Don't Use Charts on The Gig

[P. Aaron]

A discussion in another forum got interesting when I mentioned that I don't use charts on the gig. I don't even use them at rehearsals or auditions either. A set list? Yeah.

We're talking about POP: Rock, Country, mainstream radio play covers.

My thought is, you either know the material or you don't and a chart, unless you're old school big band isn't going to help.

I study the tune(s) when I practice. If a song or passage gives me trouble, I'll listen to more of the artists/players tunes to get a sense of their playing style. I usually end up learning 3-4 tunes of an artist to just to learn the one tune for the set. I'll write changes on a set list as I'm learning it but I use it only to practice.

Every musician I've ever worked with who stuck strictly to charts never seemed to really play the song(s) in a manner that sounded anything but restricted, not free or with the feel of the band.

Anyone else?

 

[ggunn]

There were a couple of songs in one band I was in that I used charts for. I never could seem to learn them until I lost the charts on the way to a gig. I managed to get through them for that gig and I never needed them again.

 

[20db pad]

I can read notation and charts just fine, but I try to avoid all that for Pop gigs. All you're talking about is a few chords, a few hits and a line or two. If you've been doing this long enough, you've internalized enough song forms and know enough tunes anyway. Of course, there's always exceptions, as I've seen top tier guys like Tony Levin and Anthony Jackson use cheat sheets or read on the gig, respectively. They don't sound like they don't know the tune though.

Obviously if there's a stage full of musicians using sheet music as seen with Broadway shows or big Church orchestral stuff, than you do as the Romans do.

 

[Munjibunga]

I don't use 'em.

 

[Polfuste]

I just need the setlist, on which i write the first chord name of the tune. I rarely read it but i had one time a hole in memory of "where must i start this tune ?"... so it's like a backup against memory holes..

 

[FretNoMore]

I use charts (on my iPad) when practicing and at rehearsals, but try to phase them out as I learn the songs. I still use the iPad at gigs but mostly for the set lists and to quickly glance at the chart for any notes on particular features of songs, like a special intro, breaks, where I should sing some backup vocals (I'm hopeless at remembering lyrics) etc. Usually I don't really need this but for new songs, or songs we haven't played in a while I find it helps to not forget interesting details.

 

[hrodbert696]

I agree, but for me the main reason is that in the popular music styles you're talking about, the crowd wants a performance, not a note-perfect rendition of the composer's work. The band should be active and interactive and you can't do that with your eyes locked on a music stand. Of course, if you're going to stand there staring at your fretboard instead it doesn't make that much difference.

 

[theduke1]

I use them to learn a tune. I am an ear player and it is faster for me this way. Once I know the structure and changes I play from memory. A dear guitar player friend of mine would always say that I play off the page. What I play comes from inside. He passed a few years ago. We played together for 25 years. He was the best player I ever worked with, but lol we could only work together for short periods of time cause off stage he drove me nuts. But on stage it was magic no matter how much time we were apart it was alas like we never stop playing together.
Sorry got a litter side tracked.
It's called playing off the page.
Duke

 

[tkonbass]

I find charts useful while solidifying a tune but it can also easily become a crutch, one which is hard to let go. I like charting new tunes just because the actual act of dissecting and charting the song helps implant the arrangement/changes in my head. I try not to bring them to rehearsals or gigs unless really short on time to learn the tunes. Although I have occasionally written keys, changes or "reminders" on set lists.

 

[theduke1]

My bad
I do play from charts on our Praise Team. Most of the time I don't look at them, but because a team is always made up of who is available on any given week. Rehearsal time is a total of maybe 5 hours between Wednesday night and Sunday morning before service.
So in that setting they are helpful.

 

[Jay Corwin]

I think a lot of it has to do with the type of music. I've seen jazz cats blazing with a chart in front of them, probably playing stuff they "didn't know" much of prior to the gig. I've also played with guys who couldn't operate without charts in front of them.

I've also seen "rockers" who can't operate without material in front of them - usually just lyrics/chords. Sometimes that one gets me to chuckle...that a guy has been playing the same 1-4-5'er for 20+ years and still needs a reminder. Makes me think, lay off the joints in between sets. Some of these guys are my friends too.

Now if a guy is in three bands or something that have pretty different set lists, then I can see needing something. Filling in - same deal.


I had and interesting experience regarding this topic though about a month ago. My 12 year old niece plays clarinet in the school band, and has been enamored with playing music hanging out with me most of her life. Sometimes I'll play along with her when she is practicing or wants to show me what she has learned. She asked me the one day, "Uncle Jay, how do you what to play without the book?" So I did my best to explain that after she is playing for a while, she will just understand patterns and formats in music and know "what to play" in certain songs. Some day London Bridges won't seem so difficult!

 

[hrodbert696]

My bad
I do play from charts on our Praise Team. Most of the time I don't look at them, but because a team is always made up of who is available on any given week. Rehearsal time is a total of maybe 5 hours between Wednesday night and Sunday morning before service.
So in that setting they are helpful.

Yeah, worship team is different. Ours usually has a lead sheet or a page copied from a hymnal (we mix traditional and contemporary music). That's a setting where we usually get the tunes Wednesday or Thursday and rehearsal is an hour before the service Sunday morning, so playing by memory is usually not realistic. Plus, in our church anyway, we're not up there to "perform" the way you are in a bar band.

 

[groooooove]

good players can nail anything at sight..

give will lee a chart for anything and see if he sounds constricted.

if someone does get choked up by reading, then i agree they need to memorize. but, i don't think theres anything wrong with using charts if you know what your doing.

 

[DiabolicLow B]

Nothing wrong with using charts in the right context but for a rock/pop cover gig I think it visually looks terrible, it can really take away from the energy and entertainment value of the gig.

 

[hintz]

Charts can be like training wheels for songs, but can also become a crutch...i will run something 5 times with a chart(unless I heard it many times), then flip the page around.... If your in multiple groups they can be a lifesaver though

I try to get rid of them before the gig...

 

[yodedude2]

i think chart resistance is more of a visual thing than a musical thing. since i'm more an aural than a visual person, charts don't bother me. however, performers need to please their audiences first, so there's that. if a chart gets between you and your audience, as a performer, you need to ditch it.

 

[bassrich]

I don't even know what a chart is

 

[cchorney]

There's definitely a school of thought that says "practice like you'll play", which means you need to rehearse without charts if you want to play without charts. I try for that, but I suffer from "what the hell is the bridge" syndrome, as well as occasionally blanking on the intro riff. So I have some basic notes - one or 2 lines at most - for each song. Sometimes all I need is the name of the song but other times I need to give it a quick check to keep me good. It's not ideal but for me it's necessary.

Note: I keep my cheat sheet on the floor next to my mic, not on a music stand. Gotta keep it so the audience doesn't see!

 

[Pacman]

I use them all the time, and have never had a problem with interacting with either the crowd or bandmates. When you take a gig to do 50 tunes with less than two weeks, it makes sense. Granted, my eyes aren't locked onto them the whole time, but the audience would rather have you play the right changes than look great while crapping all over a tune.

 

[strictlybass_ic]

Whenever I get a new song to learn I look up the song itself and any tabs on the web. Then compile the various tabs into something that seems reasonably close while listening to the song. Then I take my new tab and play along with the song until I've ironed out all the rough spots (sometimes this takes a lot of ironing, others aren't too bad). Then I re-draft the tabs to include all the corrections and any notes. Then I throw that finished tab sheet in my big book of songs I've learned (giant three-ring binder I keep in music room). At first I'll glance at my tab sheet while practicing until I have it committed to memory then it gets stowed away. I always bring a small binder with all the songs on a setlist to a gig. Rarely if ever use it, but it's a nice insurance policy in case I have a brain fart part way through and need a quick reminder.

I realize this process might not sound very "musical", but this methodical approach seems to work best for me in terms of consistency and memorization. And it's very handy to have a record of every song you'e ever learned in case you decide to play a cover you haven't touched for years and forgot all about. Find the page in the big book, glance over the tab, and play away.