To Quote the REO Speedwagon Album Title

Are you old enough to remember the 1978 album by REO Speedwagon called, “You Can Tune A Piano But You Can’t Tuna Fish”?  (As someone who likes old-time comedies, it kind of reminds me of the Stan Laurel line from the 1930 short, “Brats,” when he says, “You can lead a horse to water, but a pencil must be lead.”)

Everyone is so busy these days, multi-tasking – yet isn’t it funny, by the way, that people have time to stop and say how everyone’s juggling so many things and time is flying by? – and having a lot going on is good, but, sometimes you overlook the obvious.

Welcome to a blog on Live Shows 101.

Here in Florida it’s easy to forget that you need to constantly be tuning your guitar if you’re playing outdoors.  The humidity wreaks havoc on those strings.  And while the temptation is to say, “Duh,” and stop reading, here’s the point.

You arrive at your gig.  Everything – painstakingly – gets unloaded… eventually.  You get all set up.  The last thing you do is tune your guitar.  And then you walk away.

Gulp.

While you’re off in the rest room and/or grabbing a water and/or talking with the on-site contact or even a friend, time is ticking away and your guitar is quickly going out of tune.

When people see that live music is about to start, they turn their heads, they re-position their chairs, and they wind down their conversation.  If you forgot that your guitar is now out of tune, the first impression you’re going to make on them when you start is (a) ouch (their ears), and (b) unprepared.  The latter they could to decide to equate with unprofessional.

I even have a client who showed up at a country club I’d booked him and his duo partner at and he was met with a request from the general manager to play their grand piano.  Nope.  Being the veteran musician that he is, he knew from experience that their piano would be out of tune.  (By the way, he checked it and it was.)  He had his own digital piano with him (as always) and didn’t need to worry about the embarrassment he would’ve faced if the members had gathered around to listen to him.

I don’t need to remind the string instrumentalists of this same warning since this doesn’t just pertain to guitarists.

To that end, remember the Boy Scout motto and “be prepared.”  The last thing you want to do is say, “A ha, I’m remembering to tune my guitar because I know that the weather messed with it,” only to look in your case and realize you forgot your tuner!