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It's very close to my expereience.... after all I came to the point that gigging as amateur I must choose carefully: I have enough BS in my daytime job, with music I just want to be happy.
Originally Posted by KirkP
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12-11-2019 02:34 AM
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I play 5 nights a week and have for many years... we all make mistakes every night. No one cares... especially not the audience.
If you're in a band where someone is going to hold your bad notes against you then you're in the wrong band.
There is the whole idea that there isn't a bad note. To me that doesn't mean that they all sound good all the time, but instead it means that I should never feel bad about a note I didn't like the sound of. Let it slide and learn from it.
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I've been playing professionally a long time. I feel great after a good gig and terrible after a bad one, because I love music and always want it to be the best.
When improvising freely, I make mistakes by maybe not hitting the note I was going for or playing something that didn't work out. These kind of mistakes can often be finessed into something that sounds good, or even creative!
Then there are the obvious, painful clams....hey, it happens! A couple of these a night are not going to get me too upset but they usually indicate that my concentration level is not where I need it to be.
What really makes for a bad night is when I just can't get in the "zone", usually due to bad sound, distractions or bad playing on somebody's part. Hopefully these things can be addressed during a break. Sometimes not.
I deal with it by working on the factors that I can control and try to improve the next time. If several bad nights are the result of somebody else not having it together, I will have to look for other people to play with.
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I came in early to my gig the other night, which was a Jazz Christmas Party with a great big band I'm lucky enough to play with. After talking with some of the guys, I start to set up, and I realize I didn't put the power cord I use in my gig bag. I start asking the guys in the rhythm section if they have an extra power cord, but no one had one. It was raining really bad, but I had to check if I had an extra one in my car.
I got soaked, but I found an old computer cord I had in my trunk for just this situation. By the time I got back to the club, they were in the middle of a tune, so I didn't have time to tune up, and just figured out where they were in the chart, and played. The next chart started with a guitar solo on top of the band, and something sounded funny. Then I had another solo in the same tune, and something still sounded funny.
After the tune, I checked my tuner, and I was way out of tune, because I had just put some new strings on, and they just meandered out of tune. I apologized to a few of the guys, but they said they didn't notice, so I felt better. I forgot to apologize to the lead alto player who's a heavy dude, but it's too late now... The rest of the gig went fine, but you have to accept that things can always go wrong...
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sorry s, but in the immortal words of william shatner..."sabatage!!! " you sabotaged yourself...forgotten cables, new non broken in strings..why would you do that to yourself? i know guys that carry 2 of everything for their gigs! Originally Posted by sgcim
hah
cheers
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"Probably nobody noticed but you, anyway."
At rehearsal last night I was talking w/the organ player about a tenor player we work with.
Cool cat but has a habit of exacerbating any mistakes by rolling his eyes, pulling the horn out of his mouth, etc.
In reality, mistakes are rarely noticed by the audience, usually it's only the cats on the bandstand, no need to draw attention to them imo.
Myself, if I play a not so perfect change, or whatever, I'll make a mental note of it and fix it when I get home from the gig.
There's a lot of tunes to know, a lot of notes, a lot of chords, tricky arrangements to remember, mistakes are bound to happen, how you handle/address them can make all the difference in that performance and your next.
Play on!
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Just as an aside, I remember a gig I did w/a local prominent organ player a long time ago.
He heard me at a gig and hired me, I was anxious to work w/ him.
We started the 1st tune, an uptempo blues, and right away I noticed something didn't sound right, we weren't in tune.
I check my guitar in the middle of the tune w/my tuner, I'm ok.
But it's not possible for a Hammond B3 to be out is it?
Someone came up and put three $50 bills in the tip jar and said "you guys were smokin' but something didn't sound right"
I told the organ player to restart the organ. Because he didn't let it properly warm up the tone wheel generator didn't spin at the correct rate and as a result he was a 1/2 step flat!
Hah, problem solved!
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I have been playing for many years; guitar, bass, and mandolin, and have made mistakes in live shows with all of them. Sometimes, especially when I feel like I made some blatant mistakes that really had a negative impact on the performance, the same thing almost always happens. Audience members will come up after the show and tell us how great we sounded. About that time I am thinking to myself; "I wonder which show they were watching". But the old adage "only we recognize the mistakes" usually holds true. I think the audience often chalks mistakes up to thinking that we have just tried to "personalize" the song with little changes, and they are OK with that.
When other band members mention their mistakes to me after a show, I usually give them my standard answer; "hey, the sun will come up tomorrow and it will be OK". Of course, I hate to make mistakes, especially on songs that I have played many, many times. But that's the nature of the business. I read in another thread today about national acts using backing tracks at live concerts to enhance their performance, and usually click tracks to keep their timing correct. Personally, I prefer to hear all live music even with the occasional "clam" rather than hearing the band play along with a backing track.
Thump on,
One_Dude
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Mistakes are also places where we can learn. When you make one in front of a crowd you have no choice but to recover. It's better to make those mistakes in private (I always spend some practice time in improv both with and without backing), precisely because when the inevitable happens onstage I'll be more prepared for it, and also through those mistakes hopefully find a different way of hearing things. Originally Posted by citizenk74
Exactly! Mistakes are going to happen. Don't beat yourself up about it. You'll have many more chances to redeem yourself. Analyze the situation and use it as a learning opportunity. "All of your sorrows are joys....". Don't let the bastards get you down! "Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again...."
Me, my attitude is --
A bad gig happens. I do a failure analysis, see what got short shrift, and then get to work.
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One thing I learned is that I have no reliable ability to judge the quality of the gig while I am playing it.
that helps.
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Last edited by cosmic gumbo; 04-08-2020 at 02:09 AM.
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Meh. Everyone makes mistakes.
Dress sharp. It's what most people notice.
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Truth! Originally Posted by darkwaters
Meh. Everyone makes mistakes.
Dress sharp. It's what most people notice.
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God, I laughed my butt off when I saw this post! Really needed to laugh today. Thanks for the humor.
Fred
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So, yes we have all made tons of mistakes on gigs over the years. I agree that mistakes can help us learn to correct how we approach a tune. Maybe its a chord voicing or how I start an improv. But, you know, I have made mistakes on tunes that I have played for years, including ones that I have never made before. Sometimes, stuff just happens that we can't control or even predict. If I am reading a chart and the lightening is off just a bit or the stand is just a little too far away, I will misread a measure or two. Once, about 10 years ago, I was playing an acoustic guitar on a gig and my right thumb locked up....right in the middle of the tune I was playing. Had never happened before. Not sure I did anything different, but after about 10-15 seconds, it snapped back in. Fortunately, there was another guitar player and keyboard player in the group, so all was well.
I used to beat myself up all the time when I screwed up. I was way harder on myself than I was on anyone else. But then one day, an older player told me that when you play live, mistakes always happen. Just learn how to cover them quickly and figure out how not to make them again. But, be prepared (or not) to make others in the future. It was great advice and once I finally absorbed it, was able to relax more.
Or better yet, when you realize that you have made a mistake once, repeat it two or three times so the audience will figure that it's part of the tune. And keep smiling. Not sure I ever bought into this but I guess it works for some.
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I would just like to have gigs again, even if I were obligated to play badly. I miss gigs...but stay at home is stay at home.
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That sinking feeling when
...you forgot the bridge to Have You Met Miss Jones...
...The Girl From Ipanema, you thought you were in the repeat of the A melody (F) and the band is already on F#... it clashes like hell
...the band leader counts off a blues and you realize you don’t know if it’s an F blues or Bb
...the band leader points at you at the bridge to rhythm changes and you freeze up
...the band is trading fours and you get lost in the song structure.
i could go on for hours...
I try to be as positive as possible and not hide my mistakes. I make a funny face and let the audience have a laugh. Relaxes me too.
but sometimes you can really get that sinking feeling and it can last you a long time.
a last one:
...the band plays Jordu and the soloist before you plays the bridge so well that you become really self conscious when the bridge approaches.
oh yes... this one
...the band plays Autumn Leaves in C...
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you got to imagine profesional sports teams , playing a lot. when the game is over, of course you have to reflect on mistakes but you cant take fretting over it into the next game.
and , yes, the people dont know half the time, i always think its funny when you play with people and make a mistake, and most people try to help you cover and keep smiling , but there are always those type of people who make it a big deal to stare at you in front of everyone like they are disapointed in what you did.
i actualy saw tony williams do this haha
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As a rock guitarist, my experience was that most of the time the audience didn't notice a mistake unless it was a real stinker ... or someone in the band mad-dogged you, lol. Originally Posted by bonsritmos
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Yesterday I had a solo gig, but I got a call the day before. Those gigs are the toughest ones. Sometimes gigs happen in a short notice. Well, I wasn't that happy about how I played but I didn't get any mocks. At least people seemed to like it as they told it to me. I am prone to fall into this self loathing sometimes, and I am not the only one.
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I have never made a music video. I don't record at home. I have played live my entire life. The answer is really very simple--always be prepared for a gig because it is uncertainty that creates mistakes. If I'm going to play a new piece, I always have it down cold before I play it live. If it's not ready, I don't play it. Otherwise, any insecurity about position shifts, stretches, fuzzy passages, etc. will bite you everytime. Now, that being said, I rarely play a perfect performance but most of the "mistakes" would not be discernible to your audience . . . only other musicians. So, what's the big deal?
The only way to gain confidence in your skills is to play live and the easiest venues are clubs, restaurants, bars etc., but the most difficult is playing solo on a concert stage. You will only get better once you no longer see the audience as a threat but rather a springboard for your live performance. Play live. Play live. Play live. Play often.
I think I said "Play Live" . . . . Marinero
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Some gigs require 6 months or a year to prepare. At least then it feels great. At least when it comes to paying dues. Originally Posted by Marinero
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I'm never really satisfied with my own playing. But at 54 I feel relaxed about it and made peace with myself not being perfect. The fun of playing, the pleasure to listen to and communicate with my bandmates and the joy we bring to the audience make up for it.
Gee, I miss gigs.
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Hi, E, Originally Posted by Epistrophy
When I was doing the 10 piece Jazz Rock bands, everything was charted for us horn players, however, as it was then with most guitarists, they couldn't read and that's where the lion-share of rehearsal time was spent. So, if you're going to do 2 shows of 10-12 songs per set, it takes longer rehearsal times if you want a tight band. To save time, I would rehearse the horn section 3x a week and the organist(who read music) would rehearse the rhythm section--separately. Then we would play 2x per week as a complete band. We put that band together and did our first gig in 6 weeks and the band was tight. However, the horn players did use charts for some of the very difficult pieces for a while longer. We had some great demo tapes that were made by the bass player's "goodfella" uncle, but once I left the band for a better opportunity, I could never get any copies. Oh well, life moves on. However, here's was one of our signature songs we copied from the great Tower of Power--memories are made of this . . . RIP Rocco Prestia!
Play live . . . Marinero
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