Guitar Tips, Music Tips and Product Reviews

Step 8 in increasing your chances of getting on any vocal reality show should be that you need to go out and play some gigs.

Once you have rehearsed on your own, then another thing you can do is start singing live at local establishments. Perform live as often as possible because you'll need all the practice you can get before auditioning at the regionals or moving on to the next round. You can perform at your local church, school, bar and/or local events. Singing and performing is like riding a bike; the more you do it the better you get.

So, don't be shy and definitely don't be afraid of going out and making mistakes. By making mistakes early you'll learn what NOT to do next time you perform. Plus, there are always technical difficulties when performing live. You'll never get used to dealing with technical difficulties but learning how to deal with them as they are happening is all part of becoming a professional. And, as humiliating as it may be, you may be performing in front of only a few people. But, go out and ask any artist if they've done the same humiliating gigs. Nine times out of ten they'll tell you some horror stories of their gigs. Get out there and start getting more comfortable performing in front of people. Remember, your eye is on the prize, Idol, and these performances leading up to the regionals or to the Hollywood week are ALL REHEARSALS for the next big step in your career. It's best to stick with what works if you want to know how to audition for American Idol in the best way.

Back in the day, when I was a kid and I didn't have much money, I would take shoestrings out of my shoes and tie them to a tennis racket and pretend that was my guitar. I would also tie a stick to a broom handle like it was a microphone, then prop up the broom handle and lip sync or sing to recordings. Yeah, cheesy, but that is what I did; mission accomplished. It's low budget and you can get it done the same as I. Necessity is the mother of invention, especially for me when I was growing up in Kentucky.

In our next article, Step 9, we will discuss overly animated hand gestures and awkward moves that so many newbies do. See you then...