Learning Outcome 3 - The Process Required in Preparation of the Performance

Technical preparations: ‘warm-up’ techniques, scales, arpeggios, other technical exercises to improve

tone and technique relevant to the instrument or voice; formulate effective practise routines; pieces for

performance thoroughly rehearsed and learnt

Physical preparation: eg relaxation and/or breathing exercises as appropriate, concentration techniques, exercises to control nerves, preparatory performances at the venue and in front of an audience

Other preparations: instrument (where applicable) is in working order and in-tune eg new strings, serviceable reeds/mouth pieces, correct beaters, voice is warmed up; rehearsal with accompanist if one is being used.

Technical Preparations

In order for me to play the songs in my music programme to the best of my ability I need to practice various different technical techniques. These techniques could be from scales to improve my soloing and improvisation or finger exercises which help improve my speed when working up and down the neck of the guitar.

For one of the songs that I have to perform I need to use a harmonic minor scale in order to do an improvisational guitar solo towards the end of the track.

Here you can see the shape of a harmonic minor scale. This is what I used as a template in order to practice soloing over one of my songs. All I had to do was transpose this scale into the right key of the song that I was playing.


The various finger exercises that I had to do were designed by myself in order to improve the speed of my playing and my ability as a guitarist to play songs in time with their backing tracks. I designed various different exercises that proved to be effective on both my left and right hands which helped me perform much better one I had implemented them into an effective practice routine.

These scales and finger exercises did noticeably help me improve my playing and performing abilities but I can't help but think that they could have been improved more.
One way I would improve my technical preparations for the future would be to practice longer and harder, maybe at least twenty minutes of the technical preparations before I actually start playing the songs from my music programme.
Another way I could improve my technical preparations for the future would be to include a bigger variety of scales and finger exercises. I could also implement various different types of scales such as major, mixolydian, dorian and pentatonic.

Performance Rehearsals

In order to give myself a realistic insight into what the performance would be like I would regularly perform the music programme with all of the pieces in the correct order, with backing tracks at least five times a day. If I made a mistake in any of the pieces I would usually stop playing and start again from the beginning of the set. This would help me memorize the pieces and get me used to playing along to the backing tracks without making mistakes so I would know what to expect on the night.

This method of rehearsing proved to be quite effective, but I wasn't too happy with the outcome because I still found some flaws in my playing.

Something I would improve for my future performance rehearsals would be to listen to each piece with the original players on it so that I get a better idea of how to play the song and I can interpret their different playing techniques and styles into my own. It is also a good idea to listen to various different live versions of them playing so you can see and listen to how they adapt their playing in each different live environment. This would also help me to give a better performance and to improve myself as a musician, broadening different styles and techniques that I can interpret into every day practice.

Physical Preparation

Something I regularly do to prepare myself for an environment with an audience is to play my music programme but without looking at the guitar or any music in front of me. This helps me to trust myself and control my nerves for when I make a mistake. This exercise also helps me to memorize the songs better and to play them more fluidly.

I believe that this is a good exercise to do because it helps you as a musician interact with the audience a lot more because you aren't focussing too much on your playing. It also helps you to stop concentrating on the song so much which gets rid of your nerves almost instantly.

In order to improve my physical preparation for the future I think something I could would be to play in front of a small scaled audience to give more of a realistic approach into what it would be like playing on the time of the actual performance. I whilst performing to the small scaled audience I could also interpret the other exercise of not looking at what you are playing so that it is an even more realistic approach.

Other Preparations

Something I like to do in preparation for a performance is to access my equipment so that I don't have to worry about a string breaking or an effects pedal battery running out. The things that I usually test are as follows:

1. The First thing I usually do in preparation for the gig is to change my guitar strings because a guitarist is always at risk of breaking one.
2. The second thing I usually do is check to see that my guitar wiring is all in order, (pickups, pickup switch, jack socket, volume and tone controls)
3. The third thing I usually check is all of my leads that I plan on using. I usually make sure that none of them are crackly or temperamental because I don't want my guitars tone to be effect whilst giving a performance.
4. The fourth thing I check is usually the battery life and reliability of my effects pedals. I cant have them cutting out or giving only a half-hearted tone when I'm on stage.
5. And the fifth and final thing I usually check before I perform is usually my guitar amp. A lot of the time I don't actually use my own amp, I would just use one provided but in this case I needed to make sure that the inputs and outputs were working, the volume and EQ controls were fully functional and that the fuse in the plug wasn't about to blow.