The main differences between practice and performing?

dsouza

dsouza

Power User
I’d like us to address this topic. What are the key differences that make or break a great practice session from performance, and how do you prepare for each?
 
Practice is what you do at home to get better, and learn the material.

Rehearsal is where you get the music/show tight as a band.

And the Performance should be pretty self-explanatory- It's exactly that: where you perform, for your audience, everything you've worked on in the previous 2.

At least that's the way I see it.

How to prepare? Well, I prepare for rehearsal by practicing, and we prepare for the performance by rehearsing. Make sure we're good on harmonies and instrumentation (who's playing which parts), song order, cues as needed, the mix, etc.
 
Practice is where I focus on my personal goals and improvements, and perhaps learn/write material for the band.

Rehearsal is where the band focuses on working as a collective, writing new songs and preparing for shows.

Performance is SHOWTIME.
 
There's good literature out there by Ericsson/Poole. Also the Book "Psychology for musicians" (Lehmann, Sloboda, Woody) is great on that.
Maybe you should specify your search by looking for "Deliberate Practice".

The key chractersitic of deliberate practice are: Clear goals, Focused attention, Targets weaknesses, Immediate feedback, Repetition with adjustment and it's Mentally demanding (meaning effortful and often uncomfortable - not always “fun.”).

Some of that also applies to "performing" but hopefully not everything:)
In other words: if your job is changing tires, you get better/faster quickly, but after that you reach a level that is fine and at which you can do that job for your entire life without burning out. So your claim is not to get linearly better over all your lifespan - that's the difference between playing for fun and practicing:)

The studies by Ericsson/Poole also show that there's an almost linear connection between deliberate practice time and result/improvement. And they also deny the term "talent" in the sense that there is some pre-natal magical thing in some people.
 
Heinzi said:
And they also deny the term "talent" in the sense that there is some pre-natal magical thing in some people.
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I don’t agree with this. I have worked with dozens of players over my 40+ years of playing, and I’ve met some extraordinarily talented individuals who just have an innate ability with the arts.

In my much younger days I worked with a band, 4pc with drums, guitar (me), keyboards, and vocals. Realizing that we really needed a bass player, the singer showed up with a bass guitar one day. He never played an instrument before, in fact his vocal ability came naturally. I’m sure he practiced at home, but this guy took to that bass like a fish to water and within a month or so had our catalog down pat.

It’s not magic, but if that’s not ‘talent’ I don’t know what is…
 
Depends on how you define "talent". It became a word that means different things to different people.
Does it just mean one young person learns easier than the other? Or does it mean that there is some hereditary predisposition - without any external influence? The thing is: it's hard to detect talent because it's not measurable if it's not worked out in a person.

Some people define it, that some young students learn quicker than others. This could also be due to what happens in their early years. Did the person listen to music or their parents. Did they have access to any sort of instrument, singing, did the parents or friends support them etc...
People tend to underestimate how many "music hours" children have on their clock, when they are confronted with it from an early age and continue til puberty - this is hard to overtake when you start playing with e.g. 16 years

Still interesting to see, that if you study music at university the word talent is pretty meaningless and i never encountered it in my four years. And in a way it doesn't help - you have to work with the things you got. Talent is too often used as an excuse and has something fatalistic to it.

As far as i know science still can't confirm that something like "pre-birth"- talent exists - at least yet. But who knows...i think research is still young on that. I'm really curious about what the following years will bring out
 
There’s no doubt that the environment in one’s early years shapes their interests and pursuit of said interests. Everyone in my family played an instrument at one time, and here I am still playing guitar.

Perhaps destiny plays into this as well.

My real world experience has shown me that some people are just better than others at the same task, for whatever the reason may be.

I don’t think talent should be so easily dismissed.

Even Webster defines talent as “a special often athletic, creative, or artistic aptitude : general intelligence or mental power”.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/talent

With that definition I would conclude one’s talent will shape one’s practice routine.

Some routines/styles just come easy to me, others are quite a challenge and will get the majority of my Practice time, so I can be better prepared for Rehearsal.
 
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Practice is generally not fun
It’s challenging because you are trying to learn and improve things you don’t know and up your skill level so it should be hard and frustrating sometimes

Performance should be fun and you should have a better comfort level and technique because of the practice time you put in
 
A major difference for many will be to wear fresh underwear on the gig because... you just never know! 😜
(and bring extras in case of sharting 🤪)

Then there's the question if we should practice to not practice on the gig or go for it!?
Many like to see people go for it and take risks (I'm remembering Blackmore's criticism on Satriani...).
 
Our objective is to not suck. It may not be a perfect night, but overall a good show.

We have excepted that mistakes will be made, so rehearsals keep us fresh to the point that mistakes are fewer and they don’t derail the song.
 
dsouza said:
I’d like us to address this topic. What are the key differences that make or break a great practice session from performance, and how do you prepare for each?
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For practice Focus and avoiding distractions
That’s how I would prepare
Like anything in life set a goal make it a reasonable and obtainable goal
this biggest killer is going off and playing riffs you already know or playing along w songs your comfortable with because it easier and more fun to play

Another super important thing is to set up limits , do not practice the same riff that your stuck on for 3 hours , alot a time same 30 mins and move on

Apply Take the techniques and things you are learning and apply them in a musical sense not just aimlessly shredding

Finally know to recognize when your just having a shit day and fingers won’t work head is stuffy tone sucks , just walk away and come back it we all have those days

Bonus : record your self often solo and playing along to backing tracks
it will help you hear things you probably won’t when practicing
 
One of the key differences is distractions in a live environment.

How do you deal with punks coming up to you and placing their beer bottle on your amp when your in the middle of a complex solo?

How do you deal with a screaming crowd when you’re trying to focus on your lead?

How do you deal with poor vision in darker environments where you can barely see the strings without squinting?

Are there people who use earplugs to combat distractions? How about special sunglasses for musicians that improve sight on the guitar even in dark environments while at the same time disguising you as cool and unreachable so punks in the crowd accept you as a rock star and don’t try to challenge you?

In a noisy environment how many of you have access to security or a police officer with the press of a button on a protection device or mechanism? For example somebody trying to stomp on your fm9. Kick your amplifiers or even physically assault you while drunk?

Because of all these reasons I’m leaning more into live streaming but can you make a six figure income streaming your setlist? If so, how?
 
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Ah yes, the four horsemen of live performance: beer bottles, screaming hordes, inadequate lighting, and the ever-present threat of FM9 stomping. Truly a war zone out there.

Personally, I would deal with punks placing beers on my amp by remembering that the amp exists only in my imagination, much like the punks, the crowd, and the gig. Works every time. In a condo environment, the biggest distraction during a complex solo is usually the fridge kicking on or a neighbor wondering why your latest Slash solo needs a tenth take.

Screaming crowds? That’s just YouTube comments autoplaying in your head. Pro tip: turn them off and suddenly the crowd becomes very respectful and mostly silent.

Poor vision in dark environments is why most pros develop the advanced skill of knowing where the strings are. Or they turn on a lamp. Sunglasses help too—especially indoors, at night, alone. Bonus points if they’re mirrored so you don’t have to make eye contact with reality.

Earplugs are essential. Not for the volume, but to block out the sound of your own inner voice saying, “Should I really upload this take?”

As for security, I keep a highly trained protection unit on standby. Some people call it “locking the front door.” Others call it “not playing bars.”

Six-figure income from streaming your setlist? Absolutely. All you need is:
  1. A personality
  2. Consistency
  3. Marketing
  4. An audience
  5. Luck
  6. Timing
  7. A platform algorithm blessing
  8. Merchandise
  9. Sponsorships
  10. To not be doing it from a condo while imagining beer bottles on your amp
Otherwise, live streaming is great because the crowd can’t touch your gear, the lighting is perfect, the audience is muted, and you can stop mid-solo to re-record—just like the legends always did.

Rock on 🤘
 
A sentence that I took as quite interesting:

Rehearsals are not about learning your part, but learning the parts of the others.

Listening to the music that emerges as a whole, rather than focusing on what you personally play, is key to effective rehearsals and strong performances.
 
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Ok I’ll go along here…

dsouza said:
How do you deal with punks coming up to you and placing their beer bottle on your amp when your in the middle of a complex solo?
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If this is happening on a regular basis you are targeting the wrong crowd in the wrong venue, or your performance is not all that great and you are just another fixture in the room.

dsouza said:
How do you deal with a screaming crowd when you’re trying to focus on your lead?
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Just play your lead. Hopefully they are screaming in support of your performance, if not see my reply above.

dsouza said:
How do you deal with poor vision in darker environments where you can barely see the strings without squinting?
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If you can’t see your guitar that means the crowd can’t see you. Did they turn the stage lighting off as a hint to end your performance? An accomplished musician will have developed muscle memory from hours upon hours of practice and rehearsal and should be playing to the crowd, not their guitar neck.

dsouza said:
Are there people who use earplugs to combat distractions? How about special sunglasses for musicians that improve sight on the guitar even in dark environments while at the same time disguising you as cool and unreachable so punks in the crowd accept you as a rock star and don’t try to challenge you?
Click to expand...
Ear plugs are to protect your hearing, confidence is how you combat ‘distractions’.

Are you serious about ‘special sunglasses’ and being somehow ‘challenged’? This isn’t fight night. If you are being verbally assaulted chances are it’s because you suck.

dsouza said:
In a noisy environment how many of you have access to security or a police officer with the press of a button on a protection device or mechanism? For example somebody trying to stomp on your fm9. Kick your amplifiers or even physically assault you while drunk?
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Are you playing at Roadhouse or something? Again, if you are being assaulted you most likely suck and/or at the wrong venue.

dsouza said:
Because of all these reasons I’m leaning more into live streaming but can you make a six figure income streaming your setlist? If so, how?
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If you are making six figures playing music none of the above ‘distractions’ would apply anyway.
 
dsouza said:
One of the key differences is distractions in a live environment.

How do you deal with punks coming up to you and placing their beer bottle on your amp when your in the middle of a complex solo?

How do you deal with a screaming crowd when you’re trying to focus on your lead?

How do you deal with poor vision in darker environments where you can barely see the strings without squinting?

Are there people who use earplugs to combat distractions? How about special sunglasses for musicians that improve sight on the guitar even in dark environments while at the same time disguising you as cool and unreachable so punks in the crowd accept you as a rock star and don’t try to challenge you?

In a noisy environment how many of you have access to security or a police officer withyou the press of a button on a protection device or mechanism? For example somebody trying to stomp on your fm9. Kick your amplifiers or even physically assault you while drunk?

Because of all these reasons I’m leaning more into live streaming but can you make a six figure income streaming your setlist? If so, how?
Click to expand...

I don't think your problem is the live environment; it's neurosis.
 
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