This time we present an exercise in stating the obvious. The following advice is so basic that no one should need it pointed out to them. On the other hand, the problems we are trying to eliminate do happen, so clearly this stuff isn’t obvious to everyone.
Even bands who have been gigging for years sometimes find themselves caught out by unforeseen hitches. The old “be prepared” motto is a good one to adopt in any situation, but when you’re getting ready to play music in front of an audience you’d be crazy not to check that you’re fully tooled-up for the job before you leave the house.
Here are a few aids to memory. Requirements vary, so adapt the list as you will.
Check:
- time and venue for gig!
- condition of strings
- condition of leads
- batteries in effects, tuners, mics, preamps etc
Don’t forget:
- map if you need it
- tuner
- picks
- songbooks/cheatsheets
- cables
- drumsticks
- gig diary (someone may offer you another gig)
- any knives, allen keys, wrenches or tools you may need to make vital adjustments to instruments or gear
Have spares for:
- strings
- picks
- cables and leads
- batteries
- fuses
- drumsticks
That last category alone probably covers 80% of the problems that crop up at most small gigs. You may not have ever broken a string, but you will do at your first gig if you don’t take spares. It’s called Murphy’s Law, and it is a fundamental principle of nature. “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong”, so make sure you have what you need to fix it!
The other thing is to make sure you check stuff while there’s still time to sort it out. It’s no good finding that you have a broken string and no spares just before setting out for the gig at an hour when all the music stores are closed. Check early: give yourself time to fix stuff.
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