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I’ve been asked to sub in a big band this weekend.
Any suggestions about what/how best to prepare?
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What kind of big band? Have you ever done it before?
Get those charts in advance if you can!!!
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this may help, especially at 8 mins to the end.
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Just a few tips:
make a list of gear you are going to bring. Sounds a bit weird, but you would not be the first that forgot to bring a cable or something to drink. check the list before putting the gear in the car.
Relax, nobody will expect you to perform faultless.
See if you can get asap hold of the tunes they want you to play coming weekend. titels, sheetmusic, audio or video.
Be on time. Setting up takes quite a while. I take about half an hour. Open the guitar case first to let the guitar getting used the ambient circumstances. Tune up at late as possible.
Ask where they want you. Next to who? Piano, bass, drums? You might need a long powercord, say 10+ meters
Do not sit in front of your amp. Sit if possible beside your amp, if you are a RH player, sit to the right of your amp, with the guitar body as far away as possible from your speaker....
Remember that playing out of sync is far worse than playing a wrong note or chord.
Good luck and enjoy yourself. playing in a big band is fun !
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Wow. Lots of good tips.
”Ask where they want you.” Reminds of a local guitarist’s quip: where would you like me to set up first?
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"Tune up at late as possible"
Agreed though I usually tune up after setting up and then again right before starting.
Reason being the 1st tuning gets it close, especially if it's far off to begin with and then after the guitar settles in a minor tune up right before playing dials it in.
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Yea... it really depends on the BB. I haven't worked with a dance BB or the old FG style for a couple of years... because of choice. That being said I played two BB gigs last week, and always work at least one a week. Not rehearsals... gigs. I get calls to sub 10 -15 times a year. The best tip is to play the part and communicate with the rhythm section... Our job is to make the band and the horns sound great. (not us)
You need to know what style of music the band plays... most have You Tube vids or the guitarist your subbing for should be able to tell you. The main detail... make sure your sight reading is up and running. Most bands don't let you take charts home or check out in advance. Maybe HS and college bands etc... I'm guessing you have sight reading chops.... or you wouldn't have been asked to sub.
I have a few BB Books that I use to run two big bands... one is older, but still more in the styles of Mel Lewis, Oliver Nelson Greg Hopkins, (Buddy Rich), Nestico, Joe Henderson etc... and the other book is newer tunes and arrangement, Gerald Wilson, Bob Mintzer, Maris Schneider, Gordon Goodwin... even some Steven Feijke and other arrangers/ composer most haven't played through... and some of own tunes and arrangements...
I generally never play like the vid of James Chirillo.... or FG. It's great... but not my thing. (by choice)
You may get a few solos... or not. It's usually a really fun gig... enjoy it.
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Here are some tips about big band rhythm guitar. Every one comes from a mistake I made.
1. Make sure you hear the number being called correctly and there are no other charts with the same number.
2. When you take the chart from the box, make sure it has all its pages.
3. When you spread the chart out on the stand, make sure you've unfolded all the pages.
4. When you can finally see the chart make sure it's the same tune everybody else is reading.
5. Make sure you understand the road map. This is more important than figuring out how to play any individual passage, because if you're lost, you can't play anything.
6. Make sure you understand if you've got a solo and where it is. If the chart says "solo", and you don't hear a solo, oops.
7. If the reading is too hard, lay out and keep your place in the chart. Count! This is much better than playing something incorrectly.
8. If you have time to think about or even practice the chart, you can always find a way to simplify the hard/fast passages. There's always some logic to the chord changes, which means that somewhere in there, there's a guide tone line that will work. First, I'll try to find two notes for each chord that don't require much movement. If I play two note chords, nobody complains. If you can't do that, consider laying out for that passage.
9. The upper extensions/alterations are usually there to tell you what the horns are doing. If you can play them it's likely to sound good, but if you omit them it will sound okay, or better. What you don't want to do is conflict with them, so don't play a natural 9 against a b9, stuff like that.
10. If you can play the changes, but you can't strum fast enough to sound good Freddie style, then you abandon strummed quarter notes. Typically you can do something like the Charleston rhythm (1, 2&), or half notes (maybe an eighth note ahead of the 1 and 3), or 2&-4, or even whole notes, usually on 4&. Which? You have to listen to the rest of the rhythm section and figure it out. I don't know what else to say about that, other than a lot of listening and experience playing.
11. I haven't mentioned the piano yet. That's the elephant in the room. All of the above is secondary. Primary, usually, is "coordinate with the piano" and, pianists often think of coordination as "I do whatever I feel like and you, guitarist, get to deal with it". So, you're trying to do all this stuff while also trying to contribute something and stay out of the pianist's way.
12) Make sure you can hear the piano. In movies of big bands back in the day, the guitarist is usually seen set up right next to the open grand piano. Also make sure you can hear the bass. Drums aren't usually a problem, but can be.
13) If the pianist is doing stick-and-jab comping, you can't do that. You have to do something that works with it. Often, that's playing a steady, and not very busy, pulse. Freddie works. So do anticipated whole notes or chicks on 2 and 4, depending on the tune.
14) If you can't do the reading, don't fret. When guitarists were kids they were out playing ball and developing social skills. The horn players were inside practicing clarinet. Whereas guitarists considered reading some kind of irrelevant busywork, those clarinet players were enjoying it. Just keep at it and it will get better.
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