Today I have some ideas for you that can help take the fear out of taking solos on stage with a band.

Believe me, I’ve crashed and burned plenty of times when taking solos. Here is one thing I’ve learned: you can get over it. And if you spend a little time reviewing gigs and asking “What was great? And “What needs work” you will have a never ending supply of practice ideas. Recordings , even terrible ones, are priceless for doing this process but even flawed mental playback is better than not doing it.

I was playing at a benefit concert recently that was also a Bob Dylan tribute with some kickass local musicians in a righteous restored small theatre to a sold out crowd. Serious fun!

I got drafted to play harmonica on “ Subterranean Homesick Blues”:

Johnny’s in the basement
Mixing up the medicine
I’m on the pavement
Thinking about the government
The man in the trench coat
Badge out, laid off
Says he’s got a bad cough
Wants to get it paid off
Look out kid
It’s somethin’ you did
God knows when
But you’re doing it again…

Bob sure knows how to string words together… anyhow, we were doing this song with a riff a lot like “Good Morning Little Schoolgirl” so I jumped right in with some variations on this theme as fills. They threw me a short solo in the middle, and that was cool. But at the end of the song they threw me a curve ball – They threw me the solo and then just kept playing and playing and nobody else took over the solo and I got rattled.

I took it way down and expected my friend Wiggus to take over on the guitar, but it didn’t happen, so I rallied and ramped it up again.

This is not the first time I’ve been given a solo that was a lot longer than I expected.

I thought about what happened after the show and how to practice being ready for extra long solos. One way to deal with this situation is to get another soloist in the band to trade licks with you.

You stare intently at the person you want to do this with. You gotta get eye contact. This might require walking into the persons space. Then play something real simple, move the harmonica dramatically away from your mouth and continue to stare intently.

If they don’t get it the first time, repeat the lick.

Once they repeat your lick back to you or respond with a different lick, then you are off to the races.

This is a great device when you have some chemistry with the other soloist. As in you know them well enough to take that risk.

If you actually practice “trading fours” (taking turns playing a miniature solo over 4 measures or bars) or trading licks with someone before the gig then you can be loaded for bear when the time comes…Crowds love this sort of thing, and you get a chance to build up to a new climax.

What about if you don’t know the other soloists and are already freaking out because you feel stuck?

You can 1. Just stop playing or 2. Hold a single note and let your mind chill out till it gives you the next note or phrase.

Option 1. – stop – has a way of creating a vacuum that new ideas get sucked into. And no matter what level player you are, removing the harmonica from your mouth is in your skill set, right?

I generally find option 2. – hold a note – less scary than the stop playing strategy and the easiest way to buy some time. My experience is that it creates a beautiful tension that makes whatever you play next a sweet release.

These are all things you can practice.

One reason I am writing to you today is to drive this idea deeper into my own head. I’ve known about call and response, trading fours, etc for years, and done it plenty of times, but the panic I felt at the concert made me realize its time to practice and hone my skills even more for the next time I am on stage.

As Neil Young says: “It’s plowing time again in the field of opportunity”.

It’s rather simple to do – you just take a jam track or practice with friends, and play every other measure. That’s one way, and probably the simplest. You could also find a friend to trade mp3s in emails with – pick a jam track and play on every other 4 bars & invite them to record themselves responding to you. This sort of thing is easy and fun to do once you learn GarageBand on the Mac or other similar multi-track recording programs and can send mp3s in emails as attachments.

There is great power in taking one of your worst fears about playing in front of an audience and then having a plan B, C, D, etc, that you can deploy if needed. You can consciously put these options into your bag of tricks by practicing them one at a time till you’re “loaded for bear”… It’s a great confidence builde!

I’ll be in touch again soon. Till then,

Harpe Diem!

Richard