You Can't Trick Presence
You can streamline technique and technique can be a path to strengthen presence but you can’t streamline presence.
So when you copy someone’s presence you are reproducing technique, not presence.
Presence trumps technique.
»» And this isn’t to undermine technique. Learning new tips and tricks and moves and best practices is vital. But it’s easy to think those things are going to (quickly) change the feel of the air that surrounds you when you walk into a room or onto a stage. You can’t trick your presence.
One For Three
If you know you’re going to go one for three, where do you want the one to go?
Say you have three basketballs to shoot from half court and you want to impress the onlookers…
If you make the first one it’s big cheers and then disheartened sighs when you miss the next two and when you finish they say, ‘Well at least you made that first one’.
If you miss the first, swish the second and air ball the third they say, ‘Great job’.
If you were close on the first, closer on the second and then swish the third they say, ‘That was amazing! You did it!’
In every case you went one for three but the story and sentiment that permeates the audience changes depending on the order.
Here's The Deal...
Here’s the deal, it’s a raw deal but this is what we gotta do…
There’s a raw part in every deal. The goal isn’t to evade the raw deal but to pick which one you’re going to sign up for so that when you get to it you aren’t as surprised and it doesn’t act as a deterrent but rather a guide post that you’re on the right track.
The Dreaded Ballad
I guess I mean the sad ballad more than the dreaded.
Because I love a good sad song.
The issue arises when the sad song becomes the hit song.
Here’s the thing…when people come to see you play live, they are excited to see you. But your hit is a sad song. And it’s hard to sell excitement and sadness in the same package.
On the other hand, you don’t want to make people feel sad while they’re at your show just so it matches up with the sad song you’re about to play.
So what do you do with an exciting show and a sad song? Well, I think this is a problem for you to get creative with…but I’ll take a swing at a line of thinking…
It’s hard to connect Excitement with Sadness. But it’s easy to connect Excitement and Hope. And then Hope and Sadness can easily co-exist right next to each other.
»» Similarly, it’s tough for the amazing specialty dessert shop down the street to bring in a breakfast crowd. People love indulging in sweets but there’s a time and a place and a flow and a story we tell ourselves about when we’re going to indulge. That’s why they add coffee to the menu and add their chocolate to the croissant…aka breakfast pastry. Now we can open for breakfast.
Listening On Purpose
First Monday of the month means a new Hum Love playlist on Spotify and Apple.
Making a regularly scheduled playlist is fun and easy and free. Maybe this is the year you get on the bus.
It’s a way to share. To connect. To learn what you like. For others to hear what you’re into. To shine a light on an artist. To figure out what songs sound good together. To click around, listening to music on purpose.