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gapiro

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Posts posted by gapiro

    Is TAB really that evil?

    in General Discussion

    Posted · Edited by gapiro

    To sum it up.

    [u]Tab[/u]

    has no rythym notation *normally*
    Plenty of people like it and find it useful , particularly for covers.
    Lot slower for learning pieces
    Useful for showing fingering
    Useful for transposing parts easily

    [u]Notation[/u]

    Has rhythm on it
    [u][b]Needed[/b][/u] if you want to take your musical career to certain places -> Cruise ships, Jazz (ish) , Musical Theatre, big band. a lot of dep gigs. (Basically, if you want to be a serious/professional full time musician rather than a hobbyist/weekend warrior or originals superstar who doesn't need to do other gigs....)
    Not needed to be a good musician
    Language that can communicate with other instruments


    As a dot reader, i'm more than happy a lot of you have no interest in it. More gigs for me.
    I personally found that my reading dot journey taught me a lot about rhythm that I just hadn't learned before from reading tab.

    Is using a dep a good idea?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    [quote name='dand666' timestamp='1502974000' post='3354763']
    Mate, it never goes wrong. With Dep gigs, just look at the drummer. All the time, beginning and end, then you're fine.

    I don't do pubs as I can't live off them, but functions/weddings/originals I can and dep on these as a Job. It's my role as a session player that's all.



    Never really. Like I said the majority of agency gigs on the weekends are just 4/5 guys chucked in a band together to play the standard wedding setlist. Everyone loves it, everyone is happy. Everyone gets paid. :-)
    [/quote]
    +1
    Put the effort in beforehand, gig is easy. Listening is about 40% of the gig, homework is about 40% and only 20% is playing. I do a lot of gigs the same as you say - 3-8 guys thrown together for a gig, singer sends out song list with keys a minimum of a week in advance, turn up, no rehearsal, play gig, get paid , go home.

    Revolucion de Cuba

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Never had an issue with cancelling.

    And when I was younger it was always
    "Armani for the Punani"

    [NSFW WARNING]

    But also heard some awful ones like
    "No wash no nosh"
    "Wash your fingers for the m***ers"
    "No designer no vagina"

    Should I cancel gig I am going to for my bands gig?

    in General Discussion

    Posted · Edited by gapiro

    [quote name='TimR' timestamp='1502888483' post='3354186']
    It's just a different mindset. There's a lot of very precious people out there who believe they can't be replaced.

    You just need to make sure your band and the dep have the ability to be flexible. Some bands can only play songs exactly as they've rehearsed and exactly as per the recording. They have no ability to cover when things get a bit loose.
    [/quote]


    In essence, it teaches you that you have to Listen. Many players forget this, whereas I feel listening is 50% of the gig easily.
    [quote name='oldslapper' timestamp='1502899729' post='3354288']
    Clear & timely communication is key on both parts, if you use a dep.

    This includes (from the band);
    Songs
    Keys
    Song Arrangements
    Venue
    Times
    Important image considerations (yes this is important see BRX above)
    I have turned up for a video shoot with the "wrong" bass as the agent forgot to communicate that they wanted a vintage instrument, not a jazz bass..and I didn't ask beforehand.
    Also give more than one contact number out for the day of the event.

    [/quote]

    +1 to all the above. I expect to have a list of songs, with any key changes and special arrangements at least a week in advance *(unless the gig being shorter notice than that - I have had one ring me up 4 hours notice whilst i was 2hrs drive away as was playing hockey. I wasn't driving and was typing up notes and arrangements on my ipad in the car from hockey, whilst they sent me the dots for about half the songs. Got home and the sax player picked me up 15 mins later as I got out of the shower)]

    I did have one trainwreck gig where I depped and they gavve me 30 odd songs, then proceded to perform an extra set, and start picking songs I hadn't ever played before, or hadn't for 5+ years. They were nice about it though, and it was a good payer for the xtra stuff.

    [quote]
    Most deps I know aren't after your job, and have a number of different reasons for depping. I've played gig's where the regular bassist has turned up & we've had a lovely chat afterwards.
    There's a facebook page for dep musicians I believe?

    [/quote]
    I dep because at the moment I'm not in a good place mentally to start my own constant busy band ( I have 3 bands on the go but are all very on and off because we're all seriously busy). Between musical theatre and dep gigs I am doing about 60 gigs a year.



    I have depped out gigs, but i find shared band calendars particularly painful.
    I had one band insist that rather than send them dates I couldn't do, that I just invite them as an extra person on all the events I put into my own calendar. I then felt I had no privacy (as the only other option is to create 2 events each time, and that pissed me off)
    That stopped when I started putting in obscene things like "dogging. Layby on A10" etc.

    DB bowing technique

    in Theory and Technique

    Posted

    Hi chaps
    I'm a pretty occasional double bassist, although would love to do more
    One of the issues is that near me there is literally 1 double bass teacher, who charges £52 an hour (far outside any budget I have)
    Been considering the following lessons online:
    http://www.doublebasscourses.com/p/double-bass-bowing-technique
    Has anyone any experience of these?
    Am I right in thinking this is Geoff who does Discover Double Bass too?

    Band Bank Accounts

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Depends on how you want to do it - generally i've seen a number of our venues wanting to pay bank xfer so I bill them "band name c/o gapiro" and then as I'm paying them , I assume (and i'm probably wrong) that I can just say for tax purposes that the costs of a gig were, say 200 quid (4 musicians at 50 quid lets say).
    Does mean i'm gonna get closer to the higher rate of tax...

    Should I panic?

    in EUB and Double Bass

    Posted · Edited by gapiro

    Bit of a DB newbie - I use it largely for (amdram) theatre shows and rockabilly stuff and have never had lessons. Literally had it set up as per when I bought it off a fellow BC'er.
    Just took my double bass out after about 2 months of not playing - largely due to having so many other gigs on BG that I just haven't got round to playing at all.
    Opened case.
    sh*te, the bridge has fallen over and the soundpost is no longer set.

    So what do I do now - is it a case of emergency trip to somewhere (any recommendations to places near cambridge would be appreciated) or can I re-set the bridge and soundpost myself?
    Do I loosen/slacken the strings or is that worse?

    Venue Questions

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    [quote name='crez5150' timestamp='1496302043' post='3310262']
    Generally I make a site visit as part of our wedding package. Meet with the client and the event organiser at the venue where you can see for yourself what you are dealing with. Questions usually arise from the visit.
    [/quote]
    Normally, I'd agree - the particular venue in a couple of weeks isn't open except for functions any more - its a community project place so entirely run by volunteers and thus just can't arrange a visit.

    Venue Questions

    in General Discussion

    Posted · Edited by gapiro

    Hi Chaps
    I've somehow become organiser for a band suddenly due to personnell changes - one of the things I've learnt before is to get in touch and be friendly with the venue beforehand (This is primarily wedding venues)
    I was wondering if people could complile questions they would ask a venue?
    I've got
    Sound limiter
    Access times
    Timings (eg can we access it from a particular time beforehand etc to set up PA)
    Size of space ( in order to judge PA requirements)
    Any lighting fixtures etc already on the stage area?

    Bass Playing Listening Test - for my PhD research

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    [quote name='EvilSmile' timestamp='1494417008' post='3295751']
    Thank you so much to everyone who's both attempted and completed!

    I'm honestly in agreement with the repetition. I've tried to keep it as painless as possible whilst still getting the results I'm needing. The big thing is that I needed to ensure everyone has listened to each track all the way through at least once, and the web tool I'm using is either make it so you listen to every track at least once all the way through, every time its presented, or doesn't enforce a check at all. So in this case I had to settle on the less than ideal option!

    Honestly it just means I'm even more appreciative of those who stuck with it to complete!
    [/quote]
    Sorry, I couldn't make it past page 10 for the reasons of repetitiveness

    How much are Pubs/clubs paying in Sussex?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    [quote name='Monkey Steve' timestamp='1494502878' post='3296522']
    From a chat once had with a pub manager, a lot of chains/tenants will have a fixed budget from the chain/higher management, hence why £200 - £250 is common. It becomes something of a self perpetuating cycle - bands on the circuit know that the going rate is £250 so that's what they will ask for, and the pubs know that all the experienced bands ask for £250 so that's what they expect to pay. However, there may be some extras - one place my old lot played couldn't go above their fixed £200 but they could offer us free beer all night (sucked to be the designated driver).

    As others have said, it's a buyers market and they're not going to offer more because you're better musicians or have more band members. It does, however offer the opportunity for new bands to undercut the market and get some gigs under their belts by offering to play a couple of £100 - £150 if you need to get your name known on the circuit more than you need to cover everybody's drinks bills.

    From experience there's an oddly counter intuitive thing with proper music pubs (rather than the local that has bands on every Friday) in that in trying to make a name for themselves as having good, often niche bands playing originals, they end up with fewer locals who will show up every week regardless of who's playing, and often they survive on the goodwill of the local bands in accepting not very much money, or splitting the £200 between three or four bands.

    Back to the OP, I'm not in that area (and not in the pub bands game for a while anyway) so can't give a list of paying venues. Anyone local that can help with that? I think Lemonrock has pubs touting for bands/advertising gigs so that's probably a good place to start
    [/quote]
    IME the greene king pubs usually have an agreed budget around 400 (in cambridgeshire) however in the past they used to just scam the bands off by offering 250, charging 400 to the brewery.

    How much are Pubs/clubs paying in Sussex?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    [quote name='Graham' timestamp='1494434652' post='3295983']
    We play predominantly in Sussex area - East/West Sussex/Surrey/Kent borders.

    You're probably looking at £250 - £300 for pubs, some pay up to £400, but that's typically for proven acts who draw a crowd.

    Clubs can be more, some up to £500, but then smaller ones may pay half that.
    [/quote]
    [quote name='blue' timestamp='1494449628' post='3296159']
    Not in Milwaukee. 😁

    Actually your right, no matter what, a local band is never going to get more than $500.00 out of a bar..

    Blue
    [/quote]

    Not to brag, but the Ska band would not go out for under £550 and were playing 40-50 a year, pubs and clubs.
    Having said that, the ska crowd do turn out, and do drink....
    I left now though because a) Mrs was/is unwell, b)The money wasn't worth it.... 7 piece ska band meant we still only got 50-60 each (£150 hiring a sound guy every gig...), which was easily countered by the number of rehearsals (60 mile round trip) c) set didn't change for two years.

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