How to Write a Set List
- 1). Think of every song you perform or plan on performing live, good or bad. This includes your own songs and cover songs. Write them all down in a big list. Order them in terms of the quality and audience feedback, if you've had any. If you're in a band, everyone should have a say in this list or can make their own.
- 2). Decide how many songs will fit in a given amount of time. Sometimes clubs or promoters will give you a set time, 40 minutes for example, to play. You should have a few different sets in place in the event that you aren't given an exact set length or your set length is much shorter or longer than you anticipated. Make the best possible average length set that you can. It's better to play 30 minutes of great material than 45 minutes with some mediocre stuff thrown in. If you know you are going to be playing a long set, such as playing as a house band, make a long enough set. You'll most likely be able, and asked, to play covers in this setting, so it shouldn't be too difficult to compile a set. Be aware of the intensity of your music and your set time. The Ramones used to play 15-minute sets of 7 songs at CBGB's. They played so fast, a three-hour set would be entirely out of the question.
- 3). Once you have a selection of songs that fit your set length, order them in terms of energy. If you have four slow songs and four fast songs, you don't want to play all the fast ones from the get-go. You will bore the audience and wear yourself out. Pace your set. Don't go back and forth between slow and fast, short and long, but spread them out. A set doesn't have to be constant energy. A quiet folk song might sound great after an epic rock song. You want to keep people interested. Think about how one song sounds going into another. Try playing them in this manner.
- 4). Work breaks into your set. One of the main purposes of a set list is to keep you from standing up on stage waiting, unsure of where to go next, but you also need some time to recuperate. Pencil in a break at least once or twice in your set to tune, drink water and make announcements. For example, if you are playing a seven-song set, you could work breaks into your set after the third and sixth song. This will allow you to start off your set with a bang and let people know who you are. Bands who can transition from one song to the next and maintain energy come off as more professional than those who stop after every song. The same goes for bands who work in time to engage with the audience. Use breaks to your advantage.
- 5). Consider the setting in which you are playing. If you happen to be a band that plays country and punk songs and you have a show at a punk club that night, work more of your punk songs into the set. Be willing to adjust your set at shows as well. If everyone's going wild over your slow songs, play more of those. Have a few extra songs on deck to play in case your show goes really well and people are screaming for an encore.
