First Gig

Flauta dolce · Post by **Flauta dolce** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 4:10 am

Hi there!

I was playing with Mary Begley and another guy last night for charity.

Anyway, it was my first gig on the mic.

My flute because of the sweat in the light kept slipping.
So the tone wasn't great on occasions.
I knew the pieces inside out but was a bit nervous.
I hope the next one is better.
Have you any advise?

Henke · Post by **Henke** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 6:00 am

Good stuff. Congratulations.
My only advice is to get out and play very soon again, lots of times.
Good luck

maire · Post by **maire** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 6:08 am

No. Except that practise makes perfect.
It is a great achievement to play in front of others on stage for the first!
Well done you!
Think of how much worse it could have been, I remember seeing a certain famous piper from Ireland play on stage one night, he had a few drinks in him, so when he accidently fell off the stage into the audience, I can't say that many people were surprised, myself included. And he is a proffessional!
You didnt do anything as silly as that did you?

Flauta dolce · Post by **Flauta dolce** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 7:16 am

Thank you for your words of encouragement.

I shall be practising until the next one.

I have to say that it went better than I expected in one sense. I played all the right notes. But the flute slipped from my mouth anyway a few times.

But the tone in the flute sometime deteriorated because I was sweating a lot. I will be talking to some musicians who saw me play. Hopefully they will be honest as to what I should do to improve.

Brazenkane · Post by **Brazenkane** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 7:21 am

drinking more than a few always made my playing for sh#t.

you're as good as your last note, and if you fallen into the front row you didn't even play your last note!

maire · Post by **maire** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 7:58 am

Flauta, your hands wouldnt have been shaking too by any chance? When I play on stage, I find that my hands or sometimes my head can shake a little, I know that wont help your blowing if it happens, one thing that I definately think that works, is to imagine yourself in your regular session playing with your mates, after a big festival in Spain, I had to run off the stage when we finished to be violently ill in the toilet because of nerves, unfortunately the Irish Ambassador was also visiting us in the green room.
He got to hear me throw up. Nice!

tin tin · Post by **tin tin** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 9:03 am

But the tone in the flute sometime deteriorated because I was sweating a lot.

Yes, sweat can be a problem. I used to put a piece of masking tape on the lip-plate when I played a silver flute, but I haven't tried since switching to wood flute...not sure if the glue is good for wood.

Cathy Wilde · Post by **Cathy Wilde** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 9:55 am

Good going, flauta! It'll get easier (maybe not all the time, but it will).

We used to put postage stamps on our lip plates; those worked great. I've thought about it for the wooden one, but am wondering about the adhesive as well. Meanwhile, I just keep wiping the flute on my leg or sleeve between tunes ....ooh, and then there's the condensation that oozes out the fingerholes and joints. That's exciting, too.

Anyway, congrats.

Henke · Post by **Henke** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 10:35 am

I don't think regular masking tape would damage the wood in any way if you remove it and wipe the surface a little after the gig.

Sylvester · Post by **Sylvester** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 11:03 am

Henke wrote:I don't think regular masking tape would damage the wood in any way if you remove it and wipe the surface a little after the gig.

What's more, after removing the tape, there still remains for some days some stuff that literally attaches the embochure hole to your mouth

Cathy Wilde · Post by **Cathy Wilde** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 12:44 pm

Don't laugh ... I use Scotch tape on my cocus Eb because I'm a little allergic, and that's exactly what happens!

OK, actually ... DO laugh. Because it's hilarious

-- good thing I don't have a beard.

Jim W · Post by **Jim W** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 3:38 pm

If concerned about the adhesive from 'regular' masking tape, there's specialty masking tape that's less adherent, made for several different applications. Some of it is made for problem-free removal in quite delicate situations. One such product, made by 3-M:
http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/e ... ters_tape/
(Click on 'delicate surfaces' tab.)

mutepointe · Post by **mutepointe** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 5:20 pm

my first gig was playing the guitar. right before i struck the first chord, my whole entire body broke out into a major sweat, all at once. i'm surprised people didn't drown. i played without major error. after that experience, i think i could even handle falling off a stage. i applaud how well your first gig went.

Chiffed · Post by **Chiffed** » Mon Jun 19, 2006 9:50 pm

Hey, you didn't drop it. Well done. Go out and splurge on some beautiful linen hankies, and keep one handy. Some folks just always sweat on stage, like Louis Armstrong. OK, Satchmo had other..er... chemical reasons for sweating, but the hankies became a trademark.

Has anyone else run into lighting techs who only think they're doing a good job when they're burning yer hide? Sometimes sweat is unavoidable.

GaryKelly · Post by **GaryKelly** » Tue Jun 20, 2006 1:12 am

Sweat on the chin is yet another fluting issue solved by one of these:

http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?t=23665