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Overly enthusiastic band member


etcetra

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So I have this regular weekend gig with this band..it's an ok paying gig, but some of the memeber of the band(namely the ones who hired us) are kind of inexperienced.   I've accepted the musical limiations and accepted that this is gig is what it is... I'll do my job and move on. Some gigs you strive for excellence, some gigs you settle for competence.   

The problem started when I asked drummer friend of mine (who is new in town) to take over as the drummer .  He plays well, but he is overly entuasitic and pushing the band to do more.  He wants to do weekly rehearsal and  want us to do more in terms of arranging and what not and that kind of annoyed me and the band leader.

I can understand where his enthusiasm is coming from.. he recently got out of school, he doesn't have a family to take care of, and he doesn't have that many gigs either.  But he just doesn't seem to understand that not everyone has that kind of drive and people have other gigs and other stuff they have to take care of in their lives.  It also puts me in an awkward position, because "doing better" will require telling inexpereinced members(the ones who hired us) to practice more and "coach" them.  I really don't want to do that unless it's my own project and if someone is asking you to.  Again, there are times you should tell other people when somethings aren't happening.. there are times where you should just shut up and do your job.  

 I figured, there are plenty of people here who has had a lot more expereince working, so my question is, what is your take on the situation?  I feel like I need to tell my friend that he needs to tone down his sense of enthusiasm in front of people at this point.  Having high expectation is cool but there is time and place for that. I guess I've learned that you can also ailenate people and lose gigs for being "too serious" too... and I'm afriad my friends "attitude" may be driving some people crazy, including myself. 

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I would just tell him bluntly that (like you said) the band is what it is, and what he wants ain't gonna happen, not with this band. And if this band, doing what it does, isn't what he wants or needs, then he's just going to have to find a different one.

 

And then I would tell him, perhaps a little more kindly, that it's not really the done thing to join a band and then try to take it over.  Because it sounds like he hasn't had enough experience to have figured that out yet.

 

I feel a little sorry for your drummer friend.  The realities of band life can be very disheartening when you start out so full of enthusiasm. 

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etcetra wrote:

 

 

So I have this regular weekend gig with this band..it's an ok paying gig, but some of the memeber of the band(namely the ones who hired us) are kind of inexperienced.   I've accepted the musical limiations and accepted that this is gig is what it is... I'll do my job and move on. Some gigs you strive for excellence, some gigs you settle for competence.  
 

The problem started when I asked drummer friend of mine (who is new in town) to take over as the drummer .  He plays well, but he is overly entuasitic and pushing the band to do more.  He wants to do weekly rehearsal and  want us to do more in terms of arranging and what not and that kind of annoyed me and the band leader.

 

I can understand where his enthusiasm is coming from.. he recently got out of school, he doesn't have a family to take care of, and he doesn't have that many gigs either.  But he just doesn't seem to understand that not everyone has that kind of drive and people have other gigs and other stuff they have to take care of in their lives.  
It also puts me in an awkward position, because "doing better" will require telling inexpereinced members(the ones who hired us) to practice more and "coach" them.  I really don't want to do that unless it's my own project and if someone is asking you to.  Again, there are times you should tell other people when somethings aren't happening.. there are times where you should just shut up and do your job.  

 

 
I figured, there are plenty of people here who has had a lot more expereince working, so my question is, what is your take on the situation?  I feel like I need to tell my friend that he needs to tone down his sense of enthusiasm in front of people at this point.  Having high expectation is cool but there is time and place for that. 
I guess I've learned that you can also ailenate people and lose gigs for being "too serious" too... and I'm afriad my friends "attitude" may be driving some people crazy, including myself. 

 

Tell him that its a bar band.  To keep bar bands running you keep things pretty simple on the kick off and the end of songs.   It makes it easy , and it makes it easy to make subs sound good.   This also allows you to do a ton more songs and keep things under control.  The band seems like its well past the point to where its going to spend a lot of time in rehersal.    Now everything is live fire.   explain thats what its going to take to be in this band.   

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FranE

Yea, he does seem too naive about a lot of things.  He talks about how he doesn't want to do pop gig or jobber gig, and want to make a good income through playing his own projects.  As far as I know, nobody in the area makes the kind of income he's talking about without teaching/doing pop or jobber gigs.

Enthusaism is great, but IMO you really need to pick your battles in order to keep your sanity.  I think he practices 4-5 hours everyday  which is great, but not everyone you work with will share that kind of commitment and work ethic out there.  You're just going to wear yourself and others out if you expect every gig to hold up to such high standards.

TIMKEYS

I agree.  I don't think he relaizes that most of the arranging burden will fall on me, because other people don't have the skills to do that. The singer will get lost if we do anything other than the stock endings.. which means we have to train her adapt those different endings too.  As a singer, she is very limited in what she can do.  IMO It's really not my place to lecture or train my co-workers unless I was asked to do so.

Bottom line is, it's not his gig, and it's really not his place to push other people to do better.  We haven't been fired from the gig, and in fact, the gig got extended indefinitely.. so even though the quality of music may not be great, it's adaquate for what it is.

 

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I'm wondering why the drummer got changed?  Did the old drummer quit?  I'm thinking the fact that you got your friend in as the new drummer might have been seen as an attempt on your part to make improvements in the band, improvements you now don't seem interested in making.  Are you a member of this band, or is it just a gig to you?

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Chicken Monkey

I agree.. I guess I have to find a way to tell him without sounding too preachy.  I don't think he realize that it takes a lot of legwork to hustle for a gig, and it's a work that most people aren't willing to do.  I always keep that in mind when someone hires me.  I've seen plenty of world class musicians work with less than stellar musicans without expecting anything out of them.  They just do their job, be professional and courteous, and mve on.

New Trail

The old drummer couldn't do it anymore so we decided to get our friend to play for us.  I think everyone except the drummer understands that we are just doing it for the gig.  Like I said, the guitarist and the vocalist are very limited in what they can do and they don't have time to practice, so I've figured there is so much I can do with this band.  I care enough about the gig to be competent, but I am not going to go out of my way to make the band sound better.  

 

 

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