Starting a duo group? advice

i joined a group like that when someone i knew was offered a contract from a coffee shop chain. it didnt pay alot but was farily okay i would say for some two guys starting off as a semi-pro musicians. since those were coffee shop gigs; 30W combo for bass, 15 combo for guitar and a 100W combo for vocals were seriously more than enough but that would depend on the size of the venue and how loud you want to be right?
regarding the tone, as they say, use your ear and eq is your friend
we always made sure our sets were fun, we used to take requests for songs rather even ask if any one wanted a special song and we never went too loud as we were playing a coffee shop and not a rock gig in a bar

 

I don't think you need to settle for less money (at least on a per-player basis) than a full size band. In fact, you might be able to settle for more. But perhaps instead of thinking about competing directly with larger bands, you could turn your format into an advantage. The advantage is that you are not carrying all the baggage of a full size band.

My genre is jazz, so I often get called to play duo with a guitarist or pianist. In the jazz scene, solo or duo acts often work their way into smaller venues where the owner can't afford, or doesn't want the volume level, of a full band. Of course those gigs might pay lower, but you might still come out ahead on a per-player basis. And, if you can manage to downsize your gear -- especially to the point of cramming everything into a small car -- then you might not mind taking some gigs that would not even make sense for a bigger band. With a quick load-in, you can take weekday night gigs without cutting into anybody's day job.

I suggest that you should get your tunes down on paper, in a format that a competent side-man can follow. Of course there are players who specialize in this kind of work. Even a so called "jazz" player will often take gigs in any genre. This gives you the option of expanding the band with a bassist and drummer when the venue and pay scale justify it.

 

If you have strong vocals and a good repertoire, this is a nice format for gigs where low volume is a plus. Around a decent market, you should be able to pull at least $250 per man for corporates, wedding rehearsal dinners, graduation and college reunion events, etc.

 

I suggest just trying it both ways, and see how it plays in Peoria. I suspect that acoustic plus bass will give a reasonably full sound. And of course, bass is what really makes it happen.

Versatility will certainly benefit you. I play with a guitarist who does it all -- rock, acoustic, jazz, etc. Also, for casuals, clients will often favor a band that can start out with some nice light dinner music, then morph into dance music later on, often with the addition of players who show up just for the dance portion. This avoids them having to deal with multiple entertainment providers.

Also, perish the thought that you eventually end up with a day job, but being able to play genres that don't require a 2-hour load in, or touring, might help you balance multiple income sources later on. Versatility also gets you around the typical problem that rock bands face, which is that they quickly saturate their own local markets.