Professionalism - not a dirty word (or: Rules to maintain your Rep)

Riaan-Combrink · 2009-01-21T23:30:05+00:00

I got involved in a discussion with a buddy recently about the fact that the circuits for most bands/performers are relatively small and tight-knit. Definitely so in Cape Town, and I would imagine the same in most places. Point is that, as a performing musician, you're only as good as your reputation. Unless you're Janis, Jim or Bon Scott, the local scene IMHO will not tolerate exceedingly unprofessional behaviour just because your talented or well known. At some point you literally become more trouble than you're worth, and what you do at venue A will precede you by the time you get to B, etc. Soon, you'll struggle to get booked because you've become known as a "difficult" act. A related issue is that having talent as guitarist/singer/etc will also not ensure that you're a sought after performer or at least pull regular gigs, as performing is an entirely different thing from being able to play. I read this recently: "If you're on a stage and people are watching you, you are no longer just a musician; you are a performer. Playing the songs that you've rehearsed to a polished shine is only part of your job now. You must entertain. No matter how sound your musicianship is, people are not interested in watching a musical mannequin. They have come to see a show. That doesn't mean you have to start incorporating Britney Spears-style choreography or pyrotechnics into your act. But you must have stage presence. Stage presence simply means being in control of your surroundings while actively engaging the audience. All of the most successful performers have stage presence." Very true IMHO. So we got talking about what are some of the basics of professionalism for a gigging musician. Basics, commandments, whatever. Whilst I by no means profess to be an authority or great performer :-[ , I do live by the mantra of professionalism. The idea of this thread is then just to kickstart a discussion of some basic do's and dont's - and perhaps even tips - for those guys who are thinking of taking the plunge to the darkside and taking the music out of the room onto a stage at whatever level. Some basics: 1. Be punctual. If you cannot be relied on to start at 8 or 9 or whenever, you'll never keep a gig. Guaranteed. On the same note - watch your breaks. A pub circuit rule of thumb is approx 45 minute set with 15 minute break, or an one hour set with 20 minute break, etc. Obviously the custom is different in big shows, etc. I remember, as a punter, going to watch a band and deciding I can only afford one more beer (driving, budget, whatever) and buying it as the band announces a break. Then sitting nursing the drink for 40 minutes while the band has a "short break", and leaving five minutes after they've started. Stupid story, but I often think about it when I motivate band-mates to get back on stage after 20 minutes, etc. 2. Don't drink too much alcohol. Should be a no-brainer,as nobody gets drunk at (or worse, arrives drunk for) their day job. But music is often played in drinking establishments, and appreciative people will buy you drinks - often unsolicited ?. Keep it under control - or avoid completely if possible. Remember the old saying: "The more we drink the better we think we sound". 3. Think about your sets before hand. Dead air while you light a smoke and decide what to play next is not cool. Work out some sample or standard sets that work for different kinds of venues and/or crowds (age, occasion, etc) BUT BE FLEXIBLE. Don't flog a dead horse if its not working. Sometimes I'll see from the outset that the boys wanna rock, and start off with what would on other nights be the third set, etc. Most importantly, update your repertoire and add some new material regularly (especially if you're playing at the same venues a lot). 4. Talk to the audience. During the performance and during breaks or after the show. People want to ask you what guitar you've got, how long you've been playing, do you like tequila or jagermeister, etc. Don't be a snob. The guy you snub will turn the whole audience against you just by showing them he's not enjoying the show. On that topic, if you don't look like you're having fun on stage, the crowd won't buy into it. If you stare at your guitar for 45 minutes, you may just find its you and the bartender left when you look up. ? 5. Technical. Obviously your equipment should be well maintained, you should be able to do emergency repairs on cables, etc. You MUST carry a SURVIVAL KIT (torch, pliers, connectors, adaptors, knife, batteries, multimeter, soldering goodies, spares, etc,etc, etc). Really a topic on its one. The bigger the gig, the more I back up. For a wedding or corporate, I always take an extra guitar and laptop. You can't mess up those occassions. Blow the bride's big day and you won't work in this town again!!! Pub gigs you can recover from an off-night or technical meltdown. I don't often take the spare guitar and laptop to pub gigs. But, as a minimum, you should always have at least a spare microphone, mic lead and instrument cable(s). If you use backtracks, have a duplicate set on some medium not linked to your platform (laptop, sound module, etc). Stick it on a CD, memory stick, whatever. Worst comes to worst, you may be able to organise another unit,but without the tracks it aint gonna happen ? Just a few ideas off the top of my head to get it going, guys. Would like to see what you could add ?

Bob-Dubery

sepheritoh wrote
The greatest and longest lasting players are good players and not showmen. Dave Gilmour has the stage presence of a tree. Eric Clapton has once been seen to actually smile onstage, but these rumours have not yet been confirmed. Great guitarists are not flashy performers. The great musicianship of the 2 persons mentioned carry them through their shows sufficiently. On the other hand, Slash and Yngwie are performers. Great players too, but they have the showmanship, ego and everything else, but people grew tired of them quickly. They are now forgotten.

In between these extreme examples, there are many other guitarists falling one way or the other.

I think it may be fairer to say that you can't get by on showmanship alone. There have always been performers who combine, in various ratios, showmanship and playing. Not all the greats are like Gilmour or Clapton and just get on with playing their axe with no concession to flash.

Jimmy Page wore flash costumes and struck poses on stage. Jimi Hendrix was an extrovert showman with loads of tricks - playing behind his head, playing with his teeth (not at the same time as playing behind his head), setting guitars on fire, humping his gear etc. We still regard these guys as great players.

Riaan-Combrink

Bob Dubery wrote Jimi Hendrix was an extrovert showman ... playing behind his head, playing with his teeth (not at the same time as playing behind his head) ...

Lol!! ? ? ?

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