Some call it a "sound check", or a "rehearsal", or a "trial run".
Whatever you call it, and whatever you're doing,
your success depends on careful preparation.
In other words, you'll have a slim chance to succeed
if you decide to just "wing it" with only bluff and bluster.
You'll see examples of good preparation everywhere.
For example, I love watching top athletes.
You too?
I watch track meets in person, and football, basketball,
baseball, and all the rest on TV.
Watching these athletes preparing to perform,
I notice they're usually devoting much more time
to their warm up than to their actual contest...
... involving years of conditioning their bodies,
pacing for their "peak", and mentally focusing to
visualize their performance ahead of time.
I always suspect that those who prepare the best,
perform the best.
So here's that Tip I promised:
How well do YOU prepare? More would be better.
And usually LOTS MORE wouldn't hurt.
For me and the band, thorough preparation precedes
every performance.
First, many conversations set the scene. Where,
when, what's the occasion, what mood do you want,
and any special requests?
We scout out the best location for the band,
plan to pace ourselves with the event's timeline,
and coordinate with the planner, caterer, DJ, and
photographer, to assure that everything will go
as smoothly as planned.
When we arrive we've already practiced the tunes
we'll be playing -- our familiar old favorites as well
as the new special songs.
Once we're finally at the location, we greet our
colleagues, set up our equipment, tune up, and
make a quick sound check.
We talk about similar events we've entertained at
in recent years, and we're ready for "show time".
And all this careful preparation always pays off.
So the next time you see us at a wedding or a party,
realize that we've already been preparing for you.
