I. Know your material. Be tightly rehearsed, and try to surround yourself with musicians who can “wing it†when needed. But practice, as a group, is serious. The idea is to know all the changes, all the accents, punches, fades, when to shut up, when not to, etc... Sounds basic, I know, but this is critical stuff. Learn to use vocal and instrumental “cues†for any parts that are structurally ambiguous. Practice these as part of your set, and be comfortable that everyone is on the same page. (Edit) As a guitarist, it is critical not to step on the vocals, or other instruments in the same frequency/tonal range. This is one of the biggest differences between a pro and an amatuer.
II. Gear: Have all your equipment up to snuff, as best you can, the day before a gig. I actually like to change strings two days, at a minimum, before a show. Have it together. Do you need a Direct box to put your piezo’s into the PA? Have at least a couple of extra cables, of some reasonable length. And Batteries, and strings, picks. You never know whose butt you’ll save, and it could be your own.
III. Use tuners!!! A tuner with a “silent tuning†function is a godsend, so get one if you don’t have one. Fly owners won’t use them often, but it’s so reassuring to be able to double check without telling everyone in the room that you’re tuning.
IV. Try to work with the sound man and other performers. If your band plays first, you don’t have time to hang out after your set. Break it down and clear it. If you're last, don’t assume it’s okay to backstage your gear (pushed to the back wall, opening act left cramped on a too small stage). If it’s a three band bill, and your in the middle, you won’t have any time on either end. But you get the sweet spot of the line-up for you troubles. At a larger festival type gig, well, just do your best not to slow anything down.
Know in advance what your needs from the sound man are. Real sound checks, in most clubs, are out of the question. You need to be able to tell them, often under duress, exactly how many vocal and direct lines you are going to send, all that kind of stuff. If you are lucky, he’ll mix it a bit during the first few songs. Keep the input varieties you are sending him as simple as you can. A good club has dealt with it all, but you don’t want to be difficult, as a rule.
V. Minimize downtime between songs. People loose interest so quickly, in a club/bar setting. You can’t give them much time between songs, unless someone on a mike is entertaining them, they get listless pretty fast. Keep it moving, as best you can.
VI. Have fun! Bad nerves can be seen from the back of the room. Enjoy it. Don’t get hung up on one bad note. EVER!!! It will cause twelve more bad one’s if you let it. Live in the moment, literally, on the cow-catcher of the train as it bursts along the rails of time. Smile, or grimace if you must, but let it be emotional in some way. Look at Eddie Van Halen. Say what you may, but he’s grinning ear to ear, just digging it. Don’t let a bad note show on your face! Most people would never know it was “wrong†if you hadn’t told them with your expression.
VII. When people compliment you, smile and say thank you. Don’t bore them with a lecture on harmonic theory, don’t tell them about your gear, unless they ask. Don’t ever let a drunk guy play your guitar. It took a broken headstock for me to learn that one. Don’t let that happen to you, especially with a Parker. Take ‘em to the bar a buy them a beer, if you must, but we spend too much on our gear to have it trashed by some well-meaning, hopelessly drunk, fool. Get him a cab, and you'll have done us all a favor.
VII. Get ready fot the next one. Rinse, and repeat...[
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Lawrence Winn
You can hear me playing and see my woodworks at:
http://www.myspace.com/132917993"42.7 percent of all statistics are made-up on the spot."
2001 Fly Classic, Green
Larivee Parlour Guitar
Several inferior others
Mesa Boogie MK IV
Marshall 2-12 cab
