I try my best to entertain people when I perform - whether it's at a singaround, or a session or at a paid gig - and I rarely perform anything longer than around 4-5 minutes (unless there's dancing). A legacy from my teenage, rock'n roll years.

So I look at the audience while I'm performing. Not to try and catch their attention or win them over, but to see how it's going - am I engaging their attention... are they bored shitless... should I change the mood/style for the next piece...? It's a reference point for me, and a very useful one.

For most paid gigs, which I usually do as part of a duo, we're performing for at least an hour and usually longer. We have a set list, but not a fixed and rigid one - one to be picked from as the evening progresses. So it's essential to get a feel for how the current song/tune is going, and what should follow next - more of the same or a contrast.

I rarely get stuck for words, luckily, but I can, if necessary, "see" them in my head - with eyes still open!