Not the best show.

sound of bass · #1 10-16-2010, 11:36 PM

Aaargghh! Had our 6th gig Friday night, at a small bar / lounge, I had to use back up bass, a Dean, we were invited to use the sound gear of the band we were opening for....did it last 2 shows with them... good sound so it was trusted. But this time we couldnt get the monitor to work and I couldnt hear myself over the guitars / drums since the other speakers were facing out. I tried using the vibrations from the floor but that was kind of difficult, I was a beat or two behind the entire set...not even sure how I sounded. The Dean doesnt boom like my Fender J which makes me have to pluck harder, not my usual light style so that threw me off too. I couldnt wait to end the set and get the heck out of there. And several noticeable mistakes by every member. Our last show was a 12 on the ten scale, this show.....maybe a 7? I know they cant all be GREAT gigs but Im still left disappointed and feeling sub par. Grateful for the lessons learned though. Next show is in 3 weeks, wish me better luck.

godofthunder59 · #2 10-17-2010, 07:25 AM

We all have nights like this.........................it is the good nights that keep you coming back. Pick yourself up and dust and dust yourself off. The crowd for the most part is oblivious to the trials onstage. Act like you are into it and have a good time, even if it is the worst show of your life people in the crowd will come up at the end of the night and say you guys were great. Good luck and keep on rock'n!

pin_head_47 · #3 10-17-2010, 07:39 AM

Think to yourself, is there any way I could have been more prepared to handle a situation like this? What kind of rig were you using, was it not big enough to act as your own monitor, or were you going straight to the board with just a monitor to yourself? Once you learn about situations like this, you'll be better prepared to handle them. Even if the band ahead of you is letting you use their equipment, it's still a good idea to bring your own backup, if at all possible.

godofthunder59 · #4 10-17-2010, 07:42 AM

pin head 47 has a good point, be prepared bring your own gear. I use my own rig period, it's in our rider.

sound of bass · #5 10-19-2010, 01:07 AM

Thanks and you're right. My rig was left out in the truck since we were going to use the headlining bands gear anyway. We discovered at sound check that the monitors were having issues but I "assumed" all would be fine anyway when I should have went and got my own rig to at leat set behind me so I could hear myself. The other lesson learned was to bring BOTH axes, there was no reason to leave the J home I was just curious how the Dean would sound / perform and Im greatly disappointed. Sooo, valuable lessons learned, which ironically has its own value since Im such a noobie gigger. Wont do it again! Thanks for lending your ears guys.

Kevin.Kevin · #6 10-19-2010, 02:34 AM

Not to pick on you but what type of bar are yo playing in where you require monitors? Generally most bars I've played at my rig is plently loud, and we only need to put the singer through the board.

Other then that try to rehearse in the same way as you guys would be gigging. My bands have their setup pretty nailed down, so the rehearsals sound alot like the live show would.

pharmakon · #7 10-19-2010, 11:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by godofthunder59

pin head 47 has a good point....

blendermassacre · #8 10-23-2010, 05:31 PM

ugh. I play in a punkabilly band, and trust me, monitors are pretty necessary. If you can't hear, you can't play, especially if your stage volume has to fill a bar. It's pretty normal.

pin_head_47 · #9 10-24-2010, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pharmakon

Huh?

steveksux · #10 10-24-2010, 07:53 PM

Sucks, but that's how it goes sometimes... For me, when I can't hear myself, I tend to play harder to get louder, leads to stiff playing, extra fret buzz etc, just feel clumsy all night.

I make a point of relaxing and playing soft, moving closer to the amp if need be.

And sometimes thee's no rhyme or reason to it, you just have an off night, can't find a right note to save your life.

The nights when everything clicks are the ones that make up for those "other" nights, especially when the whole band has a good night, and the crowd is into it.

As someone said, always good to analyze what went wrong, being brutally honest, how to avoid it in the future.

Randy

aztomr · #11 10-25-2010, 01:28 PM

I've had to play more than one night without monitors. I try to stand closer to the drums, even if I can't hear I can "feel" the bass drum on my legs.

pharmakon · #12 10-25-2010, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pin_head_47

Huh?

He said Pin head has a good point!

More of a groan at the pun

sound of bass · #13 10-26-2010, 04:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steveksux

Sucks, but that's how it goes sometimes... For me, when I can't hear myself, I tend to play harder to get louder, leads to stiff playing, extra fret buzz etc, just feel clumsy all night.

I make a point of relaxing and playing soft, moving closer to the amp if need be.

And sometimes thee's no rhyme or reason to it, you just have an off night, can't find a right note to save your life.

The nights when everything clicks are the ones that make up for those "other" nights, especially when the whole band has a good night, and the crowd is into it.

As someone said, always good to analyze what went wrong, being brutally honest, how to avoid it in the future.

Randy

Thats exactly how it went for me. And yes, I tried standing closer to the PA but the stage area was just too small for any significant moving. Next show Nov. 6th. Hopefully much better.

Joe Nerve · #14 10-26-2010, 04:27 AM

Gigs like that give you years worth of growth as a bas player/performer. Be grateful you had it, and grateful it's behind you. We've all had em.

NWB · #15 10-26-2010, 05:29 PM

This is a good lesson:

Never go to a gig without a jazz bass in hand!