Prepare Your Instrument
If you’re a touring musician, maintenance on your instrument is likely to be a full time job. This is why most professional guitarists employ a guitar technician to perform tasks like string changes, intonation etc. Before the gig, there are some traditional methods to prepare your guitar, which include cleaning the neck and body and replacing the strings with a fresh pair. Keep in mind that old strings don’t sound as good, and often lack the brightness required to make your guitar stick out in the mix.
Equipment
It’s important to understand how your gear works prior to the gig. Get to know how each individual knob will affect your tone. Dial in a good sound prior to the gig. This is important. The sound of your amplifier is also referred to as the “source”. If you have a good source, the rest will fall in place. Sometimes the front of house mix is not always under our control, so your source is going to make or break you. If you’re playing in a band, this is something every member should pay attention to. You may find that you will require slight tone adjustments when using your amplifier is in a different room.
The Guitar Players Checklist
As a guitarist, there are a few things you should never leave behind when leaving for a gig (see below). If you’re new to gigging, it may be a good idea to compile a checklist of everything you’re going to need for the gig, as it can be easy to forget things.
Some essential things to take along are:
- Spare plectrums – If you drop your pick during a gig, you don’t want to go searching on dark and dirty floors. You also want your spare pick in an easy-to-grab location.
- A guitar stand – It’s frustrating and unprofessional to lean your guitar up against walls or other objects. Putting it back in its case can be time consuming.
- Guitar strap – I keep my strap in my case at all times so that I never leave it behind.
- Extra cables – You don’t want to arrive at the gig and find that your cable has a lose connection all of a sudden. Spare cables are important.
- Extension plugs & chords – Sometimes venue owners don’t pay much attention to the power requirements of a band. It’s important to have spare adapters in case you run out of plugs.
- Spare fuses – Blowing the fuse on your amp at the venue isn’t fun. This has happened to me before, although never on an amp that I deem reliable.
- A set list – This may seem like a no-brainer, however I have been in situations where I’ve not had a set list and asking band members for the name of the next track is no fun.
- Spare strings (see below).
What If I Break a String?
Old strings tend to break more easily, so make sure you put on a fresh pair of strings if you’re really worried about breaking a string. Make sure you stretch your new strings effectively. It may be a good idea to replace your strings a few days prior to the gig. This will allow some time for the strings to stretch out so that they don’t lose tuning during the show.
If you break a string during a gig, replacing it with a completely new string is not recommended. The new string will take a while to stretch, and you don’t necessarily have the time at a gig. The best thing to do is to keep an old pair of strings that have already been used on hand as spares. This will allow you to replace a string and tune up without having to worry about going out of tune. A peg winder may also come in handy.
One of the best ways of preventing your strings from breaking is to use a high quality instrument. If you find that you break strings regularly, it’s a good idea to take a spare guitar along (if you have one). Replacing strings during a gig can be frustrating and if possible should be avoided.
Performance and Stage Presence
If you have any gigging experience, then you know that each time you play a gig it’s a new challenge. If you want to make a good impression, you should know your material to the best of your ability. Practise until you can practically play your parts without having to think about it. You should always prepare for the worst, as in some cases your stage sound won’t be the greatest. I’ve played gigs where I haven’t been able to hear a thing I was playing, however with experience I’ve learned how to cope in these types of situations.
Another aspect of the performance is your image. As a performing musician, you should try your best to fit the profile. If you’re performing in a band, setting some time aside to presentation skills can be a huge asset. The best way to do this is to record a video and take note where improvements can take place. Take a look at how some famous musicians perform on stage and copy them for the best effect.
Promotional Material
It’s always a good idea to have some form of marketing plan. As an individual musician, you should have a card with your details available at all times. You never know when an opportunity may arise, or if you come in contact with another musician who you really have an interest in working with. If you’re playing in a band, CD and T-shirt sales can go along way to generate some extra cash at gigs.
