Performing Popular Music: The Art of Creating Memorable and Successful Performances

This book explores the fundamentals of popular music performance for students in contemporary music institutions. Drawing on the insights of performance practice research, it discusses the unwritten rules of performances in popular music, what it takes to create a memorable performance, and live popular music as a creative industry. The authors offer a practical overview of topics ranging from rehearsals to stagecraft, and what to do when things go wrong. Chapters on promotion, recordings, and the music industry place performance in the context of building a career. Performing Popular Music introduces aspiring musicians to the elements of crafting compelling performances and succeeding in the world of today’s popular music.

David Cashman is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Popular Music at Southern Cross University, and a working pianist. David’s research area is live music, with a particular emphasis on regional music and live music and tourism. As a pianist, David has performed all over the world, worked on cruise ships, and remains an active performer in Sydney and on regional and international tours.

Waldo Garrido is a Lecturer in Contemporary Music at Western Sydney University. He is a well-known bassist, composer, and producer. Waldo has produced two solo albums and has had two radio hits in his native Chile. As a songwriter, he is currently signed to BMG. Waldo researches and writes on the music of Chile and on the migrant experience of Syrian musicians in Berlin.