peteb

[quote name='Raymondo' timestamp='1348599082' post='1815845'] We play a bikers headquarters pub in Covemnry regularly and they all love the live band rock stuff.. but when we played their festival earlier this year they had a guy playing guitar and singing to backing tracks,on in the bar for the afternoon and (1) he was fabulous and (2) everybody loved it! No body is right or wrong here ....it's just providing a service for the general(and in the bikers case not so general) public. [/quote] That's the long and short of it! Out in the islands you have holidaymakers looking for some (any) entertainment after a hard day sunbathing and drinking. The bars tend to be pretty small and it makes sense to employ one man and his BT, not to mention to try to appeal to the lowest common denominator. That is not to say that bands can't do OK because some do go and get gigs out there. My understanding is that there is quite a decent demand for bands on the main land, throughout Europe. Even in this country there is still an interest in live music - but there is a recession going on that, together with the smoking ban and our over-zealous attitude to appeasing anyone who complains about noise (or anything else) regardless of how unreasonable they are means that a lot of the live music scene is struggling right now.....

[quote name='Marvin' timestamp='1348566487' post='1815168'] Theory just describes what your ears are telling you play. Who honestly, when they are playing, thinks "I'm going to play an 11th or 6th now". It just flows on what you know sounds right falling off that fretboard. It should be intuitive because music is an expression of yourself, an art, not numbers, dots and squiggles. [/quote] [color=#222222]Music has a strong mathematical element – even I can see that speaking as someone who is self-taught, doesn’t really read music and likes to think of themselves as having a ‘good ear’.[/color] [quote name='thisnameistaken' timestamp='1348565096' post='1815147'] I only really know a couple of scales and don't understand modes at all despite attempting to understand them a few times. I know what different intervals sound like and I base most of what I do on that. What would the benefits be of learning modes and more scales? Presumably I'd also need to memorise the context within which to use them, and then wait for that to become automatic, it seems like a lot of information to have to retain and I can't really appreciate from my current position what the benefits would be? [/quote] [color=#222222]If you know a major and a minor scale then surely modes are not such a great leap? They are just scales made up of the same notes but starting on a different note from the original scale……[/color]

PM sent

I always fancied an Ashbory and then I spoilt it by actually getting one! Quite a cool sound, almost like a double bass, but I found it totally impossible to keep in tune. I tried to play it for about a month and took it to one rehearsal where it was laughed out of the room. After that it lived under a bed for a year or so before I flogged it on Ebay for quite a reasonable amount! Sorry that I can't be more positive, just my experience / opinion, etc......

In this case I would just let it go! At least the promoter has been honest with you and in the circumstances is not being totally unreasonable - these things happen! I would email him back to say that you're disappointed but understand the position he's in and hope to work with him in the future. Might even work out well for you in the long run.......

[quote name='Bassmonkey' timestamp='1347283625' post='1798787'] Anyone try the Volume Eleven basses? Very nice [/quote] Were they the small bodied natural wood basses with EMG p/ups and very light?? If so, I did have a play on one of them. Nice bass - didn't catch the name but it might well have been something like that (he seemed to have run out of cards by then)!

Yep, I have a few times - always has worked out fine (obviously helps if the drummer is pretty good). I've also played several deps myself with no rehearsal, one at two hours notice! Again, got thru those gigs with no major problems......

Should be there early afternoon ish

I also have a pair of leather trousers. However, mine are in a suitcase on top of a wardrobe in the spare room – kept as a souvenir of the 80s! Fair play to anyone who can still carry them off but not me anymore unfortunately….. I have heard a couple of Kit’s tracks that Silldx has posted here. The first (a while ago), I wasn’t too keen on but the last one was great! An obvious Kate Bush influence (not a bad thing in my book) but a good song and a nice voice. I need to make a point of listening to more sometime soon…..

Coney Hatch bass player, Andy Curran - who also wrote songs for the last Kim Mitchell album [quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1346922310' post='1794782'] The monster that is Kenneth "Spider" Sinnaeve (Kim Mitchell, Red Rider) [/quote] Good call - great player

I'm quite firmly in 'Genre Inspired - e.g. blues covers, but including obscurities and / or some originals' these days..... Me and a couple of mates are putting together a band to gig around town, which will be either 'General Covers' or a musical tribute to a sub-genre rather than one artist (depending on who we choose as a singer / what we think will get us the best gigs)

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1346697544' post='1792089'] So are we now blaming the relaxation of performance licensing for a glut of places to perform and too much opportunity? [/quote] The point is that many pubs are starting to put on bands when they are too small, have noise issues or otherwise not set up for live music. If punters are used to seeing good bands in pubs that are rasonable venues then they are more likely to keep coming back..... Also, in your scenario that audience of 100 will be split between the two venues, meaning two gigs with little or no atmosphere rather than 100 people in one pub with a great atmosphere!

Some good points from both Skank & Norman but a lot of the problem is that there are too many venues putting on live music that really shouldn’t and way too many bands playing in them that really are not good enough to gig! But it’s not all bad news. I’ve just had a weekend off and saw four bands in three nights. The gig on Friday night wasn’t particularly well attended (first time that the band had played that pub, and there was a big music festival in the next town) but by no means empty. The two gigs on Saturday night (a 5 minute walk apart) started off a bit quiet but were pretty full by 10 o’clock and packed by closing time. The gig on Sunday teatime was packed to the rafters! When it comes down to it, four good (or at least entertaining) bands all managed to pull an audience! If a band is any good and are prepared to put in the work to build a following then they can still do OK playing pubs. But you cannot ignore the fact that we are in the middle of the worst recession for 80 years!

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1346685486' post='1791902'] I don’t care how the original sounds; I'm the bass player so all the numbers I play get my tone. I must be doing something right because, while I’ve been asked to turn up and turn down, I’ve never been asked to change how I sound. [/quote] Pretty much my approach I have worked quite hard to develop my own sound, which I assume is part of the reason that people call me.......

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1346395556' post='1788620'] When you talk about mates rates not all the band will be mates with the mate in question so to them it is just another gig. If the mate is close then you can waive your fee but nobody expects the other guys in the band to work on that basis. [/quote] Not necessarily, it depends on your outlook on life. If I do a favour for the guitar player's mate then he's more likely to do a favour for my mate, who in turn might be able to help out the guitarist one day! Obviously you have make sure that people don't abuse your good nature or else you will be playing for free every other week, but in reality that just doesn't happen. Also, it is entirely a different thing of someone in the band is relying on the Saturday gig to pay the rent! But if not, it doesn't hurt to help mates out once in a while - you will find that over time things even themselves out and that people are more likely to help you out.....

[quote name='flyfisher' timestamp='1346364443' post='1788523'] Five bands!? Sounds like a great wedding! [/quote] It was indeed...! We set up a stage and a PA in a working brewery, had a big indian buffet set out, cheap beer and got all out mates to play short sets then had a bit of a jam session to finish off. No way that I could have afforded that if I was paying all of the bands! The only problem was that I was in two of the five bands playing at my own wedding.....

[color=#222222]I have played at several mate's parties or weddings (or mates of someone in the band) for no more than a few beers. If they are genuinely mates, I am more than happy to help out![/color] [color=#222222][font="Times New Roman"][size="3"] [/size][/font][/color] [color=#222222]What goes around comes around. When I got married I had five good bands playing at the party. All it cost me was a tenner towards a taxi fare home for each of the main band (a three piece and I had to force the money on them) and I gave the two lads who were doing the sound £40 and a couple of pints each…....[/color]

[quote name='PaulWarning' timestamp='1345637686' post='1779771'] The later I would say, ballads do tend to show up dodgy singers though [/quote] Very true! IME, the occasional ballad can work on pub gigs but you do have to be careful to choose the right one.....

[quote name='PaulWarning' timestamp='1345619162' post='1779414'] [/quote] [color=#222222]But is that down to the band not being able to perform the ballad well or the audience’s natural preference for faster, more groove based songs that they can dance to or sing along to??[/color]

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1345556271' post='1778765'] Most bands can't play a slow song which is the reason why they stay away from them. If you are going to pick one..make sure you do it well [/quote] Dunno why a band that can nail a fast or even a mid-paced track shouldn't be able to pull off a slower song? The main problem seems to me to get an audience to listen and not rush en masseto the loo or bar...! [quote name='Graham56' timestamp='1345554528' post='1778752'] It's not a ballad but why not Bad Company - "Bad Company" [/quote] Good call - great song

[quote name='Jam' timestamp='1345581041' post='1779170'] For example, A major scale: A, Bm, Cm, D, E, Fm, Gdim, A Is that correct? How on earth am I going to remember that when I'm playing?! [/quote] Not quite - for A major it should C#m, F#m & G#dim in place of Cm, Fm & Gdim. If you are playing the dominant 7th scale (can never remember the correct names of the modes), it would be the same except that it would be (I think) Gmaj7 instead of G#dim (I am sure someone who has studied more theory will correct me if that is not quite right). I have never been taught this stuff (don't really read, etc) but you do pick up a working understanding of it all as you go along - it will start to make sense the more that you play!

You can only play a part that works with the song You both agree that the new guy is very good but he is giving you WTF glances when deviate from the original part. Either the new guy is overly anal about reproducing the exact performance on the record or you need to listen very carefully to what you are playing that causes such a reaction! Personally, I would do the latter before I tackled the guitarist about the former......

Nice one - he who dares, etc........ Never doubted you for a minute!

[quote name='AndyBob09' timestamp='1343907178' post='1757092'] Thanks for the words of encouragement guys - And for the words of discouragement. I say thanks to the words of discouragement because it is you guys that have the nut screwed on and realise that this task isn't truly possible and have tried to make me aware of that and to steer clear of the gig. Anyway, that aside, and my total ignorance of the words of discouragement; Day 3 in the shed - I got all my charts sorted which is always a massive bug bare of mine. A friend helped me out with charts as I always utterly lose the rag. Now with chords in front of me, I can kind of see what I'm doing and where I'm meant to be going and what not, and it's coming together nicely. After day 3, I've not played the set in it's entirety. I hope to get that done in day 4. The drummer did call me late last night though to tell me that there IS indeed a rehearsal today. Drummers, eh?!?! It's nice to be informed of rehearsals but with 17 hours notice, it's hardly ideal. Anyway, I'm pleased to be getting a rehearsal - Is it too late to be sacked at the rehearsal if they really think I'm not up to it? Oh! And another plus point, at the rehearsal I took the db to yesterday, the guitarist - huge jazzer - didn't think I was awful on db. He just hopes that Cherokee or something hard swinging won't be called on the night to fill time. Ha! Today I hope to be competent on all tunes by the rehearsal at half 5. Wish me luck! Did I ever mention that the first big band gig I took, I couldn't really read at all? I'm now playing in three big bands and none of them are looking to replace me. Ropey "first times" seem to be my forte! [/quote] I think that we have a new Basschat hero! Good luck dude......