Anatomy of a Gig, Part I
04/15/10 08:50
I got the call
on a Monday night: A local choir director in
desperate need of an accompanist for a concert
happening the following Sunday. I get calls like
this fairly often, and my schedule rarely allows
me to jump in and help. A few weeks ago it was
for a local middle school production of Romeo and
Juliet needing improvised Elizabethan music
during set-changes. That was fun, and paid well,
but still not much in the way of what I call
“soul-food”.
This call was different, though. The director needed what’s called an “auxiliary keys” player, meaning I would be playing string and horn parts, B3 organ, etc. This requires a different set of skills and musical gear from the normal piano accompaniment I do. Could I please come down and do one rehearsal the next night, and a concert on Sunday? My schedule was free enough, and there was enough pay to justify being away from my family for two extra nights. So I said yes.
She e-mailed me some MP3’s and one music chart. I would then drop by her office the next morning and pick up a folder so I could look things over before the evening rehearsal. Turns out there were 17 songs to learn, some on organ, some on strings, some on horns, some using other synth sounds. I realized there was no time to really read through everything before my regular students arrived, much less learn the parts.
I quickly set up my keyboards to make sure I had everything I needed. (Discovered two power cables with shorts in them requiring a quick trip to buy replacements. How did they both fail at the same time?!!!) I jotted some quick notes on each chart (musical score) about what sounds she might want, finished my lessons, packed everything up into my car and rushed to the rehearsal.
Upon arrival, I was handed a bunch of new charts to replace some of the ones I had picked up earlier. (These were much easier to read, so I was grateful!) The pianist turned out to be incredible! I was so blown away I was tempted to turn 13 years old again and get jealous. Then God nudged me and reminded me to learn and grow and enjoy the moment. What a treat to sit behind her and watch how she approached each tune, some pieces note-for-note from the score, some fully improvised from the lead sheets we all had. When I grow up, I want to play like that. (Thanks, Loylene!)
Three straight hours of rehearsal, no break. Melissa (the director), bless her soul, brought a Quizno’s sub and a Starbucks hot chocolate for me, which I nibbled and sipped between songs. We blazed through each tune (usually only once), and I took hasty notes in my charts as we went. I hadn’t seen most of the songs before she counted them off. I was so grateful to my teachers for forcing me to sight-read in the past.
What struck me at this point was the trust we in the band all had to have for each other. I needed the drummer to lock in the timing of the song. I needed the bassist to keep the bottom end solid so the rest of us could build on top of him. The pianist was the core, and I needed her to lead me harmonically through all of these new tunes. The guitarist was providing rhythmic drive at some points, and melodic fills at others, and any overplaying on his part would distract from the sound of the band and the 90-voice choir singing behind us. My job was to provide the “icing” on top of everything: violins, organ “stabs”, horn lines, and whatever a larger orchestra would have done if we could have hired one. Add to that a harmonica player, percussionist, and a violinist, and you had a very full band indeed.
As I read or improvised each part, my trust was rewarded again and again by the skill and preparation of this band, most of whom I hadn’t even had a chance to meet yet. They were gracious, humble, disciplined, and they each knew what needed to be done and they did it. They were relaxed and cracked jokes, yet never at the wrong time so as to take the director’s attention away from what she needed to do with the choir. The rehearsal ended on time (unbelievable!) and we packed up and headed home. I had my scribbled notes in my charts so I’d have some clue as to what to practice in the days before the show. I was tired but extremely jazzed to have this opportunity!
More next time about the concert itself…
Soli Deo Gloria…
This call was different, though. The director needed what’s called an “auxiliary keys” player, meaning I would be playing string and horn parts, B3 organ, etc. This requires a different set of skills and musical gear from the normal piano accompaniment I do. Could I please come down and do one rehearsal the next night, and a concert on Sunday? My schedule was free enough, and there was enough pay to justify being away from my family for two extra nights. So I said yes.
She e-mailed me some MP3’s and one music chart. I would then drop by her office the next morning and pick up a folder so I could look things over before the evening rehearsal. Turns out there were 17 songs to learn, some on organ, some on strings, some on horns, some using other synth sounds. I realized there was no time to really read through everything before my regular students arrived, much less learn the parts.
I quickly set up my keyboards to make sure I had everything I needed. (Discovered two power cables with shorts in them requiring a quick trip to buy replacements. How did they both fail at the same time?!!!) I jotted some quick notes on each chart (musical score) about what sounds she might want, finished my lessons, packed everything up into my car and rushed to the rehearsal.
Upon arrival, I was handed a bunch of new charts to replace some of the ones I had picked up earlier. (These were much easier to read, so I was grateful!) The pianist turned out to be incredible! I was so blown away I was tempted to turn 13 years old again and get jealous. Then God nudged me and reminded me to learn and grow and enjoy the moment. What a treat to sit behind her and watch how she approached each tune, some pieces note-for-note from the score, some fully improvised from the lead sheets we all had. When I grow up, I want to play like that. (Thanks, Loylene!)
Three straight hours of rehearsal, no break. Melissa (the director), bless her soul, brought a Quizno’s sub and a Starbucks hot chocolate for me, which I nibbled and sipped between songs. We blazed through each tune (usually only once), and I took hasty notes in my charts as we went. I hadn’t seen most of the songs before she counted them off. I was so grateful to my teachers for forcing me to sight-read in the past.
What struck me at this point was the trust we in the band all had to have for each other. I needed the drummer to lock in the timing of the song. I needed the bassist to keep the bottom end solid so the rest of us could build on top of him. The pianist was the core, and I needed her to lead me harmonically through all of these new tunes. The guitarist was providing rhythmic drive at some points, and melodic fills at others, and any overplaying on his part would distract from the sound of the band and the 90-voice choir singing behind us. My job was to provide the “icing” on top of everything: violins, organ “stabs”, horn lines, and whatever a larger orchestra would have done if we could have hired one. Add to that a harmonica player, percussionist, and a violinist, and you had a very full band indeed.
As I read or improvised each part, my trust was rewarded again and again by the skill and preparation of this band, most of whom I hadn’t even had a chance to meet yet. They were gracious, humble, disciplined, and they each knew what needed to be done and they did it. They were relaxed and cracked jokes, yet never at the wrong time so as to take the director’s attention away from what she needed to do with the choir. The rehearsal ended on time (unbelievable!) and we packed up and headed home. I had my scribbled notes in my charts so I’d have some clue as to what to practice in the days before the show. I was tired but extremely jazzed to have this opportunity!
More next time about the concert itself…
Soli Deo Gloria…