S
sampler - sampling, an instrument, hardware, software that uses short sections of recordings to create a song or parts of a song. There is some controversy and litigation over the use of samples as being an infringement of copyright.
scale - a series of notes used in practice to exercise, usually played beginning with the lowest note to the highest note, then reversed. Most common scales are diatonic. This means there are two different intervals in the scale; tones and semitones. Common scales include; major, minor, seventh, chromatic, whole tone, and pentatonic. Exotic scales include; harmonic minor, melodic minor, middle eastern, blues, modal and octatonic.
semitone - an interval of a half step. The common system of tuning and structuring of scales on most instruments, established with the note A being 440 cycles per second. There are 12 semitones in an octave. The nature of harmonics and harmonies only occur at specific increments of pitch when two or more tones are played at once.
stage fright -
Dr. Marilyn S. Miller: How to cope with stagefright
Dr. Marilyn S. Miller is a registered psychologist providing career and personal counseling in Toronto. She has worked with performers and business professionals since 1981 and is "particularly aware of the special needs of creative people."
A matter of confidence
People who suffer from stage fright tend to tell themselves things like, "I will never survive this," or "I will never overcome this," and it's this thinking that causes the destructive response. Often stage fright is inspired by a fear of failure, or of public humiliation or embarrassment. We need to believe that failures are learning experiences, not closed doors. We often learn more from our mistakes and failures than we learn from our successes. I don't know who said it, but I like the statement, "Failure is not having failed, it's failing to get up again."
Get used to it!
Stage fright never goes away, and this is an aspect of reality that people need to come to terms with. Being professional means learning to perform regardless of stage fright. What you need to focus on is: "I am obligated to do what I've auditioned to do, or what I've been accepted to do, regardless of my feelings." Acknowledge your anxiety, yes, but then complete the message with the thought that, "Nevertheless, regardless of how I feel, I am going to do my best."
A motivating energy
When we are in a high state of arousal, whether we’re frightened or euphoric, the physiology is very similar; it's the message we're telling ourselves when we're in that state of arousal. It's a matter of redefining the anxiety, of giving a positive interpretation to those feelings. Stage fright is just a normal part of performing, a form of anxiety which can also be a beneficial, motivating energy as opposed to a scary feeling.
Mature ego
A mature person's identity and self-concept are not overly tied to their performance. They understand that a given performance is simply a temporary action or situation, and they know that they are bigger than this one moment, and that they will survive regardless of the outcome of the next hour or two on stage.
On stage you're an actor
An important skill for any performer is plain old acting, the ability to fake confidence and calmness. It's a life skill we learn early on; as children being teased by other kids we pretend that it doesn't bother us, and right there we're learning valuable skills. Now, some performers respond that if they're faking it then they aren't being authentic. Well, it's not about being authentic, it's about being responsible. You have a job to do.
Focus on the performance
These observations about fear and responsibility are things you need to understand psychologically; don't repeat them like a mantra before going on. When you're out on stage, don't think about whether you're succeeding or not, just focus on the performance, think about your message, about the feelings you're trying to convey to your audience. Focus on what you want the audience to see, or hear or feel.
Group support
Members of your group or your crew can remind you, "Look, this is just one performance, it's not your career. Do the best you can and try to enjoy it." Sometimes saying something humorous can be enough to deflect tension and ease anxiety. And also remember that the other members of your group are there in the same boat with you and if something should go wrong, they're there to help cover for you, and that can give you confidence.
Relaxation techniques
Before you go on, take a few deep breaths, but remember, always exhale first. When people are anxious they tend to engage in shallow breathing, which means that they are not emptying their lungs fully after each breath. So they're full of stale air, lacking oxygen, and when they try to breathe in they say, a little panicked, "I can't breathe, I can't breathe." So remember, blow out first and then take a few deep breaths.
Another thing to do before a performance is clench your fist very hard, then release and stretch your fingers all the way out. Do this two or three times and it should relax the muscles. Those two exercises performed together should be enough to take the edge off, to provide a little bit of physical relaxation just before a performance. Another thing I recommend is taking a throat lozenge, which relaxes the throat, and take a drink of water to hydrate your mouth and throat.
Can't please all the people
You have to accept that people in the audience have different preferences and like different things. It doesn't mean that what you're delivering is invalid. If people don't love your performance it doesn't mean they don't like you, it simply means they like or prefer something different.
spiritual - songs originally associated with Christianity, now more commonly associated with songs sung by the slaves of the southern United States in the 19th century. Also refers to healing and meditation music of native North Americans and many eastern religions. Glory Halleluja - Odetta
slap and pop - a technique used by bass players to achieve a percussive style. The side of the thumb is used to to strike a string by a flick of the wrist, followed by a pulling up and release of a note with the pointer or middle finger. example
shuffle - a rhythmic beat using a triplet feel. All eighth note pairs are played as if the first note is the first note of a triplet and the second note is played as the last note of a triplet, leaving out the middle note of the triplet.
straight eighths - usually refers to a blues shuffle rhythm played under a melody.
signal - usually refers to an electronic level of voltage. In electronic music or audio production, the voltage can be modified to produce sound.
soundtrack - music or audio produced to accompany a visual medium such as movies, television or video games. Soundtracks are synchronized to the visual presentation.
swing - a form of jazz that began around 1930 in the United States. Probable origins are given to the music of ragtime, blues and dixieland, then developed by big bands like Benny Goodman and Count Basie.
