Practice for a gig but all goes wrong

dean111music

I have ben gigging with a band for years and usually improvise most solos but this time i though id spend time on composing some solos. I'm in a 4 piece which consist of Drums, Bass, Vocals, Guitar (me) and we play with tracks occasionally. 

Basically in the practice room i wrote/composed a few solos and different parts is certain places to make it sound more interesting. As its a 4 piece when it comes to solo i wanted to get into chord tones so the audience could get a sense of the chords changing without a rhythm guitarist. I had written solos for Saw Her Standing there - The beatles, Lady Marmalade, Little Less conversation, Play that funky music (over one chord vamp - (used different ideas to spice things up), parts for a few numbers like I wish and 

Basically despite nailing the solos and parts, came to gig time and it didn't go to plan. After one blow i lost confidence and when i new part was going to come in i had the second voice in my head saying i was going to muck it again and i did!  Balls. 

Does anyone else suffer for this or have any advice?

Is it lack of practice? Negative voices? I practice sitting down so worth practice standing up?

I know i always tense up with my right hand so need to learn to relax, plus my ear need more improvement as when i go for things it doesn't come out how imagine too.

I have been playing for 20 years and its really gutting feeling like this. Especially you here all the pros play technical complex material and never bum a note.

Frustrating. Equipment going up on eBay haha  

Snags

I don't gig, as such, but I do play in public, historically in a setting where musically I was quite "hidden" but would occasionally get landed with an intro or very exposed phrase/turn around or whatever.

I'd practice the heck out of them, and then inevitably stuff it up when it mattered.  Perfect at home, perfect in rehearsal, perfect immediately after the event, total car crash for the 10 seconds it mattered.

Eventually got over it (in that context) by doing more practice, and doing things like practicing the parts extra quick, or with my eyes closed/in the dark etc. And also, the biggie, just keeping on doing it (didn't really have much choice) and eventually getting to the point where I realised it didn't matter. The only person judging me was me, and the only person who didn't believe in me was me. And out of probably 200-300 people probably only 6 would know I'd done it wrong, and 4 of those were in the band with me and my friends.

So in that context it rarely happens now; it does sometimes, and when it does I just shrug and move on. Or, if I'm also singing and it's an intro, just stop and start the whole thing off again, with a quip.


Of course, put me in a new context (Fretboard Jam, shop trying out gear, playing in front of people I don't know who are musicians) I'll instantly lose all self-belief, forget everything I know and become all thumbs. Because at the end of the day it's really about the brainbox and being relaxed in yourself and just not caring, not about the technical stuff.  You need to do all the caring at the practice stage, and then turn it off at the performance bit - as in, caring about being judged/looking silly etc.

Deep breaths, calming breathing, internal mantras - all the stuff that calms you down and settles the adrenaline is good, and worth doing for 5-10 minutes before you start, I reckon.

ragingben

It's just the way it goes sometimes, but it all helps make you a better live player because it teaches you how to deal with things not always going to plan. It happens to everyone and as bad as it feels at the time to you it will feel half as bad to the rest of the band and even less so to the audience. In fact, most people in the audience will barely notice and those that do probably won't remember. I've had my fair share and I've always struggled to deal with it and not let it affect the rest of the performance, particularly when on stage levels sound wrong. But the thing to remember is that it's a whole different deal playing a solo live when the pressure is on and all the other factors that come in in the heat of the moment than playing at home or rehearsing, and it doesn't make you a bad guitarist, just a human one.

JerkMoans

Bummer.  I don't have the stones to join a gigging band at all, so have little or no practical advice to give save to empathise re performance anxiety: when I did my Grade 6 a couple of years ago my hands shook so much I made a complete horlicks of the widdly bits in 'This Charming Man'.  From what I do in real life all I can suggest is that repetition repetition repetition is the way to develop a thick hide and do things without thinking too hard about them and getting nervous.

Incidentally, what's your eBay account name?  Asking for a friend

springhead

It’s the 3:4:3 gig theory. Out of 10 gigs you’ll balls up 3, 4 will be ok and the other 3 you can do no wrong. It happens. I’ve done the same, maybe over rehearsed playing solos note for note. I do think practice playing whilst standing is a good idea. Changes the angle of your hands.  You’ll be fine. 

PhilW1

I used to be like this,nervous,pressured from the quite  toxic band I was in at the time-not smiling,always looking down at the neck and pulling faces after a cock up (fnarfnar!).
I wasn’t enjoying it at all.
 Then I had a couple of epiphany’s
 - it’s supposed to be FUN!!
-I’m not Clapton/Moore etc and no one is expecting me to be
-I’m not gonna get rich and famous at this
- people are out for a good time - if you can get them singing and dancing along they won’t notice that your solo is wrong or that chords supposed to be a F#9b7
-nobody’s died
So I quit that band and all the stress involved and got with more  like-minded guys and just relaxed my attitude to it all and sort of “act” the part while I’m performing- smiling, engaging with the (usually small) crowd and just enjoying it.
Still getting the cock-ups but less and less!
Sorry about the long post but I hope some of it helps.

horse

I've played a couple of gigs on keys as a duo with a singer songwriter on acoustic (J R Harbidge), and I find it harder than playing in a band - mainly because what I play is more exposed, but also because we don't rehearse in that format and I have to play different parts.

I find that I have to stop myself thinking about what I'm about to play if my mind starts focussing on what it's about to do - like I know I will make mistakes if I don't chill out and go onto autopilot a bit more. So I think I almost do mindfulness type techniques whilst I'm playing for those gigs, at least on the more tricky songs for me.

Iamnobody

JerkMoans said:

I don't have the stones to join a gigging band at all, when I did my Grade 6 a couple of years ago...

I bet you’d piss being in a band. Rehearsals first before gigging remember so you’d iron out any issues.

i doubt I’m anywhere near grade 6 level particularly on theory side but I gigged in an original band for maybe 4 years, no idea how many gigs 50 + including some very low key festivals. Also played acoustic with another guitarist and singer for a bride walking down the aisle. 

If I can do all that as a basically shit player with little self confidence anyone can.

I guess playing original music helps as nobody can say you’re doing it wrong.

I’d say if you want to get out playing - give it a go. You’d probably surprise yourself. 

OP - definitely practice standing up if that’s how the gigs are played, also getting used to clicking pedals in and out can take a bit of precise timing as well - is that the throwing you off your stride playing?

Also you’re undoubtably being hard on yourself if you can get someone to video and review it I bet it doesn’t look/sound half as bad as you think at the time.

DesVegas

Even people who don't play an instrument know a bum note when it is played, but it happens, some say play the note again the next bar bar to let them know you ment it but I say just let it go and get on with it, at least you know you have the bum note out of the way and you can carry on with the rest of the gig without worry.

Bigsby

Lots of good advice here, especially about being thoroughly rehearsed at higher speeds, so the part becomes automatic and subconscious (like driving a car, you really don't have to consciously think about how to do each action, and if you do, it's a lot harder!). And also getting into the frame of mind where it doesn't matter, as @Snags says, that's really valuable.

But there is another approach - which might work well for some folks - and it comes from public speaking. If you write a speech out word for word, and try to deliver it like that, it'll probably end in disaster, or at least not be very good. In brief, every word becomes a potential mistake - you've turned yourself into an actor delivering a performance, when you really didn't need to. Instead of approaching it as a performance, consider it a conversation - know the material well enough to be able to talk about it, then do just that - have a conversation with the audience, based on a few keywords. And when you're having  a conversation, it's OK to change direction in mid sentence, or say the occasional ummm or errrr. Nothing's gone wrong.

This translates into solos by having a sense of their construction, but playing them in slightly different ways when you practice, so you're no longer trying to nail something note by note, but instead moving through some notes and phrases in a (hopefully) fluid way. Often, the need to play something note for note is similar to having the speech written as a script - it seems the safe option, as you 'know what you're doing', but it actually makes it harder.

May not be the right approach for everyone, but it's a way to get rid of the idea of having to be 'note perfect', and allowing every note to be a potential f*ck up! 

Flanging_Fred

DesVegas said:

Even people who don't play an instrument know a bum note when it is played, but it happens, some say play the note again the next bar bar to let them know you ment it but I say just let it go and get on with it, at least you know you have the bum note out of the way and you can carry on with the rest of the gig without worry.

Bum note? BUM NOTE? That’s JAZZ that is.  The audience is simply not up to the harmonic sophistication in the music.

DB1

Flanging_Fred said:

DesVegas said:

Even people who don't play an instrument know a bum note when it is played, but it happens, some say play the note again the next bar bar to let them know you ment it but I say just let it go and get on with it, at least you know you have the bum note out of the way and you can carry on with the rest of the gig without worry.

Bum note? BUM NOTE? That’s JAZZ that is.  The audience is simply not up to the harmonic sophistication in the music.

Funnily enough, when my old guitarist used to drop a note (I was a bass player in those days until I retired by popular demand) we used to shout out 'jazz!' whenever it happened. Not necessarily hilarious, but it lightened the moment, until we realised that he was so bad, the rest of us sounded like we had Tourettes. 

randella

Iamnobody said:

JerkMoans said:

I don't have the stones to join a gigging band at all, when I did my Grade 6 a couple of years ago...

I bet you’d piss being in a band. Rehearsals first before gigging remember so you’d iron out any issues.

i doubt I’m anywhere near grade 6 level particularly on theory side but I gigged in an original band for maybe 4 years, no idea how many gigs 50 + including some very low key festivals. Also played acoustic with another guitarist and singer for a bride walking down the aisle. 

If I can do all that as a basically shit player with little self confidence anyone can.

I guess playing original music helps as nobody can say you’re doing it wrong.

I’d say if you want to get out playing - give it a go. You’d probably surprise yourself. 

OP - definitely practice standing up if that’s how the gigs are played, also getting used to clicking pedals in and out can take a bit of precise timing as well - is that the throwing you off your stride playing?

Also you’re undoubtably being hard on yourself if you can get someone to video and review it I bet it doesn’t look/sound half as bad as you think at the time.

Sound advice. Always practice standing up, if that’s how you play live. I think the tense hand thing is fairly standard - I spend the first tune terrified that I’m going to drop my pick and get cramped fingers as a consequence. I’ve never yet dropped the bloody thing.

Jumping on pedals is all about practice. One thing I will say is make sure they’re secure on your floor or board, as the damn things slipping away from you is the last thing you need. I practice clicking my drive (Boss SD-1) in and out for lead phrases and rhythm parts in the same song, not just the solo but incidental licks too. 

We start out in our band with the same blues dirge we’ve been using since God was a boy, with good reason. We can all a) play it in our sleep, and b) play it the same every time to get the levels just right. 

I try and learn solos (either my own composition or the original) just like the OP, but I’ve found what works for me is introducing a couple of licks at a time. Slowly slowly and all that. 

@JerkMoans - I’ll bet you’d be fine in a band. Find some folk you like, get to know each other by making a balls-out racket in a rehearsal room, and you’ll want to get out and play. I know I make it sound easy, but it’s worth considering. If you’ve got sufficient musicianship to get to grade 6, I don’t think you’ve got much to worry about on that score. 

Anyway, sorry for the waffle - there might be summat useful in there, if not I’ve practiced typing on my tablet at least

webrthomson

Playing live is all about confidence, you need to have a measure of it naturally to even want to do it, seems you have that! You can build more as a band by rehearsing the way you are going to play live.

Start by practise the set standing up in a rehearsal studio before you do it live - use the exact kit (pedals, guitars, amp etc.) and physical band layout you are going to use live (if you have time scope the venue before you play there) - even if this means the band practising staring at a blank wall.

Things to look out for:

• Can I change guitars between song seamlessly?
• Can I change pedals / amp channels as needed without buggering up the next part of the songs?
• Can the band function without visual queues looking at each other during the songs?
• Does the set build and slow sensibly etc.

At the venue - tune and leave the guitars out, and warm up - I cannot emphasis that enough – no one goes from a cold start to playing fast lead work, get your fingers good and warm before you go on - 10-15 minutes or so - check your tuning and get out there.

If you find out the gate the first song is a nerve-racking experience (I know I do) then pick something that you can do in your sleep as @randella says above. I find once I’m past the first song, as long as I’ve not made a mess of that, the rest of the gig will be plain sailing!

Remember if it worked in practice it will work on stage once you get by your initial nerves

randella

webrthomson said:

Things to look out for:

• Can I change guitars between song seamlessly?
• Can I change pedals / amp channels as needed without buggering up the next part of the songs?
• Can the band function without visual queues looking at each other during the songs?
• Does the set build and slow sensibly etc.

These are excellent points, and I thought I’d jump in with a real-life set of answers. It’s easy to watch a band and think they’ve got it nailed, when the reality is different.

1) No. 

2) Just. Occasionally it goes tits, but it’s how you rescue these things. If you’ve left your drive channel on, don’t switch it back in the middle of a bar. Play out the measure and style it on a count of four. No-one in the crowd will notice, cast-iron guarantee. 

3) No chance. Not just visual either, but shouts. Again, the crowd never, ever notices this. 

4) Yes. Crucial. We have a break too which can work wonders if you’ve played a shocker in the first set. 

Lestratcaster

Definitely run the set the same way as you would play a live show, so standing up and positioning your gear the way it'd be on the stage on the night. 

After all the years gigging I can't say I've ever played a "perfect" show, there have been some very good ones I won't lie, but there hasn't been one where there's not been a rig issue, some kind of mess up by one of the members, an injury, etc etc. The unexpected happens and you can't control that, but what you can control is how you prepare and also react to any of it. 

There'd be songs I'd use to play where I always messed up the same section but I learnt to just deal with it, practice more and make sure I attended to it. Be it a tricky rhythm or a quick phrase etc. A lot of was repetition and making sure it was all in time, etc. But there's no substitute for getting out and playing in front of people.

And I also agree once you're a few songs into the set you will start to settle and relax and start to enjoy the music!

Roland

dean111music said:

Does anyone else suffer for this or have any advice?

Is it lack of practice? Negative voices? I practice sitting down so worth practice standing up?

It happens to most people. 

There’s a certain level of practice needed to embed something into conscious memory. For a solo to flow it needs to be embedded into unconscious memory. It’s the difference between passing your driving test, where you concentrate on every aspect of what’s going on, and an experienced driver who will avoid an accident before the conscious brain has a chance to respond.

Practice at home helps you remember the note sequence. You then need to practice all the other aspects, including standing up and pedal tapping, and playing at volume. I always rehearse with my full kit to minimise the number of differences between rehearsal and gig. Most of our material I couldn’t play sitting down.

The other thing to say about solos is that attitude is often more important than the actual notes. A lot of artists don’t play it the same way every night. I remember learning Smooth, and watching videos to see how Santana did it live. It’s different every time. The lead in is roughly the same. There’s a moment where he goes up an octave. There’s the tremolo pick up the chromatic notes to end on. If you get those three hooks right then the rest sounds and feels better played off the cuff.

Phil_aka_Pip

I think you play < 50% of what you practice, unless you've got the dots in front of you. Well done for your planning, practice and trying, but don't be despondent if your carefully worked out solos don't come out right first time. Keep trying. Practice standing up, including as @Roland says, using the same gear if you can. Rehearse with the band. I know the solos aren't the whole song (and half the punters don't care about the solos anyway) but try asking the band to humour you and go over the solo section again, once you think you've got the the intro, the vocals and everything else nailed.

Put the tricky stuff in the middle of the set so that if it goes wrong the punters are less likely to remember it.

guitarcookie1

I’ve learnt over the past few weeks that it’s all about the practice time & developing muscle-memory, plus the realisation that no one, apart from you, will notice that you’ve messed up a little. 

Grocer_Jack

Some good advice here. Try and keep all gear related stuff as simple as possible - get one guitar you can do the whole set(s) on. Figure out ways to reduce the number of pedals to the bare minimum. Get a pedal tuner if you haven't got one. 

You're the only guitarist so that helps - if you go off the beaten track you can throw in a couple of bars of something or other to help you get back to where you want to be. You do need to train the rhythm section to listen for cues and not to stick to strict bar counts. 

Also try and have what I call 'get out of jail free' bits that you can throw into a solo when it goes wrong. They're just generic licks in the right key that you can throw in automatically while you catch your breath. You should practice these as well as working out alternative ways to play the solo that you can use if you need to. Loads of repetition will build confidence. 

Don't forget that most mistakes sound FAR worse to you and most people won't even notice. I bet you're a cracking guitarist and you just need a confidence boost - good luck! 

fastonebaz

@dean111music ; I play some fairly complicated solos live that I've composed and my preparation is as follows

1. I Memorize the solo tune so well I can hum it aloud from any place in the solo

2. I Practice playing it standing up swaying around like on stage so I can't get it wrong

3. I spend time visualising performing it on stage,  what buttons i need to press beforehand,  where's my volume pot set at, what am I doing where am I standing etc

4. I Record myself playing it and listen back loads to critique my technique and visualise myself playing it again

By the time I've done all that I can't really cock it up live as I'm so well prepared.  Works a treat for me.