My name is jeremy. i'm from Memphis, Tn. I am 18 years old, my question is how do you know when you are ready to gig. because I don't want to get a gig then get fired because i wasn't prepared. Thanks in advance
~Jeremy
Gig with whom? Playing what kind of music?
There are no easy answers. The best you can do is the best you can do.
You mention not being prepared. I know this probably isn't what you meant, but there's no excuse to not be prepared. If you get a gig and they give you a list of songs to learn, you better learn them before the gig.
Now, if someone like a band leader doesn't like your style or your choices and you cannot play what he asks you to, there may not be a lot you can do in time for the gig. Sometimes, with artistic differences you just have to live with it.
Be on time every time, be prepared as you can be for any gig and rehearsal, be professional at all times, be reliable, leave the campground better than when you found it, and you can go far. Many working musicians get gigs because they are professional and reliable above how well they play. There are too many musicians who don't do that and it's no fun working with them. It's so much nicer working with people who put in that effort. They are real pros.
Good luck and keep us updated.
Many working musicians get gigs because they are professional and reliable above how well they play.
-Very well said.
thank u guys alot. need more forums like this one..i will be starting lessons with one of the best saxophone players in Memphis, to help with my solo playing and as a bandleader. his name is Carl Wolfe..
You know what, I think nobody is ever ready and prepared to be a working musician. I mean, personally, I am probably the hardest critic on the way I play and sound, and I know that if it was only up to me, I would never allow myself to go out and play gigs, thinking I should really get better and my chops together before even trying.
In my opinion (keep in mind that I am still a young and naive university student!)no matter how you feel about your playing you should jump on every opportunity that comes along and give you exposure. Make sure you are ready for the gig and can actually play the material and make it sound professional, but don't ever pass an audition or a gig opportunity because you "don't feel like you have the talent to do it". At the very least, try.
And I know realize that maybe I should follow my own advice ...!
Good luck with Memphis, practice hard! woooo
Andree-Ann
http://www.myspace.com/andreeanndeschenes
Everyone is inexperienced at some point. You can always go the route of getting out and playing jam sessions and seeing how that goes.
Know your limitations stylistically. Don't take gigs in a style you are not familiar with. 38 years ago my dad got me a stand in bass gig with a friend of his who was a bandleader in the big band tradition, but playing with a small group, 2 horns, rhythm guitar, drums and bass. I was pretty full of myself at 16, I could play all the Black Sabbath, Jethro Tull and Grand Funk anyone threw at me. When they started playing songs from the 30's, '40s and even the '50s, I was hopelessly lost. One of the horn players called out chord numbers to me, but I didn't have a clue about music theory and chord relationships at the time. They had to limit their repertoire to songs with 3 chords because I had no concept of ii-V-I, much less what a VI chord or III chord were for. Probably the longest, most miserable gig of my life. It must have killed that guy to have to pay me $50 at the end of the night, but he did. The humility I gained from that was what prompted me to study music theory in college.
Still, there is no greater learning method than actually getting out and playing live. No amount of woodshedding by yourself can substitute for that. There have been times that I was the weakest link and there have been times when I was the most experienced musician on the stage.
In addition to your chops:
I am an average bass player at best, but I can always get work, mostly because I:
*show up on time
*don't drink or get stoned during the breaks
*work hard to learn the songs from any provided CDs (or I buy mp3s from iTunes if needed) before the gig
*don't try to upstage the bandleader or other players
*have reliable, quality gear and transportation
*try to be attentive, I have developed radar to anticipate changes in arrangements on stage
Good luck with it!
Bill
There's a big difference between executing in a practice room and executing on stage. The only way to become a professional performing musician is to perform. Just take gigs that push yourself a little more each time out. And you don't have to wait for a call, you can always put your own band together, rehearse them, and find places to play starting with family or neighborhood events, smaller cafes or restaurants (where you'll be background music), and you'll start learning how to deal with all the things that inevitably will go wrong on a gig.
You should just go for it - experience is so valuable, you can't be professional without it. Don't worry about being sacked for not being good enough !
You must log in to post.
