One more rant: Attitude
(22 Nov 02)
Working with others
It's the same when it comes to working and playing with other musicians. It's important to show a positive attitude here. Of course you should be aware of any problems you have to deal with.
What I mean is: sure, there can be problems, but it really doesn't help if you bitch and complain about it or really make your bandmates / colleagues nervous... it makes it even worse for all of you, and it sure won't help to fix those problems.
I remember a show where I was booked as a "hired gun" (a replacement player) by a band for a pretty huge gig. It was not only that it was going to be a pretty big show, no, the whole show would be recorded by a radio station. The keyboarder of that band 'had a freak accident a few days before the show, and it was obvious that he wouldn't be able to play in the show.
The band called up a company which was spezializing in getting "hired guns" for occasions like this, an agency. They recommended a keyboarder, his name was Dave (Hey Dave, didcha find a MIDI-controllable coffee machine yet?!?)
Together with the actual keyboarder of that band, he learned the songs and prepared notation and leadsheets to help him through the gig. Dave actually said "Guys, I'll do my best, please don't worry too much, it's gonna be alright".
Now, the band actually had a lot to take care of and worry about regarding that show, so it actually was a good idea of Dave to calm them.
Sure, you still worry a bit in the back of your head, but the guys just thought "OK, Dave's a pro, he seems to be pretty confident and positive that he's gonna do a good job, so let's try not to worry too much. We're gonna go up there onto the stage and deliver a good show".
I'm not saying that you shouldn't worry about anything anymore. But it's not really cool if you happen to get a great gig and you spoil that success for yourself by being miserable abotu it and driving yourself insane, worrying. You should be on your toes and well-prepared, but you also should try to relax, trust in your abilites and enjoy the occasion.
So anyway, the band played the show, Dave came in well-prepared with leadsheets and some notes he had prepared, and he did play great, nailing all the fills and everything.
To sum this story up: Try to be optimistic and positive, be friendly and polite, and always try to give your best. Sometimes, people might not remember how good you played, but how cooperative and professional you were.
THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT, AND I SEE PROOF OF THAT AGAIN AND AGAIN
Another example?
Last year, a friend of mine invited me to join him and his band on stage to play a song with them as an encore. I went to the venue when they set up their gear, just before the soundcheck.
There were quite a few problems... the PA-system was... well, not really state-of the art, on top of it the soundguy wasn't even very familiar with it. During the soundcheck we figured out that there would be only 2 of 4 monitors working (so only the drummer and the singer had a monitor), which is not really a comfortable thing for a rockband.
The guys were getting a) nervous and b) very bitter and pessimistic, calling this gig the "worst they ever had" even before it started.
Well, I didn't have much to loose, since I was only sitting in for one song, but I still tried to cheer them up, telling them that it still would be a cool gig, giving them some advice on how to deal with the lack of monitoring.
My point is, even if there are very bad circumstances before or during a show, you're not making it better by getting all bitter about it. Of course it's unpleasant, but it makes it even worse if you're depressed or angry or whatever. And really, there always seems to be a problem anyway, so you wouldn't enjoy too many gigs at all!
The Tunnel-view
Sometimes you happen to develop a "tunnel-view", which makes it hard to work with others. One example? OK... A few years ago, the band I was in back then was asked to fill in for a band that wasn't able to make it to a certain gig. So we were all excited (it was a bigger show) and were like "Yes, we'll do a really good job then and blow everyone away".
So we went to the venue and set up. Back then, my guitar setup was still pretty elaborate... I had a big rack full of stuff, a stereo setup plus I used an acoustic guitar.
The other band's guitarist would have used a rather simple "mono" setup, so the sound engineer at that show wasn't prepared for my bigger setup. So he walked up to me and was like... "Uhm... well, if you really want to have boths cabs miked plus use the acoustic guitar, we won't have enough channels left and will have to cut back on the crowd- and drum-mics..."
I didn't notice that he was politely asking me whether it was ok to just play a mono setup, to make life easier for him, for the sake of the show. Also, he hinted at the fact that it would help a lot if I'd used a Strat for clean sounds and maybe leave the acoustic in it's case, since I was going to use it for only one song anyway.
But... I was stressed, and I was determined to give the people a good show. I wanted to use all my gear. I had developed a tunnel-view and was only interested in playing a good show and using all my stuff, not even noticing that I was giving the sound-engineer a really tough time.
I kinda snapped out of it, and I said "OK, I understand. Let's work together here." I used only one cab, left the acoustic in its case, and I think I did good that night anyway. I also was happy that I had made it just a bit easier for the sound-guy. First of all, it felt good cuz he was a bit happier too and had an easier job, and also I knew that he'd most likely remember that, which would be good in case we'd meet and work together again...
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