Musician Tips!

Never Step On Someone's Toes.

There is an understood code amongst musicians that you never step on someone else toes while performing. What that means is whatever is supposed to be the main point of interest for your audience, at that moment, needs to be highlighted, brought out, first and foremost, and everything else needs to take a back seat.

For example, if the introduction of a song features a sax lead line, all other instruments play softer, or underneath and only as support to that sax lead so as to call attention to it. If the bass, or the guitars or any other instruments play either too loud or a intricate complicated "Cool!" rhythm then they are competing for the audiences attention at that point and are stepping on the sax players toes. As musicians we want to, we need to guide the listener/audience in what to listen too.

One rule of thumb is that "Melody" trumps everything. So whomever has the melody at any given point should be what the band steers towards the listener by everyone else playing softer and in support of the melody. It may be a lead guitar, or a trumpet line. More often it is the singer. One of my pet peeves is when the band plays so loud that the melody can't be heard and the poor singer is lost in this confusing wall of sound.

Let's pick on individual instruments now shall we? Here are some common mistakes each of us make and I've had to learn the hard way. Yes I've stepped on musicians toes and been told off! But, let's always remember to be kind and nurturing to each other and the polite way is simply to say, "Hey could you please be careful not to step on any toes at this part of the song". Sound good? Ok, here we go.

Vocalist

You are very important, but remember you are only a part. Have your part down. Come to rehearsal knowing the songs. Rehearsal should be about putting everything together not your practice time. When it is your part, step up to the mic and deliver with everything you've got. When it's the bands turn, step away from the mic and use your eyes to redirect the audiences attention to where/what they should be listening to next. Don't steal the show away when someone else is soling etc. Make sure you thank your band mates publicly during a concert. You have the mic, you have the power, don't abuse it, use it and you'll always be surrounded by loyal band mates.

Bassists

Not gonna lie. You are the backbone of the band. You are the heart and soul. No Bass, NO BAND!! You're timing and riff choices have to be exceptional. Here are some common mistakes. You are following the drummer rather than forcing the drummer to listen to you. During a rehearsal have the bass and drums only play and make the drummers bass drum match up with what the bass player is playing. If you don't, the result will be a muddy mess. If you do the result will be a nice groove that the rest of the band can lock into!

Another common mistake is to play too loud. Balance is the key to life and bass playing, trust the leader of your band to balance your volume. Be aware of who's playing what "tweeners" where. A "tweener" is that choice riff that instrumentalist add between phrases. This can be done by the guitar player, the pianist, the horns, or the drums, but only one at a time otherwise again your competing for the audiences attention.

Drums

You are so important! If the drums sound good, the band sounds good. But again, be aware of your role and what your part is. One of my pet peeves is when a drummer tries to do too much. Think of your self as the chief traffic cop, directing people where to go and what to do. You are the number one person to communicate to the band what is happening. With your "kicks" "fills" you tell the band where we are in the song, how loud we should all be playing (dynamics) and who's turn it is. Fills are important and they SAY something, so they absolutely have to be purposeful. Your fill tells the soloist to start here, or the singer to come in here, or that we are at the biggest part of the song here. Never do a fill in the middle of a vocalists melodic phrase. And plan your tweeners with the rest of the band. The only time you should call attention to yourself and your playing is when you have a drum solo and then go for it, otherwise the compliment you are trying to get is that the band was really in the groove tonight! And listen and follow the bass player and make sure your kick drum matches what they are playing.

Guitars

*Jimmy Hendrix only had two or three pedals at the most, and his guitar only had six strings. When you can play better than Hendrix then you can be the authority on playing the guitar. Until then learn from the best. You don't need all those gadgets to play music and you don't need more than six strings. Ya they may be fun to play around with but then you are just having fun, you're not making music. The greats were all known for their distinct unique sound and tone. Over distortion just covers up all your mistakes but it just sounds like noise and doesn't blend or match what the rest of the band is doing. When your effect gets in the way of the music you're trying to play then it's too much. We need to hear pitches and a pleasant melodic line that balances dynamically with the band. Are you playing lead or rhythm? Know what your part is and fit in. You should never be playing all the time. If you are, your arrangement stinks! If the piano is comping (playing rhythm) then tacet (sit out). Visa versa, only one person in the band needs to lay down the chords if it's the guitar cool, then the piano tacets or adds icing on the cake tweeners. Nothing bugs me more than to have two guitars both playing rhythm and the keys playing rhythm all at the same time!

Only stand out when you're soloing. Your tweeners should never distract from the singers vocals. Again choose wisely who gets the listeners attention at any given time. Choose a tone that highlights pitch, and your MUSICIANSHIP, not your gear. Trust your band mates on the volume of your rhythm playing. Support the melody!

*Clarifying Note: Please forgive me if I have come across condescending or presumptuous. My intent is not to offend anyone with this article but to put forth some food for thought. I am not a guitarist and I don't pretend to be the final authority on guitar performance, however many of my guitar pro friends agree with me that the gadgets and gimmicks should never take the place of good solid musicianship.

To clarify even further, this article is written coming from the standpoint that the guitarist is playing in a traditional band setting. I'm not talking about a solo act where I've seen some pretty impressive guitarist tapping out a bass line with their left hand while chording/rhythm with their right hand thumb index and middle fingers and playing a lead/melody line with their right hand ring and pinky! This type of playing calls for an 8 or ten string guitar! As impressive this is, this is more a solo act than a traditional band setting, thats all I'm trying to say : )

Keys

Just because you are the most talented (and the best looking) in the band don't flaunt it! Number one crime I hear in keyboard players, (and I know because I'm guilty of all these crimes) is trying to do it all. You try to play lead, rhythm, and bass, and lead vocals all at the same time! Just because you can, doesn't mean you should!!!

Never play rhythm if the rhythm guitar is playing rhythm. Never play lead if the guitar is playing lead, unless it's a worked out duet, which then is really cool! Never step on the bass players toes!

My favorite thing to do with young bands is make the keyboard player, play with his left hand behind his back. This forces him to think about his role. For the most part the keys should be adding color, character, and what I like to call icing on the cake. A cake with no frosting is just plain. A band with no keys is kinda like a cake with no icing. Thats why the Boss (Bruce Springsteen) employs two keyboard players and some times an accordion! (Accordions are coming back baby!!)

Ask your self as the bands keyboard player. Is there ever a time in the song that you don't play? If the answer is yes then you probably have a nice arrangement. If the answer is no then you are either Elton John or Billy Joel.

Horns

I don't need to write anything here. Horn players are perfect and understand their roles. Lol! J/k, no but really they do. Just don't over do it and don't play all the time and don't revert the audience attention away from where their attention is supposed to be. Other than that, there is nothing better than a band with good horns!!

Hope this helps you find your groove and take your band to the next level. There's probably a lot more I could say about this subject. But I need to go practice and also practice what I preach.

See you on stage! -Lynn