I know that there are going to be plenty of bands & acoustic solo musicians that is not going to want to read this post, they’ll get mad at some of it, but the truth needs to be said. If you don’t want to be looked at as one of the most hated bands or artists, or if you don’t want to look like a bunch of amateurs, then you should read this post. I’ve been guilty of some of these mistakes myself, so I can speak from experience.

Here’s the list in no particular order:

• Stopping a song or starting over if you make a mistake – If you forget chords, forget lyrics, or if you keep messing up your rhythm playing, then that’s a sign that you need more practicing and rehearsing. Stopping a song or starting over is probably the worst thing a musician could ever do. It’s okay to mess up songs. It happens all the time. Everyone does it. Just don’t stop the song. Keep playing right through it by making stuff up both the music and lyrics, that way nobody would notice if you’ve made a mistake. It’s embarrassing when this happens, right? Sure is. I’ve seen musicians do this before and even I’ve done it a few times. Never again.
• Not having back up for an instrument, amplifier or P.A. system – I’ve seen bands and musicians stop gigs & cut them short ’cause their equipment goes out. This is why you should get an extra one for back up.
• Playing your instrument out of tune or singing out of tune – Playing in tune is important. It’s no joke!
• Performing while sick – The show must go on sure, but don’t be afraid to cancel or postpone the gig, if you’re not feeling well. There are too many musicians that perform while sick. You shouldn’t. If you’re ill, you could play a sloppy performance, and you don’t want to look sick on stage, right?
• Tuning on stage, in front of the crowd – Wasting time tuning is probably the worst thing ever. When you want to tune, do it early before the gig. If your instrument goes out of tune during the performance, unplug the guitar and then tune with an electronic tuner. Nobody wants to hear musicians tuning for ten minutes or more. If you have a song that is in an alternate tuning, like I said before, bringing more than one guitar will help cover up that trick, and will take lesser time in between songs.
• Responding to hecklers or confronting the audience walking away – It’s very rare that I see this but it does happen. If you’re getting, “You suck” from the crowd or walk aways, just ignore it and still play the gig. I’ve had people walk away from my performances all the time. I maybe a little disappointed, and sad when that happens, sure, but never say anything about it. Just keep playing for the people who stuck around to see you. When you respond, it’s a pretty childish thing to do.
• Being rude to the soundman during soundcheck before the gig – Yeah, doing the sound before the gig may sound annoying and frustrating, but don’t have a negative attitude if you can’t hear your instrument. There’s a very good chance, he could turn the sound off on ya and you could get kicked off the gig. Even if he can be rude or be a prick to you first, you don’t be mean to him in return. Just be a professional. Yes, there can be rude soundmen out there. I’ve seen it.
• Dressing terribly on stage – The way you dress is pretty important. Dress the way that fits your genre of music. You don’t have to dress fancy and nice at all of your gigs. Only dress fancy and nice on special occasions. If you play a gig at a fancy restaurant or night club, that’s when you want to dress all pretty. At bars, you can wear pretty much anything. At cafes and diners, keep the clothing casual.
• Not bringing in a crowd – If you’re just playing to the owner only, of course, this could be the biggest mistake a band or artist ever make. I love those bands that complain and whine that nobody showed up. Well, hell, I wonder why? It’s probably because they aren’t promoting enough and not inviting people! Don’t blame the venue or the booking person. It’s your job to bring in an audience, not theirs!
• Sucking, or playing terribly – If you’re booked a gig, and then play a bad show, then you need to stop gigging for a while, and practice more. This is pretty much the reason, I stopped gigging for a while to improve my talent.

There you go, I could probably come up with even more, but those ten are the most common.

Kev