chris_b Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 Chaps, I'm in a couple of bands that want to have a no charts rule on stage. I approve, I think it looks more professional but I have a problem, my brain is full. No really, it is! I'm thinking, is it possible to put the charts on an iPad or an equivalent gadget rather than standing behind folder full of paper? Has anyone been down the same route? What did you do? I know I should learn the numbers. That's my last option, but if I can utilise technology in order to make my life easier I'd be a happier bass player. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xilddx Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 [quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1384999592' post='2283403'] Chaps, I'm in a couple of bands that want to have a no charts rule on stage. I approve, I think it looks more professional but I have a problem, my brain is full. No really, it is! I'm thinking, is it possible to put the charts on an iPad or an equivalent gadget rather than standing behind folder full of paper? Has anyone been down the same route? What did you do? I know I should learn the numbers. That's my last option, but if I can utilise technology in order to make my life easier I'd be a happier bass player. [/quote] One of our violinists uses her iPad for scores on stage. We also prefer not to have music stands on stage and the violins don't usually need them now, it's just that we have a bunch of new songs. The iPad seems to work really well for scores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratman Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 Your brain isn't full. That's just your excuse to yourself. You just have to do a gig without your charts and prove to yourself that you can do it. It happened to me a while back. I was running a very slick function band and once at soundcheck I realised I forgot my pad. I nearly freaked. But, I did a 3 hour gig, and made 2 mistakes. The pad stayed at home after that. Take the leap of faith at your next gig and just get on with your playing. And you'll have more fun if your nose isn't buried in charts all night long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinball Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 (edited) [quote name='ratman' timestamp='1385023526' post='2283454'] Your brain isn't full. That's just your excuse to yourself. You just have to do a gig without your charts and prove to yourself that you can do it. It happened to me a while back. I was running a very slick function band and once at soundcheck I realised I forgot my pad. I nearly freaked. But, I did a 3 hour gig, and made 2 mistakes. The pad stayed at home after that. Take the leap of faith at your next gig and just get on with your playing. And you'll have more fun if your nose isn't buried in charts all night long. [/quote] Hmm I think that's simplistic as everyone is different. My memory is fine for playing but really bad for lyrics. Even though I wrote the songs I can't remember or repeat the lyrics from our new stuff but I can remember songs I did 35 years ago. At weekend we tried doing some of the new songs but I just floundered even though we tried repeating them over and over. What ever makes your life easy I say. Edited November 21, 2013 by Pinball Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skankdelvar Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 (edited) The soon-come Googleglass (or one of the alternatives, such as below) will be the chart-averse muso's friend. Discreet, eh? [size=3][b]ChrisB[/b]: "No, I'm really not reading charts onstage, guys. Honest, it's just porn."[/size] [size=3].[/size] Edited November 21, 2013 by skankdelvar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jakenewmanbass Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 I use an iphone to read on stage and it's perfectly fine so the larger screen of the ipad would certainly suffice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 I'm with ratman. Try & avoid the charts & learn the songs. Use the charts at rehearsal for the entire band, but I encourage everyone to learn the lyrics as it makes it easier to learn the arrangement & where the changes are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratman Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 [quote name='Pinball' timestamp='1385024086' post='2283455'] Hmm I think that's simplistic as everyone is different. My memory is fine for playing but really bad for lyrics. [/quote] That's true, we are all different. The point I was making was that I had to find myself in at the deep end to find out I could do it without charts. It worked for me though. If I had a terrible gig I guess I would have brought them next time. I agree with your comment about lyrics though. I have to work a lot harder to learn lyrics, and I only do BV's! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted November 21, 2013 Author Share Posted November 21, 2013 [quote name='ratman' timestamp='1385023526' post='2283454'] ....Your brain isn't full. That's just your excuse to yourself.... [/quote] I know it's an excuse. They want to take my security blanket away!! None of my bands rehearse. We get MP3's, Youtube links and charts via email. For the regular bands I hardly look at at the charts these days, but I'm just trying to find out if there's a better, more acceptable "safety net" out there. I think it would be mostly be used for new numbers and "one off" or dep gigs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbyrne Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 (edited) The only chart I usually have is the set list. I've never used them, always learned the songs. Even when I depped last New Year I learned the set list in 10 days. I started in the early 60's - you didn't have charts then - people would have laughed at you. I might use them at rehearsals, but never on stage. G. Edited November 21, 2013 by geoffbyrne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvin Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 Charts aren't what they were, most of it these days is just rubbish...all that manufactured ....oh, sorry, wrong charts. As you were. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seashell Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 I know that feeling of the brain being full! I feel like mine is full and I only know a few songs. As soon as I learn a new one, an earlier one seems to drop out of my head Nevertheless, it has never occurred to me to use charts on stage. I think that's because in a previous incarnation I was a dancer, so am used to having to know all the moves before you go on. You can't exaclty have charts for dancing. Another difficulty is with encroaching age, I couldn't read a chart anyway if I have my 'distance' contact lenses in. I'm also finding this a problem with using other people's amps at open mics etc because as soon as I get close enough to it to plug in I can't see where to plug it. If you see what I mean. Matron. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sam-davies Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 There's microphone stand clips you can get for iPads/tablets which keep things a bit tidier, I always found having it on top of my amp as a back up or on the pedal board helped. Using numbers cuts down the need for multiple sheets of paper/changing pages on a tablet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicman20 Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 Seems like an expensive option! Unless you want to use the iPad for other applications. I'd just try to perhaps slim down the folder/charts and have the music stand to one side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sam-davies Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 [quote name='Musicman20' timestamp='1385039499' post='2283684'] Seems like an expensive option! Unless you want to use the iPad for other applications. [/quote] I should've wrote "if you have an iPad/tablet". Second-hand ones are pretty easy to pick up these days, I was fortunate to get one through work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevB Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 (edited) Like 'shell getting to an age where I can't see half of what I'm doing on stage anyway. I guess if i had my reading specs on and it was in decent size font on an ipad secured to the mic stand in one of those clips I might get away with it. My guess is by the time I'd figured where I was the song would have moved on anyway though! I've tried working from notes thrust in my hand at jam sessions in the past and usually it's a nightmare. Much rather be prepared in advance and at least have a fighting chance of an approximation of what I'm supposed to be doing. I think I'm getting close to my limit of what I can reliably commit to memory though. Stuff I was fluent with at jam sessions a couple of years ago if they cam eup out of the blue now without warning I'd struggle with, It's the regular repetition stuff that sticks so I can recall everything my current band chucks at me now no probs (only about 25-30 songs so no big deal). Doesn't mean I don't make mistakes but at least I'm sure what I [i]should[/i] have been playing Never used charts for a proper gig ever to my recollection, but I hardly ever do deps. Edited November 21, 2013 by KevB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambient Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 I use a scanning app and either goodnotes or kindle apps to view them. Goodnotes is excellent, you can add your own notes to whatever you've scanned in. Just make sure you set it not to go to sleep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JapanAxe Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 I used to be really bad at learning lyrics, but fine at remembering music. Then I started to front my own band and didn't want a music stand in front of me, so I had to learn how to learn lyrics. Now I know the words for at least 80 songs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nottswarwick Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 Use the ipad with PDF scans that you scan into it using docscan app. I find that if I learn a song form memory in the first place it sticks, but if I have written if down forts, it takes me a while to get it in my head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 I think maybe we all have different ideas about a chart reading this, I have never used a chart for gigs doing the usual beatles through to kings of leon, chic, rolling stones etc but I have written a few things on the discreetly hidden set list like altered keys, chords through a middle 8 etc. What about a 2 hour jazz gig though? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nottswarwick Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 To clarify. I never use charts, for anything. But I am aware that I have the ability to learn retain songs quickly and easily if I learn them first off and don't write them down. Thqt way the chart never become a crutch. The most I will do is write keys on the set list but that will only be for dep gigs. But I know I am lucky, it is just something I can "do". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 I wrote a combined setlist and cribsheet for my club band - I knew most of the songs but not all and I didn't want to pollute my brain with the remainder. Then I copied the file to an Android tablet and viewed it in Firefox. Should work in Safari too. I also made it so the song order can be changed by dragging songs around. If anyone wants to download it and play with it for their own ends, it's now at [url="http://tauzero.org.uk/misc/set_and_cribsheet_draggable.html"]http://tauzero.org.uk/misc/set_and_cribsheet_draggable.html[/url] with apologies for the songs (and some of the coding). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 I don't see the objection to charts that you couldn't apply to an i-pad... you are stiill going to look at it and turn a page even with a pedal ... The i-pad might be tidier so if you need prompts then go with that.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jezzaboy Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 The singer in my last gig used an Nexus thinghy and had a cool little adaptor that fitted onto his mic stand. Looked okay and is much better than having a music stand or similar on stage. If you feel you need one, get one. Anything that makes you feel better on stage you should use. Most singers use lcd monitors on stage for the lyrics or do what Kelly Jones of the Stereophonics does and stick it inside a floor monitor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambient Posted November 21, 2013 Share Posted November 21, 2013 I don't see the problem with having charts on stage. As long as you're not frantically searching through a sheaf of out of order scraps of paper then it looks perfectly professional. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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