88MVP Posted February 4, 2009 Report Share Posted February 4, 2009 So my first semi-serious band has its first gig coming up in a couple weeks and I wanted to get an idea of what sort of things you guys do with your gigging instruments. So far I've ordered strap locks and a pickholder that stores extras on the back of the headstock. I'm considering blocking the trem cavity (hardly ever use it) and buying locking tuners to reduce tuning issues. Any other suggestions for things to do to get the guitar ready or just general advice on live performance would be most appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpm99 Posted February 4, 2009 Report Share Posted February 4, 2009 Have fun. If your guitar has made it through rehearsals ok, it'll probably be ok in a performance. I'll offer three suggestions, based on my own mistakes. 1. Make sure you have everything you need on stage to get in tune and stay in tune. 2. If you're using any accessories like capos, ebows, or whatever, make sure you don't forget them. 3. Consider your action plan in case you break a string. Sometimes the thrill of crowds and lights make you strum or pick a little harder than usual, and it's not uncommon to break a string in such a situation. Having backup gear is ideal, but you at least want a set of backup strings with you. Generally, like I said, just have fun. You'll be fine! -Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psw Posted February 4, 2009 Report Share Posted February 4, 2009 There are probably lots of things to consider...a spare guitar can be useful...but if not, strings as mentioned is worthwhile and any tools you might need to change them or other things that might need adjustment. Locking tuners can be great for fast string changes without tools...plus the tuning benefits. If using effects, carry a spare battery... Important...carry a spare lead...I bought a new one recently of a good quality and although I don't gig anymore, the first time I did sit in with a "band" it broke...I was able to use the old one and leave off the effects fortunately. Consider security also when playing in some places...it can be easy for someone to walk off with a guitar in a bar or something if the whole band goes off to get a drink...also consider security if leaving a car unattended or during load in and out of a venue... ... It's important to have fun...otherwise what's the point! Fun comes in many flavours though...be true to yourself while working as a team. The cornerstones of sounding "good" is timing and tuning...and this applies to the whole band, including the singer/s. It is possible to have loose timing, even a good thing with a lot of music...but the whole band needs to be in step with this feel. Also...live it is very hard to hear the balance...a critical ear "out front" can really help. The balance between instruments in a band can be very hard to judge. Often if you play in front of your amp, you get a very directional sound and you can sound too loud (to yourself) but hardly heard out front in the context of everything. If you are playing with a PA and a big stage or outdoor festival kind of thing, a lot is detirmined by the guy running the PA mix and what is coming out of the foldback wedges. My experience was in the early eighties playing the small pub circuit in australia. Small rooms, with a little PA for the vocals but all the sound coming from the guitar amps and a hard hitting drummer. This worked out adequately and was similar to our rehearsals...with 70 people in a room though we had to play twice as loud for the same effect and hearing the vocals over that was hard. The final gig with this band after a couple of years...we played a local outdoor music festival in a kind of ampetheatre with lights a big PA and everything miked and a big stage as support for the headliner. We had seen others play for most of the day, but we were not ready for the stage sound in this situation. Although playing as loud as I could, I could only really hear myself and barely the drummer and none of the rhythm guitarist on the other side of the stage (and of course they had the same problem)...never a good thing with timing...plus there was a slapback on the sound from the hill in front where the audience were sitting. To top it off, the foldback monitors were even louder than the guitar amps and when I stepped up to the mic for the first time, it nearly ripped my head off and I could bearly hear my amp behind me at full tilt...hehehe Apparently it didn't sound too bad out the front, but we were playing on automatic I suspect. It might have been good in retrospect to have had an instrumental prepared in this case. Anyway...expect the unexpected! Often bands are not use to rehearsing at stage volumes and things change if there is an audience in the house absorbing the sound...or worse, outside where the wind can carry your sound away. Try not to over stretch your abilities...being on stage can make things come apart if someone forgets to go to the second verse...you don't want to have to stop if this happens, so everyone should be prepared. Also, you don't what to have to have all your concentration absorbed by what you are doing that you are not aware of the audience and what is going on around you. It is easy to turn off to cope with stage fright or nervousness... Leave some space is a good advice, don't feel compelled to always be making a noise. Also...an instrumental or little prepared filler music is really a worthwhile thing. All kinds of things will happen and an awkward silence can be tricky. Should you break a string, could the rest of the band fill for a couple of minutes...if something happens, could you fill in. I used to study a little classical guitar and still have little bits of music that I could fill in on my own when things like this would happen for a few minutes between songs. An instrumental can help bring the band into step and overcome nerves and test out the stage sounds and get into balance. If you are playing for a reasonably long time, you will need a break...even a short time a drink of water is useful to have a round. If you are taking a break, or before you go on...it is a good idea to have some music to play to get people in the mood, introduce the band, or otherwise draw attention to the fact that you are starting. It is a good idea that the music is a little different to what you are playing (don't ever put on the original of a cover you intend to play). Many of these kinds of things are things that big and small acts prepare for (usually deleted from performance DVD's) so it is good to see others perform and how they deal with these things...even better if it is in the same venue. If you are sharing the gig with other bands, it can be good without interfering to help where you can...you may even find you can do gigs together and help in the future...don't interfere with their rituals, but by joining forces you can really help out with a lot of the aspects above (even spare instruments, security, mix, lights...) and they may well do the same for you...at the very least, you can fill out the audience for one another... Anyway...have fun...be prepared but enjoy the ride... good luck... pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crowella Posted February 4, 2009 Report Share Posted February 4, 2009 Pete has pretty much explained everything you really need to know. Security is a really good point. ALWAYS make sure your equipment is safe. That won't be too hard all the time, but as the case here, most bands park just behind their venue and a lot of people walk past cars (usually unlocked) and freely take what they want. Always make sure equipment is locked up safely or locked (if your case has locks on them) One thing I can say from experience is, observe how much room you have to move around on stage. Ideally you want your guitar to be free from any obstacles including walls, amps, other band members and their guitars (I've seen two guitars hit before, not a good outcome). Make sure that before you go on stage, you all have planned spots to be. I went to see a band that my friends are all in, and let me tell you, it wasn't the best stage layout acoustically or physically. One guitarist was out of the light while the other one was behind a block of the PA system. If your band has a few members, look at finding a layout that is comfortable for everyone to express yourself and be free of intrusions. I play bass at church and with 10 members on stage, it can feel cramped, but we've adopted a layout that leaves everyone enough room to at least wave the guitars about. If you are going to make any cool jumping, spinning moves. Know the consequences of failure. I once decided to jump off the drumming platform at school and the end result was a harsh landing backwards. I fortunately saved it by intentionally staying down for about a minute and keeping the bass in the air (no damage to a lent bass, phew). I don't know what genre of music you play, but if you are planning on doing moves, make sure you know you can do them and don't risk them on stage. You can make a fool of yourself and worst of all, damage or break guitars and maybe bones. Enjoy what you play, and be passionate about it. People will enjoy bands when you can see they get into the feel of it. If at all you are feeling nervous, don't look at the crowd, look above them or at the guitar and try not to fiddle around too much with dials and other things onstage. This is because it becomes distracting from the music so only do that if you need to. Last note, most places that allow gigs to happen will do a fair bit for you. They will ensure that the mix is alright and will often put music on before you and queue lights. If you want anything in particular, speak to them. They know a lot about gigging and aren't usually afraid to help you get the best performance out of you. It might also help you get future gigs. And just remember, have fun with it. Many (including myself) wish to be in your position, playing gig's, so just be happy with how it is, and do your best! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpm99 Posted February 4, 2009 Report Share Posted February 4, 2009 Just to add to a could of things Pete pointed out, the person running sound can make or break your night. Make sure you do a good sound check, one instrument at a time, then with everyone playing together. If there's something you don't like, don't be afraid to speak up. Secondly, that was a great point about forgetting second verses and stuff. It happens a lot. Because of that, (ok, and because I like to change things at the spur of the moment to keep music fresh) I make sure all my bands are trained in "follow the leader." You do this exercise in rehearsal. Start playing a song, and intentionally do weird things so everyone will have to concentrate to stay together. Slow down, speed up, put verses/choruses/bridges in really weird places. See if you can mess them up. It's fun, and it makes you a better band. -Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88MVP Posted February 4, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2009 That follow the leader exercise is a really good idea, we haven't done anything like that before. Levels are something i'm definitely concerned with for this show - the vocal mics will be through a PA but we're going to just be cranking the amps for the guitars and bass. Pete, your idea to have someone out in front is a really good idea...Hopefully we'll get the mix right from the start, but if not we can make adjustments early on based on what the guy out front is indicating. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psw Posted February 4, 2009 Report Share Posted February 4, 2009 I'm glad my comments helped...this could be an adventure you will cherish for the rest of your life regardless of where it might lead... ... While loosing a guitar can be bad...loosing a guitar during or before the gig can be worse...the show must go on! Playing with instrument amps and a vocal PA is an acquired skill...much of it you will have developed in rehearsal. Unfortunately, it is pretty much a fact that you can't tell from the stage, especially at rock drumming levels (remember, if the drums aren't mic'ed you can only play as loud as he can) while standing in front of your own amp what the 'band' sounds like to an audience. Also...with any small combo amp, always elevate it above the floor...remember that the chair or whatever you use in rehearsal may not be there at the gig and somethings are not suitable for this use...the vibration of the amps and stage enough to make amusing spinal tap moments as your amp falls off (and if valve, all the tubes break!). For the above two reasons alone, it is good to have a non-playing member of the band and that they are included as much as possible (in rehearsals and at gigs) to monitor the sound out the front and mind the gear or stage. They should have a role in the band and like what you do and have an interest in some of the technology perhaps and perhaps even be able to take the money at the door at some gigs or help load equipment and such. Yes, a roadie if you like...these hanger-on's are the unsung heros of even the smaller bands...if you are being paid, give that guy a cut to, however small...hell, he might even be the kind of guy to become a manager as well! ... The other things that I did forget to mention... Generally in a live gig, people tend to play faster...or speed up during a song. It is important to watch that...often you may not hear it as faster due to the adrenaline rush...until you get to some complicated part that you can't play at that speed (another use for the guy out the front...to indicate you are going too fast!). Also, often bands will play too fast because they are so familiar with the music in rehearsal...but an audience is not likely to have heard you before and if it is all too much, too soon they just won't get it (nor understand the lyric delivery). An audience can really soak up the sound...creating a very dead room (that's a lot of padding in people). The result is the temptation to play louder to compensate (it will sound about the same as rehearsals perhaps) but remember the drummer can only play so loud! Forcing the drummer to hit harder seriously messes with their ability to play...so be aware...and there is a limit to what he can do. ... I know there are some other really common things to consider...but I've forgotten...but there are some good books about it, and going and seeing how others work things can be extremely constructive... otherwise, have fun...and aim to entertain so they will have you back again...don't forget you are playing to an audience, it's what they think that really matters nice thread...brings back memories... pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marksound Posted February 4, 2009 Report Share Posted February 4, 2009 One more thing: NO NOODLING BETWEEN SONGS! I hate that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted February 5, 2009 Report Share Posted February 5, 2009 NO NOODLING BETWEEN SONGS! You can say that again...damn that sucks...hate that...it should be hell on earth with complete silence between firestorms... hmm...a little flowery there.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted February 5, 2009 Report Share Posted February 5, 2009 Really gotta stop posting while under the influence,don't I? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88MVP Posted February 5, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2009 One more thing: NO NOODLING BETWEEN SONGS! I hate that. Haha, no worries about noodling. We've got the set list planned out in groups of 2-3 songs back to back with no real pause in playing. Raising the amps up off the ground is another thing I hadn't thought about (playing for a larger group of people is entirely new to me). Should i attempt to angle it upwards with one of those amp stands or is just getting it a few feet higher off the ground good enough? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Narcissism Posted February 5, 2009 Report Share Posted February 5, 2009 Hahaha, i'm guilty of noodling in my early gigs. I turn the volume off on my bass now and just do whatever I gotta get out of my system before the next song starts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickguard Posted February 10, 2009 Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 I have an amp stand -- it angles the amp back so you can direct the sound to your ears, not your feet or your butt (in the case of a chair). If you're miked, of course, you can get the amp through the monitor, but I still like to have the sound coming from behind me. You can achieve much the same thing with a piece of two-by-four though. One thing I've found is that every gig is going to sound differently-- and it's not always going to sound great up there, but it's up to you to pull it together and put on a show anyway. Show is really important -- most people will forgive a bit of roughness to the sound if you're entertaining them. Nothing worse than watching a bunch of nervous guys stare at their instruments (and yeah, no noodling). If you're having fun, then the people watching you will have fun too. So the stage is definitely the place to let loose. The more 'real' you look as you're playing, the more people will take you seriously, the more fun they'll have too. Which also means, the less downtime, the better (unless your singer is good at banter) -- so you need to be sure your guitar is going to stay tuned (but you should have a pedal tuner with a mute function too). So whatever works--locking tuners, string savers, blocking the trem. Some people never go out of tune, some guitars just naturally hold up well. I find that my maple neck guitars are more stable tuning-wise. It definitely helps to uncase the guitar and let it sit out on the stage for a good period of time before the set. That's not always possible though. But if you don't have tuning issues during practice, you might not have problems during the set (although it's more difficult to control the temperature/humidity changes, especially if there are lights). Personally, I get too amped up to be able to stop and tune during a set, so I make my guitars as tune-proof as possible. Strap locks are a necessity. I also use those little tab-like things that slip on over the button and spin to lock down. Oh, and make sure you loop your lead through your strap, so you don't accidentally step on it and pull it out. Ditto with the amp side--the lead should be wrapped around the handle, it'll keep the lead from getting bent when the bass player steps on it. And the bass player will step on everything. Guaranteed. I wouldn't worry about the pick holder thing, but I never drop picks. But it'd be just as easy taking them from a pocket, or from a piece of tape stuck to a mike stand or whatever. Getting on stage to play is something you learn how to do too. The only way to practice that though is to get on stage. (With my current group, we occasionally invite people to come watch our practices, we'll end up doing a set for them, it's a lot of fun). There's nothing better than being onstage though, especially when it's all flowing, and it clicks with the audience. You get this energy from them...it really feels like flying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The royal consort Posted March 8, 2009 Report Share Posted March 8, 2009 Advice is simple. Spare strings!!!! (NEVER FORGET THESE) New batteries in all effects. (Very important) + 1/2 spare anyway extention cable for amp power lead / effects power (used 3 times so far (dont under estimate)). Spare leads (guitar / patch). Extra strap.... if using a valve amp spare fuse/power tubes not a bad idea + a backup amp if you are really paranoid (I dont bring an amp but have fuses....) Dont leave your plectrums at home!!!! (I'm famous for this trick) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SocialDistortionFan Posted March 8, 2009 Report Share Posted March 8, 2009 nothing new to add, but just another vote for "spare strings" and "have fun". maybe a small towel to wipe the neck down between songs, if you sweat a lot. gets hot up there. do a set-up, or get one done beforehand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sami Ghouri Posted March 8, 2009 Report Share Posted March 8, 2009 this is not exactly an advice coz it's quite intuitive, but if you're using midi pedals (especially those little buggers with only two buttons -bank up bank down thingies- ) make sure the cable is plugged all the way through *grumble grumble* there's nothing more awesome than having to swithc to/from distortion and ending up with the same sound! I was doing an Iced Earth watching over me cover once and my amp decided to just stare at me and blink (tap tempo LED ) when i was switching from distortion to clean! wasn't funny at the time but now it's hilarious! Little did i know was that my footswitch jack wasn't plugged all the way in so when i kicked the footswitch during the show it got disconnected. Oh, and MAKE SURE UR HANDS ARE WARM! this gets VERY ugly sometimes! in the land of the unholy deserts (here) temperatures are scorching usually, but the AC's don't have mercy for the weak... so make sure u run ur hands under hot water and then have them dried by the dryer in the washroom.... SERIOUSLY.... this is the only advice i can add to all the great stuff mentioned above! (which i personally went "AAAAHHHHH" to a lot of times! so thanks you guys) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted March 8, 2009 Report Share Posted March 8, 2009 Sorry I didn't have time to read the above posts, so i'll answer the original question directly and hopefully I might even bring something new to the table :-D Straplocks are a good idea, just make sure it'll still fit in your case and on your stand....this didn't happen with my Rhoads and the Dunlops I installed :-D Check the grounding on your instrument - has it been shielded in the cavity and are there any ground loops? At BIG volumes, having a slightly hummy instrument become an annoyance. Clean the pots and jack socket for good measure. I hate Switchcrafts for failing on me in this respect. I wouldn't worry about blocking off your (I presume floating) trem unless you can get it done and have a week of grace to make sure the new setup and tension feeling is okay with you. That could just be an annoyance you don't want. Clean your instrument top to bottom. Lubricate string paths over the saddles and nut break points. Polish the frets with chrome polish or similar - mask the fretboard and neck off with masking tape. Replace the strings a couple of days prior, and give them a good playing for a few hours to stretch them in. Warm up yourself and your instrument before the gig with some scales and progression exercises so you go into it relaxed and fluid. Don't replace the tuners at this stage unless you genuinely have tuning issues at the moment that you really need to eliminate. Do this on the same basis as blocking off your trem. You need time to do this, and doing it for a gig is probably not the best time to be doing it. Get some good boots that won't slip on a beery stage. Hope something in this ramble helped, perhaps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sand Paper Posted March 10, 2009 Report Share Posted March 10, 2009 This is what works for me, and I've been known to be an idiot at times. I just do a normal cleaning and setup type thing. I also put the black DR coated strings on the black guitars for extra metal points and difficulty on a dark stage. I check out the electronics and hardware and fix any issues I've found. I Play the guitars a little bit to make sure they stay in tune and then just put them away until the show. When we arrive at the venue we like to get the gear in ASAP so it can acclimate. I'd say a lot of the fine tuning and any issues happen at the venue it's self. After it's all loaded in I usually open stuff and check it out, including guitars. Then I go drink Guinness (or any good beer the bar stocks) for a little bit (do not get drunk in advance). Depending on how much beer I have drank I may stop drinking an hour or so before we go on. 30 minutes before our set I bust out the guitars and start tuning them. I then play through all the difficult parts of the songs so I can warm up and practice those at the same time. With about 5 minutes left to go, sometimes I feel sleepy because my buzz from the Guinness is wearing off. There's two types of this, one is you just feel sluggish. This is normal and can be fixed with my awesome ritual. One shot of Wild Turkey and then chug a beer for a chaser. That'll bring the buzz back fast and the turkey will get you rowdy. However you can always go for the super win with ritual #2. Make the bartender get you a cup of coffee and then pour Wild Turkey into that and then sugar and cream to taste. A double shot will do it on the booze. This brings the buzz back, gets you rowdy, and then gets you speeding on the awesomely strong bar coffee. Then you just go and play and then you load out and that's it. Now you can get drunk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88MVP Posted March 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 (edited) I just want to thank everybody for the advice on here. The show was about two weeks ago now and by all accounts it went really well. Turnout of about 5-600 people (wayyy more than I've ever played in front of before). I felt like I was personally a little bit sloppy with all of the nerves, but all of the comments after the set were complimentary, so maybe it wasn't as bad as I thought. One thing that I wasn't fully ready for was how different playing in a large room sounds. The amps weren't mic'd so there were no monitors and I could not hear our other guitarist on the other side of the stage at all. As far as I was concerned I was just playing with our drummer by myself and hoping that we were all in time together. Our other guitarist accidentally yanked his lead out of his pedal board momentarily - fortunately it was a part of the song where we were both playing the same thing so I don't think too many people even noticed. Lesson learned for next time. All in all it was a blast - we're cutting a demo soon and trying to get more gigs. Edited March 11, 2009 by 88MVP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sand Paper Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 I never worry about my own playing anymore. I've personally bombed shows only to have people come up right after and say how amazing it was. I tend to freak out before shows because I want everything to be perfect. Guitars, amps, picks, cables, etc. The best shows my band has played are the ones where we somehow just didn't care about much. Not that the show wasn't important it's just that it didn't seem like a huge giant big deal those times. Relaxing is a major part in playing well and presenting a good musical experience on stage. If you're having fun, the audience is having fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted March 12, 2009 Report Share Posted March 12, 2009 The warm hands thing is really good advice...but I would take it a step further. Ever notice the Metal Monsters of the day all wear forearm padding?That is for warmth...as are the fingerless gloves some of them wear... Cold hands can ruin your life.It has happened to me more than once...nothing sucks more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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