YouTube Musicians Can't Play Live

Comments · 4.4K

• RO

  @robinlawson701 · 3 months ago (edited)

  I've never felt a mistake in a live concert takes away. It just proves the band are really playing.

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• ST

  @steverolfeca · 4 years ago

  As my father said before our first gig (I was 16), “if you nail the intro and the ending, audiences will forgive you everything in between”. Mind you, he also taught me “if you make a mistake, keep going and smile harder. If you make a big mistake, glare at the piano player!”

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• JO

  @joebloe9901 · 3 years ago (edited)

  “To play a wrong note is insignificant, to play without passion is inexcusable”<br>-Beethoven

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• MA

  @marcushanson8893 · 3 years ago

  Something I heard a long time ago that I think still rings true (especially as it relates to those just trying to get one perfect take for their channel): &quot;An amateur practices until the get it right. A professional practices until they can&apos;t get it wrong.&quot; &nbsp;Professional musicians who put in the time and practice earn their right to stadium shows, record contracts and, if they want it, fame. &nbsp;It&apos;s not about just being &apos;talented&apos;... you need to earn it which includes musical and mental preparation to be able to perform under pressure.

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• CJ

  @cjpreach · 3 years ago

  One of my neighbors in college was a trained concert pianist - who never played in public! &nbsp;She was amazing! &nbsp;(I heard her through her closed door when I went out to check my mailbox.) &nbsp;She never said she was nervous or scared to play in public. &nbsp;She simply loved playing for herself. &nbsp;Some of the most beautiful music I have ever heard.

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• BO

  @boblatzer · 4 years ago

  When I started playing clubs in the early 70’s, we had to play 6 nights a week 5 sets a night. You can’t help but get used to playing live. In fact it became somewhat addictive to the point where I never really felt like I was playing at my best unless I was in front of a crowd.

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• BL

  @blanchae · 4 years ago

  When I was in bands in the 70s, there was an incredible amount of pressure to play every song perfect every time. It took the joy out of playing and lead to very angry practice sessions and dismal performances when something went wrong. Then I learned the secret: everybody is going to make a mistake, it is up to the rest of the band to cover for the mistake. It&apos;s okay and expect it. We&apos;ve started a song at a show that went so horribly wrong, we stopped apologized and told the audience we&apos;re skipping that song. Brushed it off, laughed and moved on. We had fun - that is the important part.

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• AK

  @akacaleb · 3 years ago

  I absolutely love the feeling before playing live. &nbsp;And the feeling while playing live is unmatched.

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• JI

  @jimbliss8216 · 4 years ago

  Thanks for your insights, Mary. &nbsp;My own story: &nbsp;I was a psychology professor for 26 years. &nbsp;Taught classes from 1 to 250 people...no problem with stage fright at all. &nbsp;When I turned 40, I decided to get a music performance degree (I eventually got it at 50). &nbsp;Given my experience &quot;performing&quot; in front of classes, I thought there&apos;d be no problem with music performance stage fright. &nbsp;Boy, was I wrong! &nbsp;I had to struggle through it for the first 2 or 3 years before I felt comfortable performing music in front of crowds. &nbsp;My takeaway: &nbsp;stage fright is a complex phenomenon and different in every context. &nbsp;I&apos;m happy to say it&apos;s (mostly) behind me, thanks to some wise words from my wife: &nbsp;&quot;remember, the audience WANTS you to succeed.&quot;

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• FA

  @fathergs209 · 4 years ago

  I got over stage fright in my 50s, after lots of introspection about WHY I&apos;m performing. I used to do it to impress people; it took a long time to truly replace that in my mind with my real motivation. I learned to play to take the audience somewhere; to lead them through an emotional trip. To show them the meaning of the music. You are in a sense a servant to the music, not an egotist USING the music to aggrandize yourself. Then you realize, it truly doesn&apos;t matter if things are perfect. That doesn&apos;t mean mistakes can&apos;t matter, but you&apos;re not likely to make the kind that do. When you realize that, you&apos;re not afraid.

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• MA

  @marcofalancia9553 · 3 years ago

  I&apos;m relatively shy with a touch of social anxiety but there is no better venue than a live performance. If one can battle through the fears it is quite rewarding. The connection with live people in front of you is real. It also forces you to be a better musician/singer knowing there is 1 take.

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• ZU

  @zuksdemosrecordings · 3 months ago (edited)

  I was playing LIVE long before there was YouTube ....If I make a mistake in my performance, I simply tell them there&apos;s no charge for the extra notes ! Even in my YouTube demo covers, I mostly do them from muscle memory and give each part only one, maybe two passes at the performance....I see no need to make them technical. The original artists already did that.

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