Tips for the Gigging Guitar Player
Sorry about the long wait on this one but I decided I would wait and do an extra special one. Last weekend I played my first actual gig with a band and to say the least they went well. But playing out in public is an entirely different beast from practicing or rehearsing.
1. Nerves-When I first got on stage I was really nervous. This band had been around before so I was getting held to the old guitarist as a standard. Luckily I surpassed the crowds expectations and I went over very well. Now the band I am in has a traditio of a shot before we play and that does help some but honestly alcohol doesnt help as much as just getting out there and playing in front of people.
2. Focus-I know this sound like something Mr. Miagi would say but its true. You have to completely block everything else out of your mind and focus on playing. Dont worry about the significant other, your job or any other problems you have. It should just be you and the music. Another thing that I have yet to encounter is the negative drunks who just diss on your playing. You have to ignore them because most of the time they dont know what theyre talking about.
3. Be ready for the unexpected-Just one example is this past weekend on the second gig I was about to go into a solo when the PA and my amp and pedalboard died. Luckily we just tripped the power strip but the band kept playing as if the lead singer and myself were still playing. This was my second night of playing, so as you can see it can happen anytime, anywhere and you just have to improvise and take it in stride.
4. Equipment-This goes as unspoken but always make sure you have played the gear a while before you play live with it. My SG untuned during a school concert because I hd played it a week and thought it was fine. Make sure you play a guitar as hard as you can, bend notes as high as possible, use the tremolo bar like Hendix, anything to make sure in wont detune. Also look at the electronics and make sure are connections are solid and soldered correctly because that it a tough thing to fix mid song. Same goes for all other equipment make sure you can trust it. As I said though stuff will go wrong as much as you prepare and be ready for it. If at all possible have back ups. Not just guitars but cables. power supplies, strings, and if possible an amp even. Dont go overboard and have a spare of everything because you can survive without this pedal for a night for this guitar.
5 Volume-This also is should be a no brainer but people sometimes dont realize it. This is hard to say no to because some people rely on volume to get their tone from an amp. My first word of advice here is turn the amp (or cab) around so it faces the wall. Then mic it up and this will reduce how much power you send at the crowd. Now another solution is too find a pedal that gives you a great tone. The chances of a 50 dollar distortion pedal giving you a tone to be proud of are slim to none but look at some of the higher end ones.
6. You will not always have a crowd. I had the impression this band had a huge fan base but honestly its not what i thought it was. Always play as if you packed Madison Square Gardens. Because that one guy in the bar may bring friends, and they may bring friends the next time you play.
Hopefully these tips will help you avoid any major problems the first time you play a gig.
