Mikk Saar overcomes fear of performing solo with a guitar

Musician Mikk Saar said he spent years afraid to perform alone with a guitar, but two or three years of practice helped him gain confidence, he told ERR’s Vikerraadio.

Saar said he had doubted his guitar-playing ability. He has mostly performed with the band Swingers, theatre groups, Marek Sadam and other musicians. Solo performances now bring him pleasure, though he said it can be harder to reach an audience with only a guitar when the crowd is large.

After about 20 years on stage, Saar said he has learned to let go of perfectionism. He used to struggle to finish things because they did not meet his expectations, but said letting go has made him feel freer.

Music is his work, he said, and when something is wrong in another part of his life, he tends to work more. He also said he enjoys calm, quiet music and can sing melancholic songs endlessly. Finding faster songs to balance them during solo shows can be difficult, he added.

Saar recently released the acoustic album “Akustika,” made largely with Robert Rebane, who played most of the instruments and also handled studio work and mixing. Siim Hiob, Ramuel Tafenau, Johannes Laas, Dagmar Oja and Kaire Vilgats also contributed.

Saar said the acoustic format brings the lyrics to the fore and that he would like to make another such album. He also said he might appear on a theatre stage in the future, but could not discuss it yet. At home, he often picks up his guitar when he has a quiet moment, and has tried to show his eight-year-old son the pleasure of playing for fun.