Finding My Ch'i Before the Gig

OK - we've determined being a cover musician is hard work. The travel, loading/unloading/setting up/tearing down gear, performing for four hours, glad handing and placating the owner/manager/crowd and tolerating the occasional in-your-face drunk is mentally and physically draining. It's true - I played sports (basketball, volleyball and softball) most of my life, but I've NEVER ached like I do the morning after a gig. At the end of the night my brain AND my body's exhausted.

As I've gotten older I've realized the absolute importance of finding my Ch'i and center (yes, "the calm place") before a gig (here's the inevitable disclaimer: I, in no way, purport to be an expert Taoist or well versed in Buddisim. All I know is what I've read and what works FOR ME. Spirituality is specific to the individual - but if you're looking for a deep understanding of these concepts, keep searching until you find what's right for you).

No, I don't go into the Lotus position and meditate in a corner somewhere while the band's warming up. What works for me is this: 20 minutes before a gig, after I'm set up and sound checked, I do a few things:

1) Concentrate on breathing for two or three minutes. Yeah - I know - we ALL breath, but Ch'i is literally translated as "air, vapors, ether, breathing, energy." At the same time it means "temperament, power, atmosphere". Ch'i is one's vital force but also the universal spiritual energy pervading all beings. I can't tell you what that means to YOU, but to me finding my Ch'i means tapping into my center, feeling powerful and being one with my band and the crowd. So, I take slow, deep breaths, filling my diaphragm and lungs to capacity, then releasing them in a slow, controlled manner. It's relaxing and invigorating simultaneously. Sounds weird, I know, but it's true. Trust me - doing this, you really feel the power of your spirit.

2) I try to visualize what the first few songs will be like, making sure to focus on the POSITIVE. In other words, I visualize the band sounding really tight, the songs sitting in the pocket like a warm muffin in a cloth napkin and the crowd receiving, then returning energy. Think of this as "the power of positive thinking." This builds on the feeling of oneness with the band AND the crowd, and believe me when I say the power of music - especially cover music - is communal. For me, positive visualization helps keep me on-track when things go wrong (and lately I haven't been spending as much time before a gig doing this - and I've noticed my patience is shorter when the train derails).

3) I like to sit down with the band and just laugh a little - be immature and silly. As I mentioned in a previous blog laughter IS release, and hanging out with the band and laughing not only releases stress but it builds character within the band. When you laugh you feel good - and feeling good before downbeat translates to the music.