The Performance

from Jack Grassel's book "Power Practicing"

Your ultimate performance - "interfearance" = your actual performance

To play as well as possible, you need to learn what "interfearance" is for you. Obstacles to your performance may take many forms, but ultimately fall into three categories:

1. Self - generated: We may learn to control these through indentification, understanding and practice. These distractions can be eliminated or reduced through changing one's own behavior or perception.

- worry about what fellow musicians think about you personally or your playing.

- worry about whether you will be paid our not.

- pain from and worry about physical ailments.

- few people came to hear you play which can affect your self-esteem and your employment.

2. Externally generated but controllable: Sometimes it's possible to alter the performance environment to allow a great performance to happen. These issues may be eliminated or reduced through changing a fellow musician's or audience member's behavior without creating an enemy.

- the performance area is too cold, too hot, or has terrible acoustics.

- personal problems on and off the stage.

- your instrument isn't working properly.

- drunken, stoned, or sober fellow musicians performing poorly.

3. Externally generated but not-controllable: If it's not possible to perform under the circumstances, the performance must be terminated. Problems might not be changeable or eliminated and you may have to terminate your performance or find a different venue.

- too much cigar, cigarette, or automotive smoke poisoning the air.

- televisions and video games in the performance area.

- traffic, music, or industrial noise during the gig.

- the audience is interupting the musicians.

It's seldom possible to have a performance totally free of interfearance, However, it is possible to decide how you will behave towards a distraction. Ultimately, your musicianship has to be at such a high level that you can play well no matter what happens during a performance.

When an problem arises, before acting, a musician should calmly decide which category applies. As one decides on a course of action, one must remember that as you proceed from #1 to #3, more people may be offended, reducing your work opportunities. On the other hand, a poor perfomance in a bad venue may make you appear unprofessional to those who came to hear you may reduce your fan base and hurt your reputation.

The need to perform usually outweighs the associated problems for most people. After about 11,000 gigs spanning 58 years, I've packed up my instruments and gone home from gigs 3 times. Now I have riders in my contracts that inform employers about things that will improve my performance, maximize audience enjoyment, and increase their profits. Some employers are not concerned about musician's needs, while some thank me for helping them increase profits. The course of action here depends on where you are performing, how much the venue wants you, and if you may damage or improve your career.

We all need to develop personal relation skills as well as musical skills to be successful.

Everyone should read the book "HOW TO WIN FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE" by Dale Carnegie.

To musicians, winning friends and influencing people means increase personal and venue profit, getting to play what you want to play and having fun in the music business.