cazzag

Maybe sing your warm up scale? At least you know your singing the right notes then, and you will get used to how they sound :-)

Hey! Will try and get an interesting pic for ya's :-) I dont understand what you mean by " coasters"?...seems like i'm gonna learn a lot here. I already learnt that a really annoying band member who nicks all your basslines is called a "guitard" hehheee....fantastic! and this can also be applied according to the musician in the firing line eg "drum-tard", "flute-tard" etc :-) lol

[quote name='LiamPodmore' timestamp='1345033180' post='1772590'] So in short, having the same musical taste does have it's advantages, as it gives a good baseline for choosing the genre you want to do, but having totally different tastes can create something none of you ever expected which works better than anyone would've ever thought. Liam [/quote] Mmmm, interesting and just what i thought too. It appears you had roughly the same musical tastes. I think a problem in the band i'm in is there are different musical tastes. I had hoped that we would come out with something original, like you mentioned, but its not happening! It just takes a bit more effort with musical tastes but i do believe it is possible Probably why i am not happy there!.......

Aww, i feel for you when you write about your brother - maybe you should live out in California for a bit and see what its like. i'm sure the musical opportunities are 10 fold out there :-) Your replies are interesting as you mention Guitar Pro. It sounds like something that could possibly help with developing my bass playing :-)

[quote name='2wheeler' timestamp='1345028461' post='1772454'][list] [*]Be really careful that you see eye-to-eye with the other people before joining a band like this because otherwise it is going to drive you nuts [/list] [/quote] too late!! lol Thought i did see eye to eye, but new things keep creeping in that get alarm bells ringing. I agree with your 2 different band types - just wish there was a third type ( a mixture of 1 & 2) :-)

[quote name='Commando Jack' timestamp='1345027818' post='1772440'] For the group roles, there will always be leaders and followers, jokers and facilitators etc. When you see the band in this light and can identify who is filling what role, it can make it easier to understand what's going on or how to deal with it. BTW sorry for the long post [/quote] Nice one...not too long at alll, very much appreciated! Its is sooooo funny that you mention about the roles, because one of our members decided to give everyone roles during our 5/6th meeting. I do understand it, but thought it was very premature as she doesnt even know us properly. She even gave herself the "joker" role, to which i said " but your not funny". She said i was the" heart" of the group (?!) to which i asked her for an explanation. She then said that i was the "emotional" one....which i still didnt get! I think the way you have put it does make sense, and i am coming to the conclusion that this band will need a new bass player :-) Just to throw into this thread disscussion, I think that if all band members of a group have the same musical tastes, that helps a lot. Does anybody disagree with that?

[quote name='Johnnyc' timestamp='1345027694' post='1772434'] Being in a band can indeed be hard, though I've never been in bands with complete strangers, and definately the best band I've been in was when I was 16, with my older brother and 2 of our best mates. I've never gelled with anyone else as well, songwriting just seemed so easy and we all knew what each other would do before it happened. Yeah we had our arguments but as we were such good mates we'd get over it pretty quick and carry on as normal. It's so different to the band I'm in now, in terms of the writing process. Back then we'd rock up at practice and my bro would start playing a riff he'd written earlier and we'd all join in and write our parts as we played. Now I'm in a metal/hardcore band, and either the drummer or guitarist will write the entire song (on all instruments) by himself on guitar pro and send it round for us to listen to. Then we say what we do and don't like and get him to change it. Then we learn it at home and play it together at practice. Feels a bit alien to me. [/quote] Oh thats interesting......but see, the way how you described your first experience of being in a band, i believe thats how it should be! Can i ask why you dont continue with your friends/family? However, it sounds like you have a solid way of doing things with your current band. At least you know who is going to do what and they allow you express your musicality. Do your band mates ever write anything that you dont like at all? How do you deal with that?

Thanks for advice/experience :-) Having read it all, I have taken on board a few things. But I think I will eventually leave this band...just got to find the right moment! That being said if anyone is in the London area, and wants to take my place let us know. Please dont get this twisted, the people in the band are talented; i just have all these questions going on in my head and was just wondering if i am nuts or do these odd things happen in bands :-) Oh, and this is another thing....you gotta be female! (if i had my way, i would just get someone who is a good player but its not my band!)...just another issue i dont get with this band.....

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1344924785' post='1771034'] Having worked with one especially difficult musician, who would deliberately not play what I wrote on songs, I now won`t play in a band with anyone who has such attitudes. Music is my hobby, i only want people around me who add to it, not detract. [/quote] I hear you frustration, that is strange. Hope they were decent enough to give a understandable explaination why they wouldnt play your stuff. So are you playing with the ideal people? Or are you still looking ?

[quote name='icastle' timestamp='1344922820' post='1771026'] If you think about it, it's hard enough to get a group of friends that all get along with each other, now add artistic temperament, musical ability and taste to the equation. The chances of hitting all of those criteria are pretty slim. In a band context, as a bare minimum, you'll need to be able to stand in the same room together without inserting equipment into each other and have some musical ability. I've been playing in bands for well over 30 years now and it's only in the last 5 years that I've managed to find a group of musicians that actually tick all of those boxes. [/quote] WOW!! that is a long time....to be frank my gut feeling is that you need to know the musicians well in order to succeed and produce some good music. I dont mean that in a personal sense, but just with regards to musical direction and goals. For example, the drummer has now invited us to go and see one of her mates bands perform. So its left me thinking " Is this her motive for getting us all together?" I am real happy for you that you have found a band that you gel with...i bet you guys bang out some tunes now!:-)

[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1344906829' post='1771004'] Can be either but - in my experience - usually the latter. Then don't present the song as a bassline, live in the rhsal room, but as a recorded demo on keys or guitar with vocals, however dodgy the quality. Jot down the structure and copy it out for each of your bandmates. Doesn't have to be a major production - just the bare bones of the song. Show them the tempo, time sig, intro, verses, choruses, end, etc all down, then politely invite them to contribute. If you don't like what they're doing, smile sweetly and suggest an alternative approach. Always use the word 'different' rather than the word 'better'. If you can't persuade them to do it your way, politely tell them you think the song "needs more work on the structure", then take it away and stick it in your back pocket for the next band. It is quite normal for [i]some[/i] guitarists to think they're better at their instrument than they actually are. That's OK, but if they proceed to make unsubstantiated and invidious comparisons with others, we call them 'guitards' and sometimes give them a jolly good slap. Yes, it is normal for [i]some[/i] guitarists to slavishly copy basslines, but it is a far from ideal practise. Of course, there are times when doubling a riff is good. But the guitarist should not copy you to the exclusion of chordal work and harmonisation. Your guitard needs to shape up. The wise bassist does both. Always keep your options open - bass players may [i]seem[/i] to be lower on the band totem pole but there are fewer of us around. Supply and demand, see. Lots of people here are in more than one band. And you being in London helps. Shitloads of bands all around you. There are always frustrations in any band and one has to balance the positive aspects of any band with the bad side. So, at one extreme money can tie together individuals who cordially loathe each other. At the other extreme there are plenty of amateur bands who'll gig for next to nothing just for the pleasure it brings. [/quote] Thank you for your time to write this, not only is it funny but all your points make sense....I hope its ok to call the guitarist a "guitard" because that is whats going to happen next time she copies me! :-) I guess i had an idea that it does time to get something going with a band and rarely is it instant. I was watching the Aerosmith bio the other day, and it gave of the impression that Steve (singer) and Joey (guitarist) got on musically just like that....they were veeeeery lucky i guess! :-)

[quote name='bertbass' timestamp='1344903960' post='1770994'] Every band's got one. It's up to you whether you can live with it or not. Our drummer's our one, oh, and the guitarist, make that two and we're a three piece. [/quote] Every bands got what? Sorry i dont understand what you mean....if you mean a Guitard then that must be stressful to have 2 around you! I would of been a one man band by now :-)

[quote name='seashell' timestamp='1344902335' post='1770985'] But overall I think the songs sound a bit tuneless and dull. I think this because the guitar and vocals are following the bass line too closely - IMO it would sound better with something more melodic over the top. But I dont say anything because I am the new girl and I certainly couldnt come up with anyhing better! [/quote] Hahaaa, thats exactly how i feel about one of the songs that we have. I too have the same problem as you - but not because i am new, but i dont want to tell another musician how to use thier instrument. I do think though, that its important to try and get your ideas across, but like some one else has said already, say the word " different" rather than " better". I would also have something ready to suggest - if you dont then dont say nothing at all :-)

As i look at my babies right now, they are sitting up right in their racks :-)

I look up bass covers every now and then, if i need help for learning the bass part of a song i would check youtube. Also, like someone else said before, you can see how you are ranked in the world of bass playing too! I will be doing one soon to get feedback, but just trying to pluck up the courage no harm in it i say