3 Ways to Determine how quickly you can go from Learning to Performing Music

Everyone loves to perform. And if you are just starting to learn music, you may be wondering about how long until you can start performing with your instrument. Well, it really depends on the phase of musical development you are in. Let's break down the factors that will give you a idea about when you can start performing on stage.

Instrument Skills

When you are performing, you do need to put up a performance that is not completely out of place. You have to be somewhat skilled to put up a satisfactory performance in front of a crowd. Now, there are a lot of people who are learning on their own and sometimes that makes your development unsteady as there is no discipline in the sequence of your lessons. Most of all, there is no feedback and there is no one to give you an honest suggestion about how well you are playing a song. So, it is preferable that you find a teacher or get good online lessons which will not only develop you better, but will help you gain some important skills that you need to start performing. If you have little knowledge on your instrument and only need polishing, you can start performing in 2-3 months. If you are a complete beginner, provided you practice your stuff, it shouldn’t take you more than 4-5 months to start performing.

Jamming skills

There are a lot of people who are not used to playing with a lot of other musicians. Jamming has a different dynamic and you have to keep jamming to get comfortable with it and understand the different components of a band. This plays a huge part in preparing for performance. If you are not used to playing with other instruments, you will need at least a few jamming sessions with other instruments which might take a couple of months or so to really get used to it and be able to perform without any jitters which basically means you are comfortable with your instrument and also able to communicate with other instruments effectively.

Professionalism

Now if you are starting out you cannot expect to get well paid shows straightaway. You have to keep real expectations and start out with small shows. Try to do as many shows as you can which will build your confidence tremendously and will shape you for the challenges that come with putting up a professional show. Showmanship, sound dynamics and execution of techniques on stage comes with experience, so you learn along the way. It takes years of experience to be able to put up a flawless show out to the crowd, so yes, start small and build your repertoire, it will eventually get you where you see yourself as a musician.

So, if you are dedicated to your instrument, practice with discipline and with organised content, it will only take you 3-4 months to start performing. Also it will help you to get the required skill and quality if you are under the guidance of professionals who can give you advice that will assure a performance that a crowd will enjoy.

BlueTimbre is a unique Music Company that provides Music Education and  Recording Studio services. BlueTimbre also works with schools to provide end-to-end Music Education solutions for schools. 

The BlueTimbre team comes with decades of cumulative experience in running Structured Businesses, Music Curriculum Development, Music Education and Performance.

3 Reasons Why you Should Perform Music

Learning Music just as a hobby? Not keen to perform? Got Stage fright? Well, those should not be excuses should not stop you from performing music. Believe it or not, but it gives you more joy when you are singing or performing with or for someone else. The feeling is rewarding and no one plays music just for themselves. It is a form of expression and the best way to express it is to perform in front of others. Now, if you are just beginning to learn and feel like you are not ready to perform, then it’s okay to take some time to build you confidence but you must eventually perform. Performance should be the goal that drives you to play your instrument longer and commit more time to practice.

1. Music is The Best Teacher

Yes, your performances can be teacher you need. No one can teach you more than performances in terms of building musicianship. Musicianship is about training the student not just to be a player of an instrument, but to be a Musician. This is the only platform where you can be a self-critic, you yourself will be able to see/hear the shortcomings and areas that you want to improve on. It will teach you to be comfortable around other people and open up new ideas and ways to make your instrument sound better. Also, when you play things right, it boosts your confidence and your ability to play the instrument automatically upgrades.

2. Know your Instrument Inside Out

There are more to your instrument than its looks. It be a guitar, keyboard, drums or even your voice - it is not something that makes any sound, it is an object that if used right, can paint a story to the audience. There are so many dynamics and so many different possibilities of using your instrument to sound different and contribute to the song in the right way. Playing your instrument is not just about playing your notes right, it is about giving definition to a melody you play. All these things, although taught through technique but the real understanding only comes through experience and for that, you have to perform as much as you can, and learn from each experience.

3. Helps Build relationships

Performance is not just about you, it is about understanding those who stand with you on the stage - Complementing and supporting each other in a band. The idea of coming together and playing a song is a rewarding feeling. You understand the importance of each and every instrument, and learn from each other. Only if you prepare for performances, will you be able to discuss music with your peers and come up with ideas that will make the songs sound better. You also understand different influences and open up to the exploring different genres and styles of music and that makes you a better musician. As a musician you should always want to keep growing and learning new things. Also, you get a chance to interact with the audience which, will give you more encouragement to continue what you are passionate about.

BlueTimbre is a unique Music Company that provides Music Education and  Recording Studio services. BlueTimbre also works with schools to provide end-to-end Music Education solutions for schools. 

The BlueTimbre team comes with decades of cumulative experience in running Structured Businesses, Music Curriculum Development, Music Education and Performance.

4 Things to Do Behind the scenes before a Performance

Now, if you have come back from a show and absolutely blown away by the performance that you have witnessed, let us share a secret with you – it is harder than it looks. The flawless and almost natural stage presence is the consequence of rehearsals and practice. Here are few things that happen before a memorable show.

1. Practice till you drop!

The only way you feel comfortable and feel natural when playing your part is by putting time to practice relentlessly until you can play your part almost unconsciously. No matter how long it takes, musicians put their time until they can hit every note without even thinking about it. They practice their part separately and master their individual parts. They go through each and every part in detail, play them over and over till they get it to sound they want. They work on their tone, sound dynamic, practicing when to play loud and when to play softly - to give the song more depth.

2. Jam Sessions

Once each member of the team is ready with their part, it is now important that everyone plays as a part of the band and not for themselves. Being ‘tight’ as a band is an important aspect of performance. Being able to participate, contribute and coordinate with each one of them in a band is what makes the song alive on stage. So the key is to do regular jams and able to hear each part of music from different instrument and able to complement it with just the right amount of participation through their instrument. Band dynamic plays a very important role in making a show stand out.

3. Rehearsing antics on stage

To be able to attract a crowd in front of you, it is important to interact with them and work on stage presence. From crazy antics to small gestures to be able to introduce a sing along, everything that you see a band doing on stage are, in fact, practiced off-stage and are rehearsed in the jam room and on the stage before the show they are about to perform. Take any band you know and if you ask them, they will agree that they do practice. Although it feels impromptu, it is not. It is rehearsed so that when they do it on stage, it doesn't feel unnatural to them. Having said that, yes, there are some things that they tend to do according to the environment there but majority of it is rehearsed and that is how it feels so natural to look at them and be mesmerised.

4. Investing in the right Instruments

Nothing would sound the way they do if the instrument they are playing is not up to the standard. Every professional musician does their research and invest in the right instrument to boost the sound of the whole show. They also keep information and tabs of the speakers, P.A. and monitors that will be available in the show. Most of them even check out the place one day before the show and do a sound check to understand the capability of the equipment available on the stage. The band then sets the sound to what they like best. Thus, everything you hear and see on a professional show are planned. So it is important for any of us playing in a band to cultivate these habits before playing live and prepare the best way possible for any show.

BlueTimbre is a unique Music Company that provides Music Education and  Recording Studio services. BlueTimbre also works with schools to provide end-to-end Music Education solutions for schools. 

The BlueTimbre team comes with decades of cumulative experience in running Structured Businesses, Music Curriculum Development, Music Education and Performance.