You don't half learn stuff watching other bands...

RocknRollDave

stickyfiddle said:

I'm a big fan of having the smallest pedalboard possible to get the job done. Which isn't to say I won't buy a new pedal just for one song if I want to, but also I can't wait for the HX One to be easily available so I can use that as a single "insert signature sound" box to cover about 6 other pedals' functions

I'm also a huge fan of a cerebral approach to a lot of things that a lot of bands pay zero attention to.
- Mixing as @Teetonetal says is crucial, and arrangement feeds into that - you almost never want 2 people playing or singing the same thing unless it's a conscious choice
- Setlist and song choice - picking songs that actually fit together well, flatter the band's strengths, go down well with a crowd AND putting them in an order that works both practically and also for the flow of the set in terms of vibe and energy. 
- And noting that every moment you're on stage is part of the performance (whether you like it or not!). Moments between songs, not noodling, moving quickly between songs, even just a tiny bit of planning who might turn around when to give cues and interactions between band members, etc etc. 

It's remarkable how few bands do any of this and it makes a massive difference. 

Every gigging musician should be made to read this post. Full of wis.

stickyfiddle

RocknRollDave said:

stickyfiddle said:

I'm a big fan of having the smallest pedalboard possible to get the job done. Which isn't to say I won't buy a new pedal just for one song if I want to, but also I can't wait for the HX One to be easily available so I can use that as a single "insert signature sound" box to cover about 6 other pedals' functions

I'm also a huge fan of a cerebral approach to a lot of things that a lot of bands pay zero attention to.
- Mixing as @Teetonetal says is crucial, and arrangement feeds into that - you almost never want 2 people playing or singing the same thing unless it's a conscious choice
- Setlist and song choice - picking songs that actually fit together well, flatter the band's strengths, go down well with a crowd AND putting them in an order that works both practically and also for the flow of the set in terms of vibe and energy. 
- And noting that every moment you're on stage is part of the performance (whether you like it or not!). Moments between songs, not noodling, moving quickly between songs, even just a tiny bit of planning who might turn around when to give cues and interactions between band members, etc etc. 

It's remarkable how few bands do any of this and it makes a massive difference. 

Every gigging musician should be made to read this post. Full of wis.

It's ok - the more people don't get it the better mine & your bands look by comparison!  

Nitefly

One simple thing that served me well was NEVER to have two songs back-to-back in the same key.

Not easy when half your songs are in G, but - y'know!

Danny1969

Nitefly said:

One simple thing that served me well was NEVER to have two songs back-to-back in the same key.

Not easy when half your songs are in G, but - y'know!

There's a lot to be said for thinking about this and you can use keys to good effect. For example to get a lift of energy make the next song a tone and 1\2 higher, like if the previous song was in E then choose a song that's in G next  ... to lose energy go the other way and a slower tempo. 

There's a lot you can do but most of it is wisdom accumulated over so many years you aren't even aware you are doing until you come across a band that's just starting out. 

For example a lot of people think the mix of a band is down to the engineer alone but truth is you can't mix some bands ... they just don't play consistently enough. You can't set a level of a snare drum if every hit is a different volume or the bass volume if half the notes are different volumes. Then there's the tightness, if everybody doesn't land on the beat then the impact and rhythm is lost and it's just not mixable to a professional standard. 
A lot of this is down to players simply not listening to the other members of the band and what they are doing. You should be able to play the other players parts or at least hum them. You listen to each other and make room for each other, then the music is half mixed already.   

Of course it's easy to realize this after 40 years and thousands of professional gigs ... the trick is to realize this right from the get go. I certainly didn't ... took a long time for me to work it all out.