jw - I hear you and we've all talked about this many times before. But the deal is we are really going to make or break the band with what we have now. If it doesn't work with this group it's not goin to work at all. I mean anyone of us can be replaced cuz there are always better guitar players, drummers, bass players etc. I quess if it got real bad we'd just break up and that would be the end of it but at a minimum I'd liek to stay together even it's just to play every Friday in my basement.
But since we have been getting better the goals have changed and we want to play out but I don't want to play like a bunch of hacks.
"It's all about stickin it to the man!"
It's a long way to the top if you want to rock n roll!
cnev - you really need to get your wife into the band, unless that would lead to an instant divorce. (Which would fit in perfectly with the rest of your band drama) 8)
Some people play better than they think, others have that reversed. Few people have the ability for accurate self-assessment. Not an easy situation to manage.
Back to the original thread...
Recently, I was asked to learn two songs that were out of my normal style. I worked hard on them, and they sounded OK, but not as good as I'd like. I hadn't done structured practicing in quite a while - it felt pretty good. Can you try that with your bass player? Pick a new song with a moderate bassline, and see how he does. It should be obvious to all if he doesn't learn it properly, and that might give him a better perspective. Or it could backfire.
Maybe it's just me - but these days, I find myself very intolerant of people who don't practise. I really used to enjoy going to an acoustic jam night a few years back in my local pub - I was pretty crappy then, but playing with better guitarists kind of inspired me/spurred me on to greater heights. I gave up going, because they were playing the same few songs every week - I got better and better (not being boastful here, just stating facts!) and it seemed the only time the other guys picked up a guitar was that night in the pub.
What opened my eyes a little was jamming with a bass player - after I left the acoustic jam nights, I jammed regularly with one of the guys - we had very similar tastes in music. Then Darth Ordinary, from these forums, started jamming with us and the difference was incredible - suddenly, we sounded like a band instead of a couple of guys practising guitar. Then last year, we had a jam at Scrybe's house - I found it so easy to keep time following Mr Lasley's bass lines, I actually sounded like a competent guitarist!
So - be nice to your bassist. He's your best friend, if you play mostly rhythm guitar. But...if he's useless, and mediocrity is the height of his ambition, get someone in who CARES about the music....you'll soon be able to tell the difference!
:D :D :D
Vic
"Sometimes the beauty of music can help us all find strength to deal with all the curves life can throw us." (D. Hodge.)
Very true indeed, my friends piss me off, cause I can get pissed off at them cause we're tight. But they don't practice at all, or atleast it seems like they don't care about playing, I taught one friend of mine Power chords ( cause they are simple and thats what I started with too ) so we could jam along, that was atleast 4 months ago, he still can't do power chords with root at the 5th string, and gets the rhythm mixed up, every 8 beats or so, I mean this was acceptable, when i first taught him, but 4 months after just doing power chords, and you still don't know the 2nd dot ( 3rd on my guitar :P ) is the 5th fret, or the names of the notes you are playing, then he hasn't been practicing.
So, he doesn't know any more chords, and he has been playing since december, he doesn't know any more chords other than power chords, and he is excited cause he knows the intro to Sweet Home Alabama, I mean I'm not saying that Sweet Home Alabama is bad O_O, but I guess he just doesn't put the guitar high up on his list, he just says, oh I'm gonna start taking classes in August, if I where him I would be working on learning stuff to impress my teacher ( or his teacher O_O xD ).
I think its all a matter of goals, when I first got a guitar I didn't put more than one hour into it a day, but when I went to my first jam sessions with some guys that really knew how to play, and from then on I just started practicing more and more, and I can already do most of the songs those guys did, and now I know even better guys who I strive to play like.
And I know I can't blame those people who don't practice enough, because they prolly don't want to be as good as I want to be, but I hate it when because of their lack of practice, my playing or the band's playing is not as good as it could be.
One time I played with a great bassist and a nice drummer, and that was Epic, I wasn't even that good with scales back then, I only knew the Pentatonic position 1, but I kept in time and soloed over them ( we were just jammin ), and it was great.
Lol long ass rant, but what i really wanna say is, practice people :D
I wanna be that guy that you wish you were ! ( i wish I were that guy)
You gotta set your sights high to get high!
Everyone is a teacher when you are looking to learn.
( wise stuff man! )
Its Kirby....
Laz - Hmm wife in the band...did you really say that? Actually it wouldn't lead to divorce but she is on a different place on so many levels it wouldn't work.
First off she thinks we are hacks..and that's in a nice way. Her true musical tastes revolve more around hardcore/heavy music and she considers what we play pop. Also since her illness she can't really handle loud music anymore and if she plays at all she would play acoustic, as a matter of fact she's been trying to finish up a CD she's been working on for awhile. Along the lines of her thinking we are hacks, her dream was always to make it in the music industry and ever since her own band imploded she kind of lost interest in it.
"It's all about stickin it to the man!"
It's a long way to the top if you want to rock n roll!
Acoustic Metal? Could work.
Just a thought 8)
How is that acoustic Laz? How? Don't try telling me all those cables were for the camera...
How is that acoustic Laz? How? Don't try telling me all those cables were for the camera...
Actually, I was referring to cnev's wife's preference for "heavy" music, and her recent acoustic project. But then I noticed that Laura's guitar wasn't plugged in, and realized that there could be a different interpretation.
There were five 6-shooters on the deck, so she was probably just singing away and hadn't plugged in yet.
I really should make a habit of refreshing myself on the thread-topic before posting knee-jerk responses. And I really should have noticed the strat wasn't plugged in. :oops: Still looks dayum kewl tho.
If he doesn't want to be enthusiastic then why don't you dump him?
