Here is a great list of tips and tricks, what to do and what
not to do and general tips and advice (and essential gear to carry) for guitar
players planning on taking the stage:
Things to Do Before the Gig
1. Practice. And I don’t mean in the last 10 minutes, I mean
getting an ample amount of practice way before the date of the performance and
well in advance. The more, the merrier. The amount of practice that you get
will be crucial to your performance. Getting a few good practice sessions under
the belt can be of immense benefit; think of the practice hours that you put in
as providing you with a familiar path that tells you exactly where to go and
how you’re going to get there.
2. Check your instruments and your equipment – specifically
your guitar and amp. Your guitar should have a fresh set of strings installed,
and it should be tuned up and ready to go. Make sure that you tune up your
back-up guitar as well (yes, carry a back-up, more on that in a bit). Your amp
should be in good shape, and set up properly for the performance. And perhaps
as importantly, a good-quality guitar cable can make all the difference as far
as good (or bad) you sound. In addition, check if you have everything that
you’ll need, such as picks, a tuner, capo, etc.
3. Turn on your amplifier around 5-10 minutes before the
start, as this allows the tubes to warm-up sufficiently before you start
playing.
4. Make sure that you (a) warm-up before the performance,
and (b) check your equipment before you take the stage. Warming-up is
essential, as we’ve discussed plenty of times on this blog – it allows you to
play and perform at optimum levels, and readies you for the performance
mentally as well as physically. Check
all guitars, amps, pedals and gear backstage, or during the sound-check,
including the volume of your pedals and guitars.
5. Always carry water with you on the stage. You may think
that you won’t need it, or if it might be a better idea to hydrate sufficiently
before taking the stage, but you’ll be surprised how quickly your mouth can dry
up and how thirsty you can get after just a couple of minutes! Always carry a
water bottle with you on the stage.
6. Once you get on the stage, remember to introduce yourself
and your band, each and every one of them by name would be a good idea.
List of Essential Gear:
As a guitar player planning to play live, here is a list of
essential gear that you should carry with you and have on you:
1. Spare guitar: This is essential, because there’s really
no way of knowing when there might be a problem with your guitar, and if
something happens to your guitar in the middle of a performance, or the gig,
well, it can be quite embarrassing if you don’t have a backup. Which is why it
is essential to carry one with you at all times. Make sure that your backup
guitar is in good shape, works, and is properly tuned.
2. Spare strings: This is easily every guitar player’s worst
nightmare! Like it or not, your strings will break sooner or later, and it can
be quite awkward if you don’t have a backup guitar, or worse, you’re not
carrying spares. Always carry a few sets of spare strings to save you from
embarrassment of having to stop during a guitar solo!
3. A tuner: I say this from personal experience: nothing can
be quite as embarrassing as playing live in front of people on a guitar that
hasn’t been tuned, or a badly-tuned guitar! Remember that as a guitar player,
you’re as good as your guitar. A terrible-sounding guitar will reflect badly
upon you, whereas a guitar that plays well and sounds good will allow you to
put in a pitch-perfect performance. So keep a tuner handy.
4. Spare picks, strap(s) and cables: The simple fact is that
things can be lost or they might break. Carrying spares relieves you of any headaches
if (or rather when) that happens. Carry at least 5 picks with you and keep them
in your pocket for easy access. Similarly, bring a guitar strap in case it
breaks, and keep spare cables on you that are long enough for the stage.
Things to Avoid Before the Gig
1. DO NOT drink
or get high before the gig! Ever! Stay away from alcohol or drugs at all costs.
2. Share gear and equipment. Never make the mistake of
sharing gear or expect to borrow strings or picks from someone else; make it a
rule to carry your own gear as well as spares.
Things to Do After the Gig
1. Give yourself a pat on the back for a job well done, and
congratulate your band members as well (if you were playing with any, that is).
2. If it wasn’t a great performance, don’t beat yourself up
over it, learn! Don’t let it get you down, and learn from your mistakes. If you
know where you fell short, you know what you’ll need to do in order to fix
things and not repeat the same mistakes the next time.
3. Feel free to have a drink or two, post-performance,
however keep in mind what bad hangover feels like while you’re at it.
4. Learn from your experience, take something away from every
gig. Learn from your mistakes and make sure you work on fixing them and that
they don’t happen again. Make sure that reflect back on your performance as a
whole, and that you take something away from it and learn something from
experience.
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