YOUTH WORSHIP TEAM
AND … YOU ’ RE UP ! | Vance & Michelle Shepherd
Practicing for any musical event can take many hours , and one of the main things that can hinder a great performance is lack of appropriate practice time . But there ’ s another thing that can get in the way of a great performance … and that is your stage set up .
I ’ m sure we can all relate to this : You arrive at the rehearsal or soundcheck for your event , set your gear up , and then realize you don ’ t have the power supply to your guitar effects unit ( did you leave it at the last gig ?). Or maybe you forgot the stand for your keyboard , or you left your line cables at home . I can ’ t even tell you how many times a drummer shows up to play a house kit without his drumsticks , or guitar players show up without their power supply to their guitar processors . There is nothing worse than showing up to a gig and realizing you don ’ t have the tools to do the job . Everybody forgets stuff , and it can really throw you off your game . This was happening so frequently with our student worship band , that I came up with a simple solution for our students ( and myself ), so they would always be prepared and be able to make the most of their rehearsal time .
Here ’ s a simple check list you can keep in your instrument bag to review before your event , and also before you leave the stage at the end of the event . There ’ s nothing worse than forgetting something and having to try and retrieve it post event !
Here are some basic lists for each instrument :
KEYBOARD CHECK LIST 1 . ( 2 ) 1 / 4 inch cables ( preferably 10 ft . or longer ) 2 . Pencil & paper ( for notes taken during rehearsal ) 3 . Your keyboard and keyboard power supply 4 . Your amp and amp power chord ( if needed ) 5 . A 10-15 ft . black A / C multi outlet power cable ( many times there aren ’ t adequate power sources where you may be placed on stage . It ’ s best to have your own source ).
6 . A pair of good quality ear buds with a wide frequency range
7 . A 6ft or longer audio cable headphone adapter : 1 / 4 ” Stereo Male Plug to 3.5mm ( 1 / 8 ”) Stereo Female Jack . This is for a couple of reasons : it may be an in-ear gig with no live monitor wedges , or you may need to go over musical parts while the sound man is setting everyone else up . If you have this , you can run your parts without disturbing anyone .
GUITAR / BASS CHECK LIST 1 . ( 2 ) 1 / 4 inch cables ( preferably 10 ft . or longer ) 2 . Pencil & paper for notes during rehearsal 3 . Your guitar and guitar case 4 . Your guitar or bass processor ( or pedal board ) & power supply 5 . Tuner ( if it ’ s not built into your effects unit ) 6 . Your amp and amp power chord 7 . Guitar picks 8 . Ear buds w / headphone extension adapter
( see keyboard list for description ) 9 . A 10-15 ft . black A / C multi outlet power strip 10 . Two 9-volt batteries ( if your effect pedals use them )
DRUMMER CHECK LIST : 1 . Pencil & paper 2 . 2 sets of Drumsticks 3 . Ear buds with a headphone extension adapter ( see keyboard list )
4 . Metronome if not using Ableton clicks ( we recommend the Frozen Ape Tempo app for phone )
5 . Moon Gel ( to tone down ringing drums & achieve better tone )
It ’ s also extremely smart to label every single item on your checklist with your name and phone # in case you do forget them at a gig . We also have our students write the name of the unit on the actual power supplies ( e . g . Digitech RP500 , Korg X5 , etc ). Doing this makes it less likely that you ’ ll plug the incorrect power supply in to your unit and damage it .
When you come prepared with everything you need , it will eliminate stress , and you ’ ll be showing your team and the sound tech that you ’ re reliable and you take your craft seriously . This will also be a great example to everyone else on the team and will create a professional culture .
And … You ’ re up ! Go crush your next event !
May you be blessed as you continue to pour into or become the next generation of worship leaders and musicians !
Vance & Michelle Shepherd Founders of The Shepherd School of Music in Las Vegas , NV , where they work with youth to raise up the next generation of worship leaders and musicians . facebook . com / shepherdschoolofmusiclasvegas www . ShepherdStudiosLV . com
38 October 2024 Subscribe for Free ...