One of my bucket list items is to play acoustic guitar live in front of an audience. I bought my Gibson J-45 6 years ago with that goal in mind. I don't care where or how big - even to 5 people in a dive bar. I can play a little harmonica too (Piano Man and Heart of Gold)
I'm decent, not great by any stretch but I don't care. Anyone here ever live gig? What kind of equipment do you need besides your guitar? Do you supply your own amp or just into a PA?
How do you choose your setlist and practice? Do you play each song every day a few times? Some songs I play over and over and still can't get it right.
Any suggestions?
Thanks guys!
That's where beginners cut there teeth. Great way to build relationships and meet people too.
As for pickups - if you don't want to butcher your Gibson, LR Baggs makes a great soundhole pickup, and multiple amp manufacturers make amplifiers specifically built to handle acoustic singer / songwriters. Fishman is probably the best known, but also a little on the expensive side. For mics, you can't beat a Shure SM57/58 for value. They're great, indestructible. Last a lifetime.
I suggest a few things:
1. Video yourself and see how consistently you can get through the songs. Then watch and see how you sound/look.
2. Micing an acoustic is OK, but you really need a pick-up installed or at least some kind of temporary one that fits in the soundhole, as suggested above. There are a bunch of options.
3. Most places, you can plug directly into the PA and you do not need an amp, as you will hear yourself through the monitor(s)/speakers.
4. If you end up needing more control and options over your sound and volume, you can get a DI Box of some kind down the road. I don't use one.
And finally, Open Mics are your best options for getting started. You can go and play 1-3 or so songs in front of a smaller/more-forgiving audience (usually mostly other people in the same boat as you and not a large crowd).
Good luck !
On the other hand, if you want to try to book your own solo gigs you will most likely need to provide your own PA, Amp, mics, cables, etc... You will get paid for your efforts, but most venues that have paid solo and/or duo acoustic acts don't supply anything. It is up to the performer to provide everything, set it all up, Play, then break it all down when done.
I just played a heck'uva fun gig this past Saturday night with my 4 piece band here in CT. We bring everything ourselves. Our instruments, PA, Lights, etc... Many thousands of dollars worth of equipment.
It's a lot of work setting up and breaking down for a gig. But it's worth it to have fun like we did. Though a day and half later, and my 56 year old body is still sore. But I'd do it again tonight if the opportunity arose. :)
If you're not confident in using an amp, bring someone along who is OR ask if any of the salespeople would play your guitar through a few amps - you'll be able to hear which sounds best without having to worry about settings that way.
I'm interested in branching out and doing some folk rock kind of stuff, but I feel like those guys can play anything and they seem to be able to do it by ear.
I could pull it off and play 30-40 songs with music in front of me, but the really good guys can play anything and I get intimidated.
Curious to read about how people practice, set up a play list and what songs they chose to play.
If your goal is to get paid at this, you're going to be able to have 30-40 songs performance ready (at minimum) for a 3 hour gig. 40 songs won't guarantee that you'll be able to satisfy all or even most requests.
Plus, you have to supply and hump the equipment.
For an open mic, 3-4 songs at most and the equipment will be provided.
Get your feet wet first before you dive into something headfirst that might be more work than you're imagining.
I've been playing solo for 35 years (off and on) and it's more work that it looks like.
Good luck and have fun.
Secondly, this sounds a little funny, but practice in a bathroom. The acoustics in your bathroom will really boom your guitar and voice and you'll get a good idea of how you'll sound amplified.
If you have the means, practice at home on a PA or something (if you can borrow one or buy a really inexpensive one). Sometimes it's weird to hear your voice/guitar come out of the monitor for the first time.
Most importantly, have fun!
I don't know if anyone suggested that you should practice in
front of a mirror or not, but do it! The best performers make contact with the audience. They don't stare at the floor or at a sheet music, they make eye contact with the audience. Practice that.
Record yourself and make note of all the rough spots in the songs you choose to perform and iron those out before you go out in public.
Go get em.
And totally open mic it. They do all the work, probably just hand you an instrument cable from the pa and get your guitar level set.
When you start gigging for money, you will find that you play for free and get paid for setting up and breaking down!
When you start gigging for money, you will find that you play for free and get paid for setting up and breaking down!
I agree.
I play with 2 singers that basically read from their iPads. It's a terrible look.
This right here ... and usually the crowds are much smaller on "open mike" nights (less intimidating?). Make sure you stop by after work or get there early. Usually there is a sign-up sheet with slots and it is a "first come first serve basis". If they run out of slots you will be out of luck for that night.
If you stop by early, you can always sign up and then leave .... and comeback later (obviously).
I wanted to share a great resource for finding local open mics below. Good luck!
https://openmikes.org - ( New Window )