Bands with no groove

Kinda makes us new guys fear the first proformance a little less. :)

Well stuff happens..were they young guys? I would be thinking if they played for awhile someone in the band would have heard that.

Maybe as a musician you hear things most people don't.

So I checked out your web-site, Rick, heard your version of "Real Man" - all 7:39 of it. Not often I listen to a song that long all the way home.....v.cool.

I'm just curious....you've got all this (over 40 years) experience of playing, you obviously know your music inside out, couldn't you have had a quite word with the band, or maybe a couple of members, point out what they're doing wrong? Everybody has to start somewhere....you never know, it may have been a bad case of stagefright/first gig blues.....

Then again, a good friend of mine recently went to see a band who were pretty big back in the late 70's - the Buzzcocks - with a friend of his. After 10 mins, my mate said, "had enough of this, they're bloody awful..see you in the pub over the road after the gig." Five minutes later, his mate joined him and said, "you're right...." and I don't actually know this bloke, but I do know he's a pretty good guitarist, plays a lot of classical music, got pretty similar tastes in music to me and my friend, and even named his daughter after the same Marillion song I did!

Were they really that bad that you HAD to get out quickly to prevent serious damage to your eardrums? If so, no excuses needed.....

I've never actually played with a full band....something along the lines of guitars, keyboard, bass and drums...but I have played at a lot of jam nights. And I've been to karaoke nights....the jam and karaoke nights taught me, never ever try to play and sing a song that's in the wrong key for you....

I've also played a lot of my own songs where I've played (deep breath) acoustic guitar, electric guitar (both rhythm) slide guitar, lead guitar, bass guitar, keyboards and harmonica - and programmed a drum track into the keyboard. I ALWAYS recorded the drum track first, and took my rhythm & bass cues from that....maybe these guys are just not used to playing together? Maybe they need someone to say to them, "look, your timing's off - bass-man, take your cues from the drummer. Rhythm, take your cue from the bass drum" ......or whatever the correct advice would be... I dunno....I'm only throwing out a few possibilities here.

Ah well....maybe they'll get better?

:D :D :D

Vic

Well Vic you have a point. I could have been kinder in my critique. Everyone has to learn sometime. And yes there are some things they could do to work on groove.

1. They could practice in smaller groups... like just guitar bass and drums. Or even just bass and drums.

2. They could record everything they do and listen hard to see what is happening. This is sometimes painful but it's a great way to learn.

3. They could record a song one instrument at a time, so everyone hears what the others are doing.

4. They could practice with a metronome or record with a click track. Not that this is the issue but it would help identify if someone has a problem with time. I say it's mostly about listening.

Much of this grooving skill comes from opening up to what others and doing and listening to yourself relative to everyone else. It can be learned.

I'll be kinder next time.

A lot of it also depends on the venue. Small pubs which don't have good bands on regularly are much more forgiving, and tend (round my way at least) to be much more interested in just listening or having a dance than being a critic.

Most pub bands are made of hobbiest musicians and non perfect performances are expected (around my way anyway)

were they just playing the worst cover of mustang sally you've ever heard, or was it more a wall of noise? the second can be interesting.

Is there such a thing as a good cover of Mustang Sally?

i've heard a few, actually.