bassintheface Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 I've got my first musical theatre gig this weekend. Had a last minute call from a friend of mine - she's head of music at a local(ish) secondary school and also runs a large performing arts academy for kids through to adults. They're putting on "little shop of horrors" this weekend and the guy she was using to play bass was struggling with making rehearsals. I'm quite looking forward to it, although it doesn't leave me much time to learn anything with working all week and other commitments, but I'm getting the pad dropped off on mon, so at least I can have a quick look at any potentially nasty bits in advance, top and tail the starts and endings and read the rest on the night! - I can only make a rehearsal on the day of the 1st show. It's difficult when I don't really know any of the songs! It's the Broadway version apparently. It's meant to be a sell out (guessing lots of proud parents) in an 800 capacity theater. We're playing in the pit and it's a full production with good techs and sound system. Thankfully, I'm mates with the other musicians, who are all great and will help - the guitarist is the singer / guitarist in my function band, the drummer is one of my good mates and the keys player is a mate who I've done a few gigs with previously - he's done all sorts over the years - played keys for Echo and the Bunnymen, The Lightening Seeds and the Ordinary Boys etc, so I'm looking forward to playing with them! Any tips from you regular 'pit' players? I've done pit stuff before as a tuba player for things like "brassed off" with Terry Hands and "the full monty", but not in a 'rock band' type setting without a formal conductor. We're just getting visual cues apparently........... I'm thinking I'll probably only need to take 1 of my DB112's, as there's a full line array in the theatre. Anyways, any tips from you regulars will be greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary mac Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 Not done any of this type of gigging, so no tips but wish you luck with it . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmo Valdemar Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 I'd love to do something like that. Let us know how you get on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 LSOH is a relatively easy pad. Lots of rock n roll cliches, nothing overly taxing, just a lot of fun. Feed me, Seymour!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassintheface Posted June 6, 2014 Author Share Posted June 6, 2014 Good to hear as I'm not familiar with it one bit. Maybe I should familiarise myself with lots of popular musicals and get hold of and learn the bass parts so I can do more depping! I used to do a similar thing years ago with orchestral tuba repertoire and got hold of tuba parts to many of the 'standards' - great experience whilst I was doing my a levels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve-bbb Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 done this sort of thing years ago but as a guitarer and was jolly good fun invest in one of the small (but disproportionately expensive) whisper-silent fans for when the weather gets a bit close as you may not always have the luxury of playing a nice airconned theatre Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Sausage Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 I just always try to get the arrangements 100% sorted in my head first. Know where every song is going. Then i get by by playing as little as possible. I never embellish anything, just keep to the pad but then again i do try to make things simpler when i can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowdown Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 Little shop is pretty straight forward. But do remember that the carver/MD is as god as god can get. If he want's to move tempos around he will. A big job for him is connecting the chorus/ cast with the band. So it's all ears as well as eyes. Good peripheral vision from behind your stand, And don't get distracted. Above all, relax and enjoy, no will one will die, Unless it's Jesus Christ Superstar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpaceChick Posted June 6, 2014 Share Posted June 6, 2014 Sounds great fun! The only time I've been in a pit was as an Oboeist!! Best one, was Fiddler on the Roof which needed a Cor Anglais (like a bass Oboe I suppose), I didn't own one and only got to borrow one for the actual gigs! lol! So first time I played one was about an hour before the actual show!!! Ah those were the days!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJT Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 My 16 year old son has done several of these now and is never without a torch (he is always dropping stuff), clip on tuner, a selection of chocolate and some water!!!! He gets by with 1 GS112 and AG500. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skej21 Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 My first one was 'Hairspray'... It was great fun and got me totally hooked! I just take my GS112 and my LMIII and that's usually enough (with a DI signal into the PA if needed). I ALWAYS take my Korg pitchblack though. It's good if I need to tune quickly during the show but it's also nice to have it under your feet so you can cut the signal during silent sections so there's no unwanted string noise or clattering etc. Good luck and hope you have fun :-) Oh, and take a good pencil and rubber lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Sausage Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 [quote name='lowdown' timestamp='1402069141' post='2469786'] So it's all ears as well as eyes. Good peripheral vision from behind your stand, And don't get distracted. [/quote] +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_5 Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 +1 for the pencil and rubber, a muting tuner (like the pitch-black) are highly recommended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonbass Posted June 7, 2014 Share Posted June 7, 2014 As I remember there's only one section up the dusty end of the fretboard in LSOH, which is in a tune called Suppertime. Great tune, but I personally wouldn't want to sight read it. The rest of the pad is a breeze, especially if you've seen the film. Definitely my favourite musical to play. You might want to try monitoring yourself with one side of an in ear headphone bud set, as often the sound guys will try to get you incredibly quiet in a pit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodney72a Posted June 8, 2014 Share Posted June 8, 2014 Don't underestimate it. There are no easy shows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scalpy Posted June 8, 2014 Share Posted June 8, 2014 Take both your cabs but just use the top one. Same footprint and you can hear yourself just that bit better! Also, one tip I've learned off the old hands is to make your pencil markings as soft as possible, makes rubbing them out on the last night much easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moonbass Posted June 8, 2014 Share Posted June 8, 2014 [quote name='rodney72a' timestamp='1402187643' post='2470898'] Don't underestimate it. There are no easy shows. [/quote] ...Oliver? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scalpy Posted June 8, 2014 Share Posted June 8, 2014 [quote name='moonbass' timestamp='1402221573' post='2471028'] ...Oliver? [/quote] Some shows can root fifth root fifth hell admittedly. I just spent a week doing one like that, (somebody had even written in all the notes, not always correctly in biro) but you have to content yourself with being accurate with note lengths, dynamically accurate, hitting the tempo changes, phrasing with the rest of the band, jumping back for the new scene change music the directors added for the last night, vamping for twice as long as you thought you would because someone's stuck doing a costume change etc etc and all the usual things that happen in live theatre! I love it, but a week at a time does me, how the west end guys do months without going insane I have no idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_5 Posted June 8, 2014 Share Posted June 8, 2014 Oh, and excellent bladder control is de rigueur... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassintheface Posted June 9, 2014 Author Share Posted June 9, 2014 (edited) Cheers all! Some sensible and helpful suggestions / reminders - and some that I pretty much do anyway, such as a few pencils and rubbers. I have a music stand and clip on LED light if required. My TC Polytune will mute and my cabs are flightcased so I'll take just the one and sit it on the flightcase. I'll make sure I've got some water / chocolate too! I had the pad this morning, though I'm working all day everyday in the week, so I can only look through it over a couple of evenings. Pretty standard stuff by the looks of it, but will still do as much prep as I can - and yes, the coda in "Suppertime" is up the 'dusty end'...... I'm looking forward to it, though I just wish I had more notice, as I'd rather a couple of rehearsals with the band and maybe a full show run through before doing the gig, so it'll be full 'eyes on' I imagine!! Just going to spend some time listening to the tracks on youtube - we're doing the Broadway version, with a couple of songs from the film version. I'll let you know how I get on! Cheers. Edited June 9, 2014 by bassintheface Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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