MotivationClub #21 | Dealing with mistakes and Mishaps on Stage

Dealing with mistakes and Mishaps on Stage!

Sun, Apr 27 2025 · 20:00 UTC+2
(check https://www.justinguitar.com/clubs for YOUR specific timezone)

GOAL of this session
Improve your live performance:

  • Boost your confidence in real-time error handling and crisis management.
  • Give you a good idea about what is realistic as preparation for such things
  • Entertain you with some of my own mishaps…of which many are my own doing :wink:

Session intro

Hi guys,

Since confidence comes with preparation but also with knowing that you can handle things when they occur, this session is a nice follow-up on the storytelling/confidence/stage fright session and the song memorization session.

Quite literally, failing forward can be applied to this topic. :smiley:
It’s a chance to learn from MY fails as well :wink:

Preparation: You know what songs you will bring and how you will do it and with enough control over the song, you have some wiggle room to apply certain properties to the song in the moment.

BUT… Things WILL happen but you don’t know what.
THOUGH, you can prepare. Not for every conceivable scenario but in attitude, with some backup scenarios that can apply in several kinds of mishaps. In some cases, you ca even turn the mishap into a part of the show!

Going through these moments is the best teacher but I don’t wish that upon you. Most of all I wish you to learn from yourself, me and others around the world.

By all means, share your own errros and mishaps, caused by yourself or other people, technical issue etc…
Feel free to drop questions for me to integrate in the session!

ENROLL HERE >> https://www.justinguitar.com/clubs

5 Likes

Thanks everybody for your contributions and questions in this Live Club tonight

Slide deck:
MotivationClub #21 | Dealing with mistakes and Mishaps on Stage - Google Slides

Gear checklist: what to bring to a show?
Singing guitarist checklist - Google Docs

1 Like

Hi Lieven
Just watched the recording and wanted to let you know how helpful your session was.
I recently did a couple of songs at a local open mic (only my second open mic) and as I started my fingerpicking just wouldn’t get going. Of course at home no problem. Having watched your advice, such a simple solution would have been to switch to strumming. So in future I will make sure I can play both a fingerpicking and strumming version, until my confidence (hopefully) improves.
Thanks!
Richard

1 Like

Happy to hear you got some inspiration to prepare for next gigs!

Yeah, that’s the idea I try to spread when it comes to control in a song.
I encourage people to develop the control in order to move through a song.

Horizontally: being able to decide on the spot how to attach the songs building blocks in the order you want and still have a working song with a good flow
Vertically: as in your case, adjust the the depth of complexity, adapted to the current situation.