The former guitar player for Prince was telling me about their rehearsals. If you’ve seen any video of Prince or seen him live, he goes off on jams that appear completely spontaneous.
Sometimes they’re so off the wall, you wonder where they came up with the stuff they did! I asked him, how did you get from that place to this funky thing to this Pink Floyd thing to this breakdown, to this jammin’ stuff — and it all seems so spontaneous? And he said one word…”PRACTICE.”
In practice they got an instinct, they were jamming, and they went down that road in practice. The idea came to them, they stopped, went back, fleshed it out, and rehearsed it to where it was really tight and they didn’t have to think about it.
Those of us who have just “jammed” know that it might be magical….one night. And then on other nights it’s just terrible.
So the key is this: if you understand the fundamentals in your preparation, and you know how to hold the mic, and you know placement on stage, and you know what it takes visually onstage, then they’re in your arsenal and you can use them (be spontaneous with them) onstage.
They’ll come naturally – without thinking about them. Otherwise, you get an instinct, and if you haven’t rehearsed the fundamentals, then you have to think about it, and all the audience sees is you thinking about what you’re doing. And that’s not exciting.
I have a good friend who lives in Chicago. When he flies into town he doesn’t give me a call and say “hey, Tom, lets go down to the library and watch people read!” We don’t want to watch people read. And no one wants to watch people think!
So what we need to do is plan, practice it in rehearsals, and then we can go out and do it. And when we’re onstage, IF we have the fundamentals, then we can follow our instinct, and it’s natural.
We’ve done it over and over and over again. It looks spontaneous even though the basics are things we’ve worked out in rehearsals.
On a football team, those players are not just playing their 19th, 20th game of the year when they get to the Super Bowl. Before the Super Bowl, they had six weeks of training, and before that they had a 6-inch thick playbook of plays that the team runs, and they study those plays.
The truth is, everyone knows their role. They run the plays over and over and over again. Then the coaches have a game plan.
THAT’S what a live show should be! You’ve studied a playbook, you’ve rehearsed it, and where the spontaneity comes in is that every night, every audience is different.
So, just like the running back, you don’t run through the same hole every play. You try left, you try right, you try jumping over them, you pitch the ball back…. that’s where the spontaneity comes in.
Everyone needs to know the role they have and the goal of each play. That’s the way a song should be, too. That’s what should happen onstage – a combination of rehearsal and spontaneity.
No one is thinking! The running back isn’t thinking when he runs up to the hole, and the hole is closed, “oh, maybe I should run this way” – he just reacts.
Why? Because he has the fundamentals! Having the fundamentals down because you’ve done your woodshedding is the first step.
Then planning the show – getting a vision for what you want each song to look like, and what you want your show to look like – that’s the next step.
It’s important to find the balance between form and spontaneity, and to understand the creative process.
That means brooding over your songs, listening to them in different ways, planning, getting ideas…and then working it until it becomes a part of who you are onstage.
It becomes something natural, something creative, something unique – and that’s what your audience wants to see!
Tom Jackson
Tom is uniquely talented and skilled at transforming an artist's live show into a magical experience for the audience; helping artists at every level create a live show that is engaging and memorable, teaching them to exceed their audiences' expectations and to create fans for life. Tom has taught indie and major artists of every genre. He has worked with Taylor Swift, Le Crae, Home Free, The Tenors, Shawn Mendes, The Band Perry, Francesca Battistelli, Jars of Clay, & many more. Tom also teaches at colleges, conferences and events worldwide.
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My name is Steve Nicolas, Lead singer of The Venom Cure a symphonic rock band out of Indianapolis. I have a hundred questions but I will start with one. To start I am very comfortable in front of crowds. I am not perfect and I have a lot still to develop but I am a front man. my question is for my more introverted guitarist and bass players that share stage space with me. I have been trying to work with them on there stage presents and “helping to create moments”. they are great musicians but I need some advice on how to get them to engage more the fans and not default to head banging. here is a live music video to show you want I am talking about.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJXuR9ueuzw&list=PLYsVLhlsYn3ItO7Fj3P0eRKTeYXJ1bami&feature=player_detailpage
what can I do to help them open up to the crowed and look and feel less awkward?
This is something we run into often…one or two in the band on board with what we do, and the rest skeptical or resistant. Is it because they don’t know WHAT to do or that they are uncomfortable trying something new? Give me more details and I’ll work on a blog about his topic. Thanks Steve!
I am a full time Vocal Illusionist, (ventriloquist). Corporate events is where I work. Many of these points Tom makes are interesting, but how easily can they be switched over to an act such as mine, that is looking for a similar outcome as Musicians? Can a comedic entertainer use these techniques to improve their LIVE PERFEROMANCE?
Definately Mark! Think in terms of creating different moments in your routine. You’ll have comedy moments of course, but also fun moments – which may be an audience participation thing – them interacting with the dummy. (Is that politically correct in Ventriloquist terms??) Maybe you throw in a ‘musical moment’ where you and the dummy trade off singing. Think about a storytelling moment that really gets the crowd sucked in and ends with a big payoff…everyone crying or laughing?! Then as I’m sure you already know, timing is critical…when to leave space in your routine for reaction. Visually, think about changing how things look onstage. Are you standing for some of it and sitting for some?Try walking around,working different areas of the stage and maybe going out into the audience.
Make sense? If you’d like, I could do a video critique for you. I’d watch your routine and then come up with ideas to incorporate and improve the show. Here’s the link:http://tinyurl.com/3ayjnpl
I am a flirty, charismatic, and humorous individual in real life, but on stage I seem moody, allof, or nervous and lack the breezy control and confidence I have in my daily life. I’m hoping to get some help here
Glenn, This may be a result of just not being prepared to the extent that you are able to be in the moment once you get onstage. And, do you know that 97% of the audience WANTS to like you? People come wanting and expecting to like you when they walk in the door! They are already on your side…don’t give them a reason NOT to. Relax and be yourself. Sometimes as artists, we take ourselves to seriously. Audiences can relate to you better when you let your guard down, and they see some flaws and your ‘human-ness’. Put the work into rehearsing your show, then step onstage and enjoy yourself!
Hi,
Ive been learning to sing for three months and just this week I captured for more than a second that wonderful free fuzzy floating feeling singing gives you for more than just a second. My whole body was singing and I think I’m cottoning on and will try so hard to recapture this feel from now on.
I know next, I have to get my soul to connect with my brain and voice and learn to have the confidence to share my stories with others. I look forward to your advice! Hope thats not to mushy.
The best ‘spontaneous’ solo I’ve ever seen, and it happened to be Prince, was at the Concert For George (Harrison) raising money for one of George’s charities after George’s death. Tom Petty and Jeff Lynn sang SOMETHING, and it was pretty good. At the end, when it was almost over, Prince launched into a guitar solo that just get better and better and, for me, stole the show: at least, that was the look on Petty’s and Lynn’s faces.
Talent is usually the result of hard work, luck, adrenaline, right place, and being noticed by someone who can make a difference. I still do my scales, vocal warm-ups and check the mirror to ensure I look they way an audience wold appreciate me. I’m sure Prince does too.
Prince gives audiences what they want, which is the whole idea. He steps out and commands attention.
I don’t know if the others resented it or not. (“While My Guitar Gently Weeps” – Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame 2004)
Awesome stuff. Thanks for sharing your genius with us. Seriously.
Love this blog! With the info from these articles along with the DVDs our merch sales have increased significantly (both when we are with a full band or just an acoustic duo), we have booked more shows, created more buzz, and most importantly we feel more free onstage. Thanks Tom!
I recently purchased your book, “How To Make A Band Sound Great,” and I feel like a kid in a candy store – taking in all of your great tips. I’m drumming in a classic rock cover band and I’m really thankful for all your help. Yesterday I made a suggestion with one of our songs about how to apply your method of dynamics – we tried it and the song is now sounding big! Thanks again.
Tom,
I am having a hard time getting the others in my band to understand the need to rehearse our show instead of just learning songs. Any advise?
Tom, Sorry we didn’t get back to you sooner on this! You should start by sitting them down and watching a video of your last couple of concerts. Watch objectively as one just seeing the band for the first time. Then ask your self, Is this interesting to watch? Am I getting bored? Are they keeping my attention? What parts of the show connect with me? Which ones don’t? Maybe even talk to promoters who have booked you and ask them for some candid feedback. Are you getting booked back places? Selling lots of merchandise? If not, then there’s a problem with your show, and the only way that is fixed, is rehearsal, rehearsal, rehearsal!
as always Tom, great stuff!!
i like to sing but my voice likes to crack and has a mind of its own, how do i get better control of my voice to sing better?
Amber, here’s what world artist Mary-Kathryn says about my Live Music Methods. “After working with Tom, the first and most obvious thing I realized was that I had more confidence onstage. And as a singer, having more confidence even helped me increase my vocal range. Freedom on stage gave me a new vocal freedom I didn’t have before.” It’s amazing how being confident onstage means so much more than “looking good.” It’s really about changing everything about your live show, including how you sound!