2018 at the Tumbleweed festival I reached for a chord and it wasn’t there. I’d taken it for granted, so it eluded me in retaliation. Immediately and in time, I moved on to the next chord. Upon completion of the song, I told my audience that I missed a chord in the last song, though they hadn’t noticed. Then i said, “It’s ok… I’ll just add an extra chord in the next song”.
Quick tip from 55 + years of performing:
NEVER apologize! Most people never hear mistakes. Just move on as if you intended that chord. Anyone noticing the mistake will quickly forget it, unless you draw attention to it. All professionals make occasional mistakes, and move on with the performance. Apologies tell the audience you are not ready to be on stage, and lessens the audience perception of your performance. The apology could be the one thing the listener remembers about the gig.
Regards
Corky
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You’re right and they didn’t notice, but I was the open mic MC and it was intentional banter to ease the stress for newer performers, by establishing a forgiving atmosphere using humor as a bridge. I also backed up some with an acoustic pick. The one blowup happened when I played the third verse of my song and couldn’t re-engineer it on the fly. I don’t apologize, but I will confess if I feel the need. Many main stage acts played the open mic, either on the way in or out. One act had a very good and powerful envelope. It intimidated the group and no one wanted to follow them, so I jumped in with some strong songs to bridge the gap. For many, music is a business. For me it’s a mission.
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