[Dixielandjazz] rehearsing

Sun Dec 16 12:52:29 PST 2007

Great story but 50 tunes is, as I see it the magic number.  That's just 
enough to get through a three hour gig without repeating unless you stretch 
each tune to ten minutes.  There are bands around here that by the time 
everyone solos they have sucked up ten minutes.  If you repeat a couple of 
tunes that can cut the number to even fewer.

There is an old joke that was done, I think, on the show Happy Days when the 
guys were putting a band together.  I don't remember the build up but the 
punch line was something like,  "Ok let's do it with words this time".  The 
other line is Ok let's do Bb blues this time in F.  There is a lot of truth 
to all of that.  It's what three tune bands do.

When I got to college I needed a band fast and when I got some guys together 
we rehearsed about 50 tunes and we were in business.  I know a very good 
band here that has worked up a bunch of very popular wedding and dance 
tunes.  They handed me a list of about 60 tunes.  They only add a tune 
occasionally and have zero depth.  They put on a good show but it's 100% 
staged.  They play only the tunes on their list.  I will say they did a good 
job.  I didn't take the gig with them because I knew that after a dozen or 
so gigs I would get bored out of my mind.

Many bands have a pretty limited number of tunes that they play.  I would 
bet that most Dixie bands play about the same 50 tunes if that many.  I work 
with a guy that has about a 50 or 60 tune list.  So I think my advice is in 
the ball park and a reasonable goal to get started.  Most of my one hour 
shows uses about 20 tunes

But no matter how many tunes you can play, getting into the business and 
learning can be difficult for a newcomer.

It's true that a newbee needs to be able to make mistakes because we all 
make them but we learn to control the problems and a lot of time make it 
seem like we meant to do it all along.  If you get a lemon then make 
lemonade.

If a person can't get over that hurdle then just how is he going to make it 
in the business.  Music is only part of it.

I know that you don't have to be the best player in town to do well and that 
includes beginners but what you do have to do is be able to shake money out 
of the trees.

People aren't very critical actually.  Most of the time they aren't 
listening anyway.  We listen but the civilians don't really.  Musicians hear 
differently.  We hear more and we listen carefully.  What's worse we think 
other people listen the same way.  Not true, other people talk, chew and 
watch the girls among other things.  My mother always had the radio going 
but never listened to it.  When I figured that out things went a whole lot 
smoother.

When I started playing for concerts my first reaction was Gott in Himmel 
they are listening to me!  What do I do now? A scary thought.  I had to go 
from noisemaker to performer and entertainer.  That's the difference between 
a wedding reception or dance and a concert.  Wedding music is not usually 
entertainment it's music and 90% of the people aren't listening much but 
doing their own thing.  Put anyone on stage though and it's a completely 
different animal.  You are front and center and you are the show.  As I said 
a bunch of times " It's not about the music".

I would never recommend for a newbee band to try concerts but rather events 
where people are mobile such as a wedding reception, picnic or bar.

Last week I did a thing where the people were milling and talking.  I have 
been developing my act for sometime and it was totally useless there.  There 
are two distinct kinds of performances music and music entertainment.  When 
I was young I was simply not capable of taking charge and entertaining with 
music.  I played dances and weddings for years and when I had to start 
entertaining about 15 years ago I found I wasn't very good at it and it 
bothered me but I learned and am learning.  The choice was simple, go out of 
business or adapt and re invent myself.  Personally I have made that 
transition from strictly musician playing gigs to an entertainer.  Are there 
better ones? sure but there will always be someone better out there.

I enjoy being an entertainer more than just a musician.  I am in control and 
I know the music part of it will go well.

A lot of actors are pretty shy people but when they put on their costume or 
makeup they transform.  Those things allow the entertainer to hide behind 
them.  I understand that Johnny Carson was a pretty shy person.  When I get 
behind the mike and on stage I become different.

If you can't get a band to hire you go out and get a gig and then hire them.
Larry
StL
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "pj.ladd" <pj.ladd at btinternet.com>
To: "Larry Walton" <larrys.bands at charter.net>
Cc: "Dixieland Jazz Mailing List" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Sunday, December 16, 2007 4:43 AM
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] rehearsing

> Hi,
>
> locally there is a `Big Band`. Plays all the good swing stuff , Miller, 
> James etc. Gigs for big bands are few and far between so they hired a 
> large room at a local pub in which to rehearse. Gradually they attracted a 
> following of afficianados.After a while the audience got so large and 
> regular that the landlord provided the room free because of the extyra 
> beer he sold and the band began to charge entrance money.
> This has been going on for the last 5 years and still going strong.
>
> Totally different. Re the advice to learn 50 tunes and go and get gigs. I 
> know a guy who lived in Pensford, Acker Bilks home village. He played a 
> few banjo chords and was in Ackers original group. He told me that they 
> knew 2 tunes when Acker entered the band in a local talent competition. 
> They played one of the tunes and were given such a rapturous reception 
> that they got stuck with playing again. They played their second tune 
> andthe crowd demanded more and they finished up playing the only 2 tunes 
> the knew alternately for the rest of the evening so that the audience 
> could dance
>
> Cheers
>
> Pat
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