Some advice please......

[Nicko]

2 minutes ago, lownote12 said:

Ha.  When I joined my first serious band I really wanted their approval, so after the first couple of rehearsals I asked the drummer if what I was doing was OK for him.  "Dunno, didn't listen to you" was the laconic reply. 

Yep, I wouldn't suggest asking the bloke holding the sticks😀

[Nail Soup]

10 hours ago, WinterMute said:

If you make a mistake, do it again, people will assume it's deliberate...

Or glare at the guitarist ........as if it was their mistake!

[Nail Soup]

If you use charts to learn/rehearse the song then gradually wean yourself off the chart before that song goes to gig.

I start with a 'full' chart... then a summarized version, then no chart at all.

I don't take any charts on stage, but I do allow a few 'cheats' on the set list.... the left half of the A4 for the song titles, the right half for some notes on two or three songs which I have a mental block on.

[Lozz196]

1 hour ago, lownote12 said:

Ha.  When I joined my first serious band I really wanted their approval, so after the first couple of rehearsals I asked the drummer if what I was doing was OK for him.  "Dunno, didn't listen to you" was the laconic reply. 

I’d take that as a backhanded compliment, a drummer will always (unless totally deaf or ridiculously loud) notice a bassist that they can’t play with. If they don’t notice you you’re doing something right, unless it not having plugged the amp in of course.

[Doddy]

9 hours ago, Silky999 said:

 I will stay away from using any form of written music aid on stage as per everyone’s advice.

You often see posts on here about how it's a bad thing, but in reality more people do it than you think and no one cares.  If you want some brief notes on the floor or full charts on a tablet (or even a stand),do it. If you don't need them, great, but they are there if you need them. I think it's better to refer to your notes and play something right, than to keep messing up for the sake of looking 'cool'.

[NoRhino]

All of the previous advice from the BC collective is spot on.   All I can add is to have your fretting hand ready at the starting position for the next song in the set.  Not as daft as it sounds  

[WinterMute]

4 hours ago, Nail Soup said:

Or glare at the guitarist ........as if it was their mistake!

I like your thinking...

[Dad3353]

Use whatever you have on hand (a 'phone..?) to record the rehearsals, just as a means of listening back the next day and picking up any issues. You'll not be looking for studio quality, just something to check on anything that comes up.
I'm a drummer, and I drop sticks. I pick another from the bag hanging by and play on. I've maybe a bass drum starting to creep away from me; I discretely use my hi-hat hand to rein it back in. A cymbal stand gets knocked over by a drunken idiot (or the bass player...); I play on and use another for those hits. What I'm getting at is : it's important to continue as if everything is fine, whatever the bum note, dropped pick, foot fallen through rotten stage floor... If you're lost, stop for a second and come back in once you've remembered where you are in the song.
None of these scenarios will happen during your first gig, but are very likely in a whole playing career. Keep it going; that's the thing.
Timing is more important than notes, so keep tapping your foot. In many (most..?) songs, the drums give some clue as to when the verses end, or the solo is over. Listen to what the drums are doing.
Have fun, and be part of everyone else having fun. 

[BassAdder60]

I don’t like seeing singers with words in front of them .. so many even at gigs seem to do this and it looks terrible !

I think some odd song notes on your setlist is ok maybe the key of the song next to the song title 

At practice yep notes on the floor at very new material is ok .. 

As mentioned before remember it’s what we do for fun so enjoy it 

[Dad3353]

1 minute ago, BassAdder27 said:

I don’t like seeing singers with words in front of them .. so many even at gigs seem to do this and it looks terrible !...

This is a reflection more of yourself than that of the musician, though. There's nothing wrong with doing what it takes to play the gig. 

[Alien]

19 hours ago, TheGreek said:

Anything you're likely to be playing on stage you would most likely have rehearsed to death many, MANY times before. It'll come to you...once the music starts your nerves will probably disappear.

 

19 hours ago, musicbassman said:

You already clearly have a very professional attitude to your playing, and that's half the battle already won!

I wish you the very best 

 

19 hours ago, Lozz196 said:

Don’t take liquid courage before the gig. You will feel better if you do but your playing won’t benefit from it.

That's about all the advice you'll ever need.  I reckon it's OK to be a little bit nervous onstage - it'll make you focus a bit more.  Don't let it get to you too much, and don't beat yourself up over the odd bum note - chances are nobody but you even noticed it, and as long as it's just the odd one you can carry on as though you meant it.

A

 

 

[BassAdder60]

9 minutes ago, Dad3353 said:

This is a reflection more of yourself than that of the musician, though. There's nothing wrong with doing what it takes to play the gig. 

Not really it’s more the fact that singers ( generally) seem to disengaged from the audience when they are staring at words on a stand and not moving from the same spot all night.. but hey we all see things differently but for me at a gig it looks very amateurish for a front person to be gigging this way. 

 

Edited May 16, 2021 by BassAdder27

[BassAdder60]

5 minutes ago, Alien said:

 

 

That's about all the advice you'll ever need.  I reckon it's OK to be a little bit nervous onstage - it'll make you focus a bit more.  Don't let it get to you too much, and don't beat yourself up over the odd bum note - chances are nobody but you even noticed it, and as long as it's just the odd one you can carry on as though you meant it.

A

 

 

Good advice .. it’s amazing what the audience don’t actually notice .. again they pick up more things visually sometimes ie all looking down at the floor or a band members reaction to a bum note ! 

[Dad3353]

3 minutes ago, BassAdder27 said:

... it looks very amateurish for a front person to be gigging this way. 

Some bands (and singers...) are amateurs. 

[Dad3353]

6 minutes ago, BassAdder27 said:

... it looks very amateurish for a front person to be gigging this way. 

Some are not ... 

[Lord Sausage]

Just be a self absorbed, arrogant prick like me. You'll think everything you do is magic and won't care what the reality is

[BassAdder60]

1 minute ago, Dad3353 said:

Some bands (and singers...) are amateurs. 

Indeed that’s very true ... every band starts off as amateur and some are lucky to have success .. even so I still think it looks a bit school band !! ( nothing against school bands as many are fantastic) 

[Alien]

6 minutes ago, Dad3353 said:

Some are not ... 

You'd think he'd be able to remember 'When the levee breaks' by now though wouldn't you?

 

[BassAdder60]

10 minutes ago, Dad3353 said:

Some are not ... 

Can’t say I’ve seen many amateur bands with a crowd like that !! 
But again can you imagine how naff it would look if he kept looking down to the floor trying to read lyrics !

Edited May 16, 2021 by BassAdder27

[4000]

8 hours ago, joeystrange said:

I know a lot of musicians and I don’t know a single one who this has ever happened to. It’s something that people often worry about when they start out but as long as you’re well prepared (which it sounds like you are) then your unconscious brain will take over and you’ll be just fine.

Just have fun, be confident, try to relax and don’t think about making mistakes. Overthinking can be a bad thing.

Once you’ve done a few gigs back you’ll have more confidence and none of this will be a worry to you anymore.

But mostly have fun!

I know quite a few this has happened to! Even  Jeff Berlin once forgot to come in when playing with AWBH....

As someone who suffers dreadfully with anxiety generally (I have PTSD) and has had it increase rather than diminish over decades, the best advice I can offer is remember to breathe, and to breathe properly, and try and relax before the show. People will tell you you’ll be fine, but if something goes wrong and you find you’re not fine, the fact that people have told you you should be can make it even worse. Everyone is different. Some people get a bit nervous, some people suffer dreadful stage fright, some don’t and others love the whole experience of being onstage. Understand that things might go wrong but its not the end of the world (I’ve seen very few pro musicians over 40 years of playing who haven’t dropped a bollock somewhere) and that the more often you play the easier it should get. I find the worst thing is long breaks between gigs. 
 

Oh, one other thing. A bass-playing friend once told me that the only way he ever knew I’d dropped a bollock on a gig was I immediately pulled a face. Try not to do that!😂
 

 

 

Edited May 16, 2021 by 4000

[BassAdder60]

1 minute ago, 4000 said:

I know quite a few this has happened to! Even  Jeff Berlin once forgot to come in when playing with AWBH....

As someone who suffers dreadfully with anxiety generally (I have PTSD) and has had it increase rather than diminish over decades, the best advice I can offer is remember to breathe, and to breathe properly, and try and relax before the show. People will tell you you’ll be fine, but if something goes wrong and you find you’re not fine, the fact that people have told you you should be can make it even worse. Everyone is different. Some people get a bit nervous, some people suffer dreadful stage fright, some don’t and others love the whole experience of being onstage. Understand that things might go wrong but its not the end of the world (I’ve seen very few pro musicians over 40 years of playing who haven’t dropped a bollock somewhere) and that the more often you play the easier it should get. I find the worst thing is long breaks between gigs. 
 

 

 

Very true 

[Dad3353]

6 minutes ago, BassAdder27 said:

Can’t say I’ve seen many amateur bands with a crowd like that !! 
But again can you imagine how naff it would look if he kept looking down in the floor trying to read lyrics !

It's only a question of budget; if he needs the prompt, he's best served with a prompt. If looks are so important, how bad does it look if the singer (or any musician...) messes up and the mind goes blank..? I understand, but the important thing is to be comfortable on stage, not to preen and risk losing the plot altogether.
When I was drumming for show-bands, I had my drum scores on a music stand beside me. I didn't need to look at them, but played all the better for the binder being there. 

Edited May 16, 2021 by Dad3353

[Lord Sausage]

25 minutes ago, Dad3353 said:

It's only a question of budget; if he needs the prompt, he's best served with a prompt. If looks are so important, how bad does it look if the singer (or any musician...) messes up and the mind goes blank..? I understand, but the important thing is to be comfortable on stage, not to preen and risk losing the plot altogether.
When I was drumming for show-bands, I had my drum scores on a music stand beside me. I didn't need to look at them, but played all the better for the binder being there. 

When touring musicals, a guitarist on one show couldn't read music but had his music on a stand next to him anyway. We were on stage too.

[MacDaddy]

Nobody notices the bass player so don't worry about it...

[KingPrawn]

It’s very normal to feel this way. As you said the last year has impacted on all of us and our live performance. You sound to me like your good to go. Your fingers are gig  ready ( mine aren’t). I would say. Prepare your gear well. Spend time getting a tone your happy with at sound check. One method I’ve always used is to visualise the set. Particularly tasty/ prominent  elements. I visualise structure and my finger positioning. It’s basically a mindfulness exercise. Keeps me anchored and in the moment. What’s gone is gone. What’s to come has not yet happened. Stay in the moment.