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Well a lot has happened since the last blog. As I mentioned last time, I had committed to playing a Leonard Cohen evening as a solo artist. I was to perform on the 6 string acoustic for the first time, my usual weapon of choice being the bass guitar.

Part of the reason for me deciding to do this performance was that it forced me to work on my guitar technique and to test out if I could perform as a solo artist.I have been meaning to do some solo work for years and it just never seems to happen so this was the catalyst that I needed.

I have been surprised just how different it is trying to sing and play the 6 string at the same time. I found it hard to play the bass and sing to begin with, but as the 6 string is not an instrument I am comfortable with (even though I use it to write song on), singing at the same time just becomes a whole lot harder. I put loads of practice time in and decided on an open mic a few days before the Leonard Cohen gig as a dry run to iron out any issues. I must admit that I felt I really bombed at the open mic but it was just what I needed to focus in on the changes necessary to sort the performance out.

Well the day arrived for the performance and I was as ready as I could be. I was very nervous and a number of times found myself thinking what on earth was I doing. In the end it was  great event. I got through the performance with minimal errors and was comfortable with my performance. I really enjoyed mixing with the other musicians and felt that the networking aspect of the business was something that I was really missing out on.

I have determined to spend the rest of June working on my solo performance and to play at least 1 open mic every week to try and really explore my performance and whether I wanted to continue with it.

I have now played 3 solo open mics, plus the Leonard Cohen evening and have improved at each one. I have another one booked for next week and am continuing to challenge myself. The plan is to continue for the rest of the month and then reevaluate at the end of the month what I want to do. There is chance I will be putting a music event together in mid August in a fantastic outdoor venue so that gives me a target to get ready to showcase my solo show along side the other bands I am in, so we shall see how it goes.

Onwards and upwards!