Unless you are a good actor a classic non-dancing audience will quite well see/feel a difference between someone pushing the Play button and someone sweating their ass off to play everything right.
Pah, self-delusional nonsense.
firstly - do you really think people go to see, for example, Paco Peña "sweating his ass off" , or do they go to see him perform music effortlessly and
interpret it (a subjective audience reaction)
They don't want him to look like he is about to have a heart attack reaching for a chord just at the limit of his ability!
It is the
performers who like to
con themselves that the audience wants to see blood sweated out tapping at one thing while re-triggering another. It is totally the wrong end of the stick. Watching a man frantically "sweating their ass off to play everything right." just makes the audience lose confidence in the performer. Playing it right is the bedrock, the meat and potatoes .. that shouldn't be in question. What we are talking about is the gravy.
Ever seen a non-confident stand-up comedian "sweating to get it right" ? The audience don't trust him with their laughs - the comedian must behave confidently, like he is a safe pair of hands for the audience to entrust their entertainment with. Same with music - the audience relaxes the more 'masterful' and 'in control' you are.
Learning to perform live IS learning to be an actor. You just aren't learning to be a
theatrical drama actor - you are learning to be a 'music performing' actor. You remember your 'lines' but that is not the main part - you must convey those lines ... that is the art.
many superstar musicians are not 'the best' at playing or composing, but they have experience of 'performing' for an audience. The 'learning the instrument' part all happened when they were in their teens, the important part was the bit they learned in front of club audiences ... how to gauge an audience, how to lift a flat audience, how to sell 'emotion' to their crowd.
Ever met a DJ who described themselves as "just tapping the play button" ?
DJs have incredible self-belief, that really simple acts like putting a record on and playing it at the correct speed is a valid "superstar" activity. They do not need to be a good actor - they
believe they are good.
Similarly, many 'classic non-dancing' audiences will be quite happy with incredibly simple activities. A guitar act bashing out three chords played loudly with the occasional gruff singing will do an audience just fine.
As long as the audience gets a decent experience out of it then they are happy.
The reality of a good performance is that adrenalin, practice and plain old 'having a good time' are the core of them. whether that is playing the banjo or playing the 'play' button. You better look like you are enjoying it.
Electronic and laptop musicians try to do
too much because they are insecure about their artform, they try and compensate by performing all the parts that should be handled by three people.
I could appear in front of an audience and do a passable 30 minute set with just an acoustic guitar. That would be just some chords a bit of plucking and some foot tapping. Try getting a laptop person to be that simple ... no chance!
