PaulWarning

[quote name='Lynottfan' timestamp='1442656699' post='2868500'] I can't imagine giving up, so far this year its been a little lean for me, only a few gigs played, a new band sort of started that is taking its time, but giving up playing? never! Not till they nail the lid down on me! [/quote]this is the way feel at the moment, but our drummer and guitarist of 10years recently quit because they didn't want to gig regularly anymore, the replacement guitarist joined us and quit his last band because they didn't gig enough!

my rumble 500 started to fart a bit last night, mind you, the gain was full up and the master on 2 o clock, the sound engineer comes up and says "do you want to go through the PA?" "yes please" says I "well you'd better turn your bloody amp down then" says he

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1442654367' post='2868465'] I've seen many bands "having fun" and sounding crap. Whatever your reason for playing, if you're sounding crap you're getting in the way of better bands. So some guys "bounce around" for 2 sets and think that's where it's at. My earlier point was that more playing makes you a better musician, a better player, a better band. It's a different approach. You don't run a mile the same way you run a sprint. The guys who can do it get better the guys who can't, should stop. In my book, either way, it's a good outcome. The money is important. It has nothing to do with being "mercenary", "trying to get rich", "we're only in it to have fun" or any thing else. The bottom line is because most of us are playing in a commercial environment and if someone is making money out of our playing then we should be too. [/quote]not for long, if you sound crap the bookings will soon dry up, at the end of the day everybody, more or less, finds their own level, for instance I couldn't play in a function band (which, I'm told, is where the big money is) because I'm not good enough, or motivated enough, to play all different styles.

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1442654243' post='2868462'] And, I don't believe ego is very far away from most of it... I can't think of a single musician I know who doesn't have one tucked away somewhere or other.. [/quote]absolutely you've got to have a larger than average ego to get up there and do it, and why? because we crave the applause and acceptance of other people, human nature.

[quote name='ivansc' timestamp='1442649511' post='2868405'] PaulWarning: Having worked both sides of the Atlantic, I would have to say the standard of players I saw & worked with in the USA absolutely obliterated most of the pub and club bands I see in the UK today. Part of the problem is the number of people like yourself, who do it for the love of playing with no thought to the money aspect. You crowd out a lot of the bad bands, but also reduce the number of paying gigs a professional player can go after. There is a whole other level above lightly-rehearsed amateur bands where a good 4 hour show is perfectly do-able IF you put the time in to get road-hardened. Not easy, but then if you are working at that level it IS your job And 40 songs? When I was working solo in the UK I would play about 50 from a selection of over 300 I had rehearsed up well. Depended on the gig. Life is tough if you decide to make a living at music. FWIW I was making the same or better money as a 4 piece band when working solo, which is WHY I went solo. Paid the mortgage, but very hard work. [/quote] [quote name='Raymondo' timestamp='1442650640' post='2868418'] I don't know Paul personally by the way...... Where in his post does it say how much he earns? maybe he earns twice as much as you per gig but wants to enjoy the music,maybe not. The point is this is a forum for BASSPLAYERS ...not PROFESSIONAL BASS PLAYERS ONLY.... I have earned a living from my bass and i have played part time for fun too. I don't hold with this " amateur bass players are taking gigs away from the pros'" nonsense....I've never taken a gig off john Deacon by offering to play Wembley for free ....I would have mind given the chance [/quote] [quote name='KevB' timestamp='1442652494' post='2868443'] The truth is there are bands that won't play for less than a certain amount and won't touch venues that don't come up with it. It is equally true that there are those venues that won't touch some bands with a barge pole because they have a budget and those bands ask far beyond what they can or will pay no matter how much the band thinks they are 'worth it'. That's how there is a playing field out there that can accommodate all sorts of approaches. We all have our limits and level of compromise between the social and financial side of being in a band. Being in a band you love and getting very well paid is best but there are many shades of grey from then on down. This thread seems to be moving more toward one that's been repeated many times on this forum so I probably won't contribute any further. [/quote]I really shouldn't post when I come in from a gig after a few pints, I come across as more augmentative than I mean, but I did say personally as the first word of my post. I've had this professional versus amateur discussion before, "you amateurs are doing us professionals out of work", are we supposed to stop playing then? how did professional players start? as amateurs. as the other two posts have alluded to if you play for a living you had better make sure you are a notch above the rest of us otherwise you shouldn't be doing it. I didn't say we only knew 40 songs but that's how many we play in an energetic 2 hour set (we are punk band btw) to play for 4 hours I would imagine you have to pad the set out with solo's and long songs and pace yourself, again, personally, I'd rather go and watch a band giving their all for 90 minutes than a band playing 50 songs in 4 hours, but that's just me

personally I find all this talk of money a bit depressing, I play gigs because I enjoy it, the money is a bonus, but it's the buzz you get for a good gig that makes me want to do it, as for playing more than 2 hours, surely the quality has got to suffer, I know my band puts a lot into gigs, we jump around a lot and do about 40 songs, I don't see how that could be kept up for 4 hours.

[quote name='KevB' timestamp='1442607056' post='2868264'] Fair enough. Now get thee hence to the Greyhound and get sound checking Good to meet up mate. [/quote]yeah, thanks for introducing yourself, felt a little bit bad about my good luck with the new band

[quote name='colgraff' timestamp='1442601040' post='2868192'] Another thought, if the front of house sound is fine and you still can't hear yourself, invest in some decent earplugs (such as Proguard Noizezz) as they will cut out a bit of everything but more guitar than bass will go. I use these a lot and I can hear every instrument clearly with them. [/quote]I have the opposite problem, I can hardly hear the guitar (we only use monitors for the vocals) ear plugs make it worse, although I still use them, all the ear plugs I've tried, including ACR pro custom jobs all cut more treble that bass

[quote name='KevB' timestamp='1442594538' post='2868126'] The Stereophonics are on next week, got to give these up and comers a helping hand... [/quote]by having established acts on it boosts viewing figures achieving 2 things, it keeps the programme from being cancelled and the up and coming acts get more exposure

[quote name='ubit' timestamp='1442564505' post='2867752'] Excellent! It's back on. Trouble is, I cancelled my Sky, so I can't record it plus Coast are playing in our local town hall tonight and I want to go and see that. Oh, what to do? [/quote]buy a freeview recorder, get them for £50 of ebay

everybody has faults, some peoples you can put up with some you can't, some people have faults that nobody can put up with, but the older you get the more diplomatic you become, well I have anyway

apparently he did a Faces gig recently, I'd have watched that

he's far to busy for me, how him and Moon worked as a unit is a mystery, normally if you've got a busy drummer a simple bass line is required, never been a massive fan of the Who, perhaps this is why, hardly a solid rhythm section was it? Loved the tone though, but then again that wouldn't work in some bands

perhaps clapping to the 2nd and 4th beat became popular when rock and roll 'invented' the snare on those beats. I seem to remember an interview with John Lennon where he was saying when they cut the live 'give peace a chance' the crowd were clapping on the 'wrong' beat so they had to alter it in the studio later. I may have dreamt that though

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1441706254' post='2860973'] You're not the only one. Pete Townsend didn't like it either. [/quote]he didn't like Keith Moon's drumming either, should be a happy man now

[quote name='kevvo66' timestamp='1441707252' post='2860991'] Oh I know my favorite band is the clash dont think our guitarist would play tommy gun or complete control! [/quote]get yourself a new guitarist then!

[quote name='4-string-thing' timestamp='1441639018' post='2860468'] The singer may well be "The Star" but the overall sound should be balanced.... [/quote]agreed, but the vocals need to sit on top of the mix, that's what I meant

[quote name='4-string-thing' timestamp='1441632086' post='2860387'] Also bear in mind that a lot of singers are like a lot of guitarists, in that they think they should be louder than everyone else because they're the star! [/quote]I'm sorry to say that in the Singers case that's true

[quote name='Geek99' timestamp='1441625117' post='2860306'] Can anyone recommend one in Beeston area? Likely to be moving in near future [/quote]do you want an open mic or a Jam session, the Hop Pole is mostly open mic, I think the one Kev B mentioned are Jam sessions

[quote name='Geek99' timestamp='1441625117' post='2860306'] Can anyone recommend one in Beeston area? Likely to be moving in near future [/quote]the Hop Pole have one on 2 Fridays per month

I've just gone wireless and being able to stand in the middle of the room during sound check has opened my eyes, I keep asking the guitarist to turn up! btw, I use plenty of mids, around 300hz, cut the really low bass, below 100hz and I cant hear the guitarist on stage very well all I hear is my bass, drums and vocals but nobody complains, if your bass is putting the singer off there's something wrong somewhere

I've said it before, IMO bad intonation is not a big problem on a bass otherwise fretless players would be in big trouble

I've just taken the plunge got an AKG perception off ebay for £65 used it for a couple of gigs, all good so far

don't ask me it's just took me the best part of a day to figure out the Jam's In the City

the best open mics are where you get a given time slot and a predetermined length of time beforehand, not many about but worth looking for, there's nothing worse than sitting there wondering when you'll get your turn and then some mate of the guy whose running walks in and gets straight on. BTW don't confuse jam nights with open mics they're usually not the same thing