Members untitledblinkfa Posted March 26, 2007 Members Share Posted March 26, 2007 hey guys i need some advice on what to do with about the other guitarist in the band i'm in. i'm the lead guitarist and as of late he's been talking to the singer about me getting all the face time and him getting none. he currently done 1 solo of the 30 covers which is breed by nirvana. i dont have that big of an issue with him taking over some solo but i don't know if i really am. as a guitarist he is kinda green. he struggles with the rythym parts and also sings backup. he als is pushing to sing a few whole songs. i mean i am glad he wants to to all this stuf but part of me is also thinking he should concentrate one getting to at one thing first before moving onto lead anything. am i totally off base on this? matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ides of March Posted March 26, 2007 Members Share Posted March 26, 2007 If he struggles and it sounds bad than you must tell him that he needs to focus on what he does well and work on doing two things at once on his own than try it out with the band. If you are doing the solos and he is not there must be a reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members untitledblinkfa Posted March 26, 2007 Author Members Share Posted March 26, 2007 yea ..no one argues i'm the better player at this point...since i dont do anything else but play (sing etc.)...i guess there is a part of me that doesnt want to let anyone else play the solos..ut i also understand he wants to play some and stand out at times..i also dont want to be an ass and tell him he cant play such and such because he's not good enough at rythym yet..maybe i should find a better band where i'mthe worst player instead of one of he better ones Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members crohate Posted March 27, 2007 Members Share Posted March 27, 2007 if u have 2 guitars in a band, only 1 is lead and louder, more important, the other 1 is to fullfill the gaps and to give backup to the other guitar ... that is how i c it .. if u have 1 guitar set to play lead, and the mixer is setting that 1 to be the main guitar, than it plays all the leads. PERIOD. ps Iron Maiden and some exceptions are not a rule , neither is this ... but i think works better good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cephus Posted March 27, 2007 Members Share Posted March 27, 2007 I have the same thing regarding vocals. the bass player wants to sing more. everyone tells me he sucks. He also wants to play really {censored}ty songs that the non-musician people he hangs out with request. Like Toby Keith and other country off the radio. For a while, I thought I was stuck because I didn;t want to hurt his feelings. We worked really hard and added 3 or 4 of the less offensive songs to the set. Practiced for an hour at the sound check, played one gig, he fell on his face, but we got through them. Played next gig. He forgot the words - couldn't read his cheat sheets. Sounded more like {censored}. Then I was able to say, "Dude, we can't add these songs if you're not prepared. No more music stand with printed lyrics. If you want to do the song, you have to memorize the words." that was it. he's too lazy to do that. No more issues. Sometimes you have to set an expectation, all the while knowing that the person won't be able to meet it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kuhnfyoozed Posted March 27, 2007 Members Share Posted March 27, 2007 If hes got the right attitude (wants to take on more, expand his capabilities, etc...) then let him know that if he wants to sing lead or maybe take a few solos, then he's going to have to cover rhythm completely first. If his playing suffers because hes singing, then tell him that he needs to practice doing both before its right for the band (nota bene: right for the band, not what you want. the words you use make a difference!). Let him try playing some lead or singing some songs in rehearsal, but if its not up to par, then let it stay in rehearsal and have him stay on rhythm at shows. Summary: Give him a shot, but don't let it interfere with your band's progress, and don't be afraid to share some lead responsibilities, even if you feel that its your territory. Two well-rounded guitarists is a better equation than one lead and one rhythm, IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cephus Posted March 27, 2007 Members Share Posted March 27, 2007 The only problem is making it a quality call. You're saying "You can't play lead unless you play your rhythm part well first" then someone has to judge whether he's good enough. It's a bad place to be. I like to be "Do you know all the words?""No""NEXT!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SanDiego333 Posted March 27, 2007 Members Share Posted March 27, 2007 If you want to do the song, you have to memorize the words." that was it. he's too lazy to do that. No more issues. Sometimes you have to set an expectation, all the while knowing that the person won't be able to meet it. + 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members untitledblinkfa Posted March 27, 2007 Author Members Share Posted March 27, 2007 all of you bring up valid points...i was looking over our setlist and i've picked out some simple leads he can work on ..like the hash pipe solo for example...about the point about having only one lead because of sound level balancing..a valid point...i'll bring that up after he volume war between us is over... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wro Posted March 28, 2007 Members Share Posted March 28, 2007 As someone said, give him a shot. I am on the same situation as your colleague. After much insistence it was given me the solo from "Rebell Yell" - the guy was probably sure I would not be able to do it, but I DID !so, honestly mostly I sound like crap but sometimes I do a good job and can get much better if they allow me to keep on soloing during rehearsals. They are anyway not so nice as you, because they did not give me easier stuff. So, the band will be above average if both guitars can do solo. Just my 0.02 cents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jimi Ray Halen Posted March 29, 2007 Members Share Posted March 29, 2007 all of you bring up valid points...i was looking over our setlist and i've picked out some simple leads he can work on ..like the hash pipe solo for example...about the point about having only one lead because of sound level balancing..a valid point...i'll bring that up after he volume war between us is over... Yeah, throw him a bone. He's trying to branch out. Nothing makes you improve more quickly than playing in front of an audience. He'll fall on his face a few times, as most people do, and the Sun will still come up the next day. But in the long run, he'll be better and so will the band. I know it's hard to play rhythm when someone is butchering a lead break and you know that you can do it better. Suck it up. OTOH, if he can't play the solo to Hashpipe then you may want to help him out a bit. If he's open to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Guitar Centaur Posted March 29, 2007 Members Share Posted March 29, 2007 if u have 2 guitars in a band, only 1 is lead and louder, more important, the other 1 is to fullfill the gaps and to give backup to the other guitar ... that is how i c it .. if u have 1 guitar set to play lead, and the mixer is setting that 1 to be the main guitar, than it plays all the leads. PERIOD. ps Iron Maiden and some exceptions are not a rule , neither is this ... but i think works better good luck When you mature musically, you'll come to realize what a ridiculous statement this is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators BATCAT Posted March 29, 2007 Moderators Share Posted March 29, 2007 if u have 2 guitars in a band, only 1 is lead and louder, more important, the other 1 is to fullfill the gaps and to give backup to the other guitar ... that is how i c it .. if u have 1 guitar set to play lead, and the mixer is setting that 1 to be the main guitar, than it plays all the leads. PERIOD. ps Iron Maiden and some exceptions are not a rule , neither is this ... but i think works better good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Guitar Centaur Posted March 29, 2007 Members Share Posted March 29, 2007 hey guysi need some advice on what to do with about the other guitarist in the band i'm in. i'm the lead guitarist and as of late he's been talking to the singer about me getting all the face time and him getting none. he currently done 1 solo of the 30 covers which is breed by nirvana. i dont have that big of an issue with him taking over some solo but i don't know if i really am. as a guitarist he is kinda green. he struggles with the rythym parts and also sings backup. he als is pushing to sing a few whole songs. i mean i am glad he wants to to all this stuf but part of me is also thinking he should concentrate one getting to at one thing first before moving onto lead anything. am i totally off base on this?matt You sound fairly young. I'm gonna assume teenager, or no later than early 20's? If so, both you AND the other guitarist should use these formative years to try to accomplish as MUCH as you both can, including learning to solo, learning to sing and play, and most importantly, learning to LISTEN to your fellow bandmates. By listen, I don't mean sit down at a table and have a bitch-fest, I mean listen to them musically while you're playing. Learn when to take the lead, and learn when to lay back and let someone else have the spotlight for a few minutes. Basically, learn to read their minds. Learn these things early, and you'll find yourself with more offers and more work than you'll know what to do with. I sure wish I had started earlier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members untitledblinkfa Posted March 30, 2007 Author Members Share Posted March 30, 2007 well we had practice tonight and added tomorrow by silverchair, which we let the guitarist sing..he did alright but naturally had trouble trying to play and sing at the same time. we just had to keep reminding him that he doesn't have to keep playing the guitar, as for that song I can pretty much play it all myself, and he can focus on singing it. Overall though he did alright. And yea I'm still in my 20s and trying to learn everything I can about guitar. Gotta get him to actually learn guitar..meaning if I say go up an octave.he knows where to go...instead of me having to say play fret 8...but I'll get him there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wades_keys Posted March 30, 2007 Members Share Posted March 30, 2007 if u have 2 guitars in a band, only 1 is lead and louder, more important, the other 1 is to fullfill the gaps and to give backup to the other guitar ... that is how i c it .. if u have 1 guitar set to play lead, and the mixer is setting that 1 to be the main guitar, than it plays all the leads. PERIOD.ps Iron Maiden and some exceptions are not a rule , neither is this ... but i think works better Easy to feel this way when you are playing the leads, right? How can you know what the other guy is capable of if you are gonna hog the spotlight from the word go? I'm mostly the rhy guy but I play a couple of leads - the guys have no prob with that - I know my theory, took the lessons. It was cool to bust out some of that for the first time - some of them had no idea I could play as well as I can cuz they had never heard me in a band context. Drop the ego and open your mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members crohate Posted March 30, 2007 Members Share Posted March 30, 2007 Easy to feel this way when you are playing the leads, right? How can you know what the other guy is capable of if you are gonna hog the spotlight from the word go?I'm mostly the rhy guy but I play a couple of leads - the guys have no prob with that - I know my theory, took the lessons. It was cool to bust out some of that for the first time - some of them had no idea I could play as well as I can cuz they had never heard me in a band context.Drop the ego and open your mind. There's no ego here, buddy, not at all, i played rhytm parts in a lot of bands before, for the sake of the band and the sound, not to raise some1's ego ... u think James Hatfield cant play lead ?? he can, probably better than Hammet, but why would u have 2 lead guitars in a band ? not neccesary at all !!to get a lead guitar to be heard in all the confusion of all the instrument's frequencies, u need to have a punchy and mid freq. up and higher than the subsonic freq. of the rhytm sound, and it has to boost out and swim out to be heard in all the sound sea right ?? So, every time u would have to change presets of the sound of the lead guitar to rhytm and the other way around ... and why ?? this is not an ego thing my friend .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wades_keys Posted March 30, 2007 Members Share Posted March 30, 2007 There's no ego here, buddy, not at all, i played rhytm parts in a lot of bands before, for the sake of the band and the sound, not to raise some1's ego ... u think James Hatfield cant play lead ?? he can, probably better than Hammet, but why would u have 2 lead guitars in a band ? not neccesary at all!! to get a lead guitar to be heard in all the confusion of all the instrument's frequencies, u need to have a punchy and mid freq. up and higher than the subsonic freq. of the rhytm sound, and it has to boost out and swim out to be heard in all the sound sea right ?? So, every time u would have to change presets of the sound of the lead guitar to rhytm and the other way around ... and why ?? this is not an ego thing my friend .... Okay - sorry about the ego comment. I still think you are limiting yourself - it's a guitar, not a "lead guitar", dig what i'm saying? Maybe you guys are playing nu-metal, with a lot of low end in the guitars - if that's true then, yeah, you would at least want to have a channel switching amp to kick over to a "lead tone" - but that ain't rocket science... I'm not a "lead guitarist" - I am a guitarist - i can play some fingerstyle stuff too, acoustic, country type stuff, a little E.J.... I've got a bluesier, more raw style than our main guitarist - this works well on tunes like "The jack" and "Honky Tonk Women" - it's about playing to your strengths and being a little more open minded. The band will benefit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WayneRocks Posted March 30, 2007 Members Share Posted March 30, 2007 pick a song with a difficult solo and let him have a go at it. OR give him a song that you do a great solo to. when he screws up, everyone will want you to be the lead guitarist, and he might learn his place. i think the best way to go is to let him sink or swim - if he's got the chops, good for him, if not, go back to a supporting role Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wades_keys Posted March 30, 2007 Members Share Posted March 30, 2007 pick a song with a difficult solo and let him have a go at it. OR give him a song that you do a great solo to. when he screws up, everyone will want you to be the lead guitarist, and he might learn his place. i think the best way to go is to let him sink or swim - if he's got the chops, good for him, if not, go back to a supporting role I don't understand why someone would be pressuring you to play leads if they are barely competent - does he have wooden ears? Recording rehearsals helps - sometimes with the adrenaline pumping people think they are doing better than they are... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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