The Bandshop Guide to a Hassle Free Gig!
Whatever music you play, performing in public can present unique challenges when you least expect it. Being prepared for the unexpected could make the difference between a fantastic performance for you and your audience or a gig to forget for all concerned. So here’s a reminder of what to have in your gigging toolkit:
1. Always carry a spare set of guitar strings. Ideally, if you can afford it, have a spare guitar to hand – this will save having to stop the performance whilst you change broken guitar strings! Bass players should also have a spare set of bass strings – they do break! This happened to me in the middle of a crucial gig – I had no spares and had to perform the gig with a 3 string bass!
2. Microphone cables and guitar cables are prone to failure at the most inconvenient times! Carry spares for all essentials such as guitar leads and microphone cables. If you use any specialist patch cables, make sure you have spares, or adapter connectors such as XLR-Jack to prevent a showstopper! Specialist leads such as MIDI cables should not be overlooked – several times I have had to provide a MIDI cable to another band on the same bill.
3. Carry a basic tool kit with you – pliers and screwdrivers are essential, but don’t forget a drum key and a string peg puller! Learn how to use a soldering iron and take it with you – it will save your gig one day!
4. Make sure you have a good stock of all the different types of battery you use. Before the gig starts, ensure that all your equipment, including effects pedals, radio microphones and guitars have batteries that will get through the entire performance. The audience won’t want to see you changing batteries mid-song!
5. Guitar stands and music stands – try to have robust and stable guitar stands and music stands, such as those by Hercules. Not only will they protect your instruments on stage, it will look a lot neater and more professional.
6. For those who use them, backing track failure is a potential nightmare! Avoid it by making sure you have backups of all your backing tracks on whatever format you use. You could also record your backing tracks onto an mp3 player or even a smart phone for real emergencies! If a click track is involved, record the track panned to the left and the click panned to the right (2 channel). You can then route them separately to the PA and drummer! A basic back up system means the show can go on!
Hopefully, this is all too obvious to you, but a reminder never does any harm! It is easy to forget the basics when you are focussed on other things. But it is the attention to detail that will make it a great performance for you and a fantastic gig for your audience!
Graham Burton has been a performing bassist and singer for over thirty years. Graham also helps run the Bandshop online music accessory store – a fantastic resource for performing musicians and artists. Visit Bandshop today to see a full range of guitar stands, microphone stands and music stands, as well as guitar strings, effects pedals and music accessories.
Professional wedding bands help add something special to your reception
Arranging the perfect wedding day is about being very well prepared. It is about putting in the necessary effort and plenty of time so that you leave no stone unturned. Striking the right balance between the personal and the more universal on the day is an important part of planning a wedding. You want the day to feel personal but you want to satisfy wider expectations.
One of the things you will have to organise is some entertainment at your reception. The wedding entertainment is something of a microcosm of the entire wedding. It needs to satisfy the guests but it also needs to have that personal touch to make the wedding special.
Choosing wedding music is not easy but it is something you can have a particular direction with. Above all, you want people to enjoy themselves. You need to judge the guests you have invited and decide what they would respond to the best.
Wedding bands are extremely popular with wedding planners because they often satisfy on this very important level. In general, people appreciate a bit of live music. The experience is even better if the band in question exhibits real professionalism and knows how to work a crowd at a wedding.
One thing you can rely on is that function bands will have the talent to cope with your event. They are used to deal with different audiences and they are generally capable of planning a great set that is personal to you and your tastes. They know that the most important thing is that people have a great time listening to them.
Make a little list of possible bands for hire in your local area. If you want to add something a little bit different to cater for more people, it might be worth considering mobile DJs as well so that you can tier your entertainment through the night.
If you’re surfing the web, looking for Mobile DJs, you’ll find what you want at the Live Music Management website.
The Best Way To Improve A Live Performance
When performing live, it’s natural for a musician to want to produce the best quality sound ever. It’s important to ensure that your audience are receiving the best possible experience of your music as you can provide them with as making a good first impression in the music industry is seen as essential.
It’s a well-known fact that getting recognised in this industry is very difficult! It can be even trickier if you don’t have the right tools for the job. With great amounts of people all striving for the limelight in the industry, any improvements you can make to your sound are great when recording music or playing at a live event. One of the improvements you could make is adding a drum screen to your performance.
Instruments like the guitar are different to the drums as percussion tends to have a lot of volume that can be quite overbearing and powerful. Being able to control the volume of the drums is a great way to ensure that a performance is at a good level. It means that you will be able to focus on more than just the sound of the drums. They are a vital part of any band, but when they’re too noisy then can ruin the sound and make the performance catastrophic!
With drum screens, not only do they assist with making the rest of the band sound better, but they also allow to drummer to hear what they are playing with more clarity. It’s a good idea to use a drum screen if you are wanting to focus on the sounds that you are making more clearly as improvements can be made and your overall performance can be bettered.
Live music events are a time when musicians have to perform well, and the adrenaline that runs through their systems at this time is immense. Performing live is definitely a highlight of musicians careers so it’s important for them to make sure that everything runs nice and smoothly during the performance. There are a number of ways to improve performances however, a cost effective way is to incorporate a drum screen.
If like a lot of other people, you would like to learn more about drum screens, then it’s a good idea to have a look on the web at the types of drum screens available.. Also published at The Best Way To Improve A Live Performance.
Live Music Or Hire A Function Band?
Considering to hire a function band can be such a great idea to make your planned party of the year a successful one. Whether it is your very own wedding party, or your daughter’s 18th birthday, or just a special occasion you want to celebrate, you can expect it to turn into a grand event, more than what you have ever expected.
A function band can create and make your party turn from good to excellent and by providing top-notch quality entertainment you can make sure that people will not forget even for years to come. This can be achieved if you have invited the perfect band, and of course willing to listen and follow your easy instructions.
Hiring a function band can sometimes be a hassle, as you do not know where to find them. However, the best way to know where you can find people that are suited for your planned event, is to ask your friend, your neighbor, or even your colleague! They might know some individuals that play well.
The proof is in the pudding, and if you have the opportunity to do so, you should try to check out a function band’s performance in person so that you can determine if they are the group for your next event. If you do not have the chance to hear the band live, ask is they have any online demo material. You can even check out their website or online videos. Checking the band in this manner is a really good idea; remember, you get what you pay for, and you don’t want to hire a band that sounds great- but looks horrible!
If possible, ask the function band representative for a list of songs that they could play along with how much they charge to perform. If they do not have a written contract, but depend on a verbal agreement, then go on and find another function band. It is even normal to be required to pay a 10-20% non-refundable deposit just to ensure that they would come to the set date.
Also, make sure that the function band can play requests from the audience. Most of them would as long as you give them enough time to prepare for everything.
Seeing the equipment of a function band can also be requested. Make note to look and see if their equipment is safe. Emphasize to them the safety precautions and that they should always follow them. No live wires or no loose electric cables should be lying around.
Ask about their manner of dress when they are appearing at a function. If their attire will be totally out of place maybe you can steer them toward more appropriate clothing. Do not be too hard on them though, after all some bands that are very talented are also a bit “eccentric”.
The function band should arrive one hour before the party starts. It is important that they set up all the equipment before the audience arrives. In addition, you can give the manager or their leader an overview of the party’s flow.
Attention will be brought forward to the function band as they step up on stage. You can go over their physical appearance upon arrival. Your party should be the talk of the town not just for a couple days, but also for the weeks to come!
Musician Elizabeth Pratt is a member of ‘Soul Desire’ featured at the http://www.souldesire.co.uk website. Hiring a specialist Function Band will ensure the success of your event. Find out more about hiring an amazing Function Band from this site.