It’s sometimes truly astonishing how people are given an opportunity to sing in a singing contest and they aren’t even properly prepared. If you are truly serious about singing then it’s imperative that you educate yourself and prepare for the competition to the best of your ability. No matter how wonderful your voice might be, this is not the only thing judges will be grading.

For instance, the way you appear is as important as how good your singing and performance is. If you step onstage looking like a troll or mess up during your performance through carelessness, then the judges will definitely not be concentrating on your singing anymore.

What you are wearing, saying, and how you are handling your anxiety are all things that make a performance good or bad. I’ve done a few performances myself and there are a few tips in particular that I feel are rather important to giving a great performance.

Among the most important of these include the following:

When getting ready for the singing contest, you should realize you’ll be handling a microphone. It’s wise to familiarize yourself with how it feels to hold a microphone; and to do simply practice by holding your hairbrush.

Then when you are at the competition, if you have the chance it’s a good idea to check out the style mike you’ll be using. Is it a cordless or will you have to remember to watch out for a cord. Will you have a stand and if so, do you plan on using it or not?

If you have a choice in the matter, I suggest that you DO NOT use the stand. Once it is your turn to get on stage make sure the microphone is on. If you start to sing and you notice there is no sound, it could be embarrassing.

Secondly, it is good to introduce yourself. Prior to your performance practice saying your introduction, with the hairbrush in your hand. Write your introduction on a little index card ahead of time and practice, practice, practice. You don’t want to end up forgetting it and stumble over your words.

Keep the introduction short. Your introduction should include your name, the title of the song you’ll be singing and the reason for choosing that particular song. This gives you an opening for your performance. If you just start singing your song without telling anyone what it is and why you chose it, it would be a little awkward.

As already mentioned, make sure you dress appropriately. Always keep in mind that everyone in the audience and especially the judges will be paying attention to how you dress.

Make a point of having your clothes nicely pressed ahead of time and if you are able to get a haircut beforehand it’s all the better in giving you a groomed look for your performance. Consider it a personal treat, we all know that when we feel good about how we look, it shows.

And after it all, you’re finally ready for your performance, but oh the stress of getting up on stage in front of the judges and audience. Anxiety is normal; even the experienced singers oftentimes get occasional butterflies in their stomach. It just doesn’t appear that they do.

The important thing to remember is you made it to the competition and the audience is anxious to hear you perform. So, relax, enjoy the experience and have the confidence to go on stage because you know you will do great.

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If you’ve performed live on stage or even a casual jam with your friends at band practice — one of the most annoying things guitarists have is a thing called FEEDBACK!

If you don’t know what feedback is — it’s that terrible high pitched sound that comes from speakers.

It usually happens when you place your microphone too close to the speaker or play your guitar directly in front of the amplifier.

Not only does this damage your ears, but it puts your audience off when they come to hear you play!
Now I’m not an expert on the dynamics of feedback. But I have performed on stage many times and have learnt a few tricks to avoid feedback from occurring…

The first step is to turn down your treble on your amplifier. Too much treble invites feedback so don’t have too much treble in your amplifier settings.

The second step is to turn the volume on your guitar up only 3/4. Don’t turn your volume up full as this is invites huge feedback! Always leave a little room on your volume, so don’t turn it up all the way. Only 3/4 and I guarantee you will reduce feedback at least 80% with this trick.

One other trick is to turn down the gain or distortion on your amp. When you play softly, you can turn your gain or distortion full. But when you start playing with some serious volume, turn your gain only 50%.

You will still get the same sound and distortion, but this is the trick to avoiding feedback from occurring when you play loudly.

Finally, if you’re using an effects pedal, only turn it up 3/4 the way. Like your guitar — always leave a bit of leeway as it offers more control over the sound and keeps your playing tight!

Remember this — if you keep control of your volumes, you reduce the level of feedback and have a much tighter sound as an over all band. If you turn everything up full and try to rule the world — you’ll sound a mess and out of control.

Learn more at abcLearnGuitar.com