The whole goal of preparing for a gig is to be at ease on stage, because no musician plays well when stressed. I want the stage to feel like my natural habitat, and not some alien place.
To make that happen, I learn the music as soon as I get it. The process varies a little, depending on how much time I have.
In rare cases where I have a month or so, I like to learn the parts within the first week so my subconscious can continue to practice, regardless of what I’m doing.
If I have 2 weeks, it’s the same but in a condensed time frame. If it’s less, it’s even more condensed.
No matter how much prep time I have, I like to internalize the forms of the songs first. If a song’s form is, say, AABABCABB, there are really only three sections to learn: A, B and C and then I just have to remember the order. By thinking of the song as a collection of sections, I can really speed up the process.
And it’s important to feel the general arc of a song. The arc is the contour of intensity and knowing it will help you feel how the sections fit together.
That’s when I know I’m getting it. All the parts have their place because they exist to support the arc of the song. Then for me, the first ‘playing’ task is to get the groove and that’s followed by learning any riffs, rhythm figures, chords or weird parts. It’s a sort of checklist and whether I have a month or just a few minutes.
There are lots of ways to prepare for a gig but like most projects, if you start with the goal and work backwards, you have a good chance.
I’ve developed some habits that seem to work or me. The goal is to have the gig go well. For me that means that I get to check a few boxes when it’s over. Here they are in no particular order:
- The leader was happy with me.
- The audience had a positive reaction to the performance.
- I was satisfied with my performance.
- The vibe was good with my bandmates.
- I got paid.
Good preparation puts me in position to check most of the boxes.
