27 tips from a professional musician
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- Опубліковано 10 тра 2024
- Learn piano or guitar for FREE with Timbro: timbroguitar.com/davidbennett 🎹🎸
I've worked as a full-time professional musician for ten years and during that time picked up a few tips and tricks on things you should and shouldn't do! So today I'm going to impart on your 27 things that will help you in your career as a working musician.
The outro music to this video is my track "The Longest March" which you can hear in full on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/0wKKJ... 🎶
And, an extra special thanks goes to Douglas Lind, Vidad Flowers, Ivan Pang, Waylon Fairbanks, Jon Dye, Austin Russell, Christopher Ryan, Toot & Paul Peijzel, the channel’s Patreon saints! 😇
0:00 Introduction
0:44 be direct!
1:26 give out your phone number
2:05 learn to drive
2:43 play multiple instruments
3:09 make a showreel
3:30 check your spam
3:53 keep a good calendar
4:20 Happy Birthday
4:45 Christmas music
5:03 Auld Lang Syne
5:20 learn the standards
6:00 practice until you can't get it wrong
6:32 download maps
6:58 PAT testing
7:12 PLI
7:32 remember names
7:47 don't wear your stage clothes to the gig
8:19 food, water & coffee
8:40 spares
9:18 aux cable
9:47 event photographers
10:00 transpose button
11:51 know how to use your gear
13:21 ear plugs
14:10 receipts
14:44 be friendly
15:31 have fun!
16:06 Timbro
17:00 Patreon
SUPPORT ME ON PATREON: / davidbennettpiano 🎹
Learn piano or guitar for FREE with Timbro: timbroguitar.com/davidbennett 🎹🎸
Where can I buy that jumper?
I might need David to capo someday too@@redrum22
Make me.
Dude I got a Timbro ad before watching this 😂
How is this a week older than the vid?
#4 - Be a Multi-Instrumentalist - as one myself (piano, guitar, cello, bass, drums, singing) people tend to throw around the old "jack of all trades, master of none" thing. But the reality is, every instrument has informed the other, and thereby enriched and improved my playing of each all around. From rhythm to ear training, I find that when I practice one instrument for awhile, and pick up another, it's weirdly as if I had practiced that one too - because in so many ways, when you understand the theory and have developed your ear, there's truly so much overlap. Added bonus is you think about your primary instrument a little differently - which will make you more creative and come up with ideas for licks you never normally would have (approaching piano with ideas earned from guitar playing or vice-versa).
2:48 4. That's all very well for those privileged with those abilities. Others aren't so lucky but that doesn't lessen their worth as a performer on the instruments they do play.
Yeah man, learning other instruments and specially performing them live will only make you a better musician overall. I'm primarily a drummer but once I started to play other instruments, I felt the drums differently and always played the others with a drum approach (which got me even more gigs because, you know, rhythm is the basis of everything). Music is a super special and beautiful form of art and it's definitely infinite.
@@joaoaugustoschiavottielloc5106 totally! My first instrument was the drums actually, and it took learning guitar and keys to really think about how my drums interact with the musical story being told... so I began to approach drums differently, thinking about how I could complement or contrast melodies (or leave appropriate room for them to breathe rather than filling over them). It definitely made me a more "musical" drummer to think about the tonality rather than just the rhythm. And vice-versa, I feel like I play keys and guitar "like a drummer," more syncopated and rhythmic. It all informs each other and deepens my love for music to learn about it from different angles 🥰
This isn't a bad idea, but there's a difference between competence on various instruments and being a multi-instrumentalist, and I think it's being thrown around a bit loosely. For example, you say that you play bass. But I think it's probably more accurate to say that you play guitar and that that allows you to get some notes out on bass. And that's great, but it's not the same as being a bassist, it's just its physical similarity to a guitar. So it might fit better to describe this as using different instruments as means for musical expression. And I like the idea because at the end of the day music is in us, not instruments.
@@lambsay3133 sure, valid points. I've actually played bass quite a lot, though I'm better at guitar - but I would say because they are similar (tuning and fretboard layout), the concepts translate very well. Can I do crazy fast slaps and slides? Not necessarily, but stylistically that doesn't interest me and the type of music I make. However, I would say I play bass with guitar sensibilities (often riff-centric, higher up the neck, quite melodically, sometimes with a pick gasp!), and yet sometimes I approach guitar with a bass sensibility (syncopation, rhythmic plucking, etc). So I agree with what you say, using different instruments is just different means for musical expression, and it works for me to think of the bigger musical idea and then find the right tool to express that.
The guitar version of watching out for transpose is making sure the capo is on the right fret. I once did a gig where I put the capo on 4 instead of 3 - made even worse by the guitar coming in on its own after a big full-band intro. Funnily enough, someone in the audience came up to me afterwards and told me he’d seen the capo was on the wrong fret and was trying to wave at me to alert me!
Another tip whilst tuning an instrument is use the mute button if you can. Tuning instruments audibly can irritate audiences. Great tips and can relate to all of these!
How far we have strayed from tuning by ear that nowwe have"audiences irritated". I mean all of the tuning mishaps described would not occur when tuning by ear. Also it takes only one musician with absolute pitch (or decent relative pitch and somerecall) to catch a wrong tuning while in progress
Yeah lemme just hit the mute button on my trombone
You tune a trombone?
@@matteframe If tone quality and reliable intonation matter, yeah! You don't act surprised when the fretless bass or violinist tune their open strings
ok... so tune your tone quality and intonation... make sure you press the mute button while you do it tho...@@seheyt
Shower, and bring sandwiches.
The food has got worse over the last 35 years that I've been active. Always the middle of nowhere. Sandwiches makes friends with hungry musicians as well. You are often offered the snacks that the clients have after their 4 course meal. Slice of pizza is not going to cut it when you've been out of the house for 20 hours. Also I eat late, I don't do breakfast or lunch. I really need to eat at night. Cheese and pickle is my favourite. In the old days it was all free, but now the venue has a 360 package, and they don't care if you die.
Shower depends on the genre lol
@@nugboy420 Haha, I think not. Nobody likes stink.
Not very rock and roll
@@marktyler3381 lol u too young for
Grunge? ;)
I've made my living off of playing the guitar for 30 years of my life. These 27 tips are either things I did or things I wish I'd done. Hats off to David B for putting them all in one very watchable video!
How much do you charge per gig?
The transpose button problem is all too familiar to me. The first gig I ever did we performed “Hit the Road Jack”. We decided to play it in A minor instead of the original Ab minor to better fit the singers range.
However, somehow this info never got to the keys player (I believe she didn’t even know what the transpose button was) and she just played it in Ab on the gig.
Idk how we never noticed in the rehearsal room but it was definitely a mistake we never made again.
Great tips! Some additional ones I learned from years of gigging & touring=
-simplify your gear as much as possible. less failure points, less complicated, more portable, and easier to have the necessary backups with you.
-learn how to communicate what you need to sound engineers. understanding the basics of sound/production will only help you in your music career, and being able to clearly communicate about sound is essential for a smooth sound check.
-for anyone relying on tube amps, get some kind of amp emulation pedal with which you can play direct as a backup. Sansamp, Iridium, HX Stomp, etc are worth their weight in gold to guitarists and bassists. i've had amps stop working on stage numerous times - it happens, so be prepared.
Good tips!
Also, a light side tip for the guitarists in particular-
knowing HOW to use gear to get a great sound is more important than having special, boutiquey, vintage, or difficult-to-find gear.
If you rely on some special 2-year-waitlist overdrive pedal and a vintage amp, and you struggle to get a sound you like out of more run-of-the-mill gear, you're going to be really bummed if that stuff ever stops working on the road and you need to hit up a local music store to get replacements. or if you have to rent on a fly-in gig.
Knowledge is power and making great sounds is a skill, not necessarily a game of collecting. Work on your ability to get a good sound out of anything and it'll definitely pay off!
+1 for amp emulators. Probably the greatest technical revolution in my career playing live, I’ll never take a tube amp out of my home ever again.
@@captbuscemi I still use an amp for certain gigs, but I actually prefer playing direct with my HX Stomp when the PA is decent! More consistent, flexible, reliable, and portable.
HX Stomp also replaced my interface, pedalboard, and headphone practice amp, while Helix Native replaced most of my third-party plugins.
What a great time to be a guitarist! Just amazing what we can do with just a modeler or modeler + amp
One great piece of advice for guitarists and bassists is to pull the amplifier jack from behind and through your strap and then connect it to your guitar, instead of having it hang from the front of your guitar. That way, if you accidentally step on the chord it won't unplug because the friction of the strap prevents it from moving.
Yeah that’s a classic! More than once I’ve seen an excited guitarist stamp on their own lead and pull it out!
Straight facts. I don't usually bother with this when just practicing or jamming, but yeah... i've stepped on enough cords to know... lol.
Also-have more cables and batteries than you think you need. You never know what can happen. If you don't use your cables, you can save someone else's bacon.
Yeah, I do that and tape the cables to the floor just to be sure.
@@ferox965This is a great advice, in my experience 80% of the sounds problems comes from cables in bad coniditions
Solid advice. As a musician myself literally everything you said I’ve had experience with and is incredibly valuable
I've never felt a spark within me after watching a UA-cam video. Yet this video made actually and seriously consider becoming a professional musician. Untill now, I've never considered it a possibility because of the little to no demand, and therefore no way of living. Now I seriously want to consider it! Thanks David! :)
Thank you so much! Very useful tips!
🤦♂️
@@Supermoneygang12 ok but why
"Amateurs practice until they get it right. Professionals practice until they can't get it wrong." Loved this one.
My last band practiced together 3-5 hours - 3 days per week - on top of our personal at-home practice. It made an enormous difference.
Other musicians would see us and say we were 'naturals' but - truthfully, we weren't - we were just prepared.
David, regarding earplugs, i got the ones that are moulded to your own ears. These can be especially made just to cut out the dangerous high frequencies, but let everything else thru. That way you can still hear everything clearly. These really saved my ears in all the years i was a sound guy for bands.
I remember holding my friends kickdrum in place because it was sliding away from him thru the whole gig. I could't hear anything for days
Quarter (not even semi)-pro musician, and these are all great tips. One other thing I did that helped tremendously was create my gig bag and a laminated printed A4 sheet of paper, with a marker, listing the gear that needed to be in there, so I could check it off before and after and know I haven't left any adapters, plugs, cords, pedals etc, anywhere. Also, don't ever be late. Best advice I got was be earlier than you think, so that you can relax and feel the energy of the place you are playing at and have a chance to gauge the sound and set-up. I played so many outside gigs where I found the perfect/ideal spot, both visually and sound-wise, because I could look around and was not rushed to set-up.
Sounds like equipment with a transpose button also need a bright LED or something to go with them. Great examples with the tips, David. My weak point is "practice until you can't get it wrong." But then I don't play gigs. Still, I'd watch a whole video on that topic if you made one.
Great list and video. Here's a few others
- Reliability is a huge advantage for musicians and can get many gigs. Nothing worse than people not turning up, being late and / or unprepared.
- Responsibility is another, if you really can't make a gig aa a band, or player, it helps to organise a dep and take the heat off your customer / band mates
- Good, reliable equipment. It may cost a bit more but will pay for itseif in the long run.
LoL - I was also once burned by the same BOSS Tuner, didn't see the dot!
Really cool video! I found that being a nice human being is the most important thing as a giging musician - even more important than playing good music. I developed friendships with other bands that landed me numerous gigs. It would be cool to see a similar video but specifically made for bands. For example, it is important to keep your bandmates happy and excited to ensure the longevity of a band - this could be achieved by doing stuff other than practicing, getting regular gigs and so on.
Yes! And having a good personal relationship with other bands has gotten us several gigs. Also, watch/support other local bands whenever you can.
Great tips!! 🎉
The transposition topic sent me back to music school. I was a beginner at reading music and I learned a piece in my lessons. Had an audition and didn't realise I had given the accompanist sheet music in a DIFFERENT key. Back then I was very "muscle memory" in my vocal learning and I could tell something was wrong when we started to perform but I didn't know what it was until she called me out. Nightmares!!!! I cried a lot after and she said to me, "If you have time to cry, you have time to practice. It is okay, just don't do that again." I was lucky she was a genius and could play anything and I'm still horrified to this day for 20 year old me
Anyways...checking to make sure we're all in the same key is definitely my favourite advice!!
I'm not a working musician and don't ever see music becoming more than a treasured hobby, but I watched this because other David Bennett Piano videos I've watched have been content-packed and high quality. This was the best yet. It was tip, tip, tip, tip, etc. one after the other and flew by. I wish more content creators would get to the point this quickly. It's very engaging. Well done.
I was in a band for a short time, and was struggling with one particular song, because it was in a key I didn't find easy to play. But I did not just want to transpose the keyboard, because I knew at some point I'd mess up, and play either that song or the next song in the wrong key.
We never did get round to gigging or getting anywhere in general, so it wasn't needed in the end, but it seemed like the smart thing to do.
What a fantastic video! I've been a gigging jazz bassist for around 2.5 years at this point, and everything in this video has ring true to what Ive learned. On top of that, I learned new valuable tips I've never even thought of!
Thank you so much for these, David!
I would add...
Take a small set of tools (screwdrivers, pliers, scissors, electrical/duct tape) to every gig
Don't drink much, if at all, while you're working
Two things that make bands look good: interesting/different song endings, and quick transitions between songs
Even from behind the drums I can tell if we're too loud: see how close audience members have to be to each other when they're talking. If the talker has yell right in the ear of their interlocutor, you're too loud. Bartenders also hate it when they can't hear customers' orders.
When booking gigs - be persistent, and never expect a booker who doesn't know you to return a call. They won't. Work out how best to contact them, which the venue staff can often help you with. I knew one bar owner who only booked by text between 1pm and 3pm on Wednesdays.
Hello there!
I have enjoyed your channel very much indeed. I am quite a bit older than you, but have remained active in music since my youth. I believe we are never too old to learn. Your channel has helped me to take my theory up a notch. I really enjoy your content, and I wish you all success.
Great video - your experience shines through. I've been a semi-pro bass player for years, and can relate to pretty much everything here. Particularly the way you framed tip #26 - I've had that exact conversation with rookies many times. Beyond a certain (surprisingly low) skill floor, being reliable and likeable is far more important in getting more gigs than technical ability. Musicians have a perhaps deserved reputation for flakiness, and people will be worried about that - not something anybody wants when booking a key part of their event. Part of your job is to reassure the people you work with that you are a safe pair of hands.
I struggled to think of anything I'd add to your excellent list but I managed to come up with a couple!
- Always bring gaffer tape and paper / pen / cliplight. Sometimes you have to make notes on the fly and it may well be dark on the stage (phone is not ideal for this for multiple reasons).
- Check the venue beforehand, including speaking to staff if possible. How painful is the loadin/out process? Do you need to arrive unusually early? Do you have to park 100m away? Is there a brutally overzealous sound limiter (quite common at picturesque wedding venues). If so you want to know about it in advance so you can plan for it.
Great tips. Thank you. Now that I've heard them all I need is an ear for music and some musical talent. Let's do this!😂On more serious note, great video mate(as usual)💪🏻
I played piano live for the first time a few days ago... And I had the same problem with the transpose button 😂😂
Thanks for all the advice David!! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!! 🎉😊
I've been at multiple gigs for over a year now and I do actively play the piano at a restaurant for tip money. And I can honestly say that these 27 tips are either things I did regardless, but also I learned a lot of them. Like the point with getting in touch with the photographer. Really helped!
As a 19 year old who just started his jazz piano study and has just played his first gig, these are some very appreciated tips! Thank you David!!🙏🙏
These are GREAT pieces of advice and wisdom, David, and I love how you bring your personal experiences and your personality into this. Your list reminds me in many ways of how whenever I go on hikes (which I love to do-I live in New England, the northeastern-most six states of the U.S., and there are so many great hiking spots in this region) with people, especially if they are new to hiking, I bring extra bars (protein, granola, etc.), water, and rain ponchos in my backpack. Invariably, at least one person has forgotten some or all those. Not much extra effort on my part to help make sure everyone is safe and taken care of.
Same with fellow musicians. Having a few spare things ready to share when needed, etc.
Wow! Having played a ton of similar gigs over the years, these tips are amazing. They're almost all things I wish I'd known when I started, but figured out the hard way.
I've done some gigs and agree with your list (and there are some that I hadn't thought of), well done again!
I imagine some of these also help with a music UA-cam channel: play multiple instruments, know how to use your gear, be friendly, have fun?
You're the Goat, I learn so much from this channel. Thank you for your work.
David, I love your channel and the advices are amazing. Thank you!
PS: love your Beatles jumper.
There is so much that you said here that applies pretty much universally to any job. I used to give rotating medical students a very similar set of tips.
Pro musician for 30+ years. I have no issue using transpose - but I program it into its own patch, so when the next song comes along, I select the next patch and transpose is reset. I generally use it if a singer wants a song in a different key to the original. I'll stay in the original key and make a transposed patch for that singer.
I’ve tried that approach before, but then sometimes for a new song or an impromptu request I will use a patch intended for another song so if the transpose is baked in to that patch I might not notice and face the same peril!
Hehe yeah I get you. I tend to name tricky patches like that after the song so that reduces that likelihood. Generic "8ve piano & strings" patches stay un-transposed in the first bank, song specific stuff with arpeggiators, specific splits, transpose etc in higher banks with song titles. Ultimately of course it's what works for the individual musician. This system has kept me out of trouble for 3 decades!
This video was great advice for me honestly. I'm still in high school but I'm preparing myself to be a musician as possibly a full time career. The only thing is I've been struggling with an artist block for a long time while trying to compose my music.
Same, I have no idea how to get past it :(
I'm surprised you didn't include "be on time!"
Event organizers, hosts and guests don't hate almost anything more than the people they have hired being late, delaying the program. If there are any delays in the programming, be sure it's not because of you! Being late is a sure way of not getting hired again.
One of the most important things of all for real!
Amazing video! Loved the nod to Taxman at the receipt bit haha!
The little snippet of Taxman at tip 25 is genius
I have social anxiety so "practice until you can't play it wrong" is a must for me, because I know that I will screw up if I don't. "Know how to use your gear" is another must for me. I write down the playlist and all settings I'm gonna use because I know I will forget everything on stage.
Valuable tips, and some useful reminders, cheers David
David! You are on fire! Great video. I do like the more personalized stories. I liked what you said about being friendly. Kindness is the new work ethic. Love your work and lots of love from Canada. 🎉 🇨🇦 🍁 🇨🇦
😀😀
On the ear plugs tip, a good idea these days it good quality in ear monitors. That you get sound protection plus good quality foldback and a direct line of communication with the sound engineer.
I adore you David. Thanks for helping me become the best musician I can be🤘
I tutor guitar, and have made sure to teach anyone who seems ready to gig how to play Happy Birthday, not to mention The Wedding March and a few Christmas songs. By the way, it may not be as relevant to piano players, but "Do a Sound Check" should be another tip on here.
I can't tell you the number of times I've heard music blasting out of the doors of a pub because the speakers were pointing away from the musicians, and they thought it was at an acceptable volume. Frankly, there was one occasion where a guitar band were playing on a 1Kw setup, and the best place to hear them was a park way down the street.
Nice video, thanks for sharing your experience!
Brilliant tips David! I'll definatly keep these in mind
😀😀
Been doing this for a living since 2015 - excellent set of suggestions!
Amazing collection of tips. Thanks!
Great tips David! Even Van Halen was not immune to playing the synth part from Jump horrendously out of tune to a live audience. Anyway as a sound person, it's good to have a whole bunch of cables, DI boxes and various adapters. You can really save the day for someone, including the aux cable situation you described.
No better feeling than being able to pull out the exact cable that just broke/went missing on someone B)
Just wanted to comment generally David. I want to thank you for your contribution to online education over the years. The world is a better place because you exist. Thank you for sharing your knowledge you have a great way of explaining things.
Learn to sing decent BVs. Take it seriously, get lessons, practice it and be confident. Doesn’t matter if your voice doesn’t have the character or power to carry lead vocals, but reliably filling out a song behind the lead will get you lots of friends and lots of work. Countless really accomplished instrumentalists I know just do BVs as an afterthought and it really drags down an otherwise professional showing.
Pretty incredible tips.
Have a well slide over🎉
Cheers for your priceless advice
i always wanted to start my music career but i never knew how to start....... thanks to this video i already know what to do and how to start!!! what needs more work is knowing songs that people will ask to play, even though i always check those free tabs apps for the chords of a song.......
That last point is what I’ve heard Rhett Shull describe as being a “good hang.” I think that’s huge. I’d probably bump it up even higher on the list
Solid advice David, great idea for a video. Thanks!
Thanks!
This is spot on. I've been gigging on and off for 20 years. One thing I would add is smile, look like your having fun playing. Especially for birthdays, weddings, corprate gig they don't want to see you looking at your feet or frowning. The sleeper hardest this on this list is having a showreel as I can't stand to watch/listen to my own playing. I know it's totally a personal issue it's the same as not liking the sound of your own voice.
Those hilarious (much later) semitones!
Some great advice. Thanks.
Great tips ❤
Great advice. Though no longer applies to me as I'm a bedroom musician now, but it"s a great video to watch!
That Boss tuner pedal issue with the dot has happened to me before and it’s terrible. Thanks for bringing that up.
Great tips, thanks for sharing.
That was really interesting. I am a piano player and I work at a bar, that helps a lot. Thanks. 😊
Perfect tips. I relate to very single one of them. Especially the one with the transpose button... feels good to hear, that it happens to other musicians too 😂
Real practical wisdom here. Great vid
Great tips, thank you!
This is my new go-to comforting video.
😊
I remember hearing an interview with one of Pink Floyd’s hired musicians for their tours in the late 80’s and early 90’s who said “know your parts and be in the lobby by 4:00.”
Such vast experience distilled into less than 18 minutes. Amazing video, thank-you!
Thank you 😊
If I need to transpose, I create a specific patch for the song and tune the oscillator up or down. I use the name of the song as the patch name. When playing with an “Eb” band I use the “master key shift” option in global system settings. I never have to touch the transpose buttons.
My very best tip: Never take *anything* out of your "accessories" bag. I keep a completely separate set of accessories like cables and pedals for home use, because I know if I were to "borrow" something from my band bag, I'd inevitably forget to put it back in. For instance, I keep two sustain pedals in my bag, and I have a third for use at home. Arriving at a showcase without a pedal (30 years ago) was what made me adopt this rule, and I NEVER break it. Same for audio cables, extension cords, tools, flashlight, etc.
Great video once again and great tips! I'm glad I'm already doing most of them. Here's my transpose horror story: a keyboardist once forgot to change the key and played the whole intro of I Will Survive in Dm instead of Am... Something sounded completely off but I could not understand what, in the meanwhile I was still singing in the key of Am because after so many years I was tuned in it, and when the rest of the band came in at "And so you're back" we all realized what was going on! Thankfully nobody from the audience understood it. Similar thing has happened with Hot Stuff once, I ended up singing the whole song in Am, inventing alternative melody lines. It was completely uncomfortable because it is such a well known song but I sold it off as "our own unique take" :D
I can relate to half of these, and I am not a musician.
I would add: if the van is not hired to a reliable party, check it before start loading all the stuff on it, and make sure the extra tire is at hand after that.
PAT testing only applies to UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. I never heard of it, but it was easy enough to look up.
Really good advice and I can resonate with all of these tips! I was particularly interested to see the standard songs that get requested in the UK (assuming you are British) - as an Australian I've played all of those band standards except for 'Hey Ya' which has never come up,
The big requests in Oz are 'The Horses' Darryl Braithwaite, 'Khe Sahn' - Jimmy Barnes, 'The Gambler' Kenny Rogers and anything by ACDC 😂
So many requests for 'pianoman' as a soloist!!
I am a working drummer with a great knowledge of Country and Top 40 Rock. One reason I tend to get work is because of my attention to detail and I can also sing! I do good Harmonies and can sing lead too. It's been a very good tool to have at my disposal.
10:01 I remember this one. I immediately looked down at my bass because I assumed I was accidentally a fret out from where I should be. Then I was totally confused because I was in the correct position. By the time I looked up to try and work out what was going on you'd transposed back to the right key. Honestly, it's quite funny in retrospect 😂
I had the same experience with the transpoe button. Not like yours, our song was all the instructions banged from the beginning, i still remember the vocal's embraced face😅
Incredibly useful tips - thanks!
Thanks 😊
As a gigging and practicing musician, I'm trying to form the habit of learning songs outside of my band and original repertoire. It's still a work in progress. Advanced musicians can become complacent.
I would also advise that as a band leader, you should provide the rehearsal space. If you're the leader and one of your bandmates provides the rehearsal space it will be awkward and challenging if that band member leaves or is fired from the band. Where do you rehearse then?
I love the 27th... I forgot it too often. But I made changes and now it iz all fun...
I've toyed with the idea of taking a UPS (the sort you'd use to keep computer equipment running in a power cut) for my synths. No local power needed, and two synths + mixer doesn't use much power and no worries about the quality of the mains.
9:52 also for networking. My wife does wedding makeup. If she knows the photographer or DJ well, and if they like her, she can get them to put a word in if they find a gig and they don’t have makeup or hair or cancellations at the last minute like you said… but they might remember you and try to save the day. It’s happened for her a few times. More so just being recommended for a gig rather than last minute but it could happen.
Very Helpful
Thanks
😀😀
ahh yes, the transpose button problem, even as a rank amateur I've run into this (used it to accommodate a vocalist and then got flustered during the next piece having not yet fully understanding how to reset it) 🙂 !
All very relatable! Wonderwall and one Ed Sheeran numbers are essential for Irish pub gigs for some reason. I play guitar and the hardest shows are the background gigs but they haven't told you before. I'm fine with being background music if that's my job but coming with one expectation and having a different reality presented just throws me off somehow
I love youtubers who are professional but also subtly funny like you
Hey David, I love your videos! Your "songs that use _" videos are so helpful. Would you consider doing a one about long chord progressions? I saw a video of Marty Frideman doing a chord progression with a long sequence of chords and it made me wonder what songs use long progressions like that.
Is it the Arigatou progression? I've used that progression in a song I wrote for a friend's Christmas song last year, you can find it if you search for 'donkerbot dance under the mistletoe'.
Songs that are not musically boring.
Great tips
So glad no background musicians play "Play That Funky Music", "Hey Ya!", "Summer of 69" or "Livin' On A Prayer" in my country.
Maybe the most practical video yet! Downloading maps in an expert move
It's easy to get swept up in the stress. Whether it's people not helping with the load in/out or setting up, inadequate rehearsal of parts of the set (Christmas songs, one-off songs for a wedding, a song you removed from the set a long time ago but somebody in the audience is adamant you play it), the band wants to impress a venue, it's a bigger function than usual, it's for a different promoter, you have stage fright (I continue to carry prompts after playing over 30 years).
"one..." "keep your receipts"... subtle! great video!
Whoops, I thought i would know those tips explicitly! It's a bit tough because, as a musician, you have to assume a lot of things. Social tips were the most helpful here.
On the earplug part, I use earphones. I bring a small low-tech mixer and connect a plug cable from the monitor out. I just turn the volume a bit and found it more comfortable than not hearing myself and crushing my ears with the drums.
Good advise for more than one career 👍🏻
As a stringed instrument (guitar or bass) player, you should get yourself a Digitech Drop pedal. You won't have the hassle to downtune and retune your instrument. Makes the gig more fluid.