New to a band

[cradlekid]

Hey, been playin bass for a year now and been asked to join one of my friends bands, iv never played infront of anyone befero appart from my teacher and eventho he says im pritty gd im still a bit edgey on playing in public but i REALLY wana b in teh band, anyone help me?

[Shibby]

go for it...you'll get used to playing in front of people. Being in a band is probably the most fun you'll ever have.

Is the band already gigging or is it just starting out?
cause if they're already gigging you might want to ask them to wait a couple of months to let you fit in and get used to playing with them.

[Traxx]

Most people who watch you play will not really understand what you are doning - ie they will not be bass/guitar players.

The main tip is never to look like you have made a mistake while on show - even when you have...example:

A friend of mine opened a solo guitar set with a terrible chord - his guitar was badly out of tune. Rather than look embarrassed he immediately moved to tweek his amp. The audience had no idea he had made a mistake but rather thought his amp had let him down!! True story.

Good luck.

[Brentis007]

The biggest fear people (i know i do) have about playing for audiences is that they'll mess up. The best way to cure this is to try to become as familiar and as comfortable as you can with the music before you go out on stage so when you go out there, you can just be crazy and have a good time. And the more shows you get under your belt, the easier it gets!

[Sarco]

Your not alone on stage http://www.zentao.com/ubb/smilies/smile.gif
I'm a very quiet guy, speaking to a crowd is absolutely nothing for me. But when I get up stage with my band all fear disappears and I go wild, hell yeah !

[Keith]

one thing that I have always done is this:
On the first 1-2 songs, I never look out into the crowd.Don't worry about how you will look or sound(Sound gets done in sound check).I do about 15 minutes of practice before going onstage, then 2 minutes with my band just to talk ***** and break the tension.No one is allowed to bother us until we go on, then we all just let it all hang out.once you here the crowd after the first song,you know then that they want more.Adrenaline will kick in, and the party starts!
Think of the crowd as all your best friends just coming to see you jam.
Go out before getting on the stage say, 1 hour before. Talk to people,hang out with them.Say your in the band thats going to be playing and say "wish me luck".
It all breaks the ice and the tension.
Have fun is the first thing.. it will all come around in the end.

[YowhatsupT]

Ya people get nervous worrying about what other people think about them ... i dont i could care less what other people think of me. Thats the attitude you wanna take when you go up there, then when your playing ignore them completly remember the music isn't for them its for you. and you will generally sound good http://www.zentao.com/ubb/smilies/biggrin.gif