What's the current thought on using charts for live shows?

[Tnavis]

Hey folks -

After posting last fall how I'm done being in bands, I just joined a band that plays a fantastic selection of music (Motown, some classic rock, soul). Great players, great people, great tunes. Other than I felt it was a good fit for me, the music is a challenge, and I love having material to work on. It's a real steep learning curve for me, because in my many years of playing I've never really been in this scenario before, in which I need to learn 3 or 4 sets of tunes that have very up front bass lines.

The question is... what's the standard practice on using charts? I practice using ForScore and iRealPro, but everyone else in the group seems to have everything memorized. The band is fine with me using digital charts but I'm curious as to what you all are doing.

 

[ArtechnikA]

Pro-Level Ultimate Guitar gets you better charts and direct PDF download.
MobileSheets and MobileSheets Companion for Samsung Galaxy.

The dance band has a deep repertoire and it's constantly changing.
I only have to look at one or two charts with the blues band but I'm glad for them when tricky parts crop up.

4 hours of tunes in each of 3 projects with little overlap.
I'd love to be able to have it all memorised, and I'm getting better at it, but I haven't been young for while...

 

[51PRI]

Our band leader/guitarist uses a pad on his mic stand for chords and lyrics.

 

[Raenil]

Depends.
Stage shows does not work well with charts.
But things where the band is just supporting something else, like a dance band? It can work. Classical Musicians have done this for years without a problem.

 

[Killing Floor]

Context.
If it’s Brown Eyed Girl and you’ve played it 2X each night 4 nights a week for 30 years the charts aren’t helping you.

New sets, bands that don’t rehearse or have minimal rehearsals and mega song lists they’re a great way to keep up.

Probably varies for every band.

 

[JRA]

After posting last fall how I'm done being in bands, I just joined a band that plays a fantastic selection of music

so, what did we learn from that?

what's the standard practice on using charts?

it's what @Killing Floor said: context.

i used to 'just know' tunes...a bunch of tunes. but as i've learned and played a bunch more as i've grown up/older, it's nice to have a reminder which bridge belongs to the tune i'm currently playing! so even "context" is contextual. i wouldn't mess up a gig for lack of charts. but if you play enough stuff, enough times = it sinks in!

congrats on your change of heart (your good sense!) and your new opportunity/gig --- and good luck!

 

[Pocket Dave]

Since your band is ok with it, that's all that matters in terms of the current thought on it. In your case, charts onstage are acceptable.

Though I'd recommend memorizing and working your way away from them as quickly as possible lest they become a crutch you become irrationally fearful of losing.

Also relying on them unduly can be a distraction from visual and audio cues, dynamics, etc - The kind of thing that could quickly become not acceptable.

 

[sean_on_bass]

i would say if you plan to continue with the group longer term, you should strive to memorize the material. all good to use charts for the tunes you don't yet have down, but don't make it a regular thing. Also i like iReal for charts, or good ole paper. iReal will only give you chords though, not lines.

 

[gln1955]

The BL and other lead singer use iPads for lyrics and at their age that isn't going to change I'm afraid. They at least are not glued to the screen.

I personally dislike using charts unless absolutely necessary. Our BL has a habit of going off script with songs (e.g., throwing the bridge in at the wrong time) and it's much easlier to go with the flow if I know the songs frontwards and backwards rather than getting lost in a chart.

 

[Smooth_bass88]

Hey folks -

After posting last fall how I'm done being in bands, I just joined a band that plays a fantastic selection of music (Motown, some classic rock, soul). Great players, great people, great tunes. Other than I felt it was a good fit for me, the music is a challenge, and I love having material to work on. It's a real steep learning curve for me, because in my many years of playing I've never really been in this scenario before, in which I need to learn 3 or 4 sets of tunes that have very up front bass lines.

The question is... what's the standard practice on using charts? I practice using ForScore and iRealPro, but everyone else in the group seems to have everything memorized. The band is fine with me using digital charts but I'm curious as to what you all are doing.

There’s no “standard practice” in this scenario. If the gig requires the use of charts, than that’s it. If you have the time and ability to memorize everything, great! do it. But sometimes you show up, and they hand you a chart. No one will judge you because you know how to read music!!!

edit: personally, I prefer charts on paper on a music stand (as opposed to a tablet or smartphone) because it’s a little bigger and you can quickly and easily make notes with a pencil if necessary

 

[mambo4]

Context determines the correct answer
Big Band? Sure. Metal? Nope.

 

[silky smoove]

As has been stated; Context is key. Not only the band context, but also the context from one gig to the next. On Saturday I'm playing a corporate event and all of the material is memorized, so I won't bring charts. The next gig with the same band has a lot of special request material that I won't have time to memorize, so for that I'll bring charts for the material where they're needed. That same band sometimes gets requests to do a dinner set of jazz. For those sets everyone on stage is reading from charts, execept for maybe the drummer but even then I've played a lot of gigs where the drummer is reading.

 

[DirtDog]

Yes. For me it’s a safety net, not a crutch. And it’s discreet on stage.

 

[Plucky The Bassist]

Stage shows does not work well with charts.
But things where the band is just supporting something else, like a dance band? It can work...

This right here ^

Try to learn the tunes if you can, unless you are being arranged like a backing band. If you should be making eye contact with audience members, don't use sheets IMO.

 

[pfschim]

Even at my advanced age, I try to memorize all the material, even for sub dates if humanly possible. Right now that's 4 different bands with 3 full sets of music each, which is at least 50/50 originals vs covers (sometimes greater percentage of originals), and anywhere from 1-3 sub dates per month.

I have switched my set list with song keys and very simple song notes (if needed) from paper to a mic stand mounted tablet, but I really try to not need to read charts on stage. The hardest ones for me are the 1 day notice sub dates. It can be a challenge to get 30-35 new tunes in my head in a day, but usually there is only about 20% of the material that's totally new to me, so it usually works out ok. I keep getting called back to sub, so I'm guessing it works for the BL's doing the hiring. A pretty solid workout for my ears though.

 

[RGerhart]

Hey folks -

After posting last fall how I'm done being in bands, I just joined a band that plays a fantastic selection of music (Motown, some classic rock, soul). Great players, great people, great tunes. Other than I felt it was a good fit for me, the music is a challenge, and I love having material to work on. It's a real steep learning curve for me, because in my many years of playing I've never really been in this scenario before, in which I need to learn 3 or 4 sets of tunes that have very up front bass lines.

The question is... what's the standard practice on using charts? I practice using ForScore and iRealPro, but everyone else in the group seems to have everything memorized. The band is fine with me using digital charts but I'm curious as to what you all are doing.

Maybe set a goal to learn the tunes and use charts the first few gigs, but memorize more tunes every time. After a few gigs, you'll have some down without having to look at charts.

 

[pepj]

Mobilesheets if required.

 

[james condino]

Every jazz band I've ever been in uses charts for almost every song they play.

 

[bassicmike]

My brain does not do memorization as well as it used to. Age and chemo do strange things. So I have charts.

Playing songs i did not grow up with, in a language I do not speak also plays a part. And playing heavily arranged songs that do not necessarily follow a V-C-V-C-B-C format.

So I have chord charts prepped on a tablet, with some cues added, set on a mic stand about 4' high. Usually tucked in discreetly next to the keys. The chords are in a 28pt font so I can easily see them (and read them) from 8-10 feet away.

Most of the parts I know. Sometimes I need the reminder of sequence and transition.

 

[Blues Daddy]

When I play with the 12 piece big band we all use digital charts (except for the vocalists) - the musical selections can be very complex and we're covering a wide range of styles.

When I play with the 3 piece bar band nobody uses charts - we're playing rock and country songs with a lot of improvisational aspects (we never play 'note for note' the same song twice)