7 Things that Helped Me have a Successful Sub Gig

[mrcbass]

After my recent first sub gig, I thought I'd share some of the things that helped make it successful for me. For some this will be also-ran, but hoping that those who are on the fence wanting to do this will find some helpful guidelines here.

1. Chart prep. For my style of learning, a chart is usually helpful. Just the practice of prepping a chart helps the burn in. I've come to be able to prep and vet charts pretty quickly over the last few years and that allows me more time to actually work the songs.

2. Song prep. When you need to learn 40 new songs for next week, you need to know yourself and be able to know what you need to spend the most time on. This is a huge case for practicing what you don't know vs killing time on stuff you do because it sounds better. If you call me for a gig on Friday for a gig with 40 new to me songs for the following Saturday, I'll have about 30 hours of hands on bass time to prepare - that's less than an hour per song and there's probably a few more songs that I do know that need refreshing. You need to be able to prioritize your practice needs and spend the time where you really need it. That doesn't mean to completely ignore stuff you think you know (I believe more mistakes are made on songs we think we're ready for, but didn't refresh, then ones that are new.) Sometimes this means not spending a lot of time playing the whole song over and over, but perhaps focusing on the section that is difficult. I'll often set up a playlist on my phone, so that I can keep the songs in my ears even when I can't be doing any hands on practice.

3. Personal catalog. Over the last few years, when I prep for an audition, I ask for their entire playlist as well as an audition list. First, I want to se their overall direction (to make sure I'm interested) and second, I will create charts and do at least minimal prep on all of their songs (of course focusing on the audition list). I figure if one band is doing a song, others my be as well. This practice reduced the effort needed for #1 and #2 above. It also helps for call outs not on the list - I actually nailed a song that I've never even played with people before because it showed up on couple of prospective audition's playlist.

4. Guarded confidence. I know I'm not a great player. I consider myself a passable hack. But knowing that keeps me in check and I know how to prepare lines for a song that will make the band sound good. I can't always pull off what the original person did, but I can usually find a dumbed down line that supports the groove well. Sometimes I will add a little movement that's not there, but it's done tastefully. Bands tend to just let me do my thing.

5. Play well with others. It helps to have a near lifetime of musical experience. Though relatively new to bass (about 4.5 years), I've been playing music since I was 7 or 8. This helps me to know what is needed for any given specific situation, pretty much on the fly. "Hey, they're using dynamics - I better too!" "This is a different groove, better get in it." "This situation calls for a less (or more) busy line than I prepped." "OK, they are repeating the section solo here." etc. Flexibility and being able to read the band quickly is a very useful skill. Knowing who to follow is key (hint: the drummer is not always the anchor).

6. Communication. I'm not afraid ask for what I need to be ready for a gig/audition. Being pretty mediocre, preparation is my strength. Sure, I'll probably show up and wing it if there's no other choice, but you won't see what I can really do, so don't expect much. I also try to know as much about the gig as I can: when, where (of course) but type of room, length of gig, pay etc.

7. Gear. I have a rig that works well for anything from a living room to a medium club to anything with FOH support. It's light enough that I don't need to worry about taking it anywhere, but powerful enough to support most any gig. I use my pedal board as a preamp (LPF/HPF really is a champ for this flexibility), but keep it simple and do a lot of stomping. I have and always bring a backup bass and cables, even if they stay in the car.

I know we all have our own styles of learning and prepping - YMMV But I attribute these habits/processes to my ability to have pulled off my gig this weekend.

 

[Btbp]

What did you use for charts?

 

[RattleSnack]

Nice list and good advice there. Most of musicians I know use some sort of notes/charts, but I don't. Not saying charts are wrong or anything, just that everyone should first give memory a try. The more you use it, better it gets.
Thinking about it, here is another take on this: a friend of mine, busy pro sax player, said he often gets last minute calls and has no alternative but to chart every song. But, he also complained that when he uses notes, day or two after the gig he can't remember anything and is notes deppendant.
In the end, it doesn't matter how you get ready, as long as it gets the job done.

 

[JRA]

I attribute these habits/processes to my ability to have pulled off my gig this weekend.

congrats on your sub gig!

 

[buldog5151bass]

I prefer not using full charts. What I like are cheat sheets, with one or two lines per song - the chords of a bridge, the song form when it differs from two verses anchors, last verse/chorus, etc.

This way I am not staring at the paper all night but still have the parts that will trip me up at hand.

 

[Btbp]

I prefer not using full charts. What I like are cheat sheets, with one or two lines per song - the chords of a bridge, the song form when it differs from two verses anchors, last verse/chorus, etc.

This way I am not staring at the paper all night but still have the parts that will trip me up at hand.

This is what I do, its not perfect and keen to see what others do re information and medium (spreadsheets, sheet music, iPads, PostIts, etc.)

 

[dlb1001]

Sound samples of the songs come in handy, especially if the band have their own take on certain songs.

 

[mrcbass]

Nice list and good advice there. Most of musicians I know use some sort of notes/charts, but I don't. Not saying charts are wrong or anything, just that everyone should first give memory a try. The more you use it, better it gets.

For my full time band, I'm weened from on stage (and even pretty much rehearsal) charts. For this gig, I had a week to try to remember the nuances of 30 something blues songs, so I used charts for this situations. In that case they were 90% key reminder and something to indicate the groove. Didn't need them once under way.

But the benefit of these charts goes beyond "this" gig. I now have stuff ready to go for the next time these tunes pass through my life - the hour or so to go from cradle to grave on a new song gets reduced to about 10 minutes of review.

What did you use for charts?

This is an example of one of my charts. The section below the dashed line was downloaded from an online source. I use that to make sure the chords are right or if I need a lyrics reference. Once I'm comfortable that stuff is right, I create the upper section in my own shorthand that gives me full view of chords/form and any lyrics I might need without having to scroll. Obviously, I need to be very familiar with the song for this to be useful and most of the time (this goes nowhere near my full lines), these are simply pre song reference road maps - by the time I finish creating this, I almost don't even need it

Back on the Chain Gang

I: D A Em7 ...
V: D A Em7 Bm G
C: Em A .... D A D

V: D A Em7 Bm G
C: Em A .... D A D

I: D A Em7 ...
B: Dm A ....

The powers that be that force us to live like we do
Bring me to my knees when I see what they've done to you
And will I die as I stand here today, knowing that deep in my heart
They'll fall to ruin one day, for making us part

E B A C#m A <modulate>

V: D A Em7 Bm G
C: Em A .... D A D

---------------------------------

[Intro]

D A Em7 Em7 D A Em7 Em7
D A Em7 Em7 D A Em7 Em7


[Verse 1]

D A Em7 Bm G
I found a picture of you, ohh oh oh ohh ohhh
D A Em7 Bm G
Oh, what hijacked my world that night?
D A Em7 Bm G
To a place in the past we've been cast out of, ohh oh oh ohh ohhh
D A Em7 Bm G
Oh, now we're back in the fight


[Refrain]

Em A Em * Emadd9 Asus4 A Asus2 A
We're back on the train, yeah (* = w/ G 3rd fret on high E)
Em A D A D A
Oh, oh, back on the chain gang


[Verse 2]

D A Em7 Bm G
Circumstance beyond our control, ohh oh oh ohh ohhh
D A Em7 Bm G
Oh, the phone, the TV, and the news of the world
D A Em7 Bm G
Got in your house like a pigeon from hell, ohh oh oh ohh ohhh
D A Em7 Bm G
Oh, threw sand in our eyes, and descended like flies


[Refrain]

Em A Em * Emadd9 Asus4 A Asus2 A
Put us back on the train, yeah (* = w/ G 3rd fret on high E)
Em A Em * Emadd9 Asus4 A Asus2 A
Ohhh, ohhhhhhhh (* = w/ G 3rd fret on high E)
D A Em7 Bm G
Back on the chain gang


[Bridge]

1234 1234 1234 12 34 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
D A Em7 Bm G D A Em7 Bm G D D D D

Dm A Dm A Dm
The powers that be that force us to live like we do
Dm A Dm A Dm
Bring me to my knees when I see what they've done to you
Dm AaddF Dm AaddF

Dm A Dm A Dm
And will I die as I stand here today, knowing that deep in my heart
Dm A Dm A
They'll fall to ruin one day, for making us part


[Instrumental]

E B A C#m A


[Verse 3]

E B A C#m A
I found a picture of you, ohh oh oh ohh ohhh
E B A C#m A
Oh, those were the happiest days of my life
E B A C#m A
Like a break in the battle was your part, ohh oh oh ohh ohhh
E B A B
in the wretched life of a lonely heart


[Outro]

A B A B
Now we're back on the train, yeah
A B E B
Oh, oh, back on the chain gang

E B E B...

 

[mrcbass]

Sound samples of the songs come in handy, especially if the band have their own take on certain songs.

Yes they do, but this wasn't a formal band - kind of a pick up gig - and I had enough issue just getting a song list...

 

[dlb1001]

Normally, the BL would want to ensure that you have the list so that the gig goes off, without hitch, since a bad gig would reflect badly on the band. But, for pickup band situations, you just never know how organized they are.

 

[DWBass]

All very helpful. For me, #1 is never accept a gig where I need to learn 40 unfamiliar tunes in a weeks time.

 

[mrcbass]

All very helpful. For me, #1 is never accept a gig where I need to learn 40 unfamiliar tunes in a weeks time.

Well, they weren't all unfamiliar - only a handful I'd never heard before and they were all just old school blues. While there were probably 20 I'd never worked on, I just needed to note the keys , 8 or 12 bars and walk patterns on those. The other 20ish were ones I'd already worked out or knew.

I certainly would not have accepted the spot if I didn't feel I could handle it or it would have been too stressful to get there.

 

[WI Short Scaler]

What I like are cheat sheets, with one or two lines per song - the chords of a bridge, the song form when it differs from two verses anchors, last verse/chorus, etc.

This is my method, one sheet of paper, key lyric hints, maybe 4 notes that help me remember a seldom played bridge to some song. It's a quick reference, no stand. I put it on the floor next to the monitor and set a piece of plexiglass on it that resides in one of the cases, keeps it from blowing away.

 

[sears]

I ask for their entire playlist as well as an audition list

+1 IME by asking that single question you're practically already in the band. Of course you have to back it up.. but it speaks to your point 4 as well. (and once you audition you have to want it!)

I did what you did this December and I have never slept so well. My subconscious was on. To aid in that, I humbly suggest one more point:

Stay sober. Your memory is fortified by sleep and even a sippy-poo or a micro-vape can compromise it. I think a moderate amount of whatever you like can open your mind but they're not good tools for cramming.

 

[LBS-bass]

Good points. I usually don't write out full charts anymore, but I find that the act of writing down the chord changes and/or notes in difficult sections helps sear it into my brain cells more easily. Once I've written it down, I have something to refer to as I repeat it in practice to make sure I'm doing things correctly and I almost never need my notes by the time the show is on, but if I do, they are there. Other types of notes are sometimes more helpful for me on stage, like rhythm patterns in blues for those kinds of songs where that's the only thing that distinguishes that song from some other 1-4-5 song.

The thing about knowing what you need to work on is key. I have several shows coming up and we're adding new material for all of them. I can look at our list and tick off the ones that need zero work, the ones that need some refreshing, and the ones I don't know at all that are simple and the ones I don't know that are hard. Those last ones get most of my attention but I will play through all of them- or at least hit all the sections- right before the final rehearsal for that show to make sure I'm fully ready, no matter how well I know them, unless it's something I've really been playing for years and never mess up.

 

[QweziRider]

Great list.

 

[corndog]

Great post.

I use cheat sheets as well as the last singer I played with liked to change the key Of the original song. Although I knew the tempo and structure of some of the songs we were going to play, I didn’t know them in different keys, so a few lines of the roots got me in the zone for each song. A quick glance at the cheat sheet on top of my amp before each song started got me going in the right direction.

I’ll never have the proficiency or time to learn 40 songs in a week, 33 in a month kept me pretty busy.

 

[CallMeAl]

After my recent first sub gig, I thought I'd share some of the things that helped make it successful for me. For some this will be also-ran, but hoping that those who are on the fence wanting to do this will find some helpful guidelines here.

1. Chart prep. For my style of learning, a chart is usually helpful. Just the practice of prepping a chart helps the burn in. I've come to be able to prep and vet charts pretty quickly over the last few years and that allows me more time to actually work the songs.

2. Song prep. When you need to learn 40 new songs for next week, you need to know yourself and be able to know what you need to spend the most time on. This is a huge case for practicing what you don't know vs killing time on stuff you do because it sounds better. If you call me for a gig on Friday for a gig with 40 new to me songs for the following Saturday, I'll have about 30 hours of hands on bass time to prepare - that's less than an hour per song and there's probably a few more songs that I do know that need refreshing. You need to be able to prioritize your practice needs and spend the time where you really need it. That doesn't mean to completely ignore stuff you think you know (I believe more mistakes are made on songs we think we're ready for, but didn't refresh, then ones that are new.) Sometimes this means not spending a lot of time playing the whole song over and over, but perhaps focusing on the section that is difficult. I'll often set up a playlist on my phone, so that I can keep the songs in my ears even when I can't be doing any hands on practice.

3. Personal catalog. Over the last few years, when I prep for an audition, I ask for their entire playlist as well as an audition list. First, I want to se their overall direction (to make sure I'm interested) and second, I will create charts and do at least minimal prep on all of their songs (of course focusing on the audition list). I figure if one band is doing a song, others my be as well. This practice reduced the effort needed for #1 and #2 above. It also helps for call outs not on the list - I actually nailed a song that I've never even played with people before because it showed up on couple of prospective audition's playlist.

4. Guarded confidence. I know I'm not a great player. I consider myself a passable hack. But knowing that keeps me in check and I know how to prepare lines for a song that will make the band sound good. I can't always pull off what the original person did, but I can usually find a dumbed down line that supports the groove well. Sometimes I will add a little movement that's not there, but it's done tastefully. Bands tend to just let me do my thing.

5. Play well with others. It helps to have a near lifetime of musical experience. Though relatively new to bass (about 4.5 years), I've been playing music since I was 7 or 8. This helps me to know what is needed for any given specific situation, pretty much on the fly. "Hey, they're using dynamics - I better too!" "This is a different groove, better get in it." "This situation calls for a less (or more) busy line than I prepped." "OK, they are repeating the section solo here." etc. Flexibility and being able to read the band quickly is a very useful skill. Knowing who to follow is key (hint: the drummer is not always the anchor).

6. Communication. I'm not afraid ask for what I need to be ready for a gig/audition. Being pretty mediocre, preparation is my strength. Sure, I'll probably show up and wing it if there's no other choice, but you won't see what I can really do, so don't expect much. I also try to know as much about the gig as I can: when, where (of course) but type of room, length of gig, pay etc.

7. Gear. I have a rig that works well for anything from a living room to a medium club to anything with FOH support. It's light enough that I don't need to worry about taking it anywhere, but powerful enough to support most any gig. I use my pedal board as a preamp (LPF/HPF really is a champ for this flexibility), but keep it simple and do a lot of stomping. I have and always bring a backup bass and cables, even if they stay in the car.

I know we all have our own styles of learning and prepping - YMMV But I attribute these habits/processes to my ability to have pulled off my gig this weekend.

Bravo mrc! Great list, thanks for sharing.

I see a lot of parallels in my own journey (I’ll try and be brief )
1. Ideally, I try and learn tunes by ear, but in that kind of situation I always get chord charts first to maximize my time.

1a. Do you use paper or tablet? Like @LBS-bass said, I find writing it physically on paper helps me remember. Lyrics especially. I wonder if getting a tablet would be more professional and organized, but I haven’t taken the plunge. I’m a pretty quick memorizer, so any paper on stage is minimal and short lived.

2. I will sometimes play the “Easy songs” when there’s a lull, but pretty mindful of time management when it’s gig time. I find keeping a journal helps overall with that.

3. I keep a list, all the songs we have ever brushed on, when a band mate says “we should play...” even radio tunes on my personal wishlist. Work on those from time to time.

4. in new situations, I play the bare minimum. Hate them clams!

5. a former band director used the term “big ears.” I’ve also played music nearly my whole life (trumpet since 11) but only got serious about bass a few years ago.

6. Same. My success is from doing my homework, it sure ain’t my raw talent!

7. just ordered my next bass amp today, which will prepare me for just about anything! Stoked

thanks again

 

[mrcbass]

1a. Do you use paper or tablet? Like @LBS-bass said, I find writing it physically on paper helps me remember. Lyrics especially. I wonder if getting a tablet would be more professional and organized, but I haven’t taken the plunge. I’m a pretty quick memorizer, so any paper on stage is minimal and short lived.

Tablet. This keeps all of my charts digital and ...

3. I keep a list, all the songs we have ever brushed on, when a band mate says “we should play...” even radio tunes on my personal wishlist. Work on those from time to time.

... I try to keep anything that I've ever charted on my PC for quick reference. Probably have a couple hundred charts stored my tablet as well.

4. in new situations, I play the bare minimum. Hate them clams!

To me this is the beauty of the bass lines - you can get away with a lot if you need to. I approach all of my songs like this even for my regular band: get the song ready quickly with a simple line and then build on it. Since I don't totally lock down a line until my band is close to having it worked out, it allows me to fit the line where we need it, which may not be where the cover needs it.

 

[CallMeAl]

Tablet. This keeps all of my charts digital and ...


... I try to keep anything that I've ever charted on my PC for quick reference. Probably have a couple hundred charts stored my tablet as well.


To me this is the beauty of the bass lines - you can get away with a lot if you need to. I approach all of my songs like this even for my regular band: get the song ready quickly with a simple line and then build on it. Since I don't totally lock down a line until my band is close to having it worked out, it allows me to fit the line where we need it, which may not be where the cover needs it.

I really try to get off book as quickly as possible. My concern with buying a tablet is either:
a) I’ll spend $ on it and hardly use it, or b) I’ll use it too much because I spent money on it!
But when I joined my new country/bluegrass band, I had like 2 weeks between joining and first show. They let me borrow a tablet. having the set ready to go, you just swipe left to go to next song- it’s great. WAY easier than shuffling through a stack or binder of papers. More discrete and professional too, IMO

I like to let a song get more complicated organically. As I play it more and more, I know where I can add (or subtract.) that “power blues” we’ve been talking about is another great example. I like to play super stripped down during the vox. Then as the guitar solo goes on for 3-4 choruses, my bass line gets increasingly complex and busy. Then when the vox come back, it’s back to square one. Super fun way to play, and a great dynamic/energy builder too.