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Yet another rant: Making It...
(06 Mar 03)
Requirements and Preparation
The gear part involves:
Your gear has to be set up properly. Humming singlecoils won't be accepted by most producers (there are some who don't mind, cuz they know and love the sound of vintage guitars and single coils, but in general, try to avoid that).
I use DiMarzio HS-3 pickups. They're stacked humbuckers, providing a single coil sound with hardly any hum. The guitars should stay in tune. It's a pain in the neck if you have to keep tuning up constantly.
Your amp should be set up, you should have some good presets programmed into your rack-based effects... and if you still need another sound in the studio, you should be able to program it quickly... which means, make yourself familiar with your effects, and bring the manuals too, for quick reference.
And that's only the tip of the iceberg When it comes to playing, you should be able to offer several different versions of a track. That means, if you i.e. are being asked to play a "funky" single note riff over a given chord progression, you should be able (it's not always demanded, but I've been there a few times) to play different variations... muffled, or with a shuffle-feel, or maybe with raked notes in between, different dynamics etc.
Make some suggestions if you feel like it's appropiate. Some artists and producers know exactly what they want you to play and what it has to sound like. Others are open to suggestions, even appreciate it. It's up to you to figure out what kind of person you're working with.
Be patient and polite, and don't lose your nerve just because the pressure is increasing or because the engineer is picky or can't yet decide what exactly he wants to hear.
Really, try to be prepared (it's essential that you're able to play along with a click / metronome... timing's way more important than the ability to sweep augmented arpeggios!), and try to learn and gather as much experience as possible.
Sitting In
I often got (still do) calls to fill in for another guitarist. i.e. If there's a band that has a show booked net week, and their guitarist isn't able to make it for whatever reason...
There are agencies who specialize in making up a database of "hired guns", so they can organize a replacement for a situation like that. I used to be in the database of a few of those.
What usually happens is that I get a call from a representive of the band. I take a piece of paper and a pen, and I write down a few things...
- Date / Place of the gig
- Are there rehearsals before that gig? If yes, when & where?
- How many songs, how long's the program of the band?
- What style of music? Lineup of the band?
- What kind of sounds? ( i.e. what kind of gear does the original guitarist use? Does he use alternate tunings? I sometimes used the gear of the bands guitarist, too!)
- Time of soundcheck? Showtime?
Then I usually ask the caller to provide audio-material. The best thing is a studio recording of the tracks on the setlist, plus some live-recordings. The latter are helpful to check out the arrangement of the songs for shows. Sometimes, there are bunches of guitar tracks on a studio-recording, and I need to know which track / parts the guitarist of the band usually plays.
Also, sometimes the band can provide documentation... lead sheets. Those really are helpful. It takes some time to transcribe everything from those recordings by yourself, so leadsheets etc. are helpful.
Sometimes, you can even meet up with another member of the band, like the keyboarder or bassist, and work your way through the songs.
As soon as I got the audio-material I start to learn the parts. (BTW, I charge more if I have to transcribe a lot!). Based on whether I did get leadsheets or not, this is done quickly or takes a while. Also, it depends on the style of music... with a blues band, I can learn the repertoire quickly, with a fusion- or progressive rock-band, it certainly takes a bit longer.
What helps a lot is not only to play along to the CD / tape, but to listen to the stuff a lot. I once was asked to fill in for the guitarist of a prog-rock band. The songs of that band were usually more than 7 minutes in length! I needed to memorize the structure of those tunes, so I listened to the CD while doing other stuff... after a day or two, I knew the songs pretty well, and it was easier to play through them.
I also always try to memorize as much of the chord progressions and riffs as possible. I always do have a folder with lead sheets and cues on stage, so I can take a peek at it throughout the show. But I always try to memorize the stuff so I don't need that folder. It also depends on the stage presence of the band. If it's... say, a metal band where the band members are moving a lot on stage, headbanging, running around etc., it doesn't look really appropiate to be stuck in one place, looking at a piece of paper the whole time.
If its a band that sits down on stage, like i.e. a blues- or jazz combo, it might be fine to bring a music stand to put the folder on... most people don't mind it then.
I always try to adjust to the image of the band... i.e. stage-clothes. If I am asked to play with a metal act, I dress appropriately. If it's a jazz-band, I sure wear something else. Same goes for the gear... for a blues-band, I don't bring my black Flying V with its green pickups.
For a show with a country-band, I leave my red Vandenberg guitar at home, and will bring my Tele and Strat instead.
It's all part of the show. As I stated in my "Attitude"-rant, it's important to come over positively, to be friendly and confident. You wanna make your "customers" feel good and worry less about the situation.
One important hint: Professional behavior also includes the way you appear at the show and or rehearsal, i.e. how you transport your gear.
Some people actually do pay attention to that, and although that sucks, they might judge you by it. So don't show up bringing your cables tied in a huge knot, carrying it in a Piggly Wiggly-bag... usually people who hire you are a bit nervous about whether you'll be able to pull it off, and it might calm them if your stuff is organized.
Making a name
As I said before, a good way to get jobs like that is to have an agency. There are many agencies and companies who specialize in organizing players for live-shows, TV-appearances, fill-ins etc.
If you wanna be a complete freelancer, taking everything into your own hands, you have to establish yourself. That means, you will have to make some good contacts, and when you eventually get booked for a performance, try your best to be prepared and do a good job.
After a while, you will hopefully get some notoriety.
Some people feel that being a "hired gun", a professional sideman who plays both live and in the studio with many different acts (Michael Landau is one example... a really busy studio musician, and he also plays live, i.e. with Seal ), is not a pleasant job. Sure, it involves a lot of work, and sometimes you have to work with people that you just can't deal with ("big ego"-people).
Also, there is no feeling of stability which you might have if you're part of a band. If you are in one band, you kinda know what you've got. You always work with the same people. But some people prefer that "loner"-type thing, and they enjoy the fact that they're involved in many different musical projects, playing different stuff every time. Also, if you're lucky, if you live in the right area and if you're doing a good job, you might easily make a living that way.
So the sideman-thing might be an altenative for you to gather a lot of experience and play out a lot.
Conclusion
See? No "do it this way and you'll be a millionaire in no-time"-advice. But maybe there's some advice you can use. Whether you wanna work with your own band and try to get somewhere, or if you wanna be a professional sideman (a "Hired gun"), what counts is:
Be professional, be prepared, work hard.
If you want to be a "professional musician", you have to invest just as much work, most likely even more, than every other "professional" (i.e. engineers, technicians etc.)
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Eric started playing the guitar at age 10. He attended GIT and studied with Scott Henderson, Brett Garsed, Dan Gilbert amo. Eric is involved in several bands and recording projects and his instrumental debut - Hidden Creek - plus his instructional book Talking Hands - A Guide To Contemporary Lead Guitar Techniques is available HERE
Visit his website at www.ericvandenberg.net
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