Overplaying

[okusman]

Which instrument, in a standard band formula,  is most destructive and obvious when it is being overplayed; not serving the song?

[chris_b]

All of them.

[Downunderwonder]

Harmonica, lead guitar. Can't decide which gets the title.

[SpondonBassed]

[Downunderwonder]

Thread title could benefit of a change.

 

"Most unwelcome overplaying guest soloist at open jam".

[Steve Browning]

4 hours ago, Downunderwonder said:

Harmonica, lead guitar. Can't decide which gets the title.

I'd put forward the same two candidates. 

[Doctor J]

Oversinging has very much become a thing people think they need to do, all the time.

 

It needs to die in a ditch.

[Newfoundfreedom]

Kazoo

[Mrbigstuff]

The drunk who says they can play the triangle

[bassbiscuits]

Keys.

 

I’ve been in too many bands where the keyboard player felt obliged to fill any hint of quiet with pointless flourishes adding nothing to the song. 

[42Hz]

Drums, e.g. overdoing double kickdrumming actually ruins the sense of groove.

[lemmywinks]

8 hours ago, Downunderwonder said:

Thread title could benefit of a change.

 

"Most unwelcome overplaying guest soloist at open jam".

 

We had a guy who used to come to jam nights and pub band gigs here, harmonica player (using the term loosely) who always wanted to get up on stage for a guest spot. Played the same 3 cheesy blues licks on repeat regardless of the song, pretty sure he thought he was some sort of local celebrity.

 

Sounded awful every time.

[chris_b]

Harp players never know when to stop blowing. Guitarists never have control of their volume. Neither do drummers. Drummer are always putting in fills that don't fit. Keyboard players don't understand that 2 bass lines don't work. . . . in any song. . . . ever!!

 

Last week, I saw a quote from an engineer; "The best engineers have the simplest solutions". You could say the same about musicians, and definitely about bass players. The simplest lines are always the best. The spaces say more about your ability than the notes.

 

Overplaying is a curse and the only way to fix it is to play with guys who don't. 

[chris667]

If you think you never overplay, it might be you.

[Dan Dare]

Has to be keyboards. They have enormous harmonic range and can play up to ten notes simultaneously (more if the keys player uses a foot...). Fine if you're playing a solo piece. You can have a bass part, chordal accompaniment and melody all at once. In a band context, it can be a nightmare. We've been having this discussion with our keys player recently. He's good, but not very experienced. A a result, he tends to fill too much space, clashing with the other instruments. We're educating him slowly.

Edited 1 hour ago by Dan Dare

[SICbass]

I can’t believe we’ve gotten this far into the thread without any mention (@chris_b excepted) of the most obvious candidate, bass.

[snorkie635]

1 hour ago, Dan Dare said:

Has to be keyboards. They have enormous harmonic range and can play up to ten notes simultaneously (more if the keys player uses a foot...). Fine if you're playing a solo piece. You can have a bass part, chordal accompaniment and melody all at once. In a band context, it can be a nightmare. We've been having this discussion with our keys player recently. He's good, but not very experienced. A a result, he tends to fill too much space, clashing with the other instruments. We're educating him slowly.

This exactly. Oh, for a subtle wash of Hammond.

[ian61]

2 hours ago, chris_b said:

The simplest lines are always the best

I understand where your coming from tho I beg to differ... cite "Darling Dear" and a whole tone of additional Motown lines as one collective example.  Simple can actually get in the way of the musicality of the piece.  The best line will support the melodic shape of the tune and can be either busy or simple.

[tauzero]

1 hour ago, SICbass said:

I can’t believe we’ve gotten this far into the thread without any mention (@chris_b excepted) of the most obvious candidate, bass.

 

It's impossible to overplay bass.

 

I've found it's not so much an instrument as a person. There's always someone who's got to be making a noise all the time. Candidates from my experience have been percussionist, gob-iron player, and acoustic guitarist.