Gigging musicians: adaptability is key!

One of the most essential strengths a gigging musician must have is adaptability. Every gig comes with a new set of conditions: from the dimensions and design of the stage, to the size and position of the audience, to the PA system and the staff in charge of it.

Let's make an example out of the latter: for a certain gig some time ago, Millicent asked about the technical set up—as she always does—but a little later than usual. She got a reply through WhatsApp many hours later, and had to continue the conversation the next day. It became evident that the person answering to her wasn't tech-savvy, but rather followed instructions by the tech people at their organisation, which made the process slow. Thinking that this could cause problems down the line, Millicent decided to take her own PA system equipment to the venue, just in case.

When the day of the gig came, the sax mic didn't work, and there was no one among the staff who knew what to do. On top of that, Millicent had sent her backing tracks via WeTransfer, and the people at the venue struggled to download the files, so they were asking for them again. The first issue was easily solved by Millicent setting up the small version of the PA system she had brought with her, which she had running in just a couple of minutes. She also had the backing tracks files at hand, so it looked like everything was ready for the show. However, when the time for the performance came, the backing tracks were so quiet that Millicent could barely hear them. During the break, she spoke with the staff, and they said they'd figure it out, but they didn't. She ended up playing the backing tracks through her own speaker, and could finish her performance successfully.

What can we learn from this? That's not enough with doing your part right, you must also have a plan B in case other people involved can't do theirs correctly for whatever reason. It doesn't have to be something super technological or complex. Something as simple as rehearsing your songs a cappella, so you're confident to play them like that in case the backing tracks don't work, would already make a world of a difference!

If you want to learn more about to have in mind regarding PA systems and sound engineers, you can listen to episode 3 and episode 11 of Success Beyond The Score Podcast season 3. By the way, all three seasons of the podcast are full of advice for gigging musicians that you could benefit from, in case you're looking for something to listen during this holiday season!