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View Full Version : How to create a train wreck



brian_primrose
05-21-2014, 07:04 AM
Follow the steps below, and results are just about guaranteed.

1) After less than a year, for your first ever outing playing in front of other people, agree to be the sole accompanist for your friend, a singer/quitar player.
2) In a competition, with an OK cash prize.
3) Playing a striped down country song, with no significant repeats, and about as many places to hide errors in note choice, length, or loudness as the surface of a frozen lake.
4) Let yourself get so nervous that it takes three tries to get you hands to work at the sound ckeck.
5) Forget the maxim "trust but verify" when the sound guy says "don't worry about the settings, no one else today is using the setup". This will result in no sound going through the stage monitors untill the SG runs up, cousing some distraction.
6) Survive the error caused by #5, but in relaxing, get distracted the M.C who is enthusiastically lip syncing the song in the wings, thus missing the key change in the last verse.

Needless to say, my friend did not win. He does stilll talk to me though, to my surprise.

At least, the next time can not be worse.

May your first times be much, much, better.

Brian

Elmeaux
05-21-2014, 09:09 AM
At least he talks to you.

I've never played in public... Just in front of friends/family.

thunderman
05-21-2014, 12:10 PM
I've been playing in public since 1963 and, even after all these years, still have to contend with butterflies before I go on, mostly wondering which of the many things that are totally out of my control will go wrong. There are so many variables, and they increase exponentially on stage in order to ensure MEB (Maximum Embarrassment Potential). And then, when I start to play, my fingers look at me and say 'huh?' Never in unison, either. Ten little Judases at the end of my hands. It's a Cosmic thing. Thanks for letting me know I'm not alone. (P.S., always enjoy reading your stuff!)

Thunder on…it'll be all right.

DaveB
05-21-2014, 02:04 PM
I feel your pain. Actually, my first time on stage was last year at Roy's Fantasy Bass Boot Camp and it went fairly well. Of course, I had about FOUR MONTHS to learn ONE SONG that was in a standard 12 bar blues format and I still managed to mess up the four/five change in the first verse. But, I recovered and it went fairly well after that. My main problem was that I had not practiced hardly at all standing up and the bass just felt strange and I had trouble finding the strings with my fingers. In contrast, when we recorded the song in the studio the next day I NAILED it on the first take. I was playing sitting down in the studio.

More recently, I've joined the Central Virginia Blues Society and decided to participate in a monthly blues jam session. I figured it's just 12 bar blues, how hard can it be? I learned very quickly that there is no "just 12 bar blues." There are different intro's, stops, and turnarounds for just about all "standard 12 bar blues" songs. So I mostly was just pedaling roots and trying to stay out of the way of the other guys that actually knew what they were doing. I wasn't really a train wreck, but I was not at all satisfied with my performance. I am in the process of learning some of the blues standards I preparation for the next jam. The Boy Scouts have it right - BE PREPARED.

PaulUK
05-21-2014, 03:29 PM
You've got my respect just by having the courage to do it like that, Brian.

Whenever I've done it, I've been well-supported (read hidden) in a very good group of musicians: keyboards, lead guitar, rhythm guitar, drums, sax and vocals. And I always know exactly where my volume control knob is.....................

TobiasMan
05-22-2014, 12:34 PM
Been playing in public almost weekly since the mid 80s.

Most times now things are pretty well under control, but I've played four, week long gigs (12 - 14 sets each week - with few, if any song repeats, so 65 - 80 different songs) to audiences of 800 to 1200 people and still found that it took the first set or so to get the nerves settled. Negotiations going on now for another one this summer. Don't know if the band will go for it or not.

Don't think it is unusual at all for nerves when you play out. Doing jam sessions is an excellent way to learn to handle the curves that will come at you. Good luck! :cool:

edit: Yep, were playing it again. Arriving this Friday and won't be back until Sunday the following week.