Soca artistes were given some advice on how to improve their live performances.{{more}}

This advice came from Minister of Culture, Rene Baptiste, as she made remarks during the Vincy Mas 2010 prize giving ceremony.

Baptiste stated that during live performances, artistes should resist the urge of performing at the edge of the stage or on the stands reserved for the TV cameras.

“It does not work well for your advantage,” she stated. She added that music producers and studio owners have related to her that the way in which artistes hold the microphones during their performances hinders the quality of the sound.

Explaining that holding the microphone with the hands half enclosed around the top is a Jamaican custom, Baptiste stated that it does not work well for our type of music.

“Our music and Jamaica music move with different beats,” she said, adding that the Jamaica dancehall and reggae music have 60 to 80 beats per minute (BPM) while the Vincentian soca music has an average of 160 beats per minute.

“It, therefore, affects the quality of feedback and lyrical output,” Baptiste said, referring to the way the microphone is held.

“Watch the microphone technique!” she advised.