Just Say No to Noodling

Do you find yourself tuning up, practising your favourite licks, tweaking your amp, or scrolling through patches and trying them out on your synth during a soundcheck or recording session? It’s time to stop those bad habits and just say no to noodling.

The Noodling Problem

There’s one thing that sorts out experienced musicians and the pros from the crowd - the lack of noodling. A young, inexperienced band during a soundcheck try out new sounds, fiddle with gear, start up band jams to favourite licks and are generally noisy. Conversely, a seasoned professional band will be organized, patient, and its members will avoid playing over one another.

Learn your parts, sort out your sounds and prepare your gear before you turn up to the gig or session. The soundcheck is not the place to start practising your tricky intro for a song. A recording studio control room is not the right environment for working on your scales. Cutting out the noodling will help in your journey to becoming a more complete and experienced musician.

Dos and Don'ts

• Don't tune up loudly. Do mute your instrument or, if it is mic'd up, turn away before tuning up.

• Don't use a soundcheck as a practise session. Do practise your parts at home.

• Don't noodle away when another instrument in the band is soundchecking. Do wait for your turn.

• Don't sit in the corner noodling away in a recording studio control room. Do listen to the playback and give your input.

• Don't noodle when someone is talking to the audience. Do keep quiet and smile at the jokes..

Conclusion

Cutting out the noodling will make you popular with fellow musicians, sound engineers, producers and musical directors. Silence is golden.