Gigtips 14
1. Dumbing Down a Song. It’s the quickest way to transfer a song from the tentative songs-list to the gig set-list. While reducing a song to its most basic elements may seem contrary to all that you believe in, consider this: I’m sure there have been times when you and your pals have pulled some song out of thin air, a song that none of you had ever really played before, and the jam was dynamite from the very start. The magic here is that your group had captured the essence of the song, even though you were, most likely, not technically accurate in your individual parts. Funny thing is, each time you played the song afterwards, it got worse sounding. In your attempts to perfect the pieces, you somehow managed to lose the essence of the song. So what do you do, continue to remain oblivious and incorrect? Yes, exactly. As soon as you(all) can, you should repeat the song in jam mode, essence mode, so that you become accustomed to playing the song by gut instinct. Once you can reliably repeat the flawed (but groovy) performance, you may begin zeroing in on the details. Don’t screw yourself up by being a perfectionist too quickly. These songs that sound good on the first try, these songs with which you as a group have a mystical, spiritual connection will become the best songs of your show. I promise. Even if these songs are the complete opposite of your proclaimed musical genre, they should quickly make their way to the songlist. “Dude, I know you guys are a heavy metal band, but the Cyndi Lauper song is your best stuff. That was hot!”
2. Finesse. Oh yes. Delicate accuracy, powerful dynamics, subtle dynamics. It’s your artistic side at its highest intensity. Finesse happens at home. Finesse disappears on stage, often replaced by ham-fisted string banging. There was a time when I felt I was the only person on earth who lost the ability to apply those dynamics on stage, those dynamics to which I had devoted so much time and practice at home. Then I began listening to some live recordings of popular artists. Man, these cats are having the same problem! They can’t duplicate the studio recording on stage. The dynamics and nuances that are so important on the cd have been replaced on the live version with blaring guitar or synth solo, and the lead singer doesn’t even try to hit the high notes. Bummer. Thank goodness the next song is an excellent duplicate of the original. The point is; there’s a big difference between on-stage and anywhere else. Every stage has its own evil characteristics that you must fight and defeat early on during the gig. Even when the sound man is providing a good mix to the audience and your monitor, you may not feel the dynamics in the way you need to feel them. Fact is, finesse and dynamics don’t come easy, for some bands they don’t come at all. I suppose for those of us whom are determined to be dynamic, with enough time and experience the stage goblins finally cease to be an issue . Me? I’m determined to remain a ham-fisted string banger.
3. First Song of the Night. I probably should say first set of the night because it’s a whole different animal from the other sets. Usually the first set is played to an audience who have been mellowing for a couple of hours after punching out their time cards. Do you think they want to hear a screaming guitar solo as their introduction to your band? Maybe some of them do, and that is one of the things your band needs to make itself aware of before you launch. Generally, the audience for the first set will depart before the set is over regardless of what you play… send them away happy and not too overly-stimulated. I’ve found that the first set serves as a good warm up period for the band if it is peppy, vocally oriented and non-strenuous to the band members’ brains and frail, musician-type bodies (especially larynx).
If the first set comes at later hours, or if you can sense the audiences’ need for instant boogie, give ‘em the boogie in a big way. Be aware that hitting it hard without first warming up may cause you pain and humiliation. It seems to me that good vocal pieces are the quickest way to befriend any audience. Vocals convey more readily the band members’ perceived personalities, which the audience target for close scrutiny.
4. Following Your Heart vs. Common Sense. I’m still thinking over this one. If you have an opinion on the subject, email it on to us.