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You Mess Up On A Gig


Pete Academy
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[quote name='Thurbs' post='1350087' date='Aug 24 2011, 11:36 AM']Funny stories there.

The worst I had was a guitarist changing the key to a song on the 2 of 1,2,3,4. The only thing is I didn't catch what he said and took me about 16 bars to realise he went up one and a half semitones. Who goes up one and a half!?!?! We had rehearsed it around his house 3 hours before in the original key!

Still, I was quite annoyed at myself for taking so long to realise what the new key was and it ruined the song.[/quote]

Bon Jovi - Livin on a prayer.

But that is planned and would have been included in the rehearsal. Bad luck there. A similar problem I had was a guitarist who changed the key of a song on a whim because of how he felt that night (though never mid song). Some nights he'd come in and go: I think we'll play Don't stop believing in Bb... :)

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Urgh, I had a stoater of a fumble during a gig last weekend..

The song was a brutally simple one too, I think it was Every Day I Love You Less and Less by Kaiser Chiefs. Anyway, I played the intro and pre-chorus fine but then went COMPLETELY BLANK during the chorus. Couldn't remember the key or anything, I even forgot the key of the intro/verse I had JUST PLAYED! So I look round to rythm guitar whilst fumbling blindly trying to sound it out and notice that HE CAN'T REMEMBER THE DAMN CHORUS EITHER!! He's trying to pick out the chorus by jumping round the fretboard, I'm trying to follow him and all the while lead guitar is GLOWERING at us, drummer falling off his stool laughing and I don't think the singer or audience even noticed!

F# E A B. Those 4 notes left me completely stumped for a whole damn chorus! I ended up just stopping and laughing at myself (whilst looking at the rythmn guitar making it look like HIS mistake..) and fell back in line with the verse and the next chorus I just stopped thinking about and played it - like the million other times I've played the song. Thinking too hard just completely derailed me!

xx

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[quote name='witterth' post='1350020' date='Aug 24 2011, 10:35 AM']I know what "Ghost Notes" are, I'm talking about Lying, its a very different "technique" :)[/quote]

Ah. :)

You can't hide your lying A's
And your slides, they're a thin disguise
I thought by now you'd realise
There ain't no way to hide your lying A's

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[quote name='Pete Academy' post='1349497' date='Aug 23 2011, 09:13 PM']You've suddenly forgotten where you are in the song and what you're supposed to play. Do you:

a) Pretend your lead/amp/bass has a sudden fault.

:lol: Play a drone note until you remember what you're supposed to play.

c) Throw your hands up and admit defeat.

d) Panic.

e) Do all of the above.[/quote]

None of the above. :)

Play a semiquaver behind everyone (usually make the 1st beat seem like a leading note to the 1+ which is the one I'm looking for) and continue that till I'm back in the clear. Never put me wrong yet, even had to use it at a festival where I 'forgot' the section and didn't think to look at the guitarists hands.. haha! :)

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Had the singer once during a gig say to the guitarist, play the opening to Duality by slipknot. So they do. Me and the drummer look at each other and have barely heard the song let alone have a clue about what key it is in or what notes or rhythm to play. The singer thinks he is Slipknot on stage at Download everyone else in the band think we are more like Bad News as Monsters of Rock. What a car crash that was!!!

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Guest bassman7755

[quote name='BottomE' post='1349966' date='Aug 24 2011, 09:55 AM']I'm normally ok once i am into the song but my faux pas is this. Singer has quick chat with drummer and guitarist and decides to do a number not on the set list for whatever reason. She looks at me and mouths the title of the song. I fail to lipread correctly. Next thing i hear is the drummer counting 2, 3, 4!

I have ablsolutely no idea what the song is going to be. In these instances i just don't play until i recognise the tune.[/quote]

Reminds me of a time when the band I was in had collectively decided to add a song not in the printed set list but neglated to tell me so I confidently lauched into the wrong song ...

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Guest bassman7755

If I play a conspicuous dodgy sounding note I will actually work that note into the chord progression next time round, maybe use it as a short approach note to the right note or something. That way even if some smart arse thinks he spotted me messing up he can be fooled into thinking I meant to do it like that all along :)

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Guest bassman7755

[quote name='Doddy' post='1349511' date='Aug 23 2011, 09:19 PM']Fiddling about can sometimes work unless there
is a key change or whatever[/quote]

Just bang out a dimmished scale run - you got a one in three chance of it being right :)

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[quote name='bassman7755' post='1350459' date='Aug 24 2011, 04:56 PM']Reminds me of a time when the band I was in had collectively decided to add a song not in the printed set list but neglated to tell me so I confidently lauched into the wrong song ...[/quote]


Which reminds me of the time the vocalist's printer ran out of black ink with one set list left to print so he uses blue ink. I get the blue set list, half way through the set the lights change colour and I'm bathed in blue, I look down and the set list appears blank... :)
From where I am I can't see any other set lists and they launch into the next song without announcing what it is.

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I hate it when you all launch into a song and you think what the Fck is this song. your ears are telling your hands what to play, but the conscious you so thinking I hope the Fck I have a light bulb moment before we get to the end of the first 8. Because I haven't a clue what comes next. :)

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There was the time when our singer decided to play a simple harp solo on one particular song after he'd been learning harp for a short while. So we practice the song (Key of A) and he's OK with it. I don't know much about harps but I know they are different for different keys.

So we're at a gig and the guitarist starts the song . . . but he starts it in G. I look across to the second guitarist and we both immediately adapt so everything is OK, except that we can't tell the singer that he's got the wrong harp for this key and he doesn't seem to have noticed.

So me and the second guitarist just play along and wait for the train wreck of a solo. Sure enough, the singer launches into his solo and plays for a while before realising something is wrong and then gives up with a look of puzzlement and upset. He subsequently apologised to the band and was angry with himself for messing up the solo despite all his practice.

We almost didn't tell him about the key issue but our laughing gave it away. :)

Edited by flyfisher
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[quote name='Lozz196' post='1349521' date='Aug 23 2011, 09:22 PM']In an ideal world, stare at the guitarist, everyone in the audience thinks that all the sound comes from him anyway.

In the real world, try and stay in key, but play a little bit quieter, until you remember where you are.[/quote]


This

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[quote name='icastle' post='1350190' date='Aug 24 2011, 01:06 PM']Ah. :)

And your slides, they're a thin disguise[/quote]

How did you know I play fretless a lot more, these days? :)

with that tune there isnt much excuse. some, what?(from memory) 6 chords and a 20 min run time.

ps
you had thought about that one hadn't you?
Fair play to ya
W

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If you mess up at a gig it really doesn't matter. It's over in a second and gone forever. If your band is entertaining enough the majority of the audience won't even have noticed. Have a contingency plan for really bad arrangement mistakes (ours is to follow the singer), and don't all look at whoever messed up as it makes you all look like idiots. And stop worrying about it.

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[quote name='witterth' post='1350932' date='Aug 25 2011, 12:47 AM']How did you know I play fretless a lot more, these days? :)

with that tune there isnt much excuse. some, what?(from memory) 6 chords and a 20 min run time.

ps
you had thought about that one hadn't you?
Fair play to ya
W[/quote]

Only 20 mins? :lol:
:)

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