Stage Presence
By George O'Brien - Arizona Correspondent
This is a series of articles on building an Irish/Celtic band in Arizona. In Part 1, I discussed the questions: "Do You Really Want To Be A Professional Musician?" and "Do You Really Want To Do Irish Music?" In Part 2, I looked at "Can You Fill The Role Of Band Leader?", Part 3, I asked "What Kind Of Irish/Celtic Band Do You Want To Build?" and "What Performance Style Should You Have?" In Part 4 I discussed "Who Should Be In The Band?" In Part 5 I discussed "What Is Your Repertoire?"
DO YOU HAVE STAGE PRESENCE?
The ability to pick the right music and play it properly is not necessarily enough to become a successful professional band. The successful groups invariably demonstrate "stage presence."
What is stage presence? In abstract terms, it is anything that enhances the experience of the audience in the context they are functioning. There are not hard and fast rules about what should and should not be done, but new bands rarely spend enough time considering what needs to be done.
1) ACT ORGANIZED - Nothing distracts more from the music than repeated examples of the band acting confused and disorganized. Huddling after every piece to debate what to do next looks bad. Solving this may be as simple as making up a set list (a list of the songs and tunes to be performed in each set) and giving copies to all the members in the band. In some cases, the set list might include the key the piece is being played in and even the chord progression.
Not every band has a set list. Many successful bands will routinely adjust their performance to match the perceived mood of the audience. However, it takes practice to do this smoothly and startup bands should be careful about doing this because it can get messy.
2) LOOK AT THE AUDIENCE - As a rule, it is a good idea to look at the audience and make eye contact. Concert bands and dance bands sometimes use sheet music, but even they should try to look at the audience when they can. Pure drop performers often watch each other more than the audience because of the need to pick up visual cues as to tune switches, key changes, tempo changes, etc. None the less, it is almost always preferred that the band members establish eye contact with the audience as much as possible. This is true for all of them, but especially true for the lead performers.
This can be a real problem for startup bands. Performers have a lot to think about: remembering the lyrics, remembering the chord progressions and instrumental accompaniment, keeping track of what the other players are doing, etc. Amplified bands have to worry about the sound system, how close they are to the microphones, matching the monitors to the speakers, etc. By the time they are done, they sometimes end up forgetting the audience or get distracted by them.
It is also a good idea to smile and show the audience the performers are having fun. The band should be having fun. It is simply too much work for the pay if they are not having fun.
3) MATCH THE BODY LANGUAGE TO THE PERFORMANCE STYLE - Folk singers and traditional players sometimes sit while performing. Pub players as well as rock, folk/rock, and pop players generally stand while performing.
Successful bands usually blend high and low energy material. Doing everything at the same speed gets boring rather quickly. The percentage of high energy material required depends on the venue.
Folk venues generally attract listeners who are likely to be paying attention to the lyrics. Folk style tends to be relaxed so sitting on a stool reinforces the folk style message.
It is harder to keep the audience's attention when only doing low energy material. Pub style is expected to be more energetic and the only players that sit should be ones with instruments that require it such as bodhran players, uileann pipers, and the like. Bands that play for dancers such as ceili and contradance groups routinely sit because they do not want to distract from the dancing.
4) ENERGY - The term "high energy" describes the emotional response people have from a band.
One of the frustrations many Irish performers have with "new" audiences is that they resist the slower material. John McMorrow of the McMorrows talks about training the audience to appreciate the beauty and emotional intensity of the slower material. This is just one of the many benefits of developing a strong fan base. But when playing a new venue, a pub band should be expect to emphasize high energy material.
Typically, the energy is a function of the speed of the material with fast material being thought "high energy." High energy performance is often a bit louder and puts more emphasis on the percussion. Some slower material creates an intense response, but this is not the same as people get from playing fast.
While most of the "energy" generated by a band comes from the music itself, the band can enhance this by their movement and actions. Playing fast is one way of showing energy, but movement is another. Some players show energy by jumping and moving around a lot such. Touring performers such as the Cape Breton fiddle star, Natalie McMaster, move around a lot. She dances and jumps around while showing considerable body movement in her playing. Local players Shay Veno of The Clare Voyants and Nancy McCallion of the Mollys are well know for moving around a lot.
5) MOVEMENT AND BAND LAYOUT - The amount of movement on the part of the players is partially a function of the players and partially a function of the stage size. In a tight stage, physical movement needs to be coordinated to ensure the players to not bump into each other. In certain cases, the arrangement of the players needs to be planned and switches made then there are instrumentation changes.
I have seen some creative solutions to space limitations. Last St. Patrick's Day, Ashling (with 5 players including a full drum kit) played at O'Connors. Fiddler Sheila Maguire used a cordless connection and did her fiddling from the floor in front of the stage.
I saw one situation where the lead performer was swinging his instruments from side to side to demonstrate energy. However, he swung one instrument to his left and the other one to his right, so the player behind him had to shift sides of the stage between pieces.
6) FILLING THE TIME BETWEEN SONGS/TUNES - One of the most common problems startup bands have is how they use the time between pieces. Dead time can lose the emotional momentum generated by the performance. Managing the transition period between pieces is extremely important.
The worst situation is where the band spends a lot of time trying to figure out what to play next. As a general rule, the shorter the transition period the better.
The main exception is made in the case of "entertainers". Their jokes and patter are not really transitions but an important part of the show. This is a big part of the show for local entertainers such as Pat McCrossan, Tony Cummins, and groups like Seanachie. Telling jokes is as much a skill as singing and playing an instrument. Doing it badly detracts from the program.
Sometimes there is a need to have someone talking while there is an instrument switch, retuning, or equipment repair. It is a good idea to plan something interesting and clever to say during these periods.
One major area where bands get into trouble is with the introduction to their pieces. There is nothing more deadly than long, unrehearsed, and pointless introduction to a pieces. Unless you have something useful to say, don't say it.
Talking to the audience CAN be a good way to make a personal connection with them. Unfortunately, new bands get into trouble when they try to "wing it" and end up making inane comments like, "this is one of my favorite songs". This may come as news, but the audience usually assumed that already. Why else would you play it? (I supposed that explaining something is a request means the piece can be blamed on members of the audience, but I'm not sure this ever works.)
Aimless talking often sounds like an attempt to deal with nervousness. Lengthy lectures about the history of a tune is rarely interesting to most listeners. Every introduction should be made for a reason. In fact, it is not even clear that each piece needs to be introduced at all. If something is said, it should be short and to the point such as explaining that "Tell Me Ma" is actually the "The Belfast Street Song".
My personal preference is to have the name of tunes (instrumental only pieces) given AFTER they are played. Prior to the piece, it is probably more valuable to simply state what kind of piece it is such as a jig, reel, hornpipe, etc. in case there are any dancers in the audience.
Giving the name both before and after a familiar song with an obvious name like "Whiskey in the Jar" is probably unnecessary. On the other hand, I personally like to hear the name of the author of a piece. I think it is a good idea for the lead player/singer to identify the name of the other player after they have done their piece.
Everything that is being said should be planned for optimal effect.
ATTITUDE - Almost every successful lead performer has to walk the thin line between exuding confidence and appearing arrogant. Really good players are good and they know it. They are not looking for the audience to validate whether they should be on stage. It is not a question that even comes up.
A lead performer that acts uncomfortable on stage is likely to struggle. The usual signs are stiffness, poor eye contact, and failure to smile. The audience can sense when the player is not having fun.
This is one of the reasons that it is so hard for an inexperienced performer to lead a band. Most successful players got established playing with another band. By experiencing success as a supporting player, the player gains the confidence necessary to show real stage presence. Quiet confidence only comes from experience.
In the area of Irish music, arrogant players usually lack good stage presence. Arrogance might work for a punk band or a rap singer, but fans of Irish music want to make personal connection with the performer. If they are turned off by the player's personality, they will stay away. They want to feel they like the performer. Comments that sound like the performer is "talking down" to the audience can be deadly.
All players need to understand that they need to keep working to improve and learn how to listen constructively. Strong players are always open to suggestions.
DO RESEARCH - A good way to learn what works and what does not work is to go out and watch other bands. The entire band should go out together and even take notes. This might start with reviewing the band's set list, look at how they are set up, what they work physically, how do they introduce songs, how much patter they use, etc. At the same time, watch the audience response to this.
No one should try to copy the exact moves and style of another band, even if that were possible. However, there is a lot to be learned from watching how established bands achieve stage presence.
[This is the sixth in the series "On Building an Irish Band in Arizona".]
By George O'Brien - Arizona Correspondent
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