Whew! Been awhile! Hope everyone had great Holidays, Happy New Year, and alla dat!
Okay, time to finish off the 10 'Apps...I'm probably going to go more bass centric here, but bear with me as I'm sure there's equivalents for other instruments.
Okay, so in PT. 1, we discussed getting the gig, getting the gig organised, getting to the gig, and communicating.
So, once you get to the gig, you set up and you need to tune. I use a Petersen StrobFlip Tuner on my pedal board, but for the smaller gigs where I don't bring it, I'll bring along my iRig interface and plug into my iPhone to access iStrobosoft:
Super accurate, quick, gets it right every time, just as good as one of the hardware options IME! Definitely a must have. I'd also recommend T.C. Electronics' PolyTune App; you can strum all the bass strings at once and it will tell you which one(s) needs to be adjusted...okay, here's a screen shot:
I try to warm up my hands a bit with some exercises before gigs (not as often as I should, granted); I have a few metronomes on my iPhone to help with that (I'm from the school where timing is an important part of practicing...unless it's free jazz, natch! Discussion for another blog...) So again, using the iRig and some in-ear head phones, I'll do some scales and warm ups using "Metronome Reloaded":
I have two others that I won't name that I'm going to delete because I don't use them...if you have any other suggestions, throw them my way please!
If you're on a gig and you get thrown an odd ball song you maybe have to figure out chords on the fly...someone might say "after the head hit a Db Min...open tuning..." and the guitarist may say "huh?" Whip out Planet Waves' Chordmaster LE App and you can show them how it's done!
(Note: this is just an example, not a knock on guitar players or an alleged lack of theoretical knowledge on their part...again, perhaps a blog for another time? To be fair, there's a keyboard version as well, Chord Board:
Before the gig, during breaks, I usually chill with the band, if I'm the MD I may be checking with the client or the manager of the venue...otherwise, I may want to play a game or something to pass the time if it's an especially long break...so I mess around with something productive to keep my mind in the game so to speak. Sight Reading Trainer Bass App helps me improve on my reading skills (which is admittedly the weakest area of my skill set, but improving greatly!)
Great way to pass the time and sharpen up, killing two birds with one stone!
With the exception of the tuners, all of these apps are for the low low price of...FREE! So check em out, see what you think and make a comment! Any suggestions for useful apps for the gigging musician, please share!
As I come closer to the completion of my bass pedal effects board (just waiting on the MXR Bass Compressor to hit the production line) I'll begin a series of blogs giving my take on each of the individual pedals, ending with my take on the whole ensemble. Sound cool?
Until next time...keep it low and phat, eh? Peace!
The RevGroove
P.S. I need to upgrade my iPhone 3G...love it, but too slow, especially compared to 3GS and 4G models...and then 5G is rumoured to be coming out this summer? So the thought is to pick up a used 3GS (or an NOS one that I can sell) and then upgrade when the new model comes out...if you have any ideas where I can pick one of these up at a decent (read: inexpensive) price, please comment and let me know, peace!
