How does a band get off the ground?

[Jim-Bass]

my first response to that Subject line was either 'in an plane or on pot'.

[bassgirl9]

 

Someone once said, "you can dress for the job you've got, or dress for the job you want." So, why not dress for that House of Blues job?

 

 

You've got a totally different thing going on than me.

I put in 13 songs into a set. I play rockabilly and Rockabilly isn't something you can really jam out. If I broke into 5/4 during my set, someone would probably break an ankle. Ha ha!

 

I did however once play in a jam band and we played 45 minute songs. We'd go into a bit of this and that, fused Queen with Jimi Hendrix etc etc. It was fun. I think we'd play altogether maybe 5 songs in an hour tops. People sat to watch us and drank their coffee or whatever and it was a good time. Lots of prep work, lots of band trust and communication, but ultimately worth it.

 

Now I totally hear what you're saying. It took us months to get it together enough to play live with a couple of rehearsals a week. However, we were pretty new as players.

[max maroon]

C7 makes a great point aboot taping shows...When we have a new band starting out we videotape all of our gigs and I watch them over and over like Bill Belichick... The tape don't lie!

 

...this can also be related to Bassgirl's thread aboot fronting an act live, I know personally going back and watching gigs over and over has helped me as a performer immensely.

[Brother Mango]

 

You've got a totally different thing going on than me. I put in 13 songs into a set. I play rockabilly and Rockabilly isn't something you can really jam out. If I broke into 5/4 during my set, someone would probably break an ankle. Ha ha! I did however once play in a jam band and we played 45 minute songs. We'd go into a bit of this and that, fused Queen with Jimi Hendrix etc etc. It was fun. I think we'd play altogether maybe 5 songs in an hour tops. People sat to watch us and drank their coffee or whatever and it was a good time. Lots of prep work, lots of band trust and communication, but ultimately worth it. Now I totally hear what you're saying. It took us months to get it together enough to play live with a couple of rehearsals a week. However, we were pretty new as players.

 

 

WOW!!!

You gotta say more about this. What do you mean by "prep work"? And from your experience, how is the communication in a jam band different from your current situation? Why did it take so long to pull things together?

 

In my previous band, for about 5 seconds we thought about opening a set with a jam. It's hard to think about controlling a jam so that the audience isn't unwittingly trapped in something self-indulgent or sloppy ... much easier to think of a John Mayer cover.

 

Say more about your experience, please.

[DevilRaysFan]

I actually find this a peculiar thread coming from you because, after reading your posts for awhile, I can tell you are a helluva player just by post-content

 

The only advice I can give here is this: a band is only as strong as its weakest member

 

Hear me out: In my area, I'm known as one of those "human jukebox" guys -- I know a kajillion songs of different genres but, more than that, Im an old vet that knows how to listen, lock in, hear telegraphed chord-changes, how to play the right type of bassline on songs I dont know per genre, I know theory, numbers, and how to start and stop songs, how to be flexible with 'give' and 'take' and - most important - I know how to groove and support the other players and, at thesame time, stay out of the way of other players. In my area I get a LOT of pickup basswork from people because they know that they can count on me to cut the gig.......My band ( I play keys) is made up of the four guys in town that are considered "Human Jukeboxes" --- With that said, when you are surrounded by smart players, its easy to pull-off songs without rehearsing it and not train-wreck and make it sound like weve been doing them forever. ... Case and points with this band of songs we have pulled out of our ass and play perfect without rehearsal are "Mr Magic", "Reminiscing" by Little River Band, and "Skin Tight" ( not to mention a billion other I-IV-V variants of rock and country that one of us knew the words to)-- We all knew these songs well enough, including the breaks (like in Mr Magic), and play these live and have never rehearsed them... This band has also been hired several times to back people up...We are given a disc of songs to learn and keys and we go do the gig without ever rehearsing.......

 

Contrary to this band is a few other acts I play with...There is a showband that will playing NASCAR gigs whos players are NOT like this -- These guys require rehearsal for tightness because they dont understand a lot of the unspoken finer points that seasoned working pros have learned from experience.....There is also this electronica/booty music band that Im playing with and the singer/bassist/guitarist is one of those "I got to rehearse it over and over" kinda guys

 

 

Im not on a high-horse belittling anything here: Theres nothing wrong with either school of playing - but the end result comes down to the confidence level of you and your fellow musicians, and if one person is not comfortable with their singing or playing, than thats where everyone in the band is at.....

 

Hope This Helps

[basste]

One thing we do, was inspired by Ana Popovic live in Amsterdam:

Our drummer starts a rythm,

then few bars after i join him to start a funky slap groove,

then keyboard starst with some chords.

Then keyboard and me stop, only drummer stays and our guitarist say "hello"

we re-start with him joining us,

then after the harmo starts.

Then we all stop except the drummer, and guitarist presents drummer.

He presents me and i play,

presents the keys and he plays

presents the harmo and he plays

Then a new "stop except drums", and i present guitarist, then we all start except harmo and guitarist makes... a solo (of course, it

[Nick Kay]

Why be a musician if you're trying to be an MC? Quit talking and start playing. I don't need to know who you are. I came to the show to hear your music, not your stand-up routine. There's nothing wrong with a little on-stage banter while the guitards tune up or whatever, but when you're considering cutting your set short to fit it in, you're probably doing something wrong.

 

Of course, that's coming from a metal background. Our crowds are rowdy and angry, and they get rowdier and angrier when we stop playing. I suppose it would work better in a more relaxed atmosphere, but if people are there to dance (no matter the variety), downtime and breaking the flow are your worst enemies.

[Brother Mango]

 

Why be a musician if you're trying to be an MC? Quit talking and start playing. I don't need to know who you are. I came to the show to hear your music, not your stand-up routine. There's nothing wrong with a little on-stage banter while the guitards tune up or whatever, but when you're considering cutting your set short to fit it in, you're probably doing something wrong. Of course, that's coming from a metal background. Our crowds are rowdy and angry, and they get rowdier and angrier when we stop playing. I suppose it would work better in a more relaxed atmosphere, but if people are there to dance (no matter the variety), downtime and breaking the flow are your worst enemies.

 

 

It doesn't seem like you've read the previous comments. No one is trying to be an MC.

[bassgirl9]

 

WOW!!! You gotta say more about this. What do you mean by "prep work"? .

 

 

prep work: The guitar player and I would go through the jam piece bar by bar and write down what would need to happen and when. We'd then create a road ma for everyone.

 

4 bar intro Voodoo Chile

Erin sing first verse and chorus to Voodoo chile

hang on 'E' 2 bars

Eve start vocalizing intro to Power to the People

Go into Power of the People riff and Eve sing 1st verse and chorus to Power to the People.

Erin sing second verse/chorus to Power to the People

hang on E 2 bars. Eve vocalize.

Play solo over Voodoo Chile riff. Guitar give signal for end of solo by holding high E note.

Eve start into Another One Bites the Dust bass line...

etc.

 

If we were better musicians we wouldn't have to work it out so much on paper and just do it more by improvisation I think.

 

It was pure inexperience why we couldn't get it together faster. If you're a seasoned player, it wont be so hard.

[bassgirl9]

 

And from your experience, how is the communication in a jam band different from your current situation? Why did it take so long to pull things together?

 

 

My current guitarist is my husband of 12 years though, so our communication is beyond anything I ever had with the old jam band.

 

I actually dont think the need for communication is too different between the two projects. I still need to be able to see that 'uh oh, I think I got lost' look in my guitarist's eyes when he's given himself over to a solo and give him that "It's okay, the A is riiiiiight.... here" look, nod, and wink right back. The difference is if he misses my communication, we mess up and cut off 30 seconds of a tune, not a half an hour. Ha ha.

[bassgirl9]

 

In my previous band, for about 5 seconds we thought about opening a set with a jam. It's hard to think about controlling a jam so that the audience isn't unwittingly trapped in something self-indulgent or sloppy ... much easier to think of a John Mayer cover.

 

 

Thats the main reason why we scripted and road-mapped everything out.