Don't Use Charts on The Gig

[hsech]

Most jazz situations are like this and that is still considered "chart reading". I do this using the Real Book for cocktail gigs. You don't have to read just notation in order to be able to get through a chart.

I have also done this using "Fake Books" in small jazz combos. Nobody had a score or sheet music, just the melody line and chord change. I guess perhaps my definition of reading from a chart is different than others. I concede that, so maybe there really isn't any disagreement here (just my opinion, ha ha).

 

[QweziRider]

... I don't remember any of them playing a concert from sheet music.

But Ged sure does like to use that teleprompter for lyrics.

Plus, it's a whole different concept than a lot of the one off work I do. My regular band, all memorized because we work so much. One offs, I get a week or two among other life duties, do it, done. Using charts has been a great tool in me getting the work in the first place with music I don't know because I've built a reputation of getting in, doing the job correctly, and going away.

 

[nostatic]

I get an infrequent call to do a live band karaoke thing. There are over 400 songs in the book, some by artists that I never listen to (e.g. Katy Perry). I have pdf charts on my iPad so I can play the gig with no drama. Then another 2 bands that do jazz and often have guest vocalists/soloists sitting in and calling obscure tunes in odd keys. iRealB to the rescue where I've got the changes for about 2000 tunes.

If someone can do those gig without charts, more power to them. I certainly can't.

If I'm doing a classic rock gig, different story. My gigs are all over the map. I've played stuff where there is a bass book with written lines to gigs where tunes are called on the fly and you don't have time to pull up a chart. Most are somewhere in between and iRealB or unreal book get used fairly regularly.

As for what constitutes a "chart", I consider a pretty broad definition and include anything that indicates chords and measures. It doesn't have to have a melody line.

 

[JimmyM]

I get chord charts but I'll also get complete bass lines written out for me to play note for note, or at least close to note for note. Sometimes I'll change something if I think it sounds bad, but now and then I've done that only to get corrected, so there's still a goodly amount of note-for-note reading I have to do. And egad, some of these charts don't even have the chords written in!

 

[s0c9]

My current band has 78 songs. But it's not the point. Every four set show has the same number of songs. We don't do songs in any gig we can't do without a stand. But we were only doing about six gigs a month last summer and only three total all winter.

The "number of songs" question was purely to illustrate some bands play a lot of songs and require charts to be able to do them all well.. Of course, we don't play 120+ songs at a gig.. but we'll often ad-lib the 4th or 5th set based on requests etc...

 

[P. Aaron]

I chart out tunes with Nashville Numbers. The act of doing so makes memorisation easy, and i keep the charts with me and ready on the gig just in case. Pro-tip: if possible, put the charts on the drum riser or somewhere inconspicuous between you and the drummer. That way, when you turn to read the chart, the audience just thinks you're communicating with the drummer.

This system is part of how I remember songs and their arrangements. It simplifies many things and it helps one to recognize similar patterns when you hear songs and you want to figure them out with or without an instrument around.

 

[Vic Winters]

If I'm doing a fill in gig, I use charts for the stuff I'm not familiar with and stash the music stand behind one of the PA speakers. If it's a band I'm actually in and playing with on the regular, I memorize everything.

 

[P. Aaron]

To those of you who get pick up or sub gigs and get the charts of the set list, when you arrive at the show my hat is off to you. That is part of the working pro-musician's life. What spurred the OP was that I simply mentioned in another forum that I practiced & rehearsed the set list of my band to get away from the charts.

A few of the replies were from cats I know who play fixed set lists and still haul their charts to every gig, needing them...years later with few changes in their set content over the years.

 

[JimmyM]

To those of you who get pick up or sub gigs and get the charts of the set list, when you arrive at the show my hat is off to you. That is part of the working pro-musician's life. What spurred the OP was that I simply mentioned in another forum that I practiced & rehearsed the set list of my band to get away from the charts.

A few of the replies were from cats I know who play fixed set lists and still haul their charts to every gig, needing them...years later with few changes in their set content over the years.

I do know a lot of good readers with terrible memories. Me, I play a song 4 or 5 times, I've usually got it in my head pretty well by then. Might forget it if I don't play it in a year or two, but I got charts

 

[maisbass]

I get chord charts but I'll also get complete bass lines written out for me to play note for note, or at least close to note for note. Sometimes I'll change something if I think it sounds bad, but now and then I've done that only to get corrected, so there's still a goodly amount of note-for-note reading I have to do. And egad, some of these charts don't even have the chords written in!

Agreed. I encounter all of the above as well.

When I transcribe tunes I use an app called symphony pro (fantastic app btw) to chart out chords and notation. Then I will import them into my unreal book app. I also use ireal b but mainly for practicing standards, not on gigs.

Sometimes I will just write out some key notation parts so when I refer back to the tune it refreshes my memory how the groove is played or even perhaps some important fills / tags as well. Other times I will transcribe the tune note for note. It depends on the tune.

I have this wacky rule in my own head I go by. Certain bass lines for me would be sacrilege if I didn't play it note for note such as a Jamerson, McCartney, or a Nathan Watts line... So I will read notation on those tunes. But those are my own silly rules. Everyone has their own perspective on playing tunes. I enjoy playing tunes close to the record as possible as the writer intended it, but then I will also sprinkle a little salt and pepper flavoring to add in my style and approach.

 

[Brad Johnson]

I'm on the other side of this from P. I gig full time and in any given week I may need to get up to speed on ten or more new songs for multiple gigs that can be fairly complicated or very simple. I've played a lot of forgetably simple songs and many would be easy to play wrong.I may get the request for that music a day before rehearsal. I guess a fundamental point is that a chart can cover all sorts of things.

I've played at the current church for four years now. So when they call up a complicated song we did 2 1/2 years ago I search my email for my notes and I'm ready to go again. Simple. Same goes for my corporate gigs. I figured out a long time ago I wanted to be in the group that is better rewarded financially and my ability to play literally thousands of songs mostly from memory but also not from memory has put me way ahead of the curve. Time well spent IMO. YMMV

It could be notes near a song on a songlist. The medium could be out of sight of the audience. It doesn't necessarily have to be a case of you're so laser beamed on your notes that you don't even notice that Martian spacecraft that just landed stage left. I typically don't have to stay locked on the chart I wrote, I use it as a reminder of certain parts of a song, intros, key changes, etc. Do it once and I might have to change something by agreement with the other musicians... other than that, count it off. I got this.


I use my ipad or printouts in large fonts that are legible from the floor in low light. In my case I use the Nashville system and it's easily the best move I've made for being able to play difficult music on very short notice with comfort. I agree that the act of charting this way burns into my memory. When I do a number chart, if there are vocals I find the lyrics first and use them for timing. This word equals this note or phrase. The coolest thing about these charts are transposability. I don't care what key a BL, vocalist or group wants to do a song, I mentality change the key and my chart is still golden. Simple.

So if you're in a situation where you need to know twenty or so songs cold and you have the luxury of time the need to rely on a chart will probably be minimal. You can do that job. I can do that job. But when the call comes down for a $600 gig on short notice with several obscure songs and you can't use charts, be it paper, cellphone, iRealB or whatever, you're probably not in the running. I am. Most of the groups I play with don't rehearse. We don't have to. We can talk through arrangements. It's fun when you get asked how long have you guys been together and you can honestly say this is the first time we've played together.

I have no problem with people who are anti-chart. The no charts but a setlist with keys and notes is okay is kind of funny though ... because that's a chart too. If I played with one or two bands I likely wouldn't do charts since I'd have lots of time to learn a few songs. And on straight cover band gigs where I'm playing songs I've played a thousand times I may only write down the starting keys just to avoid asking later on (I work with lots of singers who constantly sing in non-original keys... no problem) . Then there's the financial aspect. Because of what I do, I can make what many cover bands make myself on a gig that would be next to impossible for a non-chart player to do. So "no charts" is not really a badge of honor... in my case it would be a severely limiting factor. To each his own.

 

[JimmyM]

About the same for me, except the oldies world hasn't adopted the Nashville system. I've never gotten Nashville charts on any gigs except country gigs. One really great thing about them is being able to change keys on the fly without transposing. They're limited in scope, but for chord charts I'd be totally down with moving to Nashville charts.

 

[Brad Johnson]

Agreed. I encounter all of the above as well.

When I transcribe tunes I use an app called symphony pro (fantastic app btw) to chart out chords and notation. Then I will import them into my unreal book app. I also use ireal b but mainly for practicing standards, not on gigs.

Sometimes I will just write out some key notation parts so when I refer back to the tune it refreshes my memory how the groove is played or even perhaps some important fills / tags as well. Other times I will transcribe the tune note for note. It depends on the tune.

I have this wacky rule in my own head I go by. Certain bass lines for me would be sacrilege if I didn't play it note for note such as a Jamerson, McCartney, or a Nathan Watts line... So I will read notation on those tunes. But those are my own silly rules. Everyone has their own perspective on playing tunes. I enjoy playing tunes close to the record as possible as the writer intended it, but then I will also sprinkle a little salt and pepper flavoring to add in my style and approach.

Nothing wrong with that. Some signature lines I stay at home on too. But here's my pet peeve about playing as close to the record as possible... most artists don't do that with their own work when they play live. So I won't personally tie my hands to original lines when I have the opportunity to use them as a starting point and do "me" or something that can be a lot of fun... take the whole thing in a different direction. Either can lend a good air of unpredictability to a performance. I know some audience members want to hear a band play just like the record... I'm definitely not one of them. Surprise me... that's why I wanted to hear you actually play live.

 

[Brad Johnson]

About the same for me, except the oldies world hasn't adopted the Nashville system. I've never gotten Nashville charts on any gigs except country gigs. One really great thing about them is being able to change keys on the fly without transposing. They're limited in scope, but for chord charts I'd be totally down with moving to Nashville charts.

I use them on all of my gigs. Agency band, church, fusion, rock, whenever I need a reminder system of a required tune. Typically it''l just be a setlist with keys and a note about anything I think I might possibly forget. Might just be something as simple as Bridge 5b, telling the bridge goes to the flat five. Don't have to wonder after that. In church an MD will typical call audibles based on numbers. Easy... as long as you know where the root is.

I use my own twist on them so I can write timing with just numbers and punctuation. For instance if I want a staccato note I'll put the number followed by a ".". I use a "_" as a quarter note rest. I use a "." before the number if I want it to feel anticipated. ":|" for a repeat. I can separate by measure or use words in the lyrics for timing.

I've even gone back to old charts I have written with note names instead of numbers and converted them. I rarely have anyone give me a chart except on a multi group with houseband gig and then they're typically just chord charts. They expect you to know their songs. And if I don't... I will.

 

[JimmyM]

Nothing wrong with that. Some signature lines I stay at home on too. But here's my pet peeve about playing as close to the record as possible... most artists don't do that with their own work when they play live. So I won't personally tie my hands to original lines when I have the opportunity to use them as a starting point and do "me" or something that can be a lot of fun... take the whole thing in a different direction. Either can lend a good air of unpredictability to a performance. I know some audience members want to hear a band play just like the record... I'm definitely not one of them. Surprise me... that's why I wanted to hear you actually play live.

I have a funny story about that...

We're backing The Original Teenagers, who, with the late Frankie Lymon, recorded a string of 50's hits, the biggest being "Why Do Fools Fall In Love." We start to rehearse it at soundcheck, and our old sax player says, "Excuse me a second, guys, but this solo written out here...is that what you guys really want?"

OMIGOD! Anyone who knows "Why Do Fools" knows that the sax solo is integral to making that song work, and it may not be Coltrane, but that's the big hook of the song! They told him in no uncertain terms that they wanted that exact solo note for note. So we rehearse it and he plays it beautifully, like he could have been the guy who recorded it.

So we do the show, and he busts into the most out there jazz solo I ever heard in a 50's doo wop song. They're looking at him with these looks on their faces, and he does this solo then gets that "Hey man, I really made that tune come alive!" attitude about himself. Oh sure, he's no longer with the band, but man, we still laugh about that look he had on his face when he was done. Big man on campus, he was!

 

[Brad Johnson]

I have a funny story about that...

We're backing The Original Teenagers, who, with the late Frankie Lymon, recorded a string of 50's hits, the biggest being "Why Do Fools Fall In Love." We start to rehearse it at soundcheck, and our old sax player says, "Excuse me a second, guys, but this solo written out here...is that what you guys really want?"

OMIGOD! Anyone who knows "Why Do Fools" knows that the sax solo is integral to making that song work, and it may not be Coltrane, but that's the big hook of the song! They told him in no uncertain terms that they wanted that exact solo note for note. So we rehearse it and he plays it beautifully, like he could have been the guy who recorded it.

So we do the show, and he busts into the most out there jazz solo I ever heard in a 50's doo wop song. They're looking at him with these looks on their faces, and he does this solo then gets that "Hey man, I really made that tune come alive!" attitude about himself. Oh sure, he's no longer with the band, but man, we still laugh about that look he had on his face when he was done. Big man on campus, he was!

Cluelessness can be a cruel affliction.

 

[Pacman]

I want to thank all you guys who'd rather screw it up without a chart. You're the reason my phone keeps ringing.

 

[QweziRider]

... cats I know who play fixed set lists and still haul their charts to every gig, needing them...years later with few changes in their set content over the years.

Yeah, that's not particularly cool. After a few weeks of gigging the same songs, they ought to be in the brain by then.

 

[fdeck]

Rules, rules, rules. For every rule about playing music, somebody is breaking that rule with no apparent consequences.

Reading is a skill. Players who can't read without sacrificing musicality, interaction, or stage presence, are probably weak in one or more of those skills. For instance, having to sight-read will tell you if you can read, but it will also tell you if you really know your way around your instrument.

No sour grapes. Join a band that doesn't use charts, or hit the woodshed. Reading tunes at practice, while committing them to memory for the gig, is not a bad way to practice your reading without detracting from your band's desired stage show.

Charts are not just a crutch for players -- they're also a band management tool. Having a "book" of charts can help a band deal with issues such as illness, schedule conflicts, and turnover. This is actually why the jazz bands use charts. Imagine keeping the same 19 players together from one gig to the next. Or even the same 4 if they're all busy. I have a friend who has a tribute act, and travels for gigs. He has a good set of charts, and can hire a band in virtually any town.

And I think that reading is not just for pro's. I'm an amateur, or "semi pro," whatever you call it, and I get calls because of my reading skills.

Now, I don't play pop music, but jazz standards are just the pop music of another era. I rarely bring a music stand to combo gigs any more. If there are one or two tunes that I don't know, I'll read them off one of the other stands. I don't care if other players read from fake books. But one of my pet peeves is "dead air" between tunes, while the players all flip through their books trying to choose the next tune.

 

[Joe Nerve]

I want to thank all you guys who'd rather screw it up without a chart. You're the reason my phone keeps ringing.

I want to thank all you guys who never learn the tunes and keep having to read charts on stage. You're the reason my phone keeps ringing .

If a BL is given the choice between a guy who can do a show with charts and I guy who can do one without, I'm gonna bet they'll go with the guy who'll do them without. And I don't screw the songs up. I learn them.

That being said, if someone wants to spend their gigging life depending on charts go for it. I personally think you're missing out.