My first gig - well kinda sorta

[jamesp]

Just getting to this thread and can't feature it. Is anybody closer than Hudman available for back-of-Neil's-head slappage?

Seriously, you could solo a gig like this. Maybe think about taking the lead on some of those Christmas songs and letting the bandmates wing along with you on those.

[kwakatak]

Huh? I don't get the whole head-slappage thing. I'm not looking for the spotlight here. I was actually looking forward to playing with others. Even though my musical style is all over the place, it appears to be a bit different than the others' though. As such, I'm more than happy to just lend my support - and hid in the back!

 

OTOH, since these two share a spot in the local songwriter's circle I see it as an opportunity to grow as a musician. I've already written a few instrumentals and after last night and idea or two concerning lyrics on two and a whole new song with lyrics seems to be kicking around inside my head. Either that or I need a Tylenol!

 

I suck at lyrics though.

[DeepEnd]

Back in college, I was in a Christian group, playing rhythm and doing vocals. There were four of us and sometimes no two wanted to do quite the same thing. Tom, out lead guitarist, and I both liked traditional gospel; Dan, our bass singer, wanted strictly contemporary stuff; Bill, our lead singer, wanted to cover a Jethro Tull tune at one point. But for the most part, we each got what we wanted sometimes.
I think the head-slappage thing is from your "Whatever you want, we don't have to do the songs I like" approach. This may be her group but you if you're going to be part of the group, that means you get input, IMHO.

[kwakatak]

OK, well FWIW she hasn't discounted any of my songs out of turn. I'm just thinking that the 2 we agreed upon might not fit in with the rest and that maybe I should just try my hand at finally putting verse to a couple of my own songs to make it seem more "genuine."

[recordingtrack1]

Hey Neil, If I can get in here, I think the "head slappage" thing has more to do with you second guessing yourself too much. Go back and re-read your posts and see if you think I'm right. This is negatively affecting your confidence. Cut it out! I submit the following for your consideration: You have your own style and should envision yourself performing within it. Your playing is what I would identify as extremely competent. You sing in tune. You play in tune. You have good rhythym and your playing is enjoyable to listen to. More than anything, your audience wants to see you do good. They'll be on your side, I guarantee that.

Okay, enough ranting and rambling. I look forward to the review. I expect you'll say, "twern't nothin'....piece of cake!!!!" (Then you'll need some head slappage!!!)

RT

[guildfire]

I don't know man, this sounds like more trouble than its worth. Just MHO, but sounds like you are the odd man out, she gets to pick the songs, doesn't like "covers", sets an unreasonable practice schedule, etc. Not sure exactly how you fit into this deal. Again, no offense, just seeing it from what you have described. I hope it works out.

[rhythmguitar28]

OK, well FWIW she hasn't discounted any of my songs out of turn. I'm just thinking that the 2 we agreed upon might not fit in with the rest and that maybe I should just try my hand at finally putting verse to a couple of my own songs to make it seem more "genuine."

 

 

 

Were the 4 songs picked just the first 4 on top of your list or were they 4 from looking at the entire list? Unless I read your post wrong, she just picked the first 4? Kind of ridiculous not to take the time to look your entire list over and pick a couple that way. Well, do your best and get what you can from the experience.

[kwakatak]

Hey Neil, If I can get in here, I think the "head slappage" thing has more to do with you second guessing yourself too much. Go back and re-read your posts and see if you think I'm right. This is negatively affecting your confidence. Cut it out! I submit the following for your consideration: You have your own style and should envision yourself performing within it. Your playing is what I would identify as extremely competent. You sing in tune. You play in tune. You have good rhythym and your playing is enjoyable to listen to. More than anything, your audience wants to see you do good. They'll be on your side, I guarantee that. Okay, enough ranting and rambling. I look forward to the review. I expect you'll say, "twern't nothin'....piece of cake!!!!" (Then you'll need some head slappage!!!) RT

I certainly hope so. FWIW, when I play in church I do indeed "do my own thing" and just look for a place to fit in within the musical mix. When playing in a group I try not to showboat - especially in church, since I may get struck by lightning for even being there!

Anyway, last night I tried my usual tricks. On a few songs I heard the need for an alternating bass line. On another tune the guy with the Taylor tuned to DADF#AD and capo'd on 3. I slapped on my capo and dropped the low E to D (actually F) and hit the bottom strings so that I added both percussion and bass. It seemed to work for me, but I don't know if it did for them.

I could do that type of stuff all night and I have plenty of confidence in my abilities, but she brought me in to sing as well (her decision was based off my youtube videos from the open mic where my voice is more prominent but my guitar sounds like {censored}) so she'd like me to add depth in that manner as well. I told her that though I like to sing, I usually reserve my vocals for songs that really speak to me. Otherwise I consider myself to be a guitar player.

[BLUtunes]

Sure, you're totally ready. Rock on, bro!!!

[kwakatak]

I don't know man, this sounds like more trouble than its worth. Just MHO, but sounds like you are the odd man out, she gets to pick the songs, doesn't like "covers", sets an unreasonable practice schedule, etc. Not sure exactly how you fit into this deal. Again, no offense, just seeing it from what you have described. I hope it works out.

 

 

Nah - I think the others are right: I need to quit second-guessing myself and just go with the flow. This is her gig though so yes, she gets to pick the songs. I have no problem with that. She's given me some input which I do appreciate, but I'm second-guessing my choices based on the rest of the songs we're going to do. Now that I know a little better, I'm thinking of ways to adapt what I know to fit. I only hope there's enough time because I have a lot of other things going on right now.

 

As for the practice schedule, bear in mind that none of us are professional musicians. We all have families that come first and our schedules never seem to line up. We've tried to get together 3 times before this and each time somebody had to back out.

[kwakatak]

Were the 4 songs picked just the first 4 on top of your list or were they 4 from looking at the entire list? Unless I read your post wrong, she just picked the first 4? Kind of ridiculous not to take the time to look your entire list over and pick a couple that way. Well, do your best and get what you can from the experience.

 

 

True, I wish she'd considered more of my choices. The ones she picked weren't the first four on my list but they were songs I'd recorded and put up on youtube so it was an informed decision. She did ask "what else do you have?" the other night but my printer's busted so I didn't have sheets to pull out of my ass. I'm hoping that they're open to more stuff at the next practice, but it'll be in two weeks because that's the next opportunity for us to be able to all get together.

[rhythmguitar28]

True, I wish she'd considered more of my choices. The ones she picked weren't the first four on my list but they were songs I'd recorded and put up on youtube so it was an informed decision. She did ask "what else do you have?" the other night but my printer's busted so I didn't have sheets to pull out of my ass. I'm hoping that they're open to more stuff at the next practice, but it'll be in two weeks because that's the next opportunity for us to be able to all get together.

 

 

 

I'm kind of curious what genre' her music is. Could you classify it? Or what female artist would it be similar styled to? I practiced with a female singer who sang a lot of country awhile back. She came to one of my cafe' gigs and we did 6 ot 7 songs together. It was a lot of fun. She does play guitar but very little. More of a singer than a player. We were practicing songs the day before the gig. Talk about winging it . A little more difficult when you're all playing a full gig together. It'll be fun once you get past the initial confusion.....

[ccasey]

Hey, man. We haven't "met" (i.e., crossed paths in any other threads, that I know of) but I wanted to chime in and say a couple things:

First, I like your vids and agree with the others that you appear to be well capable of pulling this off.

Second, I am currently in at least a comparable situation ... suddently found myself playing supporting guitar for a singer-songwriter/guitarist (some rhythm, some color parts like arpeggios or fills over his rhythm, and some lead) and I initially had some doubts about my ability to pull it off, especially as I'm having to learn a lot of unfamiliar (mostly original) material and there's a decent amount of improv involved even once I've learned it. But, I'm hanging in there, and having a blast, generally getting good feedback and learning a ton. I already feel like I've grown as a guitarist (been doing this a couple months, including just a couple shortish gigs) and I'm definitely learning a ton about arranging for multiple guitars, as we always work hard to find ways to do different guitar parts that complement each other. I think you'll ultimately find this a rewarding experience on some level.

Good luck, and keep reporting back.
Chris

[guildfire]

Nah - I think the others are right: I need to quit second-guessing myself and just go with the flow. This is her gig though so yes, she gets to pick the songs. I have no problem with that. She's given me some input which I do appreciate, but I'm second-guessing my choices based on the rest of the songs we're going to do. Now that I know a little better, I'm thinking of ways to adapt what I know to fit. I only hope there's enough time because I have a lot of other things going on right now. As for the practice schedule, bear in mind that none of us are professional musicians. We all have families that come first and our schedules never seem to line up. We've tried to get together 3 times before this and each time somebody had to back out.

 

 

Ok, glad you are satisfied with the situation. Good luck.

[g6120]

Hope you're gonna get a video of it and share with us!

[rhythmguitar28]

Hope you're gonna get a video of it and share with us!

Ya.....A must! And of course you can always EDIT the parts you don't want to share, if there are any .

[kwakatak]

Hehe - I don't think that she had plans to videotape it. I certainly don't have the means.

 

BTW, I still got nerves and misgivings about how quick this is coming up. I wish we were all able to get together to practice more. Meanwhile, I wrote down some lyrics for a couple of originals last night. Now to put them to music. Nothing complicated, mind you. I just want to add something a little happier than songs like Rattlin' Bones, Eli the Barrow Boy, May The Circle Be Unbroken, etc. - all of which seem to center around death. This is s'posed to be a holiday show after all. The two songs I"m working on are about Thanksgiving festivities and the joy of relatives visiting over Christmas.

 

BTW - I also have to find some tabs for some holiday songs that aren't openly religious. Stuff like Winter Wonderland, Jingle Bells, etc.

[guitarist21]

First of all, I'm sorry I'm so late to this thread, but this looks like an awesome thing, kwak. Hope it goes well.

BTW - I also have to find some tabs for some holiday songs that aren't openly religious. Stuff like Winter Wonderland, Jingle Bells, etc.

I'm a DJ on the Berklee Internet Radio Network and I started planning on doing one of my shows later this semester with a holiday theme. I went in with the goal of doing as little blatantly "Christmas" or "Hannukah" songs as possible, and it turns out that this was a lofty goal. So I feel your pain there. Some good ones that I plan on spinning:

Baby It's Cold Outside
Let it Snow
Deck the Halls
Sleigh Ride
Carol of the Bells
A couple random selections from Raffi
Some Vince Guaraldi stuff

[larry50]

Well, I'm Jewish and don't celebrate Christmas, but Hava Nagila is a nice non-religious song that usually gets them out of their seat to dance.

[kwakatak]

First of all, I'm sorry I'm so late to this thread, but this looks like an awesome thing, kwak. Hope it goes well. I'm a DJ on the Berklee Internet Radio Network and I started planning on doing one of my shows later this semester with a holiday theme. I went in with the goal of doing as little blatantly "Christmas" or "Hannukah" songs as possible, and it turns out that this was a lofty goal. So I feel your pain there. Some good ones that I plan on spinning: Baby It's Cold Outside Let it Snow Deck the Halls Sleigh Ride Carol of the Bells A couple random selections from Raffi Some Vince Guaraldi stuff

 

 

Thanks, Ellen. Those are some great ideas too. I'd love to see if we could pull of "Baby It's Cold Outside" but again we arent going to be able to practice more than 1-2X before the event.

[Yamaha Junkie]

I snuck an image of Neil Practicing for the show
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[kwakatak]

OK, so if we aren't gonna be able to practice too much as a group then I'm gonna get in the hillbilly mode and get ma feet wet all on my own. Did some diggin' on youtube and found that a fellow Yankee had covered one of the songs in our set list. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Jersey Boy BRRRUUUUUUUUCE!
[YOUTUBE]oMHLWmgi7WY[/YOUTUBE]

I only wish we do it half as well.

BTW, we got a name and everything: The Front Porch Crew.

Here are some of the songs we've got on the list already, with the artists that she's looking to emulate:

When You Say Nothing At All - Alison Kraus (written by Keith Whitley)

I'll Fly Away - Aliso Kraus & Gillian Welch (written by A. E. Brumley)

I Want To Sing That Rock And Roll - Gillian Welch

John Henry - as covered by Bruce Springsteen and the Seeger Sessions Band

Eli The Barrow Boy - the Decembrists

Caledonia - Dougie MacLean

Rattlin' Bones - Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson

Bury Me Beneath The Willow - Bluegrass All-Stars (Alison Kraus, Tony Rice, David Grisman, J.D. Crowe and Mark Shatz; Kraus did the vocals)

Will The Circle Be Unbroken - I see that Johnny & June Cash covered it much and there are videos of him and a bunch of country all-stars doing renditions


Much of this stuff is slightly out of my comfort zone; when doing vocal-oriented songs I either do stuff I learned 15-20 years ago or singer/songwriter stuff.

[DeepEnd]

OK, so if we aren't gonna be able to practice too much as a group then I'm gonna get in the hillbilly mode and get ma feet wet all on my own. Did some diggin' on youtube and found that a fellow Yankee had covered one of the songs in our set list. . . .

 

I've done that, as I'm sure a good many folks have. Our "praise band" doesn't always practice as much as I'd like and I sometimes play along with YouTube videos when I'm practicing a song I don't know very well.

Still, I'd be uncomfortable not practicing together much. Back during my junior year in college, the Christian group I was in got asked to fill in for another group on campus at the last minute because they were nearly all sick. We got four people together and rehearsed in the van on the way to the church. It went well and I wouldn't have missed it for the world but I also wouldn't want to do it on a regular basis.

[kwakatak]

OK, here's a late update if anybody cares.

I missed last Tuesday's practice because I was in the hospital with a case of bursitis that was beginning to spread from my right knee. I fully intended to make it up and was thinking I'd be out of the hospital after only one night but ended up calling off from the room instead. Oh well, at least I got to sit on my ass for two and a half days between rounds of IV antibiotics. I couldn't play guitar because the stick was in the crook of my arm though, so instead I took my notebook and tried to pen some lyrics.

It turns out that I wasn't the only one who had to bail though. Our third member had to drop out of the gig because he's working out of town until just a couple of nights before the gig. So most of the bluegrass stuff is now off the table. She's trying to line up another but I'm OK if it were to be a duo. She and I are working on harmonizing our voices and I could always use $100 in pocket instead of just $67.

So anyway, we had a pretty good practice session. I brought more songs to the table and we did pretty well. It was mostly Christmas tunes where we'd share vocal duties either in alternating verses or harmonies. I'd never done that before and surprisingly I think I may be starting to get the gist of it. I also convinced her to add Frapton's "Baby I Love Your Way" and Extreme's "More Than Words" to the list. The latter one was lots of fun to practice. I let her sing the lead and jumped in at certain points with harmony vocals. It was a LOT of fun!

Anyway, 10 days until the gig and we're still hammering out the details but my confidence is growing. I seriously should've done this 15-20 years ago but feel that maybe it was best to wait so that I could mature a little.

[Grant Harding]

Right on! Keep up the good work and remember the MOST important rule: breathe