Band Learning Too Slooowly?

[telequacktastic]

I'd go try and meet bass players in an informal setting and look for someone who does sub gigs incase this guy doesn't end up working out.

[Old Cane]

Well, you've got quite a bit going on here. I'll forgo my usual remarks like "I learn 40 songs in 4 hours". I lie. I usually know half of them before the job. When I actually have to learn stuff I don't know ahead of time I do it a couple of ways. Some are simple notes as in sounds like "midnight hour" and key. Some are charts straight down the line. Some are diamonds or accent notes on bridges and choruses and nothing else. The less I can write down, the less I have to read and the sooner I can play wihout a chart.

You've got a personel problem. Rehearsing with no end in sight is bad. Real bad. I was going to say that's the problem for these guys, no motivation but you did go out and play somewhere. That should have been a wake-up but looks like not. As far as your ability, the fact that you know your weaknesses means you have enough going on upstairs to know what you don't know and stay away from what you can't do. That's a nice change from guitar players that think exactly the opposite of you.

One other thing that always bugs me, not knowing Mustang Sally. Do you guys remember when the new Coke came out? Pepsi put out a commercial with some little 18 year old girl talking about "with all the talk about the new Coke and being more like Pepsi I decided to try Pepsi"......so my question has always been, what planet have you been living on? Never had a Pepsi at 18? Never heard Mustang Sally? Okie From Muskogee? Smoke on the Water? Are you 6 years old or something?

Like somebody mentioned, the fact that you're not working at all and the drummer thinks it's another mouth to feed means he's just looking for a hang with his friends and nothing else. You could try telling them you booked a place in 2 weeks and we'd better get 4 sets up and running. That'll either fix the problem or bring it to a head.

[tonyp145]

Thanks for all the good suggestions, I just called the drummer and we're going to get together Thursday after work to talk about the band. I appreciate my friendship with this guy and he and the bass player are both school teachers and friends, so I want to find a good resolution so no one goes away feeling burned. It might make sense for me to tell the other band mates that something has come up in my life making me unavailable to play with the band. As long as the drummer knows that isn't really the reason I'm quitting I think it will save any hard feelings and leave the door open for future collaborations with him.

I'll update the thread later this week, maybe my experience will be helpful to somebody else. Take care folks.

[Big John Studd]

My favorite part was your "just cover the bass parts" comeback. Classic!!

[soulman969]

Originally Posted by tonyp145

My favorite was when he was walking the line so much he didn't make it back to the root on a strong 1. I asked him about it and he explained he was trying to cover the horn parts. I told him to just try to cover the bass part.

PS we rehearse once a week, but there are many weeks (like this one) where something came up for somebody and rehearsal was canceled. I was planning to start rehearsal today with a band meeting to discuss the situation, guess it will have to wait until next week...

Thanks....now that I'm through cleaning the coke off my screen that I just spit out all over it I can tell you is friend of drummer or not get yourself a new bassist. Or bassist and a new drummer too.

Covering the horn lines on his bass..........LMf'n AO!!!!

[Cameage]

Here's my band:

Bass player who's just slightly more adept than Sid Vicious and whose bass' ground wire is just hanging loose under the bridge, so it buzzes more than my P90 guitars. Edit: He leaves his bass here between practices.

Lead guitarist who can play and sing, but doesn't understand how guitars and amps work, and has a horrible tone, mostly due to his crappy B-52 ATX-100 head and his beyond crappy Digitech multi-effects pedal that he won't stop screwing around with long enough to find a decent sound on the amp.

Drummer who is pretty good and can sing, but has no car, no money, and can't seem to remember which song is which or how any of them end, and is also my stepbrother.

Singer who can sing...I guess? When he's not sick...which is rare...and being under the weather so much puts him in a crappy mood all the time. Also, he's my roommate.

And me, who spends most of his time convincing the rest of the band why whatever they're doing is a bad idea...like using an amp head as a DI box, or thinking it's totally fine to record drums with three vocal mics in a living room with multiple takes that have to be edited together when I AM A FREAKING AUDIO ENGINEER.

...so don't complain, it could be worse :p

[TF73]

Originally Posted by tonyp145

My favorite was when he was walking the line so much he didn't make it back to the root on a strong 1. I asked him about it and he explained he was trying to cover the horn parts. I told him to just try to cover the bass part.

PS we rehearse once a week, but there are many weeks (like this one) where something came up for somebody and rehearsal was canceled. I was planning to start rehearsal today with a band meeting to discuss the situation, guess it will have to wait until next week...

Team Meetings are very important, and it really helps to solve problems in a band situation, I had almost that same experience but in my case it was the drummer and after the meeting it starts to work, we already got 30 songs since january and one gig.

[jamblehamblebum]

find the right clientelle or forget about it .. plus three piece is turgid unless your exceptional ..

[Jagg76]

I've played like that too...drummer cannot keep his timing, bass player all over the place (cannot find his way back) . Very frustrating!

-Jagg

[Jefe]

Originally Posted by stax

I think rehearsals should be for tightening stuff up working out endings etc, not for learning songs, most of this this should be done alone,listening to the set in the car on the way to work, practicing your parts whenever you have time etc.
If I was in your position I would feel like I'm wasting my time or more correctly other people are wasting my time.

Man, this thread strikes a nerve. I've started trying to get my bandmates to call it rehearsal, and not practice. I think I'll write it on the chalkboard in the practice... I mean rehearsal space (bass players basement) - something like this:

Friday night is for REHEARSAL
Sat - Thurs is for PRACTICE

-or-

PRACTICE on your own time, and come to REHEARSAL ready to play your parts.

I've said this to them before, but I'm begining to think we'll never make it out of the basement. Even though they talk about playing out, the bass player and drummer are just looking for an excuse to hang out on Friday nights, get buzzed, and forget about family life for a little while. I mean, who else rehearses on Friday night?

[Ricky D.]

Originally Posted by tonyp145

My favorite was when he was walking the line so much he didn't make it back to the root on a strong 1. I asked him about it and he explained he was trying to cover the horn parts. I told him to just try to cover the bass part.

PS we rehearse once a week, but there are many weeks (like this one) where something came up for somebody and rehearsal was canceled. I was planning to start rehearsal today with a band meeting to discuss the situation, guess it will have to wait until next week...

Just call it a jam session, give up the band, rehearsal thing.

[Old Cane]

Drummer who is pretty good and can sing, but has no car, no money, and can't seem to remember which song is which or how any of them end, and is also my stepbrother.

If you hadn't added the last line I was going to ask which of the 437 drummers I know this was. It describes them all.

[McGlamRock]

I am in a group that a fellow just put together that does paid rehearsals (not much cash but enough to cover gas, bridge tolls, and an In 'N Out Burger) and he is having the same problem. This last rehearsal, the bass player forgot his music, the fiddle never stopped playing, and I think one of Old Cane's 437 drummers was there too. However I think the fellow that put together the band has the right idea: paying his musician's a small fee at rehearsal. The only flaw with this particular fellow is that he is not a musician (he literally just started taking voice lessons) and doesn't know how to crack the whip when his musicians show up less than prepared.

[plymman]

Originally Posted by McGlamRock

I am in a group that a fellow just put together that does paid rehearsals (not much cash but enough to cover gas, bridge tolls, and an In 'N Out Burger) and he is having the same problem. This last rehearsal, the bass player forgot his music, the fiddle never stopped playing, and I think one of Old Cane's 437 drummers was there too. However I think the fellow that put together the band has the right idea: paying his musician's a small fee at rehearsal. The only flaw with this particular fellow is that he is not a musician (he literally just started taking voice lessons) and doesn't know how to crack the whip when his musicians show up less than prepared.

He pays members to turn and play at rehearsal? What happened to making music for the love of it? IMO if someone has to be coerced or paid to practice they shouldn't be in a band.

[Old Cane]

Now back up. Not sure how you do it over there but over here we have different situations.

I want to show up, get my money and go home. If I rehearse it has a purpose. I'm not going to play in your garage every Saturday night (what kind of a band rehearses on nights when even lousy bands can get paid?) until you are comfortable singing mustang sally. If you're doing yellowjackets or spyro gyra then ok, I'll come once or twice, out of self-preservation. Okie from Muskogee I'm probably ok on. But I'm not turning down a job for pay to rehearse unless you're paying me.

Now, if we are all for one and one for all, in a band, then that's different.

This guy above has hired players. Nothing wrong with that. If you want to work with pros, they are pros because they actually make money doing this. Sorry if that upsets your artistic senses. Big names around here have their band on salary if they made it through a year or two on the road. So in essence, they get paid to rehearse. They are not in a "band". You might could say they are in Brad Paisley's band but you can't say they are in a band with Brad Paisley. There is a difference.

What happened to playing for the love of it? I turned 13, that's what happened.

[Controller]

Originally Posted by Ricky D.

Just call it a jam session, give up the band, rehearsal thing.

This sounds like a good option.

[McGlamRock]

Originally Posted by plymman

He pays members to turn and play at rehearsal? What happened to making music for the love of it? IMO if someone has to be coerced or paid to practice they shouldn't be in a band.

"Do what you love for a living"

[plymman]

Of course, and when I played gigs it was always for a fee but rehearsing for free was always a given. When I was gigging it was always with a band playing our own material so that is probably a big difference to being a hired player. I've done recording session work where I turned up, recorded my bass parts, got paid and went home but the fee's agreed up front and I learnt the songs in my own time so again I guess that's a different situation too.

@ Old Crane, its not a case of upsetting my artistic senses and i certainly didn't mean to cause any offence but I've had a lot of muso friends over the last 20 odd years and I don't think I've ever come across the idea of paid rehearsals before, so it surprised me, thats all. I guess the closest I can relate to is when being signed to a label and getting paid your monthly wage/retainer/fee so I guess in a round about way you are being paid to rehearse, but again that's different to the hired player situation.

[jamblehamblebum]

spot the pompous know it all ..

[Old Cane]

Cane, Crane, what the hell. At least you can punctuate. My point was just because you haven't heard of it doesn't make it wrong or make-believe. I see you got the jist of it and said so yourself and then along comes:

jam, I don't know it all but I do know what I know. And I get paid. Does that make me not know what I know and not get paid? If I was really being a pompous know it all and said what I personally thought about you like you think you did me (even though we don't know each other) I'd get banned here. I don't want that. If I did then I couldn't stay around and annoy the likes of you.