Playing without set-lists or rehersals.............

[Ward Skinner]

Over the years, I have witnessed several other groups in the area that were obviously thrown together at the last minute, with pickup musicians...Not very professional.

Lee, you most obviously are referring to Kolberg.

[David Ellison]

To me, playing with no rehearsal – just winging it – is by far the most fun way to play. When I was in my mid-20s (late 1980s), I played pedal steel in a band that did traditional country. These guys were all in their 60s, and had been playing for many years. They never rehearsed, ever. I met the singer/lead guitar player at a jam session... that served as my "audition." The first time I played with the band was at a gig... three 45-minute sets at a VFW hall.

These guys loved me because I'd learned to play from old Buck Owens and Ray Price albums, so I knew what to do. I'd grown up hearing mainly country music around the house, so I was familiar with about half their songs. On the others, I just tried to learn the progression while playing it. Then the singer would nod at me and off I'd go. That's my idea of a lot of fun! They never minded if I hit a wrong note, and I always tried to make it clear where I was going so the band could follow.

I think they thought it was weird that someone so young wanted to play with them, but I really enjoyed it. I was, and still am, really into classic traditional country.

[Cal Sharp]

When I was with Faron we backed up Hank Thompson a couple times on package shows when he didn't have a band. He had the foresight to send us a cassette with his songs several weeks in advance. We always meant to listen to that tape...

[Josh Yenne]

yea... I am usually overprepared too...

I always really appreciate the sets if possible and recordings (if originals) and "versions" being done if it is covers....

Then I make up a playlist and just listen insessintly until the gig... hopefully I have the order of the tunes also as I will make up the playlist in order of the actual show.. this really helps.

I listen and mentally mark which ones I should concentrate on.. or have signature lines I should learn.

I always figure that as long as I can hear the song in my head I can probably play it.

Ps. as another poster said.. Its always a little more str4essfull when you show up and realize that there is no other lead players...

zing....time to pay more more.

[Bobby D. Jones]

I once played in a band that that would drive you to drinking if possible. We would get together one night a week for practice. The lady who led the band would be out talking to people before we went on stage. When we got on stage she had a list of requests from people she had talked to. We may have never played the songs or knew who would lead where. If it was one ot those nights when you fingers and ears are together it was good. A few nights was bad. Any time we practiced a song I wrote the song and key down on a sheet in my Rack Box Lid. I corrected her one night on stage on the key of a song. I caught ?!!> that night from her after the show. After that I said nothing. One night she got a key off and about blew the song and the rest of the show. From that night on I named the key for most of the songs. Seems every band is different.

[Mike Neer]

I don't need no stinkin' rehearsals or charts or set lists....well, most of the time. That's because people don't call me to recreate others' parts--they expect me to create my own. Haven't had a rehearsal in about 5 years.

It helps to have great ears and a good knowledge of harmony, because much of the time you can predict what will happen next.

[Ellis Miller]

I have probably played hundreds of fill in gigs... no rehearsal, set list etc... the singer turns around, calls the song and the key and away we go. Not a big deal. I have good ears and most good musicians (the guys in the regular band) have sense enough not to call a complex arrangement with a substitute on board. If called upon to sing, I have lots of easy and/or standard songs that a group of adequate musicians can hang with.

Other than that, I just try to have some fun.

[William Beverly]

Give me the key and the tempo and I'll be with you trying to make the singer and the other guys sound better best I can. On my first pedal gig I brought my Tele for good measure JIC and after three weeks of practicing a 20 song set list with the guy (all on pedal) he opens the show,greets the audience, tells me to pick up the six string, and proceeds to play three songs in a row that weren't on the list! I couldn't leave so I played 'em. Mend the bass player laughed the rest of the night.

[Dave Grafe]

Some years back our group - Tenley Howay and Cayuse, with Gary Ogan and a few other local luminaries - was hired to back up Freddy Fender for a couple of shows at the Multnomah County Fair. We received a cassette from him in the mail, a commercial live release, and learned his arrangements for every song on the tape, including intros, outros, key modulations, etc.

When gig day came FF showed up at the fairgrounds with his wife, two suits of stage clothes, a BIG box of pre-autographed 8"x12" glossy B&W prints and NO GUITAR. We scrambled and found him a guitar to play, walked on stage and away we went. He did a few of the songs that we had rehearsed all right, but played none of them anything like what was on the tape he had sent us; he segued some together that were separate and separated some of the ones that were medleys on the tape but mostly played stuff that was not on the tape at all. In two 75-minute sets we never did a single song the way it was on his tape or even in the same keys, we just tried our best to figure out where he was going and make it look like we had been with him for years.

Funny thing is the audience never did notice and before he left the box of photos was gone, sold to his adoring fans at $10 per

[Barry Blackwood]

Yep, that was Freddy, all the way ….

[Dave Hopping]

Some years back our group - Tenley Howay and Cayuse, with Gary Ogan and a few other local luminaries - was hired to back up Freddy Fender for a couple of shows at the Multnomah County Fair. We received a cassette from him in the mail, a commercial live release, and learned his arrangements for every song on the tape, including intros, outros, key modulations, etc.

When gig day came FF showed up at the fairgrounds with his wife, two suits of stage clothes, a BIG box of pre-autographed 8"x12" glossy B&W prints and NO GUITAR. We scrambled and found him a guitar to play, walked on stage and away we went. He did a few of the songs that we had rehearsed all right, but played none of them anything like what was on the tape he had sent us; he segued some together that were separate and separated some of the ones that were medleys on the tape but mostly played stuff that was not on the tape at all. In two 75-minute sets we never did a single song the way it was on his tape or even in the same keys, we just tried our best to figure out where he was going and make it look like we had been with him for years.

Funny thing is the audience never did notice and before he left the box of photos was gone, sold to his adoring fans at $10 per

He must have spent some time with Chuck Berry!

[Twayn Williams]

I was going to post to this topic my standard "no charts, no play" -- which is certainly how I approach a sit-in swing gig -- but this morning I sat in on dobro with a trio who were doing pretty much nothing but originals and all I needed was the key. So I guess for tunes with only 3 or 4 chords all I really do need is the key. Who'd a thunk???