Rolling....Take 17!

[eightyfour]

So I consider myself a relatively good player, and feel really comfortable live with the occasional flub but mostly in control. But, throw on a pair of cans and hit the record button and all of the sudden I'm a complete imbicil. Anybody else have this problem? Any mental game fixes I could try to get through this a bit easier?

[MCChris]

Refer to my avatar.

Thread over.

[Jeff R]

Try a 12 pack of your beer of choice.

Seriously, the way me and Kajun Kelly have cured tapefright a couple of times was to tell the affected player to practice what we need to tape a couple of times before we start taping "so we can set levels" or something like that.

We conveniently forget to tell them our levels are always dimed in, and that the tape IS running, however.

One time a friend recorded a solo about a dozen times, each time with a f&ckup. He came into the control room frustrated and we just started laughing telling him he cut his track a while ago, we were just wanting to see if something magic came out of extra stabs at it.

[David B]

My band was in the studio this weekend. I think we all get a little nervous. I think it's a fear of not finishing in our budgeted time period. Just remember, you can punch in & fix your mistakes quite easily if it's guitar, bass or vocals. So, most of what you play will be fine. Just relax & focus on how cool you can make something. If I get a little nervous before a live show, another band member will slam up against each other shoulder to shoulder very hard. That loosens me up a lot!

[pesocaster]

if it doesn't happen in the first few takes.... stop ... go eat lunch or dinner.... have a beer... relax and try again.... and how big of flubbs? ... go for vibe.... if the part had vibe that's what matters....

[tomteriffic]

Trouble with overdubbing with cans is that 1) the mix in the cans may be right for what you need to do, but doesn't compare to the mix over speakers and 2) listening to yourself under those circumstances is the audio equivalent of a microscope and little squeaks and finger blurbs that ain't ever gonna get heard in the final product tend to distract you and throw you off, or you mistake those blurbs themselves as f&%kups.

My only concern in that situation is the fact that it doesn't disappear into the ether and I'd rather play a part that makes sense and is satisfying to listen to months or years later, even if it's got a little extra 'character' here and there. But if it bothers you now, it'll drive you nuts a year from now when you can't fix it.

[mattsmith]

hope this helps... i teach my students to record themselves all of the time when practicing... make backing tracks, or buy pre recoded backing tracks, and record yourself playing to them constantly...get used to hearing yourself play... listen for time, tone, vibrato and bending accuracy... repetition is the mother of skill...

[mattsmith]

another really important skill is to sing what you play as you improvise...this helps make the all important link between you head, hands and heart... many times i've told frustrated guitarists in the studio "what do you want to play?" sing it, and play that!! many guitarists let the guitar play them... don't let your guitar be the boss...make the connection!!

[BTMN]

Tom Hamilton says "...if ya play a mistake twice it's not a mistake anymore...." I know, STFU....

Great advice Matt, Thanks.

[hardheartedbill]

if possible get out of the cans and into the control room, much much better. Another trick is to turn you off in the mix and play along like your playing w/o an amp, this works really well for loosening things up, a trick I read from EVH