Members pogo97 Posted July 13, 2015 Members Share Posted July 13, 2015 I have a variety of gigs coming up in the next month and a bit: a solo (piano), a duo (piano, electric guitar & snare), a trio (dobro guitar), plus a couple of church services and a wedding on pipe organ. There will be funerals, too, but they're not scheduled very far ahead. There is no shared repertoire. I'm feeling a bit daunted by the task of solidifying the repertoire (especially for the wedding) and keeping my chops up on five instruments. Any suggestions for practise so that I'm at my best for each of those gigs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted July 13, 2015 Moderators Share Posted July 13, 2015 Don't Panic...that's what is says on the cover of the Musicians' Guide to the Musical Universe...more than anything, you need to focus on knowing the material for each separate gig, and less on individual 'chops', IMHO. Years ago, I learned something which may help: Can you eat an entire elephant? Yes, one bite at a time. [but I'm skipping the toenails and tusks...] So rather than looking at these as one enormous 'elephant', see them for what they are, a series of challenges that you can deal with in a logical fashion. I am dealing with a similar set of issues [solo, trio and full band gigs...all with minimal overlap of material], so I totally get what you are feeling, but it is a matter of prioritizing, compartmentalizing and organizing. Now, quit wasting time here [ ] and get to practicing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ski219 Posted July 13, 2015 Members Share Posted July 13, 2015 Burn CD's or put audio files on whatever device you play music from in your car. I recently joined a modern country band on lead guitar and have learned 2 hours worth of songs and guitar parts in the past 6 weeks. I played everything through several times and made charts, but I felt I wasn't going to get there in time for a gig we have tis week. Listening to the songs over and over again in the car really cemented the songs in my mind and helped tremendously. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Shaster Posted July 15, 2015 Members Share Posted July 15, 2015 I've borrowed from the "just in time inventory" approach. I'll get things basically prepped for upcoming gigs, but will learn songs just a few days before each gig. I recently posted about doing three separate Gospel shows, a Jimi Hendrix big band tribute, a retro neo soul band and a female jazz singer, all in the month of June. I also added songs to my solo act. Then I got a last minute call to sub in this "kiddie" band, so I had to learn or relearn a bunch of tunes by Jessie J, Rihanna, Alicia Keys, Bruno Mars, Duffy, Adele, Amy Winehouse and so on. I crammed for three hours on a Saturday, and things went fine. Can't remember the tunes now though! Letting the tunes seep in as in The Music Man is also a good idea as noted previously. Similar to the elephant approach, I like to pick 'em off one at a time, and then dispose of them and move on to the next. That usually works for me, except I still get that darned tune by Meghan Trainor rattling around in my brain - not a good thing, although the parody is funny... [video=youtube;7PCkvCPvDXk] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TimothyZelinski Posted August 26, 2015 Members Share Posted August 26, 2015 Definitely focus on learning the music as well as possible. You'll need to trust your skills to take you where you need to go. If the music is in solidly your head your hands will follow its lead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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