Are you nervous playing around others? Let's talk....

Ok so for most everyone I know public speaking makes them nervous. Really the same goes for most when it comes to performing anything in front of people.

Some folks are fine playing around family, but that nervousness gets ramped up tremendously once they play for an audience of strangers. Here are some strategies that are helpful in making that transition a little easier.  Notice how I said "a little".  More on that below.

If "have banjo will travel" is not something you are saying to yourself and putting into action, then maybe you are just holding yourself back because of that nagging fear of the unknown.

1. Play for your family as much as you can - this may sound like a given but I know folks who avoid others like the plague when it comes to their instrument.  They will go hide in a back room while practicing (all the time).  So get out of that back room and play some for your family.  
2. Get outside on your _______ and play. Porch, your backyard, a park bench, your car with windows down, your truck tailgate, etc.  People will hear you trust me.  Your neighbors, the mailman, the kid riding their bike around the block, walkers at the park, etc.  Having strangers hear you is the first step.  But Mandy you say - what if they don't like me????  To that I say will the world end if they don't like you?  NO it won't.  Putting yourself in that slightly uncomfortable and new situation will force you to overcome that fear.  I believe that you will find a lot of encouragement rather than a lot of discouragement from the public at large.  Of course - first think about what and where you are deciding to play.  Don't go into the library and play for instance.  Don't go next to a kids birthday party at the park and play drinking songs.  Don't play in your yard at 1:00AM.  Don't do silly things. But this is your first step into the real unknown and fear causing emotion of - how will they respond to me.  
3. Find a jam session, create a jam session, see folks that are playing and ask to join in.  PLAY WITH OTHERS.  This is your second real step at how to get rid of that natural feeling of - can i really do this.  Play soft backing to begin with along with what they are playing.  Or if you are leading then play your song proudly.  Everyone was a beginner at one time.  Confidence goes a long way, practice will take you the rest of the way. 
4. Seek out public opportunities to play in front of people.  Is there a local festival happening where folks walk around the park and see many different booths?  Something like that is perfect.  Take a blanket with you and sit under some tree within the festival and start playing -better yet get a couple of people you've been playing with at the jam (or wherever) to come play/sing with you.  Before you know it you will have a small crowd of people near you wanting to hear more.  I have done this countless times folks.  Just do it.  Just be ready to answer the question - Can you play ________? insert a song you do not know here.  Just politely say I don't know that one but how about this and start playing.  You will always run into that because you can never possibly know every song out there.  
5. Now that you are doing all of these things it's time to take it a step further.  Get yourself or your group a gig.  Doesn't have to be a paying deal, but offer to play for the seniors in your community, or at a small event that someone you know is running, a birthday party, your imagination is the limit with this.  Talent contests, open mic nights, there are just a plethora of opportunities for you.  If you attend a church this is a great place to take this step also because some/most of the people are familiar to you.  
6. Now that you are doing this - what can stop you?  

There may or not be a time in your life when you completely get over that little bit of nervousness that comes with performing in front of people.  It's not a big deal really.  I always get a little nervous and I think that is just natural.  But by using these techniques I think you can greatly decrease the amount of nervousness you encounter.  The joy that performing for others brings greatly outweighs the small amount of nervousness anyway. 

So I hope you will get out there!  And one more thing to remember.  Not everyone will LOVE or even LIKE what you are doing.  So what?  Are you friends with every single person you encounter - NO.  Not everyone likes the banjo.  But at the same time I can't tell you how much positive feedback I have encountered.  Plus the banjo itself is a great conversation starter since it's not a guitar.  It's got character!!  

Mandy

P.S. My website is now converted as a dealer website for you to purchase all your banjo needs! Come visit Banjo Lemonade and take a look.  I also sell guitars and other instruments, accessories, and everything you need.  

Mark 5:1(NIV)

19 Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.”

How often do you change your strings?

I get asked this quite a bit.  Here's my long and my short answer to this.  So take your pick and proceed accordingly.   Short answer see 1.   Long answer see 2.  Drum roll please.................


1.  It depends.  On a bunch of different things.  Have a nice day :-)

2.  It depends.  On a bunch of different things.

• change them every 3-4 months if you play regularly and/or
• you are having to re-tune using major adjustments (minor adjustments are normal) and/or
• you see visible rust on the strings and/or
• they sound dead 

These are just some basic guidelines as to when to change your strings.  Only you can prevent forest fires and only you can tell when you need new strings.  Over time you will get a much better ear to be able to tell when they start to go dead.  The sound actually changes and they just don't have that pop ring or tone they had when they were new.

Regular use - if you are playing what I would call regularly (over 2 hours a week) I would change them 3 or 4 times a year max.  Unless you are playing over an hour everyday I doubt you will need to change them any more than that.

Re-tuning - each time you pick up your banjo on a daily basis you will probably need minor tuning adjustments due to weather conditions (temperature, humidity, etc) and more major tuning if you for instance take your banjo and have it in your car for an hour on the way to a jam session.  If you only keep your banjo in the home and need to do major tuning each time you play and are having more difficulty keeping it in tune (and the banjo is not having any mechanical issues) then this is a good indicator that you may need a new set of strings.

Visible rust or gunk - Let's face it, I do not wipe down my strings after I play my banjo.  Ever.  I just don't.  However, I have it on good authority that if you want your strings to last for an extended period, then wipe them down with a cloth after each time you play.  This will remove the oils from your fingers that tend to add gunk to the strings.  Not sure how long you can extend the life of them, but anyway that's out there for you to try if you'd like.

Dead strings - do you notice that when you change your strings that you fall in love with your banjo all over again because of the sweet sounds of those new strings?  I sure do, could be because I'm trying to not change them as much.  If your strings are just dull sounding, then they are dead.  Change those puppy's out and you will notice a huge difference.

Pick on friends!
Mandy

It is to a man's honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel.

Proverbs 20:3 
New International Version