Service-Minded Musicians Have a Better Time
I’ve got a couple gigs this weekend—one with the Grateful Dead band, one with Katherion.
One thing that occurs to me: I think you can make things easier on yourself musically if you’re service-minded.
It’s very natural for a bass player (or at least for a bass player who gets a lot of work). You have to think: what would this look like if I made this easier for everybody else?mThat means learning your stuff, being super familiar with the material, being prepared, getting there on time.
And it also means small stuff. Tonight I printed the set list for everybody. I don’t know that anyone else is going to show up with a set list, but it takes me about two seconds, and it’s great to have for the obvious reasons.
I’ve certainly done my homework to make it easier on myself, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make time to do the same for the other people in the band.
That’s the mindset: how can I make this gig easier for everybody, how can I make it flow smoother—because there are a thousand things to think about. Myself included.
There’s one song I’m not awesome on. I’ve been working on it a lot, but it’s one of those things. The service mindset helps there too: fewer surprises, less chaos, more music.
And I’ll wrap it up by saying: if you’re service-minded, your attitude is better too. Earlier this week I was overloaded with tracks work, with the bass work, and all that stuff—sh*tty rehearsal, complex, all of it. I paused, kind-of shut-up in my own head and did the work, and then I remembered I was there to serve the music, to serve the other band members, and to make this gig as good for Kat as I possibly could.
That mindset, selfishly, just puts me in a good mood, and I always end up having a better time with the gig if I remember to do that. I don’t always. I’m not perfect. And you may think from reading this blog I am, but not every time.