So, I got a gig.....

[mangotango]

...on Sunday, and I'm more than a little nervous. It's a dep for the band of the drummer who runs the Workshop Band with which I was playing regularly up to Xmas of last year.  Venue is the Bandstand in Priory Park, Southend-On-Sea. 

An hour's worth of Jazz standards, so I hope that I should be able to cope with that. I've done a fair amount of practice.  I was originally going to try to do the gig on the 5-string fretless because of the gorgeous sound, but I'm going to go for the soft option of the 4-string fretted. After all, the tone of the fretless would impress if I want to overwhelm people with sound...but first time out with this lot, I reckon that not having to worry about my intonation and playing in tune is going to work better on the "being called back" front.

But overall...?  Yes, there's not having played with other people since March, during which time I've been suffering from (and treated for) RSI of the left wrist. I'm getting through that so it shouldn't bother me.

No, it's the Social Distancing thing.  Most of all, it's the whole Covid thing. I'm not young, I'm definitely not skinny - so I'm at risk.  I'm sure that I've got enough anti-bac, I should be far enough away from people  - but you never know. 

On the other hand, I could just sit at home for the rest of my life.

 

Thoughts?

[gjones]

Definitely sit at home for the rest of your life.

I'm being sarcastic..........go for it!

[lozkerr]

35 minutes ago, mangotango said:

there's not having played with other people since March

I'm in the same boat - our last gig was in March and since then we've picked another set o twelve songs. I can play them all quite happily, but I'm swithering between champing at the bit tae get oot there again and shitein ma trews at the thought o playing anywhere outside my living room. Had a wee health scare too - I ended up in A&E with a suspected cerebral haemorrhage the other week. That was Not Fun. Thankfully, I'm OK.

From our regular Zoom chats, it looks like the rest o the band are in the same boat (A&E visits excepted!). We've all slipped back and although no-one's said it out loud, it looks like we'll be terrible when we get back together.

Thing is though, many musos, both amateur and professional, will be in a similar situation. There's nothing we can do about it other than to recognise where we all are and put some effort intae recovering lost ground.

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

Go for it. We were offered a gig at Garon Park at the end of the month, but our drummer is unavailable.
Do ‘em when you can.

Edited August 7, 2020 by hiram.k.hackenbacker

[mangotango]

Well, it all went OK. I only tried to start one song in the wrong key (had been changed the day before), but everything else pretty good.

Now there's another one for the jazz originals band, same venue, 13 Sept, and potentially another for that band in Ilford in October.

 

And now...I can't flippin' wait.

[bassace]

Great! Keep doing it, but stay safe.