After playing for the last few years at a couple of jam nights per week I have my first proper gig this Friday night. I'm joining the house band from one of the jam nights at a biggish outdoor gig for a junior football and sport festival thing.
I have taken my amp and pedals to the jam nights before but this will be the first time that I have been miced up, my first time doing a soundcheck and my first time in front of a crowd of proper punters.
Any advice or tips from anyone who has done this before? Anything in particular to consider?
Cheers
Comments
Whenever your not playing your guitar have the volume down .... mic'ed up through the PA even small amounts of noise are noticeable
Until it gets dark you might struggle to see your tuner outdoors ... a little sun shield made from cardboard will help if that's the case
Let the guitar acclimatise to the outside weather before tuning but don't leave it in the glaring sun
Plan what riff your gonna play for soundcheck and make sure your dirty \ clean \ boost sounds aren't miles apart in volume
Playing outside sounds different as the drums don't bounce off the walls ... so be prepared for it to sound a little different to normal
Have fun basically
Anyone else have anything to add?
Best of luck old chap.
"Always know where the toilets are"
That's a great tip.
"avoid hollow bodies if you can, they tend to feedback like a bitch up there"
Hmm, I'll be playing a Gretsch Country Gent as my number 1. I'm pretty good at dealing with, and sometimes using, the feedback in the pubs that I've played in but will keep an ear open for more outside.
I'll probably do the "one inside, one on the floor" beer thing as I know how it makes my playing sloppier if I have more.
If you have a pedal tuner then great, tune after every song. The muting function is great so your guitar isn't ringing out or feeding back/humming between songs.
Enjoy yourself, you're allowed to, look up and engage with the audience, smile tap your foot, anything.
Make sure as well the whole band is well rehearsed on the set list order (write in down) and the transitions between songs are smooth e.g no awkward silences. If there's nothing to say maybe prepare an instrumental piece the group can play.
If you use a lot of pedals its helpful to have them all connected up and ready to go. I've seen bands taking ages to set up cos they connect each one up with a patch cable and it takes forever. Mine has two cables, one from the footswitch to the amp, and one from my noisegate to the amp. I use a wireless so I don't need another one.
Good luck and rock out!
Generally smile and move about a bit ( if you can) as if you look bored the audience will think it's boring. Lend focus - if someone else in the band is doing something of note ( such as a solo) look interested in it, again if you don't then you are sending out the wrong message.
99.99% of the time the audience wants to enjoy what you are doing so take it for granted that they are happy to see you there.
I'm less certain about having a beer, I can't think of many other relatively complex things to do where relaxing yourself with alcohol is seen as a good thing. 'Right MrTheWeary before I start your vasectomy I'm going to have a glass of Chardonnay just to take the edge off...'
The nerves usually calm down or disappear completely a few seconds after your first chord so just kick back and enjoy it after that.
Take a cable reel extension. There might be one there. Or there might be 2 plugs for the whole band.
Take a small towel to wipe yer sweaty head and guitar down.
Take a big stick, to beat the groupies off, if so desired.
And remember, it's about having fun.
look at the audience
smile
laugh
DONT lok don at your guitar
interact with the audience
Laugh
Smile
LOok at the audience
laugh
smile
enjoy it
visibly
even if you aren't
it adds no value whatsoever if you hit every note and riff but you are miserably looking down at your strings, effects , amp and bandmates
Ps most audiences can't work out a bum note, missed nite or poorly timed solo , let alone work out it was you
so, back to the above. Smile, laugh and interact
if you play any music that's a bonus
good luck - it is the best thing
Actually no - what @sev112 said
Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
I'm hoping I might be able to sort some pics or video but we'll see. Getting excited now
Thank you for the tips everyone; I put most of them into practice
Looking forward to the next one now