Whether you are gigging locally or further afield, the demands on a professional musician can be tough. As such, you have to be prepared for a whole range of different scenarios.
The equipment you take from gig to gig will vary, depending on instrument and set up, however there are certain general things that will be handy for all musicians. Here are our top picks of the most useful items to keep in your gig bag.
General items for all musicians
Gaffa / Duct tape
Probably one of the most useful things you could possibly put in your gig bag, Gaffa tape is one of the absolute essentials for musicians. Uses include; taping down leads to stop people tripping, temporarily repairing faulty gear and many more that you probably haven’t even imagined yet!
WD40
While this won’t be quite so commonly used as gaffa tape, WD40 oil is also a very good thing to have on hand. Uses include lubricating stubborn stands and various other items.
Ear plugs
Protecting your hearing is important. Even if you play in (what you consider to be) a relatively quiet band, there will be times that it is best to give your ears a break. Ear plugs for musicians can take many forms, cheaper and more generic “touring plugs” can be purchased for as little as £10, whereas custom ear plugs can cost hundreds, but ensure little chance of hearing loss.
Multi-tool
An especially useful part of any musicians toolkit should be a good quality multi-tool. These can come in handy for almost anything at all – from taking the screws off of gear to cutting up material for emergency drum dampening.
Torch
The problem with phone lights is they have a tendency to drain battery, and how often do laws of chance give you plenty of battery when you really need it anyway?! Having a torch can prove useful for all sorts of things, whether it’s just looking for the guitar picks you’ve managed to drop all over the floor or desperately trying to see what’s going on under the bonnet of your van on the motorway hard shoulder at 2am…
Extra extension leads
If you’re regularly playing at venues that haven’t always been purpose built music venues (such as weddings at big country manors) then your performance space may not be as near a wall socket as you might like. As such, it makes sense to bring some extensions with you, of varying lengths. Whatever your instrument, try to carry a minimum selection of 6 or 8 meter 4 ways and a long 10/15 meter reel. If your power requirements are modest, this should be enough to see you through.
Sheet Music
It’s always a good idea to carry spare sheet music if you are a reading musician. You never know when someone will have to step in at the last minute so having charts on hand can be a life saver!
Paper / Manuscript Paper
You never know when you might need to write something down, whether it’s your set list for the evening or an emergency chart to a new song, it’s always good to have a note book on hand in your tool kit. It might also be a good idea to have some manuscript paper on hand for last minute charts!
iPod / Streaming App
There is nothing worse than leaving the stage to rapturous applause and then having to deal with nothing but awkward silence afterwards. Depending on what your gear set up is, there are many ways in which you can plug either an iPod or device with a streaming app into your system and get some background music on before your set, in between sets and once your done… just don’t forget the iPod!
Phone charger
Especially essential if you’re using your phone for its Spotify connection for background music.
Towel
No one wants their prized bass guitar to be forever smelling like last nights beer spillage! Having a towel close by for any emergencies really is a must for keeping your gear in good condition. Similarly, in summer months or at particularly packed gigs, things could get more than a little sweaty and having a towel around in that situation isn’t such a bad idea either… just remember to wash it!
First Aid Kit
While this could probably be more for storage in the car or van than in the actual kitbag, keeping some key supplies around somewhere will be invaluable if you find yourself having a minor medical problem. You don’t have to be able to cater for a scene out of “Casualty” here, but having some plasters, paracetamol and bandages would seem a sensible precaution.
Business cards / Flyers
Keeping a stack of cards / flyers in your gig case is going to mean that they are immediately available to hand out after a successful show.
Allen / Hex keys
While these aren’t going to be as frequently needed as many of the other tools, if you are using any lighting rigs or anything similar, a set of allen keys are so small and relatively inexpensive (usually around £1 in hardware stores) it would make sense to put a set in your case.
Safety gloves
If you are responsible for loading and packing down your own gear (and let’s face it, the majority of us are!) then a set of thick safety gloves to prevent injury when lifting gear really is a must.
Spare leads
Whether you utilise an XLR, ¼ inch Jack or anything else, make sure you have a sensible number of spare leads to hand in case any break or go missing.
Sharpie
Whether it’s writing a set list, marking up a sound desk or a dozen other things, having a marker that can write on pretty much anything is always going to come in handy.
Electrical / Insulation Tape
Great for marking up a sound desk or for keeping your cables neat, some electrical tape will set you back a matter of pence, but save you considerable time at set up.
Spare Fuses
A couple of spare fuses for your electrical items certainly won’t go amiss if anything goes wrong… Just make sure you know which ones your gear needs!
Pegs
No, we aren’t suggesting you hang out some washing while you play a show! A couple of pegs are great for keeping your sheet music or lyrics in place, especially if your gig is outside!
Multimeter / Continuity Meter
A multimeter or continuity meter can be very useful when trying to track down electrical problems with cables and electronic equipment, or for testing fuses etc.
Soldering Iron
Soldering irons (don’t forget the solder!) are a great thing to include in your gig bag for those on site repairs when things go wrong. If you’re not confident using a soldering iron there are tutorials on YouTube to help guide you.
Tuner / Metronome
It’s worth investing in a tuner / metronome either separately or combined like the one shown above. These are particularly useful for guitarists to get the tuning spot on, or for Musical Directors to help count in at the correct tempo!
Emergency Snacks / Drinks
Perhaps you don’t fancy the “bandwiches” on offer, or perhaps the event organiser forgot to organise your food – either way, emergency snacks and drinks are always a good idea to pack.
Hand Sanitiser
A portable hand sanitiser is useful for events outside or where there’s no easy access to running water.
Instrument Specific Equipment
Keyboard Players
DI box (With power or batteries if needed)
Having to usually run your keys into an input on the mixer or a multi coil, a DI box will help clean up your signal and give you more control. Keep it in your gig case or with the instrument itself.
Fold-away Music Stand
Never underestimate how annoying it is to get to a gig and realise you have forgotten your music stand. While a stool may fulfil the role to a degree, a small and inexpensive fold away back up is always useful to have in your gig bag. If you perform in a string quartet, big band or similar group you might want to consider matching music stands.
Bassists & Guitarists
Spare strings
An absolute must for all stringed instruments. Remember, although they are hopefully sealed, spare strings can still degrade over time even in their packets, so replace them every now and then.
Spare plectrums
One of our Facebook group members commented:
“The amount of times I’ve been at a gig and the guitarists been stressing out about plectrums coz they didn’t take many and just lost the last one on the floor!”
9V batteries
Whether you choose to run your pedals from batteries or the mains, make sure you have plenty of spares to hand for when they eventually run out or you hit any other issues.These are especially important to keep on hand if you own an active instrument.
String winder/ clipper
A brilliant tool for restringing on the fly, a winder/clipper combo (like the one made by Planet Waves) should be in every guitarists gig bag.
Capo
For emergency key changes (or just for that ‘Wonderwall’ encore!)
Acoustic guitar feedback buster
A great tool for anyone finding themselves battling feedback on their acoustic guitar. While essentially only comprising of a small bit of rubber to fit over the soundhole, a feedback buster can prove to be a lifesaver in certain situations.
Nail clippers
We’ve all been there… unless you’re playing a very specific style, long nails are nothing but a hindrance.
In a real bind, nail clippers can also double as string clippers!
Drummers
Drum key
Any drummer will tell you this is an important tool for tuning drums, and it is usually never to be found when you really need it! Consider even adding one to your keyring and making sure you have at least one in your gig bag!
Extra sticks
If extra strings are the guitarists essential, then these are drummers. You never know when a set of sticks might break or simply go missing.
Hot rods
If you end up facing a particularly bad volume restriction or sound limiter (See our LMM Blog for more advice) then a set of hot rods will help reduce the volume while still keeping a lot of the “feel”. Hot rods are bunches of smaller sticks taped together to lessen the impact on drums and cymbals.
Cymbal dampeners
If you find yourself in a small venue, then spare both your (and your colleagues!) hearing by dampening your snare and cymbals.
Spare Drums / Skins / Heads
It’s a good idea to carry spare skins if you’re a drummer. One of our group members suggests to have a second snare set up in case of skins breaking mid-set. Kick drum heads can also be useful especially if you don’t change them regularly.[/color-box]
String Players
Rosin
Rosin is essential for string players but can often be overlooked!
Dusters
Dusters are useful to keep your string instrument clean and can double up as an emergency chin rest for violinists (if you don’t have a sponge!).
Black Hole
No, not the region of spacetime, rather a rubber ring with a hole used by cellists / bassists to steady their instrument and avoid marking the floor.
Spare Strings
String players will appreciate the importance of having a good set of strings on standby at all times.
General Advice
Always take sensible precautions when packing and preparing for a gig… you can never have too many back up plans!
Spare instruments and amps are always going to be useful should the worst happen. When planning your journey, always allow extra contingency time for traffic and make sure your breakdown cover is up to date.
It is especially important to make sure anything that requires charging is at 100%! (Sat Nav, Phone, iPad ect…)
Thanks to Iain Meyrick on our Facebook group for pointing out arguably the most important thing to remember – your mascot!
Worst comes to worst, make sure your network of “Deps” is up to scratch for emergency gig cover by joining Dep Musicians in the UK – Needed and Available and UK Musicians for gigs Facebook groups.
How do you prepare for gigs? What else do you keep in your gig bag? Let us know in the comments below!
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