Are you gig ready? Here are essentials for gigging musicians like you. From business cards to gears, our list helps you make a lasting impression.
Business card
You’ll never know who you’ll end up meeting on a night of a gig — which is why it’s so important to have an easy and tangible way to hand out your contacts. When you give out a card it adds a personal warmth yet reminds potential clients of the formality.
Make sure to create business cards beforehand!
All digital
Another option is to have a social page whether that’s on Facebook or Instagram. Not only can you feature your work, but you can also have all your necessary contact deets on there!
Booking arrangement
It’s important to have the booking arrangement cemented and all the details in writing before your gig. Try to avoid miscommunication or disputes, as most clients come from word of mouth. Maintain integrity in your work every step of the way.
Make sure that you and your client agree on how long the performance is, what gear they can provide and clarify billable hours like transportation. We advise on at least 50% non-refundable deposit for your session. Once everything is agreed, have it on a contract or invoice.
Contract details
- Detailed contact information from both parties
- Gig details (time, schedule, number of sets, etc.)
- Payment details (include currency, deposit due date, payment methods)
- Cancellation policy
- Sound/Stage/Lighting needs (often attached as a technical rider/stage plot)
- Other requirements
Other gear
Tuner
In the perfect world, you have the perfect pitch and an out-of-tune instrument deafens you. Unfortunately, we are all still trying to get there, so make sure to bring a reliable tuner — definitely one of the essentials for gigging musicians. There's no excuse for an instrument out of tune!
dB Meter
As musicians, we have the tendency to put volume up — we want to be completely “immersed” in our music. Unfortunately, it can get up to levels that are harmful for our audience. Usually bars or stages have a massive dB meter already, if they don’t, you can easily download dB Meter as an app.
Oh dear, … I forgot my gear!
When you’re anxious about a performance, your mind can go haywire. You start to forget things and leave behind; tuner or other things as simple as a set of guitar picks.
We understand your pain! If you are like some of us who tend to forget the little things, imagine having all your tools in one. A swissknife for all your music gear. Soundbrenner Core 2 has everything that you need from the tuner, dB meter and the best feature out of all is it’s vibrating metronome. Instead of hearing the normal click to keep you on the beat — it sends pulses and vibrations on your arm.
To find out more, check out the Soundbrenner Core 2.
Music sheet or your digital sheet
In the perfect world, you’d have your music and set list memorized. However, there’s no shame in turning to music sheets for guidance, we all do it!
Luckily, we have digital music sheet and several platforms to choose from. Now you can find and store thousands of song charts — readily displayed on your iPad.
The more famous apps are Musicnotes, ForScore and OnSong.
Bluetooth page turner
Are you looking for a foot pedal or a page turner? Our friends at Coda Music Technology created the sturdiest foot pedal / page turner in the world — called Stomp.
A guitar pedal that lets you scroll through your digital music sheet, start/stop your metronome, or even trigger backing tracks.
Want to learn more about this performance solution? Check out Stomp.
…other things.
There are things that are not necessary but can deem useful when something unexpected happens. Screwdrivers, extra guitar strings, battery chargers, Digital “tip jar”? The list goes on.
Black tape, duct tape or electrical tape can fix anything and everything on stage.
