American Idol Step 8 of 10 To Increase Your Chances Of Getting On The Show

By Dennis Duncan

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...

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Can anyone sing? Learn more about tips for singing & strategies. Stop by Dennis Duncan's site where you can find out what his tips can do for you.. Unique version for reprint here: American Idol Step 8 of 10 To Increase Your Chances Of Getting On The Show.

American Idol Step 9 of 10 To Increase Your Chances Of Getting On The Show

By Dennis Duncan

Step 9 in increasing your chances of getting on any vocal reality show should be that you should drop all the overly animated hand gestures and awkward moves.

If you've gone through all the steps up to this point then you should have at least done the training in front of the mirror in your bedroom or rehearsal room and, surely by now, you will have seen that the hand gestures looked stupid and surely you will have removed them from your performance. If not, drop all the overly animated hand gestures when you are singing. In fact, write this down on a piece of paper: "overly animated hang gestures, never again" and go out in to your back yard, dig a hole and bury that peice of paper. If you do this then everytime you start to do one of those stupid gestures you'll remember that you buried them in your back yard and your brain will tell you to stop getting all Maria Carey.

And, if you are a guy, NEVER DO THEM. Girls, sometimes, if not over used, can get away with it. But I still don't recommend it. Bury it in the back yard!

Just so you know, those types of hand gestures irk the heck out of all of us behind the scenes. No one wants to see the worn out, mimicked Mariah Carey hand gestures. It's just overdone and really stupid, especially the one in which a contestant does a vocal run and points their finger in the air to animate their vocal gymnastics. Just stop it! Pointing towards someone to emphasize something in the lyrical content is okay, every once in a while. But don't overdo it. Every time I see a contestant start to do the overly animated gestures I almost puke.

Look for our final article in our series of ten when we talk about how to audition for American Idol and the importance of eye contact is for any vocal reality show audition.

About the Author:

Looking to find the best strategy for Idol or tips for singing, then visit Dennis' site to find the best advice on exercises for singing and strategies to get on American Idol, the Voice and Xfactor.. Free reprint available from: American Idol Step 9 of 10 To Increase Your Chances Of Getting On The Show.