Advising young guitarist?

[PhiloBeddoe]

I recently had a young (16 year old) guitarist ask me for advice, I did the best I could to give him an answer but it may not have been good enough. Naturaly I thought of you guys and figure I might get some ideas to pass along. His question is, "How do you know when you (your band) is ready to go out and play in public?"

I think I played my first gig at age 14 and the only criteria I remember was having enough songs. I don't remember contemplating it at all as the progression was pretty natural. You play in front of a few friends, then a few more, then a back yard party, then a paying gig and so on.

Now if you're a little more serious and older, then you need a little more serious approach but I assume we're not talking about that.

 

[cusebassman]

You've gotta be bad before you can be good. You're going to be bad when you first start, so just get out there and get the bad part over with. But good or bad, have fun with it every time or it's just not worth it.

Hell, I'm still not that good at live performance, and I've been playing guitar for 8+ years You have to get out and do it often - I don't gig all that much, so I go right back to being rusty after every show. Then 6 months passes, I get the itch, then I do it and make 1,000 mistakes that no one but me notices anyway, but every last one of them annoys the Hell of me... They are especially obvious since I record most every show I play

someone whips it out and starts wizzing on the stage

 

[mikeh]

You've gotta be bad before you can be good. You're going to be bad when you first start, so just get out there and get the bad part over with. But good or bad, have fun with it every time or it's just not worth it.

This hits it right on the head.

 

[XLR]

bump.












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[Dani Pace]

Thanks guys, I want my young guitarist to read this. I told him a lot of the same things (not the someone pissing on stage bit) but i think he just needs to hear it from someone else. I've been playing out since i was 14 (omg that was 40 years ago) for crowds that ranged from a handfull of people to several thousand. I have to say I still do it because its fun and I love it, I never made a lot of money but I sure met some interesting people.

 

[Polska_77]

Most people covered it already, you're ready when you're ready. For me it was always the matter of the amount of material we had, and being able to perform the set resonably well without having to put 100% effort just into getting the songs right. That should leave some space for fun, and not struggling just to be able to play through the song.

ps. I think its better to stick to simple material, and nail it, than try to impress people with some crazy fucked up maestro songs and be sloppy and all over the place.

 

[Greg_L]

ps. I think its better to stick to simple material, and nail it, than try to impress people with some crazy fucked up maestro songs and be sloppy and all over the place.

I agree 1000000000000%. Simple and tight beats the shit out of technical and sloppy every time.

 

[Polska_77]

Another thing I just thought of, kinda has to do with what Greg said before, bout being "pro" about it.
Think of a set list before hand, and stick to it, and preferably go over the songs in the order you wanna play them live when you rehearse. That way you can see if they all sit well, and you don't have to make long brakes in between songs to decide (fight) over which song you are gonna play next.

And put your best 2 songs in the beginning of the set, to capture the audience's attention, and the other best two at the end, cause that's what people tend to remember most. Just be careful not to bore the shit out of the audience in the middle. Shorter gig with more energy is better than a long one, where everyone wants you off the stage.


Edit. not that im some pro and have played a ton of gigs, but I've played a few and went to a bunch more, so that's where my thought's are coming from.

 

[Greg_L]

Another thing I just thought of, kinda has to do with what Greg said before, bout being "pro" about it.
Think of a set list before hand, and stick to it, and preferably go over the songs in the order you wanna play them live when you rehearse. That way you can see if they all sit well, and you don't have to make long brakes in between songs to decide (fight) over which song you are gonna play next.

And put your best 2 songs in the beginning of the set, to capture the audience's attention, and the other best two at the end, cause that's what people tend to remember most. Just be careful not to bore the shit out of the audience in the middle. Shorter gig with more energy is better than a long one, where everyone wants you off the stage.


Edit. not that im some pro and have played a ton of gigs, but I've played a few and went to a bunch more, so that's where my thought's are coming from.

I have played a ton of gigs, and you're absolutely right. The setlist is very important, and practicing it is key. We make a new setlist for each show, and we practice it like we'd play it live. When the show comes, there are no surprises and we know whats next. Nothing is cheesier than seeing a band look at eachother after each song and going "So what do you wanna play now?"

I also think song order is pretty important. I personally don't like to have 2 very different songs next to eachother in the setlist. I don't want to follow a 220 bpm scorcher with some plodding slow song. I like to put a medium-paced buffer song inbetween. That's just me though. I try to think of it like a roller coaster. There's fast and slow, but the transitions are somewhat gradual instead of big jumps from one to another.

 

[cusebassman]

This isn't something to consider when just starting out as a live act, but I'll relate the tale anyway... last time I played live I played 2 Bob Dylan tunes, one right after the other. One was Don't Think Twice (in E), and the other Girl From The North Country (in Eb). One friend of mine who studies music and was paying pretty close attention to my part of the show (he was on after I was), mentioned after that it was mildly unsettling dropping key down a half-step from one song to the other, which I found entertaining and interesting.

I doubt anyone else in the room noticed or cared... they didn't bat an eye when I completely boned the words on Don't Think (which annoys me because I love playing that song and, usually, I know it very well), so I suppose it snuck by. But, Greg is right - plan your list in advance - I didn't, and one person in the audience noticed a weird combo of songs. Since it was all folkee stuff, it didn't really matter - but switching between songs with vastly different energy levels and feel is something to steer clear of.

 

[starbuck26]

Nobody fucking cares

This is how I think about it:

You never get shit ready until you're like "Gotta play tonight. Let's have a quick run-through before we pack the gear." In the run-through you make quick decisions, fine tune, and generally get it up to speed. Then you go play. Simple.

It's important to remember that NOBODY FUCKING CARES. I've seen a million shitty bands. I've been in lots of shitty bands. The only thing that separates an obviously shitty band from an obviously good band is whether or not they seem to be enjoying themselves. Drink a few beers. Rock out. Drink more beer. Play the unrequested encore that you planned out days before. Drink more beer. Talk to some chicks.

And lastly--but most important. The shitty band that's playing after your shitty band will try to steal your mics. And don't let your drunken friends try to help move your gear. They're retards.

But, if you never sack up and say let's play a fucking show already, you'll fine-tune and fine-tune and nitpick and argue and become 'artists' and fuck it all up.

Last maxim: What you lack in talent make up for in volume.

 

[cusebassman]

I recently had a young (16 year old) guitarist ask me for advice

Drink a few beers. Rock out. Drink more beer. Play the unrequested encore that you planned out days before. Drink more beer.

And lastly--but most important. The shitty band that's playing after your shitty band will try to steal your mics. And don't let your drunken friends try to help move your gear. They're retards.

Too true

 

[ggunn]

...you don't have to make long brakes in between songs to decide (fight) over which song you are gonna play next.

One band I was in, at the first (and only) really big gig (3000+) people, three of my band mates nearly came to blows on stage arguing over which song to play for SOUND CHECK with the the audience in the house and the sound guy looking at us, rolling his eyes. That project was doomed.

 

[BluMusic]

1. Get together the necessary members to produce the sound you're looking for ie. Drummer - Bassist - Guitarist - Singer - etc.

2. Construct a Song List (which will be ever changing of course but you need a road map)

3. Determine who is going to be the Front Person. Should be the Main Vocalist if you're doing songs with Vocals.

4. Learn each song one at a time until the entire Band knows the Starts, Stops & Chord Changes.

5. Then work on Dynamics .. if you're a Cover Band, make that song your song and not just a carbon copy of what someone can hear by putting on a CD. If they're originals, work on the Punches that create excitement within the Song.

6. Video Tape Your Practice Sessions if possible to see how you all look while playing. Don't want to be a bunch of Matchstick Men.
Remember - YOU ARE PERFORMING A SHOW.

7. Learn to Interact with each other & the Audience while performing.

8. Work on Smooth Transitions into the next Song without looking at each other for clues.


* Every Member should have Backup Equipment in the event something goes wrong with what you are using.

* Stage Fright is natural especially for Bands gigging for the first few times. Generally, after you get through the first couple of songs w/o a hitch, you'll be cruising in high gear. Words of Wisdom: If you think Stage Fright might be a factor in the beginning of a Gig, don't make your first couple of Songs the hardest songs you have. Construct your Song List so the first couple of songs are ones you all know in your sleep. By time you get to your 4th or 5th Song, the Stage Fright will be a thing of the past.

* It is Extremely Important to have someone as either your Soundman or a friend you know is reliable to tell you what the overall balance of your sound is like. Don't pick someone who is a Bass Player or a Drummer or a Guitarist because they tend to want to hear those instruments over everything else.
Find someone who can hear the entire package including the vocals (Which btw should be above the Music not below it) If your overall sound is so loud that the Vocalist is screaming to be heard, then your Vocalist will lose his/her voice real fast.

* Polish your Act - make it more than just starting a song, playing through it and then starting another. Determining the order of your Song List is very important. I was always incharge of constructing the Song List and I took that very seriously. You should know how long a song is, how much time per Set, when you want to go right into the next Song without stopping, when you want to give the Band a moment to regroup which gives the Front Person a little time to talk to the Audience or what song will lead you to the Break.

* ELIMINATE DEAD SPACE - There nothing worse than a Band that ends a Song and the Audience is watching them standing on the Stage talking to each other about what to do, no music is happening and noone is interacting with the Audience.

When you've solidified most of these, you're more than ready ... You're almost a Star.