 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: clarinetgiggirl
Date: 2003-02-13 08:14
I have been asked by some friends to play with them at a pub gig this Easter. I am very excited that they have asked but I am not sure if I should play. They have heard me play many times, but may have asked me because of the relationship we have rather than because of my (limited) playing abilities.
My teacher said I should go for it so I have been practicing like mad. I was feeling quite pleased with myself - thought I was doing OK. However, a close friend has said that I am not very good and that my solos are annoying and really bad.
Any advice? I trust my teacher, but also value my friend's opinion.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2003-02-13 08:45
Clarinetgiggirl...
One of two things will happen:
1. You will play fine and see that there was nothing to fear
2. You will discover the things you need to work on, and how much further you will need to progress.
Either way - it is a learning experience. Without trying, you will always wonder "What if...?"
All the preparation in the practice room, and all the playing along with cd's and tapes is not the same as playing with live musicians.
Find a good reed (or two), dress appropriately, arrive early if possible, and act professionally at all times on the bandstand.
Did you ever see the shirt that says: "It's OK - I'm with the band" ? After your gig, go out and buy it - you've earned the right to wear it.
Enjoy...GBK
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Author: Birch
Date: 2003-02-13 09:42
The audience will let you know if you're good enough for them. The trick is to have fun. If you aren't having fun, how can you expect the audience to have fun? Gigging is, by far, the best way to learn how to play music.
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Author: Bazzer the Jazzer
Date: 2003-02-13 11:16
Hi Clarinetgiggirl
Your teacher is the one to trust about your ability, is your friend a musician? has your teacher heard you play in public? if your friend is not a musician or even if he is give me his name and I will give him a punch on the nose, seriously go for it, there is a book that was published some years ago, I think it was titled 'Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway' good advice, you have to break that barrier between playing at home and gigging, the real beauty of gigging is your learning curve increases you have to keep playing, unlike playing at home when you can stop and go back to the start, what surprises me is that most of the female musicians I have known are more concerned about what they should wear on the gig than actually playing it!
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Author: Ralph G
Date: 2003-02-13 13:08
I'd wager your "friend" is being too harsh. If your playing was really bad and annoying, you wouldn't have been asked in the first place.
And as long as you're not bad and annoying, audiences are usually very forgiving of mediocre playing, especially in a pub. How many drunkards are gonna care if your 16th note runs are perfect or if you didn't pop out that altissimo A cleanly?
Stay reasonably in tune and have fun.d
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Author: William
Date: 2003-02-13 14:45
If you wait until "you are ready", it will be too late for the gig. Most "gigging" musicians feel like they have something "more to say" and are in a constant state of learning, self-doubt (will the audience like 'this') and always searching for different, more innovative (or better) ways to express themselves musically. In other words, your entire lifetime, as a musician, is a constant, never ending, learning and developement process that will always leave you feeling that you can "do it better" (next time) and never let you feel as if you have finally "arrived", have gotten as good as you are going to get, and are finally ready for "the gig." We all learn to perform by "just doing it", learning from our mistakes (what not-to-do on the next gig) and by listeng to the musical ideas of others (stealing some of their best licks). And hopefully, by virtue of playing experiance (school of hard knocks??), we just get nothing but better and better.
Bottom line: take the gig, play your best, listen to others and learn--and enjoy. Welcome to the spotlight!!!!!
(every journey begins with a single step--and the really great trips never end, but get better and better, and better.....)
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Author: ron b
Date: 2003-02-13 15:12
If you wait 'til you're "ready" you'll probably be in a senior care facility staring out the window, feeling 'ready', and wishing you'd at least tried it once.
Live up to your name, Clarinetgiggirl; have fun with your friends.
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Author: Allen Cole
Date: 2003-02-13 15:34
Go for it, with the following things in mind.
1 - The folks with the gig--who are musicians--ASKED YOU. Either they know you'll do well, or at least they think you will.
2 - Your teacher--who is a musician--says to go for it.
3 - Your friend--who you have NOT identified as a musician--is the only one with a problem thus far.
Let's assume for a moment that your naysaying friend is right. He or she may simply be hearing a lack of confidence in your playing. Soloing is a lot like telling jokes--much of it is in the delivery. Be spunky, and if something goes sour just change directions. Be strong and rhythmic in your playing and TRUST YOUR FINGERS. That's why you practiced in the first place.
You say that you've been practicing like crazy. I say that puts a lot in your fingers. You also sound humble about your abilities. This is good when the horn is not in your mouth.
When the horn IS in your mouth, think of yourself as the most awesome player coming down the pike. Deliver your licks with exclamation marks, not question marks. If you make a mistake, just drop it and keep on going. Very few of us on this board will claim to be perfect every time we step up to the mic.
I had a sax student with very little theory knowledge, but she new her scales, scales-in-thirds, and arpeggios in all her major keys. Using that, a good ear, and a little common sense, she soloed beautifully with her school jazz band, and left with a Louis Armstrong Award under her belt. You can do the same.
How to prep:
1 - Talk to the musicians you'll be playing with and find out what they'll want you to play. The toughest thing is to get up and try to deal with songs you don't know. Now you'll have the chance to learn anything that's new before you get up there.
2 - Practice playing any songs that you're slated for, even if only playing the melody. Having that melody in your ears and fingers will be very helpful if you get nervous.
3 - Find out what keys they're playing in. When you talk about a "pub", I start thinking folk music, and lots of folk music is in concert G, D and A. It's no accident that stores carry more pennywhistles in D than any other key. And let's not forget concert E, the favorite of all guitar players--12-string all the more.<g>
The greatest danger to a wind player is that non-wind players often don't understand our instruments and backgrounds. Do your friends have a recording that you can practice with, or can you rehearse with them? No matter what the differences between how they play and how you play, YOU can bridge the gap--and you have almost 2 months to prepare.
Why don't you tell us more about what your friends play, and what your own background is? This board has a lot of people that can give you lots of good advice on the specifics of your task.
Speaking as one who learned sax on the job, YOU can do this.
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Author: Wes
Date: 2003-02-13 15:49
The pieces you might play may be your biggest concern. Do you expect to play by ear or with music? The most embarassing situation could be if your group cannot figure out what to play at the performance. Then the audience comes in with all kinds of suggestions for songs, none of which you may know. The result is not what you need. Your sound and technical capability will not be an issue when the group is disorganized. You may even list all pieces ahead of time that the group plans to play. Good Luck!
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Author: jez
Date: 2003-02-13 16:18
You know when you're ready when someone asks you to do one.
Prepare as well as you can and enjoy it, but remember, the important gig to get is the second one!
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Author: Jerry
Date: 2003-02-13 23:35
FLASH... News about your friend....
"Friend" may be a really great friend...good confidant about guys, relationships....knowledgable about clothes and hair styles...great at keeping a secret...inspirational on how to diet and exercise...
Friend may hate clarinets. Maybe she has a hyper-sensitivity to sounds louder than 30db like my wife has. She may dislike the sound of Manassee, Goodman, Fountain, Stolzman, may not like oboes, violins or certain musical styles...might have had a bad hair day...it may be that time of the month...maybe there is jealousy or envy...--- only knows about some people and what personal idiosyncracies cause them to say some of the irrelevant or irreverant things they say. There is one in every crowd. There may be one in every audience. Don't let that keep you from fulfilling your destiny and drive to perform - or reverse the encouragement of your teacher!
Go with your heart to where and how you play...your musical soul and pride and technique and success will follow.
Jerry
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Author: JMcAulay
Date: 2003-02-14 02:45
How do you know? You don't. You won't know until you do it. And if you don't do it, you will never know.
Yor *close friend* says you are not very good? Your solos are annoying and really bad? Well, as the old saying goes, "with friends like that, who needs enemies?" Some people do not like the way I play. Many do. So what. Pay no attention to isolated complaints. Listen to the ones you'll be joining.
I have never heard you play, and I know nothing about your friend except that he or she seems to be the sort of person who is harshly critical, for whatever reason. But I will tell you right now with supreme confidence that you are better than your friend says. Why? Because I care not why the other players have asked you to join them, they would not invite you unless they have no concern at all that you might damage the performance of their group. So, if they think you'll do okay, then so do I. And so should you.
So do it. And let us know how it goes. And tell your alleged good friend it's too bad that he or she does not understand your style. Good grief, think of all the participants in this board who have complained about the playing of Jack Brymer! Or, for that matter, Mister Acker Bilk! Or even Kenny G! I wish I had the income from playing of any of those performers. 
Regards,
Joh
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Author: clarinetgiggirl
Date: 2003-02-14 07:58
Wow! Some really inspirational comments and advice. Thank you all.
I am going to do it - and buy the T-shirt! I have the utmost trust and confidence in my teacher so will try to ignore my friend for now (he is a musician, but not keen on jazz & blues which is what we will be playing. Perhaps this is part of the problem?).
I have a set list which is both a comfort and scarey as I can see clearly what the task ahead is. I shall be taking this to my teacher later today for help and perhaps a little reassurance. There is 2 months, but a lot for me to do.
We have talked about having a rehersal at our local music co-op before hand. I really hope so, cause I am not even used to using a microphone.
CGG
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Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2003-02-14 17:25
Maybe I'm just more timid than the others who have responded but, if I were in your shoes, I would absolutely want at least one rehearsal before I went onstage with this group. That would insure that not only would you know what pieces you were going to play but also what keys (and keep in mind that keyboard and guitar players are used to talking in concert keys so you have to compensate for the fact that you are playing a Bb instrument). You don't want to spend alot of time working out some pieces and find that you did everything in the wrong key. Also, in a rehearsal, you can work out issues like who plays the lead line and who plays harmony? who solos in a particular piece? what order do you solo in? Working out issues like these in advance gives you less to worry about onstage. Also it will make the group look more professional.
Otherwise go for it and have a blast!
Best regards,
jn
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Author: Ken
Date: 2003-02-14 20:07
Great advice; Jack's right, be as prepared as possible, especially basic transposition up a step if you're playing lead sheets. Years ago on my 2nd or 3rd (I think) paid combo/club date I showed up last minute, screwed my horn together, jumped on stage and EVERY tune the group leader (piano) called up was in C major (what a moron, he couldn't read and learned everything by ear in C). Most weren't too bad but some charts were a nightmare transposing major/minor 3rds and 6s ... silly me, I was dumb enough to learn my standards in the original keys, but the learning experience proved valuable.
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Author: Eileen
Date: 2003-02-19 19:14
Hey, it's okay for us chicks to enjoy choosing our outfits. We can't figure out why guys think that's unimportant. The visual aspect is a large part of performance, especially in a small group. Dress to kill, smile and look like you're having fun and the drunks in the audience will love you. Don't underestimate the novelty of a woman playing an unusual instrument (I don't see too many clarinets out at the pub). I performed once in a small jazz group in a folk music setting. The teacher was a virtuoso guitarist but my not-very-inspired clarinet solo got an even bigger applause than the guitar solo just because the audience appreciated hearing something different.
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Author: clarinetgiggirl
Date: 2003-02-20 08:13
Eileen,
The gig is part of a weekend-long festival and the chances of there being another clarinet player are very remote. Hopefully, I will get some applause for my solos! I don't care if it is from those in the audience who have drunk to much!
I think that dressing to kill may help to boost my confidence on the day. I will also enjoy selecting my new outfit and, (of course), new sexy shoes. This is probably the best part of the gig experience!
Incidentally, the men in the band have been instructed to wear anything they like as long as it is black trousers and a black shirt! (I can't have them out-shining me!).
CGG
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