(Courtesy ICanHasCheezburger.com)
I am extremely fortunate. I play with astonishingly talented musicians and I get paid for it.
Everyone does their job and no one gets hurt.
That's because we're practicing the very essential Good Gig Etiquette. It's pretty easy:
Be on time
Know your part
Leave your baggage at home
Get some therapy
Another important thing to remember is EVERYONE KNOWS EVERYBODY ELSE. I'm still working with people I met in All Southern California Junior High Honor Band.
DO NOT INDULGE IN TEMPER TANTRUMS. Avoid the temptation to tell that person who is making you really unhappy to put it where the sun doesn't shine. They could end up being the contractor for the world's best gig next year and you won't be on it because you couldn't suck it up and act all adult like.
DON'T BURN BRIDGES. You might want to walk back over them one day (see above)
Yep. That about covers it.
I mention this because someone I was working with today broke 6 out of 7 of these rules (they actually were on time to the gig). It was someone new in town who was hoping to break into the scene here. Apparently no one explained Good Gig Etiquette to them in advance.
They couldn't play their part. No, really. They couldn't begin to play their part. That is so not done that no one else in the room could actually believe it when it happened over and over again.
Today was our second rehearsal (the concert is tomorrow), and the conductor was understandably distraught. So much so, in fact, that at the beginning of the first break a replacement had hastily been procured and was hurrying to the venue to take over the part. The original player was fired by the end of the first break. I may have seen that happen before, but I think it was at a church gig in college.
So the original player (remember, this is someone who wants to work in this town) packed up their equipment, went to the front of the rehearsal hall, turned, faced the orchestra, extended her (yes I said her) middle digit toward the conductor and stomped out of the hall.
Clearly she also failed to observe "know your part", "leave your baggage at home", "get some therapy", "everyone knows everybody else","do not indulge in temper tantrums", and the very important "don't burn bridges".
Chalk it all up to some Not So Good Gig Etiquette.
Everyone does their job and no one gets hurt.
That's because we're practicing the very essential Good Gig Etiquette. It's pretty easy:
Be on time
Know your part
Leave your baggage at home
Get some therapy
Another important thing to remember is EVERYONE KNOWS EVERYBODY ELSE. I'm still working with people I met in All Southern California Junior High Honor Band.
DO NOT INDULGE IN TEMPER TANTRUMS. Avoid the temptation to tell that person who is making you really unhappy to put it where the sun doesn't shine. They could end up being the contractor for the world's best gig next year and you won't be on it because you couldn't suck it up and act all adult like.
DON'T BURN BRIDGES. You might want to walk back over them one day (see above)
Yep. That about covers it.
I mention this because someone I was working with today broke 6 out of 7 of these rules (they actually were on time to the gig). It was someone new in town who was hoping to break into the scene here. Apparently no one explained Good Gig Etiquette to them in advance.
They couldn't play their part. No, really. They couldn't begin to play their part. That is so not done that no one else in the room could actually believe it when it happened over and over again.
Today was our second rehearsal (the concert is tomorrow), and the conductor was understandably distraught. So much so, in fact, that at the beginning of the first break a replacement had hastily been procured and was hurrying to the venue to take over the part. The original player was fired by the end of the first break. I may have seen that happen before, but I think it was at a church gig in college.
So the original player (remember, this is someone who wants to work in this town) packed up their equipment, went to the front of the rehearsal hall, turned, faced the orchestra, extended her (yes I said her) middle digit toward the conductor and stomped out of the hall.
Clearly she also failed to observe "know your part", "leave your baggage at home", "get some therapy", "everyone knows everybody else","do not indulge in temper tantrums", and the very important "don't burn bridges".
Chalk it all up to some Not So Good Gig Etiquette.
