thebrig

I've been trying to get a band together for some time now, and all was going well, but we thought we should add a second guitarist, as we felt the overall sound was a bit thin.

Anyway, we auditioned a few, but our guitarist just would not discuss with them who plays what, and took an instant dislike to all of them.

In the end, he said to us, [b][i]"I either do it on my own, or I'm off"[/i][/b]

Yes, he is now history!

So now we are looking for two guitarists, as a lot of the material we do is impossible to play with just one guitar, no matter how good they are.

But a lot of the guitarists who have responded to our ads so far, have expressed a desire to be a one-man show, despite needing two guitars to play the songs properly.

Most of the reasons given is, [b][i]"it muddys the sound"[/i][/b]

A lot of bands have two guitars, so it does work, although I do accept that certain genres can be comfortably played with just one.

We are an old-style British R & B band, and we can play a lot of the songs with just one guitar, but many of the songs we do, would definitely benefit from two guitars.

[b]So what do you guys think, should we give in just to satisfy the guitarist's ego, or should insist on two guitars?[/b]

I remember borrowing £15 off my sister to buy my first ever bass in 1967, which was a second-hand Burns Sonic, and it took me 10 weeks to pay her back, luckily, it was great, but if it turned out to be rubbish, I would have been gutted!

Today’s equivalent would be a kid spending £200 on one of his bodged up guitars, and then finding out it was virtually unplayable, and it would probably take the kid a long time to save the money for another one.

Ok, we are only talking a couple of hundred quid for his disasters, BUT, for some people that is a lot of money.

Most of us have probably seen “Watchdog” and “Rip-Off Britain” where they highlight individuals who are conning innocent people, so why should we not do the same, and as MistyFingers says: [b][i]“And as a public service, if the threads here prevent one naive bassist in the making from buying one of his basses and being put off for life, then it's a good thing, surely”.[/i][/b]

Click on your [b][i]Screen Name[/i][/b] at the top right of the page, then click [b][i]My Settings[/i][/b], then click [i][b]Manage Attachments[/b][/i], then you will see all your photo's, check the [b][i]Boxes[/i][/b] to the right of them, then click [b][i]Delete Selected[/i][/b].

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1376052497' post='2169049']


Thebrig has been playing in function bands for 7 years and claims to know no theory?

How on earth can that be possible? How do you rehearse when you can't identify a chorus from a verse, or that the mid section has 8, 16 or 32 bars, you don't know why the drummer counts to 4 at the beginning of the song, or the singer wants to change the key?

All this knowing no theory as if it's a badge to wear proudly is nonsense.
[/quote]I suppose I must do then, but what I really mean is, I have never been taught theory, had lessons, never learnt to read music, and have never really read any books properly on the subject.

All I've ever done was to be taught a few chords when I was about 10, by my 12 year old friend who was learning himself. I never bothered after that, as I was more into trying to become a professional footballer, and yes, I failed at that too sadly, I eventually started playing again seven years ago at the age of 54

Any theory I do know must have been picked up along the way, but I can honestly say that I don't think about what I'm playing in a theoretical way, what I play just sort of happens, if that makes sense.

'Intermediate' implies that you require practice to achieve what a 'good' player can manage immediately (but that you'll get there eventually...)

Ok, if the above is true, then "Intermediate" is definitely me!

I am auditioning for a gigging band next week, and they have picked out a few songs that they consider quite hard, so they could judge my learning, timing and overall playing ability, probably because I told them I have only been playing for a short time, and being 61, a late starter too.
In a way, it prompted me to ask the question about how to describe your playing level.

So I’ve just spent the past 2 hours learning Flea’s bassline to Under The Bridge, and I have to confess that I was thinking “I will never be able to do it justice”, but 2 hours later, I can now play it all the way through practically note for note, and with near-perfect timing too.

Because of my lack of musical knowledge, all I could do was to play along with the song until I nailed it, I suppose it is a bit “parrot” fashion, but it’s the only way I can do it, and as Skol303 said, “I got there eventually".

Thanks for all the interesting thoughts on this subject.

I just want to clear something up though.

I am not really bothered about what category I fall in for myself, it’s just that as I stated in my original question, when you advertise or respond to an advert online, you often get asked to describe your ability level, and it’s usually Beginner, Good, Excellent, Advanced and Pro-Level or something similar.

I would say that I am more than a beginner, as I do know where all the notes are on the fretboard and their names, I do know the difference between major and minor chords, and being a reasonable rhythm guitarist as well, it certainly helps with this understanding.

As for Pro? I’ve always dismissed this term, rightly or wrongly, because I think it can be very misleading.
For instance, I’m not working at the moment due to ill health, and although I’ve made a good recovery, I am finding it hard to find work, so if I was to gig a few times a week, and the money earned from gigging was my only income, then that would then make me a professional musician, it wouldn’t make me a fantastic player, but I guess I could then describe myself as Pro, which would be misleading.

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1376043580' post='2168889']
Your ability to do the job is governed by much more than your technical knowledge.

Experience, instinct, feel, your personality, personal circumstances, availability, reputation.. All arguably just as important. If not, more so.
[/quote]
I totally agree with this!

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1376035823' post='2168751']
Positive side..?

Has gigging experience
Picks up new songs quite quickly
Has an 'ear'...

Negative side..?

No reading (what..? Not even slowly..?)
No theory

I wold go for 'intermediate, could do better'. Why would one not at least start reading, and at least elementary theory..? A decent minimum knowledge of how modern music 'works' is not only a 'must', but opens so many doors and opportunities, as well as being fascinating. What's not to like..? It would put you on the road from 'good' to 'pretty damned good', if you worked on it a bit.
Just my tuppence-worth...
[/quote]
It's probably because I started playing at the age of 54, I'm now 61, and I never really thought that I would ever get to the stage where I can play pretty good bass lines, and be good enough to play with excellent musicians in gigging bands, but if I could turn the clock back, I would definitely learn as much as I can about music.

I was just wondering how you assess your ability level.

For example, when advertising online for musicians etc, they often ask what your level is, and most people usually put either, [i][b]Beginner[/b][/i], [i][b]Good[/b][/i], [i][b]Intermediate[/b][/i], [i][b]Excellent[/b][/i] or [i][b]Pro[/b][/i].

So what level would you say I am?

I have been playing for around seven years now, have around five years gigging experience with Function, Rock and R&B bands.

I've never had lessons, can't read music, don't know any theory etc.. but I can listen to most songs and learn to play them in very little time at all, almost "note for note" on a lot of them, or add my own little twist to them.

I think my timing and feel for the music is pretty good, and no one has ever said that I am the weak link in the band.

What is the difference between [i][b]Intermediate[/b][/i] and [i][b]Good[/b][/i], and would I fall into one of these categories?

Or should I really be classed as a [i][b]Beginner[/b][/i], because I don't know any theory, don't read, and have never had lessons?

Just curious!

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1376031431' post='2168692']
Seems like a lot of effort for some screws. What's wrong with just buying some new ones?
[/quote]
Exactly! [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fender-Pickguard-Mounting-Screws-/281126874165?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item417477ac35"]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fender-Pickguard-Mounting-Screws-/281126874165?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item417477ac35[/url]

I've had wrist/hand problems for years and have tried almost every bass out there, having bought and sold nearly FOURTY in the past seven years, all second hand I might add, so I never really lost anything, but it did me a great chance to try them all out for a few months at a time.

Here is a list of some of the basses I have owned:
Precisions (USA/CIJ/MIM), Jazzes (USA/MIM), Warwick Corvettes, Ibanez SR500, Ibanez SR1200 Premium, Musicman Sterling, plus many more.

I like the sound and vibe of the precisions the best, but found the width of the neck a nightmare for my arthritic hands,
The Jazzes played great, but the sound just didn’t do it for me.
The Warwick Corvettes are beautifully put together, and sounded great, but two had really skinny necks, more like an Ibanez SR, but one had a really chunky deep neck but with a 38mm nut width, it felt great to play, but unfortunately, it was made of bubinga and weighed a ton, so I had to pass it on.
The Ibanez SR’s are lovely, but the necks are a bit too skinny, but certainly worth a try.
The Musicman Sterling just did not feel right at all, and my hand cramped up.

So because I prefer the Precisions, I decided to purchase an American model about a year ago, I got myself a "Mighty Mite" Jazz neck with a rosewood board from “BlueBass” on eBay, stuck it on, and now I have my dream bass.

It plays like a Jazz, but still sounds like a Precision. Perfect!

Mighty Mite necks are great IMO, and for around £100, it can make a massive difference to your playing experience.

If you do take this route, make sure you keep the original neck, just in case you do want to sell it on.

It's not the excessive buzzing and rattling that winds me up, it's the fact that in around 95% of bass demo's, they insist on slapping!

Our intentions really are no more than to just play the local pub circuit
If we get offered better venues, then great, but we just want to have fun, and any money earned would be a bonus.

The vast majority of Feelgood songs were covers, and they were really just a pub band anyway.

And don't forget, they were often described as the "Best Pub Band" in the world.

[quote name='KevB' timestamp='1371208569' post='2111180']
Yep, as others have said the two are not mutually exclusive. Have a DF set and go out as a full trib but then have a more varied set for other gigs. There's a bunch of guys do the rounds where I am that go out under 2 totally different names and wear different gear doing either a 60's nostagia set or a commercial classic rock set but the band members are the same. At xmas or new year they often appear as both bands and effectively become their own support act!
[/quote]
Do they ask for double bubble?

[quote name='Junkyard Rocket' timestamp='1371140183' post='2110435']
I agree & the UK domain is available [url="http://www.nominet.org.uk/whois/lookup?query=drgoodfeel.co.uk"]http://www.nominet.o...rgoodfeel.co.uk[/url]
[/quote]
We already have what we think is a great name, and we also have the [b].com[/b] domain as well.

Please keep the advice coming, as we are following all your comments with great interest.

I don’t think the look will be too difficult, and as for effects? simple, we don’t use any!

Please keep the suggestions and ideas coming BC’ers.

I think that hedging our bets by playing alternative material might be a good idea.
I must say, we will only be looking to play the local circuit, unless it really takes off and we get offered bigger gigs, but for now, it's just for fun!

[color=#222222]After nearly TWO years trying to find musicians who want to play good old fashioned no-nonsense Rhythm & Blues, with loads of Dr Feelgood thrown in, I have now got the band I want.

But because people have told us we have nailed the Feelgood sound, we are wondering if we should become a Dr Feelgood “tribute” band.

Our guitarist is a self-confessed Wilko Johnson nut! he is left-handed who plays right-handed with the backs of his fingers just like Wilko, and he really nails Wilko’s choppy sound, and can do the walk/machine gun.
Our vocalist lives near Canvey Island (Feelgood country), and has that gravelly Lee Brilleaux voice, and plays blues harp.
The drummer is well suited to this style of music.
Me? Well I would be happy to walk back and forth while playing my bass lines.

To sum up, we really do sound like Dr Feelgood!

[u][i]So what we want to know now is:[/i][/u][/color]
[color=#222222]Have any of you out there ever played in a “tribute” band, and if so, what advice can you give us?

[b][i]What are the advantages/disadvantages?
Would we get more/less bookings?
Would we need an agent?
Would we alienate some of the audience by playing music by one particular band?
Would we need to do the whole package, for example, dressing and acting like them etc..?[/i][/b]

All comments/advice would be much appreciated.[/color]

Love it! Which one is you?

Genz Benz Streamliner 900 in bag over my shoulder + Barefaced Super 12 in one hand. I love it, and so does my back!

FOUR BASSIST? I'm intrigued! Please tell me more.

[i]I was sent a list of seventeen songs the day before an audition about 9 months ago, and I actually learnt them all reasonably well, only to find out at the audition, that they only knew about 4 or 5 of them themselves![/i]

[quote name='bonzodog' timestamp='1370427456' post='2100571']
Sorry if this topic has been mentioned before but I am a relatively newbie. I have played in a few bands over the years and am currently in one and setting up another working covers band. I always seem to be in a minority when it comes to being conscious of how the band looks on stage. I don't mean dancing around (although I do prefer to move a bit rather than stand still). I mean the tidiness of the stage itself and what we wear. I have known fellow band mates in the past leave guitar cases and drum cases littered around the stage and leads end up becoming like a plate of spaghetti. I worked the clubs as a singer for years and it used to annoy me when the club would leave stacks of chairs and tables on the stage and also the dreaded shimmer curtain were always half hanging off so I suppose this is where I am getting it from. Do you think this is an issue or am I being over the top? BTW I am not writing in continuous lines for a reason, my post wont let me start a new line or paragraph for some reason!!
[/quote]BTW [i]I am not writing in continuous lines for a reason, my post wont let me start a new line or paragraph for some reason!![/i] I thought I had a problem with my computer, as I have the same problem, if I want to start new paragraphs, I have to first write in "notepad" and copy and paste into Basschat. So is this a common problem with Basschat users, or is it my computer?

[quote name='PTB' timestamp='1367602796' post='2067529']
I play in a band fronted by a harp player. I'll ask him if he knows of anyone in your area & let you know if he does.
[/quote]
Cheers!

[quote name='charic' timestamp='1367590709' post='2067346']
Ummm... A harp looks like this



What the hell are you guys talking about?
[/quote]
Maybe that's why they are hard to find, can't be much fun lugging one of those around!