As a supplement to the large bodies of valuable information available, these lists of “Pro Musicians’ Tip” has been compiled from years of personal experience, observing others and by personal survey of about a dozen working professionals spanning all echelons of the business from local clubs to major-venue players and stage hands. In my book, How To Make A Living as a Musician, these were listed as appendix material, called “Miscellaneous Tips & Advices.” These tips represent dues well paid over many, many years. Though this is a hefty list, there are hundreds of other tips around to be discovered. Use them to enhance your prosperity as a musician!

 

 


    GUITAR & BASS

  1. Guitarists who finger-pick need to keep the right hand nails groomed so they don’t catch on the strings. Some use a diamond nail file, while others use a very fine grade metal sand paper.
  2. Bassists need to keep the tips of the right hand fingers filed down when callused. When the tips of the fingers have different degrees of hardness, the timbre of the sound changes when it might need to be the same.
  3. On a neck-heavy electric bass, a shoestring strung between the lowest tuning key and the strap will counter balance the weight of the neck and ease up on shoulder and neck pain as well as fatigue from having to “hold” the neck in place.
  4. Guitarists and bassists, as a rule, tune with a tuner at gigs with the volume off at the amp.
  5. Guitarists shouldn’t constantly noodle between tunes. This can annoy everyone around, be distracting, and sound unprofessional.
  6. Guitarists should learn a multitude of right hand techniques for versatility. Remember that the more versatile you are, the more work opportunities there will be.
  7. If your instrument keeps coming out of the hole in the strap, “strap locks” will secure the strap to the instrument.


    8. DRUMS

  8. Drummers should keep an extra snare and bass drum head with them at all times. You break one of those and the gig can be over.
  9. Learn how to use brushes and bring them to your gigs. (Obviously not needed for loud, original rock gigs.)
  10. Multi-rods are good when sticks are too loud and brushes are too soft.
  11. If your set is too loud for certain gigs, e.g. small restaurants, hotels, etc., Remo™ internal ring mufflers on the top heads of all the drums will cut the volume in half.
  12. Only bring what you will actually use to a gig. If you show up with two bass drums, six toms and eight cymbals to a wedding or small club, chances are you won’t have enough room on the stage for the rest of the band. Learn how to play with just a snare, bass, high hat and cymbal. You’d be surprised how much sound you can actually get from this set-up.
  13. Always try and show up first to a gig to set up. Call the band leader before the gig and find out where he wants you to be. If he doesn’t know, find out from him at the gig before you set up. When you set up try to take up only the amount of space you need. If you take up too much room, someone is bound to show up twenty minutes before downbeat and ask you to move your set. It’s a drag to move an entire drum set for a small amp. If this situation frequently happens with other band members, tell them to show up earlier.
  14. Arrange your cymbals so you can see the band leader, and the band leader can see your face. When the band leader can’t see the drummers face it cuts the visual communication and can make a gig more difficult than needed. And if the band leader asks you to change a cymbal position—change it. If changing a cymbal position throws you off, you should learn to play with different set-ups.


    15. KEYBOARDS

  15. When a keyboardist’s fingertips get dry they can be slippery on the keys. Applying hand lotion will moisten the hands and prevent the fingers from slipping.
  16. Synth players should have back-ups of their program information, such as patches, sequences and keyboard controller set-ups. You can lose data from the internal memory if the battery dies (though unlikely), the gear is dropped or if it gets rained on. Hours of reprogramming could be saved by having good back-ups.


    17. HORNS—WOODWINDS AND BRASS

  17. Reed players should keep the mouth piece caps on the mouth piece when not in use— that’s what it’s for. Good reeds are hard to come by, and all it takes is someone brushing up against it to ruin it. (Always have extra reeds with you of course.)
  18. If you play clarinet, oboe or English horn, always bring a swab with you to the bandstand to handle the moisture that builds up inside the instrument.
  19. Learn to transpose on sight.
  20. Don’t leave your instruments around, even in their cases, where people are drunk or overly excited because they can easily get knocked around.
  21. If you’re running through the P.A. with a small group you should bring a mic, cords and adapters. A big band will usually have these items for you, including a music stand and light, but smaller groups often do not. Also bringing a small monitor can help ensure being able to hear yourself.
  22. Hear Ye, Hear Ye young brass players with those nasty spit valves! Be careful where you deposit your puddles! Be considerate of where other musicians need to stand because they don’t like walking or slipping in them.

    Click here to see Pro Musicians’ Tips #2 of 4: Cords, Earplugs & Gloves!

     

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