Well, some ideas.

I guess I have learned a few things from my mistakes that has helped me at times.

-- first, if you allow them, they will love you. Be humble but proud, show them that you are nervous if you are, let them feel that you love what you are doing and that you love them as an audience.

-- take your time. Playing acoustics, you cannot shout them down. You have to wait for the silence before beginning playing. Allow a long time for this, time always runs many times faster on a stage than in the audience. Remember, this is your stage, your moment in history. Get into the pace.

Gunnar

so...just you and your guitar eh? Tryin to score some babes with a sweet emotional acoustic perfomance? More power to ya!

I've always heard that you should imagine your audience naked. Personally, that would freak me out!

Here's some things I would do. None of it has anything to do with your performance but it will set the mood and make it a memorable one for all who come to see it.

Before you go on stage, have some friend set up a stool or chair center stage. Have them do this while you are being announced. When you are announced, bring down the lights. Set up some sort of spot light type rig that will be on you.

Wear all black. Black pants, black button up shirt, black shoes, you know...Johnny Cash style. If you can, wear a coat. Walk out to center stage. Then take off your coat. While taking it off, have a buddy come out from behind stage and bring you the guitar. He gives you the guitar and you give him the coat. He walks off stage. Now introduce yourself, thank the audience for coming and say something like, "im gonna play a couple of songs for you".

Play your songs. Introduce each one of them briefly (1 sentence or 2) explaining the inspiration for them. Something like: "this here's a tune I wrote for my dog, spot".

When you are done, and the audience is cheering, stand and hold your guitar out to your side and bow. This is the signal for your buddy to come and bring you your coat and take your guitar. Put on your coat, thank everybody for attending and then walk off stage.

If all goes well, you'll be fighting off the girlies for the rest of your high school daze.

In the end, if it all falls apart, you can alway rally the troops with a battle cry "San Dimas High Football RULES!!!"

Break a leg!

Also, try for a sound check before the show with the school's AV dept/stage crew, if you can.

Hey guys, thanks a lot for all of the input. You guys are a big help. I'll definitely let you know how it goes. Take it easy and I hope to hear from you guys soon.

mrocco182 wrote: Hey guys, thanks a lot for all of the input. You guys are a big help. I'll definitely let you know how it goes. Take it easy and I hope to hear from you guys soon.

NO no no. It's not as easy as that. Now you have to record the performance and post it so we all can hear it.

don't forget the DV cameras......Left, right and master shots of all the action. :twisted:

I've always heard that you should imagine your audience naked. Personally, that would freak me out!

I've always heard the slightly cleaner version of this - 'Imagine the audience in their underwear'.

Slightly less scary!

Not to offend any VEGANS on this list but I always was told to think of the audience as heads of cabbage.

When I was taking public speaking in college (part of my major-don't ask) our speech teacher (who was GREAT!) told us to focus on one member of the audience and tell our story (the speech) to him or her with occasional looks around the room to maintain eye contact. It has always worked for me. Don't know how it would work for a performer since I have never been an onstage performer.

FWIW