Four weeks in the pit

CYoung · #1 03-19-2008, 02:32 PM

Well, just picked up my first real bass gig in many years. I get to be the bass player for a local theatre production of Hello Dolly. The fun part was sight-riding 2.5 hours of sheet music on the fly Monday night having not read sheet music in 17 years!!!

The only sucky part is the tight orchestra pit which is partially under the stage. Nothing like hearing dancers clomping right over your head while playing. We actually watch the show on a LCD monitor and a powered wedge so we can hear and see the cues.

Any of you done any serious theatre bass gigs? Any advice or stories to tell?

MonetBass · #2 03-19-2008, 02:45 PM

1. Practice the music so that you know it backwards and forwards. Actors will miss cues, and you'll need to be prepared for that.
2. If you need to, recopy the music to minimize page turns.
3. Have backup strings and cables (and batteries if your bass is active).
4. Have fun! Some of my best memories are from theater shows and after-parties.

SuperSnake2012 · #3 03-19-2008, 11:35 PM

That sounds like a lot of fun... I've done a few shows in a pit, but high school theater. It was good because there were two people playing electric bass, so we had our sheet music spread out across two music stands.

seanm · #4 03-19-2008, 11:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuperSnake2012

That sounds like a lot of fun... I've done a few shows in a pit, but high school theater. It was good because there were two people playing electric bass, so we had our sheet music spread out across two music stands.

Did you both play the same thing? If so, why two?

Pilgrim · #5 03-19-2008, 11:47 PM

I played both with a "big band" and in the band for the Junior Miss Pagent in my home town. That was an annual two-night gig and it wsa fun. If nothing else, the girls were cute. (And this was while In was in college and for a couple of years afterward.)

bigthemat · #6 03-20-2008, 01:19 AM

done lots of music theatre on trumpet. oh man did i have some good times.

IanStephenson · #7 03-20-2008, 08:54 AM

I did a show at Xmas, and got called back to do another in at the end of May. Lots of fun.

I've no great experience in this matter, but one thing I did find invaluable was a a volume pedal. I don't normally use/need one for my regular gigs, but being able to mute everything (especially in a tight space where things get bumped) was REALLY usefull - I'm sure there would have been random string clatterings otherwise. It was also useful to be able to attack some parts hard while controling the volume - dynamics are far more of an issue than at a typical gig.

We didn't have full scores - just piano parts, so I didn't bother with my own music - just looked over the piano players shoulder. No pages to turn, and very handy when he called a change/repeat/cut without prior notice by just pointing to the page and then going for it...

Ian

mkandolf · #8 03-20-2008, 11:22 AM

I did four theater shows this past year. First two on my Fender P, the last on a borrowed double bass. One each with the local high school, the other two with community theater programs. These things are a blast to do and I can't wait for the next call.

Nothing wrong with reading sheet music once in a while.

Oh, and the tight orchestra pit? Try it with a bow!!! For South Pacific I ripped the cellist's bow out of his hands at least once a performance!!!

HaVIC5 · #9 03-20-2008, 12:02 PM

Theater gigs are a lot of fun, but unless the music is any good, you'll get burned out pretty quick. After about the 10th performance, it gets unbearably dull, in my experience. That said, I love doing them.

CYoung · #10 03-21-2008, 07:40 AM

Well, we had our first performance last night and things went pretty darn well. The only kicker was that for the first half, it was just me, the pianist, and a drummer! The horns had another gig and showed up for part 2!

I have figured out a few things already:

- Definitely bring spare cables and batteries
- Bring pencils, highlighters, etc. and make notes on the sheet music!
- Bring a bass suitable for the task and that won't mind bumping into things a time or two. I am right next to a support beam and seem to alternate smacking it and the drummer
- The best thing to remember when playing in the pit is to listen and follow the conductor

I will try to post some pics from the pit when I get a chance.

bigthemat · #11 03-21-2008, 10:07 AM

remember to have fun. the best part of being in a pit is screwing off, pulling pranks, having a ball all while trying not to make any noise so no one knows whats going on.

a couple summers ago I was doing the music man on trumpet. there were a bunch of us brass players all kind of in our own side of the pit. and they were some of the funnest guys to play with. the big thing were water pranks. someone would leave at intermission, leave their horn upright on a stand. well, naturally, we come and fill it with water. they come back, time to tune, blow a note, and water just pours out of the bell. this is why it is always good to empty the spit valve before you play....

i've heard of worse stuff, though. Like slipping in pages of nasty porn randomly in the book. So do a quick page turn, and BAM, some fat naked chick or something.

chroma601 · #12 03-21-2008, 10:16 AM

My one and only musical theater experiemce was "Hello, Dolly"! It was tied into my day job at the time, as an AV aide in a high school. By night I was doing progressive rock original music, and the students couldn't field a bass player so they asked me to join the orchestra. I can read music, but not sight read, and the music department gave me a little help practicing. Got it down pretty quick. I had a Fender Precision with an Ampeg B15n; it was one of the pre-CBS Fenders and I remounted the pick guard and dampener to help it sound more like an upright. We only had about five performances, and looking back at it, it was a lot of fun. There's nothing like playing out of your element for musical growth. Have a blast!

Scourge441 · #13 03-22-2008, 02:43 PM

I'm playing bass for my high school's production of Dreamgirls.

Unfortunately, since I'm a student, I don't think I'm getting payed for it.

Dave R · #14 03-22-2008, 09:10 PM

Quote:

Unfortunately, since I'm a student, I don't think I'm getting payed for it.

Ah,but if you play well, read well,and keep after it, eventually you WILL.

I did the theatre thing (as an actor) in college, and the social aspect was the best part. By the end of the show, you have some great friends, and occasionally something more.

Also did the jazz band. Same comment.

Lonnybass · #15 03-25-2008, 08:57 PM

Man, the pits can be fun...especially at "halftime" when the darkness is illuminated by 15 cellphones being activated for a quick call home to see what's for dinner. And there's just a coolness to being crammed in the black amongst all the instruments, music stands and equipment - while being expected to play each night with consistent perfection.

Definitely a cool vibe you don't get in other kinds of settings, even in "visible" onstage gigs.

You also develop an appreciation for the relative coolness and easygoing nature of musicians...especially as they compare to ACTORS!!!

Have fun with it!

Lonnybass

T-zone · #16 03-26-2008, 03:46 AM

I have also recently embarked on my first adventure in theater-related bass playing. My high school is putting on Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" with all-original choreography and music thrown in there. I have been cast as Sir Toby Belch, but I also volunteered my services to the composer/music director... luckily, there is a guy who is not acting on the double bass, because I'm not good enough to bass and act at the same time.

So, long story short, now I'm playing electric bass in the pit band for Twelfth Night. :-)

Thanks for all the tips in this thread. Should be fun. :-)

bassplayinggirl · #17 03-27-2008, 07:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by T-zone

I have also recently embarked on my first adventure in theater-related bass playing. My high school is putting on Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" with all-original choreography and music thrown in there. I have been cast as Sir Toby Belch, but I also volunteered my services to the composer/music director... luckily, there is a guy who is not acting on the double bass, because I'm not good enough to bass and act at the same time.

So, long story short, now I'm playing electric bass in the pit band for Twelfth Night. :-)

Thanks for all the tips in this thread. Should be fun. :-)

T-zone, you'll have to post a photo of you in costume!

Freaky Fender · #18 03-27-2008, 10:04 PM

the last three years I've done each musical my school has put on, and at first i didn't think I would enjoy it, but it's not really the music, it's the pranks and all the jokes you get to make at half time.

During the last two, I would go out and talk with my music director while he was on a smoke break, and we would just talk and look at the stars for like 40 minutes while everyone was being corralled back together. It was great fun, and your playing will DEFINITELY improve.

bassist4dalord · #19 03-27-2008, 10:07 PM

My high school did an amazing production of Hello, Dolly my freshman year and I had friends in the pit (flute and bass) they had a great time! I LOVE that show, I'm a theatre geek. I've never played in the pit, I do backstage work and build the sets. That is such a fun show! Have a good time!

T-zone · #20 04-02-2008, 06:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bassplayinggirl

T-zone, you'll have to post a photo of you in costume!

Yeah but I'm gonna have my Fender Fretless Jazz also :-p

(my costume consists of orange crocs, a hawaiian shirt, and a straw hat. For those not familiar with the play, Toby Belch is the drunk uncle. Think "party animal" :-p)

stay tuned?