October 2023 Guitar Newsletter : The Longfellow Front Porch Music Festival: Embracing Opportunities For All To Play
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Every year our neighborhood puts on the Longfellow Front Porch Music Festival. It’s a communal effort to share live music at any level and makes for a wonderful family friendly event. The whole point is to enjoy a Sunday afternoon of live music while strolling through the neighborhood, meeting people of all sorts and soaking up the various sound waves bristling through the fall leaves. This year a few things stood out both in terms of performing and providing a performance space. People passionate about playing music, be it trained musicians, students, lay people, or aspiring musicians, all should jump at opportunities like these. I’m glad I did and would like to offer some practical insights, especially towards novices because the truth of the matter is that playing live music in front of an audience is what it is all about.
It’s worth pointing out that performing live music while also hosting a stage had facets that involved plenty of non-music related skills. Being a good communicator was on the top of the list. It’s important to clarify performance times, parking options, amplification and other technical details and nowadays you also need to be eager to get the word out on social media.
Performing live music calls for a presentable repertoire, and the first step is crystalizing what you are capable of performing. Whether on a stage, a front porch, or in my case, 2 large pieces of plywood on a freshly mowed lawn, a performance date holds musicians accountable and requires thought, focus and disciplined work. I have always felt comfortable as “a side guy” so this was a great opportunity to get ahold of musician friends to participate as a duo or a small group. Being open to all sorts of music genres, from blues to jazz to rock to world music, I am fortunate to have interacted with local musicians of various backgrounds and playing styles. A low-pressure event like this was also the perfect opportunity to try out brand new projects. All of this resulted in valuable learning experiences and was golden training ground for being spontaneous and flexible all while having some fun.
When the curtain falls or a neighborhood gathering begins, the reality of the here and now kicks in. It’s crucial to remember the order of the groups and have song lists visible. Be sure that you’ve tinkered around plenty with your guitar set up way before the gig so that you know how to adjust your amp’s volume level and settings on your pedal board quickly. Also, place your picks, capo, slide, tuner, extra cable and set of strings, water and hand towel within close reach. To seasoned performers this may seem obvious, but if this is your first time playing out, you will be thankful for these practical reminders.
Hands-on learning happens on stage in front of people in real time, and you have to play out in order to gain that experience. At the festival, something unexpected happened while I was playing a blues number called “Stormy Monday.” During rehearsal it was clear that I needed to cue the ending by playing a confident blues lick a la T-Bone Walker. As we were heading towards the end of the song, I was fully anticipating this, and I stomped my foot down hard on beat “one,” when suddenly, my signal went dead! There was complete silence from my guitar amplifier. I looked to the ground and realized that my over-zealousness had caused me to step on my guitar cable and jolt it out of the input jack! Fortunately, my drummer had my back, and we were able to finish strong after I quickly plugged back in again. I should have known better; guitar players can avoid this faux pas by using a simple trick of winding the guitar cable through the strap of the guitar and also using strap locks that clip the cable to it. I’ll remember that next time!
These are just a few of the many lessons learned while playing the 2023 Longfellow Front Porch Music Festival. I hope that no matter where in the game you are, you will connect with musician friends and play some live music. People passionate about playing music, especially aspiring musicians, should jump at opportunities like these. Perhaps you even want to organize a playing opportunity yourself and grow in the area of promoting the performing arts. This divine weather is perfect for musical gatherings. Allow yourself to enjoy the moment in music, go with the flow and minimize the stress of needing everything to run perfectly. Life would be very boring if things always went as planned. And remember, it’s not at all uncommon that the best of music can be full of mistakes!
Chris
