what do you do when your guitarist breaks a string mid set?

[Gust0o]

[quote name='EssentialTension' post='1298766' date='Jul 10 2011, 09:04 AM']I'd expect the guitarist to make it to the end of the song with a missing string and then change strings in about one minute between songs.[/quote]

This. Mine stopped once and I nearly kicked him off the stage. We did arrange a small slow clap, for encouragement, mind.

[mybass]

[quote name='skidder652003' post='1298705' date='Jul 10 2011, 01:53 AM']So there we were, in the middle of "just got paid" / "American woman" by ZZ Top/ The guess Who - in the pub tonight when the guitarist busts a string, goes out of tune and stops playing. What would you guys do in that situatiion? Me and the drummer improvised into a dodgy jazz funk thing for a couple of minutes whilst said guitarist fumbles for new strings, restrings and retunes. We discussed it after the gig, and as its happened before and likely to happen again we think we should have a standby "question and answer" thing going on between myself and the drummer to cover the guitarists ass. Its really panicky when it happens in a room full of punters! Any ideas, experiences? Dont suggest he gets a standby axe cos he hasnt got a pot to piss in [/quote]

DRUM SOLO!!!!!

[Nyl]

laugh while me and the drummer launch into a mid song interlude

[hairyhaw]

Probably jinxing myself here but I haven't come across this in five years. Dunno, maybe the guitarists I've played with have been gentle players.

I do however remember the last time it happened really well, because it was at a prison gig in Glasgow. What did the guitarist do? Played to the end of the song of course. Then changed his string. In front of four hundred cons and half a dozen screws. What did the singer do? Mumbled away into the mike for a minute or so then for no reason at all played the opening four bars of Mull of Kintyre.

[IanCorps]

Only happened to me once ,,the Bassist just laughed evil sod

[Slipperydick]

[i][b]what do you do when your guitarist breaks a string mid set?, carry on or look a tw*t?[/b][/i]

If its a 3 piece, the and the guitarist stops to change it. Assuming its a pub you keep playing, walk calmly up to the mic, grin, point at the drummer and say " Gordons gonna play one of his famous drum solo's"

Then have a drink while said guitarist changes the string, drum solos go on foever, or at least seem to.

[seashell]

At my very first (and so far only!) gig this happened:
It was just me on bass and my mate (singer and songwriter of dubious comedy songs) on guitar, bass drum and kazoo. With the kazoo in a harmonica harness. Just before his big kazoo solo (yeah, I know but this is comedy) the harness slipped and the kazoo swivelled round to the back of his neck. So he took both hands off the guitar to retrieve it.
He just shouted 'carry on, Shell' over his shoulder and I had to play a bit on my own while he sorted himself out. Luckily it was simple blues in F so sounded OK on its own. I probably only played about a bar before he sorted himself out, but to me if felt like an eternity. My first bass solo

[daz]

zeesh! you just carry on best you can with the remaning strings. seen bands do it dozens of times.

or this:
[quote name='BigRedX' post='1310312' date='Jul 20 2011, 02:06 PM']When I was gigging as a guitarist rather than a bassist I would have never considered going on stage without at least one back-up guitar ready tuned and easily accessible in case I broke a string.[/quote]

im sure thats what any half professional musician would do. Always have a back up in the wings.

Edited August 2, 2011 by daz

[clarkpegasus4001]

This has happened to us, well not exactly, but our guitarists effects packed up and started to just buzz very loudly and I just carried on regardless. This has happened twice at gigs but he seems to have sorted it out now. So I would say carry on!
Also I have only played two gigs on a 6 string. On my very first gig I snapped B string just before the last track and the intro REALLY needed that string. The bass player and I didn't know what to do as I hadn't got a spare, so we both went up to the mic and hummed the opening bit! then just carried on. It was a good laugh anyway and the audience seemed to find it comical.......we still got an encore!

[Doddy]

I hate it when the bass player and drum launch into an improv when there is a gap for whatever reason-usually
because it ends up being a really lame 'funk' thing.

[the_skezz]

Happened once, the guitarist didn't have any spares so had to go and find someone who did. Me and the drummer improvised during this time - that is, he went off on one on the drums, and I tried to place some well known basslines over it interconnected with some improv

Didn't seem to have gone down too badly, considering...one person commented that the guitarist should break strings more often. I'm not sure if that's a testimony to mine and the drummer's ability or a slight on the band's playing...

Edited August 13, 2011 by the_skezz

[Chris2112]

Definitely time to apologise to the audience and break out a nice bass solo with the drummer backing you up!

[Spike Vincent]

Our guitarist has learned the hard way that the best option is rip off the broken string and carry on.Really short songs helps this approach,though.He's also learned how to dodge flying Precisions,too.

[janmaat]

[quote name='Doddy' post='1324467' date='Aug 2 2011, 04:24 PM']I hate it when the bass player and drum launch into an improv when there is a gap for whatever reason-usually
because it ends up being a really lame 'funk' thing.[/quote]

+1 don't.

get a spare guitar, or a spare guitarist, a guest musician to jump on board, practise a piece without guitar, or get some really good jokes ready to fill the gap. oh that reminds me must start a thread with gap filling jokes.