Are you in a band/do you gig?

[TelePaul]

Or rather...should I, TelePaul, endeavour to play a show in front of a real live audience???

I've been thinking about this a while. I've been playing guitar since I was 14 and can handle your typical classic rock/bluesy covers, and I also have a leaning towards folk-rock. I've jammed with a good number of people over the years and can handle basic bass and drum duties too. But for whatever reason, I've never been in a position to pull together a gig-worthy 'band'.

I think the reason for this is because I've jammed with alot of people who love the idea of music but don't want to put in the hard work...it seems that, especially when I was younger, around 17 or 18, the people I played with assumed that owning an instrument entitled you to play it on stage. Now personally, I'd rather give the performance of my life in my living room than deliver artless trash to the masses...but alot of people seem to think differently.

For example, I have this friend who is in the process of learning guitar. He's just beginning, so obviously, he's struggling with various techniques and the basic conceptsr, like we all did. But the guy mentions he has played twice with his old man in a few bars in town. I was pretty stunned at this...what happened to knowing your limits?

But rather than just scorning those who are making a go of it, I'm leaning more and more towards giving it a shot myself, irrespective of the quality...seems everyone else is....what say ye who are in the know?

[zed32]

i've played dozens upon dozens of gigs on bass and drums, and maybe a few on guitar. ehhh it's no big deal. if you wanna do it, then do it. i don't really care personally, since the most enjoyment i get out of playing a gig is collecting the cash. i never get that feeling like OMG i'm on stage performing for a crowd it feels totly AWESOME!!! some people do, i really dont. to me its fun playing music regardless of the situation, although for whatever reason i do feel like i'm playing my tightest when its gig time (but i guess that's the point).

[ggunn]

Originally Posted by TelePaul

Or rather...should I, TelePaul, endeavour to play a show in front of a real live audience???

I've been thinking about this a while. I've been playing guitar since I was 14 and can handle your typical classic rock/bluesy covers, and I also have a leaning towards folk-rock. I've jammed with a good number of people over the years and can handle basic bass and drum duties too. But for whatever reason, I've never been in a position to pull together a gig-worthy 'band'.

I think the reason for this is because I've jammed with alot of people who love the idea of music but don't want to put in the hard work...it seems that, especially when I was younger, around 17 or 18, the people I played with assumed that owning an instrument entitled you to play it on stage. Now personally, I'd rather give the performance of my life in my living room than deliver artless trash to the masses...but alot of people seem to think differently.

For example, I have this friend who is in the process of learning guitar. He's just beginning, so obviously, he's struggling with various techniques and the basic conceptsr, like we all did. But the guy mentions he has played twice with his old man in a few bars in town. I was pretty stunned at this...what happened to knowing your limits?

But rather than just scorning those who are making a go of it, I'm leaning more and more towards giving it a shot myself, irrespective of the quality...seems everyone else is....what say ye who are in the know?

Nothing will help you progress as a player in the same way that playing out will, no matter what level player you are. When you're out there in front of strangers, you have only one chance to get it right. It gives you focus. It also helps (demands) you develop the skill of recovering quickly and gracefully from mistakes.

Applause is also highly addictive.

[zed32]

Originally Posted by ggunn

It also helps (demands) you develop the skill of recovering quickly and gracefully from mistakes.

what mistakes?

the gigging experience does help you to cover up any flubs and make it sound like you did that on purpose. the worst thing you can do though is when someone fucks up, turn around and stare at them and shit. you gotta make sure all the band members are on the same page, if someone screws up, you all gotta pretend like it never happened. i was in a band with a bass player who would always turn around and stare at you and shake his head whenever someone would mess up. pissed me off. especially because he was by far the one who would mess up the most.

[starbuck26]

Originally Posted by TelePaul

Or rather...should I, TelePaul, endeavour to play a show in front of a real live audience???

I've been thinking about this a while. I've been playing guitar since I was 14 and can handle your typical classic rock/bluesy covers, and I also have a leaning towards folk-rock. I've jammed with a good number of people over the years and can handle basic bass and drum duties too. But for whatever reason, I've never been in a position to pull together a gig-worthy 'band'.

I think the reason for this is because I've jammed with alot of people who love the idea of music but don't want to put in the hard work...it seems that, especially when I was younger, around 17 or 18, the people I played with assumed that owning an instrument entitled you to play it on stage. Now personally, I'd rather give the performance of my life in my living room than deliver artless trash to the masses...but alot of people seem to think differently.

For example, I have this friend who is in the process of learning guitar. He's just beginning, so obviously, he's struggling with various techniques and the basic conceptsr, like we all did. But the guy mentions he has played twice with his old man in a few bars in town. I was pretty stunned at this...what happened to knowing your limits?

But rather than just scorning those who are making a go of it, I'm leaning more and more towards giving it a shot myself, irrespective of the quality...seems everyone else is....what say ye who are in the know?

No matter what level you play at--virtuoso or shitty (like me)--if you're really in the music you'll only hear your mistakes. I say this because for me playing music is a constant struggle to match the sound of my guitar/band to the ideal sound I have in my head. It's only ever happened a handful of time in little snippets.

I think the more I learn the more I feel this way. The better I get the more complex and subtle the 'ideal' gets, and I'm left chasing it. Every night.

That said, never stepping in front of an audience leaves everything basically unfinished. And there's a whole realm of experience I feel I've developed as a gigging guitar player that I could never replicate playing in my home. Everything from getting through a song with a broken string to equipment failures, changing parts of a song on the fly when someone fucks up/has a moment of 'inspiration.'

But in the end I feel like most musicians are much harder on themselves than they ought to be. When I go to a show I don't notice any of the minor mistakes/flubs/whathaveyou. What I do notice is when people really put themselves into it. If a band is really enjoying what they do, I usually enjoy it.

And, in the end, whenever I get nervous I try to remind myself that if the bar stopped serving drinks the place would clear out pretty quick. Sure people like the music, but they're also looking to unwind and spend time with friends. They're not judging too harshly.

And every now and then you meet someone who is judging you. Say thanks and go out for a cigarette. Harsh criticism dissipates faster than the smoke from your lungs.

[muttley600]

TP, I've played literally thousands of gigs, in dozens of bands. Currently a fixture in three and dep in at least a dozen more. I play in jam sessions, pub sessions, sit in with any band that will give me a stool and I've never been very good, at least by my own judgement. Music is unique among the arts in that it is at it's best when it is immediate and done right there in front of you. Rivalled only by dance and I suck worse at that.

Music is not a competitive sport, it doesn't have to be polished, it doesn't have to be perfect, it doesn't have to be aloof. In fact it has to be the opposite of all those things. The one thing it has to be is fun for both the performer and the listener. Work on that and you've cracked it.

When I was a kid it was expected that you had been gigging for months even years with a band before you even started thinking about recording anything simply because that's the way it was. Shows how things have changed.

Do your self a favour get out there and move some air.

[muttley600]

Originally Posted by zed32

what mistakes?

the gigging experience does help you to cover up any flubs and make it sound like you did that on purpose. the worst thing you can do though is when someone fucks up, turn around and stare at them and shit. you gotta make sure all the band members are on the same page, if someone screws up, you all gotta pretend like it never happened. i was in a band with a bass player who would always turn around and stare at you and shake his head whenever someone would mess up. pissed me off. especially because he was by far the one who would mess up the most.

Amen brother. You gotta respect the rest of the band and when we make mistakes or what we call "fall off it" you gotta just run with it. These days as band members we all laugh at each other when it happens because as I've pointed out before, "the man who never made a mistake never made nuffin"

[DrewPeterson7]

Originally Posted by TelePaul

I was pretty stunned at this...what happened to knowing your limits?

Grunge.



(To be fair, Kurt Cobain was the reason I picked up a guitar)

Just go out there and do it, man. Gigging rules, it's one of the greatest feelings in the world.

I'm not currently with a band - drummers are tough to find around here - but in high school and college I was gigging pretty regularly. I miss it.

[Zaphod B]

Originally Posted by ggunn

Nothing will help you progress as a player in the same way that playing out will, no matter what level player you are. When you're out there in front of strangers, you have only one chance to get it right. It gives you focus. It also helps (demands) you develop the skill of recovering quickly and gracefully from mistakes.

Applause is also highly addictive.

Well said, ggunn.

[Zaphod B]

You know how you see guitarists who are still learning, not quite ready for prime time, sitting down playing you a song, and every time they trip over a chord or a bit of timing, they'll stop, say, "wait a minute," and restart at that point, until they hit the next rough patch, and stop......

....You can't do this live and and you will become a much better player for it.

Go for it, Telepaul.

[TelePaul]

Originally Posted by DrewPeterson7

Grunge.



(To be fair, Kurt Cobain was the reason I picked up a guitar)

I was always more of a Neil Young fan. Remind me to post a mix of my friends band - Celtic Prog Grunge!

[DrewPeterson7]

Originally Posted by TelePaul

I was always more of a Neil Young fan. Remind me to post a mix of my friends band - Celtic Prog Grunge!

Please do, lol.

[starbuck26]

Originally Posted by TelePaul

Celtic Prog Grunge!

Christ. Don't tell me they exist outside of Boston.

[muttley600]

Originally Posted by TelePaul

I was always more of a Neil Young fan. Remind me to post a mix of my friends band - Celtic Prog Grunge!

In which case have you seen the bit in "Live Rust" where during a great version of "The Thrasher" he forgets the words? He just resolves it himself with a little inward smile and confidence.

[lpdeluxe]

Originally Posted by ggunn

Nothing will help you progress as a player in the same way that playing out will, no matter what level player you are. When you're out there in front of strangers, you have only one chance to get it right. It gives you focus. It also helps (demands) you develop the skill of recovering quickly and gracefully from mistakes.

Applause is also highly addictive.

I could not say it better. Gigging gives you confidence on several levels...speaking as one who goes back and forth between gigging and recording, I love both, but you'll never get that adrenaline rush from playing with friends or recording that you get when an audience spontaneously breaks into applause. Recording, and being anal and perfectionist, needs the leaven of live playing where the purpose is to rock the listeners. Otherwise you'll end up, well, anal and perfectionist.

And then there's the perspective of having screwed up a note, or a bridge, or a chorus, and blowing by it: there you are, out in front of God and everybody, and you know nobody will remember the clams once you hit the zone....

It works both ways. I just finished a stint playing harmonica in the orchestra (never thought I'd write THAT sentence!) for a production of the Big River musical (Huckleberry Finn set to music, done by Roger Miller, which may explain the harmonica) and, when the conductor announced that the last night's performance would be recorded on video, I found myself much more focused.

I couldn't give up gigging. I love the pressure, I love the attention, I love the chance to shine.

[Nightfire]

I'm a horrible guitar player. I've been playing for 6 years and cant do lead to save my life. I know 5 positions of the pentatonic scale and that gets me by in dire circumstances where Im forced to play lead.
I'm decent at rythm, and thats what I stick to.
I've heard your stuff, you're way better than me - and I gig.
5 reasons you should gig

1) playing live is an entirely different circumstnance than in your living room.
2) if forces you to develop spontaneity, wit, quickness, improvisatory playing style
3) you'll realize how much you dont know that you thought you did
4) if you can play live, you can play in any situation thrown at you.
5) chicks digg it!

Originally Posted by TelePaul

I was always more of a Neil Young fan. Remind me to post a mix of my friends band - Celtic Prog Grunge!

To me, Neil Young has always been the founder of grunge, specially the Crazy Horse days.


Mike

[antichef]

I remember reading a review of one of my band's gigs in a local music magazine -- they used the words "simply pathetic" -- it didn't bother me at all

[starbuck26]

Originally Posted by antichef

I remember reading a review of one of my band's gigs in a local music magazine -- they used the words "simply pathetic" -- it didn't bother me at all

all press is good press, right?

i've been hounding the local conglomerate rock DJ to say he hates us on the air. problem is, he says he likes us. i guess i'll have to hound him more.

[Milnoque]

I'm 53. I gigged a little when was a young man and then life got in the way.

A little more than a year ago an old friend called and said she wanted to play out. I asked her what took her so long. We practiced alot, Bought a PA, and we put ourselves out there. I can't encourage you enough. You not only should do this, you must do this. I've grown more as a musician in the last year than I did in the previous 20. I can't believe how much I've missed. Please learn from my mistake. You can't get the time back.

[gbdweller]

I strongly encourage it. There is nothing like it when the band is firing on all cylinders, the crowd is into it and the sound is perfect. Getting all three of those things happening at the same time is the end all / be all of human existance....well maybe not that great, but it's close.

Playing out is also the single most effective chop builder there is. You will find yourself reaching out of your skill level more and more as your confidence level increases. I personally find that practicing alone is the single biggest rut causer there is. Is 'rut causer' an actual phrase?...

Then there is the best part of the night. Everyone has been chased out but the band and employees. Your gear is packed and you are drinking your free beer, wine, water or whatever floats you, while you wind down and watch the employees clean up the aftermath of another succesful gig and you think to yourself, I'm about to get handed a fistful of money for playing music with my friends, and jumping around on stage like a jackass for three hours and you wonder...Does it get any better than this?.....

[cmhansen]

Interesting thread and very positive responses. I used to play in a duo acoustic group but my playing partner quit on me. But it was fun while it lasted.

I was wondering what all of you play when you gig. Are you all playing cover tunes or are you playing original music?

I've been toying with the idea of getting a band together and playing original music, but I've been told that it's nearly impossible to find a venue that will allow you to play your own music. Do you find it this way?

[eternalpayn]

Originally Posted by cmhansen

I've been toying with the idea of getting a band together and playing original music, but I've been told that it's nearly impossible to find a venue that will allow you to play your own music. Do you find it this way?

I haven't gigged before, but I've looked around at a few venues, and everywhere I've look has been the opposite. They're afraid of crappy cover bands, as well as legal issues...

[Anfontan]

I got my first guitar at 15 but didn't start learning seriously till a few years later. Started jamming with friends and one of them wanted to organize a band-so we went through several line ups and at one point I was playing guitar and bass in the band. When I realized that the other guitarist only knew 1 solo-that he attempted to use in every song-so I took over as the only guitar player and had to learn lots of lead stuff really fast!!

I also would jam a lot with musicians that were quite older than me and played lots of different music styles-I found out I could do well when I was under the gun and never had any problems with performing music to a crowd.

I've been in an acoustic band for about the last 10 years and often also been in a blues or classic rock band as well-I like the way each music satisfies me and lets me approach songs and songwriting in many different ways.

[Adam P]

I love playing out with whatever band I'm in. Been playing in bands that do originals since I was 16 or 17...rock, punk, metal, whatever, its all good. I used to play bass in a band that played heavy instrumental stuff, and we tuned down to C. I loved when the sound man would sound-check my amp...vintage Gibson bass into a cranked tube amp through an 8x10 Ampeg cabinet, and when he'd bring it up in the FOH, the room would be shaking. What a feeling.

[Chili]

Originally Posted by gbdweller

Then there is the best part of the night. Everyone has been chased out but the band and employees. Your gear is packed and you are drinking your free beer, wine, water or whatever floats you, while you wind down and watch the employees clean up the aftermath of another succesful gig and you think to yourself, I'm about to get handed a fistful of money for playing music with my friends, and jumping around on stage like a jackass for three hours and you wonder...Does it get any better than this?.....

It gets a little better when that cute waitress who has been buying you shots all night gives you her phone number.

Fast forward quite a few years and the other day I'm telling my wife (not the waitress) I want to find another guitar player and start doing some acoustic gigs. She said "Cool".

Nice thread...