Acoustic solo gigs
Being the only musician on a stage or even in the corner of a small coffee shop is not easy. That’s all the crowd gets, your voice and your guitar. If you are thinking of going down that path, you might think that it’s too much for you. Maybe you’ve been playing solo acoustic gigs for a while but still think you’re not doing it right.
Do you love playing the guitar and singing, and doing your own versions of popular songs? Are your friends telling you that you should play solo acoustic gigs so that other people can also hear you rock? At first, like most things, it can sound overwhelming and simply not for you, but you wouldn’t be reading this if you honestly thought you couldn’t do it. here you will find out what you need for your first solo acoustic gig.
Times are changing for everyone, especially for musicians. People are not relying on only one job like they used to, life-long learning is a must. The same applies to professional musicians. Unless you are in a famous band, having two or three bands that play different styles of music is a normal thing nowadays. Your main band should also be able to adapt to different situations. Sometimes the event calls for the whole band, and sometimes a trio or duo will do. That’s where the solo gig comes in. Playing solo acoustic gigs is a great way to complement your income if playing professionally.
Here you will find all the solo acoustic gig tips you need to know to play successful solo gigs. This is not a list of things I think you might need to bring to your gig or tips I think might work. I used to play solo acoustic gigs all the time. Now I mostly play with my band, but occasionally still play a couple of gigs by myself. It is a very different experience than playing with a band. Nothing will help you become a great solo act like experience will. After playing hundreds of gigs I can only say that every guitarist-singer should try playing solo. The more shows you play, your confidence will grow, and you will be rewarded with the feeling you can get only from playing on your own.
This is a list of gear that is essential for playing successful and non-stressful solo acoustic gigs.
You’ll definitely need this one. A decent electro-acoustic guitar with a piezo pickup with possibly a cutaway shape is a good investment. The cutaway will make those higher frets much more accessible. Also, make sure you use a guitar that is easy to play since you will be playing for at least two to three hours per gig.
You are wondering why am I mentioning an electric guitar regarding solo acoustic gig equipment. People love to see you play more than one instrument. An electric guitar allows you to play specific songs that would be hard to play on acoustic. A telecaster-type electric guitar is a great sounding and easy-to-play option. Play short periods on the electric, two to three songs, and then switch back to acoustic once every set. You will be surprised how the audience will appreciate that touch.
The other instrument doesn’t have to be an electric guitar. It can be any other instrument, like a ukulele, mandolin, or harp.
Guitar gig bags have plenty of space to take all the accessories that you will possibly need with you. Picks, a capo, extra sets of strings, a string winder, and small pliers that are guitar string cutters as well. Always check if everything is in your gig bag or if you need refilling before you leave for the gig.
Effects are a great way to make your acoustic guitar shine. I’ve seen many experienced players play gigs without any effects. It will work, but trust me, a couple of essential effects will create a richer and more professional sound that will leave a wow effect on your audience.
Best effects for acoustic guitar:
If you play an electric guitar in your band and have a pedalboard for it, it will be too big and heavy for your acoustic gigs and you would have to adjust parameters differently. The best thing to do is to build a very small pedalboard for your acoustic gigs so they are also tailored to the acoustic sound. If you’re going for minimal, get some of those mini pedals, you can get them very cheap and they sound very good.
Tip:
Effect pedals for electric guitars can also be used for acoustic guitars. Just pay attention to the settings. All modulation-type pedals like deal and chorus will work just fine.
Any type of tuner is fine. A pedal tuner is the best option when playing indoors where there is loud music playing. On the other hand, clip-on tuners sometimes can’t work properly because they pick up a resonance that the body of the guitar produces. Most multi-effects pedals have built-in tuners which is a plus.
When someone mentions Di boxes the first thing you think of is microphones. That’s exactly what you’re dealing with when playing an electro-acoustic guitar. A piezo microphone is essentially a microphone that picks up your guitar’s sound. This signal is very likely to pick up interference when running through the cables causing hum that can ruin your gig.
An electro-acoustic guitar produces an unbalanced and high-impedance signal. A DI box converts this sound to a balanced low-impedance signal that will not pick up interference even with long cables. Investing in a DI box will not break the bank, there are simple mini-sized that you can get for $40 that will give you clean and consistent sound gig after gig.
Loopers have been around for a while now. A looper will make your gigs more dynamic and interesting. Don’t overdo it, a couple of songs here is enough if you’re not building your whole gig around them. Many guitarists don’t have the confidence to use them because they think they won’t use them the right way or that they will be cheating in some way. But the truth is that everything that a looper does is played by the guitarist, there is no cheating involved. You only have to practice how it works, and once you get a hold of it, it’s quite simple to use.
Just like the looper, a harmonizer can enrich your performance. It simply takes your voice and duplicates it in an altered key, creating harmony with your original pitch. Also, use it only for some tunes just like the looper.
Your voice is as important as your playing, if not more important. We all like to have a good acoustic guitar that feels and sounds awesome. But when it comes to our voice, we don’t always treat it the same way.
Buy the best microphone you can afford. If not new, buy a used one. The Shure SM58 is a classic and is built like a tank. You will need some vocal effects. Reverb is on every acoustic amp with a vocal channel and on every PA.
An ordinary boom microphone stand is what you need. A microphone stand can hold more than just a mic. If you use a tablet for your lyrics, you will need a tablet holder that goes on your mic stand. The same goes for drink holders.
Do you need an acoustic amp with two channels, one for guitar, and one for vocals or do you need a small PA for your acoustic gigs? It all depends on the venue you play. All-in-one acoustic amps are a good choice for small coffee shops or busking, but for stages and nightclubs you will need a PA. A classic PA consisting of a mixer and two active speakers will need an additional monitor so you can hear yourself. Column-type PAs are becoming very popular and they are in my opinion the best choice for solo gigs. There is no need for a monitor because they throw sound differently than regular PA speakers so there is no feedback.
Pros of using a column PA:
If you need a monitor, don’t get anything bigger than an 8-inch speaker inside. You simply don’t need anything louder than that. All that you need to hear is your guitar and voice.
Don’t buy the cheapest cables, they may sound OK, but they won’t last long. You will need one cable from the guitar to your pedals and one more from the pedals to your amp or PA. You always want to have a spare one, better two.
If you use one microphone cable, bring two extra ones with you, one spare is not always enough! If you have vocal effects pedals and use two mic cables, take 4 cables with you.
Unless you have perfect memory, a PC tablet is a fantastic aid for acoustic solo gigs. Not only will it help you with lyrics and setlists, but wind is not an issue because there is no paper and you don’t have to use a light to see lyrics at night.
There are plenty of apps specially made for musicians, some paid, some free. You can also use these apps without using your fingers. For scrolling long lyrics and moving to the next song bluetooth pedals come in hand.
Don’t forget to take your tablet charger!
Very often we end up playing in a dark environment because we didn’t even think of bringing some lights to the gig. Most indoor venues have some lighting, some better, some worse. But when you play a private gig i.e. the person who hired you probably doesn’t have any stage lights at home or in their yard.
Always have a small t-bar lighting stand with at least two flat LED pars. If you don’t want to haul a stand around with you, at least take two small flat LED lights that you can put on the flower. It will make a big difference, believe me.
You will need these stands:
Don’t carry all these stands in their separate bags, it’ll slow you down and it’s a mess. Get a bag where you can fit all of these stands, so you can carry all of them in one hand.
Take spare batteries with you in a separate small pouch or put them somewhere near the device that could need them. Put a 9V spare battery for the guitar in your gig bag, and batteries for pedals in the pedalboard.
One or two are enough for most solo gigs, but having a spare will always make you feel secure if one goes dead.
You must have thought, is this list ever going to end? Almost there, don’t worry. A good folding cart for musicians is an extremely helpful thing to have when you have to transfer all your gear from a distant parking space to the spot where you will be playing. You won’t need it for every gig, but it doesn’t take up space in the car.
This may sound obvious to many, but if you are not gigging a lot already, you can actually end up looking unprofessional at the gig. If you know how to play all the songs, maybe you don’t remember all the chords, or have a hard time remembering the lyrics. You know that you have a tablet with everything in it and think that that’s all you need. But in reality, if you haven’t practiced the songs standing up, and imagining you’re in front of a crowd you can get confused when going live. It’s not the same as playing songs sitting on a couch or playing and singing while standing before a real audience.
If you know the lyrics by heart, leave the tablet or paper lyrics in front of you, it will give you a feeling of security.
Prepare all the sets you plan on playing in advance. Have different variations of sets, depending on the type of people that visit the place you will be playing. Sometimes you will play in crowded places on a Friday night, but sometimes it could be a lazy afternoon in a coffee shop. Choose songs that can be played as variations or additional songs if needed. Mark chords in a different color than your lyrics.
When you book a gig, always ask the manager what is the size and type of venue so you can adapt your gear accordingly. The type of PA is what will change mostly. Also ask about electric power, and lighting, and don’t forget to mention your price.
Play a mix of upbeat songs and ballads. Some places will need lots of fast songs, but never play more than 5-7 in a row. A ballad or two always work well after those fast ones. If you are playing a longer gig, one or two instrumentals played with a looper or backing tracks will rest your voice.
Pick songs that you think the audience in that particular venue would like to hear but narrow down the list to songs YOU like playing the most. The audience will appreciate these songs the most because YOU love playing them, they will feel your emotions. Remember, it’s better to play a song that you love playing and is not that popular than a much more popular one that you don’t like so much.
And one big tip, always give your best!
Playing solo acoustic gigs is not easy in the beginning, but after playing for some time, your confidence will build up exponentially. You will get a feeling of what kind of songs people like to hear.
In this article, I have explained all that you need for successful solo acoustic gigs. You would probably come to very similar conclusions after playing dozens of gigs, but with the trial and error button pressed the whole time. This is why this post is written, to help you avoid making mistakes, and most of all, to help you gig with ease.
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