Link to Dennis's guitar article

BigBear
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Fri Jul 20, 2012 11:53 pm

Dennis- I finally got a chance to read your whole article and I was really impressed. You never read about the "average guy" playing a gig. It's always about the pros. Your article brought the challenge and hope of all us guitarists who don't feel ready to get up in front of a bunch of strangers and lay it all out there. And like you said, preparation is the key. But what I came away with is it IS doable if you approach it correctly. That's inspiring!

I also give kudos to Taylor Guitars for a great magazine that considers us common folk important enough to commission timely and inspiring articles like yours. If I get a chance I may tell them that. Taylor sells FAR more guitars to average players than they do pros. I'm not implying that you are average, you are way better than that, but I'm speaking of the rest of us.

Anyway, very well done and thank you for posting the link. I need to find out why Taylor didn't send their magazine to me directly.

Cheers! :cheer:


dennisg
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Sat Jul 21, 2012 11:43 am

Thanks so much, Rick, Chris, Cori, Ness, Willem, Chas, Bob, and Marc. The thing I was hoping people would take away from the article is the realization that anyone -- even a complete beginner -- can do an open-mic. All you need to do (and I realize this is no small thing) is to face your fears, walk up on the stage, and just start the song. It's something we do every day in our own homes; the only thing that makes an open-mic different is the addition of a few dozen sets of eyeballs. But the owners of those eyeballs really want you to succeed. They want you to have a great experience so that you'll come back and do it again.

I can't say enough about how well I was treated by Taylor. By comparison, I regularly submit articles to magazines, and I'm lucky if I hear back from them inside of six months. And when I finally do hear back, they can't be bothered to be appreciative of the submission or to give me any kind of meaningful feedback if they reject the work -- they'll typically send a 12-word email about how the article isn't "right" for their magazine, whatever that means.

Taylor, on the other hand, responded to me the same day I submitted the article, a response I'd never experienced before. They were enthusiastic, appreciative, curious about my writing background, and interested to learn that I was a very inexperienced guitarist. They obviously put a lot of effort into the graphic design of the article and gave it a prominent position in the magazine. The upshot is that I would feel great about writing another article for them.

Thanks to all the nice folks here who took the time to read the article, and especially to those of you who commented. I'm very appreciative.


willem
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Sat Jul 21, 2012 3:28 pm

dennisg wrote:
Thanks so much, Rick, Chris, Cori, Ness, Willem, Chas, Bob, and Marc. The thing I was hoping people would take away from the article is the realization that anyone -- even a complete beginner -- can do an open-mic. All you need to do (and I realize this is no small thing) is to face your fears, walk up on the stage, and just start the song. It's something we do every day in our own homes; the only thing that makes an open-mic different is the addition of a few dozen sets of eyeballs. But the owners of those eyeballs really want you to succeed. They want you to have a great experience so that you'll come back and do it again.

I can't say enough about how well I was treated by Taylor. By comparison, I regularly submit articles to magazines, and I'm lucky if I hear back from them inside of six months. And when I finally do hear back, they can't be bothered to be appreciative of the submission or to give me any kind of meaningful feedback if they reject the work -- they'll typically send a 12-word email about how the article isn't "right" for their magazine, whatever that means.

Taylor, on the other hand, responded to me the same day I submitted the article, a response I'd never experienced before. They were enthusiastic, appreciative, curious about my writing background, and interested to learn that I was a very inexperienced guitarist. They obviously put a lot of effort into the graphic design of the article and gave it a prominent position in the magazine. The upshot is that I would feel great about writing another article for them.

Thanks to all the nice folks here who took the time to read the article, and especially to those of you who commented. I'm very appreciative.
Dennis,,I found it a real good article and I wish I had the guts to do it,,well,,maaaaaaybe you helped..

Willem


cosmicmechanic
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Sat Jul 21, 2012 4:21 pm

Dennis, I had decided to patiently wait until I got my hardcopy version of the magazine (my very first issue !) and enjoy that warm and fuzzy feeling of sitting down with a good quality magazine or book.

Got it a couple days ago, just read your piece ... am I the last one on Taylor's mailing list ? Anyway, this magazine is a high-end venue for publishing an article.
I'm not surprised that they felt your article was a good fit ... you know what you're talking about, and the angle you chose to address the subject is quite elegant. Lists ! Divide and conquer ! Makes what can be an intimidating project seem simpler and much more accessible.

I read your article with a big grin on my face. I haven't wiped it off yet :)

Pierre


jayswett
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Mon Jul 23, 2012 12:33 pm

Great article, Dennis. I can say everything you wrote was spot on, and I say that from experience, having violated at one time or another nearly every tip you gave. I will reinforce one thing that you already mentioned, which is that open mics are generally not unlike TG in that the atmosphere is supportive and everyone wants you to do well and succeed.


Hydroman52
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Fri Jul 27, 2012 10:20 am

Hey Dennis,

I've been meaning to tell you what a fine article you wrote. Okay . . . . I'm not trying to be a party pooper, but you could have added one more item that you do extremely well in your open mic performances, and that is introducing the song you will be playing. By doing this you draw the audience in before you even play the first note. I only wanted to point this out because we've all seen you do it so right in the open mic videos that you've posted here. It's not an omission, but it could be an addition. Does that make sense?

Thanks for passing on your knowledge,

Hydroman52


drfuji
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Fri Jul 27, 2012 12:58 pm

Thanks for the tips.....I've had a couple of solo performances over the past couple of months. I am still terrified....
I performed last week, and another performer gave me the same advice you gave...Try playing some easier songs instead of difficult songs until you get more comfortable....Made alot of sense to me, and I will try it next time..

Thanks


BigBear
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Fri Jul 27, 2012 3:56 pm

Dennis- following up on your excellent article, when you play a gig do you bring your own PA system and amp? Do you get a chance to do a sound check or do you just walk up, plug in and play? When you play an open mike gig do you just play one song or a mini-gig, say 2-4 songs?

Have you ever participated in a sing along with multiple guitarists at a club? I'm sure you do that all the time at the Puget Sound workshop as part of the program but have you done it locally with strangers? If so, what was that like? I mean in front of an audience. Probably a lot less pressure than when you are the main performer.

What criteria do you use when selecting what songs you will perform? Is it always your best stuff or do you try to fit the crowd?

This is a fascinating subject for people, like me, who are too gutless, or lack enough confidence, to get up there and just play.

Thanks! :cheer:


dennisg
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Fri Jul 27, 2012 7:04 pm

Pierre: I agree that Wood & Steel is a surprisingly excellent magazine. When I first heard about it, I was skeptical that it was going to be just one long ad for the wonderfulness of Taylor, but I was pleasantly surprised by how useful and informative the publication is. I suspect my article appealed to them because of its editorial (as opposed to marketing) nature. Thanks for reading and for your generous comments.

Jay: I'm with you on having made the mistakes that the tips address. I remember walking off the stage, the first time, thinking that there's so many things I could have done better if only I'd known. I started writing the article in my head that night. That's why I'm such a poor sleeper. I appreciate your note.

Hydro: You're so right -- the performance begins from the moment you walk up on stage, not from when you start playing and singing. I went to the open-mic first as a member of the audience, and it struck me that so few performers put any thought into the intro of a song. Some of them don't intro it at all; some of them just go into agonizingly detailed and lengthy explanations that are longer than the song itself. I just figured it's better to use the intro to invite the audience to pay attention. Thanks so much for your comments.

drfuji: Yeah, I'm a big believer in taking baby steps before trying to run a marathon. When I think about which songs I'll choose, I anticipate that I'll be nervous, and I try to imagine where I might have difficulties in a song when my fingers are rebelling. For now at least, I choose songs that minimize the danger. Nice of you to comment.

Rick: No, I don't bring anything but my guitar. Generally speaking, venues that do open-mics will have their own PA system, so you just plug in. As for how many songs you do, it's going to depend on how many performers show up and how that specific venue chooses to do things. At my venue, you'll do only one song when a lot of performers show up. And if there's time, they'll go back to the top of the list and you'll do another one. Or, if the performer turnout allows, you'll do a 2-song set. That's how it's been for me the two times I've done it, but I've also seen it done the other way -- one song at a time. No, never done a sing-along with other performers at a club, although it sounds like fun. I have three criteria when choosing a song: 1) it should be uptempo (unless it's part of a multi-song set); 2) I like to have the audience at least remotely familiar with the song (hence my choice of Country Honk and She's Not There); and 3) as I mentioned previously, I want it to be a song I can get through even while nervous. That last one is very important. It doesn't matter how good you are or how much you've practiced a song if your nerves won't let you get through it. I'm less nervous now, so I can probably tweak up the difficulty level a little as I get more comfortable. Rick, you'll never feel more alive than when you step up on stage for the first time, look out and see 30 sets of eyeballs staring at you. When you see it for the first time, it's a profound experience, and it feels like their eyeballs are boring into your brain. In reality, they just want you to show them a good time. You've seen my videos -- those audiences really appreciate a thoughtful choice of songs, and they'll reward you with their total support, even if you're nervous.


thereshopeyet
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Fri Aug 24, 2012 5:21 pm

Dennis
Thanks.


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