# I just failed so hard



## StupidDav (Oct 7, 2010)

I gotta vent this somewhere, so why not here?

Basically I started at a music uni about a month ago, every week we learn a song on monday and perform it on thursdays in a smallish auditorium to classmates, get critiqued on it, usually pretty cool. Not this week.

We learnt All My Life by the Foos, pretty cool song, bit heavier to what we'd previously done, so it was set to be a pretty damn good week. So I learnt both guitar parts, was looking forward to the performance. I get up on stage, plug in, everything is good. About a 3rd of the way through the song, my high B string breaks, I tried to carry on but I was waaaaaaaay sharp. Stopped the band (should've just stopped myself and looked for a new guitar, but I'm inexperienced at all the stagecraft crap), explained the situation and borrowed someone else's guitar. Start the song again, only I tune my guitar to Eb so I'd learnt it a fret up from standard. Playing the intro, just me and the singer, I was played a G# where there should have been a G, didn't notice, couple shouts from friends in the audience trying to alert me of my epic failure after one already epic failure. Eventually it clicks, I change to a G and look a total c**t, get through the rest of the song a total bag of nerves. The drum tutor then says to me "You didn't learn the song.", which really fuckin pissed me off cos I had learnt the song, I just learnt it on a guitar tuned a semitone down so it totally threw me when I started the song again. Right now I just wanna put every guitar in my room out of sight for the weekend and not play, but I've got a playing exam on monday so thats not a viable option.

TL;DR? I screwed up, then screwed up again even worse.


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## ralphy1976 (Oct 7, 2010)

we all make mistakes man, that's why you are learning all this!!!

my ear is not the best so i would probably have done the same!!!

just keep at it and practise...practise makes perfect of course!! good luck with your next show!!


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## Prydogga (Oct 7, 2010)

That's never fun, I had to do about 10 minutes of performance for my music class so evaluation, and I one of the songs I chose was 'Minor Swing' by Django Reinhardt, which isn't that hard of a song, but I neglected to learn it until about 5 days before I had to perform.

Going from a non-gypsy playing background to playing this and trying to learn it in 5 nights (I still had to deal with school during the day to make it worse ) was one of the worst decisions I've ever made, and I had to play it on a standard tuned acoustic (Meaning high tension and more prone to stuffing up) and I failed quite alot.

Luckily my teacher wasn't guitar savvy and didn't notice my failing, and my improv. when I completely blanked on the actual song's content, but I was feeling the same way you are. It's natural to feel that hurt after stuffing up badly, but it will go away and you will re tell the story laughing


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## StupidDav (Oct 7, 2010)

ralphy1976 said:


> we all make mistakes man, that's why you are learning all this!!!
> 
> my ear is not the best so i would probably have done the same!!!
> 
> just keep at it and practise...practise makes perfect of course!! good luck with your next show!!



Cheers man, guess I should be thinking about it this way, but I just feel I've let myself down, and that's really angering me. But like you said, we all make mistakes, gotta learn how not to make those mistakes, thats why we play the songs every Thursday. Anyway cheers again man, made me feel a bit better about the situation.



Prydogga said:


> That's never fun, I had to do about 10 minutes of performance for my music class so evaluation, and I one of the songs I chose was 'Minor Swing' by Django Reinhardt, which isn't that hard of a song, but I neglected to learn it until about 5 days before I had to perform.
> 
> Going from a non-gypsy playing background to playing this and trying to learn it in 5 nights (I still had to deal with school during the day to make it worse ) was one of the worst decisions I've ever made, and I had to play it on a standard tuned acoustic (Meaning high tension and more prone to stuffing up) and I failed quite alot.
> 
> Luckily my teacher wasn't guitar savvy and didn't notice my failing, and my improv. when I completely blanked on the actual song's content, but I was feeling the same way you are.



Yeh, sucks don't it, well we all gotta make mistakes, thats how we learn I s'pose.


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## ralphy1976 (Oct 7, 2010)

maybe, just maybe a good lesson learnt is to always check the tune your axe is in!!!!


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## Prydogga (Oct 7, 2010)

It's really unlucky actually, I haven't had any strings break on me all of this year, were you using the trem for the performance? Or were the strings just that old.

Oh, and don't even get me started on hearing: 'You didn't learn the song' I would rage very hard at hearing that.


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## StupidDav (Oct 7, 2010)

Prydogga said:


> It's really unlucky actually, I haven't had any strings break on me all of this year, were you using the trem for the performance? Or were the strings just that old.
> 
> Oh, and don't even get me started on hearing: 'You didn't learn the song' I would rage very hard at hearing that.



Strings were getting past their prime, but I didn't think they'd reached snapping point just yet, and nah, wasn't using the trem for the song but I thought I'd bust out that guitar cos it's my main and I'd not been using it recently (not really that appropriate to use a 7 string Ibanez on an Amy Winehouse or Eva Cassidy song ). Yeh I was gonna get a pretty good rage on, tried to explain that I'd learnt it a half step down but I remembered he's a drum tutor and, no disrespect to the guy or to drummers, but I don't think he would've appreciated the difference between learning something a fret up, then playing it live in standard, having to move it a fret down.


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## Jims (Oct 7, 2010)

I do the same sort of thing in college, and you shouldn't worry when something like that happens, you've learnt from it, so thats what you're there for right?


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## jymellis (Oct 7, 2010)

switch to elixir strings lol. sucks maing, but itll be aight


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## StupidDav (Oct 7, 2010)

Jims said:


> I do the same sort of thing in college, and you shouldn't worry when something like that happens, you've learnt from it, so thats what you're there for right?



Yeh I guess so, I just don't like looking like an arse in front of my peers 



jymellis said:


> switch to elixir strings lol. sucks maing, but itll be aight



Elixir you say? I've just started to use DRs, I'll see if I can hunt some down.


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## Konfyouzd (Oct 7, 2010)

can't appreciate victory w/o failure and if you can't laugh at yourself you have no sense of humor. better luck next time, homie.


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## AvantGuardian (Oct 7, 2010)

Jims said:


> I do the same sort of thing in college, and you shouldn't worry when something like that happens, you've learnt from it, so thats what you're there for right?


 


I spent a couple of years as a music performance major in college and had weekly ensemble performances. Some went well, some didn't. Let me tell you though, the ones that didn't go well were the ones I learned the most from.


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## ZEBOV (Oct 7, 2010)

MER
When was the last time you changed strings? What kind were your using?


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## Bloody_Inferno (Oct 7, 2010)

I broke a string on my band's album launch. And it happened again when we opened for Testament. That sucked, so I know how you feel. 

These things happen, for better or worse. Still, you learn from experiences and it only makes you wiser. And you'll also learn to develop professionalism by keeping your cool both on and off the stage.


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## StupidDav (Oct 7, 2010)

ZEBOV said:


> MER
> When was the last time you changed strings? What kind were your using?



Too long, and I was using DR Tite Fit 10-56 set.



Bloody_Inferno said:


> I broke a string on my band's album launch. And it happened again when we opened for Testament. That sucked, so I know how you feel.
> 
> These things happen, for better or worse. Still, you learn from experiences and it only makes you wiser. And you'll also learn to develop professionalism by keeping your cool both on and off the stage.



Yeh, I know next time I have a technical difficulty (actually listening to Technical Difficulties now lawl ) I'll know to just duck out and jump back in when all is sorted.


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## MaKo´s Tethan (Oct 7, 2010)

Thats sad man, I had a similar experience 4 years ago, I ended smashing the guitar to the fuckin floor.


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## xCaptainx (Oct 7, 2010)

ah breaking strings has always beem my main concern. I change strings before each performance, which on long tours, was a very costly habit. 

Hey it could be worse; I've fallen through a stage once


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## Harry (Oct 7, 2010)

xCaptainx said:


> ah breaking strings has always beem my main concern. I change strings before each performance, which on long tours, was a very costly habit.
> 
> Hey it could be worse; I've fallen through a stage once



Don't take offense to this, but man, WTF? 
I've never seen anything like that before.


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## Swippity Swappity (Oct 7, 2010)

Bro, I wouldn't sweat it. Throughout your whole life you are gonna have little hiccups that make you look silly, and many of those are gonna start with some horrid technical problem.

Chalk it up to "shit happens" and laugh it off.


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## aslsmm (Oct 7, 2010)

dude i know the " not wanting to touch the guitar for a week" feeling. i was doing a performance infront of one of my college classes 2 years ago, i was playing the no more tears solo and missed every bend and started the last 2 AP licks on the wrong fretts. the crappy thing was my friend was in that class and had told every one how great i was on the guitar. my nerves got to me and caused me to choke so i couldn't even blame it on a string breaking. i just sucked it up.


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## Shub-Niggurath (Oct 7, 2010)

Hey man, it even happened to Van Halen...

YouTube - Van Halen - Jump (Greensboro)

Painful to listen to!


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## xCaptainx (Oct 7, 2010)

Harry said:


> Don't take offense to this, but man, WTF?
> I've never seen anything like that before.


 
haha I did an epic jump before a breakdown and landed on a weak section of the stage. Too many pies and energy drinks 

Ya just gotta roll with the mistakes and keep on playing, there is nothing worse than a guitarist getting angry at himself or cursing under his breath. Just smile and carry on. Hahah one time a fight broke out at our show and our bassist and ovcalist dove off stage to protect a friend, the rest of us carried on playing and the fight settled just after our first song


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## Harry (Oct 8, 2010)

xCaptainx said:


> haha I did an epic jump before a breakdown and landed on a weak section of the stage. Too many pies and energy drinks
> 
> Ya just gotta roll with the mistakes and keep on playing, there is nothing worse than a guitarist getting angry at himself or cursing under his breath. Just smile and carry on. Hahah one time a fight broke out at our show and our bassist and ovcalist dove off stage to protect a friend, the rest of us carried on playing and the fight settled just after our first song



Crazzzy.
Man, good thing you didn't fall much further.
I'd be so pissed if I fell further than that and my guitar was damaged in the process


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## xCaptainx (Oct 8, 2010)

yeah luckily it wasnt damaged ^_^ It was a pretty low stage. It was a shock, but hilarious once I figured out what had happened, haha. 

Once I got off stage someone said 'the only person that's ever done that at this venue was Hoya from Madball' 

My ego took a bit of a bruise there, thanks for comparing me to probably the biggest dude in hardcore, haha. I've put on a bit of weight, but not THAT much!


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## Soubi7string (Oct 8, 2010)

@OP- Hey man don't sweat it, shit happens
my bands last gig it took like 10 minutes to set up the drums while the bass,guitars and vocals were ready to go.this was all due to our vocalist being a dumbass and moving all of the cymbal rack's cymbal arm thingys to make it go into the van easier when we've gotten it in there easily plenty of other times.Also we hadn't practiced but once that week due to me working so much and we were slightly off.
so at least you didn't piss off some bands and look like you didn't practice at all.
tbh I would have rather been in your position than mine at that time


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