mrtcat

Got one and swear by it. When I'm not gigging the sub from my surround sound system sits on it and it really works for that too.

I've really enjoyed reading this topic as money is something that plays a huge part in my band's daily discussions. It's good to hear the opinions of so many regular players. I truly believe it to be a two way street. First and foremost a band needs to have its act together performance wise, musically and with whatever followers they have. If you have a great show that's well executed and a system that lets you connect with the people who have enjoyed seeing you before then you're in a good position. Venues need to also work on building a following based on good service, a good environment and a selection of regular good entertainment. The combination of both parties fulfilling their part can surely expect to at least make the most of the local potential for music lover business. Yes venues can be very frustrating and as a band that plays week in week out we don't expect our friends to turn out every week and as mentioned in the op's link this is not really the ideal solution for a venue. We do however work really hard at getting people to subscribe to all our social media. This includes talking to audiences before, during and after each gig. The half time interval is so so important when it comes to forging friendships with punters. We are then able to promote gigs in a bid to get the locals to come see us when we're in town. In return we ask a sensible fee from the venue. It is also up to them to do as much promotion as possible. We will supply them posters but they need to make sure they take care of their own business. Basically what I'm saying is that yes venues have the ultimate responsibility but bands also need to make themselves attractive. We all know some bands will play for peanuts but in that case we need to up our game and deliver quality backed up with a sensible marketing tactic. Oh BTW if people get up and dance - no matter which way they face take it as a compliment.

I don't think diversity is an issue [b]if[/b], in the long run, you are looking at 60+ songs in the quiver (which IMO is essential for any pub band as audiences can really surprise you with what they respond to on the night). That way you'll be able to make set lists for specific gigs that not only suit the audience but also make sense. If you're only planning on having a single set list of 20-30 songs then I would first ask the question of "what type of band are we?" and then stick to that. I would be happy enough to hear your set list as is but I think I'd rather be playing in a band with a bigger pool to pull from. We have 122 in our bag at the moment and there's very few songs that don't get used over the course of 4-5 gigs.

[quote name='mcgraham' timestamp='1327172866' post='1507477'] People like this need to be told to grow up and we need to stop tolerating them. [/quote] Pleasingly it seems that collectively the BC forum don't tolerate tools like this. Some very impressive responses chaps. Made for a very uplifting read lol

Did you see this one? It may help [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAVzap5JUnY&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAVzap5JUnY&feature=related[/url]

[quote name='mep' timestamp='1326141861' post='1492938'] The issue with the loud guitarist need sorting out. IME most loud guitarists are unlikely to turn down for anything. It will always be an issue so if you can't get them to do something immediately then look elsewhere. [/quote] This. De-tuning a semitone is common and you'd be surprised how much it helps the singer. It's a totally pointless exercise though if nobody can hear the singer cos the guitarist is too loud.

Strings sound super new too if you ask me.

My drummer described himself as "a taller, slightly more muscular Brad Pitt lookalike" on a dating site. He's a proper ugly lanky streak of p**s but by law of averages he eventually snared a hot girlfriend. I guess these cowboys on Gumtree are working on the same principle.

Thanks for the help chaps. Wanted a piano part as I love the feel it gives to the song but I think it'll be a case of a slight re-jig to make it work without one. We don't do backing tracks to this point but was just thinking it may help fill out nicely as we only have 1 guitarist.

Hey all, My band are looking at adding American Pie to our set but we don't have a keys player. Our drummer can play to a click without issue. Any ideas where I could get a piano part with click? Preferably a track with music panned one way and click the other. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated and you'll undoubtedly be rewarded in whichever afterlife you subscribe to.

I think our ever increasing expectations are causing us to become more disappointed. Essentially the internet stores that are a one stop shop make us expect more from our local shops. Unfortunately in order to compete with the lower online prices (usually aided by the fact the online retail section has minimal overheads) the local shops are having to cut everything to the bone in order to be competetive. This means they can't sit on thousands of pounds worth of stock as they litterally don't have thousands in the bank to outlay on it. Further to this you would probably find many online stores don't hold stock either. Instead they have a system that will order any non stock items (maybe flats) as soon as you place your order. As deliveries can be quick you don't ever know this has happened. There are some local shops that do a fantastic job of helping and many offer excellent service which is purely a result of well managed and trained staff with a passion for giving good service. Places like the Bass Merchant, Bass Direct and many other shops survive as they go the extra mile and are true experts - icastle clearly worked in a shop that had it's act together. Personally I'd rather my local shop had to order something in for me than either go bust and close because it spent out to get every conceivable item on the shelf or charge the earth for everything to fund a massive display of gear. As long as they endeavor to give a friendly and professional service I'll shop with them.

Yeah only take top spot if you know you'll be the best and most supported act. If you're not ready then be patient. If you think you can pull it off tho then do it as it'll be a great springboard. I absolutely hate with a passion any band that doesn't show up for the whole night. If bands leave when we're on, after we've cheered them on during their set / lent them gear / got the crowd to give them a big cheer, then I rip them to shreds as they leave. I've even stopped mid song to draw everyone's attention to it before. I hate bands with attitudes and don't ever tolerate rudeness. Of course if they have another gig to go to then that's ok lol.

Our band does everything from loud electric 5 pce to acoustic duo. For acoustic stuff I use a P bass with flats. It sounds great and the flats / p combo gives a warm low sound that sits below the mix. In acoustic stuff you are there to add depth and rhythm but you're not competing with drums so you don't have to punch thru. Acoustic basses don't float my boat one little bit.

Suhweet playing. I'll be in the practice room if anyone needs me.

I feel your pain. Drummers make a band in my eyes. Ours is a great drummer but a total plonker. He endlessly harps on about doubling our fee as he thinks £250 for 2 hrs in a pub is us being ripped off even if we only bring 5 people in. I'd like a happy medium between yours and mine.

We're struggling to get venues to commit..............maybe cos our drummer now says we don't play anywhere for less than £250

Amps and cabs live in the van which lives in the garage and only comes out on gig nights (1-2 times weekly). Basses come in the house for the benefit of stable temperature and humidity. Practice is done with headphones. When I was a student amps would have been a feature but I kind of grew out of needing to show them off when I left uni. Amps are now a tool and if I weren't gigging I'd store them. Never understood people who use massive amps at home. Totally understand tho that I'm lucky to have somewhere secure to keep them when I'm not using them.

Companies are not obliged to allow people the time off but I find it sad that so many have policies and clauses to prevent people having a hobby / second income. I would hope that common sense was enough. If an employee does something in their spare time that, on occasion, requires a few hours off (in the OP's case this is something relevant to the day job too) then it's a really good management tool. By being flexible you can expect the same in return from the employee. If an employee doesn't play the game and only takes all the time then of course all flexibility with that person stops. As long as it's not constant issue and it doesn't impact on the overall running of business then as a staff respect / morale booster I would call it essential. Our singer has just received a memo form his company to say they are now formalising their "On Call" system and he now will be on call 1 weekend in four. This means he has to be at home and sober all weekend in case they need him to attend a customer. Remarkably they say he will only get overtime for any actual call outs he attends. I told him to explore the legalities of this as it seems dodgy to me.

I can't offer advice as a pro musician as I'm a mile away from that standard. I can however offer advice as someone who employs people. I don't quite understand why so many people believe that if you have a music degree and then can't make it as a pro you're gonna end up flipping burgers. I employ 27 people in my business. I do my own recruitment and much as I use CV's as to help in the selection process they are by no means the sole tool for deciding whether someone would make a good employee. Some of my guys earn up to £40K and many of them have just a light sprinkling of GCSE's. To blame the wrong degree for failure to get a job is ludicrous. I would look much deeper into an application if the covering letter intrigues me. In the case of the OP i would instantly see that he has worked hard to pursue something he really believes in. Judging by his grade 8 already I'd wager he's going to work hard to get his degree. The guys I employ who have virtually no qualifications have other things going for them that convinced me they would work well. These things can be seen by a potential employer as long as you present them well. The problem comes when you encounter someone who spent 6 yrs to complete a 3 yr course. I believe that unless you wish to be a specialist (doctor, architect, structural engineer etc) then do a degree that you will enjoy and have the best chance at completing with a solid grade. Even if you can't ultimately make it in your chosen field you'll have already demonstrated a great range of transferable skills. My advice would be to not go to uni purely to live a life of student excess. Blowing thousands on beer will not only add to your debt (which I believe to be manageable due to the student loan scheme) but also distract you from being the best you can be. Finally, to answer the OP's initial question - No I don't believe the real musicians era is going to end. People have been fascinated and inspired by watching first class musicians play live for 1000's of years and I can't see that changing soon. It's kind of like valve amps. We all know they're heavy, can be costly to repair and there are more practical alternatives out there but we all know they rock. In the same way we know computerised music is cheaper / easier to produce but we'd much rather see someone play it live.