What's your gig warm-up or ritual routine

[mike g]

I was wondering what peoples routines were before they play on a live or studio gig. I notice a guitar friend of mine always went outside for about 5 mins before the gig...and it isn't to smoke. He said he liked to gather his thoughts in a little bit of quite outside the club.

 

For myself, I like to do get there early set up unrushed. Then do random scales until my hands feel warm and loose. I also stretch my neck, arms and hands. I also run through any intros I have (meaning just me on my own) and look over the set list for parts that need special attention and just go over them quick. Go to the washroom...

 

Then I grab a drink...rum and coke. I know lame drink but I don't drink beer.

 

so what's your routine...it can even be if you eat a certain food or set up a certain way. I just courious.

[Unsound Practices]

Hang out back, smoke way too many cigarettes, and generally look and feel like this:

 

http://i.cnn.net/cnn/2003/TECH/space/12/10/scream.munch.reut/storyv.munch.sky.jpg

 

I'm usually better towards the end of the first set, and I never drink before the middle of the second set.

 

As a band that plays in places without a green room, we are trying to figure out a good way where we can spend 10-15 minutes together before the first song, away from the stage, building up our collective energy and groove. Hard to do!

[Dave Horne]

I warm up at home ... and I'll repeat my warm up mantra. Try and do four things at the same time when warming up:

 

1. warm up (duh)

2. play something technical

3. play something in every key

4. play something you might actually use when improvising

 

My routine varies from day to day but covers those four mentioned bases. If you practice arpeggios, practice only those you actually use in your playing. I rarely practice simple chords (three note triads) because I rarely use them when playing. If you don't play a C E G arpeggio when playing, why practice it? I use major 7ths, minor 7ths, half dim 7ths, full dim 7ths, minor with a major 7th, augmented with a major 7th ... get the idea? Make your warm ups efficient, practice what you will be playing. Lesson over.

[Krakit]

My only consistant ritual is that I fast until after the gig. I don't eat anything.

 

I used to drink Coke without ice througout the day on Gig days but now I drink water or diet drinks.

 

After the show I eat like a pig.

 

Carl

[DanL]

My ritual is setting up my gear and making sure it works. I jam a bit to get loose, then I relax with a couple beers and socialize until downbeat. Nothing special and nothing specific.

[BluesKeys]

I prefer to set up early, run through my intros, and sticky spots. Do a sound check then go for dinner. Arrive at the club about 30 min before show time, and run through scales with little or no volume to warm up my hands. I also don't like to get out in the crowd until after the first set. That way I can focus better. Once the 1st set is done I settle down and start schmoozing.

[ITGITC]

What's your gig warm-up or ritual routine?

 

A good roll in the hay before the gig is always nice.

[BluesKeys]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Is There Gas in the Car?:

What's your gig warm-up or ritual routine?

 

A good roll in the hay before the gig is always nice.

[Joe P]

Hi Mike,

Typically our start time is 9 - 9:30. This is already late for me, so I usually down two large mugs of coffee before I leave the house, and consequently am completely wired. (My wife and I like to use what is called a "French Press" for coffee, great stuff. It'll turn you into a junky. But I digress..)

 

After I set up, I like to run through some things on my weighted action controller at very low volume, on stage. I like "Four on Six" by Wes Montgomery and "Infinite Space" by ELP. Infinite Space is particularly effective because it is a repeating 3/4 - 4/4 idea that uses every finger of each hand.

 

Then it is to the bar for the first of many Cokes, I don't drink until the last set. Of course during breakdown, if I could wear one of those two-beer-cans-with-straws plastic batting helmets while simultaneously packing my gear, I'd do it.

 

Regards,

Joe

[mike g]

So far no real OCD people in the crowd...which is good. What drummers sometime...some of them do some quiky things. My one friend doesn't like finger prints on his cymbls before he plays...after each set he'll wipe them down. The cymbal name is always facing him when he starts the sets too.

 

I have notice that if i'm feel nervous about a gig I need to send some time just sitting at my keys before we go on. It's my save place. Just feeling comfortable with the stage & getting focused.

 

If I gig regular with a band then i'm not nervous only on sub in gigs or if i know some players are in the crowd.

[EscapeRocks]

WHen I was doiung the tribute band thing:

 

 

I usually get everything set up, and get the basic levels set with our FOH dude.

 

Then, I go sit in my truck and listen to a live recording of the band we were covering as a "tribute act" just to get my head in the game for a bit while enjoying a Kit-Kat bar and reading a newspaper.

 

I come back in for sound check. I then put on headphones and run through some scales, and then make sure my sound patches are all set up for the intro and first song.

 

About ten minutes before show time I hit the restroom.

 

AT 5 minutes to go we all meet off stage in a "huddle" and do a sports type thing (hand in the middle, "1-2-3 go!"). At this point the sound guy triggers our intro as we head onstage.

 

Then we play

 

I'm one of those who has had to purposely stick to a pre-show routine and build up to it as I get so pumped up for being onstage that my internal metronome has been known to take off extreme BPM's

[mike g]

as i am packing up for a gig tonight, i noticed that with my gig bag I have the zippers lined up in the middle not at the ends and I do this with all my bags...i'm a freak and my throne, the legs i have one behind and two to the side like a upside triangle...for some reason i think this will keep me up or i'll fall backwards anyother way... qwicky i am.

[rappa29]

I dropped or forgot many of my rituals since I'm not gigging as much as I did in the past. I used to:

 

Arrive early and set up

Wash my hands

Wipe my keys down

Stretch

Eat a Power Bar and bottle of water

Hit the restroom before the first set.

 

Nowadays, I just arrive early, set up and make sure everything works. I'll still drink a bottle of water before the first set to make sure I'm hydrated. Especially if we're playing outdoors.

[Moonglow]

My pre-gig ritual actually starts the day before in that I try to get a good nights rest. On the day of the show, I try to eat light meals. During the afternoon, I typically work-out in my basement, and while I am exercising, I may put on a video of an artist/band that gets me fired up. Similarly, on the way to the gig, I will listen to something equally inspirational. I try to arrive to the venue early to take time setting up my gear, troubleshoot problems, etc., but it seems my time-management skills are in need of a little improvement (Not much!). Once everything is set up, I will map out all of the program/patch changes for every song on the set list and write down the program numbers next to the song. I use a K2600 to control a Triton Pro and a rack of six modules, and if our lead singer gets me the set list in enough time, I will store these changes sequentially in the K2600. Doesnt always work out this way. Additionally, many songs we play have several split points on the K2600, so as I am recording the program numbers I will try to remind myself/review where the splits are located on the keyboard. Next, I always run through some Hannon exercises then play something like ELPs Hoedown or Bostons Foreplay. Then comes a review of any piano intro I might do (e.g., before a ballad) and/or any other challenging passage we may be playing that night. Then its off to change out of load-in clothes, then over to the bar for a Budweiser and shot of tequila to take off any edge. Seems I always run into our drummer at this juncture! Then its to the stage (beer in hand, of course) for a two-minute review of all of the preceding. I always make sure to lock eyes with my fellow mates before the first song, usually accompanied by some profanity-laced motivational comment (weve been playing together for 25 years.....), then let it rip!

[Krakit]

My finger warmups are usually Eruption (from Tarkus), Benny the Bouncer and/or Trilogy.

 

Isn't it interesting that so many of us rely on Keith Emerson to get us pumped up for the show?

 

Carl

[mike g]

I should read what i'm posting...good god i have a lot of typos and spelling mistakes.

[Blue JC]

I don't eat for 2 hours before the gig because I'm singing backing vocals on every song and, since I play seated, I don't need all of that pressure on my diaphram.

 

I do vocal warm-ups in the truck on the way to the gig and keep the windows rolled up so I don't desensitize my ears with wind.

 

I get to the gig one hour before the show, unload, set-up, send my lines to the FOH, stash my cases, wash my hands and sound check.

 

I tune the horn section, choose the set-list for the night with the singer and head for the bar for a (warm) Guiness Stout or two and a smoke. Most of the bartenders know me and keep a few Guinesses warm for me each night. I never drink ice or anything cold when I play.

 

About 10 minutes before the show, I start warming up my hands with two-hand octaves, turnarounds through the circle of fourths (so I hit every key) and some II-V-I progressions. I also like to play along with the jukebox or FOH music for a little ear tuning - especially if a song that I don't know is playing.

 

I also like to get outside for a few minutes on each break (weather permitting) just to get away from the crowd and the noise.

 

That's pretty much it for me - nothing special. I just try to be as efficient as possible about moving gear because it's the only part that I really don't like. I tell people that I play for free but I get paid for moving my gear.

 

JC

[musicalaccents]

My routine is usually a combo of dodging bullets & jumping over barb-wire fences. Seriously, I am usually the person in charge of setup- whether it be PA & soundchecks, helping people with their stuff, etc. I dont get a chance, for the most part, to warm up because of the frenetic pace before the gig. One thing that's good about that is that any nerves are forgotten before the gig because I'm not worrying about questionable parts of songs (hits, intros, endings, etc.). I do design the setlists to ensure that the band gets "warmed-up" within the first couple of songs and at the same time, ensuring that those songs are appropriate for the gig situation. Now, if I'm doing a jazz or classical gig, then my setup is minimal and I have a chance to put the headphones on and let the fingers fly for a bit. However, those gigs are far and in between because the market here in Dallas dictates otherwise. There is one commonality before every gig- that I get to smoke a cigarette & have a rum&coke or 7&7 10 minutes before the gig.

[Root]

Wow, most of you guys are really serious about your warmup. No one in our band has any kind of routine, save for our singer's tea with honey. Usually our pre-gig activities consist of, in this order:

 

1. Figure out the beer situation

2. Drink some beer

3. Set up

4. Food

5. Out to the van

6. Back in and jam for soundcheck

7. Stand on stage and look for blondes

8. Play

9. Try to get laid

[musicalaccents]

One more thing I have to interject: Half of the time I'm annoyed by the drummer fiddling with his set after he's all ready to go or the bass player playing Jaco lines or Victor Wooten stuff on a low volume...things like that annoy the hell out of me. Once your setup, it should only take you five minutes to find your comfort zone and be ready for a soundcheck. And after soundcheck, you shouldn't have to keep fiddling with your stuff, unless you have a problem (i.e. cord, buzzing, etc)

[Garrafon]

Pee and get beer...not necessarily in that order.

[kad]

Originally posted by Krakit:

My only consistant ritual is that I fast until after the gig. I don't eat anything.

 

I used to drink Coke without ice througout the day on Gig days but now I drink water or diet drinks.

 

After the show I eat like a pig.

 

Carl

That's me exactly. Sometimes I'll eat a very light lunch, but that's it until after the gig.

[Dick Ward MP Hall of Fame]

Before I play live I stretch my body completely out, crack every joint I possibly can (no one wants to see that on stage), run through some basic fingering excercizes, but nothing too big. Band gets together, we put our hands in and do a "Woah Bundy!" That's it.

[Joe P]

Isn't it interesting that so many of us rely on Keith Emerson to get us pumped up for the show?

 

Carl

Carl,

A stick of chewing gum doesn't hurt either!

 

Regards,

Joe

[DanL]

Originally posted by Root:

Wow, most of you guys are really serious about your warmup. No one in our band has any kind of routine, save for our singer's tea with honey. Usually our pre-gig activities consist of, in this order:

 

1. Figure out the beer situation

2. Drink some beer

3. Set up

4. Food

5. Out to the van

6. Back in and jam for soundcheck

7. Stand on stage and look for blondes

8. Play

9. Try to get laid

THAT is a good ritual! I don't worry about much either. I'm not preparing in my head, or running thru all kinds of scales. I get to the gig maybe an hour before downbeat, set up, make sure all my stuff works, and thats it. We don't even sound check! The guys who mix us know us so well they don't need to- by the middle of the 1st tune it's all set. Just a tap on the mics to make sure they work, a little monitor mix tweaking (the main place we play has 4 mixes), and then go.

[Bill H.]

1. Barrel down the last few miles of freeway 10 MPH over because I was stuck in traffic earlier.

 

2. Run into the bar and find either the waitress or cook that's blocked the load-in entrance with their rig.

 

3. Push my way through the happy-hour crowd with my equipment, explaining to them as politely as I can that I can't talk to them right now because I have to set up.

 

4. Clean up the stage debris left behind by the DJ the night before.

 

5. Spend 5 minutes with the manager because there's a scheduling conflict in two weeks and she needs an answer "right now!"

 

6. Plug everything in and turn it all on, including my notebook, just minutes before start, saying to myself "C'mon baby, you've always worked before..."

 

7. Look out into the room, and say "OK, what do I start with tonight...."