Poll : In a band?

V8

I've been looking to join a band for a while as a bass player. Mainly to have a goal to play towards, sitting at home with youtube worked for a while, but ultimately I felt the need to get out of the bedroom and into the jamroom.

And the learning curve got exponential when I did. Immediately waaayyyy out of my comfort zone - djent-y 130bpm+ poly-rhythmic grooves. This has had a number of benefits, mostly shattering of pre-conceptions. I swore I'd never play a 5 string. 3 weeks later, I ****ing love that low b string. It's almost obscene. ???

Aside from the odd time signatures and need to be very tight, finding a sonic space for the 5 stringer will be fun too...There's a 8 string guitar and a 7 string guitar in the mix, that's gonna be a laugh to figure out live :)

Where you at in the band/solo scene - how have you had to grow once you ventured out of the bedroom?

(old forum) Poll Results: Poll : In a band?

Band? Who needs that, I fly Solo!: 2
No, but I'm looking to jam regularly: 3
No, but I'm actively looking for like minded individuals: 5
Nah, I'm happy in the bedroom: 1
Kinda, got a bunch of fellows who dig a jam: 1
Yes, but it's just for kicks: 6
Yes, jamming/gigging with intent.: 11

domhatch

i spent the entirety of two nights jamming with a group of guys i met through work. (i'm a copywriter, and one of the guys owned a studio we used.) it just got too hectic too quickly for all of us with work schedules.

anyway, the upshot of all this was that it had a huge impact on my playing, and i've been dying to get back into a band situation ever since. the usual problems arise:
- time
- space
- like-mindedness

that's me
dh|

peterleroux

Regular Sunday evening church service. The nice thing about it musically is that I generally play with different musicians every week so I can't relax too much

wern101

peterleroux wrote: Regular Sunday evening church service. The nice thing about it musically is that I generally play with different musicians every week so I can't relax too much

Same for me. But on the sunday mornings and the occasional Thursday practice. My lead playing has evolved significantly since and my ear is getting attuned to different keys. Playing live forces the creative genius out of you, one note at a time.

Gigging is fun and rewarding But!!!!! it does interfere with family time....

Lu22

I get together with friends once a week for a casual jam, but not on band level. I actually wanna start or join a band as a vocalist (been going for coaching and I'd like to use it). But my problems are pretty much on par with Domhatch's.

At this point I'm looking for beginners to start from the bottom with. That way everyone improves together and you don't get a situation where one guy is too good for the rest of the band. But yeah. Finding people is near impossible.

domhatch

wern101 wrote: But!!!!! it does interfere with family time....

nailed it. :-[

wern101

domhatch wrote:
wern101 wrote: But!!!!! it does interfere with family time....
nailed it. :-[

My kids are still young(ish), although the younger has his mind bent (solidly) on an electric drum set. Which I'd like to get as well. The older dabbles a wee bit with the keyboard...now...if i can just convince my wife to take up the bass... :?

Stoffeltoo

Kids are out of school, "grown up" and in varsity and career.
Wife supports my passion as I made a promise I would bury my music passion and fill the role of a father till the last one went to varsity.
Well the time has come hence the birth of my band the Velskoen Kommissie. It is a challenge balancing work and family matters but my better half accepts it as her fate for meeting and falling in love with a bloke on a stage, wearing a costume, make-up and prancing around like a dandy swinging my guitar like a weapon. (those were the days I played for Varia of Pukke.
The current band is versatile and some flexibility with most muso's being multi instrumented to fill different roles where life demands attention

Squonk

I would love to play in a band, just don't move in right circles ?
Not many my age into metal!

Currently playing in a church band, but with so many different levels of skill, I would actually call it a Jam Session. Although it has made me a better player. Have no music theory knowledge and generally play by ear so it's a bit harder for me as I have to go home listen to all the songs and work out the bits I need to play. I am generally the acoustic player but I cant just strum chords so I have evolved from my Takamine Acoustic to my Takamine Nylon and play a mixture of fingerstyle and strumming! All the other Guitarists strum, so I generally play all the lead bits if there are any.

Squonk

wern101 wrote:
domhatch wrote:
wern101 wrote: But!!!!! it does interfere with family time....
nailed it. :-[
My kids are still young(ish), although the younger has his mind bent (solidly) on an electric drum set. Which I'd like to get as well. The older dabbles a wee bit with the keyboard...now...if i can just convince my wife to take up the bass... :?

My wife came out the closet and declared that she wants to learn Bass. Obliged and we have got her a Yamaha 4 string bass and she is almost progressing past the root note phase! She just started about 2 months ago, quite a learning curve but she is still doing it! ?

Stoffeltoo

Squonk sounds like you're in heaven! A Bassing wife is an awesome asset to the arsenal

NorioDS

I'd love to find a bunch of like-minded folks to make music with.

Here in Madeira, we were walking in the main center of Funchal and there was an awesome jazz guitarist and his band jamming right in the walkways.

It sounded so sweet and if I had more time here, I'd have loved to go to him for some lessons and just feed off his groovy energy.

I think that's the sweet spot - finding people who are having fun but who are also, preferably, better than you. So you're pushed yourself.

But even just feeding off the energy of ANY other instrument and ANY other player is a ton of fun. I can't think of a time when I've felt more joy than when I'm jamming with one of my buds.

It's been way too long :'(

babbalute

After a long break of nearly touching the bass (25 years) I seem to try and catch up with lost playing. Am currently organising and playing at The Shadows Club, a monthly (at the moment) Shadows fans getting together and playing their music, am the bass player in a band called Easy Street, we play 60s~80 rock music with 3 other over the hill guys every Tuesday at Jam Night at The Rusty Hook, Muldersdrift, regular bass player at the Buskersclub in Primrose, Germiston, a 2 weekly event on Fridays where we just busk music with guest players and bands, play bass in band called After Dark on Wednesday evening with some guys that play the non-standard gig type songs just for fun, bass player in J'aggedEdge fun band over the hill guys trying to make songs sound good, we play at flea markets etc mostly for free or minimal payment. And free lance once and a while when other bass players are sick or cant make it for whatever reason.
Still think I can play more have plenty time available for making music.

DaFiz

Two bands on the go and it's putting strain on the vocal chords.
The 5 piece blues band does not get much to gig at all so it's just a Monday night practice mostly.
The four piece vocal group is a bass guitar plus three acoustic guitars with three part harmonies in the style of
Crosby Stills Nash, Neil Young, Simon & Garfunkel, America etc.
and we're rather busy, although the riches are still not quite rolling in as such ?

V8

Lu22 wrote: At this point I'm looking for beginners to start from the bottom with. That way everyone improves together and you don't get a situation where one guy is too good for the rest of the band. But yeah. Finding people is near impossible.

Always been in a band where skill levels don't match up, far less of issue than : girlfriends, lack of transport/gear, laziness.

Hang out regularly where musicians gather : Gigs, rehearsal studio's, college/school,music stores - eventually something will spark.

I got into the band because I hate traffic...and would chill at the rehearsal studio with a beer during rush hour. A month ago, guys were auditioning bassists, nobody pitched up and I got volunteered by my mate Olly.

Norio wrote: I can't think of a time when I've felt more joy than when I'm jamming with one of my buds.
It's been way too long :'(

Jams and gigs are my two favourite activities, though that's tempered by practice (homework) and rehearsals (hard work), which I'm not as fond of :?

The oddest place I've jammed? I busked in Schipol airport for 6 days straight...that's a looonnnggg story. The highlight was meeting all the returning muso's from the North Sea Jazz festival while noodling endless 12bars (and the irish bar).

Foottapiologist

I'm not into team sports any more. Too much like hard work shepherding diverse people. Occassional braai jamming now, only if spontaneous, but otherwise it's just me being a guitar hermit. My playing structure is limited to a minutes per day and new songs/techniques per week target

wern101

Stoffeltoo wrote: Wife supports my passion as I made a promise I would bury my music passion and fill the role of a father till the last one went to varsity.

I respect this and I salute you. Well done man!
I dearly want my kids to grow up with music and be able to play an instrument. (I obviously favor the guitar) If I can get them to join me in playing that would be even cooler. Making it bonding time as well. But I've had to accept that I can't force it and often have to just put down the guitar and take them fishing.

Squonk wrote: My wife came out the closet and declared that she wants to learn Bass. Obliged and we have got her a Yamaha 4 string bass and she is almost progressing past the root note phase! She just started about 2 months ago, quite a learning curve but she is still doing it! ?

YUP. You are the luckiest guy on GFSA. ? I am officially extremely jealous.

singemonkey

I've played in bands for the past 15 years, and regularly in the last 5. I've got two key bands going on now. I don't have kids, and neither will I, so I'd better be, right? There are still issues though. It used to be you'd hang out all day with your buddy and come up with ideas between talking kak. Now you have to schedule that time and song-writing becomes less collaborative.

I've learned a lot playing live, especially about what I don't want to play. In the rock 'n roll band you have to play a bunch of pretty well known tunes to the older people who make up a lot of your audience. You can't, however, play stuff that you don't enjoy. It'll just reflect in your performance. So it's a balance of finding tunes people will like that you want to play. I often say that there have been thousands of no.1 hits that grabbed people first time–there's no need to play from 20 song list of 'South African Cover Band Songs.' We will never play Mustang Sally or Brown Eyed Girl.

We also consciously avoid sounding like the record, which many bands are able to do now using modern kit with racks of drive pedals and vocal doublers etc.. Our aim is to sound like '60s and '70s bands sounded live–not in the studio. I don't believe the audience cares as long as they recognise the tune. Although it means we sound less tame, which may cost us some more profitable gigs.

With the other band I've learned this: no matter how old we get, no matter how long it's been, every new generation of kids thinks that surf-guitar is hip.

Jayhell

I work Hard, I'm a father and I play in a band. I have always been in a band of some sort since I was 14. As mentioned above the ethic has changed over the years. The days of jamming all day are over, now it's write, practice, play live. My band is a two piece grunge-blues band with a focus on playing live. We need more gigs and life is kinda full of other stuff at the moment, but once a week like clockwork we get together and play loud and give it our everything. I hardly ever play at home like I used to, these days I mostly play at practice. I would die without making music.

Keira-WitherKay

well needless to say being full time muso i am in a few bands , over various styles ( i am the current bassist performing with the pop/funk artist Nan / solo instrumental jazz guitar / jazz guitar in in The Retro Jazz duo / indie rock guitar for the Bad Sheep/ acoustic guitar in a pop duo / electric guitar for a 4 piece corporate function band ) so i get to play a lot of styles BUT it's a lot of work and often it consumes my weekends and home life .often out till all hours .and to add to my schedule i teach music as well but as i said obviously i do this to earn a living so take it seriously ...but for me i wouldn't want it any other way, music is my passion.

as a tutor i would highly advise anyone who plays music to casually jam or join a band as music is like a language and we get better at it it when we "speak" to others .

playing with others can be either an ego boost or a knock to our confidence depending on if you better or worse than your jam/band mates but if given the choice of the two, i would rather be the worst player in a band (obviously still good enough to keep up) because thats when i find you get the most out of a band, as i grow more when exposed to better players and in fact i still actively seek out better players than me to jam and hang with.

so no need to play professionally or use valuable family time but i would encourage anyone who loves playing guitar/bass to play with other muso's... yes you need to commit some time and effort (bands are hard work) but at the end of the day what you reap from it will be as the ad goes "priceless"

btw on fb there are sites where muso's can advertise for people to jam with , and a few open mic nights ...Mike Smuts has a rock jam every tues in jhb and /Musicworx has a jam every thursday

get out and play your guitar :woohoo: you won't regret it