Advice for Gigging

Cbouty

New Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2018
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144
I have always been a basment guitarist. I never thought I’d have the desire, much less the skill, to actually go out and play a gig. I’ve actually come along way recently and the idea of hitting an open mic at one of my local bars is starting to sound appealing. I’m a ways away from making this step, but have been thinking alot about it. Other than the obvious of showing up with my guitar and some songs down cold, any advice or things I should be thinking about?
 
It's always a good idea to have an extra cable or two, just in case. If you're doing an open-mic / open jam kinda deal, you never know what kind of shape somebody else's gear is in. When jamming a common song with people I've never played with before, I'll also be sure to kind of chat with the other musicians beforehand to make sure we're all on the same page in terms of tempo, structure, and the version of the song (whether it's the commonly heard live version or the album version, ect.)

Also, for me, I try to just be sure I'm listening to what other people are doing to make sure I'm not over or under playing, which can be tricky (sometimes futile) in open-jam scenarios.

Another thing - and this one kind of sucks, but unfortunately it happens - is keep track of and protect your gear. A lot of times, these open-jam scenarios are golden opportunities for thieves to make their move when people aren't watching. And if it isn't a thief, it's some other inebriated jacka$$ who thinks they can just pick up any guitar that's sitting there because it's an "open jam". It sucks that it's that way, but I've heard of both cases happening to multiple people.

More than anything, though, HAVE FUN and learn as much as you can from the people you're playing with.
 
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I have always been a basment guitarist. I never thought I’d have the desire, much less the skill, to actually go out and play a gig. I’ve actually come along way recently and the idea of hitting an open mic at one of my local bars is starting to sound appealing. I’m a ways away from making this step, but have been thinking alot about it. Other than the obvious of showing up with my guitar and some songs down cold, any advice or things I should be thinking about?

Liquid courage. It has got me through every gig ever!

Ok, that was a joke. But I’ll give you some that’s easier to say than do... don’t be nervous. I used to play with a guy who would get paralyzed by fear right before we’d go on stage. Yes, it was at church, but we’re talking 1000 people. When he moved, I started getting really nervous before we played, and realized that trying to calm him kept my mind off of it. When he was gone, I started getting really nervous. The point? Find something to distract you or break the nervous period with humor, or something else. Once you play for a few minutes, you’ll be fine.
 
Playing live, in front of people and/ or with other people, is a completely different animal than playing at home.
It's a challenge but you'll learn lots more lots faster if you keep at it.
Do it!!!
 
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