Removing the “ X-Factors ” Tips & Tricks for Jumping from Bars to Festivals
PHOTO : RYAN LAGUE
BASS
Isabelle Banos is the bass and synth player in Montreal alt-pop band Caveboy . She ’ s been playing music since the age of 12 , has been a SOCAN Kenekt songwriter , and has toured with artists including Ria Mae , Scott Helman , and Dear Rouge . www . caveboymusic . com .
By Isabelle Banos
Removing the “ X-Factors ” Tips & Tricks for Jumping from Bars to Festivals
To this day , I am still haunted by two moments from my past performances : a time where my bass feed was glitchy and crackly for an entire show , totally distorting each song , and a time where I travelled too far to one side of the stage , yanking my bass cable out of the amp , as I continued to play a completely silent bass riff for a confused audience .
For me , the worst part about these instances wasn ’ t the fact that they happened , but that they were completely avoidable and even instantly solvable .
As I ’ ve come to realize , it often takes silly mistakes and looking kind of dumb to wake me up and whip me into shape so I can improve . Turns out this cheeky little reality of life is just as relevant with bass playing . Lucky for you , I ’ ve made plenty of mistakes over the years that you can learn from . You ’ re welcome .
1 . Build Your Backup Plan
There are probably about 500 things that could go wrong during a live performance . Many of them are completely out of your control , but just as many are in your control , so why not have a rock-solid plan to deal with as many of them as possible ?
When it comes to playing bass , the “ extras ” really go a long way . Something as simple as always having extra picks could save you if the one you usually use mysteriously vanishes from the inside of your phone case right before you walk on stage . I stuck a $ 3 Dunlop Scotty Pick Holder to the back of my headstock and it immediately became a game-changer . It ’ s one thing that you can always easily cross off your mental checklist .
Depending on your specific set-up , other extras you should always have handy ( most of them should be on stage with you ) are : instrument cables of various lengths , batteries , AC adaptors , stage plots , setlists , and strings . While it ’ s a lot less common for a bass string to break , it can definitely still happen and usually will at the worst possible moment , so be as prepared as you can be . You should be comfortable changing your strings in a poorly lit backstage area , or in a moving van . But what if a string breaks in the middle of a song ?
2 . Use Your Practice Time Wisely
Yes , practicing your scales and grooves is super important , but it ’ s equally important to find practice time for the specifics of your actual set , which includes , you guessed it , practicing your backup plan .
So what if a string breaks during a song ? You play it on another string ! Sounds easy enough , right ? But in the stress of the moment , combined with the muscle memory of how you ’ re used to playing it , using the A-string instead of the E-string for a song can feel like brushing your teeth with your “ bad ” hand . ( Try it . It ’ s weird ).
Awhile back , I decided to set aside some practice time to get comfortable playing every single one of our songs as though I was missing a specific string . Some songs barely changed , others took some drastic repositioning , but now it ’ s just another thing that I don ’ t have to worry about , and doing so made me a better and more confident player .
Other things I recommend practicing include stage banter , any kind of stage “ moves ” or travelling you plan to do while performing , and your set-up and takedown ; practice making it quick , and then practice making it even quicker . Fellow musicians and venue staff will love you for it . No one wants to tour with a leisurely cable wrapper .
3 . Film Your Set
This is one of the best pieces of advice I ’ ve ever gotten : film your rehearsals , film your live performances , even film your personal practice ! It ’ s crucial to see and hear what your audience will , and this is such a great way to look back at what you ’ ve been doing , to see what works and what doesn ’ t , and to find constructive ways to make you better . This can be done with a smartphone , a laptop , anything ! It doesn ’ t have to be the best quality , just enough to capture your performance in a way that can show you what you ’ re doing right and what you need to change .
4 . Get Comfy on Stage
As you move up to bigger stages , you ’ re bound to play some infamous showcasing events that feature seven bands in one non-stop night . This usually means nothing but a line-check and then go ! Perform ! These situations can get really stressful really fast , so make sure you ’ re confident in knowing what you need for each kind of performance . For example , I always know that I need my bass amp to be quite loud behind me and to also have a healthy amount of bass in my wedge monitor . If that ’ s all I get , then I ’ ll deal . I also like to make sure I have my ideal setting on whatever amp I ’ m using . If you ’ re using an amp you ’ re not super familiar with , take a minute to figure it out and find a blend that you like . It ’ s important . Make sure you snap a “ before ” and “ after ” photo of the knob settings if others will use it the same night and you ’ ll need to change them back . Don ’ t be afraid to move things around to create the kind of space that you need . Turn your wedge monitor , move your amp further back , change the angle of your mic stand . As long as you make sure to follow the campsite rule , it ’ s understood that you have a right to get as comfortable as possible for your performance . Another important tip is to always mark the placement of your equipment using spike tape on the stage floor if you need to move or takedown before your performance .
I ’ ve had a lot of little ( and some big ) things go wrong throughout my performance career so far , but finding simple ways to remove as many of these “ x-factors ” as I can from the equation has made a world of difference . I ’ ve improved as a musician and as a performer , and I ’ m pretty sure my stress-related cholesterol levels have lowered significantly , too
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