If your next gig is your first in a while (and let’s face it, if you’re reading this in 2021, it probably is!), there’s a good chance your rig is going to need a little attention. Perhaps you’re one of the many new musicians who took up guitar playing during the pandemic, and you’re planning your first gig soon.
Whatever your own situation, getting your gear ready for action and preparing to go live is a key part of the process. Here, we take a look at the practical considerations for five different kinds of live gig and run you through what you need to know.
YOUR FIRST GIG
TAKING THE FIRST STEPS INTO LIVE PERFORMANCE? MAKE IT SO YOUR MAIN FOCUS IS PLAYING!
PREPARE, PREPARE, PREPARE!
Forewarned is forearmed, as they say, and if this is your first time getting up and playing in front of people, you don’t want to be sweating about the small stuff. But you should probably consider it ahead of time! Take some time a week or two before your gig to think about all the gear you’re going to need to perform. At the bare minimum, that’s going to be your guitar, an amp and a tuner. Set up and run through your set, writing a check list of everything you need as you go. Treat your dry run like the gig where you won’t be able to borrow anything or reach into your drawer to grab it. Go through it with a fine tooth comb and consider everything you need to perform your songs. That’s plectrums, a
