I need some help with a decision, which involves music.

[Tele-Ryan]

Okay, I trust everyone here to give great advice. So, I'm here to ask for it.

The situation so far:

I'm currently in a band as a lead guitar player. The music is fun, and the gigs come semi-regularly. Its mostly covers, though we do originals as well. The band was fairly country when I started, but has shifted over slightly to classic rock. We play to drum tracks about 50% of the time, and we have a drummer who comes down to play with us when he can. Though we do gigs, and the players are nice, I'm not really feeling fulfilled as a player. Its not the music I really enjoy playing and listening to, and the other people in the band are very limited on what they can do. The rhythm player can't do bar chords or power chords, let alone any kind of 7th, diminished, augmented, or non-standard type chords.

Though I consider myself better-than-average on the guitar, practically every musician in town is a guitar player, and there are plenty better than me. I'm also a pretty skilled bass player, and have had many offers to join bands. I also sing, and have been on lead vocals in a few bands too. I own a PA system, pro gear for both bass and guitar.

I guess the choice I'm trying to make is whether I should bail on the band I'm in, though its comfortable and productive, to start my own band, but which means I'll probably need to switch to bass.

Ideally, I'd like to play guitar/sing lead in a power trio, something like Cream/Big Sugar/Grady/ Jimi Hendrix Expierence. Though I really like playing bass too, I don't know if I'd enjoy it as much as guitar. Competition around this town is pretty fierce to get bass players and drummers. If I switched to bass, I'd have zero problems finding a skilled guitar player. A drummer would probably come along in time.

I've been thinking about this a lot lately. Any input would be appreciated, big time.

[getbent]

stay in the band you are in... and begin putting together the band you want. that way you don't have down time. it is way more fun to be in two bands than one (unless you are in the perfect band.)

[aznrambo481]

Why not try both? If you really feel as though you could put all of your time into your fabulous new band and do not have the time or effort to put into your own band, then it would be fine then. As getbent said, it's good to have no downtime.

[thunderbyrd]

this is not a smart alec answer to your question, but an honest suggestion, one i'd love to do myself if i had the oppertunity:

you're a decent bass player and decent guitar player right? and you want to play in a power trio? find another guitar player who feels the same way. then BOTH of you get parts from warmoth and make yourselves each a double neck guitar and bass. trade off at leisure.

weight would be a problem, but it's doable. i don't know why nobody has ever done it.

[gtech]

Yeah, there's nothing against doing both.

My bro-in-law is in 2-3 bands regularly, the Blues band being the less active one. The most active is the cover band, and the other one does more original songs.

You could play bass and sing in one, and guitar in your actual band.

There is another band I know where guys switch instruments for some songs. Very good band with talented guys.

[maestrovert]

Life's too short to waste time doin' something your heart's really not into....

you must first decide what it is you really want and then jes' Go For It !

[Tele-Ryan]

Thanks for the input, and I actually have thought of trying to do both, but for me, it would be pretty much impossible. My job has me doing shiftwork, which is 4 days on, 4 days off. I work 2 nights every week, and they're 12 hour shifts.

That makes it pretty hard to be in two bands. I have four days off, which is fine, but I don't really have any evenings off. So, I only have four possible days that I can practice. And as much as I love to play, having a couple days to do other stuff is important too.

I kinda like the idea of the double neck guitar/bass thing. That's a pretty cool thought. Kinda like Rush, back in the day! With Geddy on that twelve string guitar/bass he had.

I think what I'll end up doing is playing with the band I'm in now, and then try to assemble my power trio over time. If I switch to bass, I think it'll be okay. I really enjoy playing bass, I'm just worried that I'll miss being a lead guitar player. Though I suppose that never stopped Jack Bruce...

I just can't see myself playing the same covers that I've been doing with my current band forever. I need to get some creative outlet where I can put my energy.

[tiktok]

If you want to always be in demand as a musician, play bass.

If you want your pick of gigs on top of that, be sure you can sing too.

[Telarkaster]

If you are not having fun in your present band, get out. If your rhythm guitarist can't do barre chords and you say that there's a ton of good guitarists out there, can you replace him?

If you have trouble with having a drummer come to your current band practices, what makes you think you will find another one for a new band? Why don't you look for a new drummer for your current band? Playing along to drum tracks can't be very satisfying or productive.

I would start looking from within first and see if you can fix what you don't like about your current band. If that isn't an option, then try this:

Start a trio with you on bass for now, concentrate on getting a good drummer, and if you meet another bassist in the future then you can move back to guitar. At least this way you can start as a threesome and build from there...

Personally, I've always found it hard to find a drummer. So few have the space to store the gear, let alone play at volume at home. That's why I moved to drums when our old drummer left the band. Auditionning for new drummers was a pain and since we play for fun it was easier for me to pick up a new instrument instead of messing with the chemistry of the band...

Every guitarist should be able to play bass, every bassist should be able to play guitar. Not as well as their main instrument, but enough to understand what the other guys in the band are doing and why.

[0le FUZZY]

...Alst I kin say iss dew li ki did inna 70s, start yer own band and find a singer guitar/bass player jes like yew are and swap back and forth all nite. It iss really fun and keeps the nite inner-restin.

...We wood haff the drummer dew a solo whilst we wood swap and start sets off with won er the udder of us. I loved doin that. It ended up inna 90s where I played mostly bass but still did a set at 11:00 P.M. onna TELECASTER.

...Whence yew dew the bookin and managin yew haff control and with sum of us that issa good thang.

...In all the versions of The Stillwater Savage Band we swapped around durin the set and/or at the beginnin. The The Stillwater Savage Band history (click) .


(pea ess, I dent never pick noe gypsin.I alwayz had my TELECASTER er Esquire handy on stage)










(deranged internet-based alter ego, with my own lexicon and all.)

Please visit my page

[GoldieLocks]

If I could do my musical life over again I would play bass instead of guitar. I enjoy it almost as much. Probably have way less stress too.
But as a bassist I would be way more picky (because I can).

Most bassists I meet don't care what kind of music they make...as long as they don't have to practise it? As a bass player with a vision you could really direct the type of music you wanted to make. I say go for it!


I've been telling myself for years that "If I could find another guitar player that plays like me, I would switch over to bass". so far its never happened.

[Tele-Ryan]

Hey, thanks for all the advice, guys. Lots of interesting ideas, and ways to solve things.

Like I said in my last post, I think I'm going to eventually get out of my current band. I'll continue with them for the next while, and do some gigs. I don't want to be a jerk about it, because they're really nice people, its just that I want to do other things. And I kind of came into this band, as they were already a duo playing to backing tracks, so I don't want to try to make them play things that they don't really enjoy.

If I DID have the free time, I'd probably continue with them. But since I don't, I have to find something that satisfies me more.

And, being a bass player who sings, has a PA system, a collection of mics, a sound proof jam room, with a bunch of guitars to spare gives me an edge as far as attracting musicians of a certain calibre.

Hopefully everything turns out well. And thanks again, its interesting to hear other people's expierences in making these kinds of decisions.

[Gibson]

Originally Posted by 0le FUZZY

...In all the versions of The Stillwater Savage Band we swapped around durin the set and/or at the beginnin. The The Stillwater Savage Band history (click)

I'm not a country music fan as a rule (perhaps I've not been exposed to the right artists?), but checking out the Lookin' Good MP3s, I have to admit that's a great sounding band!

[bender-freak]

another thought here...if you are a decent enough singer and can play lead, have all the necessqary gear for that and you say you already have a good PA, why not give a thought to going solo or 2/piece with another guitar player, and using a drum/bass/rythym machine such as a Solton MS40 or X1..??...all of the frustrations you have voiced is exactly what drove me to go the electronic route years ago and i instantly was happier and felt more in control of my "life"....only danger can be is, if like me, you play with the same buddy almost exclusively for years, and then he dies...is where i am now, and have not been able to generate what it takes to start it all up again with another player/singer....my wife strongly pushes me to do so, but i haven't been willing to do it...and certainly would not give the "band" thing a shot any more, but that's just my feelings ....

it may not be the answer for you, but it certainly was for me...good luck on sorting this all out...i really don't think there are many here who have NOT been in your situation at some time....

[Val-tone]

Originally Posted by thunderbyrd

this is not a smart alec answer to your question, but an honest suggestion, one i'd love to do myself if i had the oppertunity:

you're a decent bass player and decent guitar player right? and you want to play in a power trio? find another guitar player who feels the same way. then BOTH of you get parts from warmoth and make yourselves each a double neck guitar and bass. trade off at leisure.

weight would be a problem, but it's doable. i don't know why nobody has ever done it.

Wow, that's an I had before, I never thought anyone else would have thunk it...

I'm kinda with the David Lee Roth/KISS thing where a little bit of razzle-dazzle for a band isn't a bad thing, two double-necked instruments would raise a few eyebrows.

If anyone in the Milwaukee area is reading this, I do have a guitar and bass setup, and a table saw, band saw and router table... All I need are a couple of Squier Affinities.

Okay, sorry to hijack this thread.

[studio1087]

Stay in the band and start a second band.

There is nothing as valuable as playing live and playing with others.

Don't quit until you have the other band assembled.

I hate metal. The first cover band that I was in during college in the 80's played Judas Priest songs in biker bars. They loved me as a singer because I can sing very high (classically trained tenor). I played a small amount of guitar. It was frustrating but it got me into bars every weekend for 2 years. The experience is very valuable.

Hang in there. Play with a group every day if you can.

[Tim Bowen]

Short of being flaky, juggle a bit until you find a good fit (or fits). Just be honest and reliable and punctual, and don't BS anybody, while you're keeping an eye on the day-to-day of what you need to actually make happen.

Personally, if I had to nail myself down to one instrument, one type of music, and one type of individual with which to musically get on, I doubt I'd still be doing this, at least not as a living, and certainly not as a hobby.

[superchicken_VI]

I have heard too many people talk about not having time to do all of the music they want to do, but there were a few years that (with a full-time day job) I performed in 3 groups with rehearsals on different nights, with the rehearsal space 30 minutes from home. They were church groups, 1 a brass quartet, 1 a chancel choir, and 1 a chamber choir. The brass quartet and chamber choir were hard music that required a fair amount of out-of-rehearsal practice. It was a lot of rehearsal and practice time, but it was very fulfilling at that time, particularly the brass group and chamber choir. My wife is currently in a vocal trio and handbell choir, and has only recently dropped back from soloist duties in a chancel choir due to a marked decline in repertoire quality. 3 rehearsals a week, on 2 different nights, along with a full time job. I'm currently in a blues band playing guitar and singing, and searching for a new church to get back to playing trumpet and singing. I'm not planning to stop the blues band, so that means 3 rehearsals a week on different nights.

Music is the most important activity in my life, and integral to my marriage (we met in advanced music theory in college). You can find the time to make 2 bands work if you want to. If the duo you joined isn't making you happy, start your own thing and play what will make you happy. Nothing says that you can't audition guitar players with the full disclosure that you plan on exchanging roles for a few songs a night.

[fltpkr]

I would echo the most common advice here, which is staying where you are while you form a band that plays what you're into. However, if what you say is true about your rythm player, I'd say he's not really ready to be playing out. No offense meant to him, but you should probably be looking for a replacement.

[howlin]

Originally Posted by maestrovert

Life's too short to waste time doin' something your heart's really not into....

you must first decide what it is you really want and then jes' Go For It !

I worked in Chicago, Arizona and LA as a bass player and I always felt that the one thing that held me back was not getting it together as a front man/bass player. Sting, Paul McCartney and Geddy to name a few pretty much wrote their own ticket as far as taking their skills to the pinnacle of success. If you have those skills but lack the drive to make the most of them then you'll probably be happy just goin' along as you've been doing but one thing I can tell you - even with my limited success the one thing that took me farther than anything else was the innate ability to rise to the occasion and find the best players I could and work with them. Something a good bass player or a decent singer can make the most of. If you have the both of these skills then, what are you waiting for?