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Take Control of Your Songs

Some artists are so afraid of looking like they have a “canned” show, they go out and “wing it.”

But, the key to a great show is actually a combination of form AND spontaneity!

“Canned” can happen when you over-prepare, majoring in the minors, memorizing every word you’re going to say to the audience.

Or, it can happen when you’re under-prepared, when you’re not comfortable with what you’re saying or with your movement onstage.

But there’s a third way you can look canned. Although it can happen to any performer, it happens pretty easily if you use tracks. It’s when you let your songs be in control instead of you being in control!

When an artist brings a song on CD to rehearse with me, or when a band uses tracks in addition to the players they have live, I have very little I can do to help them. The tracks are in control. In order to get away from a canned show, we need to edit those tracks – make the track follow the artist, in a sense. The audience must at least be given the impression that the artist is in control. … Read More, Watch, Comment – Backstage Pass Required