• zguitar
  • Don't call me Sir
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  • From: Mentone, Ca
  • Registered: 2009-01-10
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Topic: First "gig"

I played my first "gig" last night. It's the first time I've played to an audience. I use the term gig very loosely. It was a campfire sing along and boy was it bad. We had a camp out with the kids from the after school program that I volunteer at. I did not expect that playing while others were singing would be so hard. Completely diff than when it's just me. There was maybe 25 people that I was playing to. The songs were all worship songs, except for one, and really not even the whole song. Mostly just the chorus and bridge. Kids have a short attention span ya know. They had lyric sheets and most of the adults knew the songs already. So, the main problem was trying to play as slow as they were singing. I could not control the tempo at all. They sung how they sung. I was reading along as we sung and just butchered everything. It's funny, I was fully aware of  everything that was going on. I could hear them singing, I was reading along and playing, sorta singing myself, knew where I was and where I needed to be, and was trying to make changes. That was kinda neat, being able to process so many things at once. But nevertheless, it was not good. I even played a pop song that all the kids knew and they still sung it very slowly. I'll just say it was an experience.

Keep Rockin!!!!!!!!!!!
  • From: Nova Scotia, Canada
  • Registered: 2013-01-20
  • Posts: 4,083

Re: First "gig"

Hey Z;

First off, good on you for volunteering for this kind of thing. I'll guarantee that the kids probably won't remember your musical performance, as much as they'll recall you "being there" to help encourage them. Well done!

On the accompaniment side of things, that should come quickly with a bit of practice. My wife and I used to run the young peoples group at our church, and I found that capturing their singing rhythm with my toe-tapping gave me a metronome to work with. Hopefully this wee tip will be helpful, but your involvement is the really important part of this ... it's a good gig that serves others.

  • Zurf
  • Zurf
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Re: First "gig"

Well done.

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  • From: Tooele Ut
  • Registered: 2006-03-04
  • Posts: 4,049

Re: First "gig"

I notice the same thing when I am camping and someone is singing along with me that sometimes they will sing faster or slower than I am playing or sing.  I guess it's a normal thing and if you multiply the number of singing people, I can see how it could kind of get out of control.

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  • From: The Land Of Song
  • Registered: 2007-12-10
  • Posts: 5,649

Re: First "gig"

let me just say; the kids probably just thought "wish i had a guitar like that and be able to play like him" this is a fact, i remember thinking the same thing my-self when i was 14 and a kid came to school with his guitar, he just looked good, and i thought played good. he said he was selling the thing and i bought it. it was trash. it fell apart within a few weeks. the action was so high that it was hard to play open chords. i later bought a better guitar and taught myself to play it. then i noticed how mediocre he really was, not that i'm saying you are, but this is how kids think. so take heart, you'll be better next time

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  • From: East sussex, UK
  • Registered: 2008-01-29
  • Posts: 690

Re: First "gig"

Well done for getting out there and doing it! It's never going to be easy singing with a whole group, though - and I don't really have an answer to that, I'm afraid. But I'm sure someone else will have some good ideas...

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  • From: NY
  • Registered: 2009-08-26
  • Posts: 4,320

Re: First "gig"

They need a singing leader to keep them on track.  My Dad is very good at commanding his audience and sing alongs... and it's the loud commanding voice that does it.  Learn to play and sing loud and be the leader!  GOOD for you in doing it!!!

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  • zguitar
  • Don't call me Sir
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  • From: Mentone, Ca
  • Registered: 2009-01-10
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Re: First "gig"

Thanks for all the encouragement. I don't think much of anything would have helped this group. We did have a woman there that was supposed to be our singer. I didn't hear here doing all that much singing tho.


Phill Williams wrote:

let me just say; the kids probably just thought "wish i had a guitar like that and be able to play like him" this is a fact, i remember thinking the same thing my-self when i was 14 and a kid came to school with his guitar, he just looked good, and i thought played good. he said he was selling the thing and i bought it. it was trash. it fell apart within a few weeks. the action was so high that it was hard to play open chords. i later bought a better guitar and taught myself to play it. then i noticed how mediocre he really was, not that i'm saying you are, but this is how kids think. so take heart, you'll be better next time

Funny that you say that Phil. For the summer I have been trying to teach some of these same kids how to play. None of them seem interested. I only sit with them for 1/2 hour a week and they don't have instruments at home to practice with, but still. If one of them wanted to learn this is a perfect opportunity. Instead they sit around and talk and giggle. I'm thinking about kicking some out. We'll see how it goes in the coming weeks.

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Re: First "gig"

Z

Untill the parents help out by getting them the instruments, I would stop.  Your really just wasting time.  Do one more, and tell them "Now if you really want to play, find a way to get a guitar, then come ask me to help you."  Its not mean, its finding out who really wants to learn. Like many of us here, we went in search of...  My son had to earn his first guitar and save the money for it.  It sat for a year or so after his initial year of lessons.  now he asked for lessons again, and being 2 yrs older, he is doing great and playing with out being told to pratice.

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  • From: Paisley, Scotland
  • Registered: 2006-07-09
  • Posts: 337

Re: First "gig"

Gig one.....done! Great work. Gets better and better from there. Now you know you can make a sound come out and won't freeze. Next time you'll have even more control over that sound and then....in ten gigs time as it continues to improve, you might just have a random stinker of a gig, that's my experience anyway smile

Well done for having the pebbles to step up and play. Like phil said, you were probably the only one that noticed something off. More of the same buddy

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