Preparing for the Gig

OK, so now it’s time for you to go out and do your first (or next) gig, whether it’s a heavy metal bash, a cool jazz gig, or a classical piano recital. For many musicians, “playing live” is what it’s all about! But what can you do to make sure your gig is a success? Well, if you follow these guidelines, you’ll be well on your way!

Be prepared to play. Make sure that you’ve gone over your parts, not just in rehearsal time with the band, but in your own practice time. When preparing for a gig with my original jazz fusion band, I’ll try to play through our whole set on the three or four consecutive days before the gig, either solo piano or with backing tracks/sequences I have prepared. As my band members are “indemand” guys, sometimes we only get minimal rehearsal time, so everyone has to come to the gig prepared. If you’re on a chart gig, and you have the music charts ahead of time, scan through them before the gig to make sure you know the road map and form of each song. If you’re reading music at a classical recital, again make sure you’ve had sufficient practice time with the music, and that all of your page turns are OK. One exception to all this, of course, is if you’re just showing up to a jam session (good for you!), in which case you’re “winging it,” using your playing skills and your ears!

Be relaxed and have a pleasant attitude. Less experienced players will sometimes suffer from “nerves” or “stage fright” when performing in public. Well, players of all levels will experience nerves from time to time, but the trick is to get that nervous energy to stimulate you into giving a great performance, instead of holding you back. Especially if you’re just starting out, try to get some family or friends to come to the gig and support you, then if an anxious moment strikes, you can look around and be comforted by familiar faces who want you to do well! We’re always our own worst critics when it comes to our performance, but your audience will still most likely enjoy it and have a good time (provided you keep going… see comments later in this chapter). Always be very courteous and have a pleasant attitude towards your band mates, the engineer(s), the venue staff, and any audience members you come in contact with. If you project a relaxed and sunny attitude, it will influence those around you, to everybody’s benefit.

Make sure your equipment is ready. If you’ll just be showing up to a jazz or classical gig playing the piano that is already there, there’s just one major thing to take care of regarding equipment: try to get in some warm-up time on the instrument. All pianos are at least a little bit different from each other, and it will help in your preparation to be acquainted with the feel of the instrument.

If you have your own keyboards that you’ll be transporting to the gig, there are some other things to keep in mind. Always make sure your equipment is in good working order, and that you have all of the components you need before leaving for the gig. I have a checklist that I run down for keyboards, amplifiers, speakers, pedals, cables, plug boards, extensions, and so on, before I leave for the gig. Always carry spare cables (audio, midi, a/c mains, mic cables, etc., depending on your setup). If one of your keyboards or other equipment has a technical problem, never use it on the gig in the hope that it will “behave itself.” That’s a disaster waiting to happen. Get it fixed, and use another piece of equipment (perhaps a rental or “loaner”) in the meantime.

Be punctual. This sounds simple and obvious, but it’s extremely important. If you get to the gig in plenty of time, you’re likely to be more relaxed when you set up, and you’ll have more time to deal with any “curve balls” with the setup, sound check, and so on (more about sound checks in a minute). Allow even more time to get to the gig if it’s a venue you’re playing for the first time. This will ensure that you can find the place, sort out the equipment load-in, parking, etc. When playing with my own jazz-fusion band, or with my Steely Dan tribute band in the Los Angeles area, I generally get to the gig between 2– 3 hours before show time, depending on the particular setup and logistics involved. (And I have to allow for the L.A. traffic!)

Observe sound check “etiquette.” At pop, rock, and jazz gigs, a sound check is an opportunity to check the sound of each instrument and the whole band—how the band will sound “out front” through the P.A. system, and how the band will hear themselves and each other through “onstage monitoring.” For example, for a 9 p.m. show, the sound check might be run from 6 p.m. until 6:30 p.m. If you’re the only band on that night (typical for a jazz club), then once you’ve done the sound check, you can leave all your equipment in place so you’re ready to go when show time rolls around. But, if you’re one of several bands playing that night (typical for a rock club), then you may have to tear down all of your equipment once you’ve had your sound check, as the next band then needs to set up! This can get a little chaotic, and you need to keep your wits about you and focus on the task at hand. Here are some do’s and don’t’s you should know about on the sound check:

• Normally the engineer will ask each player to play individually, in order to set levels and equalization (tone color). Next, the whole band may be asked to play sections of one or two songs to check the overall sound and monitoring. Always be available on stage during the sound check so that you’re ready to play when the engineer asks. Play one or two representative parts (from each keyboard, if you have more than one) to give the engineer a good idea of what to expect.
• Always be on time for the sound check, and respond promptly to the engineer’s requests so that the sound check is completed in a timely manner. This is particularly important if several bands need to sound check, one after the other. In this case, set up and then tear down your equipment as promptly as possible, as required by the club. Keep onstage chatter to a minimum—listen and concentrate.
• Even if you are not happy with your sound or monitoring at first, never be hostile or show a bad attitude toward the engineer. He or she controls how you will sound to your audience! Try to be constructive and positive in your questions and communication to the engineer, and you will get the “best out of them” to help your gig be successful.
• For rock or fusion jazz gigs: try to not have your “backline” (on-stage guitar, bass, and keyboard amps) too loud if at all possible! The louder the backline, the less the engineer can do to shape or balance the sound. Also, the onstage monitoring (necessary for vocalists and instrumentalists to hear themselves) can be ineffective and/or start to “feed back” when backline levels get too high.

Even if you don’t normally wear ear protectors on stage during the gig, consider wearing them during the sound check (particularly at rock clubs!). I’ve played some rock gigs on Hollywood’s Sunset Strip where the engineer moved the wrong fader on an “open mic” during the sound check, causing a brutal burst of feedback—not good for the ears!