ProfD Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 I ran into a cat who was adamant about not schlepping anything to a gig. A piano or organ is there. Anybody among us have that luxury? To expand it, even if a piano or organ were available on your gig, would you take a KB anyway? If so, which of your KB(s) would you schlep at a minimum just in case the piano or organ were suspect? Since I'm not a pianist or organist, I'd have to take my KB anyway. PD "The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return."--E. Ahbez "Nature Boy" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wd8dky Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 I'd bring my own as well, so I could have better control over the quality of the sound coming out. Just because there is a piano or organ there doesn't mean it sounds good (case in point, the cr@p in our rehearsal room at Church). http://www.weisersound.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meisenhower Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 It depends on several things. 1. If I have a the luxury of a contract rider that allows me to specify equipment, then I don't usually sweat too much (although, I've had some pretty badly tuned and voiced grands in my day, that according to the venue, met the terms of the rider). 2. If I know the venue and am pretty comfortable with the house piano, then I'll lay off bringing gear. 3. If its a total unknown and I'm told, "we have a piano", I always have my CP33 on hand, just in case. YMMV Yamaha C7 Grand, My Hammonds: '57 B3, '54 C2, '42 BC, '40 D, '05 XK3 Pro System, Kawai MP9000, Fender Rhodes Mk I 73, Yamaha CP33, Motif ES6, Nord Electro 2, Minimoog Voyager & Model D, Korg MS10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobadohshe Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 It all depends: -Who's the gig for -Where is it -how much $$ I often like to roll with the CP33 as backup. That said, sometimes people might find it insulting if they say 'oh yes we have a piano you can use' and you don't actually use it. I played a Christmas party for an architect in Palos Verdes 2 years ago and he assured me he had a piano. I rolled with my backup just in case. When I entered and laid eyes on the piano it looked decent: a small baby grand in a nice house. As soon as I played 3 notes on it though it was apparent that the instrument was badly out of tune. It would be a long night - unless I brought in my CP33 and rig. But I didn't do that. If I had, I would have been mildly insulting the guy who hired me, saying 'your instrument's not good enough', even though it really pretty much wasn't good enough. Well to do people don't want to hear that about their possessions. Nor would he want to hear that I would have to setup my rig right next to the piano and kill 1/4 of the space in the room, and have people wondering why I wasn't playing the piano that sat there looking pretty. So I sucked it up and played on that horrible sounding piano, a 4 hour solo piano gig. But they loved it. They treated me well. They came and sang along and sat next to me on the bench and we had a great time. And it didn't matter that the piano didn't sound too hot. He tipped the hell out of me, and asked me back next year, and when he did I mentioned, 'you'll want to get the piano tuned, I know a great tuner'. If I had brought in my rig I swear none of that would have happened. Kawai C-60 Grand Piano : Hammond A-100 : Hammond SK2 : Yamaha CP4 : Yamaha Montage 7 : Moog Sub 37 My latest album: Funky organ, huge horn section https://bobbycressey.bandcamp.com/album/cali-native Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B3bluesman59 Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 I am currently doing a one night a week gig at a venue that has a CP300 for the house piano. They also have a great in-house sound system. No sweat, no schlep!!! I am happy with the house goodies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Horne Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 Most of my work is acoustic piano and there's a piano waiting for me. Those times when there's no piano, I do my own lifting ... and get paid for it. No guitarists were harmed during the making of this message. In general, harmonic complexity is inversely proportional to the ratio between chording and non-chording instruments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe P Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 Schlep the Motif into the car. Drive to the venue and check out the piano and/or organ. Check the sounds of the axe (i.e. EP Sound). If it is not up to snuff, schlep in the Motif. Regards, Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfD Posted August 31, 2009 Author Share Posted August 31, 2009 If it is not up to snuff, schlep in the Motif. Regards, Joe Somehow, I think you already knew we were on the same page. PD "The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return."--E. Ahbez "Nature Boy" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffLearman Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 ...If I had brought in my rig I swear none of that would have happened. You made the right call, esp. considering the "venue". Unless I know exactly what I'm getting into, I always bring my normal rig (just one keyboard, plus laptop and small PA). So, I'm covered, but willing to adapt. Not that I do many solo gigs. When I go to a local blues jam that has a keyboard, I come early and set up my rig rather than play their older Kurz piano with house monitor. But if I'm passing through, no problem playing the Kurz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ITGITC Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 ...which of your KB(s) would you schlep at a minimum just in case the piano or organ were suspect? 1. How much room is in the vehicle? 2. How many WHLKPIotGs* will be in the audience? *Women Who Love Keyboard Players Instead of the Guitarist "Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent." - Victor Hugo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JpScoey Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 ' Two Saturdays ago I was at a mates band's gig at my local 'music-oriented' Pub..... it was packed with about 200 folks. This place is a popular haunt for local musos, and after much drinking by all, at around 2.00am I was goaded into playing the 'house' piano. ANY keybord player who plays there ALWAYS takes his own gear, 'cos the Landlord gave up years ago trying to keep the piano maintained - it's in an open part of the Pub, & over the years it's certainly suffered some abuse..... drunken non-players hammering away, countless pints of beers spilt over it etc!!! It's just there as a piece of furniture these days . But the hour was late, and despite it being largely unplayable (madly out-of-tune, & at least 20% of the notes not working at all) - a good time was had by all - sing-alongs etc etc! The piano was so bad, I actually had a few phone calls from other musos the following day congratulating me on managing to play it at all!!!. . John. some stuff on myspace Nord: StageEX-88, Electro2-73, Hammond: XK-1, Yamaha: XS7 Korg: M3-73 EXpanded, M50-88, X50, Roland: Juno D, Kurzweil: K2000vp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GovernorSilver Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 Schlep the Motif into the car. Drive to the venue and check out the piano and/or organ. Check the sounds of the axe (i.e. EP Sound). If it is not up to snuff, schlep in the Motif. Regards, Joe If the axe is up to snuff, do you leave the Motif in the car? Sorry, I had to ask. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linwood Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 When I started my time at Caesars ('79) I had a Steinway B that they'd tune for me every day. Nice! The first few years I was there, I did 3 sets a night, six nights a week. All instrumental stuff. Just show up in your suit and play. This was the only time in my so called career that I spent any time on a real piano. By around '83 the powers that be wanted me to do more dance/top 40 stuff. So I lost the grand and brought my usual keyboards and added more musicians and went with that for several more years there. Having the grand and the tuner was a joy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonglow Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 I only do a couple of solo gigs per year, typically during cocktail hour before a wedding reception. I've never brought a back up. It's fun to take a walk on the wild side sometimes! "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
humannoyed Posted August 31, 2009 Share Posted August 31, 2009 ...which of your KB(s) would you schlep at a minimum just in case the piano or organ were suspect? 1. How much room is in the vehicle? 2. How many WHLKPIotGs* will be in the audience? *Women Who Love Keyboard Players Instead of the Guitarist Tom, hate to play the part of AP (Acronym Police) but that one doesn't roll off the tongue very easily. You might need to try again. ...How about - Women Who Enjoy The Company Of... - oops, well I am sure you'll come up with a better one... "It is a danger to create something and risk rejection. It is a greater danger to create nothing and allow mediocrity to rule." "You owe it to us all to get on with what you're good at." W.H. Auden Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kanker. Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 depends on the gig.... A ROMpler is just a polyphonic turntable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Alfredson Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 Played a club in Detroit with a house organ (A102 with a 122). I actually delivered the organ to the club a few months ago. It's a nice sounding rig. I still used my XK System / 3300. Keep it greazy! B3tles - Soul Jazz THEO - Prog Rock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeT156 Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 I would never use an in-house piano at a gig I was being paid to do. Most of the places in the area I live don't have anything in the way of pianos, with a few exceptions. I have had some "CHEAP ASS" club owners that had a total piece of crap "PA system" and wanted me to use that instead of me bringing my own, so I would charge them less money. NO CAN DO. I'd rather not play than use in-house equipment that wasn't any good to begin with. Most people don't understand why you sound bad, only that you sound bad. Mike T. Yamaha Motif ES8, Alesis Ion, Prophet 5 Rev 3.2, 1979 Rhodes Mark 1 Suitcase 73 Piano, Arp Odyssey Md III, Roland R-70 Drum Machine, Digitech Vocalist Live Pro. Roland Boss Chorus Ensemble CE-1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Alfredson Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 Yes, there are a few clubs around here that have a crappy PA. One even tries to charge you to use it even though they don't provide a soundman. Yeah right. I always bring in our own, despite my band members sometimes bitching about it. Keep it greazy! B3tles - Soul Jazz THEO - Prog Rock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProfD Posted September 1, 2009 Author Share Posted September 1, 2009 Sounds like most us roll with the 2nd amendment and carry for the most part. Other than touring musos who get backline gear and a handful of establishments like Blues Alley here in DC, I think church musos have it best in running across a decent piano and/or organ resulting in minimal schlep. Still, I would have a KB in the trunk. PD "The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return."--E. Ahbez "Nature Boy" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted September 1, 2009 Share Posted September 1, 2009 It depends on the gig, as many have said. Most of the major jazz clubs here have house pianos that are of decent condition and maintained. I have no problem playing those pianos and only add keyboards when the leader asks me to. I did a restaurant gig that had a piano but it was terrible. No love for many years, and even while the bassist was a tuner on the side the instrument was too far gone for just tuning to save it. To make matters worse, the stage was in front of the window, and it was so small that there was no way for me to set up my keyboard in lieu of the piano. When we did R&B gigs I would put my keyboard on top of the piano but on jazz gigs I just made do. For private functions, generally I expect there not to be a piano. If there is one, as has been mentioned, normally the client expects you to play it, and then I just deal. When I was a kid, the piano in my elementary school had a key missing, and my piano teacher's battered upright had cigarette burns on some keys. I learned to play around them! Hell, I actually recorded a demo on a piano where one key was so out of tune, we taped it down on the keyboard with duct tape so that I couldn't play it! My Site Nord Electro 5D, Novation Launchkey 61, Logic Pro X, Mainstage 3, lots of plugins, fingers, pencil, paper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucasb Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 I am feeling like a lazy bum I guess compared to a lot of you guys but if I have a choice and I don't have to bring gear, I will take the option of playing whats there! I've played some sad pianos over the years but it saves me time and effort on both sides of the gig! I suppose if it was that terrible and I kept playing there over and over I'd think twice but as a rule, I go with the path of least carrying stuff! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
humannoyed Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 Hell, I actually recorded a demo on a piano where one key was so out of tune, we taped it down on the keyboard with duct tape so that I couldn't play it! You should really carry a tuning hammer and rubber mute with you for such instances. "It is a danger to create something and risk rejection. It is a greater danger to create nothing and allow mediocrity to rule." "You owe it to us all to get on with what you're good at." W.H. Auden Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Pierce Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 This doesn't really come up for me much. In my Santana Tribute Band, I need a decent approximation of all of the following: * Hammond * Acoustic Piano * Rhodes * Strings I also use, but could probably survive without: * Analog synth lead * Stringy new-agey pad So, I usually bring two 'boards, and sometimes add the Alesis Micron. If I knew there was a solid and reliable Hammond at a venue, I suppose I'd leave the Electro at home. I do play one venue with a decent acoustic piano on stage. And I've mic'ed the piano up and played it on a couple of tunes (which is fun). But I still have my full rig there. --Dave Make my funk the P-funk. I wants to get funked up. My Funk/Jam originals project: http://www.thefunkery.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ITGITC Posted September 2, 2009 Share Posted September 2, 2009 Tom, hate to play the part of AP (Acronym Police) but that one doesn't roll off the tongue very easily. You might need to try again. ...How about - Women Who Enjoy The Company Of... - oops, well I am sure you'll come up with a better one... I know... But it's ProfD's fault. He started it with MAKCFH. I blame HIM. "Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent." - Victor Hugo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.