I accomplished my goal for 2012; now what?

I picked the guitar back up a couple years ago after several years of hardly touching it. I spent a year just practicing basic stuff: arpeggios, alternate picking, etc. Last January, I set myself a goal of getting up and playing in front of people some time in 2012.

Suddenly in September I got a wild hair up my butt and made a concerted effort to get some people together. I grabbed a guy that I knew played a bit and we jammed a few times, then I put the word out around my school that we needed a rhythm section and we got a drummer and a bass player from the music department (imagine that! they were there all the time...). 5 rehearsals and today we played 5 songs at our school fair.

I played and sang--and that took me WAY out of my comfort zone. I've sung a little bit, but never fronted a band before.

I wish I could say it was an unqualified success, but actually it was just a qualified success. I was out on the bleeding edge of what I could do technically and vocally, and with playing and singing at the same time, plus doing it in front of all those people, I was working just as hard as I could. So it was kind of difficult to relax and enjoy it, because it took all my concentration just to not screw up.

And I still screwed up, too. :lol: I'd give myself an 8 out of 10 for performance--so that's a B-. I wasn't really satisfied with my singing or my playing, but there were a few moments in there where I caught a glimpse, if you know what I mean, of what it would be like to be competent and confident and able to focus on expressing something instead of focusing on not playing the wrong chord or missing the note. Those moments were really fun!

A B-, with some extra points for bringing it in ahead of schedule.:cool: Now I'm formulating a new goal for 2012.

Way to GO Jupiter!!

Doesn't it feel great!? Nothing like getting some folks together to play music except playing that music for a crowd!

Congrats!

What are you going to do in 2012?

KC

The 'confidence' hurdle is always a challenge.
Although I can sing/play at the same time whether rhythm guitar or drums I've never been confident with my voice....especially as a front man.
I'd be terrified my voice would sound like a chain saw that needs major work.

Well done....you know the feeling in front of an audience now so just keep truckin' and play as frequently as possible.

Carry on....

Goal for 2012 should be to work up to getting paid to perform in front of people. Nothing quite like going out and playing in front of a bunch of people that are dancing to your music and loving it, having a great time, and walking away with some extra money in your pocket for doing something that you would have done for free anyway just for fun.

Congrats! Let me go ahead and tell you there will never be a perfect gig. There is always going to one little hiccup, but not to worry. That's just part of it. I agree with Chele, I think a paid gig should be the next goal. Yeah, a night of music, 9:00-1:00 ought to do it.

Thanks guys. The audience yesterday was appreciative and enthusiastic, but I think a big part of that was just the fact that students are amazed when a teacher can do anything besides blather in front of a white board.:eek:

Getting paid certainly sounds like a logical progression; but it feels like a big jump. Besides just getting better myself, there are a lot of logistical hurdles. I think I'll need to break it down a bit....:wink:

Awesome story Jupiter!! You've got the bug so keep going. Just keep playing in front of people for 2012.

When I was in high school, college, and into my 30s I played every chance I got. I played for one friend in a park and other people came over and soon I had a bigger audience. I found events to play in at school. I played at parties given by friends. I played for a children's foundation charity event. Played at a local activist organization showcasing talent. There are so many place to play (if you don't want to make money) Just keep playing!

Sounds like a great result to me!
Aninspiring story

Did you end your show with "See you next tour!!!"?

Dec 12th, 2012 should be your next show.
Bill it as the show to end all shows. :)

Hope you get to do another show real soon AND enjoy yourself while you do it.

I watched the video a few times; it got worse every time! :lol:

I've been thinking about busting out the acoustic and doing some solo stuff. I haven't played it for over a year, because I've been concentrating on electric. Going solo would force me to really get the singing-playing thing together, because you can't hide behind the bass and drums....

School of Rock man!!!

It's time to start your own band!!!

Thats really cool man,

Your next goal i think would be to play a larger venue, get more crowd, and become more confident in yourself. maybe its not confididence, maybe its more "forgetting: the crowd. now, im not saying start jumping into the audience because you dont even realise they are there, im saying try playing on stage the way you do at home, when its just you and your band mates. if you can do that, then stage magic wil ensure, and you will play your best on stage.

Just my +/- 2 cents