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Leaving a band


josie

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11 hours ago, Ghost_Bass said:

People look at the fingers when they start leaning how to play the instrument. When time comes to rehearse and gig you should already know where most of your notes are and pay attention to the rest of the band. This is more important for bass/drum as they need to be together and in sync along the gig. Doing short stops, endings, fills and dynamics must be with each other's knowlege so it sounds and feels as it should, in the song.

I think your right, however and this is only for the 60 plus guys.

Look at early live Beatle performances. Paul hardly ever looks at his fret board. If you look at Paul now he does his share of looking at the fret board.

Blue

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On 3/20/2018 at 23:27, yorks5stringer said:

I've heard  the point of a 'shoe-gazing' band that they don't make eye contact but just look at their shoes, or have I got that wrong?

I play in a Shoegazing band. It was an insult that got re-purposed. Typically there are lots of pedal changes, so you spend the gig rooted to the spot and watching your board. All the original cohort had guitar playing singers, so even they didn't engage too much.  These days they all have decent gear and look like any other band - even MBV were pretty engaged when they reformed.

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On 3/20/2018 at 22:52, Bluewine said:

.......The money I earn from gigging means so much more to me than the salary I drew when I was a part of the traditional workforce. And I had a great paying career. I still feel that getting paid to have fun and do something you love is, well you can't beat it.

Sure there's little inconveniences and every gig won't be great, but I still wouldn't trade away gigging for anything........

.....I truly love this business and I love playing.

BTW, sorry about the rant....Blue

Sorry to be late to the party (it's been a manic week! lol)
I think the OP did the right thing in approaching the lead member of the band. A personal chat is far better than a text when you decide to leave a band
And you did the right thing, if the music was just not for you. Nothing worse than being stuck in a band who aren't particularly pals, and you don't enjoy the music.
But on a positive note - you got to do some work which was outside your usual "genre" - nothing wrong with that - we all need to step outside our usual boundaries once in a while... 
It does our playing no harm. Plus, you got to compose your own basslines - which is very different from learning other peoples' basslines, and replicating them.... no bad thing

Blue, I've quoted you above, because I really like the sentiment behind your statement here - that and the fact you seem to have given up a regular nice to five type job and salary, for music, which is obviously something you enjoy
As you say, if you can get paid for something you enjoy - you're never really "at work" :)  Good on you sir! 

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6 hours ago, Bluewine said:

You know what's nice, when you gigging so much you eventually know the whole show like the back of your hand. That's when you can branch off and connect and engage your band and the audience as oposed to being a slave to your fret board.

IMO, you only get there from gigging s lot, not once every 2 months.

Blue

I agree Blue. You only get that comfort in a band by regular gigging and being able to enjoy the gig and the songs without thinking about what comes next in a song.

Dave 

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On ‎20‎/‎03‎/‎2018 at 07:38, bazzbass said:

no eye contact at gigs? man that IS weird

you did well to leave.

send them an email saying that your basslines are yours and their new bassist HAS to write his own

Really?? Basslines to songs that aren't yours??? Why? What possible benefit is there for anyone involved if you take that approach? Just walk away.

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45 minutes ago, radiophonic said:

That's next-level. Perhaps working up to staring at the audience's shoes?

I keep my eye on our singer as she is prone to prancing about a lot (good thing) and then flinging her arms out and catching me on the noggin (bad thing). 

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33 minutes ago, Marc S said:


Blue, I've quoted you above, because I really like the sentiment behind your statement here - that and the fact you seem to have given up a regular nice to five type job and salary, for music, which is obviously something you enjoy
As you say, if you can get paid for something you enjoy - you're never really "at work" :)  Good on you sir! 

 

I used to think that I'd like to do that, even if my income came down quite a bit.

But then I enjoyed a busy summer, travelling up and down every weekend (not even the full week, but typically Friday lunchtime till Sunday silly late in the am - technically MOnday)... and I changed my mind. The 3 hours or so playing each night were great. I even didn't mind that I didn't always have my own room and had to share with a tractor (that's our guitarist, who snores like one)... but the WAITING AROUND was unbearable. I liked the guys, we got along great, but it felt we were stuck with nothing to do for far too long. Free beers are welcome, especially when it's warm... and coming home with a good wad of notes was great (even if it paid less than my day job, somehow that money seemed more valuable)... but it was BOOOOOOOORING for hours and hours each day. 

I really admire bands who are out touring all over the place for months at a time. I'd go crazy... I'd have to find a way to bring some kind of  activity to my day... bring my bike so that I can cycle in each new place, I don't know... but even then... 

What I'd like is to be able to play good paying gigs within a 70 mile radius a few nights a week. The kind where I just drive and show an hour an a half beforehand to set up things, play, get money and go... 

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most of my gigs have been one offs in a weekend and usually reasonably local so was always able to get home after the gig.

Last year i did a Fri and Sat stint up at Nairn and Elgin. 2 different gigs. The Fri gig we drove up during day and set up for the gig that night. That was fine but following day we arrived at the venue lunchtime and were able to set up. That left us virtually from 1pm till 9pm to kill time. It was one of the most boring days i've ever had. Was glad i didn't tour professionally. I hadn't planned for it so not even a book to read.

Did a mini tour in mid 80's around England during summer holiday period but at that age it didn't seem to bother us too much altho we did have to travel between gigs so that took up a bit of time. I had a broken leg so wasn't able to lift anything heavy so roadies there to do all the hard work for me. xD

I prefer a more local gig nowadays where i can get there 1 hour before gig set up in 30 mins and do a quick sound check. Play the gig pack up in 30 mins and head home at a reasonable hour.

Its an age thing i reckon. Think that's why its always just been a hobby for me. Taking it to the next level i'm not sure would suit what i'm looking for.

Dave 

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22 minutes ago, mcnach said:

What I'd like is to be able to play good paying gigs within a 70 mile radius a few nights a week. The kind where I just drive and show an hour an a half beforehand to set up things, play, get money and go... 

That would be perfect. Which doesn't explain why I'll be driving 200 plus miles each way for a gig over Easter! One problem is that I'm in a band where if everyone drove towards each other for a maximum of 70 miles, some of us still wouldn't meet up!

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23 minutes ago, FinnDave said:

That would be perfect. Which doesn't explain why I'll be driving 200 plus miles each way for a gig over Easter! One problem is that I'm in a band where if everyone drove towards each other for a maximum of 70 miles, some of us still wouldn't meet up!

In one of my bands we rehearse mid point as i'm 30m away, guitarist is approx 50m away and drummer is 70m away. 

The other is a little closer tho so that helps.

That leads me onto another thread i'm gonna start about how people travel to gigs ie as a band in a van or separately and just meet at the venue ?

Dave

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7 hours ago, Bluewine said:

I think your right, however and this is only for the 60 plus guys.

Look at early live Beatle performances. Paul hardly ever looks at his fret board. If you look at Paul now he does his share of looking at the fret board.

Blue

NO! I'm 36 and i don't look constantly at my FB, from time to time there's the odd glance just to make sure the fingers are where they're suposed to be.

Same happens to the rest of my band. We live from a bit of improv and going with the flow during gigs, we also play songs that people ask even if we haven't learned them,  if we didn't comunicate and look at each others we wouldn't have got half as far as we did.

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2 hours ago, mcnach said:

...What I'd like is to be able to play good paying gigs within a 70 mile radius a few nights a week. The kind where I just drive and show an hour an a half beforehand to set up things, play, get money and go... 

You and everyone else, that is.

Even talented pros with a proven track record find it difficult to land on their feet like that.  If you are in your forties you might get a good local residency or two on the back of your rep but the yoof have no chance.

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1 hour ago, Ghost_Bass said:

I think the lack of comunication isn't a cultural or age thing. It's lack of maturity as a musician and a lack of knowing how to be in a band playing music with other people.

I've always thought it was more a lack of confidence either in themselves or in what they are playing. Not learning songs properly and not being sure of what they should be playing but i guess that's more or less what you said Ghost Bass. xD

I occasionally look at my fretting hand when playing but i try not to as there's nothing worse than seeing bassists watching their neck all night. Maybe its because i don't play often enough these days altho in recent months i'm either practicing at home every night or rehearsing with 2 new bands.

Dave

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I would have to say that many pro bassists i watch on youtube look at their fretting hand regularly. Everyone from Allain Caron to Victor Wooten and even Jaco in his day. Obviously they are playing far more technical material than majority of us.

Dave

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On 3/20/2018 at 22:52, Bluewine said:

 

Our guitarists wife comes to every single gig with him, she's never missed a show in the 7 years I've been with the band. I asked her why;

"Because I love watching my husband do something he loves"

That's the kind of lady I need to meet. 

 

you and me both :) 

Edited by MacDaddy
didn't add reply to quote - doh!
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7 hours ago, dmccombe7 said:

I agree Blue. You only get that comfort in a band by regular gigging and being able to enjoy the gig and the songs without thinking about what comes next in a song.

Dave 

We play the WI State Fair (I'm not sure we're doing it this year) 5 nights in a row, 4 hours each night. To be honest, it's my favorite and most fun week of the year.

Blue

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1 hour ago, dmccombe7 said:

Got one. She's never missed a gig and even operates the lighting desk when required.

Dave

Women I meet I can tell, when it comes to gigging musicians they don't get it and don't like it. They want the guy that likes to camp, hunt, fish and attend sporting events. That's not me.

Blue

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1 minute ago, Bluewine said:

Women I meet I can tell, when it comes to gigging musicians they don't get it and don't like it. They want the guy that likes to camp, hunt, fish and attend sporting events. That's not me.

Blue

you wouldn't want to play the half time gig at the Superbowl? ;) 

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1 minute ago, Bluewine said:

😁, The days of bands playing instruments live at half time ended years ago. Now it's all choreography.lol

Blue

Then there is no chance of you getting your moob out, accidentally like, on national TV.  We're spared, thank providence.

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