I think the SPCA banned their genre specific use due to the 'potential public health threat posed by unrestrained vocal effluent producing performers'.
...I kid the singers....but secretly...well...I kid the singers.
How can I get my singer to follow a set list?
- Thread starter EricT43
- Start date
...I kid the singers....but secretly...well...I kid the singers.
We use set lists...I often refer to them as "suggestions"...
Seriously, we usually stick to the lists for the first couple sets. Depending on the venue, when it gets later in the show, we do tend to stray at times, usually fielding requests.
Even using the lists, I feel we have too much dead air. I agree with everyone about how unprofessional it looks. I love it when songs come up that I start, we move right into those
I'm hoping we can better work out the between songs patter.
Hopefully the OP gets his people moving that direction...
Seriously, we usually stick to the lists for the first couple sets. Depending on the venue, when it gets later in the show, we do tend to stray at times, usually fielding requests.
Even using the lists, I feel we have too much dead air. I agree with everyone about how unprofessional it looks. I love it when songs come up that I start, we move right into those
I'm hoping we can better work out the between songs patter.
Hopefully the OP gets his people moving that direction...
jaykaydrums
Silver Member
you could threaten to beat them with a sizeable aubergine until they learn it right?
A J
Silver Member
Xstr8edgtnrdrmrX
Local Boob
so i live in 2 different situations:
Sit 1
my all original thrash metal band is about as strict to a set list as you can get: we have 4 whiteboards with every song we have ever written on them - about 80 or so - and we make set lists for shows off of those boards - usually about 2 months before the gig. We talk about a song order, and then also plan which songs will segue, which ones will have "audience banter" <-- this is usually during tuning changes or guitar changes. We plan for usually 2 more songs than the time alotted, and if we run long, we have "cut songs", or if we run short, we can add them in. We then actually practice the show as it would be for real - even with audience banter, to ge the timing and feel/flow of the set down. At the show, we NEVER change the list...our guita player is very, very OCD, and if even the slightest change happens, it becomes a crisis
I LOVE this situation. It allows for a super professional show 99.9% of the time
my all original surf punk band does the same thing
Sit 2
my country/rockabilly cover band has a song list of about 200 songs, and being that I am the new guy to the style, especially country, about 150 of those songs all sound exactly the same to me. We never rehearse the same song more than once; many fall by the way side as we are learning more. There is no written list of anything (but I started to make my own 3 years ago)
When a show is booked, we will practice once before it...and only run the newest songs once...some of them being e mailed to me the night before. Some not. The day of the show, we will get a set list as we are setting up....and then we rarely follow it. Songs are pulled off ,and added on as our leader "feels out the audience vibe". There are no real transitions from song to song, and always a lot of "organizational talk" between songs.
This is a nightmare to me. It seems so unprofessional, but it does not seem to ever bother anyone in the crowd for the most part...I have gotten used to it now for the most part, and it is usually those guys who have grown up in that world that make the noticeable mistakes. Should I be less worried in the cover situation about things being perfect? It is also frustraintg b/c sometimes we get an audible thrown at us, and then we "get in trouble" for messing it up...
Sit 1
my all original thrash metal band is about as strict to a set list as you can get: we have 4 whiteboards with every song we have ever written on them - about 80 or so - and we make set lists for shows off of those boards - usually about 2 months before the gig. We talk about a song order, and then also plan which songs will segue, which ones will have "audience banter" <-- this is usually during tuning changes or guitar changes. We plan for usually 2 more songs than the time alotted, and if we run long, we have "cut songs", or if we run short, we can add them in. We then actually practice the show as it would be for real - even with audience banter, to ge the timing and feel/flow of the set down. At the show, we NEVER change the list...our guita player is very, very OCD, and if even the slightest change happens, it becomes a crisis
I LOVE this situation. It allows for a super professional show 99.9% of the time
my all original surf punk band does the same thing
Sit 2
my country/rockabilly cover band has a song list of about 200 songs, and being that I am the new guy to the style, especially country, about 150 of those songs all sound exactly the same to me. We never rehearse the same song more than once; many fall by the way side as we are learning more. There is no written list of anything (but I started to make my own 3 years ago)
When a show is booked, we will practice once before it...and only run the newest songs once...some of them being e mailed to me the night before. Some not. The day of the show, we will get a set list as we are setting up....and then we rarely follow it. Songs are pulled off ,and added on as our leader "feels out the audience vibe". There are no real transitions from song to song, and always a lot of "organizational talk" between songs.
This is a nightmare to me. It seems so unprofessional, but it does not seem to ever bother anyone in the crowd for the most part...I have gotten used to it now for the most part, and it is usually those guys who have grown up in that world that make the noticeable mistakes. Should I be less worried in the cover situation about things being perfect? It is also frustraintg b/c sometimes we get an audible thrown at us, and then we "get in trouble" for messing it up...
Super Phil
Senior Member
To counter most of the previous comments-
I play in a trio that does a mixture of originals and covers (depending on how long we have to play) and we pretty much NEVER use a set list... yet we are EXTREMELY professional. (In fact we're on the tail end of a midwest tour as I type this). We don't have 'dead air' between songs, but our guitarist/vocalist will talk to the crowd between each song and is actually very entertaining. While he is talking to the crowd he will announce what song we're about to play and that's the only notice we get... and the only notice we need. We've been playing together for years, so we're all very familiar with the routine, and it's all quite seamless and flows very smoothly.
I play in a trio that does a mixture of originals and covers (depending on how long we have to play) and we pretty much NEVER use a set list... yet we are EXTREMELY professional. (In fact we're on the tail end of a midwest tour as I type this). We don't have 'dead air' between songs, but our guitarist/vocalist will talk to the crowd between each song and is actually very entertaining. While he is talking to the crowd he will announce what song we're about to play and that's the only notice we get... and the only notice we need. We've been playing together for years, so we're all very familiar with the routine, and it's all quite seamless and flows very smoothly.
jaykaydrums
Silver Member
Spreggy
Silver Member
Sonny Emory said in an interview that Bruce Hornsby doesn't follow a list. During the tour he will play every song he's written at least once plus some Dead tunes, so have them all ready to start on the fly. I would certainly do it in order to play with someone like that, but for bar gigs let's have a list for pete's sake.
A friend played weddings without a list though, the drummer signaled the next song as the last one ended.
A friend played weddings without a list though, the drummer signaled the next song as the last one ended.
Xstr8edgtnrdrmrX
Local Boob
I feel like now, 5 years in, I am getting to this level with the country band...but it was terrifying at first.
I think the bigger thing that bugs me is the "getting in trouble" when we play something we have never practiced, only practiced once, or we do a version that "wasn't the one I was thinking of" without notice...
but even that goes away when "the sobering up" happens the next day.
So I guess my real issue is drinking on stage....
Super Phil
Senior Member
I feel like now, 5 years in, I am getting to this level with the country band...but it was terrifying at first.
I think the bigger thing that bugs me is the "getting in trouble" when we play something we have never practiced, only practiced once, or we do a version that "wasn't the one I was thinking of" without notice...
but even that goes away when "the sobering up" happens the next day.
So I guess my real issue is drinking on stage....
I'm with you on the unrehearsed part. Most of the songs we do we have been playing for years, so it's no problem not knowing what is coming up next. If there is a new tune we've been working on that I'm not totally comfortable with then I'm not attempting it on stage.
Xstr8edgtnrdrmrX
Local Boob
that is my same mind set...but I get overridden by these 2 mind sets:
1. dude, your job is to know every song...it's just drums, how hard can it be?
or
2. dude, it's just country/rock and roll....no one cares...(until the mistake happens on stage...)
PorkPieGuy
Platinum Member
I have a lot of experience with this, so please hear me out:
Your lead singer will never change unless he/she sees the need to change.
Your lead singer is even LESS likely to change if the drummer gives him/her a suggestion.
Just keep quiet and play the songs they call out to you. If people start heckling, let them. It's not my job to deal with a heckler or people shouting requests.
Your lead singer will never change unless he/she sees the need to change.
Your lead singer is even LESS likely to change if the drummer gives him/her a suggestion.
Just keep quiet and play the songs they call out to you. If people start heckling, let them. It's not my job to deal with a heckler or people shouting requests.
Out of Round
Well-known Member
Even though our guitarist/singer was infamous for drawing up set lists and abandoning them once onstage, it was his project and his songs to begin with, so I wasn't really bothered. I was glad we were a tight enough unit to mostly pull it off and any downtime between songs were played off as comedy. This worked for us, a rock trio.
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wraub
Gold Member
I used to play in a rock trio where the leader/guitarist had over 100 originals, and even on bass I found them difficult to distinguish at times. Fortunately, we played a lot, and always had a set list that we followed. It varied some from show to show, but we always followed the set list. This helped, because if I couldn't remember the song I'd listen to one of the band's CDs. 
There were quite a few.
The guitarist was also the singer, and had a solid rap from the stage, never a dead moment.
There were quite a few.The guitarist was also the singer, and had a solid rap from the stage, never a dead moment.
Paul Blood
Junior Member
We have a general list of tunes that we will probably play on the on the gig but jump all over it. During a solo or vamp, I usually tell the singer (my wife) or she tells me , what the next song will be . The word gets out to the rest of the band, and we jump right into it.
The longer you wait between songs, the more likely you'll get all sorts of requests and you lose control. Not good.
The longer you wait between songs, the more likely you'll get all sorts of requests and you lose control. Not good.
Anduin
Pioneer Member
That seems to be the key.
A few bands I’ve played in were the call-the-tunes-on-the-fly type. As long as there’s no dead air and all the musicians are attentive, works great.
One keyboard-player-leader I worked with would mouth the name of the next tune to me in the last 8 bars of the current tune, so I’d (try to) mentally find the next tempo and be ready to count it in. Always a fun time. Keeps you on your toes.
iCe
Gold Member
Well, a lot is being said that i agree with so i'm not going to repeat that haha.
But the bands i was in we put some time in putting together a good setlist so the flow of the gig would be nice. A few up tempo songs followed by a ballad or similar to get a breather. And then work up the the end of the gig with a few good closing songs.
But the bands i was in we put some time in putting together a good setlist so the flow of the gig would be nice. A few up tempo songs followed by a ballad or similar to get a breather. And then work up the the end of the gig with a few good closing songs.
Xstr8edgtnrdrmrX
Local Boob
the metal band I played bass in during late high school and college used to do a thing where we would play the set down, no variations, and then as an "encore" we would come out and take audience requests of covers...sort of like a "Stump The Band" kind of thing. It sort of became out "thing" for a while, and was really fun. We limited the genres to just metal, or classic rock stuff, but it was a pretty cool challenge of our musical knowledge at the time....it pushed us to think of common chord change structures, phrasing, style interp...there were even a few times someone sarcastically called out a new wave or pop song, and we attempted it...
I think for me, that was the beginning of being able to adjust to sudden changes in set lists later on in life...and understanding the commonality between musical genres..."Oh, ____________________ pop song is sort of the same structurally and harmonically as ____________________ metal song"....mind blown!!
I think for me, that was the beginning of being able to adjust to sudden changes in set lists later on in life...and understanding the commonality between musical genres..."Oh, ____________________ pop song is sort of the same structurally and harmonically as ____________________ metal song"....mind blown!!
EricT43
Senior Member
Yeah, I'm with you on this. Over the weekend I chatted with the other guys in the band (not the singer) about some of the cool things we could do with a good setlist, like having backing tracks and such, and they seemed to be in agreement. If the idea sticks, then maybe they'll talk to the singer about it. If not, like you said, I'm not going to feel responsible about it, I already made the suggestion and it got shot down.
Xstr8edgtnrdrmrX
Local Boob
at least in situations like that, when things go bad, you can just shrig and point to the singer
or say "our singer fields all questions and interviews"