Being prepared for the expected and unexpected in music performances
Being prepared for the expected and unexpected. Article written by Arny Bailey Back to Cover
So far, the response to Weekend ________
Musician has been grand! Everyone has either had very positive things to say about the articles or given great critique. Keep ‘em coming! ! I really want this publication to be by you, my fellow Weekend Musicians. If you have an idea for an article, pretend you’re John Steinbeck and send me your story! Last month’s Gig from Hell _
by Jeff Lyle was great. I know there’s a ton more out there just waiting to be told. Let’s hear from you!
One of my three day-jobs is that of a track coach for a local high school where I coach teenagers in the art of pole vaulting. Still do it myself from time to time…yes, even at my age.
Arny's Pole Vault squad..
To complete a successful vault, there are a lot of factors involved. The talent and condition of the athlete (in my case these would be “low” and “lower” respectively), wind speed and direction, weather conditions, the weight of the athlete, experience (is he or she able to cope with the level of competition or are they emotionally fading) and what equipment do you have available (poles are rated by weight, length and stiffness). Once these are considered, you can coach the athlete appropriately. Then, something changes. Wind picks up or perhaps a slight drizzle commences. Maybe even the level of competition increases and you need to make an adjustment. Perhaps a different pole or perhaps a shorter runway approach would be a solution. I once had an athlete take off his spikes and put his running shoes back on because he was so pumped that he was “blowing through” the stiffest pole I had. The result was a school record. Similar adjustments, based on what is happening at any given moment during a performance, are vital to the success as a Weekend _______
Musician, especially during the all too frequent equipment failure.
Obviously, the best thing you can do is be prepared for not only the expected but the unexpected. There’s a million and one things that can go wrong in any performance. Being prepared with an understanding beforehand of how to deal with them quickly and with a good attitude can make all the difference.
This issue's message - "be prepared"
I recently had an amp blow during a gig. Fortunately, I had a back up guitar processor that I could use and route directly to the PA. It took no more than a couple minutes and we were back up and running. The client was very impressed with not only how quickly we recovered but how we handled this dilemma emotionally. Staying positive kept the crowd charged. Had we not been prepared, it could have gone a different way by delaying or even stopping the performance while displaying a bad attitude. What a downer! Because we were prepared and already knew how we were going to deal with such an event, the performance continued, the crowd stayed charged and we got a big fat tip!
This month, I’m focusing on being prepared for the little things that can change in the middle of a performance and how to be prepared for this all too frequent occurrence. For guitarists, it can be anything from a simple string break or cord failure to an amp blowing. For drummers it can be busting a head to breaking a cymbal. __
Keyboardists, horn and wood-wind or even strings have things that happen that can cut short your moment in the spotlight. I hope the suggestions in this month’s publication of Weekend Musician can give you some good ideas and help you be prepared to face the little things that wait in the wings…..to destroy you.
Arny W. Bailey
Editor
MEET THE WRITER - ARNY BAILEY
President of In Form, Inc. Media Design and Chief Editor of Weekend Musician is a licensed architect practicing in the Pacific Northwest and weekend musician currently fronting ABOUT FACE, a classic rock cover band and The Grand Delusion a Tribute to the music of Styx and Journey.