Hello, friends.
I've just started taking both instruments to gigs, for variety, and because some songs lay better with one instrument than the other, not to mention that the pitch of one fits some songs better than the other, even when in the same key. (You professionals already knew that, but it took me years to figure it out, myself)
Anyway, do you have any time-saving suggestions for switching from one to the other at the same gig?
I find that my posture is different for each instrument, so I need to adjust the mic stand and the music stand as quickly as possible, which is not easy to do on short notice without leaving an unpleasant period of silence for the audience to listen to, in the meantime. So the only solutions that I have come up with, so far are these:
1. Put on prerecorded background music for a couple of minutes, while I make the switch.
Drawback: A) this could be cumbersome if done frequently. B) the audience or the host may notice.
2. Use only one instrument for the entire set, wait until break time, put on background music, make those adjustments for th eother instrument, and then play the other instrument for the entire new set.
Drawback: in that case I cannot slip in any songs that suddenly come to mind for the other instrument.If I say, "Hey, they are going to cut the cake now. This would be a perfect moment for that romantic tune on the other instrument," I would be "back to the drawing board."
3. Buy an extra music stand and an extra mic stand, and have everything in place beforehand, each according to the posture required, so that I could just move the sheet music alone from one set-up to the other.
Drawback: A) I would still have to move the mic from one stand to the other, or else buy a second SM57 for over $100 and leave both in place, each in its own stand. B) It adds to the clutter and detracts from the visual stage presentation, if I even have one.
What is your own solution to this problem? Heck, if you are switching from alto to tenor suddenly, we can add to the crisis the need for additional sheet music in the right key for the second instrument.
(Incidentally, I did not post this in the section on "doubling" because we are talking about the same instrument in the same key, basically, and only as it applies to solo performance, as opposed to playing wth an orchestra or band.)
I've just started taking both instruments to gigs, for variety, and because some songs lay better with one instrument than the other, not to mention that the pitch of one fits some songs better than the other, even when in the same key. (You professionals already knew that, but it took me years to figure it out, myself)
Anyway, do you have any time-saving suggestions for switching from one to the other at the same gig?
I find that my posture is different for each instrument, so I need to adjust the mic stand and the music stand as quickly as possible, which is not easy to do on short notice without leaving an unpleasant period of silence for the audience to listen to, in the meantime. So the only solutions that I have come up with, so far are these:
1. Put on prerecorded background music for a couple of minutes, while I make the switch.
Drawback: A) this could be cumbersome if done frequently. B) the audience or the host may notice.
2. Use only one instrument for the entire set, wait until break time, put on background music, make those adjustments for th eother instrument, and then play the other instrument for the entire new set.
Drawback: in that case I cannot slip in any songs that suddenly come to mind for the other instrument.If I say, "Hey, they are going to cut the cake now. This would be a perfect moment for that romantic tune on the other instrument," I would be "back to the drawing board."
3. Buy an extra music stand and an extra mic stand, and have everything in place beforehand, each according to the posture required, so that I could just move the sheet music alone from one set-up to the other.
Drawback: A) I would still have to move the mic from one stand to the other, or else buy a second SM57 for over $100 and leave both in place, each in its own stand. B) It adds to the clutter and detracts from the visual stage presentation, if I even have one.
What is your own solution to this problem? Heck, if you are switching from alto to tenor suddenly, we can add to the crisis the need for additional sheet music in the right key for the second instrument.
(Incidentally, I did not post this in the section on "doubling" because we are talking about the same instrument in the same key, basically, and only as it applies to solo performance, as opposed to playing wth an orchestra or band.)