thorvaldsen76
58 posts
Apr 01, 2010
11:00 AM
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So,the time has finally come.. Been playing for three years. The last year with my brother on guitar and just practising at home. Faith jumped in and my girlfriend got a new friend in our sons kindergarden.. Turned out her husband is a drummer.. With 25 years of experience.. And he would love to do something else and learn blues. This is a guy who has been playing 20-25 gigs a year. He knew a bassplayer with the same experience who also wanted to play blues. So,we are now a full band.. First gig probably 30th of April. And I'm scared as hell!!
We've practised about 3-4 times and we actually doesn't sound bad. Since my brother has played guitar and drums for many years I'm the one with the least experience. Of course I think I'm very fortunate to play with guys that are better that me. It's really inspiring:)
But,like I said. I'm scared man! We're just playing on a local pub and there won't be a lot of people.. But still! It's my first gig..
So,therefor I have a question for you guys. Do you have any good advise for my debut? The drummer has one motto:"If you play wrong,do it with style and just put the pedal to the floor". That's a good one,I think.
Share your wisdom,mighty forum-members!!!
Kent Erik
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Cisco
100 posts
Apr 01, 2010
11:09 AM
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Remember if you hit a bad note - you're playing jazz!!!!
Just try to stay relaxed and only focus on the other band members with lots of eye contact - not the audience. After your first set you'll feel a lot better and the second set will be much more fun. Always keep telling yourself to play relaxed - and focus on doing just that. Pay attention when you start to get the least bit stressed and focus to RELAX!! Most folks in the audience wouldn't notice a bad note ever. You are your worst critic.
After the entire gig I'm sure you'll be quite psyched about how well it went and you won't be able to sleep well at all that night. It all just goes with the territory of gigging live.
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toddlgreene
1121 posts
Apr 01, 2010
11:29 AM
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If you or any of the other players make a mistake during a song-DON'T stop playing! Chances are no one will notice a little flub, but if you stop playing altogether they will.
Dress to impress.
Smile a lot-music is supposed to be fun, so it should appear to be fun!
Clean and check your all of your harps before the show, and do a quick function check right before you take the stage. Spare harps in the keys you will be playing are a good idea.
Tell everyone you know about the gig, and encourage them to do the same. Use Facebook, Myspace, Craiglist(if you have it where you live), and any local music classifieds/online bulletin boards you can find. Gotta do PR! If you bring a good crowd and play halfway decent, the owner will probably ask you back.
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Todd L Greene. V.P.
Last Edited by on Apr 01, 2010 11:31 AM
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congaron
746 posts
Apr 01, 2010
11:30 AM
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Breathe....but don't hyperventilate...lol. If you are also the lead singer, have some hip pocket rhyming phrases in your head..you may have to think fast. Make everything look intentional.....no telegraphing the mistakes. Something WILL happen, probably several things will happen. Treat it like a practice with a friendly neighborhood crowd gathered to hear.
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captainbliss
16 posts
Apr 01, 2010
11:51 AM
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Scared?
GREAT!!!
That's how it's supposed to be.
Advice?
Enjoy being scared beforehand (it means you're about to do something new and exciting), enjoy the rehearsals, enjoy checking your gear before you head off the venue, enjoy the soundcheck, enjoy the gig itself, enjoy things going right, enjoy things going wrong, enjoy the buzz afterwards...
Enjoy!
xxx
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Kyzer Sosa
258 posts
Apr 01, 2010
12:00 PM
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the energy hums from the amplifiers, imperceptibly among the crowd. The butterflies make their way from your stomach to your throat and hands, you start to feel a warmth come over you. Then something happened. It was magic. The few times we had practiced all went out the door once that sweet rush of adrenaline hit.
The next few moments can only be described as an elevation. Sure, we werent 100%, and a few of us missed a cue or two, but it was so minor, we all treated it accordingly and moved on. The crowd didnt stop dancing so...
it was a welcomed feeling for me bro. Embrace the fear and anxiety. it will pull out the best mojo, i swear...
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Kyzer's Travels
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Joch230
62 posts
Apr 01, 2010
12:26 PM
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Sometimes, if you hit a bad note, repeat it again like you meant to do it....in jazz....they call them "tension notes"!
John
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toddlgreene
1123 posts
Apr 01, 2010
12:29 PM
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I've been playing live for over 20 years, and I still get a little nervous pre-show. But, once on stage and as soon as I sing or play the very first note-the nervousness is gone, and the high begins(a natural high, unless someone in the front row has something illegal;-D).
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Todd L Greene. V.P.
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thorvaldsen76
59 posts
Apr 01, 2010
2:14 PM
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A lot of good advises! Thank you guys!!
I do some comedy on radio and for christmas-parties and so on,so I have some experience on standing in front a crowd. So that's useful!
Thankfully,I don't sing.. It's better that way. For me and the listeners:)
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Tuckster
454 posts
Apr 01, 2010
2:58 PM
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As long as you start and end songs right,people will forget what you screwed up in the middle. Just relax and have a good time.
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eharp
594 posts
Apr 01, 2010
3:01 PM
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the folks i have started to play with had the annoying habit of stopping completely if the forget something or make a mistake. it took a while for me to train them to play on or catch up where they are comfortable.
i stay very ready in case one forgets it is their lead part. i consider myself the fireman, there to put out the flames if they begin to crash and burn.
since you have the least experience, i would pick a starter that you really dig playing!
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Cisco
102 posts
Apr 01, 2010
3:11 PM
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The last couple of years I was the "fireman" for the band and the bass player and I watched everyone's performance, ready to turn on a dime if anything unusual happened and bring it back together. At least no one ever stopped when they made a mistake.
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oda
256 posts
Apr 01, 2010
3:13 PM
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Thor, the plural for advice is advici not "advises". Please edit your post.
If ya do some public speaking, then you're already ahead of the game!..try being a shy house-wife who secretly learns the harp in the basement when everyone is away, and then suddenly being discovered by someone who was walking by and heard the sweet melancholy-filled sound of a Hohner Special 20 in the Key of G(purchased from ebay)
How would you feel about your first gig then? in comparison.
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clyde
25 posts
Apr 01, 2010
3:16 PM
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when you make a mistake....don't stomp your foot....don't make a sour face....don't say well (@#&*).....when the others make a mistake don't look at them with that what the (%$#@!) look.....
have fun and listen and watch everyone...things might get a little loose....but pay attention and they'll tighten back up.
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Cisco
103 posts
Apr 01, 2010
3:29 PM
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Good advice clyde and the audience will never know. We usually just give a sly smiling glance to the culprit and they smile back.
The worst train wreck I ever had was when we had two Delbert McClinton songs in our set list. Even though I made up set lists that were at the feet of every player one of the guitarists and the drummer started on the wrong Delbert song while me (bass) and the other guitarist started on the correct Delbert song. There was no way to recover after two bars and we all just stopped and laughed out loud and then tore into the correct song.
No matter what happens - have fun with it and chalk it up as a learning experience.
Last Edited by on Apr 01, 2010 3:40 PM
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eharp
595 posts
Apr 01, 2010
3:36 PM
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we did a gig where we have a specific type of ending. somebody always messed it up in practice. a week before a gig, we began nailing it. at the gig, keyboard and guitar forgot what we had practiced countess times. as it was the last song of the set, and we were getting crowd response, i told the crowd we screwed up the ending and asked if they would mind if we tried it again.
we nailed it the 2nd time!
lol
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nacoran
1540 posts
Apr 01, 2010
4:03 PM
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Dress for success- Didn't we have a whole big thread on this? I'd just add the dressing for success can mean a lot of different things. In a punk bar if you show up in lederhosen your in trouble, but it might be totally appropriate at certain venues. I'm personally of the opinion that maybe one of the reasons blues has a hard time connecting with the younger audiences is we all show up looking like old men. (No offense to old men, you all look dapper, but the kids may think you are about to yell at them to get off your lawn!)
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Nate
Facebook
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thorvaldsen76
60 posts
Apr 01, 2010
4:27 PM
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Well,like I said,the drummer and bassplayer have been around a long time and they never stop. If we screw up on practise they just keep on rolling.. It's very good to know:)
I recon we'll start with Meet me in the bottom.. The way we play it it's a nice start for me. No solo,just some simple stuff to fill in:) More like a warm up,sort of.. The songs we have on our list,at this time are:
Meet me in the bottom
Baby,scratch my back
Last night
Lookin' for trouble
My little machine
Nine below zero
Honey hush
Going to Dallas
Got love if you want it
and a couple of songs my brother has made.. And we'll see what else we want to play..
When it comes to clothes,I think we will dress casual.. Nothing fancy.. It's a bar in Norway,out on the country-side. The goal for people here is to fuck,fight and puke before the night is through.. Before twelve o'clock if you're real lucky..
And to those who think my English suck: my English is better than your Norwegian..:)
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bluemoose
155 posts
Apr 01, 2010
4:40 PM
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Well if it's "fuck,fight and puke" in that order you might want to move "Got love if you want it" up with "Baby Scratch My Back", leave "Lookin' for Trouble" in the middle but drop "Nine below Zero" and "My Little Machine" down towards the end. :)
The only Norwegian thing I know is you make a passable Aquavit.
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NiteCrawler .
57 posts
Apr 01, 2010
4:42 PM
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As e-Harp mentioned,be sure to start with the a couple of tunes that you are most comfortable with,the most rock solid/tight tunes.You should be able to feel the crowd out pretty much after those and I presume if you and your group are tight you should be well received.And as Todd,I believe said bring in some of your posse for some extra crowd support.Once you play one or two #,s and have the people diggin what they,re hearing your nervousness should turn into positive energy which should make for a great gig.(as long as your material catches the ears of the listeners)Also try to avoid any dead space between songs and in the case of a harp key switch,make sure someone else in the group keeps the crowd interested with some type of B.S. chatter.Make sure your on the same page with your players when it comes to proper keys g-tar / harp.Aside from that as long as nobody gets too smashed up before your debut,I think things will go just fine.Have faith and let us know how you did.All The Best
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eharp
598 posts
Apr 01, 2010
4:57 PM
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good call, nitecrawler.
the drummer has jokes written out and while the guitar player re-tunes, the drummer tells a couple of jokes.
definitely acknowledge the crowd, by name for your friends and with eye contact for the others.
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jawbone
299 posts
Apr 01, 2010
8:10 PM
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Hey Thor - Can you get the same pants the Norwegian Curling Team had?? That should make a statement!!
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If it ain't got harp - it ain't really blues!!!!
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alleycatjoe
49 posts
Apr 01, 2010
9:14 PM
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dont let anybody know its your first gig. play instrumentals to get relaxed. in vocals besides the guitar also give drummer and bass player solos crowds like that and it gives you a chance to rest. i wouldnt drink too much before or during the gig -save that for after the gig, i know thats hard to do in norway but you will be more in control of your set and your intonation and what your doing . the other guys are pros they know what to do. in US when it comes to tipping we always say dont forget the waitress and the bartenders . that usually gets them on your side . i dont know if that applies in norway. most of the time people dont have a clue if you've made a mistake unless your playing in the wrong key, if you make a mistake dont stop -keep playing ,relax and listen and get into the music let it happen and dont try to watch yourself as you are playing. good luck and btw i wouldnt bring your girl friend to the gig, that might make you nervous plus there is always a ton of girls around that love harp players and they might even inspire you to play better.
good luck
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thorvaldsen76
61 posts
Apr 02, 2010
12:24 AM
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Lots of useful stuff,people! I'll let you guys know how it went after it's done:)
Alleycatjoe: I'm not going to drink before the gig!
jawbone: if you think the pants they wore at the Olympics is a statement,you should have seen the pants they wanted to wear in the World Championship. They were not allowed to wear them! I had no clue that curling was such a rebel sport;)
Once again,thanks for the help!
Kent Erik
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