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Gigging Archives - Page 10

Organizational Skills for Bassists: A Checklist for Getting There
I Wish I Knew That

Organizational Skills for Bassists: A Checklist for Getting There

I’ve just spent the past hour tearing apart my room, searching through notebooks and drawers, on top of shelves and beneath the bed, and I still can’t find what I’m looking for. Frantically, I called a friend to create a distraction (secretly hoping that what I’m looking for will magically appear right in front of me), and his response was,...

Getting Noticed – Part 1: Your Demo
Ask Damian Erskine

Getting Noticed – Part 1: Your Demo

Q: I’ve reached the point where I know I need to meet new people to get my career up to the next level, but I don’t know where to start. What do you think makes effective networking in the context of being a musician as opposed to an artist who has written songs? How do you know the right person...

The Bass Solo: A Guide to Soloing More Freely
Ask Damian Erskine

The Bass Solo: A Guide to Soloing More Freely

Q: I am at a stage with playing jazz where I feel confident playing bass lines, such as walking through challenging pieces. Given time to learn the chord sequence, I am pretty confident at playing solos over the top of backing tracks and grooves. My problem is that when playing with a jazz band – when everyone cuts out for...

Performing Live: Memorization vs. Reading vs. Improvisation
Ask Damian Erskine

Performing Live: Memorization vs. Reading vs. Improvisation

Q: I’m not a professional musician, but lately I’ve been performing a lot more often. I play both upright bass and bass guitar, and I like to play just about any style of music: pop, funk, folk, jazz. These two things have made me somewhat “in demand” in part-timers’ circles and has led me to get involved in two or...

I Ain’t Superstitious: Personal Quirks and Why They Work
I Wish I Knew That

I Ain’t Superstitious: Personal Quirks and Why They Work

It’s 6pm… time to get the gear in the car, enter the club’s address into the GPS, and get on the road. It takes exactly five minutes and three trips to pack: one trip for each cabinet (the two fit side by side in the trunk), and one trip for the amp head, bag o’ stuff, and bass (all of...

Consistency: From the Practice Shed to the Bandstand
Ask Damian Erskine

Consistency: From the Practice Shed to the Bandstand

Q: I seem to have an issue with consistency. I seem to be able to pull certain licks and lines together when practicing, but it always falls apart when I’m actually playing with the band. Any tricks to develop consistency? A: Tricks? No. But I do have some thoughts. 1. Context I had a realization after something similar to what...

Earplugs… A Love-Hate Relationship (Part 2: Where, When, and Why)
I Wish I Knew That

Earplugs… A Love-Hate Relationship (Part 2: Where, When, and Why)

Photo by Quinn Dombrowski In Part 1 of this series, we looked at two different types of earplugs, the over-the-counter ones as well as the custom molded ones, and some of the benefits of each. Now, let’s think about when to use them and how to get comfortable playing with them in. Before we jump in, let me say that...

Earplugs… A Love-Hate Relationship (Part 1: Options)
I Wish I Knew That

Earplugs… A Love-Hate Relationship (Part 1: Options)

Ever rush out of the house in the morning and forget something that you always have with you? Your watch, perhaps? Or maybe your reading glasses? As soon as you realize that you’ll have to go all day without this beloved item, you start to feel uncomfortable, annoyed, and metaphorically naked. It is a truly awful feeling that I’ve experienced...

Cable Considerations: A Guide (and Discussion) for Bass Players
Ask Damian Erskine

Cable Considerations: A Guide (and Discussion) for Bass Players

Q: Are expensive boutique cables really worth the expense? A: There are two ways we can look at this question. One is tech, the other is a combination of perception and experience. The technical explanation involves more of a scientific look at how cables work: signal purity, conductivity and so on. I’m not a technical guy, so I’ll share with...

Stage Volume: Turn Up and Play Light (and Other Considerations)
Ask Damian Erskine

Stage Volume: Turn Up and Play Light (and Other Considerations)

Q: In hard rock and metal music, many players – including me – resort to playing with a heavy right hand to cut through the mix of distortion. As time goes by my right wrist starts to experience some pain and I’m thinking I should be playing lighter. Jeff Berlin and Gary Willis have been advocating “turn up and play...

Gigging? Make a Reserve Tune List
I Wish I Knew That

Gigging? Make a Reserve Tune List

It’s 11:58, and you just finished a killer set. So much so that the crowd is clapping, fist pumping, raising their drinks in the air and collectively begging for one more song. The band members look around at one another and think, “yeah, this is awesome! But what are we gonna do???” You played through the set list and it...

Flu Season Fumbles and Avoiding Lost Gigs
I Wish I Knew That

Flu Season Fumbles and Avoiding Lost Gigs

As we get over the start of a new year and the holidays seem like a distant memory, we enter a new season with the worst surprise of them all… the flu. With the weather, the “warriors” who insist on coming into the office, travel, and the nights off to hang out with friends at the bar, we’re unusually exposed...