I did livestream the gig on facebook. (Id share it here if I knew how to do it) Overall Im pretty happy with how it went. I was slightly nervous. Maybe a 2 out of ten with 10 being terrified for dear life. Really my first full hour long set in public. Lots of people stopped by and had a listen. Every time I play out I learn stuff. Im curious to know what things everyone else learns from their trials and tribulations.?

For me after listening to the performance I noticed a bunch of things.
I kept speeding up which made my playing harder than it needed to be. Being at an outdoor festival there sure were a lot of distractions I dont get in my room practicing. Like for example cars traffic, Ice cream truck generators. People fanning themselves due to heat which was distracting as my eye kept being drawn to the movement.
My computer drum track died mid way though a tune but I kept going. Getting out of sync with drum tracks doesnt help.

I kept having this annoying conversation in my head while playing which isnt there when I m at home. Those conversations sometimes lead to doubt which is a killer.

I tried to keep the pressure down but livestreaming probably wasnt the best way to reduce stress. Rodrigo did it so I thought maybe I could do it. Im glad I did as I have a record of how the gig went.

The humidity was a huge distraction as well.

Every tune had little hiccups that went wrong but I kept going. I noticed Hopefully others didnt notice.

Another bone headed thing that happened was upon switching to my SG12. I took the stick out of the bag and didnt test it out. Could nt get any sound out of melody side. Took me 5 minutes to figure out that it was the volume knob was turned off when I removed it from the case it got turned to off. Grrrrr.

Anyway enough of my rambling. What have you learned from your gigs good and or bad? I look forward to hearing other peoples experiences

We always learn a lot, and I mean A LOT! I remember playing in a Sushi place right next to the kitchen every Sunday for about two months. Loved that gig: nobody gave a damn to what I was playing, mistakes or not, money was really good and I got exposed to everything from children running to a dozen dishes falling on the ground. Never again did I had any problems with awkward distractions/movement/noises. You just have to get exposed and survive all that. The next time it won’t be an issue.
Actually, after those sushi gigs I only got surprised once: last year, I was playing a song in a beautiful theater, all conditions you might wish for were there and I was in heaven. So I play with my eyes closed. When I’m about to reach the end I open them and there was a little girl on stage, no more than a few centimeters from me, looking straight into my eyes: I almost jumped out of my seat! Scary thing! Almost stoped, bunch of mistakes and I finish the song.... and then I tell the audience and we all laughed. But next time, I’ll probably make less mistakes when I get scared.
By the way, I kept on thinking: “Rob, check the volume knobs!” We learn from each other as well: if anything like that ever happens to me, your experience will come to mind and I’ll know were to look! Thank you for that also, apart from the incredible well spent hour hearing you play. Loved it!


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Rodrigo your story of the girl on stage was very funny. I would have been startled. Thanks for watching the live stream and I’m glad you liked my set.

I haven't done a lot of Stick gigs, not nearly as many as guitar or bass, but I can tell you that out of the times I have played out, it was one open mic where I tried to play that Bach Invention that I truly crashed and burned, and I still had fun, haha
There was one time where it was so cold outside last year, and the door to the place kept opening... my fingers never truly warmed up... I was playing Stick, but as a sort of bass player with a duo (funny story, they play with a drum machine and pre-programmed bass lines so I wasn't really sure why they needed me, I am thinking they couldn't figure out how to turn the bass line aspect off haha) Anyways, it was a really easy gig with those two, (roots and fifths) and they loved telling everybody that they had a Chapman Stick player in their group... They moved back to Ontario, I miss those two...

I watched your live Facebook show, Rob, and I thought it went very well. There was a long scramble at the beginning while you were figuring out that the volume knob was turned down, but I had you on in the background, and I know from live gigging that stuff takes a bit to set up.

In my very first band when I was in the dorms my freshman year of college, during a Battle of the Bands (which we took 2nd place of 5), I had a bad output jack on a keyboard, and if you bumped it, it would go out and you had to jiggle it to make it come back. We're opening up with Aldo Nova's "Fantasy," and there's my long keyboard wanking intro, and it cuts out 2 seconds into it. I kept jiggling the stupid jack and it WOULD NOT COME BACK. Until near the very end of the song. Fortunately, the rest of the show went better, but that was very nervewracking. And it took me a long 2 minutes and a half to get any sound at all out of my keyboard (I only had one at the time, a KORG DW 8000.)

I really enjoyed your playing, Rob. You rocked out Careless Whisper like it was your own tune, and it sounded really, really nice. And just some of your ambient playing, or jamming (or maybe it was just a tune I didn't recognize) was extremely listenable. For the venue as you described it, I thought it was an excellent live streaming show.

I would highly encourage you to do this again on Facebook. I'll certainly watch if I am able! I admire your courage, perseverance, cool head under pressure, and general fluidity and two-handedness on your Sticks. Very well done, Rob!

And Rodrigo! Opening your eyes to see a little girl right in front of you? I would have just lost it. Great story!

Great responses Scott and Steve. What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. I’ll certainly post any other shows live. I’ve been inspired by Andy Salvanos who it seem nightly is live streaming his practice sessions when he gets home. These are truly a workshop in themselves. My ambient tunes was partly inspired by Andy. It was cool watching some one his techniques which I was copying.

One of the most important things for me when it comes to gigging is having gear I trust. No two amps are the same, and no amp is designed around the Stick. Having gear that gives me a consistent tone and takes my FX pedals consistently (especially in terms of volume) every time I play means I'm not distracted by wondering if the FoH mix is off or if my tone is breaking up when it shouldn't be. The less I have to think about, the more attention I can put into the performance.

Interesting.

You mentioned speeding up. This is nervous energy pure and simple. Our natural inclination is to speed up and everybody has done it. Trying to be mindful of it the next time will help but really the best remedy is just to get more comfortable playing live.

Mistakes will always happen. Honestly though, nobody knows the tunes like you do and unless there is a major yard sale, people in your audience probably won't notice. Especially if your at a place where there is alcohol available. Still, none of us are immune to the occasional mistake that you just can't cover and I've found that a little humor goes a long way. I have several stories but won't bore you with them here.

I've performed in front of people since I was about seven years old so I generally prided myself in not letting nerves get in the way. For some reason though, performing solo Stick made me discover some nerves I didn't know I had . Even now I start off a little jittery but for me, the first tune is usually key. If I can get that one out of the way and the people I'm playing to respond favorably, then I generally feel like "I'm in".

A few years back I had an opportunity to do an opening set for the California Guitar Trio and Tony Levin in front of a sold out house at one of Ann Arbor's premier live music venues. I basically had 25 minutes to get in and get out. After agonizing for months over a set list, I crossed my fingers that I could get the nerves out of the way fast. I remember getting about half way through the first tune, realizing that I had them, and instantly calming down. One of my best friends told me later that that was about the point where my wife leaned over to him and said "He's good. He's got this now".

Ravi Shankar always sped up when he played.

Great thread, really the best use of this forum if you ask me. Something I see recurring in all of what we're saying is confidence. Like glory, tt's fleeting, so if you find something that works for you, hold tight.

Your space is pretty critical. I generally play formal solo events, but occasionally, I do outdoor festivals or concerts. When you are using a backline amp, it's really important to get some quality time getting a sound on stage that is pleasing. If you're using a lap device, you need to make sure your seat is in order and that you've got a comfortable set up. Lighting is a big deal too - make sure you're aware of how your space will be lit come gig time. Temperature is a HUGE factor. Up in Idyllwild, I recently observed a classical player that had his own small heat lamp to ensure his hands were warm enough to perform.

I use 1 instrument live and I only use a Stick with an Actv-2 pickup. I also bring two K12s, even if I am only using one of them as well as a back up Stick (a recent luxury as I have been with a single Stick for almost 10 years now).

Before leaving for a gig, I always ensure that I have:
set of strings (never broke one at a gig yet)
tuner
spare 9v battery
spare battery for tuner
TRS to Dual mono cable (I'm using straight TRS these days, but if I had to get straight to K12, I could).
Setlist

Three things that I have found that really help are having the music in front of me, designing my space in advance of performing and ever refining the art of the quick recovery.

I am now writing out changes for all the songs I play. When I find myself drifting, I refer to the music. Often times, I'm just catching the chords, but it's enough to keep me on task and anticipate changes. I also print out sets in large print so I can anticipate those tougher tracks.

These days, I now bring one of two small bits of fabric that my mother had laying around. I lay this out in front of me - This is MY SPACE. I set up my pedal board, my music stand and a beverage. I've been without my mother for over 1.5 years now and the thought of her, and how she worked my knowledge of jazz and classical are a pure source of inspiration. This helps with my confidence immensely, so I do it. I had a really nice conversation with David Tipton about this recently and we agreed that in tight performing spaces, it's important to stake out your space.

Rob - I am able to completely relate to what you are saying. It brings back some uncomfortable feelings on a wedding I recently played. I was able to adjust and recover, but it was a reminder how sensitive your MINDSET is during your performance. It's key in a solo performance - no one is coming to save you. This is the art of the quick recovery. As you noted, more often than not, you are the only one that notices clammed notes - keep it that way and press on. During our most recent FHA event with Rodrigo Serrao, he mentioned something PROLIFIC to me and I have held it near and dear, he said this:

No one likes to watch someone perform that is not confident.

You have to fight to retain that pure state of mind that is musical in nature. When I wake up on gig day, I am working my confidence at every turn, reviewing parts that are iffy, checking cables, batteries and ensuring that my margin for error is at 1% or less.

By the time I get to the gig, I'm ready to enjoy myself and anyone in my immediate vicinity is invited to watch - I don't care. I remind myself that creating something beautiful and meaningful generally involves some risk and the bridge in between you and success starts with confidence.

I'm a huge fan Rob - looking forward to queuing up the live stream tonight. Thanks for posting this, it's very helpful to me and definitely good for all of us to share these experiences.