Well i'll be playing my first gig pretty soon.. anyone have any suggestion or tips in terms of logisitcs and preparation? i'm pretty nervous... itll be at a bar in town

ah, the first gig... gotta love it.. haha

make sure you know your material like the back of your hand.. when it's time to shine, you could choke if there's any doubt in your mind and of course you don't want that..

but above it all, make sure you have fun with it.. that's why you're doing it isn't it?

make sure you tune your drum after you move all your equipment.. through all that chaos nuts and bolts can be shifted and become loose.. so make sure you check every thing for that.. and remember to work with the sound guy and not against him... i speak through experience where I didn't get along too well with him.. he has the power to make u sound like crap too! lol good luck man

relax, and don't do drugs! haha

don't forget spare parts either... i hate the feeling of forgetting something important..

extra skins and heads, extra lugs, maybe an extra stand or two

im also in the habit of lugging around 2 snares as I don't feel like fixing one up if one goes bad..

and of course your drum essentials: STICKS (lots of them), DRUM KEY (always forgotten), and DUCT TAPE (for quick fixes)

and of courses a fun loving spirit... rock on

[Mookie]

Hehe. I still remember my first gig. It was okay. My biggest problem was the nervousness. About an hour before the gig, I was okay, chilled out, stuff like that. Right before I went to the stage, my hands and legs started to shake like mad.
Well. Not much I can say. Just stay focused, calm and dont forget your stuff. Once I almost forgot to take my drumsticks with me to the gig.

Haha sweet..
I once dropped a stick during my first gig... very embarassing, very disappointing and discouraging.. i couldn't even hide it well as the stick fell into one of those inbetween places near the bass drum... so, don't forget to bring extra sticks and put them in a very accessible place!

but then i guess dropping a stick isn't as bad as not bringing sticks at all... haha good one mookie

[DRUMMER111]

. Have a "Don't Forget" list for all your instruments and related drum gear. Be sure to include such things as extra drum heads, drum sticks, mics and mic cables, etc. This list will help you to never have one of those gut-wrenching moments when you realize you left something at home 2 hours away.


Warming up before a gig. This is terribly underestimated. Spend 20 to 30 minutes warming up with rudiments and related sticking exercises. Practice them with music playing through a Walkman. It's a great motivator and you'll be very loose when you get ready to play.


Drugs are a dead end road! Practically every other biography on VH-1 is about a drug addicted rock star who either OD'd or is finally finding the light some 30 years later. Enough said. Be smart and learn from those before you. They'd give anything to be in your place and do it all over again.

Don't drink sodas on every band break. The temptation is enormous because it's usually free in bars and it tastes great. But think about the numbers that we put away per break, per night, per week, etc. This isn't doing your body a bit of good. Fill up a 1/2 gallon jug of water and give your body what it needs.

Protect your ears! We can't stress this enough. Most musicians take this for granted. Buy a good set of ear plugs and start using them, especially while you practice. Drums are quite loud and ongoing exposure is detrimental.

At soundchecks, don't show off. Hit the drums one by one and play nice steady beats. Many times they just need a line level and don't want you playing bombastic solos. Only play out if they ask you to or if it's an acceptable routine in your band.

Breathe freely when you play the drums. Otherwise you stifle the flow of oxygen and cause your body to work harder. This in turn will prevent you from being fully relaxed.

great post, drummer111

water jugz not drugs!

i also ordered a pair of vic firth isolation head phones the other day.. should be great to protect my hearing and work as a monitor at the same time..

i just hate it when the sound guy sucks and makes me sound like crap.. also when he refuses to turn up the monitors so i can't hear crap..

	Vic Firth Drumsticks Shop for Vic Firth Drumsticks at Musician's Friend

[LedSabbath]

Do your homework. If its a cover band ,know the songs when you get to practice. If your doing originals try to make the creative process a team effort, that will make your songs benefit form the different influences and styles of each individual. These are just my opinions, but they seemed to work for me in the past. Everybody has some great tips, by the way im new here. Nice to meet everybody.

Im sorry I thought the tips were for band practice. You wanted tips on a live gig, im a duffis,lol. i always done the whole thing where you imagine the audience in theyre underwear, cuz I have stage fright really bad. I would appreciate some tips as well, if anybody knows a great way to overcome stagefright. Thanks

Originally Posted by LedSabbath

Do your homework. If its a cover band ,know the songs when you get to practice. If your doing originals try to make the creative process a team effort, that will make your songs benefit form the different influences and styles of each individual. These are just my opinions, but they seemed to work for me in the past. Everybody has some great tips, by the way im new here. Nice to meet everybody.

Im sorry I thought the tips were for band practice. You wanted tips on a live gig, im a duffis,lol. i always done the whole thing where you imagine the audience in theyre underwear, cuz I have stage fright really bad. I would appreciate some tips as well, if anybody knows a great way to overcome stagefright. Thanks

haha welcome to the forums!
I think stage fright is a problem that goes beyond drumming... there are breathing excercies you can do to calm yourself down..
but I think you can reduce your fears by confronting them and realizing that they're not really that big of a deal... i like the underwater idea.. gluck!