Pitfalls - Joining a band

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I've just joined a band as a bass player. I can play 6 string guitar quite well. From what I've heard they're a kind of angular noisy guitar thing. Not sure if I like it or not but I've wanted to be in a band for ages so I couldn't say no. I'm actually really excited about it. I'm practicing with them for the first time tonight although they've done 3/4 already.

What useful advice can you band members give me?

― hmmm, Monday, 16 February 2004 16:17 (twenty-two years ago)

Even really obvious stuff. I can be a naive fool sometimes.

― hmmm, Monday, 16 February 2004 16:20 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.classicgaming.com/rotw/pitfall.gif

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 16 February 2004 16:21 (twenty-two years ago)

I've never been in a real band, but my observation is that good bands almost always require at least one member to be a Type A Nazi.

― Baked Bean Teeth (Baked Bean Teeth), Monday, 16 February 2004 16:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Always get drunk before playing live.

Be prepared for the likely eventuality that your ideas for the band will come into serious conflict with some or all of the other members and you'll either have to either resign yourself to being a glorified sideman or quit and do your own thing.

Have fun (duh!)

― anode (anode), Monday, 16 February 2004 16:22 (twenty-two years ago)

sleep with the drummer. you're the rhythm section.

― My Huckleberry Friend (Horace Mann), Monday, 16 February 2004 16:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Try to make sure everyone is on the same page in regards to what sound the band is trying to achieve. Be wary of bands with competing front people--I'm a bass player as well and my band is in the midst of a power struggle between the two main singers that will probably end up with one of them leaving the band. It's irritating when you just want to concentrate on the music, and it really hampers tightening up songs.

Also, if a member just isn't up to par technically, don't assume that they will practice on their own to bring themselves up to the level of the rest of the band. Often this just doesn't happen and you end up with one person constantly screwing up and throwing off the entire group.

― webcrack (music=crack), Monday, 16 February 2004 16:25 (twenty-two years ago)

Don't get into a "who's amp is loudest" competition (even subliminally).

― ___ (___), Monday, 16 February 2004 16:26 (twenty-two years ago)

Get an octave pedal, everyone will think you sound awesome.

― Jon Williams (ex machina), Monday, 16 February 2004 16:28 (twenty-two years ago)

What is a Type A Nazi?

anode - I had considered that and pretty much expext it to be honest, especially after hearing what they've been doing so far. I'm not really doing the shellac/fugazi type thing at the moment (Although I have done so in the past so I know where they're coming from) so it will be interesting to see how I fit in (or...)

x-post

― hmmm, Monday, 16 February 2004 16:28 (twenty-two years ago)

"Try to make sure everyone is on the same page in regards to what sound the band is trying to achieve." - Good point. I only know one of the other 3 people who are involved so this could become a big deal.

― hmmm, Monday, 16 February 2004 16:31 (twenty-two years ago)

Don't get into a "who's amp is loudest" competition (even subliminally).
No way, that's how "Sister Ray" happened!

― anode (anode), Monday, 16 February 2004 16:31 (twenty-two years ago)

Umm, my advice is: Don't be a bass player. (past experience).

Sorry, that's a bummer one I know.

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 16 February 2004 16:33 (twenty-two years ago)

Or, don't be a bass player unless you really want to be a bass player, not because there are already too many regular guitarists.

― webcrack (music=crack), Monday, 16 February 2004 16:36 (twenty-two years ago)

yeah. What webcrack said.

― mark grout (mark grout), Monday, 16 February 2004 16:38 (twenty-two years ago)

My desire to be in a band outweighs any problems I might have with not being a guitar player. Also, I'm determined to make sure I don't suffer from any envy by making sure that I put everything into what I'm doing. I'm that excited about the whole thing and am that keen to learn stuff that I really believe it won't matter. It'll be a useful test of character anyway.

― hmmm, Monday, 16 February 2004 16:44 (twenty-two years ago)

Stop thinking so much: you're the bassist.

― Jole (Jole), Monday, 16 February 2004 16:46 (twenty-two years ago)

watch Standing in the Shadow of Motown - it will make you proud to be a bassist!

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Monday, 16 February 2004 16:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Maybe I'll become the new Sting. I am a total cunt all of the time so I just need to master the bass and I'm there.

― hmmm, Monday, 16 February 2004 16:48 (twenty-two years ago)

hahaha OTM man. Sting sucks.

― Jole (Jole), Monday, 16 February 2004 16:50 (twenty-two years ago)

Definitely watch Standing in the Shadow of Motown. After seeing it, try not to hurt yourself while practicing flat on your back. As a new bassist, you should save injury time for learning to put out cigarettes on your tongue.

― JC-L (JC-L), Monday, 16 February 2004 16:52 (twenty-two years ago)

Ok. I'm off now. Will report tomorrow. (If my ego will allow me to speak to you minions)

― hmmm, Monday, 16 February 2004 17:01 (twenty-two years ago)

It was great. Hooray!

― hmmm, Tuesday, 17 February 2004 09:13 (twenty-two years ago)

But now I want more band practice tonight.

― hmmm, Tuesday, 17 February 2004 16:54 (twenty-two years ago)

"My desire to be in a band outweighs any problems I might have with not being a guitar player."

That's a danger sign. Not a sign of unavoidable doom, but a danger sign. Because a year from now, you'll have been in a band for a year, but you still won't be playing guitar.

That might not be the clearest way of phrasing it, but you know what I mean. The itch to play will be scratched; the itch to play guitar won't.

Also, someone upthread mentioned that you need to make sure you're all on the same page musically. This is true; you also all need to be on the same page as far as professional goals. If 4 people want to go the full-on rock-band route of living in a van for a year on end, while one just thinks practicing a couple times a week and playing around town once a month would be a fun thing to do after work (nothing wrong with that), get it out in the open now. Trust me.

Good luck!

― Rick Massimo (Rick Massimo), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 19:01 (twenty-two years ago)

OTM Massimo, I'm playing with 3 other guys like myself that want to play locally, maybe put out a few albums on a small label, and one guy who is already planning the 'world tour' and talking about introducing keyboards into our sound around the fourth album or so. Guess who's on his way out in this scenario?

― webcrack (music=crack), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 19:12 (twenty-two years ago)

I just got asked to play with this kid who is in a band that p1tchf0rk has in the best new music section.

INTIMIDATING!

― Jon Williams (ex machina), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 19:16 (twenty-two years ago)

Excellent, you should do it, obv.

― webcrack (music=crack), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 19:22 (twenty-two years ago)

Really really important point- be able to play the instrument a bit!!!!! I once was invited into a band called Vigilante Shipbuilders on the strength of my playing the kazoo!!!! Unfortunately they wanted me to play the euphonium!!!! One can imagine their faces when I attempted the really complex solo at aprrox 2/3 through their epic neu-prog epic "Britney Spears is Basically a Symbol of the Corrupt Western Captialist System"!!!!! (Mind you, it made the song aabout 234% more entertaining, so it was their loss when they sacked me 3 seconds later!!!!)

― Old Fart!!! (oldfart_sd), Tuesday, 17 February 2004 22:18 (twenty-two years ago)

Now I have more time for a little more detail. All the advice upthread was awesome, cheers. The reason I'm really happy with the way things are going is that there doesn't seem to be anything in the way of egos being bandied about, at least not yet (and from what I see so far of the people who are involved this is unlikely to happen). As a result of this the structure of the music is really quite open for everyone to do their bit. The only rule that we have about the way the songs are structured is that there should be no guitar riffs (a rule I like. A lot). This means that what I do is an essential element of the entire nature of the songs (as is what everyone else does) and that I'm not there to support or follow someone else's lead. I'm now thinking about buying a bass guitar.....

― hmmm, Friday, 27 February 2004 09:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Update - Everything is going pretty great so far. I'm managint o develop decent bass playing callouses on my fingers to go with the guitar ones I have already. We're talking about doing a show in May. 3 of us, including me, are keen on the name 'It was not midnight. It was not raining'.

― hmmm (hmmm), Thursday, 11 March 2004 15:04 (twenty-two years ago)

You're talking about as a song title, right? Please don't use that as a band name. You're going to say that name 5 to 10 times a day for at least the next several years. And you're going to be asking other people to say it on a multiple-times-daily basis too.

― Rick Massimo (Rick Massimo), Thursday, 11 March 2004 16:45 (twenty-two years ago)

What about I am not Evil. I am not the Devil?

― Mitchell (Mitchell), Thursday, 11 March 2004 16:48 (twenty-two years ago)

'It was not midnight. It was not raining'

NMNR for short.

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 11 March 2004 16:50 (twenty-two years ago)

NMNR dha da da da da
NMNR dha da di da
NMNR dha da da da da , di da da, di da da , di da da didi ya da daaah da!

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 11 March 2004 16:52 (twenty-two years ago)

I *love* long band names. I am no longer a fan of acronymys.

― hmmm (hmmm), Thursday, 11 March 2004 16:54 (twenty-two years ago)

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