So anyway, gig skills in a musical sense!

1. Knowing when not to play - this one took me quite a while!
2. Knowing when to play lots of notes - 2 shred or not 2 shred that is the question
3. Knowing when an audience is onside - and if they are not, knowing what to play to get them onside!
4. Knowing how to use the room (gig) to project your sound
5. Knowing what thoes funny little dials and switches on your amp actually do
6. Knowing where to be in relation to the other muso's in the band
7. Knowing where to be in relation to your audience
8. Knowing how to quickly problem solve technical issues
9. knowing how to re solder a lead at night in the back of a transit van
10. Knowing how to enter a venue and how an audience will percieve this
11. Knowing how to get out of a venue with all of the cash you are due
12. Knowing what intonation really means and most importantly being able to hear the consequences
13. Knowing how to tell another memebr of the band that they are seriously getting on your tits without offending them
14. Knowing how to tell another memebr of the band that thier sound is shite without offending them.
15. Knowing how to tell another member of the band that you dont want them on the gig without causing offence and crushing thier ego (Never close an open door)
16. Knowing how to get the right information from an agent
17. Knowing how to get the right fee from an agent
18. Knowing what the small print on an agency contract is actually telling you ('The large print giveth, the small print taketh away' Tom Waits)
19. Knowing how to prize the cash off the punter when they dispute payment
20. Knowing how to deal with the inevitable rough gig (everyone has them once in a while) and get out alive.

Theres 20 for you to be getting along with, I could add

21. Knowing what medication to give the bass player to stop him hurling due to a dodgy pint the night before, in time for the gig
22. Knowing how to read the bass players mind (usually consists of sex, farting and/or the size of some unsuspecting female punters chest) No sexist reference intended!

More to follow.....................
 

So following on from the cash issue

Whilst I am a true believer is a fair days work for a fair days pay its often the quailty of the work that determines the pay.

So in other words its great to play well paid gigs and I do that as much as possible however the trade off is the key gig skill - playing to your audience. Ask yourself what the gig is, who are the audience, what are they likely to want to hear - then give it to them on a plate. This will ensure hansome payment and rebookings on a similar if not enhanced fee.

Musical prostitution? yup sure as hell is and I would class myself as little more than a musical whore - and proud of it!

Whats the gig? Wheres the gig? Whats the fee? Three key questions!

But on the subject of deps it gets a litle more interesting, you need to a) play as close as possible what the missing band member would have and b) whatever you do don't upstage anyone. This generally requires a bit of homework and some more info from the band, best thing being a past gig tape.

Finally a few important things about earning money as a muso
1. Dont be an asshole
2. Turn up at the right place
3. Turn up at the right time
4. Turn up with the right equipment for the gig
5. Do your homework
6. Look at the audience before you go on (if its safe chat to a few of them at the bar)

MOST IMPORTANTLY - see 1. above

Should you ever turn down a gig because there is insufficient cash?

Generally No - as much as possible

The gig will almost certainly lead to others.

Should your first question be 'whats the fee'?

Only if you have all of the skills previously mentioned in this thread and you avoid 1.

Here endeth todays sermon.
 

Very wise words sir!!
 

I have been criticised in the past for being rather cash orientated BUT arnt we all? It doesn't matter if you are a musician or banker we still need to provide the basics of a roof over our heads and food on the table - this requires cash, thats a fact of life.

The real trick though is to find a creatively health balance between earning cash and musical integrity. Maths is not my strong point (aside tax returns, APR, and percentages) but as an equation it might look like this:-

Musical prostitution
_________________

Artistic integrity


If you get this right you will hopefully achieve both a musically, creatively and financially rewarding existence.

So, I pose a question, whats the difference between playing a cover and playing original material that someone else in the band wrote?

Well to me the answer is pretty clear, nothing. Lets say the other guitarist int he band writes a great tune and has determined all of the parts, you are then facilitating the performance in the same way as you would a cover. The real difference is that theres probably more chance of a gig with the covers!

If you get this right you should be able to play a cover and still have a good creative input. there are some covers that require you to learn the tune note for note and get the tone right. examples would be Sultans of swing - Dire Straits, Shine on you crazy diamond - pink Floyd, Little Wing - Jimi Hendrix etc however many allow for arrangement and heres where you have some fun at every gig.

In one of the bands I work with we have the wonderful http://www.myspace.com/revsaxman who shreds like a demon on the sax. There are certain tunes that are taken as read to be a total wig out and they seem to get more and more devorced from the original tune each time they are played, in fact excessive trippyness seems the order of the day. You have to keep your senses a little on how the audience is responding but if they are with you you can blow the walls out. This all equals much musical fun! In this scenario we are still music prostitutes however the artistic integrity remains high.

An expressive and creative performance has to be the end goal for your sanity but if you can tie this in with musical prostitution you can get the gigs!

more on original material to follow
 

So,,,,original material......tricky one this....I have worked with far too many bands to remember and have been right royally ripped off on many an occasion. In my late teens/early twenties I was in two bands, Burlesque and The federation each got a publishing deal by respected publishing houses (names witheld for legal reasons).

Now whilst this then meant proper management and then label interest who both talked the talk things didnt go quite to plan. Sure they got us some choice London gigs at the top venues but any revenue fast dissappeared - in fact we saw none of it. Of course at that age we were rather nieve and thought that all concerned were into the music - WRONG and heres the big mistake lots of young artists make.

The music industry consists of companies in the buisiness of making money. This is thier prime function, they have offices, staff, websites, advertising, business rates, hardware, software etc to pay for and in some cases investors to please. The prime function is making money.

Whilst they might well make positive noises about your musical output thier prime interest in you is as a commercial product. This is understandable, we all need to earn a living but many musos seem to forget this.

Myspace and similar sites are a brilliant development that is empowering individuals to market and distribute thier work themselves in many cases side stepping the traditional corporate route. Good for the individuals, not so good for the record companies. Then theres the whole mcps-prs thing, with digital radio as prolific as it is is it possible to track all plays on all stations across the globe? PPL is a valuable for of income but not if it is untrackable, yet we rely on radio play to get our music to the masses - time to compromise?

Lets say you go the record company route and they have a serious interest in your product. First thing to remember is the the advance is NOT a gift, it should not be spent on drugs, alcohol, prostitutes, parties etc etc. It is a loan which has to be paid back in full with interest. Then there is the recoupable expenses this will include accomodation, food, transport, clothing, drugs, alcohol, etc etc. The advance should only be used for furthering your product ie RECORDING. So all this money has been invested yet you are still working in tescos as the album hasnt been released yet so no cash comming in. Then you tour to support/advertise the album abd you think ok... great some gigs....and some income. Wrong. Now I have played in bands that have packed out top venues, initially you think wow look at all of thoes punters at £x per ticket but then theres the management,agent, promoter, security, pa, techies, lighting, public liability insurance, advertising, ticket printing and sictribution etc etc pay. All this means no cash for the band. The answer to all of this lack of income is merchandising - sell as many T shirts etc as you can a) its free advertising if people wear them and b) It may well be your only form of income for the next few years untill the advance + recoupable expenses are paid off.

Advice in a nutshell:-
a) dont do anything to unnessecarily increase the amount due for recoupable expenses
b) dont waste the advice on parties, drugs etc
c) retain the copyright to your image for merch
d) source a reliable supplier of quality merch (no t shirts that shrink/fade in the first wash - you want your walking adverts to look good)
e) persuade your partner/wife/girlfriend/boyfriend to run the merch for you (save costs)

Now you might consider the above to make record companies appear to be the villans in all of this. Not the case, as I said they are in the business of making money via commercially viable products. Ok its music but its still a product.

If we consider our music to be a product then it need to be saleable, it needs a niche something that perhaps stands out as individual and new or in some cases go with the flow of current trends.

With the possibilities the internet now presents to musos and composers and the proliferation of labels we live is very musically exciting times. With digital distribution allowing our 'products' to be cast out worldwide in one hit to listeners from Japan to USA to Australia the possibilities and opportunities are quite mind blowing. Minimal costs involved also!!

Young and new composers/musicians should explore these possibilities - find out whats possible and push the boundaries

The only variable is comming up with a viable product.......more to follow.....
 

....forgot to mention, if you do go the traditional record company route dont forget to ask for hurdle clauses in the contract.

Whats a hurdle clause?

Well its a clause int he contract that for example states that within a period (say six months) the record company with have done x, y and z (might be single release, support tour, advertising, radio play etc). but the beauty of a hurdle clause is that if your label dont perform as agreed you are able to renegotiate or even terminate the contract. MAke the hrudle clauses reasonable to achieve/expect of a company of the stature you are working with, your manager should advise you accordingly in this respect. (10% fee)

But lastly the big recoupable expense - legal fees, ever seen a poor solicitor? You need legal representation and this costs - big time. All recoupable!
 

As I mentioned to Lynne composing has to be about what feels good to you.

Now i'm not going to profess to be a great and successfull composer, I have had some results but not on a major league scale. I guess you have to look at the likes of the Beatles and as yourself how you think they came up with Eleanor Rigby for example, pure chance? Or do you think they wrote with a subject matter in mind?

Thinking initially about what the message is gives a clear indication about what should be happening rhythmically, harmonically and melodically. For example Tom Waits ' Misery is the river of the world' is a wonderful case in point, the subject matter referring to mans consistent inhumanity to man 'God builds a church the devil biulds a chapel'. The rhythm is solid and insistent and the whole piece has a homophonic feel that suggests unrest, the chord structure is clearly modal and reinforces the sense of doom, the melody held by Tom's distinctive vocals is not only modal but again uses call and response to give a clearly defined structure. Add to that the fact that structurally it a perfect pop song and you have someone who I believe is one of the true musical geniuses of this world. He is able to work within clearly defined structures yet able to be totally individual in his approach. The subject matter and his vocal is the focus.

Write about a very real experience or something that is close at heart to you whether physically, politically or historically. On my page Jaco was intially intended as a Jaco Pastorius tribute and I guess it still is. Jaco is a musician who was again a real genius, his tone, phrasing, technique and expression were second to none and he has infulenced an entire generation. Whilst in Norwich (as with every town I go to) I sought out the local cash converters (pawn shop) and there, on the wall was my USA Fender Jaco tribute bass (see pics), a real beauty that beconed me towards it. It is the only fretless bass that I can play with ease and it sounds just amazing. For some time I gigged it exclusively and have seriously fallen in love with it (sad i know), so there was the inspiration for a tune that reflected my admiration for the artist that inspired the bass which creatively touched me. But then as I started working on it I remembered another bass player that I worked with some fifteen years ago who was also nik-named Jaco because of his surname (hope are not offended by this if you read this). Jaco was a hilarious character who clearly drank and smoked why too much. Collaborating with him in a song writers capacity was in interesting experience in that he would be totally enthusiastic until it was something he disagreed with, in which case he'd probably thump you! His drink and drug consumption continued to increase and there were reasons behind that but we played some great gigs and had a huge laugh along the way. Gradually as we both worked with other bands we lost touch but a friend of mine saw him as said that he was pretty much gone, lost to the drink. Sad, very sad. So theres a bit of whats in the tune Jaco, nice to know that some of you like the outcome. The track was not intended to be commercial, purely written for my own benefit. I could rattle on about the musical elements but you get the idea, if not listen to it!

Write about what matters to you.
 

but then theres composing purely for financial gain.......... lots of people do it and its a really skilled job.
 

At the end of the day what the client wants, the client gets or in other musical terms - ALWAYS PLAY TO YOUR AUDIENCE!

At the end of the day a few decisions have to be made based around the project brief and the target audience. Once you see clearly through this then basic musical elements such as tempo, timbre, harmony and melodic structure should be apparent.

Ok in simple terms, you have commissioned to write music for an advert promoting the speed and reliability of rail travel. Tempo? Timbre? Structure? Repitition? Rhythm?

Can you hear it in your head? The brief tells you how the music should sound, you may criticise this approach as formulaic and simplifying the processes and i'd agree BUT everyone needs a starting point. You my think that this will produce a predictable score? hang on..who is the target audience? Probably prime time tv audiences - are they going to connect with the abstract? check the McDonalds leit motif for evidence that simple is best.

The skill is in comming up with the right material for the target audience. Cathy Dennis is another of this centuries geniuses. Kylies ' Cant get you out of my head' being a case in point, a carefully crafted pop song. Formulaic, yes, simple, yes, repetative, yes, memorable, YES YES YES, viable commercial product, YES YES YES YES YES YES. Quality commercial songwriting at its best.

'Its not what you put in but what you leave out that counts' a piece of advice that was passed to me by Pete Hollis and probably passed to him by another wise muso etc etc etc
 

'Its not what you put in but what you leave out that counts' hmmmm

To shred or not to shred that is the question!
 

Just got back from another gig, Trio this time with Steve Bevan (bass/vox)and Vic King (drums)

I have to say that a trio is a really good format for me. Look at all the great power trio based bands (drums, bass + guitar) The Police, Cream, Free, Black Sabbath etc. Steve Bevan is an excellent bassist and vocalist however all who work with him have to get used to his addiction to bombay bad boy pot noodles and the subsequent terminal flatulence that follows on stage. Vic King is an excellent drummer who always has the right tone, plays the right lines and knows how to tune a kit to perfection. That said his reliance on large amounts of food before a gig is taken as read by anyone booking the line up. gig = pay + food!

Once all this is out of the way and the band plays its a really full sound BUT if you get it right you actually dont need to enter into any form of gap filling or overplaying, quite the opposite. I always find this line up refreshing and a good opportunity to make real use of thoes pedals that at other times remain unused. A good chance to play around with timbre and reinforce each section of the song with textural and timbral variation. Then on the solos playing for the gaps, room to let each not breathe without the rest of the ensembles volume rising.

Get the bass sound right and the band cooks.

I like playing in a trio!

2.00am - time to retire again!
 

Shredding........interesting term

Kinda means guitar players squeezing in as many notes as possible. Requires advanced technique and accurate alternate picking and fretting.

Question is, does it make a good guitar solo?

Well if I were to consider my top three guitar solos of all time they would be as follows:-

1. David Gilmour - Another brick in the wall pt 2 solo, the ultimate in tone and phrasing
2. Junior Marvin - Waiting in vain - Bob Marley, awesome start tone and phrasing
3. Frank Zappa - Yo Mama - just off the planet amazing note choice, structure, phrasing and tone (let alone the technical issues surrounding how it came about)

You might notice that theres no shredding involved.

I'm not going to get into slagging off other guitarists BUT I have recently heard some technically brilliant but musically and expressively truly dull albums. I'm not into criticising these guys as at the end of the day on a gig I shred! I guess the art is in having a suitably strong song or composition that can live with a bit of shred in the solo in places. Constant shred can alienate some audiences.

I also think that the solo on 18 shells from a 30:6 from Tom Waits Big Time album is a true stroke of genius. Listen to it! You might initially consider it to be atonal but listen again, everything has its place and in a way it reinvents the concept of soloing.

Now we move to hallowed ground. Jimi Hendrix really took guitar playing to the next level. I really hate it when they show footage of Hendrix in the media as they invariably go for the setting fire to the guitar clip or smashing up the guitar clip as if thats all he ever did. Insulting to such an otherworldly talent. I could list any number of fave tracks but the consisted message would again be tone, phrasing, feel, expression etc. Where would we be without Jimi's music, ideas and influence? I would give anything to have been there at the time!

Then theres Jeff Beck. If you havnt seen him live make sure you do! His tone will tear you to shreds! Just awesome. Listen to 'Brush with the blues' very loud and really think about what you are hearing. oh and by the way, no shred! Listen to the effect of his silence in the third gap , someone in the audience freaks!

The list is endless and if I'm not wrong why is it that serious shredders find it so difficult to get a properly paid gig? It s a great shame that more people do not appreciate the skill involved. I wonder how Pagannini would have react to this? Use a walking stick and play even more technically demanding music on one string to prove a point? for a bet?

To shred or not to shred - a musical, expressive and sometimes financial decision

I wish I could get it right!
 

Tents...

Marquees = tents, i dont care how big they are I still call them tents.

Just got back from a gig in a tent (big tent) in Cambridgeshire, try to avoid playing in a tent for the following reasons

1. Damp + electricity dont mix
2. Rain + Wind + damp + electricity dont mix
3. Facilities for the band are ususally the least most important thing on the agenda
4. Food and water for the band are the least most important thing on the agenda
5. The sound is generally very dead and top endy
6. The floor/staging is often not level and frequently feels rather unsound
7. Lack of thought about 1. + 2. on the part of the organisers (where are the circuit breakers?)
8. Hot, sweaty, smokey, difficult to load/unload etc

I dont like gigs in tents!

Rant over, time to retire!
 

Musical Cliques

Avoid these at all costs. Dont try to be part of one and never listen to thier criticisms of your work unless they are a) Constructive & b) Coming from someone who has a gift or proven record of musical employment/success.

The problem for me is the proliferation of solicitors, stockbrokers and estate agents we have in this country who, since the rise of the 'Blues jam night' suddenly call themselves 'Blues Men' and wear funny hats. What the hell is that all about?

They are interesting people in an amusing sort of way in that they manage to walk the walk with investment in much expensive equipment & transport but then ultimatly fail to talk the talk as a result. Somebody tell me how the hell a solicitor can sing about the hard times!

Whilst I appreciate that the professions mentioned are all stress inducing however it pales into utter insignificance compared to the oppresssion of black races that has been going on for centuries and continues to this day even in so called developed countries.

Idolising white middle class blues players in some wine bar style jam to me seems to demonstrate a lack of social and historical awareness in this respect.

Now add to the the concept of outsiders to a clique who are often seen as a threat OR musically inappropriate because they havn't learnt a Robben ford solo. Cue the folded arms, raised eyebrows, tutting and frowning. I am not going to name names but I do know a singer who went to a local blues club and sung a really early blues song by BB King and was then berated by the guy on the door who told him that it wasn't real blues! What the hell! Then theres a certain upcomming white middle class 'blues' guitarist who refuses to speak to the bass player and blanks the audience if they try to speak to him. What the hell!

Always take on board opinions, go for first hand information wherever possible but make sure you assess the validity of the views expressed. Often musical cliques hide musical insecurities.

I gave up trying to please musical cliques many years ago, I'd much rather piss them off than listen to them.

How many guitarists does it take to change a lightbulb?

Twenty, one to change it and 19 to say they would have done it better.

Never allow a clique to undermine you!

I rest my case.
 

Agents - now theres an interesting one.

Commission usually anything between 10-15% but there are good agents and not so good agents. The good ones look after their acts and book the right venues, the bad ones will give you endless grief and send you to places where you are lucky to get out alive!

The real sting in the tail is the 'The agancy shall not be held responsible for non completion of the contract by either party' clause which basically means that if you do the gig and dont get paid its not the agencies fault but you still have to pay them commission OR if the band screws up for whatever reason its not the agencies fault and you still have to pay the commission. See the common thread? So with this clause they can send you on any old wild goose chase and the only people that face any consequences is either you, or the client or both but not the agent.

As I said there are good and bad agents!. In the Uk we have the entertainment agencys association which tries to regulate things and on the whole do a good job but the one piece of advice I would give is find a good agent and once found treasure them, talk to them and at all costs keep them on side. The other piece of advice I would give is to avoid pissing agents off - they do talk to each other so theres nothing to gain from having a pop so to speak.

Agents......hmmmm.......cant live without them!
 

so you only tell us AFTER we've left! cheers!

...now we know the questions, how to get the answers... is that a life skill by any chance?
 

ahhh Mr Thurley

Saturday night......theory book? Looks like I'm just as bad this week! no saturday gig = reduced cash flow....not so good!

The answers, well thats where paying your dues comes into the discussion, your gig tomorrow my answer some (cash?) but I'll post more info soon. Now thats real whoring!
 

Tents 2...........

Morning after, another gig in a tent last night however despite the pissing rain that has been flooding the UK for the last three weeks or so it was actually a great gig. It always makes a difference when the punters make an effort, the whole marqueee decked out like a 70's brothel with rugs, cushons, candles, indian lanterns etc. Then the punters themselves in 70's hippie attire, very tastefull!. It was damp, hot, sweaty etc but when the audience really goes for it you can forgive the tenty surroundings!

Only downside was that I jokingly asked the organiser where the drugs were only to find out he was in the met (police)! oops.

things to add to the gig skills at the top of the page.

33. Never ask a copper where the drugs are!

Another gig in a tent to go to tonight.......perhaps I'll post on that one tomorrow. Theres a few gig shots from last nights gig posted in my pics - the last four. The last one is from the soundcheck hence no freaky lights.
 

Tents 3........

Sunday evening gig in a Tent.....what can I say, expensive marqee however being situated in field near Newmarket racecourse on a very windy evening was not ideal. The punters had little interest in anything other than showing off to every one else how much cash they had under the guise of 'charity' and as with anything related to the horsey fraternity the band were treated like shit.

I have a big problem with individuals who have inherited wealth as of all the gigs I have done for them I just can't figure out what thier positive contribution to society actually is. Thier idea of sport consists of blasting the crap out of anything with four legs at point blank range with a 12 bore shotgun. I have no problem with people huunting for food that they will eat, thats just survival and the human race is after all carnivorous. Shooting things for the hell of it.......nah....not in my book.

I should just think of the fee and do the job but sometimes your conscience kicks in. Frankly I couldn't care less how much expendable cash another individual has but don't for a minute think it will make me respect you. True respect is earnt not paid for.

Sometimes the punters really piss me off.

Redistribution of the wealth could be the answer however I suspect thats just my punk attitude!

Anyway finally marquees and strong winds dont mix - avoid!
 

Tents 4.........

Guess what......another gig in a tent last night! It seems to be marquee gig madness this month!

I use Mesa/Boogie amps live, an F30 and a DC5 with 1x12 widebody extension cab, both are awesome amps but it strikes me that they dont perform to full capacity on a tent gig. Many theories on this but I think others would agree that its down to the length of mains cable run to the marquee. Cable = resistance - the longer the cable the greater the resistance. As a result the amps which everywhere else sound out of this world suddenly start fighting back. The age old top end problem associated with playing in tents kicks in but it feels different, almost like theres a noise gate on the amp thats trying to cut the ends of your notes off. Cause - long mains power runs causing a drop in current.

Worth watching out for this one.

Still the punters seemed to enjoy it and the band was joined by 'Funky' on sax who I havn't seen for a number of years and is worth every penny on entertainment value. I have put two very moody pics at the end of my pics from last nights gig taken by Angela who is getting pretty darn good a getting very cool gig shots.

4 gigs, 4 days time now for a rest
 

Tents 5.......

This is the summer of marquee (tent) gigs, and it aint over. Another tent gig last saturday but this time of course its the start of the cold snap here in the UK which will probably only last a few days due to global warming. Anyway so you get to the gig, set up, tune up etc then retire to the band area to consume drink, food, gossip and set lists. In the meantime all the gear is getting colder.

So here is a big problem for musos worldwide, cold instruments and cold hands do not provide a good performance scenario. The guitar and bass necks take on a rather more pronounced concave profile resulting in a higher action and your fingers are feeling numb...nightmare!

Short of all the band huddling around the par cans and to retain body heat you are left with desperate measures. Start the car up, put the heater on and sit in there with your guitar at a normal temperature? well this will result in the neck returning back to concave as soon as you leave the car BUT your fingers are at least warm. Hey the real answer is to do some practice and keep playing up and down thoes scales allowing your bodys brown cells to do thier central heating job. you keep warm, the guitar keeps warm and everyone is happy. Do not resort to urinating on your fingers to warm them up, you'll end up with no mates at all.

I am not doing any more gigs in tents this year..............unless the fee is right!
 

Tents 6 - 2008! - A year since my last tent related entry

Summer is here then - gig last night in a tent! Friday - Rhodes hall, strange venue, stage about a third of the size of the hall - Why? plus a fairly torturous loading route and an encounter with an ex student who I havn't seen for about 12 years. Well I say student, I tried to teach him stuff which he subsequently rarely practiced. 12 years down the road he tells me he has his solo ablum out on the shelves and he is touring a lot. Interesting thing about myspace and facebook is that you can find out a lot of information about what people are actually up to (at this point if the said ex student is reading this he might want to check the length of his nose).

So then last night, in the middle of bleeding nowhere in a huge green and white striped marquee aptly labelled the 'steam up bar' full of loads of punters all generating heat and breathing in and out (like you do) creating probably the dampest gig of the year so far by far.

So to the point of this tent based entry on gigging advice - always take a bucket (or use a hedge) as the portaloos are not fit for human use.

Here endeth the lesson, remember these wise words
 

Churches......

Just got back for a gig in of all places a church! Well as I shredded my way through the set I couldn't help but wonder what all thoes people laid to rest within and in the church yard would have made of it. Many of them probably would have said that Paganinni did it better! Many would have branded it the work of the devil!

Playing in a church is a very interesting experience, best to avoid playing sabbath bloody sabbath when doing so!
 

Here's one
Knowing how to make the wife of a rich dude who hired you sound good when she insists on singing with the band...can result in a big tip after gig
Cheers
Ric
 

closely followed by;

Knowing how to say to a band member that his new girlfriend really can't sing and wont be involved without causing offence.
 

It's all about believing in what you are doing.
Do not be afraid to speak the truth;
Love what you do
Have fun doing it
Find support that will make what you love to do, to keep on doing it
But always speak the truth, don't be afraid and give reasons.

Musically Yours,

Lynne/Talent Manager
Conte's Networking Communications
 

You have to go with what’s right for you without question. Also try to take on board constructive criticism but avoid overly anal musical cliques. It isn't a competition its art and that has to come from within if its to be effective. I always work on the basis that I have to really get excited by anything I compose, if others like it as well then that’s a plus.

The difficulty is when people are trying to earn a living at it, that’s when a bit of knowledge and experience helps. Sometimes a compromise has to be made whether creatively, contractually or financially. Hopefully this blog is providing an insight into some of that.
 

Great article. I've never understood why people with a talent for singing or playing an instrument object to getting paid for same. After all, one of life's greatest blessing is having a job you love. For example, I love researching stuff on the internet. I do it for friends and just for fun. A thought comes into my head or somone mentions something in a conversation and don't stand between me and my computer 'cause I'm GONNA go look up everything I can find on it, good or bad. I've done this for free for years. Now I'm planning on getting paid to do it and share my fun with others. That's 'whoring' myself? (That was a supressed giggle, not a burp so I won't excuse myself.)
IMHO artists/bands who make a big deal out of 'doing it for the music' need to get over themselves and get out of Mom and Dad's basement and earn a living for a change. :-)
Molly
 

Strings........

Strange isn't it, we all have a preference, it all becomes very personal. There are some shredders who use the lightest possible strings, 8's or even 7's which are like a human hair! I understand that little thin strings are apparently good for speed but this is at a huge tonal cost. I find it easier to play faster and more accurately with heavier gauge strings, 11's at concert pitch. Agreed they took a bit of getting used to but after a week of exercises they suddenly felt right. The resultant tonal improvement from 10's was noticeable as was my ability to alternate pick effectively. For my left had the extra tension seems to lend itself for a wider vibrato and much greater control over string bends.

Giving this relevance in terms of gig skills, I am not famed for breaking strings, never do it, don't know why. What I do tend to do is allow the adrenalin to kick in which with a light gauge string would result in over bending of strings especially if the monitors are no good. The 11's just keep me in check.

There are many reasons why to me heavier strings are better ( thinking of going up to 12's soon) but equally there are many others who will agrue the case for thin strings.

One common thing is the quality of Elixir strings which although more expensive actually improve with age, last many gigs, feel great, sound great, intonate well & enhance the playing experience.

strings......huh....theres a subject best avoided!
 

Music Shops 1......

Music shops are often a surreal experience and sometimes inadvertently demoralising. As a musician we are frequently phased by other musicians who we perceive to be in some way better than us. These musos seem to lurk in music shops and just at the moment you walk in launch into an awesome solo. Bastards! Except that when you then subsequently plug in some expensive axe that you have no intention of actually purchasing they then start to watch you and the whole psychology of the situation is reversed.

There are some true genius players who have worked in music shops, I am going to name names here as one of Britain’s true undiscovered talents is Jason Ward. He is an unassuming, pleasant and polite person who transforms into a guitar god when he picks up his old Fender Japan candy apple red strat. Awesome and all who know him agree. Now Jason is not only a brilliant player but he could sell anything to anyone, he could plug in the cheapest guitar into the cheapest amp and it would instantly sound unbelievable. He sold me loads of stuff this way and frequently musically intimidate me into the bargain! Aside all this I wad told by another employee of the shop that Jason always admired m7 playing and watched what I did!

Fact is that we all have a talent, we just get used to it and therefore undervalue its worth. That old lick that seems tired and predictable is fresh and exciting to another. The thing is that if you have something musical to say then shout it out with your head held high.

How many guitarists does it take to change a lightbulb?

20

One to change the bulb and nineteen others to say they would have done it better

Its all a load of old guff really, macho competition. Expression is not about competing, if you want that play football!

So anyway Music shops – don’t be phased by the resident guitarist muso, if you are then just ask him/her a few key signatures or open one of the piano vocal score books and ask them to play the right hand part (dots), that’ll get them out of your hair!

How do you get the guitarist to turn down?

Put a score in front of him/her

Don’t be phased, stay funky !
 

Music Shops 2.......

So, today I go into a well known music shop that specialises in music technology equipment to buy a new soundcard as my existing one is encountering all sorts of problems. Now following on from the music shops 1 comments this is a different type of store in that you go in and say can I have a sound card please and they talk back at you in strange numbers 'ahh no, you want the AS34.56YT revision B' and expect you to understand, that type of shop.

Anyway I had to wait which I dont normally like doing as I am an impatient old git. I had to wait because the free sales assistant was on the phone talking to someone who was interested in his latest mix. Interesting conversation as the sales assistant was talking in sort of north London jamaican gangsta speak innit respect. Now I have no problem with other cultures and have utmost respect to all but the really fun thing was that as soon as he put the phone down it was 'Can I help you sir, yes sir, no problem sir' is as white middle class british accent which clearly was his native toung.

What the hell is that all about? I toyed with the idea of asking him why he felt the need to put on a fake accent when talking about his music but I guessed it would have undermined my at that point successful haggling.

Why do musicians feel the need to create a false persona to accompany thier music? Is it a confidence issue? or do they really have such little faith in thier own abilities that they need to put on a fake voice to be part of the 'in' crowd.

Either way it avoided the inevitable 'ER56.78YT.3 update' type discussion that usually leaves me gazing into space.

Never let music shops intimidate you, watch and evesdrop on the staff - very entertaining.

Most importantly dont be a fake, musical or otherwise - be what you are and be proud of it!
 

Last minute dep gigs......

So here we are saturday morning, looking forward to a free saturday night when the phone goes, can I do a gig tonight. Ok so who’s on the gig, ah well looks like its a bit of a scratch band of deps so no pre agreed set list and a total fly by the seat of your pants job.

Actually I quite enjoy a gig like this as you really have to concentrate and listen more than you usually do. So its an outdoor gig in the grounds of a large house - no tent......hmmm this presents problems that need thinking about. Problem is as the gig gets underway it will probably still be light and fairly warm (hot today) but as the sun goes down the temperature will drop quite dramatically. This will result in a quite noticeable change in the profile of the neck of most guitars resulting in an overly high action.

Here’s where doing lots of gigs with an instrument helps. Was it Billy Sheehan who said ‘do at least 500 gigs with your gear, its only at that point you’ll start to find out what it really does!’ He’s right of course, the more gigs you do the more you learn about how a guitar and amp will react to an environment.

So it’s defiantly a job for my Gibson Les Paul Goldtop with the 50’s profile neck – solid as a rock, rarely shifts, except that one time in extreme heat playing outside on concrete, oh and then there was that one time on an outdoor covered stage where it got real cold…….hmmmm choices!

Of course the other option is to go with whatever and then regulate your playing, in other words go for tone, phrasing and feel rather than shred. The former leads itself to a higher action the latter does not……I guess it depends on the punters though…hmmm another variable.

See why I enjoy last minute dep gigs? Always a challenge and I haven’t even thought about what might be played yet……….hmmmmm…………
 

Last munute dep gigs 2..

Well. did the gig and an enjoyable experience it was too. Warm, cool clear summer night playing out under the stars with an appreciative audience. Only problem was the fact that the gig was situated on the flight path for London stansted airport, well I say on the flight path,.. felt like it was the end of the runway with all manner of large aircraft passing at a low altitude directly overhead! No interferance so I am guessing my earths are all ok but the sound of multiple jet engines on full tilt as a large lump of metal tries to defy gravity is an interesting diversion when playing.

Advice.....dont look up!

Guitar - behaved itself (good old fender japan - thoes early ninties Japaneese reissue strats are solid as a rock)

Amp - no problem BUT always remember on an outside gig, don't just switch your amp off at the end, get everything esle away then switch off and cover straight on the amp and into you van/car etc. Problem is if you just switch off straight away the amp and valves start to cool fairly rapidly when you are outside. This can result in condenstion forming on the surface of your valves and even in the amp itself. Electricity + water don't mix!
 

Weddings……

Well… I’d like to say that I never play them but being the old self confessed musical prostitute the fee always sways me!

Advice?........Always charge top dollar to do a wedding, you’ll earn every penny.

Weddings go one of two ways

1. Audience all into the music and you have a great night, well paid, well fed and well watered. A good gig
2. Completely ignored all night and you wonder why (apart from the cash) why you bothered.
3. Drunken brawl breaks out.

Ok so I guess we can all live with 1. but 2. is more challenging. You see the thing is that sometimes on a wedding you are playing to people who have not seen each other for years and they just want to sit about and chat. Have the right background material ready in the set if this is the case (you might need and hour and a half’s worth of this stuff) if necessary make sure all musos bring their copy of the jazz real book & call out the numbers. Sometimes its because the expensive hotel venue can’t work out that you do not need the heating on all year round (Holiday Inn etc!) and so as soon as the meal is over and the band are on everyone goes outside because its too feckin’ hot while the musos get paid to play to an empty room whilst sweating their nuts off!

The layout of the venue is also a key factor with 2, having the bar in a different room to the band equals an empty room for some of the reasons above but also at the end of the meal everyone goes to the bar for refreshment (and a break from shoddy champagne) however who is going to be the first back into the near empty hall when the band is playing – takes a bit of exhibitionist courage which we Brits are generally too reserved to display.

Now No.3 very occasionally happens, often instigated by any of the following – Bride or groom have been up to no good, distant excommunicated family members turn up, argument breaks out of something petty (football) or somebody takes/spills someone elses drink. You can tell straight away if its going to be that sort of night and I have only seen this once but it can happen.

Final gripe, seating plans – don’t put your OAP grandparents in seats right next to the feckin’ PA system ‘cos if they moan about it being to loud I’m gonna have to shred!!

If you get 1. Great,……. 2. Think of the money and try out those new fancy runs,…….3. Everybody out, musicians and instruments first!

Weddings………huh………..what’s the fee?
 

and following on from this - caterers.....

Along with photographers these people manage to sigle handedly make a total pigs ear of many an event despite calling themselves professionals. To my mind a pro caterer should be able to manage thier team such that the right food ends up on the right tables at the right times - not much to ask. But they always get it wrong.

Worse thing is that as a muso you are probably going to be at the venue for around ten to twelve hours from arrival to leaving and will therefore require some sort of food/drink etc. So you wait and wait and when it finally arrives they feed you a portion that would leave even the smallest of children hungry. Questions like 'I assume this is just the starter' are usually met with scorn as if the suggest that we are in some way inferior and cannot appreciate thier art. Well guess what pal....we dont. don't make a fucking flower out of a radish and put it on my plate, spend the time instead cooking a proper meal.

The real crime is that due to the ordering ineptitude of these people there is always loads of food thrown away at the end of the night, but they would rather do that then feed the band properly. Complain and your food the contains spit, vomit, dust and/or shit.

Professional caterers? - few and far between in my experience - and I really wopuld like to be proved wrong on this. Once again last nights gig reinforced my views.
 

Equipment failure.......

Last mights gig was eventfull in a number of ways but the appropriate stuff for this forum concerns equipment failure.

This happens, right when you really dont want it to........the art is to deal with it and not be phased.

So last night, boogie amp, bad horsie wah, burford UFO pedal and a MXR phase 90...not a lot to go wrong you might think, well aside a telltale earth hum that was evident in the early part of the gig all was well until silence hit my rig. Bottom line is that I just unplugged the lot and went straight into the amp and instead used the Les Pauls dual volumes and switch to emulate the tremolo and played around a lot more with volume and tone controls to create the different timbres i neede for the gig. Fact is that even thou8gh I say so myself it was one of the best sounds I have had in ages and as a result I played a load of ideas that just flowed out of the instrument.

For every negative theres a positive, breakdown does not by any means equal failure - in many cases its an improvement!

Carry on.......!!
 

Never trust people to do what they say they are going to do (unless they have proved themselves worthy of trust in the past).............

So, gig booked some months ago, open air and we are assured thet there will be a purpose built stage fully protected from the elements (I dont like being electrocuted). So of course we get to the gig and theres the stage with only protection from directly above. The recent weather in the Uk has been wet.....no WET.. you know, the sort of stuff where it never stops and drops sideways because of the high winds that go with it. On any other night this would have been almost ok but this was just such a night where the wind was strong and the clouds black.

It was a great gig with the punters really into it and by a stroke of luck the rain hled off and the wind blew the onimous clouds in the opposite direction. We were lucky! BUT had the client actually done what they said they would things would have been a lot better, if the weather had been different it all could have been very much worse.

Check, check and triple check, get it in the contract and ask for a plan of the stage indicating covered areas and power sources.

Using smoke machines in high wind is however entertaining!
 

Parallel universe gigs

Just got back from a Sunday night gig, up early tomorrow so a quick blog entry on a strange phenomenon, the parallel universe gig. So during the gig I am playing a load of fairly run of the mill solos as for some reason my mind is elsewhere. An average performance in my books yet despite this people are telling me how great it was. I am always polite and say thanks but sometimes wonder if they were actually listening to the gig in a parallel universe!

One thing for sure, what you think is a run of the mill average performance to a fresh eared audience is often perceived otherwise. Don’t however rely on this premise to get by sometimes its just people being kind and they wont suffer a less than perfect performance for ever!
 

Musicals 1......

So a whole days rehersal for Les Miserable ahead.......creative torture!

I seem to be in the minority on this one and generally considered slightly weird by the converted but I havnt really found a musical yet that is in anything other than unmusical. Generally for me they consist of a lack of storyline and plausable charactors disguised by generic music.

The scores are always bady prepared/written with time signature changes shown that arnt really time signatures changes, endless pauses resulting in further time signature changes unnessecarily, very dodgy key changes to maintian the audiences attention (because th score is so dull) and everything biased towards the brass because they are transposing instruments and its easier for them to read! The result of this is that the bass player (moi)ends up stuck in first position stretching from first to fourth fret the whole way through the show. Then there is the arrogance, all the actors running around thinking they are a cut above thinking they can generally show a lack of respect for the musicians and technicians without whom they dont have a show.

Musicals are for me the pinnacle of musical and intelectual prostitution. Perhaps I'll take a book for all thoes tacet bars. Anyway what the hell has white upper middle class music got to do with someone who has just spent ninteen years in a french prison???
 

Experimental Music.....

I have had a couple of emails from fellow myspace musos questioning my use of the term Experimental for my music. Firstly lets make a few things clear, experimental music is not solely generated through oscillators, filters and envelope generators OR sampling come to that. Experimental does not just mean electronic. As soon as you move away from harmonic conventions you are in the realms of experimental music.

So for those who might ask why my music is termed Experimental here is a breakdown of why the track Reefer falls into this category:-
1. Timbre - the sitar is a Telecaster electronically manipulated, there are non instrumental timbres in there.
2. Structure - this is a rock track that is structured as a north Indian classical raga composition, Alap, Jhor, Jhala & Bandish except I have experimented with the format so it is modified
3. Rhythm - use of rhythmic phasing across the tabla part against the jaws harp which has no place in Indian music or even Bhangra however through experimentation there it is and hopefully yoyu agree it works. listen to the bass as the tablas first come in the two rhythms are phased in together gradually.
4. Melodic structure - initially appears call and response however through experimentation it falls into irregular phrasing giving further weight to the rhythmic phasing (drawn from African music and the Gamelan by the way)
5. Effects - again a timbre issue however the use of Burford UFO to generate the rhythmic shards, reversing of certain sections of the melody and leading up to breaks,


I could go on and my point is not to attack anyone but to raise the issue that Experimental music is not only synth based but in fact draws on world music. Sadly music education is very imperialistic and middle class with far too much time spent discussing the ins and outs of orchestral composers (meant with respect) but where did these people get their ideas? Take it a stage back and look at indigenous folk, sacred vocal and world music and you get to the root of it all. Many Universities run courses based around the concept of experimental music where the key focus is using non instrumental timbres via technology which is great but listen to the lectures carefully as the ideas are once again firmly based in African, south American and Indonesian indigenous music.

Experimentation is just that, there should be no boundaries, limitations or especially any pigeon holing.
 

A leap of faith....

I have not posted a blog for ages, don't know why, working too much, lots of music and motorcycling...who knows. Anyway last nights gig (see pics in my photos) was an interesting one..Chiswick, London open air gig, stage outside (well constructed) balanced and appropriatly earthed power...no problem. Well aside the weather that is.....the crew had taken four hours to get the stage up in the morning and in the process the decking had got compleatly soaked and was still awash when we arrived. the weather forecast was not overly promising, 25mph north easterly wind and rain. At least the stage was facing the right way. So on arrival it was one of thoes shall we, shan't we moments.

A leap of faith/ gut reaction decision had to be made promptly, it felt right so we went for it and what a storming (no pun intended) gig it turned out to be. the band were super tight and the audience big and appreciative.

Sometimes on arrival to a gig you just get a feeling about the place and you know if things are going to be ok or not. Got right through the set no probs but did get seriously soaked on the get out and drove back in appauling conditions.

Take the risk but bring plastic bin bags for the gear and rubber soled shoes for your feet, the rain is never as much of a problem as you might anticipate.
 

http://www.c-r-y.org.uk/

http://www.cazfest.com/index.html

Cazfest was an exceptional event in memory of Caroline Johnstone, it demonstrated a real sense of community and awareness (something very special and rare in Britian today) whilst raising funds and awareness of cardiac risk in the young. The event was not about the music but the exceptionally worthy cause.

If you are reading this - get scanned as soon as you can.

If you were friends/colleagues of Caroline you will already understand the importance of the previous statement, for thoes who were not I urge you to visit the above links and educate yourselves.

I was very proud to be able to contibute to this important event and all credit must go to all of the organisers but especially to Caroline's mum and dad who are outstanding human beings.

Caroline was a ray of sunshine whos sense of fun and humour lifted the spirits of all around her.