Power Trio: Tips for Playing in a Three Piece Rock Band

It may seem quite daunting, but there are benefits to playing in a three piece band. Here are a few tips and tricks for musicians up for the challenge.

The history of rock music is replete with great three-piece bands. Trios like Buddy Holly and the Crickets, the Jimi Hendrix Experience,Cream or Rush come to mind. While the idea of playing in a three-piece might seem somewhat limiting, there are some real advantages. This article will discuss some of those advantages and share a few tips to make your power trio experience a good one.

Elbow Room, Elbow Room... One of the challenges of playing in a three-piece can also be one of the major benefits: lots of room! Sonically speaking, having only three instruments and/or voices generally means more space for each individual musician. For example, the guitarist will not be competing with another guitarist for "sonic space". The three individual instruments - typically guitar, bass, and drums - are very distinct from each other and less likely to sound "muddy" in the live mix. While this discussion refers to room or space from a sonic standpoint, there may also be a real benefit to having only three bodies and their associated musical gear on a stage versus a bigger band. Some venues offer postage stamp sized stages or "performance areas" and the smaller your band's physical footprint the better! Plus, fewer musicians means less stuff to haul from gig to gig.

The joy of overplaying

All that space means I get to overplay all night, right? Well, yes and no. True there is more space to be filled and that might mean each member of the band may need to fill in some empty spots. But one of the great things about many three pieces is their use of that space. Check out a group like the Black Keys(who will often play as a three-piece live). They are able to use a minimalist approach to their advantage. The key is knowing when less is more. You don't ALWAYS have to fill up the empty spaces.

Power trio math: A third is better than a fourth or fifth

If you're like most amateur/semi-professional musicians you're not really playing to get rich. However, nobody is going to complain if they were to make a little more money at each gig. The economic benefit of playing in a three-piece is pretty obvious: splitting the proceeds three ways is going to put more money in each musician's pocket than having to pay out to four or five people.

Song selection is the key to making a trio work

If you have the luxury of playing original music, you might not need to worry too much about making a three-piece work; you're likely writing your songs with the trio-format in mind. However, if like most working musicians or weekend warriors, you're playing primarily cover tunes, then song selection is perhaps the single biggest factor in making your trio work. A common question might go something like this: "How do we play this great (insert band name here) song as a three-piece?" Well the right answer is probably, "You Don't!" If the prospects of successfully pulling off a song are in doubt - don't play it! The audience will never know the songs you didn't play - only the songs you did play. This is such a simple concept yet I will regularly hear three-piece bands playing songs that sound pretty empty and would have best been left off the set list. The bottom line is, pick the right songs to begin with. You'll know them when you hear them. And don't worry, there are tons of great songs that a three-piece can pull off.

Focus on vocals

There's a condition that afflicts many musicians referred to as "musician-itus" - that is an uncontrollable obsession with playing to impress the musicians in the crowd (which is probably a fairly low percentage) instead of playing to impress the crowd. The reality is that to most casual listeners the single biggest thing they'll notice is the band's vocals. There's a local band that has mediocre musicians (at best) but a great vocal sound. The crowds typically rave about how great they are. Conversely, there are local bands with excellent musicians but only mediocre vocals. Which bands do you think book the most gigs? You guessed it - the bands with better vocals. If you're going to obsess about an element of your performance, obsess about vocals. And the optimal three piece scenario is one where all three members can sing well. Keep that in mind when you're auditioning that awesome drummer who can't sing a note. You might be better served with a good drummer with a great voice.

Three is company

Playing in a three-piece has it's own set of challenges, but it can also be very exciting and liberating. As mentioned the key is to pick the right set list to begin with and get your vocal sound as polished as possible. After that, get out there and play!

(originally posted at Suite101.com)