Who's playing in a three piece?

I got to thinking about my band today, and sometimes we have to practice as a three piece until the 2nd guitar arrives. How do you guys get that full sound with only three people? When its the three of us, and I break into a guitar solo, the bottom falls out. Strange, that if we're just jamming, it doesn't quite have the same effect. Any advice to get that three piece sound?

I'd also love to check out your websites and videos, so feel free to post them!

I've been doing 3-piece for years (just finished a 9AM show:shock:). I find the key is a drummer and bass player who play TOGETHER and then don't try to hold things together with the guitar. If the bottom drops out when you go into a solo, you were probably playing more than you needed before the solo.

I got to thinking about my band today, and sometimes we have to practice as a three piece until the 2nd guitar arrives. How do you guys get that full sound with only three people? When its the three of us, and I break into a guitar solo, the bottom falls out. Strange, that if we're just jamming, it doesn't quite have the same effect. Any advice to get that three piece sound?

I'd also love to check out your websites and videos, so feel free to post them!

It just takes practice and confidence in my opinion. When my band reformed last year, we decided to do it as a 3 piece. It was an adjustment because I am used to having a second guitar player. But I love it now. It's made my playing better as well I think.

We went with all new material as well. Stuff written as the 3 piece just sounds better to me than when we try to adapt our stuff that had 2 guitars.

I've been doing 3-piece for years (just finished a 9AM show:shock:). I find the key is a drummer and bass player who play TOGETHER and then don't try to hold things together with the guitar. If the bottom drops out when you go into a solo, you were probably playing more than you needed before the solo.
Kind of what I was thinking. I am the singer in the band, and typically the drop out happens when I switch from playing rhythm to lead. I'm usually just playing chords.

I had the same problem with this when we first started up. We're technically a four piece but the singer can only play and sing a song or two. A friend of mine who plays in a three piece gave me some interesting advice. He said "you play too accurately... that's your problem." Adding some "slop" into solos (couplets, multi note bends, some alternating muted bass notes and free ringing open strings - that kinda stuff) really helps fill things out. It's not as good as having two well matched guitar lines of course, but sometimes just wailing away works. ;)

-DJ

I tend to think the best 3 piece bands will drop the bassist over the rhythm guitar. I'd just tell your bassist to bring a guitar with them. I love the sound of some bands with just a Drummer and two guitarists.

Actually, I'd rather play in a 3 piece than a 7 or 8 piece. When I play every weekend and it gets late and people start dropping out the sound actually gets better.

A lot of famous bands have begun as 3 piece haven't they? Johnny Cash comes to mind.

In rock the trio thing can be tough.
In Cream two things about their 'trio' playing always strikes me ...
1)EC plays over the changes, even on the blues tunes, thus outlining and implying chord changes.
2)Bruce and Baker took up a lot of sonic space.

*They also used the ability to drop a lot out of the sound and utilize dynamics.

We have gone from a four piece with two guitars...I was primarily rhythm guitar..., to a three piece, to a four piece with a top notch guitar and keys player and back to a three piece again...Its been a challenge...Ive had a fairly steep learning curve... learning the signature hook and leads for tunes I was otherwise able to strum through..I miss the rhythm guitar parts behind me when I play my leads...my single line licks are less frequent as they seem accentuate the bottom falling out...I am playing alot of double stop-ala Chuck Berry, etc. and triple stop-chordal leads...and the bass player does alot of chordal rather than single line stuff....and we have some tunes that went from the "7 minute album cut" to the 3 minute top 40 version because I/we dont have the instrumental stuff to stretch it out...and a few have gone by the wayside because they just dont work for a three piece.

Recently ive not brought many new tunes to the group because my individual practice time has been consumed by learning and reworking my parts to the ones we have, or the new ones brought by the drummer and bassist...but Im cool with that...my guitar and harmony chops are growing and thats what its all about...

I don't think it's the bottom that drops out, it's the middle
The guitarist in my trio has the tendency to hit the dirt too early, while he is still playing chords. Then when he busts into a solo all those roaring nasty mids are gone.
I have been using a bass fuzz to adds a lot of mids to my sound and fill in some sonic space during his solos
And he has been getting really good about thinking of his different levels of distortion as gears, he saves that top gear for the solo or the big ending

EC plays over the changes, even on the blues tunes, thus outlining and implying chord changes

This is big too -- sometimes you have to suggest parts rather than playing them full tilt

It does take a lot of re-thinking your approach to playing guitar, but once you get the hang of it, there's no going back... :lol:

Dynamics are a huge key here, being able to play behind the vocals helps immensely, and the rhythm section knows better how to "fill-out" the sound... I've also found that using fuller tones makes for a more balanced sound...

Some examples... enjoy!

http://youtu.be/JhVS9I_NRJo
http://youtu.be/jg_bkyKHYNg

Franc Robert

I tend to think the best 3 piece bands will drop the bassist over the rhythm guitar. I'd just tell your bassist to bring a guitar with them. I love the sound of some bands with just a Drummer and two guitarists.

That's what we're trying to do in the new band I joined. It's mostly folk-rock classics from the late 60's/early 70's so there just aren't many solos. One guitarist is on an acoustic and I'm filling in on an electric with single-note lines and double stops between the lyrics. The drummer sings and keeps the tempo on a small kit. And if we have a song that needs a bass, I can do that, too.

So I guess a lot of it depends on the songs and the genre you're into.

I'm doing it, but I'm not crazy about it. I really want to find a second guitarist or keyboardist or ??? None the less, I'm learning how to play in a three piece band. Instead of thinking of it as a four piece minus one, I'm thinking it as a solo gig with bass and drums. At one gig we had to finish as a guitar and drum duo. That took a while to wrap my brain around, but I did it and it worked out pretty well. We also started out as an acoustic band, so we weren't trying to be Cream or something.

There was a local all-female classic rock trio called "Glass Ceiling" that really made a three piece work. Their drummer was a funk goddess and the bass player came out of a ska band. There was a strong foundation for the guitarist to play over.

Here's another thought. Try practicing without playing guitar. Let the bass player and drummer and vocalist carry the song all the way through. If they can do that, your part is a piece of cake.

I'm coming at it from the opposite direction. I've always played in three-pieces. I'm in a band now that's my first with a second guitarist in my thirty-odd years of playing. I like it! Flexibility, complex arrangements, trading fours, it's all pretty cool. I miss the stripped-down rough-&-readiness of a three-piece, though. There's nothing that can touch that kind of energy if all three players are cooking.

If it's original, rowdy music then you have the good fortune of playing sloppy as evidenced by the first 40 seconds of this video. Guitar going from full on chords to lead line doesn't create too much of a drop out. The bass & drums are tight and the bass carries the song, essentially as a rhythm guitar while the lead is way too sloppy (my fault, or better yet Patron's fault).

xRUUlhl-KpE

Here's another thought. Try practicing without playing guitar. Let the bass player and drummer and vocalist carry the song all the way through. If they can do that, your part is a piece of cake.

Excellent idea... sort of a litmus test to see if you are doing it right.!!! Our show yesterday, I was using an amp that I have never used on stage before. I had it sitting next to the drummer and the vibrations of the drums was causing it to cut out. Because of my minimalist playing during most of a song, I don't think it stuck out too bad... nobody in the crowd was making funny faces when it happened.

What I play when I'm just playing and singing to myself at home is absolutely wrong for playing in a 3-piece. When I'm playing by myself, I'm playing part of the bass line, coving drum parts with an extra muted strum here and there, etc... If you play like that in a 3-piece, you are just stepping on the bass player and drummer's parts, doubling them up uneccessarily, and when you stop doing that to rip into your solo, the sound suffers a sucker punch.

Several times in this thread dynamics have been mentioned. Dynamics are important in all music but even more so with a 3-piece. Properly done, dynamic changes can lead the ear away from a (perceived) missing part. A wonderful example of using dynamics for this effect is the acoustic solo in the middle of Dwight Yoakam's version of "Honkeytonk Man" where the drums back off to rim shots, the bass line is muted and the rest of the group pretty much disappears (lead guitar, fiddle, piano).

Oh dear, one obvious thing that I do and I'm surprised no one mentioned:

Play through two amps. One clean, one driven. I started doing this on tour to fill out our sound. For larger shows a play a 1x12 DRRI and a Bogen 35 with a 2x12 Avatar cab. My wife plays through an Ampeg micro svt & 2x10 cab with an Acoustic 1x15 cab. For smaller shows I replace the Bogen & 2x12 with a Vox Pathfinder. I usually point one amp off towards a wall so the sound hits people's ears a tad bit later. The effect makes for a larger ((sound)).

I've enjoyed doing a 3 piece for at least 20 years now and we gig every week. We do have a gal vocalist but the players are guitar, bass and drums. Less is more and sometimes that is what makes it sound so good. We have years of playing experience together and we know what to do but at the same time we don't try to put in too much. It works and there are less problems and a very efficient band. There are songs we can't do but a whole lot more that we can. I think we are thought of as one of the better groups in our area too. At 61 I am still playing out every week and sometimes three and four nights and we do make money at it too. To me, the three piece format is much more fun and helps keep an edge on your playing.

Consider a full six string chord as having your amp turned up to 10. If you can learn to think like that, you'll be okay.

It's amazing how much power a smaller chord voicing can have.

I focus most on the transition into a solo from rhythm. It is never a problem going back. One method is to start thinning out the rhythm part maybe 4 bars before the solo. Then it is a smooth transition in. Another is to start the solo all gangbusters, with a few wild runs and screaming stuff. Then bring it down and focus on the solo itself. another idea is to hit some open strings during the solo, if the are the roots of the chords. Also mentioned above is playing double and triple stops, outlining the chord structure with guide-tones, and having a great, experienced bass player and drummer. They are just as responsible for keep the sound from dropping out as I am. Good thread.

Here's my high school band, a trio, playing at our 40th reunion earlier this month:

My Dog Sergeant is a Good Dog (slow blues written in 1968 or 9)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIzvmBNQyDU


Sunshine of Your Love

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=au5sisuTxsc&feature=related

In rock the trio thing can be tough.
In Cream two things about their 'trio' playing always strikes me ...
1)EC plays over the changes, even on the blues tunes, thus outlining and implying chord changes.
2)Bruce and Baker took up a lot of sonic space.

*They also used the ability to drop a lot out of the sound and utilize dynamics.

Playing the changes is key. If you're just wanking away in a box forcing to notes to "fit" it will sound empty.

For another great power trio where the rhythm section filled up the space, check out the original incarnation of Gov't Mule with Allen Woody on bass. When he died :cry: they had to add keys.

Lots of great reading. Thanks! Gonna run through this thread a coupld of more times. I'm off to check out the links.

For another great power trio where the rhythm section filled up the space, check out the original incarnation of Gov't Mule with Allen Woody on bass. When he died :cry: they had to add keys.
I"m a big mule fan, and couldn't agree with this more. The current incarnation was good, but with Woody, it was unreal!

Larry, glad you mentioned Sunshine of Your Love. When we play this, and Roadhouse Blues as a three piece, they sound great. Nice full sound, but when we play Free Fallin' for example, and I go into my slide solo, its just not there. That could be that Free Fallin' is a very rhythm guitar oriented song, if that makes sense.

I play with lots of lineups with bands and freelance work, but play my originals in an instrumental trio. Am I allowed to plug our new CD? (well I am playing a thinline tele throughout)

YakCU8VO83o

A band member is currently out of town on a job for the next year or so. Once you get over trying to do too much, it's a gas.

I'm another guy who's playing in a double guitar band for the first time in almost 14 years. Being in a 3 piece rules. However, it is a different thing. I was able to do it to some minimal success mostly because I was lucky enough to play with a very gifted rhythm section. A lot of what might be going on here might be simply a light shown on the rhythm section of your band. A lot of people think that an audience is watching the guitar player during solos, and they are. The flipside is, if a rhythm section can't go unnoticed by civilians while you're breaking off a piece of genius, they aren't cutting it. If that's the case the good news is this, you're all learning a new way of doing things and you don't have to beat yourselves up if you don't nail it right out of the box.

The other part of this too is managing expectations. If you play the first 5 or 10 minutes of your set strumming chords and draping silver-tongued honey drenched vocal melodies over it the listener is going to be thrown off when suddenly there is a tinny guitar solo propped up on the same rhythm riffs. If you pepper in some more "lead" type parts throughout the songs you'll set the tone for the dynamics of your band. Which leads me to my next point.

A few years ago I was reading some interviews with Miles Davis (very comical and informative btw) and some ridiculous interviewer asked him what his favorite note was. Reading Mr. Davis' answer changed my life. In effect he said that the notes themselves were inconsequential and the important elements of your sound / song were the spaces in-between the notes. Just like words cannot survive without vowels a melody needs space to breath. The same goes for the timbre of your group and this is where things get really fun. Rather than saying "oh no, there's no bottom end" when you're playing a solo or lead lick you can pat yourself on the back and say, "now we've found a new tool for reshaping the sound of our band in new and exciting ways."

Guitar players think in terms of tone all day long but there is something we often overlook. How often do you hear a guitar player saying "oh this fuzz sounds great but it doesn't cut through the mix"? Why? it doesn't play nice with others, the frequencies are overlapping and competing for attention. Being the guitar player or one of them puts you in the spotlight because that instrument is always focused on by the average listener. But, just like you would sound lonely without a good drummer and bass player behind you propping you up the same goes for them as well. If your struggling with the sound of the band while you're taking solos then perhaps you can help the situation by changing the sounds of your guitar to help ease the burden on those other dudes.

In my opinion and experience being in a 3 piece is hard work, being in a 2 guitar band is similarly very hard work. Trying to be in two at once in the same band sounds pretty much impossible. I will say this, a 3 piece will give you more room to try new things and sound like nobody else but it will be harder. If you want to play more traditional types of songs, two guitars will make it easier. Finally, here's a sweet video of a 3 piece (and an ASAT to boot!) playing with tons of space and never leaving the listener wanting.

http://youtu.be/JjbkPGwdXG4

I've been fortunate to play with some great bass players, one in particular has an absolutley huge sound...no such thing as the bottom dropping out. He could pull of Chris Squire, Felix Pappalardi, Jack Bruce, no problem.

Another nice aspect of a trio is convenience...it's a heck of a lot easier to juggle three schedules for practices and gigs than five or six (or more)!

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Music/Pix/pictures/2009/6/28/1246218785440/Nick-Cave-and-the-Bad-See-001.jpg

Another thing to examine is your expectations

If you have an expectation about how a particular song is "supposed" to sound, you may be disappointed when you can't pull it off. Probably because the version in your head that you use as a reference has all sorts of extra parts and pieces (eg. horns, keys, guitar, pedal steel, etc.). It's hard to recreate all of that.

What we do in our trio is to back up a bit and not get too hung up on trying to mimic a particular version of a song, but rather look at it with what we can do with it to present it within our style. It's not about looking at what you can't do, but more about what you can.

For example, my band plays Marshall Tucker's "Heard it in a Love Song". It's got a bunch of flute and piano. I play the flute parts on guitar, but then pick out a couple of the piano parts as fills in the chorus. Does it sound like MTB? Absolutely not. But we present it well, and it has a good flow. In some ways, the listener will fill in the "missing" pieces in their head.

Along with all of the other good advice here, here's something else - along the lines of letting the drums and bass carry the tune. Sometimes you can overplay when doing just chords, which will make the solo stand out (or feel like it's dropping out). Similar to the Miles Davis quote about it being the spaces, try to play a bit differently for your rhythm, and perhaps less aggressively. Think about more accenting parts against the vocals. Try not to just strum straight chords all the time - mix it up with arpeggios, double stops, etc.

You have to think about it differently. You are the guitar player all the time, not the rhythm player during verses and the lead player for solos. Don't separate every song into the singing parts and the solo parts, think of the of the song - and how you present it - as the whole.

It does take a while to figure out how you can best present yourself as a trio. Don't get hung up on what you can't do, instead be creative about what you can. It takes some trial and error - and honest discussion with the band - to find your 3 piece groove.

Cheers,
Doug

To add one point to ddewerd's excellent post, let me say this....if you are the guitar player, you have to cover a lot of the music. Play the songs yourself on an acoustic guitar and voice. If you can pretty much pull them off that way, the drums and bass will actually be adding something.

Just another way to look at it.

I tend to think the best 3 piece bands will drop the bassist over the rhythm guitar. I'd just tell your bassist to bring a guitar with them. I love the sound of some bands with just a Drummer and two guitarists.

We did that today in band rehearsal.Our bass player went on the drums because our drummer is in holiday...So we had 2 guitars, drums and vocals - very nice, but if you´re used to have the bass you´ll miss it...

Here's my high school band, a trio, playing at our 40th reunion earlier this month:

My Dog Sergeant is a Good Dog (slow blues written in 1968 or 9)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIzvmBNQyDU


Sick'em Larry F!
NIce Vid. Thanks for sharing.

I sometimes play three piece, and the key to sounding fuller in my opinion is to simplify your soloing and use more double stops and chord melody. That way, there is a fuller sound. If you try single string wackiness it will usually sound thinner, but my method combines some poly-tones with the solo so it fills out a bit.

How do you guys get that full sound with only three people?

Just keep at it.
You have to take your ego out of the equation and do what is right for the song you are playing.

Bass-n-Drums have to do the same when they lock down a groove.

If their groove isn't happening, your solo's won't either.

Best of luck. I've had some great times playing power-trio.
Hope you do too.

All the above!, also, it's one less guy to fight with, or show up late. the logistics rule!

My band experience is ONLY 3 piece, it has taken a long time to be able to make the music even semi convincing (being new to playing in a group, ex bedroom only) lots of good things to make a note of here.

Thanks.

One of the things I have been focusing on is trying to sound "musical" just by myself when at home practicing, I have found a vast difference between practicing and sounding musical......as the singer and guitarist (that descrition is still a bit of a stretch of the imagination to be honest !) I find working on making me "musical" really helps the others out/ makes their life easier not having to carry my timing or goroove etc.. and on the odd occassion we get it right (or "I" get it right) we sound great.....

Finding that magic is sometimes pretty hard though...I hope, naively probably, this is a performance thing as much as a "me" or 3 piece thing.....

To say I am pleased to be out of the bedroom and playing with people would be a massive understatment though, a very enjoyable work in progress, 3 piece or not!

The real secret of playing in a trio is volume. Full Marshall stacks, the more the better. If you aren't making the drummer deaf, you aren't doing your part.

I thought this would be a problem when I formed my three-piece 1950s rock and roll band but it hasn't been. Nobody has ever said we don't sound full enough. The main things I do as guitarist are:

1. When I'm not soloing I keep it fairly simple to avoid that big 'hole' when I solo. Rather than play big six-string chords I'm doing little riffs around maybe two-to-four strings.

2. I use lots of two and three string stuff in my solos. I do play some single string stuff, but always not far away from some more chord-based solo work. I love playing double stops and little three string chords on the top three strings.

3. I tend to use a dirtier lead tone than I would in a bigger band. It just helps a little to have some hair on the notes.

4. I go for echo, echo, echo... My Carbon Copy is on most of the time - just a little slapback but it fills things out nicely.

5. We play lots of fast songs. We do a couple of slower numbers but they work as they are a contrast to what we do mostly: up tempo songs played pretty hard.

Hope this helps a little, on top of all the excellent posts already here.

We have a pretty nice recording of us 'live' in the studio here:
http://www.rocket57.net/music/ (link to 'Maybellene' in the first paragraph.)
(This was a while back and we are probably a bit dirtier sounding now.)

You can watch us on YouTube here: http://www.youtube.com/user/Rocket57UK
None of these videos are that great but hey ho...

I just don't like playing with another guitar player.....unless I'm the bass player. And if the sound is dropping out when you stop playing guitar? You need a different bass player. Like someone above posted, you should be able to stop playing guitar all together and it should hold up.

i've only briefly been in a two guitar band, and we only played two shows. but i don't really play solos, mostly just a lot of riffs.

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Music/Pix/pictures/2009/6/28/1246218785440/Nick-Cave-and-the-Bad-See-001.jpg

LOL! I prefer herringbone or tweed, however.

Fuzzy Machete has always been a trio.

I find that it makes a big difference that, as the guitarist, I never sing lead vocals. Whenever you see a singing guitarist in a trio, the stage presence automatically becomes "Johnny Shredder and His Anonymous Backup Band". By having our bassist front our group, with plenty of guitar solos and even some moments that feature the drums, we project ourselves much more as a unified ensemble.

And yes, credit goes mostly to Rush for inspiring that observation.

As for the "drop off" problem, a lot of the things already said here definitely apply. Keep the rhythm parts thin, flesh out solos with double-stops and chords, have a pedal option or two that brings your sound out more when you need it, and make the bass & drums a much bigger part of the instrumental breaks if you can.

A lot of great rock bands are either a trio (Rush, Hendrix, SRV), or a trio-plus-one (Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, U2). I try to listen to, and steal from, guitarists in bands like that as much as possible, even if I'm not necessarily into their style of music.

Well we know how U2 does it - play to pre-recorded backing tracks.

I find that it makes a big difference that, as the guitarist, I never sing lead vocals. Whenever you see a singing guitarist in a trio, the stage presence automatically becomes "Johnny Shredder and His Anonymous Backup Band".

I gotta disagree a bit on this one. I sing about 1/3 of our songs (and do backup on most of the others), and I don't see it as any big problem. It's a lot more challenging and it does take quite a bit of concentration, but I can sing and still do double stops, fills, etc. while I'm singing.

Maybe it depends on the style of music (we may have a bit of a difference based upon your screen name :lol:), but I don't think that the fact that I sing and then play a solo turns me into Johnny Shredder. In fact, for most of the songs that I sing, the solos (if there are any) are pretty laid back. I actually do more aggressive stuff when I'm not singing.

Maybe I just have a mental block, like when I sing "Long Haired Country Boy" - I can't see my little solo in there being anything shred-like :mrgreen: or turns me into a prima donna "leader".

Cheers,
Doug

Here's a three-piece with the singer playing guitar, just enough to carry the song.

mi8rBkdHfvI

I am a three piece - it get's confusing at times.

http://www.myspace.com/gmothmusic

there are a lot of ways to make it work - because a lot of very good threesomes have put out a lot of very diverse music. no rules other than figuring out what works for you.

I played in a band years ago that was, for all intents and purposes, a three piece. The lead singer (and leader who was a borderline musical illiterate, by the way) had a guitar but never picked it up...

until...

He decided to add a rhythm guitarist. Once he did, we became a three guitar band. He never put his down. The whole sound of the band became horrible.

I gotta disagree a bit on this one. I sing about 1/3 of our songs (and do backup on most of the others), and I don't see it as any big problem. It's a lot more challenging and it does take quite a bit of concentration, but I can sing and still do double stops, fills, etc. while I'm singing.

I guess I should back-pedal from that statement this much: When the guitarist in a trio is also the singer, there's a tendency for that one individual to become the focus of the show.

Also, that's not necessarily a bad thing. The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Stevie Ray Vaughn & Double Trouble, Girl in a Coma, Hunter Valentine, etc. All great shows.

It's just not what we are going for. There's no "and" in our band name because we really want to be seen as a group rather than a front person and backing band.

Have the Foo fighters been a 3 piece before?

Can't remember.....

There's no "and" in our band name because we really want to be seen as a group rather than a front person and backing band.

Yeah I understand that too. None of my bands have ever had an "and" either. And I do know of several guys who do, and the funny thing is that the band "should" be better as a whole, but the focus is directed at them, and quite frankly, I don't think they really deliver.

Maybe you just have to be really, really good to have an "and" in your band name :mrgreen:

Cheers,
Doug

P.S. Where in MN are you? I grew up in Owatonna, but have been in TX for 30 years.

I've played in a 3 piece before, but these days it's more jeans and a t shirt.

P.S. Where in MN are you? I grew up in Owatonna, but have been in TX for 30 years.

The Twin Cities.

It's all in the bass guitar and drums. As long as they play together, and they are keeping the rhythm moving and solid, then no one really notices the rhythm guitar dropping out.

Also, the rhythm guitar sounds need to be just a good bit lower than the lead parts....because it draws people's ears to what is the loudest...which should be the vocals, then the lead breaks.

I played a gig today at the local Farmer's Market. We had amplification, but I only played acoustic guitar and the bass player only brought his upright and a small Ashdown amp. The advice shred on this thread came to mind while I was playing. I played as simply as possible and at times I even stopped playing. I used my 12 string for most of the first set and that fills a lot of space. As the morning went on, I felt really comfortable and in control of my playing. And the bass player and drummer as usual were solid as can be, even when I played songs they never heard. The sound balance was good, we were listening to each other and people put money in the tip jar even though they were just passing by on their way to shop or on to other diversions. It was a good day. Thanks for the tips and ideas everyone.

I´m playing in a 3-piece band
- acoustic guitar and vocals
- bass and vocals
- and me on tele and vocals
we play mostly older country stuff from the 50ies up to the 80ies and some western swing
it started as a fun project, but now we reached the 20 gigs a year mark, so it is sometimes getting difficult with my main band....

I've played mostly 3 piece . I find it's the drummer and bass player that you float on top of . I periodically "get" to play with another guitarist . I like it but, he is an amazing player .I find it harder to play with 2 guitar players. To blend and compliment the other guy is very hard, to not get in the way of the tune with 2 is hard . As far as soloing 3 piece .....The rhythm of the solo it most important . I can't believe no one mentioned that , outlining the chords with the solo , very important . Rhythm being one of the three elements of music , I believe it is the most important element . If the rhythm is there the notes become almost inconsequential , when in doubt play the melody.
The audience listens to rhythm...then melody...and the harmony embellishes .

I've played in many 3 pieces. (Currently in a 4) I love trios better than any other situation. I find it more easy going, and tighter. I once read where Andy Summers said that the success to playing in a trio was understanding how to space the notes, when play and when not to play.

For what its worth, equally important is having a good drummer. I've always said that ANY band is only as good as its drummer.

Hey Ottocat, I agree with you re the rhythm thing and it got me too wondering perhaps this is why I find double stop type solos seem to work better in our band (3 piece) or is this more likely just a me thing....

Lately I have been wondering (worrying) why my, off the cuff solos always seem to be of the double stop style.....

To add one point to ddewerd's excellent post, let me say this....if you are the guitar player, you have to cover a lot of the music. Play the songs yourself on an acoustic guitar and voice. If you can pretty much pull them off that way, the drums and bass will actually be adding something.

Just another way to look at it.

To expand on this ...

Not only play them on acoustic guitar by yourself, but book some solo shows doing this (I've also done this on electric). After you do this for a while, even adding a tambourine feels like a lot. Once you add bass and drums, you'll feel like you've added an orchestra.

I guess I should back-pedal from that statement this much: When the guitarist in a trio is also the singer, there's a tendency for that one individual to become the focus of the show.

Also, that's not necessarily a bad thing. The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Stevie Ray Vaughn & Double Trouble, Girl in a Coma, Hunter Valentine, etc. All great shows.

It's just not what we are going for. There's no "and" in our band name because we really want to be seen as a group rather than a front person and backing band.

It's really not up to you. You can stand and scream and do whatever you want but if all the crowd does is focus on the drummer then it doesn't really matter.