The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #119179 Message #2584440
Posted By: Will Fly
09-Mar-09 - 05:20 AM
Thread Name: Performance Ability does it matter?
Subject: RE: Performance Ability does it matter?
The capacity for self-awareness and a self-critical faculty are all important for a performer. Folk clubs have traditionally been one environment where would-be singers, musicians and songwriters can develop their skills and learn the art of performance - and most clubs have been and are, on the whole, welcoming and reasonably forgiving places where this development can take place.
All the more important then, in my view, that people who want to perform at the clubs - and take advantage of this welcoming aspect - are self-aware, i.e. they have a standard to which they aspire and a real knowledge of the standard that they've reached. By "real" knowledge I mean the capacity to be honest with themselves about their abilities. It's the same very welcoming atmosphere at clubs that, ironically, can lull a performer into a false sense of their own worth. Being self-aware means that you know inside how you'v