caffe ladro

[solarbird]

So it turns out that the Caffe Ladro open mic is kind of a big deal, or, at least, a lot bigger deal than I'd anticipated. When I'd called to ask about it (since the email address on the posters was bouncing), they said "oh, it's just a couple of guys who show up with a couple of mics" I got the impression it was pretty low-key and mostly ignored by patrons. Reality turned out to be a stage area, microphone clusters, mixing board, sound guy, audience section, free drinks for performers, and other zomgwtfery I wasn't expecting.

So I was terrified. I thought I stank up the place pretty bad; I was so scared I was literally barely able to hold onto my pick; between that and the brain lockup that kind of stopped one song for what felt like EIGHT YEARS but was apparently a good bit less in real life, I thought it was pretty much as bad as it could be without SONG FAILED graphics popping up in front of my face. However, the audience felt somewhat differently; they were tolerant of the screw-up they couldn't ignore (the halting problem in the third verse of Stars), missed ones completely that I didn't think they could ignore (the pick problem in the bridge leading to really weird level changes as the pick ROTATED IN MY HAND UNCONTROLLABLY), and the pitch problems were apparently mostly in my head.

I did have the undivided attention of the audience, which is good, if, again, terrifying. (I'd been watching and the two previous performers didn't really have that.) Said crowd was kinda weirdly divided between about 60% high-school or college (at least a lot were high school, from conversation) and 40% people significantly older than me. There were about 25 people there when I did my bit just before 10pm. The seven people who talked to me after were all from the high-school/college crowd. The older crowd wasn't at all interested in talking to me, including the guy who ran the event, but he also didn't tell me not to come back, so I guess that's something.

Anyway, from them, I got some comments:

It was noted that my singing voice is weird. One person also used the word "beautiful" while noting it was strange, not like she'd ever heard before.

Everyone thought the mandolin work was good and thought they hadn't heard things like that before. "Highly individual" came up as a descriptor. I've got the "not like you" thing down, go fig.

I'm bad at interacting with dynamic microphones; I'll need a lot more practice at that. No monitor speakers makes this difficult. What I'd like is one of those wireless headsets, but, well, money.

I thought I was all over the place pitch-wise but other musicians (specifically a previous performer) said no. So my pitch control when terrified is better than I think it is. My tonal control is probably worse than I'd hoped.

Still being spastic from hyper-crazy levels of energy 20 minutes after is pretty normal. (I was srsly still sweating and was all AGH AGH AGH AGH AGH.)

I should come back next month.

And now I've come down from the show and my energy levels have fallen off a cliff all at once and I need to go to bed before I die.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Hi, you get the anonymous comment first, it seems, since LJ does not want to keep me logged-in this morning.

Setting and holding pitch are two different things. We set pitch by learned memory of how our vocal chords feel at each pitch: that's part of why a capella singing is more challenging. We hold pitch by direct comparison of that feeling, moment-over-moment. That's a short-cycle feedback system, shorter-cycle than the alternative one of listening to our own produced voice and comparing against our recollection of the produced sound (as opposed to the productive feeling) of that pitch?

With me so far? In solo performance, then, our auditory perception of sound can be affected by our mental state in that moment, specifically changes in our perception of the passage of time. It's not caused by the Doppler Effect, because nothing is actually moving more rapidly or more slowly, it's just that our internal cognitive timebase has shifted, so our auditory perception of our vocal pitch is shifted in comparison.

The time-shift effect does not, in my experience singing, effect the direct proprioceptive feedback loop that's operating in our vocal chords and associated throat structures. At a guess, that feedback loop is tension-based, which may account for why we can gradually drift off-key in a capella singing, especially if we are soloing.

One more point is that this issue is infinitely more acute if one changes fach, because then one is having to re-learn these control skills. That may be part of why our vocal ranges are such narrow bands as compared with all the possible notes that people can sing.

My two cents' worth, anyway. I don't sing for my living like you do: it is strictly avocational and social performance. Having more time and motivation to practice, you might well beat this issue.

[silussa.livejournal.com]

I took the liberty of dropping an email a while back. Your mandolin company IS back in business, if you want anything from them.

And it sounds to me like you did pretty well. Suggest you plan on going back.

[mojave-wolf.livejournal.com]

Sounds like you did great considering the stage fright, and without that you really woulda wowed everyone out of their socks (that is, you are probably really talented and good at this and have a unique sound that people like and find intriguing).

Go back. Kick ass. Etc.

And hee! to the state of mind during this.

[solarbird]

I am. Actually, there's an open mic in a bookstore in Redmond next Saturday that I'm gonna hit. They have a setup like Cafe Ladro's turned out to be (as opposed to what I anticipated) only their stage actually is raised. So, um, yeah. Skeery.

Thanks for the note about the new mandolin company. I don't need anything but it's good to know if I did.

[dianthus.livejournal.com]

Hey, I might remember to go to that one.

[poodlgrl.livejournal.com]

Well you're a braver girl than me because I would have passed out and died.

[solarbird]

Hey, I damn near did! But I made it, so hopefully next week's at that bookstore will be better.