first gig fears

graham rodger · From: Scotland

i been messin with pedal steel for a year now..well,on thursday im standing in with a local band on the first night of a country weekend here in scotland..they normally dont play with a steel player...my knowledge,or at least giggable knowledge is pretty limited..i know my way around all major minor chords sevenths etc,i wont be usin augmented and diminished ones yet...can anyone suggest any one or two bar fillers to me...goin from root to 4 or 5 or back to root from 5 or 4 etc?part from the obvious harmonising major scales im very limited,i got 3 and 4 on my steel.in other words can you pros throw me somethin that will take the brand new to steel look off me,even if only momentarily..somethin simple i can throw in any suggestions taken seriously...and promise ill play em to death on the night...nervously..thanks graham

Jim Ives · From: Los Angeles, California, USA

Sometimes,less is more. The occasional swell and fill should blow their socks off.
Break a leg
-Jim

Randy Gilliam · From: San Antonio, Texas, USA

If they dont fire you after the first couple Of songs Brother Your in like Flinn. Have Fun.

Jim Phelps · From: Mexico City, Mexico

Life is too short to worry about a bad note! What effect will a sour note really have on your life and the whole world?

Have fun and stop worrying.

graham rodger · From: Scotland

i so know all you guys are right....life eh?who would miss it?

graham rodger · From: Scotland

seriously tho,check me out in 20 yrs,bet im good......love this site......

graham rodger · From: Scotland

jim you are right...

graham rodger · From: Scotland

both jims that is,,,,gonna be blindin as a result,keep you informed....cos i can..

Michael Douchette · From: Gallatin, TN (deceased)

Don't worry about your first gig... just worry if it's your LAST gig!

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Mikey D...

Roy Ayres · From: Riverview, Florida, USA, R.I.P.

Graham,

In my professional opinion, here are the basic rules of bandstand etiquette:

1. Never play the melody with the vocalist or with any instrument that is playing a solo chorus. (You may occasionally get away with violating some of the other rules, but not this one.)

2. Swap backups to the vocals with other lead instruments (Don't hog the backups.)

3. Swap instrumental choruses with the other lead players (Don't hog the lead instrumentals.)

4. When playing backup to the vocalist, play fills only between the vocal phrases. (But if no one else is playing the backup on a given vocal chorus, it's OK to sustain soft chords while the vocalist is singing a phrase.)

5. Never forget who is paying your salary (or, if no pay, never forget who the leader is.) Always play whatever the leader asks you to play, whether it pleases you or not.

As stated above, if in doubt, play nothing at all. If the band does not usually have a steel, nobody will be expecting the sound of a steel in the first place.

Following these rules kept me in good paying jobs and on scores of recording sessions for many years.

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Visit my Web Site at RoysFootprints.com
Browse my Photo Album and be sure to sign my Guest Book.

[This message was edited by Roy Ayres on 11 September 2006 at 09:01 PM.]

George McLellan · From: Duluth, MN USA

What Roy said is almost word for word what I go by, just don't get any haggis in your changer

.

Good luck on your gig.

SUAS U' PHIOB

Geo

Jim Gorrie · Posted 12 Sep 2006 3:06 am

. . . would that be the Creetown Festival Graham ?

. . . let us know how you get on ?
also ~ what's the band's name ?

[This message was edited by Jim Gorrie on 12 September 2006 at 04:09 AM.]

graham rodger · From: Scotland

yes jim,its the creetown festival,band is called,"the big o'cajun"....jus a dep job....
theyre runnin 4 nights this year,were on thurs jus b4 stephen smyth from ireland.

graham rodger · From: Scotland

chhers roy for etiquette stuff,kinda know etiquette been playin guitar for years...steel is new,nothin worse than people hoggin..ill be laid back for want of a better word

Klaus Caprani · From: Copenhagen, Denmark

In my opinion try to use the "producer" ears instead of the ears of an instrumentalist under those circumstances.
I took my steel on a gig after 3 weeks and got away with it.

I wouldn't say that you should NEVER play under/support the melodi line, but it takes a lot of experience to do it succesfully, which probably makes it a better deal for newbies to leave it alone all together.

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Klaus Caprani

MCI RangeXpander S-10 3x4
www.klauscaprani.com

graham rodger · From: Scotland

thats quite a web page klaus.cheers

Jonathan Shacklock · From: London, UK

Good luck tonight Graham, let us know how it goes.

graham rodger · From: Scotland

well guys,what was i worried about?i played strings 3 4 5 6 8 to death..loads of swells...a few runs,nothin fancy at all....lost my virginity,just need to learn to play it now....was followed by stephen smyth and band...he plays steel,guitar,mandolin,sax...very good,old standards all night,together again etc,,,but really well,keyboard player was outstanding...our band got loads of good comments....played A n B pedals all night the odd E raise and lower...floor was full of line dancers,might take this up seriously...thanks for your postings..had a great night...had guys on mixin desks and all,luxury....one happy steeler...moi....

Jim Phelps · From: Mexico City, Mexico

Glad to hear everything went well and you had a good time. Keep it up.

Penny Custureri · From: Florida, USA

Graham,
apparently this wasn't your first time playing out, but just your first time playing a differnt instrument publicly. I find the more you play experiences you have playing the ps out, the less jitters you'll have, plus if you become familiar with the style of the band it sure helps.

Derby SD-10, Carter D-10 Gibson EH=150 lap steel, keyboards, mandolin, Taylor classical

Duane Reese · Posted 14 Sep 2006 8:24 pm

Oh but isn't it just like that? Playing a new instrument publicly is like playing out for the first time in many ways.

I first played steel at an open jam in a bar after about 4 months of playing... I didn't exactly smoke it, but it wasn't horrible either - anyway, yeah I was shaking real bad and my volume pedal leg was shaking and I couldn't even move it!

So that was fun - next time after that I got bad jitters was as a sub in a local dinner theater's production of the famed Always... Patsy Cline (on steel) and what freaked me out wasn't what I was doing on the steel - that was fairly basic - it was the formality that did it to me. I was used to playing bars, parties and sofourth. I wasn't used to wearing a costume, following a script, having a music stand in front of me, having almost no room for error to be discrete - heck, what if I had to go to the bathroom?!

Anyway, contrats Graham! You'll look back on times like that and the memories will be sweet.

[This message was edited by Duane Reese on 14 September 2006 at 09:26 PM.]

graham rodger · From: Scotland

yes guys,new instrument is enough to make you feel weak at knees again...like my first guitar gig.i play guitar really well....have done for years.....am confident....steel tho was new...notice i said "WAS".you feel like a beginner whos too advanced in years to feel like a beginner...job done...thanks to all. p.s.there was worse than me doin their stuff...watch this space...i was nervous tho...this instrument is a bit diff,it aint jus move up the neck,requires a bit of homework

but thats why its fun.

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