Be Prepared

[OldStrummer]

Rather than add on to a thread that meanders a bit, I thought I'd start a new one with two purposes: Recommendations and Personal Choices.

My earlier thread, "It Finally Happened" was both a celebration of getting a chance to perform live without (much of) a clock dictating the performance, as well as an sort of unspoken, "What do I do now?" post.

We're now in that last stage.

I had previously mentioned putting together a playlist on an iPad. Offshore Angler (OA - Chuck) correctly observed that using an iPad as "sheet music" (my interpretation) was correct, and I've had terrible times doing so (I carried my iPhone onto a music stand Tuesday and never once looked at it). I suppose I could just write the playlist on paper, but these days I can barely read my own handwriting, so neatly presented on a screen makes more sense to me.

Other things besides the playlist to consider. Starting with: Which guitar? More than one (if I were using different tunings, I would definitely say yes, but I'm not). A tuner is a must. I hate the look of a headstock tuner, but I need to make sure I'm in tune before I start. Extra strings? I haven't broken a string in years, but Murphy...?

My set last Tuesday went very well partly because I remembered to sing into the microphone. Previously, I would look around the audience hoping to "connect" with them, but that caused me to turn away from the mic (I'm still pretty new at this, you know). So, if I focus on singing into the mic, that will keep my head positioned in the same place, which could make it easier to glance at my iPad should I need to jog my memory. Yes? No?

blackonblack (Mark) said that -- again, I'm putting this into my own words, so if I got it wrong, let me know -- it's okay to miss a note or hit the wrong chord, as long as the song goes uninterrupted. Since I'm prone to flubbing, even in practice, if I just play and sing (and I more and more appreciate that the SONG is the thing; the music is just the accompaniment) the main thing is to KEEP THE SONG ON TARGET. That means the timing (see? I do read) and the lyrics form the basis of the song. The rest is icing on the cake.

Have I got the main things down? Am I missing anything, or should I re-think some things? You guys are so much better at this that I value your feedback. It's the main reason I continue to be a member here!

[Offshore Angler]

OS,

Good questions.

First, sit down and write down exactly what your goals are. That's what sets your direction. Do you want to be a solo performer? Be an ensemble player? Sideman or star?

OK Rule number 1: Write this down and repeat it to yourself EVERY TIME YOU PICK UP AN INSTRUMENT, "It's all about the audience". Period. If you're not there to entertain the audience (or get paid!) than why are you there in the first place? I can play for my own pleasure anytime I feel like it. Once I'm onstage I am a performer first and a musician second. That's the cardinal rule. Nobody gives a rat's rectum about your personal feelings or life story unless your mom is in the audience, and she may be jiving you too.

In your case, you tend to be a "sharer" of personal information. DO NOT DO THIS ONSTAGE. In pro performing the only time you talk to the audience is to fill dead air while you address a tuning issue or the sound or light crews are dealing with a technical issue, and to briefly acknowledge the audience. If you feel the audience is indeed into your personal story the pro way to deal with that is to come onstage before the performance begins and have a chat with the audience. Then once you strap on your axe, that's it. Bring out the band, shut up and play your guitar. You don't see Clapton, Richards, John Mayer or Jimmy Page yacking it up. If you wrote the song it's permissible to say no more than a sentence or two to about it but keep it short and ambiguous. The song may resonate with someone for a meaning completely different than what you wrote it for. "I wrote this next one after a bender in Key West, hope you like it" is acceptable but " This is a personal song about my cat dying" is not allowed. Any Kinks covers it's just best to play 'em and leave the commentary out, lol!

Get your set list down, and then beat through it over and over and over and over again until you can play it from beginning to end with no major faux pas or stopping. The musician part of you should be on autopilot when performing. That way you can focus on the audience.

Think of driving a car. You don't consciously think about brakes and clutch and steering, you focus on what's going on around you and drive without thinking about it. If you want to be a good performer that's the level you should be playing-wise. Only at that stage are you truly delivering a quality show. You're "in the zone",grooving. That's only going to come with a lot of practice and stage time. And unless you're a prodigy, showing up once a week to play a different song, one take, every time is a one-way trip to nowhere. Even Larry Carlton gets a couple of takes.

I'm sure others will have some great advice but I guess mine is this - stagecraft and performing is not the same as musicianship. Jimi would never have been famous if he just stood there in street clothes. Truth is, a lot of the audience listens with their eyes, so look the part and convey confidence. If people dig your look and your swagger they'll find a way to like you.

BTW, -Never hurts to put an audience participation song later in the set list to keep them engaged. For a solo balladeer job Sweet Caroline is a good example.

[OldStrummer]

Good stuff, OA. All of it. And I agree. I do tend to introduce the songs I play, giving the composer credit, and a short back story if necessary (I try not to play the same stuff other people do). One other thought came to me: I was told it's best to not start two songs back-to-back in the same key. True?

[Offshore Angler]

Good stuff, OA. All of it. And I agree. I do tend to introduce the songs I play, giving the composer credit, and a short back story if necessary (I try not to play the same stuff other people do). One other thought came to me: I was told it's best to not start two songs back-to-back in the same key. True?

Not necessarily, or else country and bluegrass would never be played at a concert! Southern rock would be problematic too. There are "guitar keys" E, A and G that comprise the lion's share of popular guitar music and that's just the way it is.

Now, what you do want to avoid is same key, same progression and same tempo. Say for example you're in a classic rock cover band. You don't want to put Unchain my Heart and The Thrill is Gone next to each other because they are basically the same song. Tribute bands are also an issue, since say, you cover the Eagles or Tom Petty. You will spend a lot of time in G or A respectively. That's why these bands always had a hired gun guitar player who could write a distinctive hook to make the songs unique.

Don't introduce the song. Nobody cares. If they do, they'll Google it. If you know it's gonna be a crowd pleaser a simple tease is acceptable to whip them up. But that's what we call "Working the crowd," and that's something totally different.

Which brings up another thing I see most amateur musicians fail at - taking compliments. If you nail it onstage and the crowd approves, simply smile and nod your head to acknowledge them. Say nothing.

If after a performance you get praise, a simple "Thank You, I appreciate that" is the correct response. Too often I see performers get into self deprecation and/or technical discussions of the performance. The people don't care and the absolute worst thing you can do is be critical of your performance. That ruins the vibe for them. Just accept the compliment as the gift it was intended to be and say "Thank You." If, however; a girl asks you to autograph any of her body parts it's then acceptable to engage in chit-chat.

Another live performance standby is to circle back to a key via a reprise. Mitch Ryder was the master at this and it's extremely effective for a dance crowd.

The main thing to stive for is controlling the flow of the show and giving the audience a break here and there. Take them on a journey. The last thing you want to do is be like Linda Ronstadt and have no throttle control. It's exhausting to the audience and will wear them down killing the vibe.

And know your audience and the venue. If it's an acoustic coffee house don't come out of the blocks with Eruption. If it's a biker bar don't start with Firefall or America tunes. If it's a stadium start out at four-on-the-floor at 120BPM to let sound get dialed.

All the above is great but realize that the only way you'll get good at it is by doing it a lot and learning from others.

Finally, let me leave you with this: Doing the solo acoustic guy thing can be fun but there is nothing else like playing in a band of great musicians who are your friends. That's when you get good. Take Jimmy Buffet for example. I remember as a young teen seeing him open for Three Dog Night. He stood there alone, in a spotlight by himself and accompanied himself on guitar quite competently. This was around 1974 so it was still in the wake of the folk thing. But that was him paying dues. Before he left us way too soon, every concert was with his awesome band that was just having a party onstage and everyone in the audience was participating.

Moral of the story, if the only audience available to you is a folky coffee house gig, do not fall into the cerebral, melancholy and introspective trap. Be the fun guy!

Chuck

[blackonblack]

To echo and extend on Chucks comments.

Never let your audience ?see behind the curtain?.
They came for entertainment, a change or extension to their current mood so to say. Do not hamper that. It?s like Disney World back in the days, don?t share the items behind the ?magic?, let them just be awed and enjoy.

Just as I said play through any mistake like it didn?t happen, never share them with anyone. Chances are no one noticed. Only musicians normally notice and we all don?t typically point that out to some at the gig. If we know the artist, maybe at some time other than the gig as constructive.

if someone does notice and calls you on it at a gig, simply use the line I learned at my 1st gig at 15:
when you?re professional, you do the best you can.

And leave it at that. Music is like shooting a gun. You can?t call back a mistake. You prepare to not make mistakes.

[OldStrummer]

These are all great tips! Some of them don't apply to me: I don't play in a group, the audience is mostly regulars--who also perform--and at our club, song introductions are almost required.

If, however; a girl asks you to autograph any of her body parts it's then acceptable to engage in chit-chat.

That's never gonna happen to me. Most of the attendees are north of sixty years old. It's not a senior citizen home and we routinely welcome younger performers, but most of the body parts in the room have been replaced, bandaged, or medicated.

Finally, let me leave you with this: Doing the solo acoustic guy thing can be fun but there is nothing else like playing in a band of great musicians who are your friends. That's when you get good. Take Jimmy Buffet for example. I remember as a young teen seeing him open for Three Dog Night. He stood there alone, in a spotlight by himself and accompanied himself on guitar quite competently. This was around 1974 so it was still in the wake of the folk thing. But that was him paying dues. Before he left us way too soon, every concert was with his awesome band that was just having a party onstage and everyone in the audience was participating.

Moral of the story, if the only audience available to you is a folky coffee house gig, do not fall into the cerebral, melancholy and introspective trap. Be the fun guy!

Chuck

We do have some collaborations between members. Some are impromptu and some are practiced. At some future time, I hope to be considered competent enough to be asked to join. Right now, I want the audience to have fun and I want to have fun. And that's an improvement from just wanting to be mistake-proof.

[Offshore Angler]

OS, regarding the point you made about deciding which guitar to use - another kiss of death for a newbie.

Find your fav, and then use it and only it. Play that guitar until it feels like an extension of you. Play it into the ground. Jumping around on guitars will set you back in your progress. Wear it out. No two look, feel and sound the same. If you're fighting new music AND dealing with guitar changes at your stage it will be an impediment.

Even today, I rarely change a guitar during a set. My Lesters are double-ball top-wrapped so string breakage isn't an issue. The CHUCKY-LP style guitar was built with the feel of my favorite Telecaster baseball bat neck. CHUCKY got played and tweaked a few times a week for practice for almost two years before I was ready to play live with it. Midway through a live performance is not when you want to be learning the volume and tone controls on a specific axe.

Thing is, I know my guitars so well I can have them properly EQ'ed and dialed in in less than a minute regardless of the venue. I now have the luxury of a great sound guy who handles this for me but I had to first learn the ropes to be able to communicate to him what I wanted. What type of mic, placement, monitor mix, etc.

Acoustics are even more temperamental, since intonation is always an issue and you need to learn how to tune it to compensate and where to press hard and where a softer touch is required.

As a beginner you have an uphill climb to learn all the sound (stage and FOH) aspects of the biz and constantly changing axes will not make your life easier. Only after you feel you have a single guitar dialed and reliable should you start working in another. The very last thing you need at this phase of your journey is to be fighting or be struggling with sound reinforcement.

But again, nothing is better than practicing until it becomes second nature. There are always distractions onstage. Sagging mic stands, birds and insects, crackling monitors, fistfights, drunks, your team in a tight game on TV, whatever. You need to be so comfortable with your material these things don't throw you.

Chuck