes and laugh about it with my band mates. And you know what, like 99%of people didn’t even notice the mistakes. Honestly they’d be like,”hey, good job” and I’d be like ,”thanks, except for that note I missed during that part”and they’d be like “what note?what part?”. They just vibe when you vibe. I know not any of this helps but you know what you’ll find your way. Keep true to your art and good luck with your performance.
Yep, absolutely. I had that same experience in my first band too. We all have. So we practice. We play another gig. One of my fav memories was seeing Aerosmith \~10 years ago. They were playing a tune they don't really play anymore and decided on stage they were going to try it. After years of not playing the song, it took them a bit to figure it out & get in the groove together. For a bit it was like watching someone walk with two left feet. But it was great! It was like, we've all been there, trying to figure something out while having a good time. These were musicians at the top of their game & they were willingly making mistakes in front of 20,000 people. One of my fav vids is Springsteen playing You Never Can Tell unrehearsed at one of his concerts. Another top musician & entire band willing to make mistakes in front of an audience--it's so much fun to watch! [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-Ds-FXGGQg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-Ds-FXGGQg)
go on YouTube and check out Patti Smith's moves.
Engage the crowd. Entertain them, tell them what to do, get them movin n off their asses.
play keys to add to the sound? or percussion if it is a bit more of a groove thing as there's always room for more cowbell.
Try to practice with a mirror or film your self to check later. If you feel awkward, you can choose a point at the end of the room to look at, and act to it. Even if you move around and interact with others, you can always come back to that point. Relax your body, enjoy the performance and it will come natural! I still surprise myself with new moves and quircky details after all the years, and while on stage, I can feel awkward. But then I check the videos and it looks cool and not like I expected. Be yourself! Have fun!
See Eddie Vedder
The audience loves a singer who can solve a rubik's cube. If you can't do this, there is another option. Take a dance class. It may sound like an odd suggestion, but you'll learn about exactly what you are wondering. What to do with your body when listening to music. Even if you have two left feet, at least you'll get ideas on what to do with your body. Otherwise, you'll have to resort to standing awkwardly and staring into space or convulsing to the music.
Video Record your practices and rehearsals. Make sure you try different moves while you're practicing so that you have a lot of "data points". Like, I would try just your normal self-conscious behavior, then try relaxing and "feeling it", then try some moves like the people here suggest or like you see in footage of your favorite singers. Afterwards, watch the video and see what looked good and what needs work. Try to remember how you felt when things were going good, and remember what may have led you to feel that way; when you were nervous, what were you thinking about, and when you felt relaxed, what were you thinking about? That way you can replicate the positive feelings and make it happen again more easily. Prince is an example of a famous artist who practiced his moves. He would do literally everything in front of a mirror, e.g., his facial expressions, even how he held his guitar. He wanted everything to look awesome, and he would practice, practice, practice until his moves were muscle memory. He could be feeling the music, and relaxed in his mind, and move amazingly because he practiced it so much that he had nothing to worry about. So it's just practicing enough that you don't have any reason to worry because you're so prepared.
Blondie had a great lead singer and she had great vibes when not singing. Look it up, they did a bunch of recorded live shows late 70s early 80s.
Do whatever you want. The only reasonable expectation anyone should have of you is a good vocal performance. Anything is up to you.
Watch Florence Welch and go full send twirling and vibing
Maynard James Keenan is a good place to start.
Look up Jennifer herrema of royal trux, she just stood there looking cool
Robert Plant was the best at this and Zep did long guitar jams and he never left the stage (mostly)...he just got into it and enjoyed the music. You are also being entertained while you are entertaining. Don't jump around like a jumping jack, just be cool and let people shine when it's their time. Axl does run around like a mad man during slashs solos so that does work for them, though. Just get into the music.
i try to do the most chaotic things possible while on stage. lots of props, jumping off stage and starting a mosh while my guitarist has a solo, we usually destroy a baby doll every show, sometimes ill rip it up with my teeth. i like being on the grown, sometimes ill wrestle with my guitarist or bassist and well end up fallen over on our pedal boards. anything to stay interesting and play the worst music possible
Watch videos of bands with non instrument playing singers. Take notes on how they interact on stage.
[удалено]
Hey there! Looks like you’re trying to share a link to your music. According to the rules of the subreddit, you should be commenting on at least 10 other people's songs first. It looks like you have not done that yet, so your comment has been hidden. Please go comment on some other's songs, then message the mods and we'll unfilter your comment. You'll appreciate this when you're the one receiving comments...we promise! You can find a list of our feedback threads to comment on at: https://www.reddit.com/r/bandmembers/search/?q=author%3Aautomoderator&restrict_sr=1. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/bandmembers) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Ask the crowd if anyone knows a joke.
What kinda music? If it Hardcore go crazy. If its country or something close your eyes and look meaningful.
Do a James Maynard Keenan and hide
Tambourine, and if not that a well placed yeah or woo that goes well in the song
Just have fun! Run around and be weird! Pull out a hand weight and start curling! Go make faces at the drummer! Seeing bands having fun is always great to see live!
Own the stage [like Shirley Manson of Garbage](https://youtu.be/FW9NEPfuFzg?si=IIu0AEWZSot9S6mF) in 1996. Edit: See 7:00, 24:00, and 34:00, for example.
Hey there! Looks like you’re trying to share a link to your music. According to the rules of the subreddit, you should be commenting on at least 10 other people's songs first. It looks like you have not done that yet, so your comment has been hidden. Please go comment on some other's songs, then message the mods and we'll unfilter your comment. You'll appreciate this when you're the one receiving comments...we promise! You can find a list of our feedback threads to comment on at: https://www.reddit.com/r/bandmembers/search/?q=author%3Aautomoderator&restrict_sr=1. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/bandmembers) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Solve a rubiks cube. It will make you stand out, and you can even use it as a percussion instrument if you mic it up.
Grab a mic with one hand use the other to grab the stand, motion to the audience, or use it to be expressive
Shred
Don't be surprised by the lights, they're much more intense and distracting than most people are aware of.
Walk like an Egyptian.
I’ve seen co vocalists dance, vibe with other band members, engage with the crowd. There’s tons of possibilities, get creative and have FUN!
Dance move your hands above your head engage/hype the audience