MusicTips from the Pro's

Take a moment to remind yourself why you’re doing this. Personal satisfaction? The joy of music? Jamming with friends? A desire to get on stage and perform for others? A means of mental exercise?  Perhaps you’d like to share your music with others in hopes it will brighten their day? Whatever your reasons, know that if you have made yourself or anyone else smile or tap their foot that’s enough. You have done good.

If your goal is to get more comfortable playing for an audience, do it anytime you have the chance to, especially in a low/no threat environment. 

• Play for your dog, your mother, your kids 

• Travel to a different city where nobody knows you

• Play in a group where you can count on others to carry the tune if you falter

• Play where you won’t be recorded and posted on social media

Apps are a great way to learn a tune by ear, or if you read music, to keep yourself on tempo and that tendency to speed in check. 

• Chordbot Learn chord progressions 

• Band In a Box Type in chord progressions & it creates a backup band to play along with 

• AnyTune Pro Record or import a recording, change the tempo, change the pitch, create loops 

• Amazing SlowDowner Change the tempo

• Trad Musician & The Session Plays ABC & midi files

• ForScore Organize all your sheet music on Apple. Create endless set lists 

• Mobile Sheets Pro Organize all your sheet music on Android

• YouTube Someone else has played this tune before 

Performance anxiety is real, even for professionals. Since performing is a part of our club, you are encouraged to try some of the things that could alleviate anxiety and help create a confidence in playing to audiences.

• BREATHE! Slower, controlled breaths help a person stay focused and relaxed. He further suggests slowly wiggling your fingers and toes to be helpful.  

• ACT CONFIDENT even if you don’t feel that way. Stand or sit up straight. “Sell” confidence with confident body language. You may even fool yourself!

• KNOW most of of the tunes you will be playing. It helps defeat the fear factor.

• CHOOSE YOUR GIG Play in settings where you will not stress out. Some gigs are more stressful than others. Farmers Market gigs where people come and go gigs are more relaxed.  

• SMILE Choose a couple of friendly faces in various directions in the audience. 

• LOOK UP  from playing a few times. Catch their eye and smile. They will think you are playing just for them. Their happiness is catching.

You’ll make mistakes. Everyone does, even the pros. Accept the inevitability of mistakes. Have a plan to “get back in the game” when that happens. 

• Work on smiling every time you make a mistake. Don’t grimace! If you smile from the mistake, do it with a twinkle in your eye, like it was just a joke. Pretend like you are having fun. (Fake it until you make it!)

• “Own your mistakes –then work on that measure, phrase, to make the tune second nature to your muscle memory.” 

• Don’t “squeeze in” any notes you missed, just skip them and stick to the tempo. If you squeeze in the notes, this will call attention to the error and can  speed up the tempo of the tune,  starting a “death spiral” where the tune keeps getting faster and faster. Remember, a mistake is only a millisecond long. 

• Use your practice aides to play along with the tune without following the exact melody. Concentrate more on the chord structure and what places are easiest to get back on board. The start of the A or B part frequently works well for this, as well as the start of new musical phrases, especially the ones you really know well. 

• Tempo Drills. When learning a tune, use the tempo controls on YouTube or your apps to accurately work up to speed and then to “overspeed”—playing faster than you’ll need to in the performance.  

• If a tune is giving you a bad attitude, then take a break. Get some water. Go chat with friends. 

“But it sounded pretty good in my living room” Once you have the tune down, add some new stressors. 

• Change the lighting. Change your location. Add background noise.  

• Wear hearing protectors so you don’t have the same acoustic feedback you are used to.  

• Stand if you normally sit or vice versa. 

• Play your dulcimer flat on a table or kitchen countertop. 

• Change the relative height of your instrument by putting books under the legs of your stand. Stand on one foot.

What happens when you have achieved mastery? What do you do when all those exciting difficult tunes are now ‘ho-hum’?

• Learn a new instrument! All the sudden those easy tunes just got very challenging! (Don’t want to lug around a new instrument, then get a harmonica!) 

• Don’t look at the music, try to play it by ear

• Play a backup, counter melody, or variation. Add fancy embellishments

• Play that old easy tune the best you have ever played. Put your heart & soul into that tune

• Pay close attention to your technique, style & performance presentation. Find areas you need to improve

• Look up - watch everyone else while playing, smile at the audience!

• Smile! Dance & Play!

It’s easy to be nervous and start a tune too fast. It’s also more common and easier to speed up during a tune than to slow down. So, how do you start the tune at an appropriate (slow enough) tempo when under the pressure of a performance and a tendency to speed up? 

• Make your starting slightly more complex than just playing “potatoes” or the last bit of the melody.  

• Try Rolling-Arpeggiated Chords. Do a Chromatic Run. Use Block Chords.

• For a waltz, play the entire last phrase of the song

• Don't quit if you don't hear anyone start playing at the right time. They will figure it out and join you

Our jams are playing sessions for acoustic musicians who may or may not know each other but play together informally for our own enjoyment.  Our jams are open to all, beginners as well as accomplished players. We welcome listeners. Knowing there are many dynamics in play as not everyone at a given jam will be of equal ability, we work to make it fun and informal. Jamming with others improves one’s ability and grows everyone’s musicianship – our mission.

1. All should tune instruments before coming, particularly those with Hammered Dulcimers. (A: 440)

2. Try to be on time and set up before the music begins. 

3. Put your cell phone on vibrate or turn off for the duration of the jam. 

4. Listen to the others.  If you can’t hear the lead, wait to begin playing. Try to play soft enough to hear the person next to you.

5. Refrain from noodling while someone is giving directions, stating the key, or doing a start. Noodling is a habit of continuing to play in between songs.  It is very distracting.

6. If you need to converse with someone, leave the jam area and go to the fellowship area. 

7. Watch for visitors and new players.  Make them welcome by making room for them. Be encouraging.  Remember you were new once. If you see someone is lost, help them out. 

8. Position yourself close to other players.  The tighter the circle the easier it is to stay together and the better the jam. 

9. Come with a list of 2-3 tunes you might call. Try to choose a tune that most people can play.  When calling a tune, announce what key you wish to play it in. If you can start a tune you call, announce it and then do it with confidence. 

10. No speeding up – jamming is not a race. Timing is everything, so keep the beat. To help newer players, play the tune at a slower tempo the first couple of times. Eventually, the tune needs to be played as it is meant to sound.  SSDS has a slow jam to help more inexperienced players, a regular jam where most tunes are played at a “moderate” speed and an ‘After Hours’ jam where most tunes are played up to speed or new tunes are introduced.

11. Be aware of your volume and make adjustments that help support the tune.

12. Practice between jams. Identify a few tunes you want to play (including one you don’t know) and make a note to learn it. Recording a tune for later practice at home is allowed. Click on the: Silver Strings YouTube Page for the Practice Tune Videos to help you learn. Ask for it to be included at the Slow Jam until you feel ready to call for it at a regular jam.  

13. If you get lost, stop playing and reenter when you can. Find a strong player and sit/stand next to or right behind them.  Learn by copying. 

14. Know when not to play.  There are times to back off in a jam or on certain tunes where a need for balance is necessary.  If you don’t know the tune, wait and listen for a bit.  We are all there to help the tune sound good. This takes discretion.

15. Play softly when other instruments are featured or someone is singing.

16. It is acceptable to YELL out one more time if you need to play again to “get it.” Watch the leader for the signal to end the tune. 

17. The best jams include a variety of keys, tempos and rhythms.  Be aware of this when picking a tune. Community and encouragement are strengthened when we engage in a variety of tunes from “beginner” tunes to the latest favorites, a variety of keys, and rhythms (reels, waltzes, airs, marches, and jigs). Jamming at SSDS is a democratic process.