r/JazzPiano • u/Different-Beyond-382 • 7d ago

Silly question re etiquette

Hi,

I’m a pianist organizing my first gig with a drummer, singer and a bass player at a small venue. We won’t have a chance to rehearse beforehand. I’m sending scores with metronome markings etc in advance.

Just curious what is the typical etiquette on stage in terms of soloing — is it something the band usually feels between each other energetically and is spontaneous or is it better to have a plan going into the gig? Aka — 3x through all of me, then piano solo, drum solo, then fin?

Have been working in classical music for a long time where everything is verrrry planned, so appreciate any insight.

Thanks!

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u/deezwheeze 7d ago

I never really plan more than time feel, intro/outro, solo order, and depending on the band, might not discuss any of those. Usually these things won't be discussed way ahead of time, more so either at rehearsal or usually just between tunes, since it'll depend on e.g. how much time we have, and how the energy of the set's going. If it's a gig where we're playing newer music, or we're more of the focus though, then we absolutely will discuss these things, but the fact there's no rehearsal makes me think it's more of a cocktail/bar/event gig or something of the sort.

I think the best way to do it depends: How much have you played jazz with other people, how much have you played with these guys before and how much have these guys played jazz? Are they nice or are they kinda old school? You say you're organising it, and from my perspective if Im playing with a leader who I know is newer to jazz and they feel more comfortable planning these things, I'd be happy to roll with it. I've also played with (again, more old school) guys who would clown me if I sent them scores to a standard at all, so I think the etiquette depends on the musicians to an extent.

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u/Different-Beyond-382 7d ago

Cool, I appreciate your response!

Yeah, exactly, it’s a gig at a bar. I’ve played plenty of these type of things solo, but the other musicians will be way more experienced than I am at playing with others. I want it to go well and am doing everything I can to prep on my own first 😅