Members fanuvbrak Posted March 30, 2009 Members Share Posted March 30, 2009 that's sitting in our band and nobody talks about it. I don't want to get into too much detail, but there is a member of the band I'm in that just plain sucks. He has no concept of rhythm, his finger work is sloppy, and he can't tweak his modeller to get a decent tone. His volume is all over the place. He routinely loses his spot in a song and can't get back to where he's supposed to be. But he is friends with two of the other members. So we just let him hack along and nobody mentions it. In a situation like this, I think it may be time to start looking for another gig. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ender_rpm Posted March 30, 2009 Members Share Posted March 30, 2009 Not that it makes much difference, but origial or cover band? Original, unless you have immediate interest, you can take the time to help him become a better player. Cover, I'd take off. Yeah, i'm "playing" music, not working it, but I approach cover bands as a part time job. You are less marketable with him around, period. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Janx Posted March 30, 2009 Members Share Posted March 30, 2009 Well, you got 3 basic choices:1) you can quit2) you can fire him (depends on if you own the band)3) you can help him (which still allows for #1 and #2 if that fails) Have you tried #3? Did you do a good job of helping, or did you handle it badly? If he sucks, and isn't trying to get better, than he really is wasting everyone's time. At which point, #1 or #2 should be done. If he sucks, and while eager, just isn't getting any better, well, you still might have to do #1 or #2, but try to be nicer about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Wannabee Posted March 30, 2009 Members Share Posted March 30, 2009 In my former band, we put up with this same issue with a guitarist (wooden hands, no sense of rhythm, didn't learn from mistakes) for almost two years. Finally, a couple of us issued ultimatums ("ultimata"?), either he goes or we go. The singer stubbornly stood by him, so we went. Now we're both happier in new projects, and last I heard, the singer fired the guitarist anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sickman Posted March 30, 2009 Members Share Posted March 30, 2009 Is this the band with the girl singer and is the gorilla the other female? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gtrjones Posted March 30, 2009 Members Share Posted March 30, 2009 Why won't anyone talk about it? If he sucks, then either he gets better, or he's out. Or they're not serious about being a band, and you're gone. That's about all the 'discussion' that needs to happen, unless you want to find a way to quantify how much better he needs to get. How is that a difficult discussion to have? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rvschulz Posted March 30, 2009 Members Share Posted March 30, 2009 we had this. he was a work friend of the drummer who just wanted to play rhythm and open chords. no timing, too loud, his equipment was poor, no clue about the rhythm. we asked the drummer to speak with him concerning his "off night" practicing. it turns out he plays along with the CDs, loud. he has no clue about whether he is in tune or in key. i offered to tutor him for an hour a week - he turned me down, for personal reasons. we turned him "way down" - if any of us could hear him, we walked over to his amp and gave it a twist. he quit for 6 months and practiced chord changes without us. he never came back to a practice but once and determined he was no better. sometimes, they want to be in a band and play an instrument, but they can't. that is what Rock Band is for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Zon5string Posted March 30, 2009 Members Share Posted March 30, 2009 Audio and/or video tape. It tells the absolute, brutal, honest truth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MartinC Posted March 30, 2009 Members Share Posted March 30, 2009 I would never tolerate it. I hate deadwood in a band. No matter how in the background a guy is, if he isn't on the same, or at least close to, the level of the rest of the band, he is dragging the band down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Austincowbell Posted March 30, 2009 Members Share Posted March 30, 2009 You need to stop mid-song and correct him at rehearsals. I've done that in bands before. Does it embarrass the person? Yup. Does it piss them off? Yup. Will it solve the problem one way or another? Yup. He'll either be forced to practice until he is good enough to play in the band or he'll quit due to the abuse. Sounds crappy but its the best solution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BlueStrat Posted March 30, 2009 Members Share Posted March 30, 2009 For the life of me I don't understand why so many guys in bands have such a hard time being up front with other members. I have worked in several different businesses and trades and whether I was a loan rep with a bank not selling or a new guy on a framing crew having a hard time keeping up, no one was shy about telling me I needed to step it up or go find something else. But somehow when it comes to bands we think we have to walk on eggshells with other guys because we might offend them. Sheesh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cuffdc Posted March 31, 2009 Members Share Posted March 31, 2009 there is a member of the band I'm in that just plain sucks. He has no concept of rhythm, his finger work is sloppy, and he can't tweak his modeller to get a decent tone. His volume is all over the place. He routinely loses his spot in a song and can't get back to where he's supposed to be.But he is friends with two of the other members. So we just let him hack along and nobody mentions it. Are you talking about Sid Vicious?:poke: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tweeker50 Posted March 31, 2009 Members Share Posted March 31, 2009 that's sitting in our band and nobody talks about it.I don't want to get into too much detail, but there is a member of the band I'm in that just plain sucks. He has no concept of rhythm, his finger work is sloppy, and he can't tweak his modeller to get a decent tone. His volume is all over the place. He routinely loses his spot in a song and can't get back to where he's supposed to be.But he is friends with two of the other members. So we just let him hack along and nobody mentions it. In a situation like this, I think it may be time to start looking for another gig. Well, you said it. The writing is on the wall. If the band is more about being friends than being musical, then you can change the name of the band to "The Enablers". If you're the only one willing to make a change, then the change will have to be finding another gig. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members srsfallriver Posted March 31, 2009 Members Share Posted March 31, 2009 Either kick him out immediately or give him an ultimatum. Either way you will be doing him and the band a favor. I was kicked out of my first band a week before our first gig because I sucked. That was a huge lesson for me. I got together with the same group a few months after that and the universal reaction was: "Man, you got good!!". After being kicked out, I made an obligation to myself that I would practice hard and land every gig that came my way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Consume Posted March 31, 2009 Members Share Posted March 31, 2009 that's sitting in our band and nobody talks about it. I don't want to get into too much detail, but there is a member of the band I'm in that just plain sucks. He has no concept of rhythm, his finger work is sloppy, and he can't tweak his modeller to get a decent tone. His volume is all over the place. He routinely loses his spot in a song and can't get back to where he's supposed to be. But he is friends with two of the other members. So we just let him hack along and nobody mentions it. In a situation like this, I think it may be time to start looking for another gig. You shouldn't be so hard on yourself! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members AwayEam Posted April 4, 2009 Members Share Posted April 4, 2009 For the life of me I don't understand why so many guys in bands have such a hard time being up front with other members. HEY BRO I agree completely. I think a lot of people in bands have huge and fragile egos, which might explain the phenomenon. It just gets in the way of rocking as hard as possible, which is always the primary goal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members boxorox Posted April 4, 2009 Members Share Posted April 4, 2009 This ain't the way it gets done, Son. Talk to the other guys in the band, together or individually. If others agree you have a problem, Handle it. Ultimatum to Bad Guitar: Learn your crap in three weeks or don't come back. Or "You're fired" works well. If they don't see the problem or don't care to act on it, It's time for you to Get The Hell Out and find some real musicians to play with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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