News, Reviews, and More!

Weekend Set List For Your Live Band To Play 5-16-09 – Dance 1

   I’m replacing the Weekend Album Picks feature with a new weekend MP3 download. The new feature is called Weekend Set List and it features proven set lists that your live band can play. The songs on these set lists are taken from the Mobile Beat Top 200 dance songs of all time. These songs are guaranteed to fill the floor every time they’re played. I will also take suggestions for set lists to post up as well.

   The type of set list will be shown at the end of the post title. For instance, today’s setlist is a Dance set list. I’ll also post other set lists such as country, hop-hop or classic metal. So check back here every weekend to see what the weekend set list will be and get a chance to download it. I am posting the Set List with Amazon.com MP3 downloads because they’re cheaper than iTunes, sound better than iTunes and you can listen to samples right here on the webpage.

   Whether you learn these song to play in your band or not, you should definitely have them on your MP3 player at the gig. These songs come in really handy filling peoples requests during your band breaks. Because really, what band wants to learn “The Chicken Dance”? So without further ado, here’s your Weekend Set List. Just press play to see all the songs and listen to clips.
Playing Cover Music Vs. Playing Original Music Part 1

Matt Levitates While Tapping The Creative Juices

I have been seeing a lot of action in the online forums on the topic of playing cover music (other people’s songs) versus playing your own original music. I feel I have a unique perspective on this because I actually play in two live bands. I play in both a cover band and an original band. I’ve played in both types of bands continuously over the course of my career as a live musician. Today I’m starting a series of articles that discuss the differences between playing cover music versus original music.

Today I’m going to address one of the misconceptions that I’m seeing in the online forums. The misconception that there is no creativity involved in playing cover music. To me, that’s just crazy talk! There is a ton of room for creativity when you play cover music in a live band. There are hundreds of ways to approach playing a cover song. From keeping only the lyrics and melody while re-writing every instrument part to playing the cover song note for note just like the recording. There is a massive amount of room for creativity with any approach to a cover song including a note-for-note rendition of the original. (more…)
Video Demonstration Of The Seymour Duncan SH-4 JB Humbucker Pickup

Seymour Duncan SH-4 JB Humbucker Pickup

   The other day I talked about my experience using the Seymour Duncan SH-4 JB Humbucker in my custom made Stratocaster. I truly have been happy with the SH-4 JB and I highly recommend it for your guitar as well.

   Today I’m posting a couple videos from YouTube that were posted by user “walkintheseshoes”. He is demonstrating the Seymour Duncan SH-4 JB pickup in the bridge position and the Seymour Duncan SH-2 in the neck position. It’s a very well done demo video because he plays the same riff with the pickups set in their various configurations so you can really guage how the pickup sounds.

   In the video he demonstrates each pickup alone, then combined and finally with the coil tap engaged. This is really an excellent example of how the Seymour Duncan SH-4 JB pickup sounds. It’s also a great demonstration of how versatile this pickup is.   (more…)
Stuart Hamm – Bass Guitar Master Playing Bass Solo

   Stuart Hamm is one of the finest bass players I have ever heard. He is amazingly skilled on the bass guitar and he also has mad skills as a live musician as well. The thing I like most about Stuart Hamm is his ability to play the bass with such great feeling. He has the flashy licks and can play as fast as anyone but I believe his strength is in his ability to inject true emotion into his bass playing.

   In this video clip you can hear a perfect example of what I’m talking about at the beginning of the clip. The little piece he plays moves and swells with great feeling. Then of course he starts horsing around but to his credit, it makes for a great show.

   This video clip is from a concert Stuart did with Joe Satriani and is from the “Joe Satriani – Live In San Francisco 2001” DVD. Stuart plays bass in Joe’s backing band when he’s not doing studio work or performing with his own band. If you listen to the audience it may sound like they’re booing but they’re really saying “Stuuuuu!!!” because they enjoy it so much.     (more…)
Upgrade Your Guitar’s Pickup With The Seymour Duncan SH-4 JB Humbucker

Seymour Duncan SH-4 JB Humbucker Pickup

One of the best (if not THE best) humbucker pickups I have ever owned is my Seymour Duncan SH-4 JB pickup. I have been playing in my live band using the SH-4 in my custom built Stratocaster for quite a few years now. I have had this pickup in my guitar since 1986 and I have always loved the way it sounds. (more…)
How To Make It As A Professional Musician

Madonna - Top Of The Promotional Heap

   Ask any musician that you know if they would like to make a living playing music full time in a live band or even as a studio musician and I’m pretty sure their answer will always be an emphatic “yes”. Every guitarist I know dreams of making their living playing guitar. The thing is, great musicians are a dime a dozen. You can find excellent musicians living on every block. So how come so few of them are doing any professional playing?

   The answer is incredibly simple, it’s because they have failed at self promotion. So how do you self promote? Again, the answer is a simple one. All you have to do is get out of your practice room and go talk to people! Musicians are notorious for staying in their own little world and dreaming about making a living playing music. All it takes to get out there and make it playing music is to get speaking to anyone and everyone that can possibly help you in your quest.

   So where can you find people that will help you with your quest to play professionally? The first place is your local music store. Get down there and start talking to the salespeople. Find out who the top players in your area are. Try to find out where you can meet the best players and highest level musicians in your area. Maybe they come into the local music store regularly. If so, see if you can find a time to talk to them while they’re at the store.    (more…)
Sunday Funnies – Star Trek Meets Monty Python

In honor of the new Star Trek movie we’re bringing you this fun little clip of classic Star Trek – The Original Series clips set to music from Monty Python’s Holy Grail movie. Now, when you see the new Star Trek movie you can imagine them growing up into the clowns seen in this clip. (more…)
Live Musician Central – Weekend Album Picks 5-9-09

Every weekend Live Musician Central posts up a selection of the top new music releases so you can download them. Whether or not these are the best releases of the week they are the most heavily marketed new music releases by the industry. If you play in a live band it’s a good idea to keep up with the music being pushed by the music industry. These songs are going to be getting airplay in the nightclubs, music television and the radio. If you know what’s being marketed to the public you will stay relevant in the clubs you play. You can either learn these songs or have them on your MP3 player or iPod to play during your band breaks.

Since iTunes is the top music retailer in the U.S. we include links to albums that are being specially promoted on iTunes. We also include links to Amazon.com MP3 service. Amazon.com MP3’s are encoded at an excellent 256kbps and sound fantastic. They’re less expensive than iTunes and will play perfectly on all portable music players including iPods and iPhones. They’re also DRM free so you can load them on multiple players.

We also include links to some all time best selling albums so you can keep building your band’s songlist with proven, well-known songs. (Yes, the Wilco banner below is a live concert video for your iPod or iPhone!)
(more…)
Negotiating Gig Payment For Your Live Band – Get A Signed Contract

Download Live Band Performance Contract

How much should your live band be paid when you play a gig? That’s a very delicate question and the answer is going to be different for pretty much every gig you play. Some clubs pay a standard $350 per night. Some will give you a percentage of the door receipts. Some clubs pay less and some pay a lot more. The thing that you have to remember is that gig payment is always negotiable and it’s up to you to agree to a fee before you play the gig.

Negotiate Gig Payment In Advance

The most important thing to remember when booking a gig is to negotiate gig payment in advance. Try to reduce any variables the venue may throw at you. If the venue tells you “we’ll decide on payment after we see how many people show up” then that is a great big red flag and you should seriously consider not playing that venue. Don’t agree to any stipulations such as “payment based on food and drink sales”. Even payment based on door receipts is tricky because most clubs won’t let you audit their door receipts. The best thing to do when you’re booking your gig is to get all the payment details right up front.

JBL EON208P 300 Watt Portable P/A System w/ 8-Channel Mixer OPEN BOX #282
$799.00
Vocopro Four Channel Wireless All-In-One P.A. System PoManII
$400.00
P.A.L.M MICROLASER CONTROL UNIT !
$359.10
Pollution Research H.E.P.A. System Model M20 Commercial Air Purifier.
$200.00
(more…)
Jellifish Chorus Guitar Pick Review

Jellifish Chorus Guitar Pick

I’m always looking for interesting and innovative products to try and and possibly use when playing in my live band. So I took a great interest in the the Jellifish Chorus Guitar Pick. The sales material says that you can get 3 trademark sounds from this guitar pick. Chorus, which generates a 12-string like effect. Pluck, which is like a hammered dulcimer. Bow, which sounds like a cello. So naturally I had to order one and give it a try.

I’ve got a great story about my experience with ordering the Jellifish from Music123. I ordered several different picks from Music123 that I had been wanting to try out including the Jellifish Chorus Guitar Pick. When my order arrived, the Jellifish pick had been damaged in shipping and the metal tines had become bent which put a serious damper on the picks intended uses. So I called Music123 to request a return authorization and the simply said, keep the damaged one and we’ll send you a new Jellifish pick free of charge. That, in my opinion, was excellent customer service. I didn’t have to go through the hassle of returning the damaged pick and I got 2 picks for the price of one. I was able to bend the damaged pick straight enough that it would work even though it didn’t work as well as the undamaged one. (more…)