first gig preparation

[Paul]

So our band's gonna have their first gig, and although it's way in October,
I'm starting to get a little worried!!

Any of you guys have tips for the first gig - even what to expect?
I play in church, but I don't share a kit or support any other band - people
don't pay to get in either!

We really want to make a good 1st impression.
I see most of the time, bands share a drum kit, with the support swapping
out the cymbals, snare and pedals - is this the norm? Who's kit is it - the
best kit, or the main act's?

What spares should I bring?

Luckily we're quite friendly with the main act, so I don't have to worry
about that too much.
We're also thinking of doing a few small practice ones before hand - say
infront of a bunch of friends.

Thanks for any help!
Paul
----
www.manymoremusic.co.uk

[Mark Rance]

Play with heart and soul. Music played from the heart moves the people. If
you desire to move the people, do that...be yourself and play from the
heart. With that all in order, the rest will work itself out!

-Mark

"Paul" <luap.h@bt_removethis_internet.com> wrote in message
news:bhrdc8$r5u$1@titan.btinternet.com...
> So our band's gonna have their first gig, and although it's way in
October,
> I'm starting to get a little worried!!
>
> Any of you guys have tips for the first gig - even what to expect?
> I play in church, but I don't share a kit or support any other band -
people
> don't pay to get in either!
>
> We really want to make a good 1st impression.
> I see most of the time, bands share a drum kit, with the support swapping
> out the cymbals, snare and pedals - is this the norm? Who's kit is it -
the
> best kit, or the main act's?
>
> What spares should I bring?
>
> Luckily we're quite friendly with the main act, so I don't have to worry
> about that too much.
> We're also thinking of doing a few small practice ones before hand - say
> infront of a bunch of friends.
>
> Thanks for any help!
> Paul
> ----
> www.manymoremusic.co.uk
>
>

[Frisco]

I wouldn't use someone else's kit for your first gig unless you're
really comfy with his kit. I have a friend that we double-bill our
bands all the time, but his kit is a big-ass gorgeous kit with
24-10-12-14-16-18 with his drums up high and the cymbals even higher.
I play a 20-8-10-14 with the drums low and mounted toms to the left so
my ride is low, too. I just can't play his big kit, so unless he
brings a 4-pc we just tear-down/set-up in between our sets. Most
bands I play with decide at the gig about sharing a kit, but usually
we all play our own.

Do utilize your memory locks and be ready to set up quick and perfect
in a dark corner. I wouldn't worry too much about spare pedals, if
you're friendly with the main act there's a spare sitting right there.
I usually keep a kick pedal, hh parts and a new snare head in the
trunk, tho.

hints for the gig
- have your set-list printed up in big fonts (ie magic marker)
- train the leader to eye-contact for changes and endings. Nobody
minds if they bounce their guitar up and down to signal a change/end,
or twirl their hands to bring it on home...
- have a bottle of water near you
- remind everyone to concentrate on dynamics. It's easy to rip out
your set as loud as you can in the excitement and forget to play the
"music".
- have some cards with a contact phone #, if you're really good
someone will most definitely ask for one
- don't drink too much beer

Paul


On Mon, 18 Aug 2003 20:36:24 +0000 (UTC), "Paul"
<luap.h@bt_removethis_internet.com> wrote:

>So our band's gonna have their first gig, and although it's way in October,
>I'm starting to get a little worried!!
>
>Any of you guys have tips for the first gig - even what to expect?
>I play in church, but I don't share a kit or support any other band - people
>don't pay to get in either!
>
>We really want to make a good 1st impression.
>I see most of the time, bands share a drum kit, with the support swapping
>out the cymbals, snare and pedals - is this the norm? Who's kit is it - the
>best kit, or the main act's?
>
>What spares should I bring?
>
>Luckily we're quite friendly with the main act, so I don't have to worry
>about that too much.
>We're also thinking of doing a few small practice ones before hand - say
>infront of a bunch of friends.
>
>Thanks for any help!
>Paul
>----
>www.manymoremusic.co.uk
>

[kyrre laastad]

"Mark Rance" <mrr@pcisys.network> skrev i melding
news:vk2fk03o7crocf@corp.supernews.com...
> Play with heart and soul. Music played from the heart moves the people.
If
> you desire to move the people, do that...be yourself and play from the
> heart. With that all in order, the rest will work itself out!

that really sums up what it is all about...

that made my day.

another beautiful quote: "music is a manifestation of love, and when you are
touched by music you are touched by love in a very pure way" - pepe romero.

regards,
-k

[MMORITZ884]

Remember Bill Murray's advice to the campers at Camp Northstar: "It just
doesn't matter. It just doesn't matter. It just doesn't matter."

Seriously, if you get all obsessed and worried about it, the music will suck.
Keep repeating to yourself, "It just doesn't matter." You'll relax, you'll
play for the music, and everything will work out fine.

Bass drum pedal squeaky? Drums and cymbals sound lousy? Drumsticks don't
match? So what? "It just doesn't matter."

[Da Parrot-chick]

"kyrre laastad" <kgeithus@SPAMOFFonline.no> wrote in message
news:tqb0b.21940$Hb.354197@news4.e.nsc.no...
>
> "Mark Rance" <mrr@pcisys.network> skrev i melding
> news:vk2fk03o7crocf@corp.supernews.com...
> > Play with heart and soul. Music played from the heart moves the people.
> If
> > you desire to move the people, do that...be yourself and play from the
> > heart. With that all in order, the rest will work itself out!
>
> that really sums up what it is all about...
>
> that made my day.
>
> another beautiful quote: "music is a manifestation of love, and when you
are
> touched by music you are touched by love in a very pure way" - pepe
romero.
>
> regards,
> -k

Kyyre, that was beautiful, man. Just what I needed. Manga dak.

[Da Parrot-chick]

"Paul" <luap.h@bt_removethis_internet.com> wrote in message
news:bhrdc8$r5u$1@titan.btinternet.com...
> So our band's gonna have their first gig, and although it's way in
October,
> I'm starting to get a little worried!!
>
> Any of you guys have tips for the first gig - even what to expect?
> I play in church, but I don't share a kit or support any other band -
people
> don't pay to get in either!
>
> We really want to make a good 1st impression.
> I see most of the time, bands share a drum kit, with the support swapping
> out the cymbals, snare and pedals - is this the norm? Who's kit is it -
the
> best kit, or the main act's?
>
> What spares should I bring?
>
> Luckily we're quite friendly with the main act, so I don't have to worry
> about that too much.
> We're also thinking of doing a few small practice ones before hand - say
> infront of a bunch of friends.
>
> Thanks for any help!
> Paul
> ----
> www.manymoremusic.co.uk

ITA and would add:

* Show up in plenty of time. Two hours before downbeat isn't unreasonable.
* Make sure all your gear is in good repair.
* Show courtesy and respect to everybody you talk to no matter what they're
like; you never know who it might be.
* No alcohol/drugs for at least 2 days before the gig and don't have a pint
until after you've packed up.
* Keep the stage volume low. It's easy to play too loud and they dynamics
will float right down the crapper.
* Wear comfortable clothing.
* Have your front man mention the website.
* Above all, no matter what happens, smile, laugh, and have fun! That's the
whole point, right?

[kyrre laastad]

"Da Parrot-chick" <just@sk.me> skrev i melding
news:w1f0b.578$xD6.196@newsread3.news.pas.earthlin k.net...
> > another beautiful quote: "music is a manifestation of love, and when you
> are
> > touched by music you are touched by love in a very pure way" - pepe
> romero.
> >
> > regards,
> > -k
>
> Kyyre, that was beautiful, man. Just what I needed. Manga dak.
>

you`re welcome, and your norwegian is gooood by the way, except for the
spelling, that is ; )

i used to play classical guitar seriously for seven years, and at that time
i was really heavily into pepe. his playing is very honest and open and he
let`s the music speak so clearly for itself. it`s really quite
heartbreaking. he comes from a family in spain where his father played
guitar, his mother was a flamenco dancer, all of his three brothers plays
guitar and his son makes guitars. really firmly rooted in the tradition.
anyway, i saw that quote by him and i was moved deeply.

anyway, peace, and love, and everything else that is good,
-kyrre
(yeah, that`s with two rs, not to ys ;-)

[Da Parrot-chick]

"kyrre laastad" <kgeithus@SPAMOFFonline.no> wrote in message
news:fLf0b.21983$Hb.354636@news4.e.nsc.no...
>
> "Da Parrot-chick" <just@sk.me> skrev i melding
> news:w1f0b.578$xD6.196@newsread3.news.pas.earthlin k.net...
> > > another beautiful quote: "music is a manifestation of love, and when
you
> > are
> > > touched by music you are touched by love in a very pure way" - pepe
> > romero.
> > >
> > > regards,
> > > -k
> >
> > Kyyre, that was beautiful, man. Just what I needed. Manga dak.
> >
>
> you`re welcome, and your norwegian is gooood by the way, except for the
> spelling, that is ; )

If you want a good laugh, you should here me speak it! :)

> i used to play classical guitar seriously for seven years, and at that
time
> i was really heavily into pepe. his playing is very honest and open and he
> let`s the music speak so clearly for itself. it`s really quite
> heartbreaking. he comes from a family in spain where his father played
> guitar, his mother was a flamenco dancer, all of his three brothers plays
> guitar and his son makes guitars. really firmly rooted in the tradition.
> anyway, i saw that quote by him and i was moved deeply.

There's a lot of that there. It comes straight from the heart; all the
musicians. To be a musician in Spain is an honor and responsibility. Here
in the USA it matters only if gigs made you rich.

> anyway, peace, and love, and everything else that is good,
> -kyrre
> (yeah, that`s with two rs, not to ys ;-)

Ach. Tak.

[Dik LeDoux]

"MMORITZ884" <mmoritz884@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20030818190215.15796.00000233@mb-m12.aol.com...
> Remember Bill Murray's advice to the campers at Camp Northstar: "It just
> doesn't matter. It just doesn't matter. It just doesn't matter."

Good advice. Just rehearse hard and play like you mean it.

Dik

--
"Face it, dude. You don't swing.
Never have. Never will." - - Gary Smiley on RMMP
--

[creux]

just play. have absolutely no attitude towards the gig - just play it
sincerely and with steady hands. if its not yer kit, bring yer snare + kick
pedal.

pre-rehearsals are a good idea. but remember that a gig is not a sports
event - no need to aim at the top, just have fun.

[creux]

>i used to play classical guitar seriously for seven years

damn it kyrre. i was wondering why yer such a nice guy but now i understand.
been bending nylon for 18 yrs on/off (mostly on) myself. gives you an
'impressionistic' viewpoint on drumming???

[kyrre laastad]

"creux" <creux@****youifyoumailmethat****.suomi24.fi> skrev i melding
news:k4s0b.284$kV1.175@read3.inet.fi...
> >i used to play classical guitar seriously for seven years
>
> damn it kyrre. i was wondering why yer such a nice guy but now i
understand.
> been bending nylon for 18 yrs on/off (mostly on) myself. gives you an
> 'impressionistic' viewpoint on drumming???

it certainly does. and also it gives you a harmonic point of view on the
music, and the guitar is in many ways like the drums; the most important
quality is that the tone dies away quickly, but not abruptly. when you
strike a cymbal softly and when you pluck nylon it gives you a very similar
length to the sound. i`m quite attracted to that particular sound, it gives
you an impression of water streaing or falling.

damn, i wish i could formulate that eloquently in english!

regards,
-kyrre

[Michel]

Just a few suggestions:

First, make sure your band is ready and practiced. You should feel
confident with all the songs at all time. If not, practice practice
and practice (make sure you practice the songs you are not confident
with. It's often too easy during practice to stick to the stuff that
is fun and easy to play). The purpose of that should be fairly
obvious, but basically if you are confident about your song list, and
you (that's the "collective you", includind all band members) know
every song inside out and backward, you can be more relaxed and
concentrate on having fun and playing the music. If YOU (the band) are
having fun, chances are the audience will have a great time too. If a
couple of days before the show you are not confident about a song,
drop it from the set list. It's better to drop a great song
temporarily than to massacre it in public

Second in the matter of spares. I usually don't mess around, I don't
bring a spare snare head, I bring a spare snare!!! You DONT want to
have to change head in the middle of a set. I usually either set my
spare snare on a snare stand to the left of my HH or if there is no
room I keep it behind me so I can just grab it and replace the faulty
one (for the record I never, ever, had to use it as a spare, BUT it
was there if I needed it). Make sure you have fresh heads on your set
(a couple of days before the gig so that the heads are properly
stretched and broken, this way you can just fine tune them during
sound check). And speaking of sound check, make sure you have a good
sound check with all the band playing so you will have a good monitor
mix during the performance.

IF you are not using you own kit, I would recommend you bring your own
bd pedal, snare (you can use the house snare as a spare) and cymbals
(and maybe your HH stand just in case). I was caught once with an
terribly dilapidated bd pedal (the club owner had assured us that all
the equipment was in fine condition!!! Yeah right). I had to remove my
shoe so I could grab the pedalboard with my toes to bring the beater
back up. Needless to say I wasn't able to do much fancy footwork that
night :-S I have since never gone to a gig without my own pedal. I
consider my snare and cymbals to be "my" sound so I always want to
have them with me as well.

Your idea of having "dry runs" with small groups of friends is
excellent. I've done that in the past with "unbroken" bands. You can
get good feedback from the "friendly" audience regarding the order of
your songlist, the overall sound of the band, and other tips regarding
the overall balance of the music/sound(something is missing in that
song... the drums are too loud in this part... etc). Make sure you
have enough time between your "dry run" and the gig so that you can
practice the "suggestions" before the gig. Otherwise it may just end
up casting a doubt on your selfconfidence.

Someone else suggested it and it's a good idea: you may want to have
your set list printed for ALL band members in large bold print. This
way there is no confusion and annoying breaks between songs as you
discuss which song you will play next, while your audience is left
hanging waiting for something to happen. It sounds so much more
professional, IMHO, when you can start the countdown of the next song
right after the last beat of the previous song. The rest of the band
will probably want to have the key to each song written next to the
song tittles so that every one start in the right key!!! it sounds
trivial but you have no idea the number of times that the guitar
player will start in a different key from the rest of the band... As
far as you are concerned, you want the tempi written clearly on your
set list. I use a TempoRef (formally BeatBug) so I also write the
Temporef number next to the song as well as the tempo, so I can count
it off properly with metronome, and make sure the tempo stays steady
throughout the song. You may want to bring a music stand to keep your
set list right up there in view, but even without the stand, you
SHOULD bring a small light so that you will be able to read the song
list in the terrible light condition you are likely to find yourself
into...

I personally make a point of not drinking any alcohol during a gig,
but sometimes just to relax, I may have a small glass of wine 1/2 hour
before showtime. Then I stick to soda water for the rest of the
evening, until the gig is over. Make sure you have a bottle of water
next to you during the performance. It can get pretty hot in some of
those clubs and dehydration is your worst enemy.

And finally, don't sweat it too much. It's supposed to be fun, so do
have fun. Enjoy the evening and have a great time

Sorry if this is a bit long :-(

Michel
--
" we get old too soon and smart too late"



"Paul" <luap.h@bt_removethis_internet.com> wrote
> So our band's gonna have their first gig, and although it's way in October,
> I'm starting to get a little worried!!
>
> Any of you guys have tips for the first gig - even what to expect?
> I play in church, but I don't share a kit or support any other band - people
> don't pay to get in either!
>
> We really want to make a good 1st impression.
> I see most of the time, bands share a drum kit, with the support swapping
> out the cymbals, snare and pedals - is this the norm? Who's kit is it - the
> best kit, or the main act's?
>
> What spares should I bring?
>
> Luckily we're quite friendly with the main act, so I don't have to worry
> about that too much.
> We're also thinking of doing a few small practice ones before hand - say
> infront of a bunch of friends.
>
> Thanks for any help!
> Paul
> ----
> www.manymoremusic.co.uk

[George Lawrence]

Then there's the opposite tack which is to not practice and leave it all up
to chance. Trash the other guy's kit and drink a lot before the gig too. :-)
Just kidding.

--
George Lawrence
George's Drum Shop
1351 S. Cleveland-Massillon Road #21
Copley, Ohio 44321
http://www.GeorgesDrumShop.com
http://www.Drumguru.com
330 670 0800
toll free 866 970 0800

"If thine enemy wrong thee,
buy each of his children a drum."
-Chinese proverb




"Michel" <mdl01@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:e2071d4d.0308190924.4e2b209f@posting.google.c om...
> Just a few suggestions:
>
> First, make sure your band is ready and practiced. You should feel
> confident with all the songs at all time. If not, practice practice
> and practice (make sure you practice the songs you are not confident
> with. It's often too easy during practice to stick to the stuff that
> is fun and easy to play). The purpose of that should be fairly
> obvious, but basically if you are confident about your song list, and
> you (that's the "collective you", includind all band members) know
> every song inside out and backward, you can be more relaxed and
> concentrate on having fun and playing the music. If YOU (the band) are
> having fun, chances are the audience will have a great time too. If a
> couple of days before the show you are not confident about a song,
> drop it from the set list. It's better to drop a great song
> temporarily than to massacre it in public
>
> Second in the matter of spares. I usually don't mess around, I don't
> bring a spare snare head, I bring a spare snare!!! You DONT want to
> have to change head in the middle of a set. I usually either set my
> spare snare on a snare stand to the left of my HH or if there is no
> room I keep it behind me so I can just grab it and replace the faulty
> one (for the record I never, ever, had to use it as a spare, BUT it
> was there if I needed it). Make sure you have fresh heads on your set
> (a couple of days before the gig so that the heads are properly
> stretched and broken, this way you can just fine tune them during
> sound check). And speaking of sound check, make sure you have a good
> sound check with all the band playing so you will have a good monitor
> mix during the performance.
>
> IF you are not using you own kit, I would recommend you bring your own
> bd pedal, snare (you can use the house snare as a spare) and cymbals
> (and maybe your HH stand just in case). I was caught once with an
> terribly dilapidated bd pedal (the club owner had assured us that all
> the equipment was in fine condition!!! Yeah right). I had to remove my
> shoe so I could grab the pedalboard with my toes to bring the beater
> back up. Needless to say I wasn't able to do much fancy footwork that
> night :-S I have since never gone to a gig without my own pedal. I
> consider my snare and cymbals to be "my" sound so I always want to
> have them with me as well.
>
> Your idea of having "dry runs" with small groups of friends is
> excellent. I've done that in the past with "unbroken" bands. You can
> get good feedback from the "friendly" audience regarding the order of
> your songlist, the overall sound of the band, and other tips regarding
> the overall balance of the music/sound(something is missing in that
> song... the drums are too loud in this part... etc). Make sure you
> have enough time between your "dry run" and the gig so that you can
> practice the "suggestions" before the gig. Otherwise it may just end
> up casting a doubt on your selfconfidence.
>
> Someone else suggested it and it's a good idea: you may want to have
> your set list printed for ALL band members in large bold print. This
> way there is no confusion and annoying breaks between songs as you
> discuss which song you will play next, while your audience is left
> hanging waiting for something to happen. It sounds so much more
> professional, IMHO, when you can start the countdown of the next song
> right after the last beat of the previous song. The rest of the band
> will probably want to have the key to each song written next to the
> song tittles so that every one start in the right key!!! it sounds
> trivial but you have no idea the number of times that the guitar
> player will start in a different key from the rest of the band... As
> far as you are concerned, you want the tempi written clearly on your
> set list. I use a TempoRef (formally BeatBug) so I also write the
> Temporef number next to the song as well as the tempo, so I can count
> it off properly with metronome, and make sure the tempo stays steady
> throughout the song. You may want to bring a music stand to keep your
> set list right up there in view, but even without the stand, you
> SHOULD bring a small light so that you will be able to read the song
> list in the terrible light condition you are likely to find yourself
> into...
>
> I personally make a point of not drinking any alcohol during a gig,
> but sometimes just to relax, I may have a small glass of wine 1/2 hour
> before showtime. Then I stick to soda water for the rest of the
> evening, until the gig is over. Make sure you have a bottle of water
> next to you during the performance. It can get pretty hot in some of
> those clubs and dehydration is your worst enemy.
>
> And finally, don't sweat it too much. It's supposed to be fun, so do
> have fun. Enjoy the evening and have a great time
>
> Sorry if this is a bit long :-(
>
> Michel
> --
> " we get old too soon and smart too late"
>
>
>
> "Paul" <luap.h@bt_removethis_internet.com> wrote
> > So our band's gonna have their first gig, and although it's way in
October,
> > I'm starting to get a little worried!!
> >
> > Any of you guys have tips for the first gig - even what to expect?
> > I play in church, but I don't share a kit or support any other band -
people
> > don't pay to get in either!
> >
> > We really want to make a good 1st impression.
> > I see most of the time, bands share a drum kit, with the support
swapping
> > out the cymbals, snare and pedals - is this the norm? Who's kit is it -
the
> > best kit, or the main act's?
> >
> > What spares should I bring?
> >
> > Luckily we're quite friendly with the main act, so I don't have to worry
> > about that too much.
> > We're also thinking of doing a few small practice ones before hand - say
> > infront of a bunch of friends.
> >
> > Thanks for any help!
> > Paul
> > ----
> > www.manymoremusic.co.uk

[joem]

George Lawrence wanted everyone in rec.music.makers.percussion to know that
> Then there's the opposite tack which is to not practice and leave it all up
> to chance. Trash the other guy's kit and drink a lot before the gig too. :-)
> Just kidding.

hey...that's how I got my previous gig; the old drummer followed your
advice!

weird part is now that I can't do it, they've asked him back (with
similar results, I've heard)!

--
Joe.

"you're an electronic girl...i'm a rock guy...i don't think we have a
chance." - storm&stress

[Paul]

<snip>
>
> And finally, don't sweat it too much. It's supposed to be fun, so do
> have fun. Enjoy the evening and have a great time
>
> Sorry if this is a bit long :-(
>
> Michel
> --
> " we get old too soon and smart too late"

Thanks for your help and advice everyone! I'm really looking forward to
it!!
you can check out an early demo of one of our songs at the website. I'm not
exactly stellar, but neither's Meg :P

Thanks again,
Paul
--
www.manymoremusic.co.uk