TimR

[quote name='nottswarwick' timestamp='1332949731' post='1595388'] Yes, I mean, the band has only been gigging for 18 years after all, so I guess they need time to get the hang of it [/quote] Indeed. I learned a lot in my first band. The main thing was not to let things fester and to be up front and honest without being overbearing. Me: I think we need to ensure that nothing goes onto the stage during load in. Until drums and PA and backline are in place. No cases, bags, cloths, instruments, music etc. Drummer: definitely, I've been meaning to say something for ages. It's a nightmare setting up the drums with everyones gear everywhere. Next gig; Me: I thought we agreed no cases etc on the stage! Drummer: oh that was for everyone else. I need to unpack my drums on the stage.

[quote name='nottswarwick' timestamp='1332942024' post='1595205'] It's not something people actually say, but I hate it when we are carrying all the gear in from the van and people put it all ON the stage. I mean, don't you realise we then have to move it all again to prior to setting up. No brains. [/quote] That is the most frustrating thing EVER. I played with a sax player like that. All her stage clothes, handbag, instrument always right where I was about to drop my bass cab. One day I swear I was just going to put my cab down on all her stuff. Eventually I got the whole band together and said nothing goes onto the stage except backline amps, drums and PA cabs until the PA is set up. Trying to run mains cables across the stage without knocking over drinks, music and instruments on stands. I just thought it should be obvious but a lot of people seem to need it explaining to them.

I arrived at my first gig with the band to find they had set up everything on the stage. PA mixer, PA amp, monitor amp, PA speakers, guitar rack for 7 guitars with 4 guitars in it. Leaving no room for us to move. Me: we need to move all this stuff off the stage into the wings, people have come to see us play and we've got no room to move about. Guitarist1: But then no one will be able to see how much gear we have.

I wouldn't limit yourself to one. There are several very simple standards everyone does. Floor filling ones include I Saw Her Standing There, Get Back and Twist and Shout.

Smooth Operator. Fairly simple up to the bass solo which is also fairly simple apart it's just difficult getting into it.

+1,000,000

Cool. Things are looking up. I was just hoping your job situation wasn't impacting on the band and you wern't imagining stress from the other members.

Well. You're not much older than them so don't worry about that. You're the bass player. If you were not good enough or had the wrong attitude they would ask you to leave. Sounds like you are depressed. Probably due to your work situation. Giving up would be a bad idea. What do you do for a living? Why are you tired? If it is a non manual job and you just come home and play computer games (until early hours of morning?) you need to get out and do some serious exercise.

Happens all the time and pubs are used to it. They know you're doing their pub for advertising to get the big gigs. As has been said talk to the landlord ask if you can swap weeks with another band. After all he's getting a quality wedding band that would go out for several hundred quid for a couple of hundred. Obviously this only works on pub gigs and had you taken a 30th birthday party, for example, then been asked to do a wedding you would have to work on first come first served basis. So in that respect your mercenary friend is wrong.

Awesome. That guy can play tightly.

Whenever I feel like that I go out and watch a band. I usually come back with the feeling that I'm not doing too badly.

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1331225515' post='1569843'] ... I'm talking about pro backline players of function, theatre, big name tours here, rather than pro musician doing a pub gig or famous singers on the vodka. ... [/quote] I do wonder whether people here ever read the whole question before replying. Obviously certain famous names have been known to abuse substances and a pub gig has s different atmosphere completely. It just seems a bit strange to me that someone gigging night after night should treat a gig like a special night out. I only drink now if I'm going out to celebrate something. Yesterday it featured heavily in the news that middle aged people are drinking almost every night. The incidence of obesity is growing and no one seems to know why.... Hmmm.

Buy a riviter and consider buying a few old busted ones and salvaging the parts. I made a decent one for my amp by buying a long 2U case that had smashed and cutting the back off, drilled out the rivets, chiselled the ply down to fit the extrusion (the slots are thinner than the ply), drill and rivet back together. I did try making a case from some right angle ally but it took days and fell apart pretty quickly. You need the right extrusions and catches.

I played with a drummer who remained completely sober on any gig that he had arranged and got completely rat-faced on any gig that anyone else had arranged.

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1331282943' post='1570627'] The OP asked about professionals specifically. Maybe the thoughts of amateurs/semi-pros should ber another thread? [/quote] Indeed. Amateurs and semi-pros are in another league entirely. Lose the gig and no worries. If you're a pro and you lose the gig, word gets round and you're out of a job entirely. I would imagine, but I'm not a pro so that's why I'm asking. The problem with the "I know how much I can drink without it affecting my performance" attitude is that it is complete rubbish. The last person who should decide whether they've had too much is the person who's had too much. Although having said that I did a gig fro a 30th birthday where we got paid very well. We turned up, all of us acting very proffesional, and sat and waited in the bar until it was time to play. Unfortunately I had a couple of pints, normally no problem, but on an empty stomach, a late night before etc. When we went on I looked at my music and realised I was completely p****d. Not slightly relaxed like I would usually be! Turns out the lager had been 5%. I played reasonably but it was very un-nerving.

[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1331234857' post='1570115'] The classical boys (mostly) drink like the fishiest of fish and that doesn't stop them knocking out three hours of International-standard dot action. Stockhausen on half a litre of vodka is entirely commonplace. Popular musicians are clearly pussies of the first order. I am disapoint. [/quote] It certainly seems that way judging by the Facebook posts of a friend of mine. Although to be fair some of that music must be pretty tedius following the same dots night after night.

[quote name='shizznit' timestamp='1331224254' post='1569814'] ... Start a new thread Tim ... [/quote] Think it's been done before, but .....

On another thread a story was told where a pro drummer had been speeding up and drinking on a gig. The Sax player stopped mid gig and told the drummer off for speeding up. The drummer then said I do this for a living threw his toys out of the pram and packed up, leaving the rest of the band to finish the gig. I'm talking about pro backline players of function, theatre, big name tours here, rather than pro musician doing a pub gig or famous singers on the vodka. In my profession you would get the sack instantly if you hadn't electrocuted yourself first. Drivers - obviously the same. But I know of certain jobs where people would go to the pub Friday lunch and be useless Friday afternoon. Thoughts?

[quote name='WHUFC BASS' timestamp='1331211038' post='1569431'] ... on a number of occasions and on each occasion he'd be warned by all band members about his speeding up. He'd be drinking too ... [/quote] Is it acceptable for a pro musician to drink?

"Let's wear the band t-shirts to play in." God not more corporate wear. I'll wear it to turn up in and get changed into stage clothes later but, please, not to play in them!

Get some of that modelling clay that hardens in the air. Mold it round the edges of the socket to your aesthetic pleasure and paint. I suspect if you apply a thin layer of oil first then you could remove the hardened clay easily if required later. If your nut keeps coming undone then apply threadlock. You can get it in Halfords.

It's funny the gigs you get through agents who should know better. I would tell your agent you're not going back and why. We did a gig in a club we'd played before and gone down a storm. Only the second time we played the enertainments manager kept telling us people didn't like what we were playing and to play some rock and roll. Despite having a full dance floor all night. Though on that occasion it was our drummer who was going to initiate the violence.

The only time I ever got stage fright was at my wedding. I learned the speech, and who to give what to. My father-in-law did his speech and completely knocked me for 6. I stood up knowing exactly what to say, looked around the room and just forgot everything. It's the pressure of trying to live up to other peoples expectation when you think their expectation is greater than yours. Musical stage fright? Never. We're the band, we've practiced and we've been asked to play. We don't have to be there, we choose to be there. People want to be there and they want us to be there. Make a mistake, laugh it off, it's live music, no one will die. AND most of all no one will remember or notice the mistakes (other than the OCD band leader) they'll just remember the good bits.

£250 is about right. I'm looking for one to pair with mine at the moment. One went on eBay for £170 a few weeks ago but I wasn't in a position to buy it.

My brother saw David Grey mess up the start of a song 3 times in a row. It could have been recovered with live musicians. Quantisation is worse than auto tune in my book. A drummer that can't play in time to a click isn't a drummer in the same way that a singer who can't sing in tune is not a singer. I'd use the Jurasic Park Quote about people doing things because they can but I can't remember it. We used mini disk and the drummer just had a mix in his headphones which worked. You need a way to stop it while you continue playing in case it goes t*ts up rather than having to stop the tune. Because it undoubtedly will.