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How bout some gig wisdom?

fatbassman

fatbassman

Oct 17, 2008
46
12
Snohomish, WA
www.facebook.com
#1
My band is moving fairly fast locally, as a result we are now (as of tonight) playing larger stages with lighting rigs etc. ....

I'm a still a newbie (eight years a bassist), and some things came up I did not anticipate.

Bright lights and pitch black moments... I lost my place several times and made waaay too many mistakes as a result of not being able to see where I'm at on the fretboard.

Also, the crowd was big. I nearly lost it a few times trying to interact with them.

So.... I need some advice. Should I just take the time to learn to play without looking? Maybe buy some glow in the dark fret markers?

Help please! Help a newb (ish) !
 
#2
Yeah, I had the same problem when I played some bigs gig with a band on a huge stage years ago... it was just something I never anticipated over years of practice and rehearsal, to be onstage then *pop* total darkness!

Usually, it was at or near the end of songs, so it didn't affect me too much... but sometimes, during an intro riff for a song, the lighting guy would get all mysterious and kill the lights, rev up the smoke machine and hey presto, no can see.

I thought about illuminated fret markers (seen a guy play a Warwick that had them) but vetoed the idea on grounds of wankery. I think you just get used to feeling the neck, the spatial relationship of headstock/neck width. Oh, and use the same bass, to be consistent. I also asked the lighting guy to keep some light available for us, so no-one put their eye out on a boom stand or fell off the stage edge.
 
#4
fatbassman said:
Also, the crowd was big. I nearly lost it a few times trying to interact with them.

Unless you are the... let the front man do that - it usually looks un-organized from out front with too many people presenting ...there are some notable exceptions for folks with amazing talent and stage experience. For now concentrate on keeping your sh_t together...

So.... I need some advice. Should I just take the time to learn to play without looking?

You need no advice, you hit the nail on the head. Play your @ss off until you can play those parts in the dark... blindfolded.
Help please! Help a newb (ish) !
Click to expand...

There are no shortcuts. You get good on stage by being on stage. You simply have to log the hours doing it the best you can. You get one stage skill nailed, add another ... for now, stick to nailing your parts in the dark, in the light.
 
#6
4Mal said:
There are no shortcuts. You get good on stage by being on stage. You simply have to log the hours doing it the best you can. You get one stage skill nailed, add another ... for now, stick to nailing your parts in the dark, in the light.
Click to expand...

+1

If you can play your parts without looking at your hands or even thinking too much about it, the other aspects of performing will just come naturally.
 
#7
4Mal said:
There are no shortcuts. You get good on stage by being on stage. You simply have to log the hours doing it the best you can. You get one stage skill nailed, add another ... for now, stick to nailing your parts in the dark, in the light.
Click to expand...

+1

It took me more than 10 years of practicing and gigging to be what I consider competent on stage. I figure that was about 5,000 hours of instrument time. (Bass in hand 10 hours/week x 50 weeks/year x 10 years.)

I'm at the point now where I can play bass blindfolded if I have to while singing vocals and bantering with the crowd. But now I've got almost 15,000 hours on bass over more than two decades. Good bass players have a lot more time invested than that.

The more you play the easier it becomes until playing on stage seems natural and the bass is an extension of yourself. Keep doing what you're doing and you'll get there. :bassist:
 
#9
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#10
Yep... Same problem here.


I bought a small tin of poisonless phosphorescent paint from some hobby-shop.

Problem solved, after drying its like dried toothpaste, so it comes off with a nail or a pick, the stagelights gharge it so it glows in the dark.

I put on spots of it next to the original fretmarks on the side of the neck.. black dots on white binding, and now white/glow spots next to those. I can also feel them with my thumb if needed.

wankery... but useful.

Also painted some switches on my pedals with it.
 
#11
Try practicing in the dark. I also teach bagpipes, and I often cover my students hands with a sheet of black construction paper. On that instrument, it's impossible to see your hands while you play the full set.

Learn to play by feel, and keep eye contact with the crowd. Not to sound mean, but watching your neck makes you look amateur. An occasional glance is fine, and necessary for most of us.

Rather than a visual cue(light), why not use a tactile que? Electric tape on the back of the neck where you can feel it might be the trick, and it's easily removed when you don't need it anymore.
 
#12
I for one can hardly stand stage lighting. It looks great in the crowd, I know, so I understand its necessity, but the alternating blinding brightness and inky darkness drives me frikkin' crazy. It makes it very easy to lose your place in the multitude of things us gigging joes have to juggle at once, and the best way to avoid such setbacks is to make as many actions on stage as instinctual as possible. The less you're thinking about what your doing, the more successful you'll be.

That said, start practicing blindfolded and see what happens. :D
 
#13
fat- Some good advice above. Don't try to play beyond your capability on stage. Have some fun, but always be thinking a couple of measures/minutes ahead so that you're not caught off guard by distractions like stage lighting.
Whenever I play on a big stage (and that's not too often!), I start out physically close to our drummer and then move out as I get more acclimated.
 
#14
+1 to practicing in the dark/ eyes closed. you may be surprised at what you can already play without looking.

+1 to simplifying your parts. I invariably play simpler on stage than I do in a more relaxed atmosphere. Knowing this i try to develop lines that really work when stripped down to essential notes.

Practicing and simplifying will help you compensate for the immense distractions of being onstage, and eventually the mechanics of execution will become pretty automatic. That's when you can step up and listen.

mistakes onstage are all but inevitable,the real skill comes form being able to recover and right yourself quickly and musically. I swear I am as mistake prone as ever, but over the years players and esp audiences seem to notice less and less....
 
#16
How's about being ready for the next tune ahead of time? I rarely play on the big stage these days, but when I did, I was always thinking ahead and would get my hand in position to start a tune. If the blackout comes at the end then you should be ok. I like the glow in the dark ideas...very cheesy and the crowd eats up the cheese eh!
have fun and good luck!
 
#18
+10 to learning to play without looking at your hands.

You should've been practicing this from the start anyway... at least get to the point so when you play you only need to glance at your hands from time to time to orient yourself.

Practice your arse off so you know your songs inside out. And focus on the music first, not the people. You can still put on a good show by getting into the song, going up to the drummer and/or other bandmates at certain spots in a song, moving yourself in time to the music (which will help you keep better time) and all whilst completely ignoring the audience.
 
#19
mambo4 said:
+1 to practicing in the dark/ eyes closed. you may be surprised at what you can already play without looking.

+1 to simplifying your parts. I invariably play simpler on stage than I do in a more relaxed atmosphere. Knowing this i try to develop lines that really work when stripped down to essential notes.

Practicing and simplifying will help you compensate for the immense distractions of being onstage, and eventually the mechanics of execution will become pretty automatic. That's when you can step up and listen.

mistakes onstage are all but inevitable,the real skill comes form being able to recover and right yourself quickly and musically. I swear I am as mistake prone as ever, but over the years players and esp audiences seem to notice less and less....
Click to expand...

+2

If you make a mistake, or someone else does, just move along like nothing happened. I've been told, and told others, that the only time they/I noticed the mistake was the facial expression, or when everyone turned to look at the drummer and he shrugged impishly, etc.

Unless makes a mistake of colossal proportions, pretend it didn't even happen and most won't notice it did.
 
#20
I've used both dabs of glow in the dark paint on the side markers and little glow in the dark stickers from eBay that also go on the side markers. They work great for dark/poorly lit stages to get your bearings during big jumps on the neck or anytime you need a visual reference. A good short term fix while working on playing without looking. IME
 

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