MusicRadar

4. DO practice tempos

"On your days off, practice the songs you're going to play in your set and pay attention to the tempos," says Carlos. "You develop muscle memory and you learn when the other guys might speed up or slow down.

"Remember: You're the time-keeper; you're the metronome of the band. Without you, the other guys are all over the place. So it's your job to stay steady as a rock, and the only way to do it is to practice your tempos over and over and know them in your sleep.

"There's nothing like repetition. Muscle memory. If you do something over and over, your body will automatically remember what to do. You can't just go on stage and think you're doing to rock out and everything is going to be cool. Doesn't work that way; you're going to be a mess."