It’s happened to many a guitar player at one time or another. You’re at home one Saturday afternoon, quietly minding your own business, when suddenly the phone goes. It’s your mate, and he’s in a bind: his band’s rhythm guitarist has had to cancel the gig, and they need a last-minute replacement. So, if you answer yes to that call, (a) you’re a brave person, but (b) what can you do to prepare yourself for playing a live show with such short notice? Here’s four things we’d recommend you try…

First things first: you should probably only offer to dep for an AWOL musician if you’re in a decent position to do so, and can realistically do a decent job of it. This might sound dead obvious, but it’s true. Don’t just say yes for the hell of it, or to help a friend in need! If you’re not prepared, it could come back to bite you later on.

There are many factors that could affect your decision to play as a stand-in, including the location of the gig, the band in question and their material, and the general expectations of the gig. If it’s a pop-rock covers band down the local pub, for example, you’ll probably feel far more comfortable than if you’re going to be playing originals in front of paying punters who expect more bang for their buck.

Now, there are plenty of musicians – pros included – who make a decent living from depping for others. Some keep incredibly busy diaries, and can be playing for a different band every night of the week. But for most of us, it’ll probably be less regular, and therefore more nerve-wracking – which brings us to our first piece of advice…

1. Don’t panic!

Taking on a show as a stand-in can be a terrifying experience, especially if it’s your first time. It will get easier, trust us! But more on that slightly further down the page.

For now, though, you need to focus on the matter at hand, and get on with preparing for the show.

A great thing to remember, if you’re nervous, is that it’s in the band’s best interests to give you as much help and support as they can before the show. If it’s a covers band, they might be able to tailor the set to songs you already know. If it’s originals, make sure they give you as much info as possible beforehand.

Basically, the more you know about the show in advance, the less of a step into the deep end it will be – which brings us swiftly on to the things you can do yourself to make depping as painless as possible.

Keeping your cool as a stand-in is vital, even though it might feel as if everything’s against you at first. Don’t forget, the band you’re playing for should do everything they can to help you out – it’s their gig and reputation at stake, after all – so use them to learn as much about the show as you can beforehand.

2. Do your homework

Even if the gig’s only a few hours away, there’s plenty you can do before showtime. As we’ve already said, getting advice on setlists is an absolute given. Once you know it, print it out, or write it out, and take at least a couple of copies with you (that you’ll lose one somewhere along the way is almost certain!).

You can use the setlist as a kind of cheat sheet too: use it to write down chord progressions you might not be familiar with, note any changes in tuning, whether a capo is needed, and even what key each song is in. Certain cover bands transpose songs into lower (or higher) keys to fit around the vocal range of the singer, so it’s important to know you’re going to be playing in the right one.

If there are songs on the setlist that you don’t know well, use any time you have to brush up on them. Listen to the originals, work them out by ear or using tabs, play along – and repeat. The more you get the songs into your muscle memory, the more you’ll relax, and the better you’ll perform on the night (more advice about how to do that is just here, by the way).

Another great thing to do is check out the band you’re going to be temporarily joining. If the gig’s in a week or two, you might have the chance to catch them live in the flesh, which is perfect. If not, though, search for them on YouTube or Facebook: chances are they’ll have recorded versions of songs online somewhere, and maybe even some video recordings of shows.

All this can really help, because you can already start working out the group’s dynamics, how they set themselves up onstage, even how they dress for the stage. The more you can find out, the better chance you’ll have of seamlessly fitting in with the band at your gig.

Finally, if you don’t know it already, scope out the venue if you can – as well as the way to get there. Making sure you’re going to arrive on time is crucial, as is knowing a little bit about what to expect from the concert room itself. Basic advice, yes, but we know a few stand-ins who have come a cropper by not doing their homework first.

Once you’re at the venue, then, it’s time to set up your gear – and you’d better make sure that’s all in order too…

It’s not just the music that’s important when you’re depping at a gig – it’s the whole show experience. Making sure you get to the gig well ahead of time not only makes you look like more of a pro to the others, but it’ll also help you get relaxed and in the zone easier!

3. Look after your gear

We’ve written whole blog posts about this topic before (here, and here) because it’s something every guitarist – no, every musician – should do, regardless of whether you’ve got shows coming up or not. Hell, even if you just play to yourself at home a couple of times a week, you should still be looking after your gear and keeping everything in tiptop shape!

But if you’re about to play live, it’s absolutely crucial.

You need to make sure your rig is in full, reliable order at all times. OK, there are things that can happen onstage that you can’t plan for – breaking a string mid song, drunk punters spilling beer or vomit on your kit, exploding drummers, etc. – but everything else is firmly in your hands.

This means bringing all the spares you’ll ever need with you to shows in a little gig survival pack: gaffer tape, strings, leads, picks, guitar tools, amp tubes, a torch, pen and paper, batteries for FX pedals or active pickups, the aforementioned setlists, maybe even backup amps and/or guitars, and more. Be prepared for anything to happen, and as a stand-in, it’ll fill you with confidence to know that you’re well set to deal with any unusual gear-based situations that may occur.

Looking after your gear also takes place offstage, of course. Keep your guitar well-oiled and looked after at all times, and the same goes for your amp and any pedals and other accessories you may have.

When it comes to your amp, get your settings down before the show. If you use MIDI, get some presets sorted (more on how to do exactly that right here) that’ll cover all the base tones you’ll need. Work out roughly what basic amp settings you’ll need for the gig, and tweak your EQ accordingly ahead of time. If you’ve got the luxury of choosing between amps, take the one that’ll suit the gig best. A full stack is not going to fit in with an acoustic covers band, no matter how cool it is!

The more preparation you can do before playing a gig as a stand-in, the bigger the chances of playing a great show. Alright, the expectations are never going to be that high in the first place, but this gives you even more of a chance to shine by putting the work in… and that could lead to more shows!

If you’ll be using plenty of FX, and playing famous songs that use effects like delays, do yourself a massive favor and dial in the settings at home before the show (ask the band for specifics if you can). You’ll be taking so much pressure off yourself that way, and come the gig you’ll be able to focus on the music as much as possible, and not getting your sounds right. Trust us, there won’t be any time for that.

All this said, though, there’s only so much you can do in preparation, especially if the gig’s last minute in nature.

But, if you really nail it…

4. Do it right, and you’ll be doing it again

When it comes down to it, nobody can expect too much of you if you’re a stand-in – unless you’re one of those depping pros, of course.

But do a great job, and we can almost guarantee that you’ll be asked back. Networking among musicians is extremely important, and a good reputation goes a long way, particularly in local and regional scenes.

If you’re punctual, polite and competent, you’ll win the trust of the band you join, and that could lead to more shows. It could also lead to more bands hearing about you, and that in turn could result in more stand-in jobs, more experience, and more fun.

And that’s all there is to it! There are, naturally, other things you can do to help your cause when it comes to this sort of thing: learn loads of popular songs and keep them in your active arsenal, or go to some local jam nights, which can be really helpful in boosting your onstage skills – particularly when it comes to improvisation – when playing with strangers.

Most of all, though, have fun doing it. If you spend the whole run-up to the show dreading what’s to come, then no one’s going to have a good time. Not you, not the band, not the crowd. And that’s just a waste of everyone’s time.

So, how many of you have played a gig as a stand-in before? How did you cope? We’d love to know, so leave us your experiences in the comments section below…

First published: November 21 2014. Most recent update: October 16 2015.