the band is too loud!
tomb...@jhu.edu
Inevitably it's coupled with:
"Can you bring it down a couple of octaves?"
Not that unusual, but this is the first time I've ever gotten it
playing solo classical guitar. I replied: "I'll tell them to turn
down."
More common on the solo gig is some drunk screaming:
"Pick up the pace!"
or:
"Play some Motown!"
I also get a lot of:
"Do you know any Beatles?"
Yeah, me and Ringo are real tight, and I got high with Paul just last
Wednesday. This question always comes right after I've played my
Beatles medley.
mfb
tomb...@jhu.edu
Heh. I don't hate gigging, as long as I just do restaurants. I have no
interest in casuals, because I have a day job. It's bars and nightclubs
that I dislike, because of the smoke and the drunks and the disrespect.
But the ratio of rudeness to niceness at a restaurant is usually no
worse than any other walk of life.
Greger Hoel
>http://talesofmelodicpatterns.blogspot.com/2005/07/why-i-hate-gigging.html
Thanks! Great piece
--
_______________________________________________
Always cross a vampire, never moon a werewolf
To reach me, swap spammers get bent with softhome
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oasysco
Greg
Pete Kerezman
>http://talesofmelodicpatterns.blogspot.com/2005/07/why-i-hate-gigging.html
Guy's kinda intolerant and antisocial-seeming. I can't help but
wonder if there's anything that he enjoys.
Texas Pete
unknowngu...@comcast.net
never forget.
It was a high-end wedding gig with a few bands and strolling musicians.
The band I was working with was mostly pick-up guys who were jazz
musicians. We were about to begin a set when someone walked up to the
piano player and asked if we could play "The Chicken Dance".
The piano player, without missing a beat, asked "Which one?".
The woman said "You know, the one that goes ..." and she began to sing
and dance.
The piano player said "I'm sorry, you'll have to be more specific.
There are literally thousands of chicken dances, and without more to go
on, I can't be sure which one you mean". While saying this, he picked
up a tattered, but thick fake book and waved it at her, as if to imply
that it was the rosetta stone of chicken dances, and he just happened
to have it handy.
She walked away looking perplexed and we watched her go back to her
table to try and work it all out. I think she had better luck with the
next band.
LarryV
Charlie Robinson
theirs".
Charlie
"LarryV" <lar...@rcn.com> wrote in message
news:1123944660.7...@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...
FirstAlternate
"Charlie Robinson" <robins...@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:M-ednSQJpe2...@comcast.com...
> Much better than the traditional "They don't play my music I don't play
> theirs".
>
And way better than, "We don't have anyone that sings that bad" in response
to a Neil Young request.
Jazzoid
> "Do you know any Beatles?"
>
> Beatles medley.
>
I always tell them: "Apparently not."
ott...@hotmail.com
varying degrees. I can't rationalize why I should pack up my gear,
sweat my ass off schlepping it in, setting it up, playing to a crowd
who may or may not appreciate what we do, having to keep an eye out for
the 'venue rep' to tell me to have the group 'turn down', etc. Another
thing that bother's me is the idea that I might have to play when I
have nothing musical to say. At that point I'm lying strait into the
air with every note I play. I can't ask for money after I've done
something as terrible as that. There have been times in the past where
I've refused the money at the end of the night and paid the band out of
my pocket. "
Well, re: picking up gear, sweat,etc. that's what we get paid for, it
IS a profession!
Often the crowd seems or is indifferent, but I would say that in 7 ot
of 10 of gigs,a few people WILL come by at the end of the gig to say
how much they enjoyed the playing.
It's usually Trio tho , I can't play Solo any more, tendeinits.
No matter how bad you think you sound, it usually sounds quite fine 10
or 15 feet out there.
Regarding that you think you played badly, Bill Evans explained
somewhere that he had to establish a certainl level of "incompetence"
so to speak, so that, No matter how you feel(someone died, didn't get
enough sleep, just got off a plane etc.) you have to produce minimum
level of playing quality on the stage, regardless of circumstance.
Some nights you play great, adn that is where the Art comes, but some
night you have to prduce anyway. He explained that with him it was like
a switch that you turned and produced good music, maybe tonite it's not
Art, but it's good professional music.
But you have to be comfortable enough with your horn to produce
something decent even on Autopilot, so to speak. You have to be able to
drive withou emotions getting too much in the way, and surgeons have to
opereate regardless of how they feel, that's being a pro.
I'f I'm not reading, I can probably hack out a solo and certainly comp
while someone's
talking to me, it won't be pretty, but hey.......
I saw Gary Burton and Chick Corea play duo at a Jazz Fest, and they
were a last minute sub for another group, and just flew in from
Europe,.they smoked as usual.
Just some thought.
Bottom line iof it's a really bad gig, then I sue it to practice
something.
A frummer I used to know would do stuff like play left-hand instead of
Right, if he was bored, or try different techniques, BUT nobody would
know unless he tod them, he Always sounded good.
Bg
Greg West
that didn't have an ASCAP license. The owner had evidently had a run
in with them, so he asked me, "Can you play a whole night of original
tunes!" I was happy to do so. I've written a lot of stuff over the
years, but I rarely get the chance to play those songs at a gig. The
audience was appreciative, no one asked me to turn it down, and
everyone had a great time.
Greg West
www.gregwest.net