Being A Self-Sufficient Singer

Jeannie Deva

When I first started out as a singer I expected that wherever I went – rehearsal, open mic, jam session or gig, I would be able to just walk in, pick up the mic that someone else had ready for me and sing. I thought everyone would know my tunes and would intuit the correct key for me to sing each song. I never realized that’s how I thought, but that certainly was how I lived.

But as time went on, I had more and more disappointing and frustrating experiences that showed me I’d better smarten up and think things through. I found that many times there was no mic. All the musicians would be there with their amplified gear, playing their hearts out, and no way for me to boost my voice above their din. Or I’d get to a gig to find that the mic available was such a piece of *!* that it barely had enough life in it to be of any use to me (not to mention all the dried saliva from previous use by other singers.)

Take a look at this for yourself. Do you walk into a jam session – or audition - and find you want to sing songs that the band doesn’t know? And do you spend more time trying to find songs in common with new players than you do singing them? Can you tell the players what key to play each song in that’s best for your voice? What about a mic? Do you ever sing yourself hoarse as you try to compete with all the other musicians because you don’t have a mic to use or the one they have is poor quality? And do you ever forget the lyrics and wish that you had them with you? What about playing with musicians that don’t read music charts but can catch the right chords if they only had a recording of the song you want to sing? These are just a few of the challenges that you may face and that need solutions.

I had so many occasions when, unexpectedly, I was asked to sing something on the spur of the moment. My mind would go totally blank – ever happen to you? Not very professional. All of the above and more caused me to re-evaluate myself and my efforts. I decided to define what it meant to me to be professional – what I needed to do to meet the standard of a pro.

Rising to Professional Heights

I decided that to be a professional meant that wherever I went, I would be prepared. If someone asked me to sing something, I would already have a list of possibilities including a song or two that I could sing without instrumental accompaniment if there was none. I stretched my imagination to envision what kinds of situations I might find myself in and what I would need to have with me so that I would always be able to rise to the occasion and sing. And I took a realistic look at what I would have to do vocally to always have my voice functioning at peak performance. I wanted to make sure that I always trusted my voice so I would not back-off from any opportunity for fear of sounding lousy.

To take responsibility for my instrument and my skill, I scheduled my own regular vocal practice of exercises and repertoire. Then I began to itemize what I needed that would allow me to arrive prepared for any occasion and be able to sing any time, any place.

What is a Gig Bag?

Your gig bag could be any kind of canvas or leather bag that is large enough to hold all the things you may need when you go out to sing. This will be your “supply bag.” You’ll use it for going to jam sessions, open mic nights, rehearsals and performances, whatever types of musical situations you go to where you are or might possibly be able to sing.

You leave your gig bag packed and store it somewhere in your home. I usually modify the contents at least the day before I take it, based on my needs for that specific situation. However, there are always certain items that are the same for any situation and those, of course, stay in the bag no matter what.

More often than not, you may find yourself in a rush to get out the door and make it on time to your rehearsal, open mic, whatever. If you have your bag already packed, you can grab it and run out the door with no worry of arriving and realizing you forgot your mic, lyrics, etc.

Basic Items Checklist for Your Bag

Here’s a checklist to which you can add or subtract those items you find necessary to personalize your gig bag. All you have to do is consider what you’ll be using it for and then modify the contents to fit your own purpose.

____ Lyric book – each song should have noted on it the key you sing it in. If you don’t know how to determine this, find a musician to help you out – it’s well worth the forethought and bit of time invested. My lyric book is a three ring binder so that I can add or subtract to the contents. When I am giving a full two hour concert, the first page is my set list and the lyric sheets are put in the set order.

____ Manila envelope of chord charts for each song you think you might want to have the band play, or you definitely want the band to play, with copies for each player. Again, for a performance, I would place at least one (usually more) copy of each song I will be doing for the performance. Sometimes players loose or forget their music and if you don’t have a spare copy, there goes playing the tune.

____ “Jeannie Deva Vocal Warm-Ups and Cool-Downs” CD. (Info on Jeannie Deva's products is listed below)

____ Any of your favorite vocal exercise CDs from “The Contemporary Vocalist”

____ Your personal microphone.

____ A cable for your mic to connect to the PA.

____ A bottle of Thayer’s natural throat spray to keep your mouth moist.

____ A bottle of water.

____ A CD of the tunes you want to play with the band so they can hear how each sounds. I usually have a few of these that I pack so that multiple players can listen separately from each other or take one home with them to learn the tunes.

____ If you will be working with backup singers: Lyric sheets for each.

____ If you will be working with backup singers: A CD of the tunes for each.

____ A pen, a pencil with an eraser and white-out for any note taking or possible changes on the sheet music.

____ Ear plugs (if you’re playing with a loud band, especially in a small space and want to save your hearing).

____ If you have backup singers for a performance, a CD of just the tunes they will be singing, recorded in the order of the set.

____ A CD walkman.

____ A headset for the walkman.

____ Several extra batteries for your walkman, stored in a zip lock baggie.

____ Your vocal effects pedal – such as the TC Helicon VoiceTone Create. (This is amazingly small and light weight – and inexpensive! Allows you to have reverb and all the good effects you might want to have on your voice so you sound pro through the PA.

____ Cables to connect the effects pedal to the PA.

____ Scotch Tape

____ Your business/professional card with all contact info

____ Copies of your demo or CD – if you have one

Remember, this is YOUR life, YOUR profession. If you want others to take you seriously, start off doing so yourself. Your goals are important. Make your plans, set your priorities, and then don’t think about it - DO it!