The Show Must Go On: Part One

Practices

Jeff studies set design in order to set tone for solo at technical practice.

For a show gig it is important to go over all the technical problems that may occur. This can be accomplished by practicing the songs in the order you intend to play them, allowing you to detect any problems that might rear their ugly heads during the show. Discussions about musical content should be kept to a minimum during technical practices unless they pertain to needed changes in the music to make the set flow smoothly. Song introductions should also be practiced at this time in order to make sure that they are the right length. Remember that in a show gig, everything should be practiced right down to the final bows. These types of practices should be repeated until the entire set can be pulled off without a hitch.

L. D. performs in technical practice while sound levels are being set.

Another important aspect of technical practices is setting sound levels for all instruments so the band will sound balanced. If you have a sound person, and he/she takes good notes, this will go quickly. Otherwise, this process could take time. Equipment with built in patches that will set and remember the sound levels will help. If you don't have this type of equipment, keeping precise notes and memorizing equipment set ups is your only choice. A well balanced sound can make or break a band. You could be the greatest guitarist on the planet, but if you're too loud or too soft, no one will care. Setting sound levels without a sound person will probably take several practices. While working on this, don't work on anything else.

The next technical aspect to consider would be stage direction. Where to stand, where to walk, when to be in the spotlight, and when to get into the shadows, should not be left to chance. Set all of this up in advance. You can leave room for spontaneity, but key points in each song should be set down ahead of time. A soloist should not be left standing in the dark while a rhythm player is standing in the spot light because he doesn't know where he should be. For more complex shows, placing an "X" on the floor with tape at special spots on the stage can make this process easier. Then a player can just walk (run, slide, duck-walk, whatever) to the "X" at the right time. This is called "hitting your mark" and is used in most plays, movies,

Major musician positions during the show.

and big music acts. Normally a musician who is required to move around (the drummer really can't do this) will need three major positions to stand in; singing position, rhythm position, and solo position. These positions don't necessarily have to be one small spot on the stage. If you have a large enough stage, the three positions can refer to general areas of the stage.

Any major moves should be choreographed. Moves like swinging guitar necks, dance moves, getting out of the way because the singer is going to do a back flip off the drum raiser, all need to be planned out. A bass player sliding across the stage on his knees looks great unless he runs into the guitar player and they both tumble off the stage. Planned moves will actual look more spontaneous than if you just do them any old place you feel like it.

Cliff in singing position.	L. D. in singing position spot light, Cliff in rhythm position.

Cliff in solo position.

Lights and special effects should have a practice all their own. Of course if you don't have any lights, this is not a problem. If you do have special effect equipment, setting all the spots, flashes, or even explosions in advance with carefully detailed notes will make the show look like the professional production it is meant to be. I once saw a guitar player get blasted by a flash pod that he didn't know was about to go off. Needless to say, it wasn't pretty. "Armed to the Teeth" has an elaborate setup including four spot lights, ten flood lights, eight chase lights, a fog machine, one main strobe, twelve mini strobes, three special effect lights, a laser, two lighting control boards, and flash pods when we can use them. Controlling this type of arsenal from the stage would be impossible. That's why we have Leanne Walter, our lighting person, to keep things looking great for us. As with any other member of the band, Leanne needs practice time to get things right. She is as important as any musician in performing a great show. In part two of this series, we will discuss lighting strategies and techniques for putting on a good show.

Get out of the way! L. D. jumps off the drum riser.

Finally, when everything comes together, you should have a final dress rehearsal. This should include any costumes or make up you plan to wear during the act. Such details as clothes can cause problems with the show. Better to see those problems during practice than in front of two hundred or two thousand people. Keep a list of all the special things you may need during the show. This list can include items such as a towel, water/drinks (and where to put them), props, good luck charms, or whatever you need to do a good show.

Experimental Gigs

You only get one chance to make a first impression. The first time an audience sees you is the most important. If you look bad the first time, there won't be a second time. Therefore, once you have everything ready to go I highly suggest performing one or more experimental gigs first. What's an experimental gig you ask? Well I'll tell you. First you need a nice controlled environment. This would be any room or area where you can control heat, light, guests, length of the show, and most other options for the area. Someone's backyard, a small club (that you can get exclusive use of), or a meeting room you can rent, will all do nicely. Next you need a friendly crowd. Friends, family, people who are really into your music, anyone who won't throw things at you if you screw up, all of these people would be considered a friendly crowd. It is important to add people to your guest list that will tell you the truth. You don't want everyone to tell you how great you are if you suck. That isn't any help. When you do the show, don't perform like you're performing for friends, do the show as you will for the paying audience. Make an audio/video tape of the show so you can review the show with band members later. Get as much feedback as you can from your friendly audience. Make sure to put your egos away. If everyone really likes the drummer more than your guitar player, maybe it's time to highlight the drummer more. Remember that the band is what's important. The final step in the process is to refine the show based on the information from the experimental gig. Keep doing these until you get it right and then take the show on the road.

The pictures in this article are from Armed to the Teeth's second experimental gig. We learned a lot from the first experimental gig. Although our first gig was well received by the audience, it convinced us to go back into the practice studio and smooth things out further. We wrote and added some songs to make the show smoother and longer. We worked more on the theme (more on this topic in part two of this series) and refined the act. In our second experimental gig we found that some of our sound levels needed to be more carefully monitored. Also we discovered that certain spots in our current midi rig were prone to technical problems. Having worked out these problems, we are now planning our first public gig.

In part two of this series, we will discuss forming an image, details on lighting techniques, stage design, equipment placement, and anything else I can think of by then. I hope you will join me for that one as well.

By the way, I have enjoyed hearing from all the people who have been nice enough to drop me an email. The stories, comments, questions, and suggestions have been great. If you'd like to drop me a line. I can be reached at CliffNotes@harmony-central.com.

From me and everyone here at Harmony-Central,

Keep Jamming,

Cliff

Cliff Suttle (cliffnotes@harmony-central.com) has been studying music for over twenty years including studies at the University of Michigan. Fluent on keyboards, guitar, and bass, Cliff is currently playing in an all original rock band Middle Earth. Cliff's motto: Understand the theory and you can play anything.