The Funk Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 [quote name='Sarah5string' post='249216' date='Jul 27 2008, 10:56 PM']Is piss taking and random shenanigans allowed?[/quote] Depends on the band! A healthy mix between being focused and being relaxed is what you really need. Whatever you need to do to get that balance right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarky Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 [quote name='The Funk' post='249218' date='Jul 27 2008, 10:58 PM']When I started gigging I was amazed by just how appallingly bad the sound was onstage. Every gig - no matter where it is - I'm still just as amazed by how sh*t the sound always is onstage. You learn to adapt to it and listen out for the things you need to hear to stay in time/in tune/in the right part of the song.[/quote] +1 The sound is never as clear as at a rehearsal but you do get used to it and - as The Funk says - you learn to take clues from the drummer, the vocalist etc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGit Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 [quote name='Happy Jack' post='249128' date='Jul 27 2008, 09:14 PM']Sunglasses (not to look cool - you may be surprised by how bright those spotlights are)[/quote] er not on stage, or all your eye contact based cues will be useless.... Or .. rehearse with sunglasses on too ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGit Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 [quote name='ahpook' post='249219' date='Jul 27 2008, 10:59 PM']practice the set you're going to play, in the way you intend to play it is what i'd say... if you usually face inward in a circle when you practise, set up the room as if you're facing an audience...it's surprising how much you take cues from other band members without realising it...[/quote] +1 top tip . Soooo many people get this wrong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 If it's your first gig, then set aside one ENTIRE rehearsal just to work on how each song starts & finishes. Once you're up and running in any number, autopilot will take over to some extent and you can relax and just play. The only real opportunities you get in a song to totally screw up are the start and the finish, so try just playing those bits without doing the easy but time-consuming bits in the middle. It feels a bit strange doing it, and yes it can be boring, but it's amazing how much difference it makes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MananaMan Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 [quote name='Sarah5string' post='249216' date='Jul 27 2008, 10:56 PM']Is piss taking and random shenanigans allowed?[/quote] i'd generally encourage it, but then thats me,and I'm a sardonic tit at best... Main thing is: don't stress it (easier said than done!) and relax. If you can play the songs in rehearsal you can play them on stage. Everything else is just your mind messing with you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Master blaster Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 ive been given a good piece of advice from my lecturer Tony Butler (Big Country... remember them? he also has played session for Pete Townsend, Roger Daltrey and various other big names). He told me to always walk around the stage before you go on. make sure all the cables are taped down etc. and also check the stage as when Tony was on tour with big country he once fell through the stage lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Master blaster Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 ohh and dont wear sunglasses. it looks stupid... its not sunny and it dont look cool. thats a point why is it only bassists that wear sunglasses on stage. ive never worn mine on stage Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Funk Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 [quote name='Master blaster' post='249258' date='Jul 27 2008, 11:49 PM']ohh and dont wear sunglasses. it looks stupid... its not sunny and it dont look cool. thats a point why is it only bassists that wear sunglasses on stage. ive never worn mine on stage[/quote] When I wear mine I'll usually get one or two of my friends telling me it's sad but when I don't wear them I upset a few of the regulars. Wear them if you want to. They've suited people from John Lee Hooker to Layne Staley. Some people look like dorks with them on though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeFRC Posted July 27, 2008 Share Posted July 27, 2008 In my old band we used to normally do a 20 min to half hour set or original stuff. Once we could all play the songs we used to sit down and in our 3 hour slot in the studio and just practice our set. All the songs all the way through with no gaps between them, no arsing around. At the end of a set we would go back and any songs we had fluffed we would do again a few times. Then we would repeat the whole set again. and again and again. (with breaks) At the end we would spend some time playing new stuff and just making noise. Before a big gig we would try and do this 2/3 days a week. It was good at geting tight. One song we recorded for a film project we all practiced at home for hours and then spent 3 hours playing the same 3 minuite song again and agian. We were sick of it! But in our live set after the film shoot it sounded so much better than the other stuff. Practice does make perfect. Be disciplined but keep it fun. Be ready t soundcheck when you need to. HAve stuff ready to shift and plugin. Impress this on your guitarist. (Have him/her sort out what settings they want on their pedals before the gig) Have space things like power supplies and cables. Esspecially cables. It wont be broken till you get to the gig! Soundchecks are for the sound guy, not for you. Set up, turn on check you are working then shut up. Same for everyone. Then ask the soundguy what he/she wants you to do. If he takes 15 of your 20 min soundcheck doing levels on a kit, thats fine. Tell him what you want more or less of in the monitors. When you cant hear summit in the foldback you need stop and think before you ask for "more vox please" listen- is the problem that something else is way to loud? see if you can ask for less of something first. Have fun, smile and prepare to perspire lots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matty Posted July 28, 2008 Share Posted July 28, 2008 Don't use Red felt pens (sharpies etc) to right notes on your set list. the red mysteriously vanishes under stage lighting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGit Posted July 28, 2008 Share Posted July 28, 2008 Ah I knew I'd done this before ... ------------------------------------------------------- Nerves and Rehearsals Like any performance the first minute will set the tone and success of the whole thing. You have to make sure you take control of absolutely everything you can. Leave as little to chance as possible. The key way to do that is to sort your set 3 weeks before the gig and then rehearse the show thoroughly. Plan the whole thing, not just the music. Plan the talky bits too. Nothing spoils a great band more than inane moronic rubbish in the talky bits. For an example of how not to do it try Paul Rogers (who really should know better) with Queen doing the Free numbers (they are on youtube) "It was all right then and it's All Right Now".. puke... So plan the first minutes very carefully - how you take the stage, how you start the first tune and how you will communicate with the audience from the off. Save jokes for friendly audiences who are with you and for when you are fully confident and successful. I'd avoid them if you are not too sure of yourselves. A poor reaction to a joke can crush your confidence and give you a really big hill to climb. If your front person can't do the talky stuff naturally minimise the amount of talking they get to do, write a script and rehearse it. It's way more important than the guitar solos, usually, yet we all spend months perfecting the music and leave the poor singer to do the front person stuff with no rehearsal or preparation, just cause they can sing .... Then go to the rehearsal studio and [b]set up as if you are on stage [/b]and play to an imaginary audience. So many bands rehearse in a circle making eye contact for cues etc all the while and then wonder why things go wrong on stage, or they play looking at each other rather than the audience. If you can, borrow a room with a stage so you can work out how to set up and perform on a stage. Then run through your complete set as many time as possible. Don't stop for mistakes, just learn how to deal with it. Better to practice recovery in the rehearsal studio than in front of an audience. Soon you'll have ways through most mistakes and errors that will look like they were planned that way. Don't stop for tuning or keyboard resetting or whatever just learn how to deal with it quickly and without dirupting the flow of the set. If one of you needs some time to do these things build in something to allow them to do that - a drums only start or let the keyboards drop out a minute before the end of the tune before... Weed out the weak bits that don't work, fix the weak links, play the set through from first note to last and encores so that you know exactly how long things take because you don't want to be hauled off stage before your big number cos you ran 5 minutes long in your slot. Time it with an encore break. You should assume you will get an encore and plan for it and not add it on as an afterthought. It's the memory of your band that people will carry with them for the longest time. Make sure it's a special moment. Rehearse the show over and over until the whole thing is slick and professional. Then take those nerves and channel them into a great show +1 no drink or drugs before playing Get wasted after if you want but being out of it or "relaxed" [i]never[/i] improves your show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGit Posted July 28, 2008 Share Posted July 28, 2008 [quote name='The Funk' post='249286' date='Jul 28 2008, 12:39 AM']When I wear mine I'll usually get one or two of my friends telling me it's sad but when I don't wear them I upset a few of the regulars. Wear them if you want to. They've suited people from John Lee Hooker to Layne Staley. Some people look like dorks with them on though.[/quote] nah looks daft on a a first gig, as I mentioned it removes band member eye contact and all those things that brings - cues, encouragement, on the fly changes, problem resoloution etc.. You'll need to know when your bandmates are looking at you and vice versa... It also cuts out the band to audience eye contact and removes the goodness that brings ... [quote]Master Blaster said: [...] always walk around the stage before you go on. make sure all the cables are taped down etc. and also check the stage...[/quote] You won't have time to tape down the cables in a 4 bands on stage situation. Just make sure your feet area is clear and you aren't going to fall over anything or - much worse - snag a cable that pulls down someone elses' stack .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGit Posted July 28, 2008 Share Posted July 28, 2008 [quote name='Matty' post='249305' date='Jul 28 2008, 02:00 AM']Don't use Red felt pens (sharpies etc) to right notes on your set list. the red mysteriously vanishes under stage lighting.[/quote] +1 and make your setlist and notes [size=6]really large[/size] so you can tape them to the floor and still read them. No music stands allowed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGit Posted July 28, 2008 Share Posted July 28, 2008 You don't have to learn all about the venue on the night of your gig, do some homework: Go to a gig at the venue beforehand to see how things go. Make it a gig as close to the type of one that you are playing. Ask the booker if you can watch the soundchecks as well as the performances. Have a chat to the sound person, buy them a beer and, if it's the same one who will do your gig, ask what you can do to make their job easier when you play there in a few weeks time. Check out how long the band change over time is, how disciplined the gig manager is with regard to on and off times - does an over running band get cut off at the time they should have stopped? if so you need to allow for that in case you are late on stage and have to play a short set. Always end on your best number. Find out where bands put their gear before and after playing. Make sure you plan for a swift exit after your set. Get a mate each to help with getting your gear off stage. If you take a long time you will upset everyone, not least the band after you. This is not a good idea as you will want to gig there again and may well come into contact with the other bands when you gig regularly. Take a torch to make sure you have picked up all your gear/cables/power leads/foot pedals/drinks. Try not to take anyone else's' . Mark all of your cables with coloured tape near the jack plugs. Take water on stage in a sealed "sports top" bottles. Do not take any glasses on stage. You do not want to be the person to cover the stage/cables with horrible sticky lager. People will remember that for years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted July 28, 2008 Share Posted July 28, 2008 [quote name='ahpook' post='249219' date='Jul 27 2008, 10:59 PM']practice the set you're going to play, in the way you intend to play it is what i'd say...[/quote] Which includes deciding where you'll be [s]haranguing[/s] speaking to the audience and where you'll be going straight on into the next number. As you're doing a bass swap, you'll want a bit of a pause there and whoever is at the mic needs to have some vague plan as to what to say. "Good evening, Wolverhampton" is a bit cliched but at least shows that you have more geographical knowledge than George Bush. Better would be something more along the lines of "hello, we're <insert name here>. This next one is about sexual angst [1] among very small computers and it's called 'Angst ROM unit'" after which speaker checks band members for preparedness and off you go into the next song. Don't explain every single song. Tell them where your website is, even if it's just one of those Myspace things. [1] All songs are, after all. Even "Yellow submarine". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGit Posted July 28, 2008 Share Posted July 28, 2008 [quote name='tauzero' post='249686' date='Jul 28 2008, 03:51 PM']Which includes deciding where you'll be [s]haranguing[/s] speaking to the audience and where you'll be going straight on into the next number. As you're doing a bass swap, you'll want a bit of a pause there and whoever is at the mic needs to have some vague plan as to what to say. "Good evening, Wolverhampton" is a bit cliched but at least shows that you have more geographical knowledge than George Bush. Better would be something more along the lines of "hello, we're <insert name here>. This next one is about sexual angst [1] among very small computers and it's called 'Angst ROM unit'" after which speaker checks band members for preparedness and off you go into the next song. Don't explain every single song. Tell them where your website is, even if it's just one of those Myspace things. [1] All songs are, after all. Even "Yellow submarine".[/quote] My vote goes for no talky bits at all. That's usually a very weak part of the show for a new band, even if you do script and rehearse it. Just say "Hi We're Wyld Stallions!" as the start chord of the second number morphs out of the last chord of the first .. and "Than-kew-very much San Denus, Weve been Wyldstallions - dot -com!" over the mad cheering at the end of yoru encore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah5string Posted July 28, 2008 Author Share Posted July 28, 2008 (edited) Well so far our plan is 1st - Our song.... merging straight into 2nd - cover (They both start and finish with the same note) *guitar/bass swap* talking intro etc. 3rd cover 4th cover *guitar swap* possible guitar/bass duet thingy as I don't need to swap. 5th - cover merging into (again both start and end with same note) 6th - cover *guitar/bass swap* thank yous etc 7th - Our song end Edited July 28, 2008 by Sarah5string Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnylager Posted July 28, 2008 Share Posted July 28, 2008 [quote name='OldGit' post='249349' date='Jul 28 2008, 08:55 AM']+1 no drink or drugs before playing Get wasted after if you want but being out of it or "relaxed" [i]never[/i] improves your show.[/quote] Mr Git speak truth. I act as band killjoy bastard and rigorously enforce the '2-pint' rule - no more then 2-pints each before a gig. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGit Posted July 28, 2008 Share Posted July 28, 2008 [quote name='Sarah5string' post='249718' date='Jul 28 2008, 04:09 PM']Well so far our plan is 1st - Our song.... merging straight into 2nd - cover (They both start and finish with the same note) *guitar/bass swap* talking intro etc. 3rd cover 4th cover *guitar swap* possible guitar/bass duet thingy as I don't need to swap. 5th - cover merging into (again both start and end with same note) 6th - cover *guitar/bass swap* thank yous etc 7th - Our song end[/quote] Sounds like agood plan ... with 2nd - cover (They both start and finish with the same note) *guitar/bass swap* talking intro etc. can you start the drums straight away so that the talkie bit can be over the drums, then cue the song start proper once everyone is strapped in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Funk Posted July 28, 2008 Share Posted July 28, 2008 Here's something noone tells you. Make sure you have at least 20 paying "fans" at the gig, otherwise you won't get booked to come back. The other thing is to make sure you make a mental note of everything that goes wrong at the gig so that you come up with ways of dealing with them at the next gig. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xilddx Posted July 28, 2008 Share Posted July 28, 2008 +100 on everything the Old Git said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Funk Posted July 28, 2008 Share Posted July 28, 2008 Oh, another thing. Dress the part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted July 28, 2008 Share Posted July 28, 2008 If you're in Wolverhampton then you could always grab the audience's attention by starting with [b][i]"Hey, Coventry! Good to be here!".[/b][/i] :brow: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xilddx Posted July 28, 2008 Share Posted July 28, 2008 [quote name='Happy Jack' post='249747' date='Jul 28 2008, 04:25 PM']If you're in Wolverhampton then you could always grab the audience's attention by starting with [b][i]"Hey, Coventry! Good to be here!".[/b][/i] :brow:[/quote] Nah, get the singer to scream, "Hello England" in an American accent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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