How did you rebound after going blank mid-song?

[Woodchuck]

I've had "brain cramps" on stage before. Sometimes you just forget a part of the song. A couple of the things I do, is to hangout in E or A until I snap out of it. It only lasts about 4 or 5 seconds, but It's long enough to look back and see your drummer laughing at you. Once I forgot the bridge to one of our songs, but it was remniscent of "Crosstown Traffic", so I played that until I caught up. Afterwards, the lead singer said, "That was brilliant. What made you come up with that?"

[hyperlitem]

my singer NEVER says that. The rest of the band just yells at me till i cry like a girl.

[Bassline1414]

I don't recover. I make a huge ass of myself and everyone in the band makes fun of me. I hate brain farts.

[melvin]

Luckily this has never happened when we were playing infront of people that werent good friends, when it has happened the rest of the band stops. Shows how important I am.

[Wil Davis]

Just keep the groove going - don't worry too much about the notes - after all, jazz is meant to be played like that... :>

- Wil

[anon5458975]

This has happened to me a few times in the past. I like to just put on a confused expression and keep glancing back at my amps until I can fall back into the song. I keep my fingers moving like I'm still playing but don't actually touch the strings, makes it look like it's my rigs fault. I know, I'm fooling nobody

But all kidding aside, it's moments like these that are great for improvising. Sometimes you can stumble onto playing something really cool that you never would have come up with otherwise.

[Bass Guitar]

4 choices:

1) Stop playing - pretend you are doing a cool bass "rest" period

2) Stay on the root note of the most recent chord and keep the beat going

3) Go for a solo/ fill/ riff - improvise!

4) Throw your bass down and start crying (not recommended).

[hujo]

This reminds of the gig i played last week. We were playing a song with odd, changing time signatures, and I was going to do a fill on the last two beats of the last bar of the period. I do my fill, but find out that the refrain doesnt end there! So, i continue the fill thinking i was one bar off, but it turns out I managed to be three bars off! So there I was making this really geeky fill that never ended! That was hilarious, but my bandmates didn't think so at the time, but we got a good laugh of it after the show.

[Chasarms]

It is sort of like passing gas in a crowd. You can always look at someone else like they did it.

I also recommend a fake jiggle of the patch cable and an angry look at the amplifier.

[CJ_Marsicano]

on my first show with my first professional band, in the middle of the third of four sets, i totally and completely forgot the chords to the chorus of "jumping jack flash". after that night, for as long as that song was in the set, I used to scribble the chords to the chorus next to the song's name on the set list, and kept my notes with the chord changes to all the songs by my feet in case i had a brain fart somewhere else...

[CJ_Marsicano]

Originally posted by warwicknut
I've had "brain cramps" on stage before. Sometimes you just forget a part of the song. A couple of the things I do, is to hangout in E or A until I snap out of it.

for my first few gigs with my first pro band in '85, whenever i couldn't remember a chord change, i'd look at the rhythm guitar player's fingers. he used to sense when i was about to have a brain fart and shift position a little so i could watch his fretboard. good man.

cj

[mchildree]

You could always reach down and turn off all your midrange and start slapping the hell out of your bass. Clickety-clickety-clickety....no tone, just transient noise. Works for Fie.......nahh...forget it.....

[CJ_Marsicano]

Originally posted by mchildree
You could always reach down and turn off all your midrange and start slapping the hell out of your bass. Clickety-clickety-clickety....no tone, just transient noise. Works for Fie.......nahh...forget it.....

yeah, it fools people if they're young, tone-deaf slackers that think korn are heavy ('cause they never heard black sabbath), funky ('cause they never heard james brown or george clinton) and good musicians ('cause they never heard miles davis or john coltrane)...

cj

[merlin]

I've had this a few times and always during the same one or two songs.. (you'd think i'd have learnt by now!). But i just turn around and whilst doing so look at my guitarist and pick it up. all the while playing say a slight run etc.

The best way to fool the audience is to not look up or make a expression to show u stuffed up.

Merls

[ZuluFunk]

Despite what my wife says, sometimes the whole world is wrong and I'm right!!! I just play it off.

[yawnsie]

You know, there's nothing worse than that semi-second of panic that shoots through you when you suddenly realise that you have no idea what you're supposed to be playing. Generally, I'll go for the time honoured scowling at my lead approach, but if I'm feeling particularly brave (or stupid), I'll try coming out with a fancy little fill to buy me some time. On occasions, I have even been known to play in the right key.

[ZuluFunk]

Last gig we were running wild with Sympathy for the Devil. I just kept going on the main riff while everyone else went into the chorus. Nobody noticed except the band. The whole audience was passing around a mic yelling "Woo-Hoo, Woo-Hoo!"

Saved by the crowd.

[Rockinjc]

Move in fourths real fast until you catch up.
j

[Munjibunga]

Mute your strings and ape the kick drum.

[namlssboy]

errr... at least try to solo. i just start playing some slap and pizzicato runs until i get to the root note. hahereehahee!