Mickyk Posted July 4, 2017 Share Posted July 4, 2017 I've been asked if i would be interested in playing bass in a Rock n Roll type oldies band,they have somewhere around 60 odd songs that they play,and i've been given a list to see how i would get on with them ,now i am a novice as some of you may know. Not really into rock n roll fan really ,i'm a 70s type music man to be fair. Given the fact that some of you guys are well clued up on such matters i am open to some suggestions as to how you lads might approach this.I wasn't really expecting the offer their regular bassist has taken ill and can't play anymore so it may be that they are stuck for someone so they've asked me,and i'm flattered to be honest,only been playing a year. ?What do you lads reckon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted July 4, 2017 Share Posted July 4, 2017 Can you play 12 bar blues at @ 180 bpm? That's most rock n roll songs covered. I enjoy playing the odd RnR song for fun, but I'd hate to be in an RnR band, just because so many of the songs are the same pattern & similar bass lines. If you like the songs, then go for it. It's band experience (something you can't learn at home). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted July 4, 2017 Share Posted July 4, 2017 If you want to play the original Rock n Roll you need to swing. It's not about the notes it's about the feel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SubsonicSimpleton Posted July 4, 2017 Share Posted July 4, 2017 What do you have to lose by giving it a try? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulWarning Posted July 4, 2017 Share Posted July 4, 2017 if you don't really like the songs you'll get bored quickly but might find it difficult to quit, letting band mates down and all that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue Posted July 4, 2017 Share Posted July 4, 2017 (edited) Right up my alley. I think it's very cool to play in a competent well reheased Rock & Roll band. And usually there's good money in it. Good luck Blue Edited July 4, 2017 by blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KK Jale Posted July 5, 2017 Share Posted July 5, 2017 Do it. I'm lucky enough to dep now and then for a very respected older guitarist and his band on the rock'n'roll scene, there's about 50+ tunes, no fixed set list, you get the title and maybe a key shout and it's 1, 2, 3, 4 and you're in. My advice: you have to commit, swing like mad, keep your ears open, and watch for the obscure songs... some of the true classics (My Gal Is Red Hot, Flyin' Saucer Rock'n'Roll, etc) can be very much NOT 12 bars and you must, must nail them. You can develop ways of playing walking lines that keep your options open for a fraction of a second in tight spots. Listening to the sometimes sketchy way real upright '50s rock'n'roll players played their run-downs and walk-ups - it can change your electric bass playing for the good. Divide the set list into bass line types and do a crib sheet - 1 5 1 5 , 1 3 5 6, whatever your personal riff notation is (mine is pretty dumb but it works for me). Watch for the stops - there can be lots of them - very much part of the song, you must nail those too. It's loads of fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted July 5, 2017 Share Posted July 5, 2017 Go for it Go for it Go for it If you've only been playing a while it's huge affirmation Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Bay Posted July 5, 2017 Share Posted July 5, 2017 I started playing last October, first gigged in December, did a thirty song set on Sunday and have a three hour gig booked soon. I am no bass genius by any stretch but I would be nowhere near the standard I am without having been in a band for most of it. It will give you a reason to learn new stuff and playing with others really focuses the mind and makes a massive difference. As long as you like the people it's also a great way to socialise with like minded people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Burrito Posted July 5, 2017 Share Posted July 5, 2017 I've played in one out & out rock 'n' roll band and several that have done a fair bit of it - I'm passionate about the music so love it. It usually goes down well with crowds because people know it so if people aren't so keen on the genre, this can carry you through. Most of the members of the full on rock 'n' roll band that I played with were actually into much more modern music but it seemed to work just fine because they took it seriously. I say what have you got to lose by trying it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Browning Posted July 5, 2017 Share Posted July 5, 2017 Go for it definitely. As for the bass parts, it's not all the same notes. If you don't know their stuff, listen to Shanana. Ok, they were a little 'comic' but listen to the instruments behind the vocals. Of course, you could also watch Tutti Frutti on DVD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Starr Posted July 5, 2017 Share Posted July 5, 2017 Unless you really hate the music give it a go. I think the future is in genre bands. Audiences go along because they know what they are getting and you'll generally get an audience that likes your brand of music. It's dance music so you'll get lively audiences. Bookers know exactly what the offer is so you'll probably get steady bookings, there's nothing like regular gigs for sharpening your act. There's a benefit for you too, all genres have their tricks and really nailing a style of bass playing will mean you've incorporated a whole range of tricks into your own playing. That will inform a lot of your playing from then on. You've got to respect most/all forms of music, the musicians then were inventing something new and investing all their skills in what they did, just like people in the 70's, 80's and so on. If it's not your thing long term then you'll eventually move on but it'll be something you can go back and dep for when gigs dry up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivansc Posted July 5, 2017 Share Posted July 5, 2017 (edited) I played inb a 50s rock and roll band in the fifties. Its a bit like Country music - "everyone" knows how simple and boring it is - until you actually try to play it properly. I had been away from rock and roll and coutry for a decade & then got back into an original 60`s band (well ONE original member left when I joined!) and had forgotten how demanding this sort of music can be - if you want to play it how it`s supposed to be. Biggest laugh was when we got a new drummer. Teaching qualifications out to wazoo, amazing technical player, played in a series of prog rock bands for years... He nearly died when I asked him to play fours on the hi hat.... till he finally tried it and "got" it. That band was one of the tightest groovingest bands I ever played in, but it took a lot of work and commitment to do it properly. Be warned! Edited July 5, 2017 by ivansc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upside downer Posted July 5, 2017 Share Posted July 5, 2017 Give it a go. Learn the easiest tunes and a couple of the harder ones and have a rehearsal with them. If it feels good, do it. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Starr Posted July 5, 2017 Share Posted July 5, 2017 I'm with Ivan on this, I played brieflly for a country band, it's a real education in timing, economy and control apart from anything else. Improved my rock playing no end. It was what I had in mind when saying give the R'nR a go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted July 5, 2017 Share Posted July 5, 2017 (edited) I'm a drummer. I moved from the UK to France in the mid-'70s and was immediately called upon to join variety bands touring the West of France. There was a fair mix of musical styles, including for many a very strange (to me, at the time...) genre called 'musette', which is basically light, jazz-based popular songs from pre- and post-war, relying heavily on the accordion (Think Edith Piaf..?). Not a musical form with which I was familiar, with its own foibles and techniques, much decried by the musical snobs at the time as being very much 'old-hat', 'boring', 'stale' (and many other derogatory French terms...). I had to pick up the idiom sharpish; I started off using a soft 'disco' shuffle to cover my ignorance and went from there. As long as the (packed...) floor was dancing, it only got better and better. Similarly when I was offered a role in a Caribbean band, drumming beguine, calypso and other exotic rhythms. The learning curve is quite steep, but really makes one focus, and once the basics of the style have been absorbed, there's great pleasure to be had in expressing oneself in a foreign vocabulary. I'd say take the plunge, at least as a trial, and enjoy the (initially bumpy...) ride; there's little better way of progressing whilst having a blast. Go for it. Edited July 5, 2017 by Dad3353 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricksterphil Posted July 5, 2017 Share Posted July 5, 2017 [quote name='Mickyk' timestamp='1499204490' post='3329994'] I've been asked if i would be interested in playing bass in a Rock n Roll type oldies band,they have somewhere around 60 odd songs that they play,and i've been given a list to see how i would get on with them ,now i am a novice as some of you may know. Not really into rock n roll fan really ,i'm a 70s type music man to be fair. Given the fact that some of you guys are well clued up on such matters i am open to some suggestions as to how you lads might approach this.I wasn't really expecting the offer their regular bassist has taken ill and can't play anymore so it may be that they are stuck for someone so they've asked me,and i'm flattered to be honest,only been playing a year. ?What do you lads reckon. [/quote] Go for it...you'll only regret it if you don't. You can nail the root notes to start with and work in more complex stuff as your technique and confidence grows. I was in a blues band and was frequently asked to curtail my bass lines and play 'bomp bomp bomp' on the root note. Not great creatively, but really worked with the songs we played. Listen to what the drummer is doing and sync your playing with the beat he's laying down and you won't go far wrong...and playing live is one of the best things you can do in a darkened room with your clothes on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickyk Posted July 5, 2017 Author Share Posted July 5, 2017 Thanks for the feedback chaps some very good advice here,i'm waiting for a phone call to ask me if i'm up for it and after reading some of your encouraging replies i think i'm going to tell him i am interested.Now these musicians are the real mccoy they have been at it for 30 plus years and i'm thinking ?are they desperate,they know i'm a beginner,like i say i'm flattered but i don't want to make a fool of myself. i'll put a post up of some of the songs they want me to learn ,see what you think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickeyboro Posted July 5, 2017 Share Posted July 5, 2017 If they are that good they will value a 'steady Eddie' who won't compete but complement. You will be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickyk Posted July 5, 2017 Author Share Posted July 5, 2017 [list] [*]Ready willing and able. [*]little sister. [*]Kansas City. [*]Pistol Packin Momma. [*]Route 66. [*]I call your name. [*]Teenager in Love. [*]Folsom Prison. [*]That's alright momma. [*]I'll never find another you. [*]Proud Mary. [*]Hey Tonight. [*]Have i told you lately. [*]Mess o Blues . [*]Bad Boy. [*]Blue Suede Shoes. [*]Apache. [*]Whole lotta a shakin. [*]move it. [*]Wooden Heart. [*]Wonderful land. [/list] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bikenbass Posted July 5, 2017 Share Posted July 5, 2017 Great list, enjoy yourself. I'd leap at the chance in your place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acidbass Posted July 5, 2017 Share Posted July 5, 2017 Sounds great! Enjoy every minute of it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted July 5, 2017 Share Posted July 5, 2017 None of those are amazingly hard ; you should be fine I brought the house having played Folsom Prison Blues just twice, ever, and I didn't even do it well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickyk Posted July 5, 2017 Author Share Posted July 5, 2017 [quote name='Mickeyboro' timestamp='1499256262' post='3330297'] If they are that good they will value a 'steady Eddie' who won't compete but complement. You will be fine. [/quote] [quote name='Bikenbass' timestamp='1499258921' post='3330326'] Great list, enjoy yourself. I'd leap at the chance in your place. [/quote] [quote name='acidbass' timestamp='1499259434' post='3330338'] Sounds great! Enjoy every minute of it! [/quote] [quote name='Geek99' timestamp='1499264482' post='3330385'] None of those are amazingly hard ; you should be fine I brought the house having played Folsom Prison Blues just twice, ever, and I didn't even do it well [/quote] Thank you all,some good advice here,just told the guy i am definitely interested ,you've help me make my mind up. .. Will let you all know how this story unfolds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted July 5, 2017 Share Posted July 5, 2017 [quote name='Mickyk' timestamp='1499269379' post='3330429']... Will let you all know how this story unfolds. [/quote] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.gif.9ad672bb8b84505709f76b39c8c256ec.gif)
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.