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Live Performance Tips: Adjusting Guitar Parts for Gigs

Writer's picture: Anubhav KulshreshthaAnubhav Kulshreshtha

Updated: 3 days ago

I haven't been as active as a live performer since establishing this online guitar school. But recently, a gig came up, and as per the ritual, I was dumped upon what felt like a million songs.


That's something live guitar players get used to over time — you are supposed to know the arrangements, key, sound effects, etc, for the entire playlist.


However, that doesn't mean you have to know every single note exactly as per the original track. The skill of differentiating between essential and non-essential parts comes to the rescue — something quite handy and non-negotiable.


In a song, some of the parts can be considered as fillers that were poured into production just to fill it up, to get it right kind of dense to engage the listeners — whereas other parts hold identity value.


The greatest example is Intro to Sweet Child O' Mine — people may refuse to acknowledge the song if you alter it for your creative reasons (or lack of practice).


On the other hand, there are parts in the same song where you can improvise. For example, in "Sweet Child O' Mine," during the outro, there's space for improvisation. So, within the same song, you’ve got a super iconic part you can’t compromise on, and another part where you have some flexibility.


"Sweet Child O' Mine" was originally written as a joke by Slash during a warm-up session. He didn't take the riff seriously and thought of it as a "circus melody." Ironically, it became one of the most iconic guitar intros in rock history.


Warning: As of 2024, playing Sweet Child O' Mine in a guitar store could earn you a look of utter disdain. It’s been so grossly overplayed that it’s practically become a rite of passage for beginners — and a nightmare for staff.


The same goes for "Stairway to Heaven". You might want to brace yourself for some serious eye-rolls, or worse, be politely asked to "try something else."


Another example is AC/DC's "Back in Black." There's no way you can mess with the riff without expecting backlash.


This thought reminds me of a live performance by Genesis, where they played "Firth of the Fifth." The iconic solo in the original version has this amazing tone and a moment where a note is sustained for a long time — there's something about that solo that stands out.


In the video I'm talking about the lineup was different, and the new guitarist put his own spin on it. The YouTube comment section was furious, and this was the pre-internet rage era, where people were generally more kind in their interactions and less sarcastic.


Steve Hackett, the original guitarist of Genesis, is known for the epic solo in “Firth of the Fifth,” which has been revered as a masterclass in progressive rock guitar. When Hackett left the band in 1977, his shoes were tough to fill.


This explains the difference—some riffs and licks hold the identity of the song, while others are just there for density.


To improvise segments that don't hold auditory memory value, you still need to stay within the same vibe.


For example, in "Back in Black," you can improvise the outro, but it better be around the E minor pentatonic. So, you still need to know the chord functionality, scales, and modes that work over the song to make sure it feels original to the audience.


If done right, the majority of the audience will perceive that as original. There's something to be said about the genres here, some allow more flexibility whereas others turn out to be stubborn.


In an interview, John Petrucci from Dream Theater mentioned how their song arrangements stay the same as the original because the complex chords and riffs leave little room for improvisation. Multiple melody lines often run side by side, so deviation is not an option in that context.


At the same time, Dream Theatre isn't a band with random guys, with everyday lineup changes and mainstream music. I suppose I'm implying that it also comes down to where you stand in your music career.


knowing the difference will save you all the hassle and successfully reduce the number of panic attacks.


On stage, things move differently than in your practice room, and even with a metronome, you won’t experience the same rush.


The Unwritten Rules of Live Performance


Don’t Overplay: Leave space for other musicians. As the saying goes, “It’s not what you play, it’s what you don’t play.”


Read the Room: If the audience isn’t responding, switch gears. Maybe they need a high-energy riff or a soulful solo to get back on board.


Embrace Mistakes: Even legends flub notes. The key is to keep going. As Keith Richards once said, “If you’re going to make a mistake, make it loud.”


Playing live brings you closer to the reality of being a musician, where you don’t have time to micromanage everything.


A practical way to prepare for live performance is to do one-take practice sessions. Focus on specific song segments, loop them, and push through without restarting. Restarting over and over kills musicianship and is a common pitfall for beginners.


The Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards and Queen’s Brian May have both emphasized the importance of playing through mistakes in rehearsal to simulate the pressure of live performance.


Guitar arrangements depend on factors such as the number of musicians involved, the genre, and the audio output (stage sound setup). Again, there are other factors — where you stand in your career, band chemistry, etc but I'll break down the ones where we are more in control.


Ed Sheeran’s loop pedal performances... He builds layers live, creating a full-band sound with just his guitar and voice. If you’re playing solo, focus on maintaining momentum—use rhythmic strumming or fingerpicking to fill the space.


If you’re the only one accompanying a singer, as a guitarist, you need to keep the rhythm going, the momentum is of the essence and suddenly switching to a solo with no support will kill the density.


You may sneak in a filler or two but that has to be done without killing the continuity.


Assumingly now a Cajon player joins in...


It gives you more liberty to add licks (and maybe even a short solo) while maintaining the momentum.


In a four-piece band with a drummer, bass player, vocalist, and guitarist, things change.


For instance, in the song "Jo Bhi Main" from Rockstar, if you’re plucking, the bass player will need to step up their game, and yet for the chorus, you’ll likely need to strum more.


By the way,


I'm not a fan of segregation.


As a full-stack guitar player, you'd really wanna know the difference between the distinct roles of the instrument but approaching the instrument "strumming only" or "lead only" isn't what I recommend.


A four-piece band could do great sonically... but musicians will need to step up their game.


It cannot be basic — root note on the bass, straight eighth note pattern on the drums, single strum chords on the guitar, and basic straightforward vocal lines — recipe for a band that might as well call themselves, "The Snooze Crew" or "The Bland Brothers".


I took somewhat of a Bollywood audience perspective throughout the conversation here.


A lot of bands such as Green Day, Led Zeppelin, etc are just three people but they do call upon guest players while on tour.


Four-piece bands are the default for rock.


When it comes to Bollywood, arrangements have to compete with these heavily produced movie songs. Hint: distortion and dotted eight-note delays.


Often Bollywood cover bands can justify the larger-than-life cinema vibe using distortion and advanced delay/reverb techniques during the chorus. After all, that's the sound density the audience is used to.


I recently went to this auditorium where some of my friends were performing and the reverb was insane.


Too many intricacies get lost in the reverb, therefor jazz folks prefer sounds dry.


Due to ample uncontrollable reverb, the performance was somewhat altered — the drummer had to simplify the grooves. Bass again doesn't mix well with reverb and had to be tamed quite a bit. All the wet effects were absolutely stripped off on the mixer.


Pretty sure no acoustic engineer was hired during the construction but can't really tell that to the audience!


The guitarist had to ensure that the strumming stayed rhythmically aligned with eighth-note patterns, and when deviating from that, the neck pickup was engaged to soften the tone, preventing any clashes with the vocals.


Another key factor in live performance is knowing your audience. Is it a commercial gig with cover songs only, or are original songs allowed?


Audience expectations can vary wildly, depending on the gig. For example, jam band fans (like Grateful Dead or Phish devotees) are known for expecting long, improvised solos and constant reinterpretation. On the other hand, fans of bands like Metallica or AC/DC generally expect note-perfect renditions of their favorite songs.


Understanding the harmonic function of each part is key.


The intro and main riff often establish the song’s identity, while verses and outros offer more flexibility. Use your knowledge of scales and chord progressions to identify where you can improvise without losing the song’s essence.


In live performances, you're always dealing with the unexpected. The challenges and last-minute issues are part of the experience.


Say Bye!

Anubhav Kulshreshtha


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