I know this might not be the appropriate place to post this but I really need some help with stage presence. My band is just starting out. I don't want my band to be that sucky opening band who plays their songs standing still for an audience(of one at most hehe). I've heard some bands practice their stage presence before hand. But I've never seen anyone do it let alone teach me how to. Any suggestions on how to practice stage presence?
Stage presence
- Thread starter sohail
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Farview
Well-known member
Hop on youtube and watch live footage of other bands that play the same type of music that you do. Watch how they move around the stage, how they carry themselves.
Find the things that you think are cool and do that.
Your stage moves can be treated as a dance, so you simply practice that dance while playing, so you can do both without messing up either.
Find the things that you think are cool and do that.
Your stage moves can be treated as a dance, so you simply practice that dance while playing, so you can do both without messing up either.
ashcat_lt
Well-known member
If you really mean it, and you believe in it, and you're confident in your performance, then you just do it. I mean, I guess if you're doing some pop crap and need to work out all your choreography to distract the audience from the fact that you're spewing meaningless drivel, that's one thing. On the more rock side of things, though, as long as you are actually into what you're doing, it should come across well enough. When you're big enough to get away with spinning guitars and synchronized high kicks, you'll probably have somebody to help you with it. 
That said, DO put some thought into your wardrobe. You don't necessarily have to wear a costume or coordinate a band uniform, but I really feel like everybody on stage should look like they knew they were going to be on stage in front of people. What sort of image do you want to portray as a group? How do you personally express that in your clothing and demeanor?
That said, DO put some thought into your wardrobe. You don't necessarily have to wear a costume or coordinate a band uniform, but I really feel like everybody on stage should look like they knew they were going to be on stage in front of people. What sort of image do you want to portray as a group? How do you personally express that in your clothing and demeanor?
jimmys69
MOODerator
Confidence is key. Though whether faked or not, you must portray the role of a 'performer' who is giving the listener what they want. Yes, setting up your rehearsal studio in a way that mimics how you will be on stage is IMO very important. Also setting up monitors in the room so it sounds similar to what your live performance will be. Nothing worse than playing a gig and the guitar player is on the opposite side of the bass player. Visual cues are very important. We find confidence in knowing where each member is at without thinking about it.
Agreed that the band should have some cohesive apparel and attitude. If one guy is in cutoff shorts swinging his hair like a 80's glam metal guy and the bass player is sitting on a stool in spandex, well...lol
Personal story about me that may be helpful: When I was 19 or so I joined an established band that was doing really well. I was completely comfortable in my playing (why I was stolen from another band) but I was always self conscious and nervous before gigs for years. After 4 years of regularly playing for 1000 to 2000 seat venues, I still was self conscious. Near the end of that bands time my largest gig was in front of 11,000 people. I was still knocking knees. Had to have one shot of Jaeger and one beer before every gig. No more, no less. My wife 24 years later laughs at me when I say this because I was able to portray that I was a rock star. I was scared as shitto be honest...
Once show started though, it would all just come together. Almost as if another part of my personality took over. Many times I would not have memory of the actual show the next day. Alice Cooper has stated he would do similar, though he 'became' the performer and lost himself. I was just a kid faking being a rock star when on stage. It did work though.
After I matured in life, the band did a couple of reunion shows 5 years ago after our singer from that band was murdered. The first was a memorial kind of thing with other singers/friends filling in. The second was the original band members singing as a tribute for our lost brother. 20 years later, my confidence was way beyond what I had as a kid. I wasn't scared at all.
Stage presence takes time and experience to get down. Work with it and see what works for you and your band-mates. Likely most important is to have fun on stage. The audience will see that and you will feed from their reaction to it. Nobody feels a performance from a guitar player who looks at his fret board and ignores the guy in front who is drunk and yelling, or the one girl who is dancing (usually the drummers psycho girlfriend) like a acid induced hippy from the 60's. Embrace them and make it part of your personality as a band.
Best!
Agreed that the band should have some cohesive apparel and attitude. If one guy is in cutoff shorts swinging his hair like a 80's glam metal guy and the bass player is sitting on a stool in spandex, well...lol
Personal story about me that may be helpful: When I was 19 or so I joined an established band that was doing really well. I was completely comfortable in my playing (why I was stolen from another band) but I was always self conscious and nervous before gigs for years. After 4 years of regularly playing for 1000 to 2000 seat venues, I still was self conscious. Near the end of that bands time my largest gig was in front of 11,000 people. I was still knocking knees. Had to have one shot of Jaeger and one beer before every gig. No more, no less. My wife 24 years later laughs at me when I say this because I was able to portray that I was a rock star. I was scared as shitto be honest...
Once show started though, it would all just come together. Almost as if another part of my personality took over. Many times I would not have memory of the actual show the next day. Alice Cooper has stated he would do similar, though he 'became' the performer and lost himself. I was just a kid faking being a rock star when on stage. It did work though.
After I matured in life, the band did a couple of reunion shows 5 years ago after our singer from that band was murdered. The first was a memorial kind of thing with other singers/friends filling in. The second was the original band members singing as a tribute for our lost brother. 20 years later, my confidence was way beyond what I had as a kid. I wasn't scared at all.
Stage presence takes time and experience to get down. Work with it and see what works for you and your band-mates. Likely most important is to have fun on stage. The audience will see that and you will feed from their reaction to it. Nobody feels a performance from a guitar player who looks at his fret board and ignores the guy in front who is drunk and yelling, or the one girl who is dancing (usually the drummers psycho girlfriend) like a acid induced hippy from the 60's. Embrace them and make it part of your personality as a band.
Best!
I studied music performance, you can't learn stage presence, in fact most people don't have it, that's the harsh reality, all you need to do is be yourself, whether that's a 19th century mexican circus freak, a side character out of a nintendo game from 1998, or a half fly/half human corpse, whatever it takes to get people going.
VomitHatSteve
Hat STYLE. Not contents.
ashcat said:
Yep. Though intentionally uncoordinated can also be a very good look.
If you really mean it, and you believe in it, and you're confident in your performance, then you just do it. I mean, I guess if you're doing some pop crap and need to work out all your choreography to distract the audience from the fact that you're spewing meaningless drivel, that's one thing. On the more rock side of things, though, as long as you are actually into what you're doing, it should come across well enough. When you're big enough to get away with spinning guitars and synchronized high kicks, you'll probably have somebody to help you with it.
I actually disagree with this. Working on specific moves isn't the same thing as choreography. I do actually recommend developing certain things that you do on stage that look cool. You'll tend to do them at specific places in your songs as you practice, but I still wouldn't call that choreography.
Practice with a camera. That's probably the best way to get good. Set up a live-looking stage setup to practice on. Record yourselves playing. Then watch those tapes and see what looks good.
ashcat_lt
Well-known member
Then post em on YouTube so that anybody who thought you were cool will realize how much you're really not.
I completely missed that this was death metal. You probably should practice playing while headbanging, maybe that synchronized twirly hair thing... I'm not sure how you practice playing from the mosh put, but that's a good one too.
Farview
Well-known member
The camera suggestion is a good one. So many things that you might do that you think are cool, don't look cool at all. It's very easy to stay inside your own head, when the point is to entertain the audience.
For metal, you just need to come up with power poses and find time to do them in the songs. Come up with a bunch of them because there is nothing dumber looking than somebody doing the same two moves for 45 minutes.
If you come up with a band image first, it will help shape the wardrobe, stage moves and general presentation of the band.
For metal, you just need to come up with power poses and find time to do them in the songs. Come up with a bunch of them because there is nothing dumber looking than somebody doing the same two moves for 45 minutes.
If you come up with a band image first, it will help shape the wardrobe, stage moves and general presentation of the band.