who calls the solos?

[Dayna Wills]

Sometimes the band looks to me to call solos. I automatically leave it to the bandleader. Whenever I sit in with strangers, I ask who will be calling the solos. I prefer to count my own tempos, tho.
Is there a rule among musicians and guests? What if the guest is himself a bandleader and is used to calling solos? Should he clear it with the bandleader first or, if he starts to call solos, should the bandleader be polite and let him?

[Richard Sinkler]

Just let everyone play at the same time. Just Kidding Dana. If the band has the song worked out already (maybe for their own band) then I think it should be left to the band to just take care of the leads as they do them in their own band. If it's just a mix of musicians who don't play together all the time, then I think the singer should call out the solos. That's probably where the backup musician's attention is more focused on at the time.

[Dayna Wills]

Phooey. I don't wanna call solos. I wanna dance!

[Dave Mudgett]

I think you should do it whatever way you want to, but I would make it clear to the guest how we want to handle it. I don't think there's any absolute "rule", and have seen bands do it differently. The worst thing is to leave it to chance - then everybody may well wind up playing over each other. I would generally let a guest singer call solos if they want to, but YMMV.

[Stephen Gambrell]

Whoever's got the loudest amp goes first.

[James Cann]

How about, whoever did the last one should sit out the next one?

[Steve Norman]

most of the bands I work for its prearranged or the singer calls it. A lot of times on a long run I will pass it to the guitarist or he will pass his to me.

[Edward Meisse]

The people I play with do it alot of different ways. The groups tend to be small. Sometimes we just trade 4's on the fly. The important thing is that everybody knows what the method is before the festivities begin.

[Mark van Allen]

My favorite is sitting in with a band where the leader hands me a solo and the guitar player plays it anyway.
In Blueground Undergrass, some of our arrangements are worked out, but mostly the leader nods at us... occasionally one will be up for grabs and we're all giving it to each other! When somebody sits in it's usually just a fun free-for-all. It really comes down to listening very well to each other.

[Richard Sinkler]

Mark says:

My favorite is sitting in with a band where the leader hands me a solo and the guitar player plays it anyway.

Everyone play at the same time, and you have no problem.

[Walter Killam]

I usually just call left to right

[Donny Hinson]

If the band is any good (which is just a euphemism for "very experienced"), you don't have to do anything but look their way, or step back from the mike. You know your job, and they know theirs. "Calling" solos might only mess up something they've already worked out having done the song a few hundred times behind someone else.

[Bo Borland]

I always look or listen to the boss.. could the lead singer or the musical director defacto

[Ken Lang]

A band I worked with on occasion had it settled before we even started. First you, then you and then you. No stepping on toes, no wondering if you were next and messing it up if you were called with 2 seconds to go. And, we sounded like we knew what we were doing.

[Cal Sharp]

I was playing with a thrown-together band one night and, at one point, the singer said "C Sharp" over the mike when he wanted me to play a solo and half the band changed keys.

[John Floyd]

Thats Who I listen to!

[Steve Alcott]

In my regular band, the 1st violin calls the solos; whether anyone pays attention is another issue altogether.

[Jerry Hayes R.I.P.]

What Donny said...........JH in Va.

[Tony Prior]

No real set format, but eye contact and silent communication with other players is essential. IF they are NOT paying attention, LIFT, assume they will take it, and they probably will !

We get paid by the gig, not the solo's !

IF you are playing with LIKE minds you will not have a problem.

[Chuck Cusimano]

I believe the singer is like the pilot of an aircraft, and should know where he/she want's to go. If I'm just sitting in with a band, and don't know much about their arrangements, after I sing a verse and a chorus, I'll signal them to "turn it around", and come back and finish the song. No one likes to be in a "train wreck", and sometimes it is best for everyone to not spend a lot of time on me.
However, If I'm setting in with a band I'm familiar with, I'll call the "rides" (solo's) and feature them, call their names over the mike, and give them a time to shine.
AND, if I'm singing with one of the six or seven bands I normally work with here in the Fort Worth area, I'll call the Rides on the songs I sing, and even take one myself if it fits in the song. If I'm not singing, I watch the singer to call fills, or solos. One thing I see some folks do that is not always the best thing to do, is have someone play in the "Wrong" place. By that I mean, If the song is let's say, "Big Diamonds", let two rides play. (steel/fiddle) they play the verse. Then come back and sing either the verse or chorus, and go out. That's plenty, and the Piano/Guitar players shouldn't care. (That's not the best example, but some songs get lopsided if there's three solos) If it's "Workin' Mans Blues", let everyone have a little of it and it's o.k.
From a musicians stand point, there's a time to play, and every one should have a chance to "Solo" sometime in the set, but the song should come first and if everyone dosen't get a ride on every song that's ok too. Short answer: If the Singer calls the fills, and solos, it's allright by me.

[Jim Cohen]

In Beats Walkin', I call the solos, mostly by eye contact and head nods, unless I notice that the player is not looking in my direction at the moment. In that case I'll just say something like 'Take it away Leon!'

[David Doggett]

Jim's group works very smoothly.

In one group I play with, no one calls the solos, and they don't play or rehearse enough to have pre-planned arrangements. It is very frustrating. I have begged the singers to call them, but they get caught up in their own thoughts and forget. They'll just step away from the mike and it's anyone's guess as to what will happen.

[chris ivey]

i more worried about what they call my solos!

[Howard Tate]

Most groups I've worked with the soloists work it out between themselves. It's irritating to me to play the same arrangement several times, then one night the singer calls your name, or another players name, to take a ride when you have an arrangement worked out. I don't like playing the same licks every night, but surprising the band is asking for a train wreck.

[Jerry Hayes R.I.P.]

One bad scenario is when you're playing something like "The Bottle Let Me Down" and you have a lead guitarist and steel player who knows when and what's supposed to be played by whom and a singer calls the steel when the lead's supposed to be playing and vise versa.

In one band I was in we had a fiddle and we'd do the break for "Together Again" with steel guitar. One guy was sitting in with us and wanted to do the song. When the break came he called the fiddle player but we went to the steel anyway!....JH in Va.