from my first gig i learnt to not trust the monitors as up here they often go off or you can hardly hear enough bass out of it if the sound guy is a major ahole.
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First Gigs....some lessons learned
- Thread starter Fret Boiler
- Start date
once i was playing a show with some random band, and the sound guy (who was a good friend of mine) said he was going to hook up a countryman DI for me so i switched my amp off. well i got distracted and forgot to turn my amp back on. the DI sounded so good that i didn't even notice it was off till after the show was over. i felt rather stupid for the rest of the evening, then i went out and bought a countryman.
I always try and remember where my effects are. This comes from numerous incidents where I accidentally kick my patch out of an effect and then have to figure out why I'm not getting any sound out of my bass, and from stepping on effects that are totally inappropriate and sound like buttocks.
This didn't happen to me, but I learned from it:
Last week was my first gig with my new band. Between sets my guitar player drank a couple of beers and didn't go to the bathroom before the next set. Well, three or four songs in we hit a space where the singer kind of talks while we check our tuning. The guitar player looks at me a say "I gotta go!" and runs to the bathroom. We were left standing there with the question marks floating over our heads. The other guitar player, thinking fast, decided to start "Sweet Home Alabama". Which we played in it's entirety without ever rehearsing it before as a band. We pulled it off! The guitar player with the small bladder returned to find the band in the middle of song he didn't know... it was pretty funny.
Lesson learned: Use the potty during intermission. You can grope the girls later
Last week was my first gig with my new band. Between sets my guitar player drank a couple of beers and didn't go to the bathroom before the next set. Well, three or four songs in we hit a space where the singer kind of talks while we check our tuning. The guitar player looks at me a say "I gotta go!" and runs to the bathroom. We were left standing there with the question marks floating over our heads. The other guitar player, thinking fast, decided to start "Sweet Home Alabama". Which we played in it's entirety without ever rehearsing it before as a band. We pulled it off! The guitar player with the small bladder returned to find the band in the middle of song he didn't know... it was pretty funny.
Lesson learned: Use the potty during intermission. You can grope the girls later
lol my story isn't the best but,
umm a couple days ago we were playing at a local concert venue. teh sound guy was alright but not great. but anyways, so we were in the middle of our most bass oriented song and i was loving it because for some reason the sound guy that night had decided to add some extra bass and get teh subs workin! but then in the middle of the song, an awful feedback that was super loud all of a sudden came. and it ruined the whole song. well we were baffled...but i decided to switch out my cord anyways...so i switch it and it goes away...
but then just because of that our singer tells the sound guy to turn down the bass
. man! their in front all teh tiem, and just because i used a bad cable i don't get to be loud! 
lol told you it was lame!
umm a couple days ago we were playing at a local concert venue. teh sound guy was alright but not great. but anyways, so we were in the middle of our most bass oriented song and i was loving it because for some reason the sound guy that night had decided to add some extra bass and get teh subs workin! but then in the middle of the song, an awful feedback that was super loud all of a sudden came. and it ruined the whole song. well we were baffled...but i decided to switch out my cord anyways...so i switch it and it goes away...
but then just because of that our singer tells the sound guy to turn down the bass
. man! their in front all teh tiem, and just because i used a bad cable i don't get to be loud! lol told you it was lame!
butchblack
Life is short. Do good. Find and do what you love.
Rule #1
Know your equipment
Did a gig a couple months ago. set up my bass and amp, turned it on, nothing. I was getting power to the amp, scrambled around, just before we started to play I changed the cable to the cab and got sound. Turns out that the original cable, a speakon wasn't turned in the right direction, so it never connected. DUH
Also, I have trouble hearing myself on stage, especially on small, tight stages, I found that using an amp stand to get the cab closer to ear level is great for that problem. Of course I use a smallish cab (Avatar SB112 neo) Don't know that it would work with an SVT 810 cab though.
Know your equipment
Did a gig a couple months ago. set up my bass and amp, turned it on, nothing. I was getting power to the amp, scrambled around, just before we started to play I changed the cable to the cab and got sound. Turns out that the original cable, a speakon wasn't turned in the right direction, so it never connected. DUH
Also, I have trouble hearing myself on stage, especially on small, tight stages, I found that using an amp stand to get the cab closer to ear level is great for that problem. Of course I use a smallish cab (Avatar SB112 neo) Don't know that it would work with an SVT 810 cab though.
That happens to me ALL THE TIME, i hate it. at one point i went from a funk with a detuned E string to a jazz tune with rhythm changes, needless to say i forgot to retune and it was...weird.
The first thing gigging taught me: If you make a mistake, dont make a yuck face and KEEP PLAYING
The Second, already stated: Time your beers/bathrooms breaks wisely.
The Second, already stated: Time your beers/bathrooms breaks wisely.
Ive got a Korg DT10 floor tuner and Ive managed to mute myself in the middle of songs by inadvertently treading on it. I was going to start using the mute button on my amp and running the tuner through the tuner-out or using the bypass, but now Ive read of mute button disasters Im not sure its a better idea!
Here are my tips some of these Ive learned from watching other bands, one or two have happened to me : )
Take enough spare batteries for your effects, or if you use a 9v adapter get a spare!
Get a screwdriver with replacement heads that fit any screws youre likely to need to adjust. Using the wrong screwdrivers will quickly strip the heads from screws and then you wont be able to replace the batteries you remembered to bring
Always have 2 leads for each application that you know work properly (speaker leads for your cabs, instrument leads, patch leads, amp power leads) then you can lend one to your guitarists if he forgets his he will do this.
If you have a spare bass, take it with you, even if its a cheapy no name bass you will need it one day! (probably when the batteries in your 18v active bass die and youve only got one replacement battery)
Take enough spare batteries!
Dont stand immediately to the right of left handed guitarist on stage (assuming youre right handed) one of you will end up with a broken nose or, worse, a broken headstock.
Dont switch your amp off after youve sound checked if youve never noticed how long it takes for your amp to come on you certainly will if your band is waiting for it before they can start the first song
Did I mention taking spare batteries?
Ive written down 2 lists of equipment. One is all of the things that go into my flight case (pedals, leads etc) the other is a list of larger equipment (cabs, basses etc). I then use the lists to make sure Ive loaded everything into the car - Ive only started doing this recently because a bassist who headlined a gig in our town had a 3 hour drive up from London to fetch his amp head
I also found it useful to learn how to set up the other band members equipment, but this is only because when our guitarist has technical problems he just pulls a sad face and says something isnt working
Hope that helps someone someday
Jamie
Here are my tips some of these Ive learned from watching other bands, one or two have happened to me : )
Take enough spare batteries for your effects, or if you use a 9v adapter get a spare!
Get a screwdriver with replacement heads that fit any screws youre likely to need to adjust. Using the wrong screwdrivers will quickly strip the heads from screws and then you wont be able to replace the batteries you remembered to bring
Always have 2 leads for each application that you know work properly (speaker leads for your cabs, instrument leads, patch leads, amp power leads) then you can lend one to your guitarists if he forgets his he will do this.
If you have a spare bass, take it with you, even if its a cheapy no name bass you will need it one day! (probably when the batteries in your 18v active bass die and youve only got one replacement battery)
Take enough spare batteries!
Dont stand immediately to the right of left handed guitarist on stage (assuming youre right handed) one of you will end up with a broken nose or, worse, a broken headstock.
Dont switch your amp off after youve sound checked if youve never noticed how long it takes for your amp to come on you certainly will if your band is waiting for it before they can start the first song
Did I mention taking spare batteries?
Ive written down 2 lists of equipment. One is all of the things that go into my flight case (pedals, leads etc) the other is a list of larger equipment (cabs, basses etc). I then use the lists to make sure Ive loaded everything into the car - Ive only started doing this recently because a bassist who headlined a gig in our town had a 3 hour drive up from London to fetch his amp head
I also found it useful to learn how to set up the other band members equipment, but this is only because when our guitarist has technical problems he just pulls a sad face
and says something isnt working
Hope that helps someone someday
Jamie
Lessons learned at first gig. Sadly this was all last Friday 05/09
1. Help get the slow band that was on before you off the stage
2. The drummer's rack needs to be set up ahead of time and not on stage.
3. Before starting the first song make sure the Guitar player is in the right tuning.(He stopped right before we were going to start the verse and said it was a sound check:scowl
4. Bring duct-tape for loose microphone wires.(the house cables were loose and the singer was cutting out when he moved around)
5. never play a song that the band doesn't know in its entirety cause the crowd wants a encore and your out of songs(We butchered Man in the Box. I couldn't remember the exact noting to the pre-chorus or the lead ins to the chorus. Of course the guitarist only remembered half of the solo making it worse AND only did half of the call back vocals in the chorus)
6. Bring a 2nd bass(didn't break a string but thought about it the entire show).
1. Help get the slow band that was on before you off the stage
2. The drummer's rack needs to be set up ahead of time and not on stage.
3. Before starting the first song make sure the Guitar player is in the right tuning.(He stopped right before we were going to start the verse and said it was a sound check:scowl
4. Bring duct-tape for loose microphone wires.(the house cables were loose and the singer was cutting out when he moved around)
5. never play a song that the band doesn't know in its entirety cause the crowd wants a encore and your out of songs(We butchered Man in the Box. I couldn't remember the exact noting to the pre-chorus or the lead ins to the chorus. Of course the guitarist only remembered half of the solo making it worse AND only did half of the call back vocals in the chorus)
6. Bring a 2nd bass(didn't break a string but thought about it the entire show).
