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Tolerating the intolerable


Nicko
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My job in my band is to play the best bass lines that compliment the songs we play, sing background vocals and maintain a certain level of stage presence.

I was not hired to critique or correct other members playing ability.

As long as our calender is filled with good gigs I keep quiet.

Blue

Edited by blue
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[quote name='blue' timestamp='1455740068' post='2982046']
My job in my band is to play the best bass lines that compliment the songs we play, sing background vocals and maintain a certain level of stage presence.

I was not hired to critique or correct other members playing ability.

As long as our calender is filled with good gigs I keep quiet.

Blue
[/quote]

A fair point, but how much longer will your calendar be filled with good gigs should you stop doing that job? A band has to be more than a collection of individuals who happen to be playing the same song at the same time. Well, the good ones, at least.

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Use his phone and book guitar tutors to come to his house, a different one every night for a week....
Secretly get another guitarist and keep telling him there are no gigs this month... Or tell him the gig is in another place from your gig with new guitarist....
Pay random strangers a fiver to tell him at gigs that he's sh*t....

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[quote name='sharkboy' timestamp='1455741939' post='2982080']


A fair point, but how much longer will your calendar be filled with good gigs should you stop doing that job? A band has to be more than a collection of individuals who happen to be playing the same song at the same time. Well, the good ones, at least.
[/quote]

I agree in principle. However, it's a business and at the bar band level the term "good bands" is relative.

As you know not all punters are uninformed with low expectations.

My point,some of the best bands in Milwaukee can't get gigs and some of the worse bands are booked solid.

Blue

Edited by blue
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If he really can't hear what he's doing wrong and has a tin ear, there's not much you can do about that and he should go.

If he can hear what he's doing wrong but continues to do it anyway because he can't take criticism, there's not much you can do about that and he should go.

You can't teach people who don't want to be taught. In my view he doesn't have the ability, the nous, the social skills or the maturity necessary to work well in a proper band. Did I say he should go?

If you carry on you'll get more and more frustrated. Better to do something about it sooner rather than later. Easier said than done, I know. :)

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[quote name='4stringslow' timestamp='1455744278' post='2982113']
Seems to me that playing music for a living must be a pretty crappy job, especially at the 'bar band' level - churning out the same old covers night after night to uninformed punters with low expectations :(
[/quote]

That might be the experience for some, But not me.

This was my calling,not a choice. I work with smart,honest, realistic,trustworty bandmates. They been together for over 10 years, I've been with them for 5 years.

1.We have a respectfull size following of all types of music lovers from the 70s.Far from uniformed.Many of them follow us from 1 show to the next.

2. We don't grind out the same covers every night.We have about 80 songs to choose from. Mostly classic,hard Rock and blues from that time period and 2 cds of the bands originals.

Going to a gig at 63 years old is just as exciting and fun for me as it was when I was 13 years old.

4string,I get up when I want and do what I want.And I answer to no one.

Reporting to the boss working 40 hours a week to make someone else rich seems crappy to me. But this is the States,maybe it's just different over here.

Question, am I the only guy on bass chat that loves gigging at the bar band level?

Blue

Edited by blue
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[quote name='blue' timestamp='1455740068' post='2982046']
My job in my band is to play the best bass lines that compliment the songs we play, sing background vocals and maintain a certain level of stage presence.

I was not hired to critique or correct other members playing ability.

As long as our calender is filled with good gigs I keep quiet.

Blue
[/quote]

That could either mean you are quietly not enjoying the other players around you but biting your lip because the gigs mean more to you than the hassle of changing your situation , or that you are lucky and play in a band that you are very happy with the dynamics , both personality and musically

The Op isn't enjoying is band and is wanting to do something about it

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[quote name='blue' timestamp='1455756143' post='2982244']
Question, am I the only guy on bass chat that loves gigging at the bar band level?
[/quote]

I dunno, but I'm pretty sure you're definitely the guy who talks most about gigging at the bar band level ;)

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[quote name='blue' timestamp='1455756143' post='2982244']

4string,I get up when I want and do what I want.And I answer to no one.

[/quote]

So you may think, but In reality you answer to the bar owners (and the band) and you have to play the same old songs for a living. If you really love it then that's great, but it's just another form of rut.

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once saw a programme about bands breaking up and one guy said something like "the reason bands break up is because nobody ever says what's really pissing them off early enough and it just festers till there's a big argument and it results in a break up" in my limited experience that is true, so I resolved to tell people as politely as possible when something is annoying me with my new band, it's worked so far

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I gig for a living and I certainly don't feel it's another form of rut. Saturdays and some Fridays are my bigger earning nights doing functions, the rest of my gigs are generally pub/bar work. Like Blue, I love what I do. I may not be a rich man but I'm happy in my work. I approach my gigs with the attitude that I'm going to play to my best ability and put on a good show, like most of the musicians around me. And after all these years I still get excited getting ready to leave the house for a gig. I don't have time for half-arsed performances and attitudes. I do take my work seriously and yes, it's still a job, but it beats doing 40+ hours a week in an office or warehouse. I know this because I've done both. I have the best job in the world and long may it continue.

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[quote name='ratman' timestamp='1455792228' post='2982419']
I gig for a living and I certainly don't feel it's another form of rut. Saturdays and some Fridays are my bigger earning nights doing functions, the rest of my gigs are generally pub/bar work. Like Blue, [b]I love what I do[/b]. I may not be a rich man but[b] I'm happy in my work[/b]. I approach my gigs with the attitude that I'm going to play to my best ability and put on a good show, like most of the musicians around me. And after all these years I still get excited getting ready to leave the house for a gig. I don't have time for half-arsed performances and attitudes. I do take my work seriously and yes,[b] it's still a job, but it beats doing 40+ hours a week in an office[/b] or warehouse. I know this because I've done both. I have the best job in the world and long may it continue.
[/quote]

The more I read of people who feel like this the more I think I need to make some life changes... :blink:

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