FTW. Well done.
One thing I find myself thinking more and more frequently... seeing a lot of girls at our shows who are my daughters' ages or younger:
"Does your daddy know you're out this late and is he really OK with you dressing like that?"
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What do you think about while you are gigging.
- Thread starter 86general
- Start date
FTW. Well done.
One thing I find myself thinking more and more frequently... seeing a lot of girls at our shows who are my daughters' ages or younger:
"Does your daddy know you're out this late and is he really OK with you dressing like that?"
Well, I'm not allowing my mind to wander to extraneous & irrelevant things. That much is for sure.
The answer is: If everything is going smoothly, I'm not thinking about much of anything in particular. I'm focused on becoming one with the music - and becoming personally transparent enough to allow the music to express itself through me.
If things are not going so smoothly, however, those are circumstances where I am forced to think: i.e. about an especially difficult passage coming up, about whether one of the other players is totally up to speed on his parts, about other factors going on in the room, i.e. crowd noise, overly-hot lighting, poor sound reinforcement, etc. that might prove to be a distraction.
All in all, it's better to not have to think. It's much better to have the latitude to feel. All the more reason to be well-rehearsed, and well-prepared.
MM
Hi,
The band was just finishing up their showcase in the trendy hipster joint downtown. They were really killin' it!
The singer was thinking to himself, "Man! Look at all those hot chicks out there. I can see the way they're looking at me. I'm not going to have any trouble finding company tonight!"
The guitar player was thinking, "Wow! The crowd is really getting into these songs I wrote! Those agents and record execs in the crowd are sure to notice. I just know I'm going to be rich and famous soon!"
The drummer was thinking, "Groovy! I've got these people rockin' to my rhythm. They think I am sooooo cool! I'm going to be offered all the drugs I want when we take a break!"
The bass player was thinking, "A - A - A - A, D - D - D - D, A - A, E - E...."
Thank you! I'll be here all week! Enjoy the buffet!
But seriously, I try to stay focused in the moment, anticipate the next section of the music or the next lyric. When I let my mind wander away from the show my playing and singing suffers. Even those tunes that I've been doing for years, and can do on "auto-pilot", are less effective and can lack feel, emotion, and groove if I start zoning out away from the stage. It happens, but I try not to let my mind wander. My band learns 6 or 7 new tunes every month to stay current so I pretty much have to keep my head in the game in order to keep it all straight.
Thank you for your indulgence,
BassCliff
The band was just finishing up their showcase in the trendy hipster joint downtown. They were really killin' it!
The singer was thinking to himself, "Man! Look at all those hot chicks out there. I can see the way they're looking at me. I'm not going to have any trouble finding company tonight!"
The guitar player was thinking, "Wow! The crowd is really getting into these songs I wrote! Those agents and record execs in the crowd are sure to notice. I just know I'm going to be rich and famous soon!"
The drummer was thinking, "Groovy! I've got these people rockin' to my rhythm. They think I am sooooo cool! I'm going to be offered all the drugs I want when we take a break!"
The bass player was thinking, "A - A - A - A, D - D - D - D, A - A, E - E...."
Thank you! I'll be here all week! Enjoy the buffet!
But seriously, I try to stay focused in the moment, anticipate the next section of the music or the next lyric. When I let my mind wander away from the show my playing and singing suffers. Even those tunes that I've been doing for years, and can do on "auto-pilot", are less effective and can lack feel, emotion, and groove if I start zoning out away from the stage. It happens, but I try not to let my mind wander. My band learns 6 or 7 new tunes every month to stay current so I pretty much have to keep my head in the game in order to keep it all straight.
Thank you for your indulgence,
BassCliff
I know its a great show when after its just a blurrrrr, no idea what I was thinking.
occasionally (especially if its a weird room) ill get caught up in wondering if my tone is alright...
during funky songs I think "look at that ass....IM the one making it move"
occasionally (especially if its a weird room) ill get caught up in wondering if my tone is alright...
during funky songs I think "look at that ass....IM the one making it move"
I think about what I am playing and making sure that I step where I'm supposed when I'm supposed to. I listen to my bandmates and try and focus on the feel and sound of the song were playing at the given moment. I dont give the audience much thought at all. I try to pay attention to the monitors and my sound in the room too. Cant always hear myself in the room but I still try. I mostly just focus on not messing up and playing the song hard and loud and great.
If I think, there's a good chance I'm about to stumble or miss a cue...music just isn't about "head", it's a body thing and that darn brain better just shut up! Especially those moments when it goes "Uh oh, my solo's coming up..."!
The rest of the time, when it's grooving, if I think anything it's most likely "man, I'm thirsty/need to pee, when's the next break?" or "Oh no, the gig's nearly over and I don't wanna stop!". Or sometimes, "woo, look at that one...!". Mostly I don't think - it's like meditation, I go into transcendental space, sit back and watch those clever fingers just do their thing...
The rest of the time, when it's grooving, if I think anything it's most likely "man, I'm thirsty/need to pee, when's the next break?" or "Oh no, the gig's nearly over and I don't wanna stop!". Or sometimes, "woo, look at that one...!". Mostly I don't think - it's like meditation, I go into transcendental space, sit back and watch those clever fingers just do their thing...
during funky songs I think "look at that ass....IM the one making it move"
What I really like as a bass player is when you look out and realize that the hottest chicks in the room are all dancing right in front of the subwoofers...
Voice in my head:"move around some, come on you idiot move....NO!!! WAIT!!! don't do that again......okay.....stand still for a second..............Gosh, I'm standing still too much I better do something........move........bob head.....stop that you look stupid........"
Whoever said "too nervous to enjoy it" or whatever it was....I think I probably still am a little bit too new at it and unable to relax completely. I never feel nervous, but I think I am just not comfortable and at home up there yet so I get into it less.....These are all great replies by the way. Very entertaining. Keep 'em coming.
I play a lot of sports bar gigs... and end up watching the x-treme sports on the huge flat screens. Sometimes there are great infomercials for cool stuff like mechanical ratcheting screwdriver sets.
I think about the long drive home, I watch people, think about weekend plans, etc.
If my guitarist is making awkward faces I might double check my tuning...
)
I think about the long drive home, I watch people, think about weekend plans, etc.
If my guitarist is making awkward faces I might double check my tuning...
)
It has been interesting reading this thread. No band I have ever been in has actually stayed together long enough to play for people out in the real world, but the experience you guys are describing sounds familiar to me.
I am a mid- and long-distance runner, and it's like this: some days, I am out running and thinking, God, this is the most fabulous thing I have ever done, I feel like I could fly, life / God is good, I am so lucky that I get to do this! Other days, I am thinking, this sucks, why the ef do I put myself through this? But the best days are when I realize I haven't been thinking of anything for 5 minutes.
It sounds like those experiences apply to gigging as well. Thanks for the inspiration!
I am a mid- and long-distance runner, and it's like this: some days, I am out running and thinking, God, this is the most fabulous thing I have ever done, I feel like I could fly, life / God is good, I am so lucky that I get to do this! Other days, I am thinking, this sucks, why the ef do I put myself through this? But the best days are when I realize I haven't been thinking of anything for 5 minutes.
It sounds like those experiences apply to gigging as well. Thanks for the inspiration!
