Hardest job in a band

[tmdguitar]

drums, without a doubt

[jenksdrummer]

jenks, from what you've said on the drum forum it sounds like that bass player is a real goof. I generally agree with your initial post though about the difficulty between instruments though, I can't help but to think guitar and drums are fairly even in difficulty but each in their own way. In a sense, even you said guitar is harder (for you at least) because of the solos, theory and what not. That being said, I concur that drums are probably more physically demanding due to using all of your body and having to be co-ordinated but, guitar is much less forgiving if you screw up and again with the whole knowing theory thing - thus why I prefer to play drums, it just comes more naturally to some of us than guitar. Bass..you can just mix it out but seriously, a good bass player can be just as diverse as a good guitarist.

 

If guitar screws up, everyone (in the band) laughs it off and 2 bars later, no one outside the band remembers...the song keeps going

If bass screws up, everyone in the band might notice, audience might hear it but it not register...and the song keeps going

If the vocals screw up, everyone notices, but the song keeps going and by the end of the song, they've forgotten. (exception being song is out of the singer's range)

If the drums screw up, EVERYONE notices, and the song at best keeps going with a "kink" moment, at worst, it's a trainwreck...and people are rushing the stage to say they are a better drummer and to let them "sit in"

 

 

In other words, I can not make a mistake.

 

That, along with the mental and physical aspects involved, makes drums the hardest job IN the band. That said, I have a lot of respect for guitar players, but, they also get a lot of freedom to do whatever, as long as the basics are covered, and even then, I've heard many guitarists mess that up, and they get "mad props" at the end of the set by people in the audience.

 

I also have a lot of respect for vocalists because it's hard to control your breathing like that. But, then again, I'm also a drummer that does backing vocals - so I know what it's like to a degree. When my band was a 3 piece, I was doing 90% of all the backing vocals and harmonies. Hard to do if you're moving 4 other limbs

 

I also respect bass players, as long as I can lock in on the groove and create a pocket to play in. I've played with some good ones, and some bad ones, and the one I'm playing with now is pretty good...we work well together. Sure sometimes it comes off badly and we have our disagreements - if you heard it from his side I'd be a douche, for whatever that's worth.

[jenksdrummer]

 

the guy that decides how fast the song is by counting 1-2-3 at the beginning

 

 

Funny thing, sometimes I just give a 4-count without any idea what the tempo is, but once it gets started, I remember the song and adjust it where it should be. I just pick a middle-of-the-road tempo and go with it...then about 1 bar later it's where it needs to be.

[tonaldeath]

 

The drummer can make or break a band.

 

 

QFT. This is very true.

 

Drummers and bassists don't get enough love, and it's consequently much harder to find a good one. Rhythm section is so important. If you know music and musicians, once you do find a good one, you don't treat him/her the way this guy is treating you.

 

Edit: I must say though from my experience, the hardest part is being the principal songwriter. Even more-so when you have a specific vision of your music and one or more musicians are difficult to deal with, albeit talented. It's a fine line to walk between having your vision materialize, and giving musicians enough artistic freedom for them to feel fulfilled with a project....especially with the prima donnas.

 

Everybody has a hard job though, just in different ways. It looks fun to the audience while you're up there doing your thing, and really it is fun, but most people don't realize just how much work goes into making a band great.

[nerol1st]

I hold my meter pretty well on my own, however I'm easily pushed by other members. That's my biggest fault. Bass player called me out on it on Man in the Box - during the guitar solo, the bass line is the verse then the bridge parts - the bridge is a series of 8th note bass runs...and he took off on it, and I went with him, then yanked him back. He said, man, we fished tailed on that one...meaning that, because tempo/meter is my job, that I didn't hold my own...I told him "dude, you took off on the 8th note run, I went with you to keep things together then pulled you back" - he didn't say anything. Him and our old guitar player were HORRIBLE at that - then I got a metronome and the guitar player threw a fit because I was locking onto the metronome and to hell with what they were doing. Songs that we were tight as hell on before, now, no longer were tight. Anyhow...

 

Sounds like the members of your band don't know how to {censored}ing listen.

 

God why the {censored} are guitar and bass players such meat heads. Playing to a metronome or a metronome set drummer should be cake.

[RSBro]

Hardest? Having good vox.

 

Most important? Good drummer.

 

Bass/guitar are interchangeable IMO b/c it depends on what music you play. In the ex-STP tribute band I was part of for a few weeks, bass>>> guitar all day long. But anyone I play with nowadays should be able to play anything I throw at them and vice-versa or I don't join.

[MadKeithV]

 

In other words, I can not make a mistake.

 

 

That's just because the rest of your band is of questionable ability.

The rule of thumb is that *everyone* will mess up at some point or another. It's up to the rest of the band to be solid enough to just barge through that moment and make it a forgettable glitch (heck, sometimes we actually did it on purpose in songs, just for dramatic effect).

[Matt Moody S r]

On 12/1/2010 at 8:32 AM, angusjohnftw said:

hardest job in the band - dealing with the lead singers ego usually

Or dealing with other guitarists you can get some cocky bastards there too like. Bassists and drummers are usually easier to deal with..

Yes the guitarist  is the hardest to deal with. They can usually be their way in a song if they've been playing for anytime, but knows no songs but a peice and bits here or there because he doesn't want to be do covers but, he wants to play Eddy money (Rip) no bad mouthing him, but he doesn't want to be a quoted cover band.

[SteinbergerHack]

On 12/1/2010 at 10:29 AM, Sheik_Yerbouti said:

Also, in my experience at least, the hardest job in a band is getting the {censored}ing singer to help move the gear.