CHW

As a member of a Dad rock band that I pretty much dont bother getting involved in the set list additions and drops I do notice how well some of the simplest, dull to play stuff goes down. Wild Thing, and Louie Louie, Mustang Sally, Proud Mary always, go down well. No punter cares that Louie Louie is a I, IV, V, IV. repeated ad infinitum, but hell do I get bored of it.

[quote name='super al' timestamp='1436875297' post='2821533'] THE Henry Thomas!!! I think he was the bassist in the BBC's rock school programme! I taped the series back in the late 80s/early 90s. Dare say some of it must've rubbed off on me but not much. Keyboard player looked Thomas Dolbyish. [/quote] that's the dude

A guy I worked with did exactly that. But he had to work bloody hard at it, driving all over the country to play small but well connected gigs only to have to drive back home and be at his desk by 08:30 the next morning. Bit by bit it seemed to work for him, and he cut back to half hours at one point before leaving and going for it. First stop was supporting the Pixies and then the Chilli Peppers, Currently he is playing guitar for Shaun Ryder in Black Grape.

I bought a VHS tape on beginners bass (introduced by Jools Holland and taught by a guy called Henry Thomas) It taught me the basics of pick and finger style, gave me the major and minor triads and formed the basis of my playing for the early years. I spent ages playing and replaying tapes to try to pick up riffs once i realised how error strewn expensive tab books were and I've picked up little bits from all over over the years. Never had a sit down lesson with a qualified teaching pro.

The annoying thing for me with people not leaving positive feedback is that I received a negative feedback in a transaction about 4 months ago (unfortunately just one of those times you end up dealing with a total numpty) and it sticks out like a sore thumb, even though it is an isolated issue.

Foo Fighters, Maybe touring with Queen- JD doesn't seem up for much these days.

Based on what I saw, which wasn't a massive amount, she seemed almost hyper with an excessive nervous energy. From what I've heard on record I quite like their//her stuff. It didnt quite work on that large scale for me

Pods for the Electric Guitar and Bass?

Oops, must pay more attention,

[quote name='Zenitram' timestamp='1434621526' post='2801204'] Thanks, but I'm specifically not asking about an amp. Well I suppose I am, but not in the sense of a large heavy black box covered in carpet or tolex. The smallest simplest (cheapest) way to get a line level (NOT mic/XLR) from a bass into a (line) mixer. [/quote] Active DI box. (Still a little confused as to why you're are running out of XLR inputs though... 4 vocals, bass, guitar and mandolin so far or have I missed something?)

9/15 Dodgy clefs deceived me, and I can't read bass clef, I have to work it all out. In some cases I was sat here making scale shapes with my left hand- Teachers Notes- Must try harder

Harsh View: It's absolutely sod all to do with you. Moderate View: It's a bit on the cheeky side, but good luck to him I tend to have a little amused chuckle when I've seen things I've sold at Bootsales appear on eBay.

Bass player fired for being overweight??? I'm in trouble.

Pretty sure I saw some footage of the late Mike Smith (DJ) playing bass a few years ago- I can't confirm via google due to the popularity of the name

I find the majority of modern metal just gets me reaching for the radio dial, all that blast beat, shouty nonsense. It ceases to be about angry energy and becomes nothing more than aural epilepsy.

Probably The Trooper- there's nothing inherently hard about it other than the pace (and the relentlessness of it) Once I'm in the groove though I surprise myself at how easily I keep up

Currently in 2 bands- Band One I have thought about leaving many times, only reason I'm still there is that it is in profit (gig money in vs rehearsals, fuel, strings, kit out) The singer relies (totally) on a tablet at gigs and from the sounds of one rehearsal to the next does not practice. If he even listens to original recordings I'd be surprised as he misses what I would call pretty necessary inflections in vocal phrasing on many songs. Even worse is that he misses vocal cues time and time again coming in in the middle of lines. The frustrating thing is that the rest of the band are pretty good, but content to have him up front. They have all been mates for over 30 years, and I am very much the newcomer- I really cannot be motivated with the idea of a coup, so am left to see it as a minor 2nd income. Band Two we have a very technical female vocalist who learns everything off by heart, and is constantly trying to improve her own musicianship- she is not perfect by any means, but then again, neither are the remainder of the band. we work hard on arrangements and harmonies and it is coming together well. She has been having lessons for the last 6 years and works very hard at her craft. Number 2 is a lot more fun to work with

Bigger crowds I find easier- Most I've done is about 700 though. To me a large crowd is less intimidating. In a crowd of 10 (most of us have probably been there) you can hear every word between songs, no matter how good you are there won't be a great atmosphere and its a lose lose scenario. A Crowd of 500 is so much less personal, although if that crowd turns I can imagine that it could be quite tough.

I picked it up last year- loads of little blisters on the hands and feet, and the most raging sore throat I've ever had- could barely speak and swallowing any food or water was agony. I was very ill for a week. It didn't cause any problems playing bass tho

We've raised the key of I fought the law, Only I forgot last weekend, for a couple of bars of the intro.

You've got to be yourself, both in personality and dress. Gigging is a show, and therefore a costume is an acceptable form of expression (whether that is a suit, shirt & tie, jeans and T or Boiler suit and silly mask.) One of the key elements (to me) in a band scenario is not so much what someone plays like but how you get on with them and this is what the audition is for- Can they play, are they a person I can spend my social time with, and I suppose to a degree,do they fit the band dynamic? (Age primarily) If I was auditioning someone for say a classic rock band I suppose you'd kind of expect them to turn up in a pair of faded jeans and a Free T-Shirt but I wouldn't discriminate if someone turned up in a salmon pink button down shirt and chinos. Maybe worth saying that when gigging, the band go for a jeans and black t shirt approach, and is that OK?

Yep- I think this is confirming what I already knew, but it's nice to have the alternative input. Cheap cabs bought by someone inexperienced. Perfectly suitable for the home recording that she has done but nowhere near suitable for the rigours of a full acoustic band in a pub on a rowdy Saturday night. It's a hire job I think.

It's as clear as a bell at lower levels- As soon as you dial it up, and the singer gets going is when the mud starts to appear.

Desk is a Soundcraft Spirit 6 channel jobbie. Not the greatest desk in the world but afaic should be more than adequate in quality. Mics are 2x SM58 for BV, and a Shure 55SH (it's the vintage looking one) for main vox. Speakers are Skytech CSA12 600w. The source of annoyance was that even when we took out the guitar and bass the distortion was still there.

Last night we pulled together all of our bits of kit, and did a full rehearsal for our first gig as a band using our own gear in full. None of us has the luxury of a full PA and we are using the singers powered speakers, my mixer and various bits and pieces pulled together. The speakers are just not cutting the mustard- allegedly 600watts but really struggling to deliver any clarity at volume. initially we put the acoustic guitar, upright bass and 3 vocals through the PA but it really couldn't cope. Even taking the guitar and bass out didn't clear up the vocals. I'm not sure whether it is an EQ problem (which I doubt as I'm not exactly new to this) or simply cheap speakers I don't know. First gig is in 10 days and I'm starting to panic!!!