Hiring a Dep: The Setlist and Song Information They Need

A sax player was asked to dep on roughly 40 songs. They received a CD and a list of titles while exact horn-section parts were expected. The final scope turned out to be 50 titles including medleys, 40 of them transposed, with no clear explanation of which parts were already in the backing tracks. The player eventually declined. The full sequence appears in a discussion about song information for deps.

The problem was not a lack of willingness. The real workload emerged only in stages. When you ask somebody to dep, they need to understand the preparation before accepting—and then receive the versions your band actually plays.

Set the scope before they accept

“Can you cover next Saturday?” is not enough. Include at least:

date, location, and expected performance times
instrument and musical role
lineup for the engagement
number of songs and length of the programme
which songs require new preparation
whether you play the records or your own arrangements
how many preparation days remain
whether and when the band will rehearse
expected equipment, patches, or additional instruments
fee and the arrangement for any extra rehearsal or preparation

In another account, a keyboard player accepted a Saturday job on the basis of five songs. The following day it became 23 songs by the only rehearsal on Thursday—including sounds and parts that could not be prepared fully in two days. These experiences of dep work show why the scope belongs in the first conversation.

If the scope changes later, that requires a new agreement. Do not assume that five titles can quietly become 23.

Send your version, not merely the original title

Even a familiar cover can differ in key, length, form, introduction, ending, solo allocation, or instrumentation. A Spotify or YouTube link to the record may therefore help only up to a point.

Each song may need:

an unambiguous title and artist for identification
your key
a reference recording of your version
the form, including repeats and cuts
start, count-in, and ending
transition into the next song
lead-vocal and solo allocation
exceptional cues and breaks
chart, lead sheet, or written part

If you genuinely play the record, one clearly labelled link may be enough. As soon as your version differs, mark the difference directly. The dep should not have to reverse-engineer it from several live recordings.

Write every medley out in full

A medley title does not reveal what it contains. List:

every song in performance order
the key of each section
entry and exit points
transitions, modulations, and shared cues
omitted verses, cut solos, and repeated choruses

In the documented sax case, the number of titles and contents of the medleys were not initially clear from the files. That is avoidable preparation work.

Explain what comes from tracks and what remains live

With backing tracks or sequences, identify which parts are already present. Otherwise, the dep cannot know whether to double, supplement, or replace a part.

Document:

whether there is a click and who hears it
who starts the track
which instruments and voices are in the track
which parts must be played live
where the track imposes a fixed form
what happens after a stop or restart

That information belongs with the arrangement, not in a casual message shortly before soundcheck.

Match the material to the instrument

Not every dep needs the same package.

Horns

If you expect written section parts, provide the correct part in the right transposition. A recording does not replace exact notation, particularly in a multi-part section.

Keyboards and guitar

List important patches, setups, tunings, capos, and instrument changes. Say in advance when the job requires extensive sound programming or several instruments.

Drums and bass

Mark count-ins, stops, breaks, fixed endings, click and track sections, and transitions where a groove or bass figure leads into the next part.

Vocals

Provide keys, lyrics, lead and backing-vocal allocation, entries, and every place where your form differs from the record.

The aim is not a giant package for each instrument. Each person needs the material required to prepare their part.

Organise files in performance order

A useful handover does not require an elaborate folder tree. It needs to be unambiguous:

One current setlist shows the order, sets, and medleys.
Each song points to the matching recording and correct chart.
Filenames begin with the set and song number when files would otherwise be hard to match.
Superseded versions are absent from the shared folder.
Every link opens without another access request.
The dep can save critical files offline before travelling.

An Austrian party band shows how concrete this can be on its public dep page: setlist blocks, keys and tempos, and individual reference recordings linked beside songs. Their format will not fit every band. The useful principle is the unambiguous connection between the running order and preparation material.

Use rehearsal for deviations and transitions

If you have only one rehearsal, do not automatically play every familiar song in full. Start with the material that cannot be learned from the files alone:

medley transitions
starts and endings on cues
altered forms
backing vocals and horn parts
tracks and click
audience sections or spontaneous extensions
songs where the dep has marked questions

Update the setlist afterwards. An ending changed at rehearsal must not disappear from the written material again.

Use song blocks, cuts, and reserves to prepare the running order. For the working printout, see Stage Setlist: What to Include—and What to Leave Off.

If you use Gixtra

In Gixtra, you can attach a saved setlist to the gig and adapt its keys, running order and song notes. That gig copy stays independent of the template and other shows, so a change for next week's performance does not overwrite the list your dep is preparing. You can export the list as a PDF and attach charts and recordings as files or links on the gig.

Check the material before sending it and identify changes explicitly. An up-to-date list of titles still needs the details of your arrangements.

Check before sending

Before sending the request or material, ask:

Is the real scope clear?
Do setlist and lineup match this engagement?
Are your keys and band versions identified?
Is every medley written out?
Are fixed parts written out, and are the lead sheets sufficient for everything else?
Is it clear what comes from tracks?
Does every link work without another message?
Is the preparation and rehearsal window realistic?

When these questions have answers, a dep can judge whether they can cover the engagement reliably. After accepting, they can spend their time playing rather than guessing your arrangements.