Little Things: An Advice Thread

[linwood]

Hands off the chick singer.

 

Hold your beer with your left hand.

 

 

[timwat]

Protect your hearing. 

 

If you're playing in a loud guitar band, or playing with an insufferably loud drummer, get proper ear protection. If you're using IEMs, make sure they have a proper seal for best sound, and make sure your head unit (belt pack or wired) has a limiter, and use it. If you sing, don't do the "one ear in, the other I leave open to hear myself singing". 

 

Ringing in ears after a gig is another step down the road to hearing loss. As a musician, losing some (or all) of your hearing, or developing tinnitus, is a tragedy...especially if it was avoidable. 

[timwat]

Don't give a second chance to bandleaders who lie.

 

If you find a bandleader easily lies to you about little things, the big lie about something substantial like money is just around the corner.

 

 

[timwat]

Develop a professional work ethic.

 

Show up on time. Learn the tunes. Put in the effort up front. Even if everyone else in the band is a lazy half-wit, don't give in to the temptation to be "just good enough".

 

Developing a rep for being a pro on even the smallest gig will eventually precede you, and will open doors for you that you're not even aware of.

[timwat]

Be professionally humble.

 

Even if you go out on the multi-state tour, when you get back you'll be hustling for the same humble gigs you were scheduling before you left. And no one hires you repeatedly because of who you used to play for. They hire you because you get the job done now.

[timwat]

When folks just start out gigging, they're fascinated with gear. Don't begrudge someone who only wants to talk about the gear...most of us have been there in our past (and some of us are still there).

 

But over time, many of us who have gigged for decades see most of the hardware as tools to get a job done. We didn't get into playing because of the gear, we got into playing because we love making music. 

 

The more frequently you can remind yourself of that (and others around you), the better the journey will be.

[timwat]

When you're playing with folks who are light-years ahead of you, don't disrespect the music. 

 

They will all know from the first note where you are at (and where you are not). Most will tolerate you, many will be kind to you, as they will be accustomed to being the most accomplished player on the gig. 

 

The one things most will not put up with is if they think you're disrespecting the music. Then they may get dark on you.

 

On a related note, if someone light-years ahead of you starts to vibe on you, try to remember that 1) it's just one evening, and you have many other great evenings ahead of you, and 2) the person vibeing you has their own share of personal demons to be that unkind to you. And unlike you, they still have to face those demons tomorrow morning. You don't - you get to have a great morning tomorrow without them in your life.

 

Which also means...when you're the most accomplished player on the bandstand, be kind and encouraging to the less-accomplished player. Let them know what they're doing right. Encourage them to keep on the path. You have no idea how much a kind word may mean to them.

[timwat]

Like in every other area of life, success is related to trust and communication.

 

If you can be trusted, and can learn to distinguish between those who can be trusted and the few who cannot, life will go well for you.

 

If you can communicate clearly, make yourself heard the first time, and be understood without ambiguity...and learn to really hear what others are trying to say (even if their words aren't entirely clear, life will go well for you.

 

The flip side is if you struggle a lot with interpersonal communication, and are really not trustworthy, that movie will not end well for you.

 

 

[mynameisdanno]

19 hours ago, CowboyNQ said:

2. Don’t lose sleep over FOH.  They’ll either do a great, terrible or moderate job.  Regardless you’ll have zero control over it.

 

And regardless of which type, telling them how to do their job probably won't help matters.

[timwat]

Keep your word.

 

If you commit to a gig, keep your commitment.

 

If you promise to show up at a specific time, show up at that time.

 

If something comes up that makes it impossible, difficult, etc....communicate early and clearly. Find a solution or sub or reasonable option...be a problem solver, not just a problem creator. Clear is kind. No matter how difficult that conversation may be, dealing it with it early becomes part of keeping one's word.

[o0Ampy0o]

34 minutes ago, timwat said:

...when you're the most accomplished player on the bandstand, be kind and encouraging to the less-accomplished player. Let them know what they're doing right. Encourage them to keep on the path. You have no idea how much a kind word may mean to them.

 

Some people are lost causes. This is for all of those who are not. Something which applies to being around unruly brats as well, as hard as it may be, if you treat people as though they are the best of humanity they may comprehend how you perceive them and will behave as though they are that person. Brats are usually brats because it is how they learned to get attention. Their guardians did not know how to advance them towards a productive and harmonious manner of expression.  There certainly are dense / unaware people but you will not reinforce bad behavior in the good ones who are just expressing some inner pain wanting to be heard when they are messing up in some way. In the context of skill people can rise to the occasion given the space / belief in them.

[bill5]

Always store beer in a dark place. And I don't mean your demented mind. 😉

[El Lobo]

If you are going to live with a partner/spouse, only live with someone who supports your gigging and musical pursuits. Either that or don't live with someone. 

[Piktor]

2 hours ago, linwood said:

 

Hold your beer with your left hand.

 

 

Ah, Joe Sample’s sage advice from the earliest days of Contemporary Keyboard. It served me well. 😁

[bill5]

I'm a left-hander so I always do.   

 

 

[stoken6]

9 hours ago, timwat said:

Develop a professional work ethic.

 

Show up on time. Learn the tunes. Put in the effort up front. Even if everyone else in the band is a lazy half-wit, don't give in to the temptation to be "just good enough".

 

Developing a rep for being a pro on even the smallest gig will eventually precede you, and will open doors for you that you're not even aware of.

I cannot upvote this enough. I was talking about this to some bandmates, and saying how I always make sure I'm prepared for gigs - not in a bragging way, but to say "this is a minimum standard for professionalism".

 

Cheers, Mike.

[Adan]

It took one (1) page for this thread to go from little things to Every Thing All At Once.

[timwat]

2 hours ago, Adan said:

It took one (1) page for this thread to go from little things to Every Thing All At Once.

 

If you can't do the little things right, you will never do the big things right. William H. McRaven

 

The older I get, the more I'm conscious of ways very small things can make a change in the world. Tiny little things, but the world is made up of tiny matters, isn't it? Sandra Cisneros

 

Little things console us because little things afflict us. Blaise Pascal

 

It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important. Arthur Conan Doyle

 

You don't appreciate a lot of stuff in school until you get older. Little things like being spanked every day by a middle-aged woman: Stuff you pay good money for in later life. Emo Philips

 

 

[stoken6]

@timwat You need a quotes thread!

 

Cheers, Mike.

[Bobadohshe]

I always have one spare IEC, one spare 1/4" cord and one spare long ass extension cord in my car's trunk. I never ever pack my bags with these in mind or plan to rely on them. These are the back ups to the back ups. But they are there when I need them.

[o0Ampy0o]

6 hours ago, Adan said:

It took one (1) page for this thread to go from little things to Every Thing All At Once.

 

Termites can ruin a building.

[David Emm]

11 hours ago, timwat said:

If you can't do the little things right, you will never do the big things right. William H. McRaven

 

The older I get, the more I'm conscious of ways very small things can make a change in the world. Tiny little things, but the world is made up of tiny matters, isn't it? Sandra Cisneros

 

Little things console us because little things afflict us. Blaise Pascal

 

It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important. Arthur Conan Doyle

 

You don't appreciate a lot of stuff in school until you get older. Little things like being spanked every day by a middle-aged woman: Stuff you pay good money for in later life. Emo Philips

 

 

"I quit school early on. I already knew how to steal an orange for lunch, find a nickel for the movies, make a friend and have a dog. What other important thing could they possibly teach me that I didn't already know?" ~ Harpo Marx, from his excellent autobiography "Harpo Speaks!"

[David R]

- Insure your gear.

- Take photos of the serial numbers of your gear.

- back up all important data onto external drives and the cloud.

- always verify, multiple times, the tour/gig dates coming in. It has happened that a band I was in somehow got booked on opposite sides of the country on the same day. It has also happened that the venue double books bands.

[bill5]

Don't piss away money on the flashiest, trendiest hardware or software just because you heard it's so amazing or everyone else seems to be going all gaga over it. The gap in technology from the priciest to the middle range to even the low end has narrowed A LOT in recent years, such that there is no consistent correlation to the old "you get what you pay for" axiom. 

[EricBarker]

On 3/26/2023 at 3:41 AM, cphollis said:

If you realize you're the best musician in the band, time to find a new band.

I agree, but probably not for the reason you’re thinking. If you feel that way, then your feelings toward the band are toxic and it’s probably not a healthy fit.

 

I have ego, at my core I think I’m one of the best musicians in my town. But I stopped thinking about it. Every band I play in does something different that I can learn from. I’m often the most experienced, but not in Klezmer, not in psychedelic rock, not in Indie Art Pop, not in country singer songwriter.

 

If I enjoy playing with a band and feel comfortable, I stay, regardless of whether I feel I’m the best or not. There’s always something to learn, fun to be had, money to be made, and the slim chance it’ll really go places.

[cphollis]

3 hours ago, EricBarker said:

I agree, but probably not for the reason you’re thinking. If you feel that way, then your feelings toward the band are toxic and it’s probably not a healthy fit.

 

I have ego, at my core I think I’m one of the best musicians in my town. But I stopped thinking about it. Every band I play in does something different that I can learn from. I’m often the most experienced, but not in Klezmer, not in psychedelic rock, not in Indie Art Pop, not in country singer songwriter.

 

If I enjoy playing with a band and feel comfortable, I stay, regardless of whether I feel I’m the best or not. There’s always something to learn, fun to be had, money to be made, and the slim chance it’ll really go places.

Agreed.  However, when I was starting out, I stayed in bad bands way too long  

[stoken6]

3 hours ago, EricBarker said:

I’m often the most experienced, but not in Klezmer, not in psychedelic rock, not in Indie Art Pop, not in country singer songwriter

Yeah but put them together:

 

"Ladies-un-gennelmen, the undisputed godfather of neo-psycho-art-country-alt-Klezmer... Eric Barker!"

Cheers, Mike.

[Iconoclast]

If you haven't got a gig scheduled, you'll never be ready for the gig. Just schedule it and let the deadline motivate you. This is true for many things. Stuff that is on my calendar generally gets done, stuff that is waiting until it's ready to get on the calendar does not get done.

[Iconoclast]

Learn the bartenders first name.

[cassdad]

Bring extra business cards (make it easy for people who like your music to contact / hire you).