How to start gigging?

[Silenced Fred]

I want to start playing out more, entering college next year and I have some ability. What is the best way to go about this?

 

I have written a few songs, but they are mainly all acoustic type stuff, looking for more rock alternative.

 

Since quite a few people here play shows, thought I would ask, how did you start? and what advice can you give someone so I don't have to learn everything the hard way.

 

Thanks

[ChanMan]

I'd like to hear from some of our gigging musicians about how they found folks, too...

 

I think some have used Craig's list.

 

I'm old school and have always either called up folks I know who play (which is virtually no one available atm) or posted 3x5 index cards at every music store I can find.

 

Good luck, Fred. College may offer you some opportunities that you currently don't have.

[KL]

Well Nathan, you could either try to get some acoustic gigs and go out and sing some of your songs yourself (that's how I started). Or you could look for band members and form a band. Forming bands or joining bands is not always easy . . . finding like minded people who share a similar common goal. Then you have to coordinate everyone to be at gigs etc. You could also try finding another guitarist and work up some songs as a duo to get some road miles under your belt.

 

Maybe you could find some local venues and check them out and see if they can give you a support slot. You could do some open mic gigs first to get confident in front of an audience.

 

Good luck, enjoy yourself and let us know how it all goes.

[Silenced Fred]

Well Nathan' date=' you could either try to get some acoustic gigs and go out and sing some of your songs yourself (that's how I started). Or you could look for band members and form a band. Forming bands or joining bands is not always easy . . . finding like minded people who share a similar common goal. Then you have to coordinate everyone to be at gigs etc. You could also try finding another guitarist and work up some songs as a duo to get some road miles under your belt.

 

Maybe you could find some local venues and check them out and see if they can give you a support slot. You could do some open mic gigs first to get confident in front of an audience.

 

Good luck, enjoy yourself and let us know how it all goes. [/quote']

 

I am part of a group at my school, and we have played various functions, most recently playing 20 minute sets for four class periods, it was a blast. I don't have too much anxiety when playing, but singing, I need to work on that.

 

There aren't really any open mic nights around me, I will have to check into some, but I'm hoping that college will open some doors for me.

 

When I form a band, I want it to be with people I can work with well. I'm going to be doing some White Stripes songs (I made a thread about it earlier) and I can hopefully work on a plethora of my own issues (singing mostly) and see how that works out.

[KL]

Yeah . . . being at college will be good for you, there are bound to be some other musicians there. Good luck.

[ChanMan]

Nice call KL. I'd completely forgotten about the solo acoustic gig. (and, apparently, a lot of other things about "gigging" ) I played on the beach while on vacation when I was 15. It drew a crowd, to my surprise. So a few well rehearsed songs and a public venue, like a park or a beach, is a great start....

 

 

Your voice is an instrument, too. Sing all the time and you'll get better.

 

Better being a relative term, of course.

 

[Silenced Fred]

Nice call KL. I'd completely forgotten about the solo acoustic gig. (and' date=' apparently, a lot of other things about "gigging" ) I played on the beach while on vacation when I was 15. It drew a crowd, to my surprise. So a few well rehearsed songs and a public venue, like a park or a beach, is a great start....

 

 

Your voice is an instrument, too. Sing all the time and you'll get better.

 

Better being a relative term, of course.

 

 

Gotta get an acoustic first. My old one broke

 

I think I might go with a Taylor, probably be over the summer.

 

I don't have a terrible voice, but I ain't that great. I canhit a Jack White tone and go from that to BJ Armstrong dead on (Murph is gonna hate me.. :D )

 

I have a decent range though, I can get into the upper registers. I am probably my worst critic, I want it to be perfect and I never feel completely happy with it.

[NeoConMan]

Look around, watch all the other bands you can.

Meet them, talk to them, exchange ideas.

 

Never know when one of them will ask you if you wanna help them out...

 

 

I never really had the drive or the spare time to apply the needed effort to form a band or do gigs.

I was simply a hobbyist with some nice guitars.

Played at church now and then, but I never liked it so I quit.

 

One band I had been watching for a few years, got to know the guys really well, asked me to sit in.

That's how I got started playing somewhere besides my own house or somebody's garage - and I was nearly 40.

 

 

I say do everything you can while the window of opportunity is there.

Your age, the college environment, and some knowledge of guitars, and a little luck are some good ingredients.

 

[FirstMeasure]

First, be ready for disappointment, prejudice, and Frustration. Venue Owners get this little Power Trip going soon as you say "Hi, I'm a musician and would love to play here".

 

You'll need a couple videos on Myspace and maybe a couple songs on a CD with a picture of you or your group (depending on what your going for). They'll never listen to the CD or watch the Videos, but if you don't have them, they won't take you seriously.

 

When meeting with a possible venue owner, treat it just like a job interview (because it is a job interview). Dress the part, but don't over do it. Wear pretty much what you'd wear at the Gig, but slightly more "casual". They don;t want Joe Average in shorts and a T Shirt, but they also don't want Joe Poser in Leather and Chains. Be yourself, but not your "Plain Old" self.

 

Most Importantly, if they don't give you a date on the spot, "CALL BACK A LOT!!" Unlike a job interview, they will not call you back. You have to show how serious you are and how excited you are about playing "Their Venue".

 

Don't get hung up on the money! That' doesn't mean "Play for cheap", know what your worth and ask for it. That's part of being taken seriously, a big mistake a lot of new artist make is asking for too little money or too much. find out what the going rate in your area is and try to stay right around it. Under it at first, then more when you develop a local reputation.

 

When you start to get Gigs, Keep Getting them while your schedule has dates on them. It's easier to tell the Venues that your filling in your schedule as opposed to trying to start it.

 

Well, that's a start. Now go find out what your worth and sell yourself, Showman.

[Nick Beach]

I started by doing open mic nights with me and a acoustic guitar. I started doing them at coffee shops and places like that. I did that to get my confidence up. Then I started doing to open mic nights at the local rock clubs. As time went on I met more and more people. Gradually got invited by some clubs to do some paying shows. After a while I was able to say I had a couple hundred numbers in my phone of guys in bands. The contacts I got early really helped me to do what I wanted because I knew enough people to help me out.

[ChanMan]

Gotta get an acoustic first. My old one broke

 

I think I might go with a Taylor' date=' probably be over the summer.

 

I don't have a terrible voice, but I ain't that great. I canhit a Jack White tone and go from that to BJ Armstrong dead on (Murph is gonna hate me.. )

 

I have a decent range though, I can get into the upper registers. I am probably my worst critic, I want it to be perfect and I never feel completely happy with it.

 

 

This is actually a Very Good Thing!

 

Pick your songs carefully. Stick with the ones lend themselves to your vocals and practice, practice, Practice.

[Silenced Fred]

I'm going to try to go to a lot more local concerts and see how that stuff goes. Maybe go to some places with friends like a beach or park or something and just play around. Just to get some experience playing around.

 

I don't expect to hit it big. EVER! But if I could get it so I can play some gigs, meet some cool people, I will be ecstatic

[daveinspain]

When the time is right it will just happen... Be patient... I never looked to join a band but some friends who were putting something together asked me to join. I was like no way, I'm not good enough I've only been playing a few years. They insisted I go to their rehearsal one night so I did. I didn't know any of the tunes they were doing and I couldn't even jam with them but for some reason they wanted me to give it a go. They gave me tunes to learn and I worked my *** off and learned them. That was 4 or 5 months ago. Now everything is going great, we got lots of tunes down and they are helping me to no end. What you will learn playing with other musicians is more and better than you could learn at any school... It will happen.

[Silenced Fred]

When the time is right it will just happen... Be patient... I never looked to join a band but some friends who were putting something together asked me to join. I was like no way' date=' I'm not good enough I've only been playing a few years. They insisted I go to their rehearsal one night so I did. I didn't know any of the tunes they were doing and I couldn't even jam with them but for some reason they wanted me to give it a go. They gave me tunes to learn and I worked my *** off and learned them. That was 4 or 5 months ago. Now everything is going great, we got lots of tunes down and they are helping me to no end. What you will learn playing with other musicians is more and better than you could learn at any school... It will happen.[/quote']

 

I'm in no rush, I still have tons to learn. I just want to get a headstart and lay down some good leads for me to build upon. Talk to other musicians, places that have open mic nights to find out information, and see what I can do to find a niche for myself

[NeoConMan]

I have a decent range though' date=' I can get into the upper registers.

I am probably my worst critic, I want it to be perfect and I never feel completely happy with it.[/quote']

Tom Petty.

 

That's who I think of when I think I can't sing.

 

Tom Petty can't sing for sh!t but he makes his voice work for his stuff.

 

 

 

Also, one bit of advice I can give you if you're in a band with another guitar player.

Volunteer to take the rhythm parts.

Years ago, I decided I wasn't gonna be a Van Halen/Stevie Ray/Satriani so I just stayed in the rhythm groove.

EVERYBODY wants to play all the leads, and most people fxck 'em up.

Meanwhile, I'm tight with the bass player and haven't missed a note yet - who's doing a good job now?

 

If you get where you can decide on the leads and how to share them, split them, trade off, etc, then do it.

 

The band I play with part time, I never take the leads when we're onstage.

The other guy is WAY too damned good, and he rarely misses a note.

[Silenced Fred]

Tom Petty.

 

That's who I think of when I think I can't sing.

 

Tom Petty can't sing for sh!t but he makes his voice work for his stuff.

 

 

 

Also' date=' one bit of advice I can give you if you're in a band with another guitar player.

Volunteer to take the rhythm parts.

Years ago, I decided I wasn't gonna be a Van Halen/Stevie Ray/Satriani so I just stayed in the rhythm groove.

EVERYBODY wants to play all the leads, and most people fxck 'em up.

Meanwhile, I'm tight with the bass player and haven't missed a note yet - who's doing a good job [i']now[/i]?

 

If you get where you can decide on the leads and how to share them, split them, trade off, etc, then do it.

 

The band I play with part time, I never take the leads when we're onstage.

The other guy is WAY too damned good, and he rarely misses a note.

 

Ha, he can't sing, but neither can I, just gotta find a way to make it work.

 

I have always taken the rhythm parts, everybody wants to play lead. The one thing I am really good at is keeping time, I stay solid, so I have always just gone in that role. I try to dabble in taking leads and stuff, but I find I do best for rhythm. Chords and riffing is where I stay.

[Kiwi]

My band needs a singer, so if you decide to permanently move to Sweden for a band, come see us for an audition .

 

Finding people can be incredibly hard, we were lucky to have known each other since the age of seven. The other guitarist volunteered to play bass instead, so at least now we've got a complete band except for a singer. My advice is, I guess, to start rehearsing as soon as you get some people together (look in your cicrle of friends, there's often someone who wants to play in a band there, and it doesn't matter if they can't play early on) and get some songs done until you've filled every slot.

 

My last band made the mistake of adding a member every three months or so, and we only fooled around during rehearsals and didn't get anything done. When we were a complete band, we had no idea whatsoever of what we were going to do and it all fell apart. Luckily, I've taken on a leader role in the new band and even though we're having fun, the productivity is still on top. Now if we got that darn singer...

[daveinspain]

I'm in no rush' date=' I still have tons to learn. I just want to get a headstart and lay down some good leads for me to build upon. Talk to other musicians, places that have open mic nights to find out information, and see what I can do to find a niche for myself[/quote']

 

Don't worry about having specific leads to play... Maybe come up with a bunch of good riffs but the best thing you can do is be good at improvising in different keys.... Learn which scales you can use in different keys, practice different exercises like going up and down the scales 2,3, and 4 notes at a time... Practice playing the thirds fourths and fifths up and down the scales...etc.

[Silenced Fred]

My band needs a singer' date=' so if you decide to permanently move to Sweden for a band, come see us for an audition [biggrin'].

 

I'll put that at the top of my to do list for when I go to Sweden

 

I guess I have tried more singing while playing out of necessity, I hate dealing with singers. All prima donnas :- I just hope I don't turn into one

 

I have some friends that play instruments, but the truth is, its hard to find people that play that I can stand to spend time with and not want to kill, because some of them are really cool people, til you put an instrument in their hands. I want to go out and have fun, and be with people I can stand. That's the most important thing for me. If we just have a band where we just play around, that would be great. I'm not going to lie, I want to play out and all this stuff, but if it isn't in the stars, I'm not gonna force it.

[Silenced Fred]

Don't worry about having specific leads to play... Maybe come up with a bunch of good riffs but the best thing you can do is be good at improvising in different keys.... Learn which scales you can use in different keys' date=' practice different exercises like going up and down the scales 2,3, and 4 notes at a time... Practice playing the thirds fourths and fifths up and down the scales...etc.[/quote']

 

That's what I have been working on, listening to songs, and see if I can pick out the key and play a solo over it. I kinda like the whole Power Trio thing, but I would have no problem getting another guitarist and maybe some keys, but 5 would be tops.

[saturn]

A party is always a good place to start playing gigs. Memorial Day is coming up, and a lot of people will be having cookouts. Maybe one of your friends is having one and would like a band. Or, someone in the band can host their own party and have the band play it. Everyone invite a bunch of friends.

 

If the party/jam is a success, announce to everyone that you'll be playing out ASAP and you'll let everyone know when/where.

 

When you do talk to bar owners or managers, stress that you have a lot of people who will come out with you. That's all they really care about.

[sgman]

Fred..your career (if a career is your desire) path as a musician begins with the very first step. Many musicians who have made the big time also offer aspiring musicians the advice to assess your reason why you want to make a career out of music and say that your biggest motivating factor should be because you enjoy playing, and not necessarily to get rich and meet lots of chicks (not that there's anything wrong with that of course). But from reading some of your comments, I'd say that you already have a healthy motivation and you obviously want to eventually play your own particular songs etc, which is great.

 

I guess if you have a love of playing guitar and singing, then whatever knocks that come along the way (and they WILL come unfortunately) will not put you off whatever goals you have for improving as a musician and from playing to entertain people.

 

I say "go for it"!!!

[Silenced Fred]

Fred..your career (if a career is your desire) path as a musician begins with the very first step. Many musicians who have made the big time also offer aspiring musicians the advice to assess your reason why you want to make a career out of music and say that your biggest motivating factor should be because you enjoy playing' date=' and not necessarily to get rich and meet lots of chicks (not that there's anything wrong with that of course). But from reading some of your comments, I'd say that you already have a healthy motivation and you obviously want to eventually play your own particular songs etc, which is great.

 

I guess if you have a love of playing guitar and singing, then whatever knocks that come along the way (and they WILL come unfortunately) will not put you off whatever goals you have for improving as a musician and from playing to entertain people.

 

I say "go for it"!!!

[/quote']

 

I would like to be able to gig around, I don't think I will ever make it big, but if I can do what some members here do, plays bars, small shows, and the sort, I will be happy.

[milod]

I played trumpet and once a gig drums when I was in high school as a senior.

 

Guitar playing in college tended to be pretty much a solo occupation. Got into a band after doing some folkie things in a "folk festival" at the college.

 

Bands are kinda strange things in ways. We've had a huge drop in "open mike nights" around my area of the country courtesy of BMI. That's killed music from folks ranging from decent high school/college bands up to 80+ year old jazz and acoustic players.

 

In ways I think getting a band to "work" is less difficult than getting bookings. When I was in college actually we had a guy we paid to do just that as a combination booker and roadie.

 

The problem for any band is "voice" and I don't mean just the vocalist. I think there's gotta be a determination into the degree with which you try to sound exactly like a "famous" band on a "famous" piece, and the degree to which you wanna have a broader and less exact sort of sound that's technically a "cover" but is really something of a reinterpretation.

 

I dunno. I get the impression that bands of college age have some advantages in that there are more options in terms of style than when I was that age but, on the other hand, it also seems that they easily can be pegged for a specific style that might damage bookings. Like it or not, "country" or "blues" might sell better in given areas. Or - an ageless combination of soft rock and standards. That latter may not be as "sexy" as rock, but it may pay a lot better if you enjoy doing that kinda stuff.

 

I've a hunch that a lot depends nowadays on talent, inclinations and where you can make a buck. Just like the old days.

 

m

[Silenced Fred]

Here's what I learned: you can't always play everything you want, especially when you know most of the audience won't like it.

 

We played lunch periods, and did some songs, but then we had some time left over after we did our songs, and (now don't judge) I looked up a song, and it had the chords for Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus. I hate that song, but the opening riff is kind of cool for a pop song, I played that, and everyone loved it! I have to learn more popular stuff people will know to get them interested, then hit em with the stuff I like. Expand their horizons, draw them in.

 

Just saying, it worked for me, I will work on reading the crowd more