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General => Musicians => Topic started by: Elite on August 26, 2012, 07:12:01 AM
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So, let's see if this can take hold. I always thought it was a pity that this subforum doesn't see much activity, so let's hope we can bring a change to that, by having a chat thread here, specifically dedicated to musicians, people in bands, the hobbying guitarists or those who like to sing in the shower.
First off, some information about my life as a 'musician', I play the guitar mainly, but have played the saxophone before. I can sing reasonably well enough to do backing vocals in a band, but not well enough for lead vocals, though I have done that as well. I'm currently also trying to learn the piano (which isn't getting nearly enough time and the thing is bascially collecting dust in the meantime, but hey, I try) and I play in two bands at the moment, a coverband and a progressive rock/metal band.
I have played in bands since I was 9-10 years old and have played at least something in almost every genre (taking genres broadly, not through subgenres).
So that's it for me. Let's open up some chat here, and if not, well, then this thread will have been a failure, but I suppose that doesn't really matter, since no-one looks here anyway. Let's go!
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Guitarist/trumpet player/pianist here. I'm majoring in music education, so I ended up on trumpet because they don't have a metal guitar program at my university (I really wish they did though). I've put out 6 albums as "The Biscuit Merchant" with pretty horrible production/mixing/programmed drums and bass, but I think the songs are mostly pretty good. I played piano for about 7 years when I was a kid, but I gave it up in favor of guitar, and now I'm wishing I hadn't given it up.
Shredding some Megadeth (the opening tapping stuff sounds like shit, but the rest is better): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POUnW6nm-eM
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I hit objects with sticks.
I'm also learning composition and some production on the side, as well.
I've not been involved in a band, outside of school stuff.
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Vocalist 1st, keyboardist 2nd. Can also play a little guitar and a little bass. I am a music teacher, I just got a job teaching choir and general music at a new high school that just opened last year in Chicago. We'll see how that goes.
I have been involved in a couple of bands in the past, including a Gentle Giant tribute band. Those are now on hiatus, and I'm now in another band that plays prog. We'll see if that takes off, we've only had one practice. The drummer is in another band who has a big gig in a couple of weeks and we'll practice after that.
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Crap keyboardist first, slightly less crap bassist second and aspiring-to-not-be-crap guzheng player third. I record with a friend of mine (but progress is always slow) in a sort of prog-project. I seem to have developed a complete obsession with Chinese music, so that comes out slightly in said project, but I plan to have a later project more dedicated to it. I've never played live, but would quite like to, but for the moment, recording is very interesting to me, and I am also avidly collecting basses (currently have a modified squier P, a fretless and an eight string (octave), and am waiting for a 5 string to arrive).
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I hit objects with sticks.
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Originally I am a drummer but now I play more guitar than drums. I also play bass and know the absolute basics of keyboard/piano. I write music constantly and am very proud of the recent stuff I have made. I write mostly progressive music under the name of Black Ink and I make all sorts of prog stuff like 20+ minute songs and complicated concept albums.
I will start recording with a friend soon.
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I play bass, guitar and a little bit of keyboard/piano. I like playing guitar but bass is my calling (at least musically). I play in a worship band occasionally and have been working on some music with a friend, but not much else.
I played piano for about 7 years when I was a kid, but I gave it up in favor of guitar, and now I'm wishing I hadn't given it up.
This. I took lessons for 5 years and stopped when I got my first bass.
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I started on the piano at age 10. As it happened, my piano teacher's annual recital was three months after I started my lessons, and I played a third-year piece. I figured okay, I can play piano, don't need any more lessons. I was an arrogant little snot and honestly did not understand the whole idea of taking lessons for years and years like some people do. My sister took lessons for like 10 years. After a couple months, I could read and work the pedals, so I could play the piano as far as I was concerned. So I quit.
I picked up the flute that year in school, because I wanted to learn a band instrument and it was the smallest, lightest instrument, and I knew I'd be carrying it to and from school. That was the only reason. Once again, my choices were colored by laziness and arrogance. Sitting there in 5th-grade band class every Tuesday and Thursday, I heard Mrs. Pence constantly trying to teach four instruments at once (flute, clarinet, cornet, and trombone) so I basically learned them all just listening to her. My best friend played trombone and let me borrow it sometimes, and I got pretty good. I bought a used cornet from the kid across the street and learned to play that, too. The girl down the street had a clarinet, and that was kinda different. Boehm system, so it fingers the same, but the register key kicks you up a 12th when you press it and everything shifts. Whose idea was that?
In high school, I picked up saxophone. Boehm system again, so it fingers the same, and the register key is an octave, so that made it easy. In the pit orchestra for the local theater, I told the director I could play Reed 1, which required flute, alto sax, and clarinet, so I actually had to learn to play a clarinet properly. I still hate the damned thing, but I can play it.
I don't have a great voice, but I have some range and can sing in tune, so I tried out for the madrigal singers my senior year, and actually made it. I'm naturally a baritone, but we had two basses and no tenors, so I sang tenor (badly IMO). My senior year in high school was all about music. I played piano in the jazz band, sax in the symphonic band, and clarinet in the concert band (I just wanted to see if I could do it). After school, madrigal singers. Good times.
Somewhere in there, I started playing keyboards in bands, and haven't really stopped. So I'm going on like 40 years playing in bands of one kind or another.
I wanted to be a band director, so Music Education was my first major. It made sense; I can play all the instruments. Also, my favorite teacher was my band director. Very, very cool dude. But let's just say that I and the music faculty at Michigan State University have somewhat different ideas of what constitutes a good musician. So that didn't work out.
These days I sing tenor in the church choir, lead the praise band, and play in another praise band at another church when they need me. I play keyboards and woodwinds, sing background vocals, and will sing lead vocals if no one else knows the words, but honestly I'd rather just play.
This morning, we gave the organist the day off (it's her birthday) and led the entire service. Led the hymns, did the anthem and offertory, doxology, opening and closing music, everything. It was awesome. There's me, a couple guys who can play some guitar, a guy who plays violin, and a girl who plays flute. I do all the arrangements, and we all sing. Our benediction response was a fourfold Amen, a cappella, seven voices. It was sweet. Yesterday, we played at a semi-secular thing at the church and did a set of Beatles songs, and I accompanied a guy doing a set of show tunes. That was pretty sweet, too.
Music is the best. I pretty much play music any chance I can get (in case you couldn't tell).
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Cool story! That's pretty awesome if you can play all kinds of different instruments. Makes you versatile and I suppose it makes you a better musician as well. I guess I don't really have enough time to learn everything I'd like to.
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I play guitar, bass, drums, mandolin, piano, trombone, xylophone/marimba, and I'm a decent singer. Guitar is my main instrument though. I've been playing for about 5 years and I've gotten pretty good at it. I'm also in the percussion section in marching band at my high school
Me and a friend(he plays keys/bass) have been trying to start a band for years, but we can't find a drummer. I can play drums, but I don't own a set and there's no room in my house for one. We've written some original stuff. Nothing special, but it's about 2 albums worth of material. I write most of the riffs and lyrics, Alex(my friend) helps me actually piece it together into an actual song.
I also play a mean Kazoo.
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I've been a guitarplayer for over 12 years now. Started out on an acoustic with only 3 strings remaining, trying out Nirvana and RHCP on hearing.
Got my first electric guitar a year later, a cheap Ibanez 7 string (from 3 to 7 strings is pretty shocking at first, haha).
Besides some advice from a more experienced friend, I never took any lessons or anything. Just figured out stuff on my own...
Started a couple of bands with *mindblowing-avantgarde* names such as 'New World Order' and 'Neowar' which was a lot of fun ;)
Ultimatly started something more serious with more experienced musicians called THE END OF ALL REASON (https://www.facebook.com/TheEndOfAllReason (https://www.facebook.com/TheEndOfAllReason)). We had a lot of downers the last couple of years but we're still trying to get our new album out there.
Currently working on a side project with my brother (who plays drums in my main band as well). It's way more proggy and hasn't anything to do with Death metal.
No recording plans so far though, still working out the songs.
That's a about it I guess!
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Piano player and composer over here.
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Been playing guitar since I was 16. I played violin from when I was 8 until I was 18. Taken a few piano lessons, but had to stop due to financial reasons. I really would love to learn more piano/keys and be able to compose film score sort of stuff more easily. Plus I just love metal with a lot of synth and general symphonic-ness.
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Guitarist here, of about 16 years.
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I'm a bassist most of the time, but do play other instruments regularly (and used to play a lot of sax from 1995 until a couple of years back, just don't have the time right now). Just finished a 14 minute long progressive metal/rock song with a few oriental influences in it, where I played bass, guitar, keys, electric drums (and therefore being able to get it in time afterwards...) and sang. I cannot sing or write lyrics though, but I kinda needed some vocals musically. Also I'm doing some bass work for people over the internet. I haven't been able to find any interesting band yet, so I'd rather make music for myself instead.
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You know what really frustrates me? Instruments that I can't play. I can play keyboards and woodwinds no problem, been doing it since I was 10. Brass, I have a working knowledge of. I know the valve combinations and trombone positions, and with practice I can get up to speed, though my embouchure isn't the greatest.
But stringed and fretted instruments just confound me. I know the theory, I know that each fret or position is a half step, and I know the intervals between strings and, in theory, how to combine them into chords. It's just another instrumental technique, and I should be able to do it. But getting my left hand to contort itself into the necessary positions drives me crazy. I just can't seem to do it.
Guys who can play both keyboards and any kind of stringed or fretted instrument amaze me. It's like music from two different, alien worlds, and they can do them both.
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It's like music from two different, alien worlds, and they can do them both.
I myself (as a guitar player) don't struggle too much while attempting to play the piano for instance. And I always considered my guitar background as the main reason for that... Weird!
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It's certainly two different styles of playing music. But I actually find, in both types, things that are easier than the other type so I can grasp certain aspects of both.
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One of my best friends started as a guitarist and now plays some keyboards in his band. I'm jealous as hell. He says it's really not that different; each string is just its own keyboard, and you really just have to keep track of six notes at a time. Wow, thanks dude, that doesn't help a bit. :(
Seriously, I'm sure it was meant to be helpful, but he's got a grip on it and putting it into words has got to be tough. It just didn't help me as much as he thought it would.
What I really need to do is actually sit and practice with a guitar more, which I don't do because I suck and I get too frustrated. Every other instrument I've tried, I've played actually songs on in minutes. Guitars... not so much.
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To be honest, I suck with standard guitars, but I can handle bass because it tends to just be simple patterns that can be applied all over. (Guitars have that wierdly tuned B string and play chords, and my hands do not like to do that crazy twisting).
I would love to get good at dizi (a bamboo flute) as I own one, but never got round to learning it.
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To be honest, I suck with standard guitars, but I can handle bass because it tends to just be simple patterns that can be applied all over. (Guitars have that wierdly tuned B string and play chords, and my hands do not like to do that crazy twisting).
It takes some time getting used to, I suppose, but if you persist anything can be learned.
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True, true.
Have you ever got a song stuck in your head with an unusual (for your type of music) scale, and then come up with something based on that?
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I make music. My instrument is the guitar. Sometimes it's embarrassing to say that I play guitar because everyone plays guitar and people just assume I'm just another guitar player. I don't think I'm the greatest shredder out there, but I write music from my heart not my brain. I write progressive metal music, but nothing like DT. My writing style is very much like that of Mark Tremonti from the band Alter Bridge. The only thing DT like about my music is it's attitude. Kinda hard to explain.
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True, true.
Have you ever got a song stuck in your head with an unusual (for your type of music) scale, and then come up with something based on that?
Absolutely. :)
For some weird reason I 'write' the most of my music in the shower or while cycling, in my head.
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Happens to m too. I would have a song stuck in my head, try playing it on the guitar or something and eventually it evolves into something different enough for me to use it as my own.
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Guitarist/bass player here. I started playing guitar when I was about 10 (20 years ago), and switched to the bass guitar about 4 years ago. Now I play the bass in a band, and I love it. Having played the guitar so many years before switching really made the transition a lot easier. I mainly play root oriented stuff, but have begun breaking out of that and try to come up with nice patterns and riffs for variation. I play with a pick about 90% of the time, since I like the attack I'm getting on the strings (and I'm so used to it since my guitar playing days), but I'm trying to play without a pick more and more now for versatility.
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Cool, what kind of music do you play mostly?
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Cool, what kind of music do you play mostly?
We play rock/pop, in the vein of bands like Foo Fighters and Sahara Hotnights.
Here's our two most recent songs we've written and recorded:
Until The End (https://www.reverbnation.com/play_now/song_10123430?utm_campaign=opengraph&utm_content=song&utm_medium=link&utm_source=facebook)
Supernova (https://www.reverbnation.com/play_now/song_9426377?utm_campaign=opengraph&utm_content=song&utm_medium=link&utm_source=facebook)
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Yeah, so it's becoming increasingly likely that if it's not possible to find a pipa player who can also either sing or play instruments more commonly found in rock (ie. Guitar/keys/maybe even violin, reeds or woodwinds) that I may have to go and get one and teach myself to play it (I have a friend who said she'd play it on some things as a session musician, but she's very difficult to get hold of sometimes).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pipa (for anyone wondering what the balls a pipa is)
Well, here's to collecting chinese folk instruments, I guess...
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Cool stuff Zydar!
I actually knew what a pipa is (musicology student, yay!), but good luck practising that.
I'm currently learning the guitar solo in Innocence Faded (basically the whole end), for some reason I hadn't done that before.
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Nice. That solo is so damn good. Good luck with it.
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Keyboard/piano player and composer here :)
https://soundcloud.com/dekost (https://soundcloud.com/dekost) That's my soundcloud page if you want to check out some of my stuff
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Songwriter here... My main instrument is guitar and I contribute on vocals. I also play the drums and the bass as well and overall just enjoy writing/recording music at my home as a hobby.
Genre that I usually play is hard rock/metal/alternative/acoustic etc.
Here is the latest song that I recorded and put up on youtube a few days ago:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCj24QG_P7Q
The guitars are in Drop Db tuning recorded through Line 6 POD HD
Created the drums in ezDrummer
Used a condenser mic for vocals
Mixed in Reaper
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Keyboard/piano player and composer here :)
https://soundcloud.com/dekost (https://soundcloud.com/dekost) That's my soundcloud page if you want to check out some of my stuff
Listening now. Opinion so far; Lithe Fluctuation is really great, nice flow and great sense of melody.
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Another guitarist here :)
I try keep things fairly versatile, I want to eventually focus a bit more on the fusion improvising side of things, (ala Guthrie Govan in a way) but at the moment I play stuff ranging from prog metal to jazz to rockabilly haha. I try and embrace and incorporate as many different musical styles/genres as I can into my playing, I feel that each has something interesting to offer that can be taken and expanded upon to form my own ideas. :)
Here's a video of me playing Tender Surrender for my school exam about a month ago https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4tphugqwb0&feature=plcp (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4tphugqwb0&feature=plcp) (Maybe skip to the solo at around 2:00 to get a quick idea!)
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W00t! A thread in Musicians that has reached the second page. This is truly a historical event!!
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Awesome! :) That was the point of the thread actually, to get people over here to talk about their music playing. I know there's a lot of musicians on DTF, so I'm glad people come here to post stuff.
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Cool stuff Zydar!
Thanks! (Sorry for the late reply)
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W00t! A thread in Musicians that has reached the second page. This is truly a historical event!!
For a minute I thought I was about to crash die of shock.
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Well, let's not stop it here then!
Does anybody else here sometimes feel like they're not playing enough music to improve? I have that a lot, that I feel like I've wasted time I could have spent practicing.
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I don't get to play as much as I'd like. Practice at home, I mean. It takes time spent practicing your craft to keep your skills up, and even more to actually improve. My situation kinda sucks because the only time I would get to play is at home in the evenings, after the kids have gone to bed. And of course I can't play the piano or sax after the kids are in bed. I might be able to get away with the flute.
Yeah, I could set up my keyboards and use the headphones. I do that sometimes. But it's still not the same as just sitting and communing with the piano for hours and hours like in the old days. And I've got 88 plastic keys, but it's still not the same as sitting at a real piano.
Something that kinda makes up for that, however, is that I've been doing a bit of arranging for the church band, and that's been both fun and pretty fulfilling. We have a guy who plays violin and a girl who plays flute, so when we do songs that have notable lead lines and/or hook lines, they play them. This past Sunday, we did a song that has an orchestral break, and I wrote up parts for the flute and violin, to play it, and I backed it up on the keyboards. I used the trick where you have the flute and violin in harmony, with the flute underneath, and it sounds really full because of how their timbres compliment each other.
Meanwhile I was playing a basic piano patch for most of the song, but went to double voice at the break (piano+strings) to full it up a bit, and it sounded really sweet. Someone actually commented afterwards about how well we synched up with the prerecorded track; it added a lot and made it sound really full. No tricks here, folks, we played all that live.
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I would love to play more than I do, but being in my senior year, time's severly limited. Still, I've begun playing in a band, which is probably help me improve anyway, so we'll see where that takes me.
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About practice, 10K hours rule apply if you want to master your instrument.
For me:
Saxophone first, piano second, guitar third (mostly funk or jazz/swing, not much metal anymore... can't shred and never bothered to learn).
I can also play bass if necessary, including the upright bass. I can hold a good enough beat on drums, but can't do anything fancy.
I also love composing, but lately also arranging. I can sit with songs on the piano forever arranging.
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I guess I consider that to be a different kind of arranging. I'm not sure what I'd call it exactly, but I think I know what you're talking about.
Like a lot of pianists, I started off with piano lessons, and amused myself playing popular music from sheet music, usually arranged for piano/vocal/chords. My sister started buying a lot of them, but I guess I ended up with a bunch, too. Sometimes the arrangements were really simple, designed to be easy enough for most people to play, and sometimes they obviously took a little more care to get all the chords right and include the instrumental breaks and stuff. I always liked to see if I could take it even further. Keep adding and embellishing the arrangement until I have something truly worthy of a solo piano piece. Like if you went into a club and there's a guy playing the piano, the stuff he'd be playing, with big, full chords and a bit of flash, not something that sounds like "Top 80's Hits for Easy Piano, Volume 3".
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Consider what to be a different kind of arranging than what? ???
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Well, I was talking about taking existing songs and adapting them to work with our band. Writing out parts for the violin and flute to play, working out (though not actually writing down) parts for me to play to make it all sound better. I consider that arranging. Coming up with a unique arrangement of the song.
When you said "I can sit with songs on the piano forever arranging" I took that to mean coming up with piano arrangements of things, which I consider a different type of arranging. Sure, it's the same basic thing; taking a piece of music of doing something different with it, but cooking up piano arrangements feels a lot more natural to me, since you only have to worry about ten notes at a time, not what other instruments and players are doing, etc.
Or is that not what you meant? ???
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Hmm... If we can pull someone in to play flute, I may have to attempt that flute/violin double team.
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I'm a guitarist who initially started singing because that was the only way to have input into the cover tunes we did. I played guitar in the Army for almost nine years, and have just gotten out to move back home to be near my kids.
I am playing with an acoustic duo (our third gig is tonight), solo, and with an 80s new wave cover band, as well as sitting in with different groups around town, trying to break into the scene.
My first EP is due out October 2. Acoustic, all improvised, recorded outdoors in and around Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. It's basically completely different from anything else I do. But I am making it happen.
After a lifetime of resistance to it, I am finally trying to learn the marketing and promotion aspect of the business. Once I stopped focusing on the fact that I had no idea how to do any of it, and just decided I was doing it, it all started coming together.
Additionally, I play percussion with a local wind ensemble, The Desert Winds, that performs mostly contemporary classical works.
My website is bradbaileymusic.com (https://bradbaileymusic.com) and my facebook page is facebook.com/BradBaileyGTR (https://facebook.com/BradBaileyGTR)
When I was playing in the Army, I rarely practiced outside of work, because I was playing so much during the day. It was difficult staying inspired by music. Every once in a while you need a kick in the ass, realizing you do the coolest thing in the world, and if you aren't happy, you are the problem.
I still need that reminder, because I've been working so hard at readying my CD and getting established in the local scene, that it takes the focus off of how fun and awesome playing music is.
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Drummer here, for about 4 years now. I haven't played much for the last year though, because I moved out to Utrecht (where my university is) and my drumkit was still at my parents' house. I just bought an electronic drum kit so that I can practice the whole week instead of one or two days a week.
Problem is, I'm not much good yet. And I overused my leg muscles (I have flat feet) while on fieldwork for my study, so my doublebass drumming is absolutely crap now. Luckily, I received my arch supports today (is that the right word for it? google says it is), so I can finally begin to recover and start playing normally again.
Well, let's not stop it here then!
Does anybody else here sometimes feel like they're not playing enough music to improve? I have that a lot, that I feel like I've wasted time I could have spent practicing.
Yeah, I have that sometimes. Especially when practicing doublebass, I feel I need to practice longer and longer do make even a small bit of progress. I kinda regret sometimes that I still can't play some songs while I've had my drum kit for 4 years and my doublebass pedal for 3 years (i.e. Raining Blood by Slayer)
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Well, I was talking about taking existing songs and adapting them to work with our band. Writing out parts for the violin and flute to play, working out (though not actually writing down) parts for me to play to make it all sound better. I consider that arranging. Coming up with a unique arrangement of the song.
When you said "I can sit with songs on the piano forever arranging" I took that to mean coming up with piano arrangements of things, which I consider a different type of arranging. Sure, it's the same basic thing; taking a piece of music of doing something different with it, but cooking up piano arrangements feels a lot more natural to me, since you only have to worry about ten notes at a time, not what other instruments and players are doing, etc.
Or is that not what you meant? ???
Well, it could be both. I could be sitting with a song, and then thinking, hey... this instrument could play this, and this instrument could play this... let's see if I can get the sax section to play this riff right here, and check harmonies and if it's in the proper range of the instruments... all kinds of good stuff. Or I just do SATB arranging or just a piano arrangement. Mostly the first case though, I get carried away a lot.
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Piano is great fun to dick around with. It's been a major catalyst in my ability to understand theory. I can experiment with all the different, funky chords and how they resolve.
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Yep, I tell people that it's the easiest instrument to play, 'cause all the notes are just laid out right in front of you. You just have to hit them in the right order and in the right combinations. I'm being a smartass, of course, but in a way, that's exactly how I think of it. I can sit at the piano and just commune with it for hours.
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I play mostly guitar. Nothing flashy, no lead stuff here, pretty much rhythm with accents. I love it. Mostly play at church. My family also has a group, with my wife as lead singer, me on acoustic guitar/background vocals, and my daughter on percussion (djembe, shakers, tambourine, rain stick, whatever else she can scrounge up).
I also love playing drums, and I'm getting to do that for this month at church. I feel more expressive and in-control playing drums than I do playing guitar.
I also dabble in bass, but my opportunities to play bass are few and far between. But bass is fun as hell.
I would love to play keyboard, but I have never been able to get into it.
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I'm totally a musician.
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Yep, I tell people that it's the easiest instrument to play, 'cause all the notes are just laid out right in front of you. You just have to hit them in the right order and in the right combinations. I'm being a smartass, of course, but in a way, that's exactly how I think of it. I can sit at the piano and just commune with it for hours.
Well, in my opinion, chord playing is in a lot of cases easier on the guitar. You're limited to fewer colorings but it's just as easy to play in any key, which is not possible on the piano - I mean, Db and F# are the worst keys I know to play in.
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But chords are lined out very easily on a piano, whereas on a guitar there's some 'standard' shapes that don't always sound very well when they follow each other up. Chord playing on a piano completely slays chord playing on guitar, because you can basically see EXACTLY what notes you're hitting.
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I do like using the piano for attempting to form chordal ideas, but I like the patterniness that stringed instruments have (particularly those with consistent tuning intervals between strings).
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But chords are lined out very easily on a piano, whereas on a guitar there's some 'standard' shapes that don't always sound very well when they follow each other up. Chord playing on a piano completely slays chord playing on guitar, because you can basically see EXACTLY what notes you're hitting.
The voicing is obviously hugely important, and lead tones... so it doesn't clash with the melody, but if you know that much you don't have much to stand in your way of chord playing on guitar.
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well, I suppose you're right, but there's a huge difference between just playing your E, Em, A and Am barre chords up and down the next and actually trying to find voicings that go well together. The latter is definitely easier on the piano, but also not impossible on guitar. It just takes a different way of learning chords, which isn't really as linear either on a guitar as it is on a piano.
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Chat thread revival! For those people that play more than one instrument, which one do you prefer, and why? I'm pretty curious how that is, seeing that I only play piano myself.
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I play mostly piano, flute, and saxophone, and my preference tends to vary according to mood, or musical situation.
In a band, I find it easier to play piano/keyboards because it's easier to find something that will add color or texture to what the band is doing. Piano is also my preferred instrument if I'm home alone and have some time to play.
We have regaular campfire/singalongs at the home of one of the guys from our church, and after dinner, people break out the guitars. Recently, we've had guys add violin, djembe, and banjo, so I've started bringing my flute. In that kind of situation, it's easier to add a countermelody or a well-known instrumental hook to whatever's going on. Playing flute at home alone is also kinda cool when I'm feeling more mellow.
I haven't played sax regularly for a while now. In marching band, it was the best. With a saxophone, you can blast, you can really get obnoxious. Sax is also great for soloing in a band situation, but it's too loud for campfire singalongs. I haven't sat and chilled with my sax alone for a while. I should do that sometime, get my chops back in shape.
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Phew! I play the guitar, saxophone and the piano. I also sing a little here and there. I definitely prefer the guitar, because it's the instrument I feel most comfortable with and I'm the most proficient with. It used to be the saxophone, but to be honest, I have kind of neglected it for too long. I'm still in the process of learning the piano, so that one's completely out of question. As for singing, I'm kind of comfortable doing it with or in front of people I know, but for a huge crowd I prefer to just keep my mouth shut. I did however sing (part of) a song at my last gig (while paying the guitar at the same time).
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Saxophone Neglectors Unite!
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\o
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I'd love to play saxophone, and certainly want it to be involved in at least one project...
However, new bass has arrived in the shop (finally), so I shall pick it up on monday.
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Well, let's not stop it here then!
Does anybody else here sometimes feel like they're not playing enough music to improve? I have that a lot, that I feel like I've wasted time I could have spent practicing.
I don't play much at all. I work a lot through the week so I don't feel like playing/practicing when I get home (which is usually pretty late). I do play in the worship band at church, so I'm trying to play somewhat regularly :lol
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Chat thread revival! For those people that play more than one instrument, which one do you prefer, and why? I'm pretty curious how that is, seeing that I only play piano myself.
Hello Chat Thread. I play guitar, alto saxophone, clarinet, and piano. I prefer guitar by far. One reason is that I am most proficient on it, and I also feel that my guitar playing has more personality than my playing on any of the other instruments. And if I'm going to write music, 90% of the time it will be on guitar.
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\o
o/*
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Marching Band Competition today.
We won: Best Music in our class, First Place in our class, and First Place overall in our division
Needless to say, I'm pretty fucking hyped right now. :metal
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Marching Band was the best part of high school! Dammit, I loved everything about it.
What can possibly be cooler than playing big, ballsy arrangements of songs in the great outdoors? Playing big, ballsy arrangements of songs in the great outdoors, while marching around in precision formations and making patterns and other cool shit!
When I got to college the first time, I majored in Music Education, and was bummed to find out that most of the marching band was not Music majors. They just didn't have the time for it because of all those stupid 1- and 2-credit classes we had to take (which still took up a couple hours a week each). So I didn't march in college. But man, our high school marching band was awesome.
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Wow, a third page!
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3rd post on the 3rd page.
#fuckyeah
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There's nothing like jamming with old friends, especially when you know each other so well musically that you can almost "finish each other's sentences".
Great feeling :tup
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Why do I want this so badly? :lol
(https://resources.ibanez.com/resourceservicehost/images/Ibanez/web/ProductMainZoom/test/RG1XXVFYE.jpg)
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Because it looks pretty god damn nice?
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Is it the yellow?
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That's a pretty awesome guitar.
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Electronic yellow is a lie. Anyways cool guitar, add 2 strings and give it to mee.
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It's most likely the yellow, yes :biggrin: I'm really thinking of getting one, but I can't exactly lose the money, I would need to plunder my savings.
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I guess I missed this thread for awhile but wanted to stop by to announce that I am also a musician, been playing guitar, drums & bass for about 20 years now. Mainly guitar.
That yellow Ibanez is pretty cool. An old buddy of mine has one that's very similar. I think it has a maple neck though.
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Got a school performance tomorrow, Will be playing Henry Mancini's Baby Elephant Walk in a Clarinet Quartet.
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Cool, how did it go?
I have the performance night from my study's association tomorrow. I'm going to do two things; a song by my band with a singer and a pianist (me on guitar and backing vocals) and some weird spaced out shit, similar to Terry Riley's 'In C' or work by Steve Reich with two guitars and a violin.
Everything has to be acoustic, since it will be in a small theater. We're not allowed to make much noise.
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Cool, how did it go?
Went really well, everyone loved it.
Good luck with yours! :tup
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Thanks, it was horrible :lol
the singer completely screwed up and I couldn't hold my laughter at the end :P
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Thanks, it was horrible :lol
the singer completely screwed up and I couldn't hold my laughter at the end :P
That probably went over well. :P
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It was weird, the audience started laughing as well, since it was apparently very visible that I was keeping the laughter inside until I couldn't hold it anymore :lol
The improvisation thing went very well though :)
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Improvisation is something that I really love, actually. That's the biggest reason why I switched my piano teacher a few years ago - the old one was a very much "by-the-book" guy and that didn't fit what I wanted anymore.
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Yeah, I know man. I was a member of a music(al) club who did all kinds off stuff, including bandcoaching for children's bands (I was a bandcoach) and I was in a band that only played improvisational pieces. Every first Tuesday of the month there was some sort of open mic night, to which people came, took place behind and instrument and started jamming. Usually you'd play with people you didn't know and everything was improvised on the fly. Amazing times and very cool stuff.
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I'd love to do something like that!
I'm in a big band at the moment, and that's definitely fun, but I still wish sometimes that it were a bit freeer (lol), the only times where I can really let loose, so to speak, is in the solo parts, but even that is strongly reglemented, with chord structures and length and stuff - a bit more freedom would definitely add some fun there.
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Yeah, it was definitely fun and challenging. You really had to keep an eye on and listen to what everyone else was doing in order to make sense of what was going on. We didn't rely on chords, scales or even rhythms, everything just came and went away on the fly, so there's a huge aspect of improvisational skill and musical proficiency involved. Also I found out that the more I did it, the better I got, not necessarily at playing my instrument, but at becoming aware what was happening and how to interact and apply the stuff that was happening not only to myself, but also to take it across to the people I was playing with. You really get a sense of ACTUALLY creating music that way.
I don't know if the above sentences make sense, let me know if they don't :lol
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It does make sense.
I think. :lol
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:tup
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Yay, another (short) gig coming up tonight at a Halloween party. We gonna rock that shit yo.
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I've decided I want to learn to make things more atmospheric and groove laden. Hence, I have decided to make an electronica project which may involve many ambient sounds being used to make backing grooves.
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YES First band practice in weeks with my prog/metal band next Thursday.
Also, bumping this thread to make it live again :)
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Things seem to finally be going somewhere with my project (in that we've found a drummer capable of at least playing the less bastardy things we've come up with, and I've found a pipa player interested in playing live with us (although, we'll have to re-arrange some things so she's got stuff to do on some songs which won't have pipa in the recorded versions).
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This morning at church I got to play drums for most of the set, but the last song I switched to acoustic guitar. Keeping me on my toes.
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Okay, this is gonna be a sweet challenge. I'm going to arrange a medley of Christmas songs for violin, two flutes, soprano saxophone, two acoustic guitars, and piano, to play in church on December 9th. That's the current lineup of the church praise band, so that's what I have to work with.
Interesting constraints: Neither of the two guitarists is particularly gifted. They know some chords and can strum without hurting themselves. The piano girl is even worse. If it's not written out, she can't play it. No chord charts, no "jamming" or anything that's not written down, and even at that, she plays at the level of maybe a second-year student. But she and one of the two guitars are original members and they aren't going anywhere, so like I said, that's what I have to work with.
Of the two "main" guys, one plays violin and actually has musical talent, though it's all classical training. No jamming, but he can play anything that's written. The other played saxophone in school bands and has some chops, but again, no jamming. We recently added the flute girl, mostly for her voice, but I've been totally exploiting her flute lately and putting it with the violin for lead lines and stuff. I play piano and woodwinds. They took the piano away from bad piano girl after I joined, but since we want this to be all instrumental, she's playing piano and I'll play flute.
It's gonna be one of those arrangements where nothing is really hard to play (since it has to be that way), but sounds pretty nice if everyone plays what they're supposed to play. Melodies and harmornies will be shared by the four "lead" instruments. I have to be careful because the soprano sax is naturally much louder than the violin or flutes. Chords and rhythm will be courtesy of the guitars and piano. Since all the guitarists can do is strum, the piano will get some arpy stuff for color, and also provide the bass part where necessary (when things get "big").
Here's the sick part: I think I can do it. We perform the piece three weeks from today, and I just started writing the other night. Heh heh.
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I love arranging, especially medleys. Coming up with the transitional material is the best part. Which songs are you going to mash up?
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This is just my first crack at something like this, and both rehearsal time and actual musical talent is pretty limited, so I'm just keeping it simple. Three songs, all in C major, all in three, so no transitions, just four bars of C and the next song starts. It Came Upon the Midnight Clear -> Silent Night, Holy Night -> The First Noel. I'm trying to see how many tricks I can come up with to counter that fact that the sax is like 1.5 times as loud as the other lead instruments. It's interesting.
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Such is the unique challenge of writing for a specific ensemble. Well, good luck at any rate. :tup
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Thanks. It's fun so far. I'm about halfway done, and I think it will work. I'm planning on recording it, but whether or not I post it here will depend on how well it turns out. We'll see.
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Good luck, Orbert. Rock their worlds (I know you will).
I have finally found someone willing to play some of the keyboard parts for the music project I've been in since the first year of uni, so we may actually get to play live.
Currently we have: Vox (if Zan is available, otherwise we may have to persuate Songbai to sing things in English, ie. our songs. She's a pretty damn good singer, and has sung on the west end before).
Guitar (that's David, so that's also an indeterminate number of other things too, he's played in a crazy selection of things, from orchestras to jazz bands to metal bands)
Drums (although we're working with him on 6, as we have a lot of six, and he's never really done that before, but is getting the idea, is a pretty cool dude and an orchestral percussionist, so it should be cool)
Keys (the guy has some classical training and some jazz training, and is very interested in the stuff we've written, he's played live before but not for a while or very often, he's a JR fan, so that's cool with me).
Bass (and guzheng, that's me, but I've never played live before other than one school concert and that was on piano. I was pretty crap but: oh well, it was fun)
Pipa (Songbai has played live many times and often gets paid to play for chinese new year, so she's pretty competent, but hasn't played anything other than chinese classical, and certainly not in a prog rock band before and is asking for chart, but I'm more than happy to provide that because I love the sound of pipa).
So yeah. Maybe I'm premature in this, but bring it on.
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No guts, no glory, right? I figure getting out there and playing is always better than sitting and not playing. In my experience, anything that's not horrible is appreciated by whatever audience you have, because they're all sitting there going "Well, it's better than I could do." That's why we have the expression "A gig's a gig."
The only exception would be if you literally went out and totally sucked, but that rarely happens. If you're good at all, you know when you're not ready for a gig, and as I said, pretty much anything is gonna be appreciated. Heck, I count on my audience not being as critical as I am.
I finished my arrangement the other day and emailed the parts out. We shall see.
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I just quote the first two paragraphs of your post to my band, awesome post man!
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Thanks. Playing music for people is what keeps me going in my old age.
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I may have to take that same philosophy. Thanks Orbert.
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I just applied for a flamenco guitar course! :)
Have wanted to for quite some time and I have a little experience with it already, but now I'm going to for real. This is going to be fun, starting for the very beginning again :)
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Met with Songbai, the pipa player, yesterday to talk music. She spent most of the time playing the guzheng (one of her friends borrowed hers about a year ago, and mine was casually sitting there).We discussed both the music she'll be playing and chinese music, and it turns out I haven't recruited a pipa player after all.
I've recruited another insane multi-instrumentalist, and she's also interested in my eventual project which will be heavily chinese based. Either way, it means that that project will have at least eight possible different instruments (possibly rising to twelve depending on what each of us have got by then) and there are only two of us in that project yet. But yeah, she may also be a second keys player for us, as well as dizi, xiao, erhu and another guzheng player.
Excitement.
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So, we played the Christmas Medley today during the service, and I recorded it on my ancient video camera mounted on a tripod in the balcony, 100 miles away. Audio isn't too bad because the acoustics in our sanctuary are pretty awesome, but video is pretty horrible because of the distance, plus the fact that Facebook munges your video down for bandwidth purposes.
Click! (https://www.facebook.com/v/4030599805304)
Left to Right: Dan and Dusty on Guitar, Me and Debbie Jo on Flute, Michael on Violin, Nancy on Piano, Brian on Soprano Sax.
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Hey Orby, I know you'r a church keyboardist...........so does that mean you can do awesome dark crazy church organ stuff?
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Man, church organ is tough. I'm okay with doing two or three things with my hands, but once you get the feet involved, things get out of control very quickly. I pretty much have to put my hands on autopilot so I can concentrate on what my feet are doing. I just don't have it down, don't have the hundreds of hours of playing to where they can do their own thing. I have keys to the church, but the organ itself is locked up when the organist isn't there, so I can't sneak in there and practice, either (I tried it).
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Man, church organ is tough. I'm okay with doing two or three things with my hands, but once you get the feet involved, things get out of control very quickly. I pretty much have to put my hands on autopilot so I can concentrate on what my feet are doing. I just don't have it down, don't have the hundreds of hours of playing to where they can do their own thing. I have keys to the church, but the organ itself is locked up when the organist isn't there, so I can't sneak in there and practice, either (I tried it).
Woah woah, didn't mean THAT crazy lol. I just might actually need you. The next song I'm going to work on is going to have a church organ intro. I was going to write the melody, but am not enough of a keyboardist to put interesting church style chords and stuff behind it. I might not need it, but if I do, do you have any pro-tools midi recording ability?
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Sadly, I do not.
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Sadly, I do not.
WELL THEN WHAT GOOD ARE YOU?!?!?!
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I have often asked myself the same question.
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Anybody else spending the time off during the holidays for lots of practising?
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Not me. I had last week off (and yesterday and today), but did a bunch of singing and playing at church, so I did more playing than practising.
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Ok, so I've looked up the Liang Zhu violin concerto (unfortunately could only get piano and violin version) as I want to understand how chinese music is put together, so I can write things for Songbai, our Chinese multi-instrumentalist (pipa, guzheng, dizi, xiao, erhu and also keyboards) as she's not currently comfortable with improvising.
As a result, I've found a couple of things. First, as I learned electronic keyboards and wasn't overly good, as opposed to piano, and also because I find it vastly easier to play from memory, I have found I don't understand a few of the notation devices. Most notably is the rest with a dot and crescent on top. I am probably very much mistaken as it's five years since I last closely used sheet, but dot and crescent rings a bell as being staccato. That or the other thing that comes to mind is that it's some sort of volumey thing. Now, I don't know about you, but I have never heard anyone comment on how amazingly impressive the dynamics of a rest were. I would very much appreciate correction so I can understand what the hell this notation on the rest means.
Second: finding the full orchestral score is a bitch, and if anyone knows where I can find it, I'll be greatly appreciative.
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A dot and crescent? Surely you don't mean a fermata, do you?
(https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/9456_4138863791836_598984035_n.jpg)
A fermata over a rest means the same thing as it does over a note, that it's held for a relatively long, yet unspecified amount of time.
Edit: changed "specified" to "unspecified"
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Don't you mean unspecified? It just makes the note over which the fermata is placed 'longer', but it doesn't tell you how much longer. It's a feeling-thing, just drag it out a little, but not too much.
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Argh. Yes, I meant unspecified.
It's a feeling thing for sure, unless you're in an ensemble with a conductor, in which case you follow the conductor. That's the only time I've seen fermatas over rests. One of more other parts are holding a note, but you're not playing, so you have a fermata over a rest while they have one over the actual notes they're holding.
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So I'm writing/recording epic soundtrack music.
This is a first for me and I have no idea if what I'm doing is any good. :(
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The best soundtracks "interact" with what's happening on screen. I like it when specific things happen musically that underscore visual things.
Other than that, as long as the music sounds good and fits the mood of the scene, etc., I usually like it.
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The best soundtracks "interact" with what's happening on screen. I like it when specific things happen musically that underscore visual things.
Other than that, as long as the music sounds good and fits the mood of the scene, etc., I usually like it.
Well my soundtrack is to a comic book haha. I figure this way there's a visual story with which I can connect, but there's not already a sound track to throw me off.
And I do interact them, actually I go a step further. I am using the music to tell the story.
For instance. The comic I'm doing is from the X-Men. And the first song is called M-Day based on....well....M-Day. At the end of M-Day the mutant population goes from about a million to 200. So to signify that I ended the song played a big epic version of what I call the mutant theme and then end it with playing the same thing on a lone piano to signify the immense drop in population. I do that kind of stuff with all of it. Still hard since I barely know how to play keyboards and I'm doing everything on keys.
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Sounds like you've chosen a pretty good challenge for yourself, especially for something you've never done before. Good luck!
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Thanks!
Once I re-work the cable and hope themes, I'll put the online in a few days. Maybe some of you guys can take a listen and let me know if I'm even doing a remotely okay job?
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Aaaaah, thanks. That explains why I never came across it, as almost all of my lessons were on electronic keyboard rather than piano, so I was always dealing with a constant backing rhythm rather than unspecified note holdings.
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Hi guys, I'm a guitarrist and lead vocals in my band is called Bulprick. We're kinda Heavy/Thrash/ Metal but we do much more than that, right now we have 2 tunes that are considered Progressive Metal. Check it out
https://soundcloud.com/bulprick
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Thanks!
Once I re-work the cable and hope themes, I'll put the online in a few days. Maybe some of you guys can take a listen and let me know if I'm even doing a remotely okay job?
I'll be interested in that. I like soundtracks where you can tell the composer has put effort into matching it to the story, in using specific variations of themes, or in the orchestration.
I'm just getting back into some music stuff myself for the first time since upgrading to Windows 7 (using VSTis), and for some reason my ASIO driver cuts off all other audio on my computer. The sound works perfectly in my music program, but then everything else, such as my music player, cuts off, so I can't listen to any other music, which makes it impossible to actually do anything.
I'm not sure whether it's to do with the hardware or the software, but I don't know how to use any other programs to try instead.
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Okay, here it is. Be kind please. But since I clearly have low self esteem I'll do the whole listing what's wrong with it so you needn't.
1. It's crappy orchestral sounds, sorry.
2. It's literally my first time doing this type of music.
3. I'm not a kangaroo.
4. If some of the transitions seem odd, keep in mind it's supposed to act like a complimentary piece to a comic that I doubt any of you have read.
https://soundcloud.com/adamigordon/sets/messiah-complex
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Those orchestral sounds weren't bad. Still a big improvement over stock MIDI. :tup
I really liked it once it kicked in at the 2 minute mark, but I feel like it needed more low end, like the double bass or some tuba.
And I liked the piano at the end, but if that's going to be the very end of the song, I feel like the tempo should be a bit more free-time and slow down a bit. Maybe just play it live without any click instead of programming it?
I'm not experienced with this kind of music at all, but those were just my thoughts upon listening to it.
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Those orchestral sounds weren't bad. Still a big improvement over stock MIDI. :tup
I really liked it once it kicked in at the 2 minute mark, but I feel like it needed more low end, like the double bass or some tuba.
And I liked the piano at the end, but if that's going to be the very end of the song, I feel like the tempo should be a bit more free-time and slow down a bit. Maybe just play it live without any click instead of programming it?
I'm not experienced with this kind of music at all, but those were just my thoughts upon listening to it.
It has a good amount of low end, but you're listening to a compressed MP3 for obvious reasons.
And I totally hear you about the piano piece at the end being off from the click, maybe I'll give that a try.
And none of it is programmed. The closest I got to programming is playing arpeggios in one key and instead of learning it in another, I just shift it or something similar.
I wouldn't even know how to program an actual song. Playing is a lot easier.
And did you listen to just M Day or Birth of Hope and War on Three Fronts as well?
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I only listened to M Day, but I'll listen to the rest right now. (I also forgot that I'm listening to music outside of my music player without my EQ, and my headphones have balls bass without the EQ, so that's probably why I didn't hear the low end).
I really liked War on Three Fronts. I don't have anything constructive to add there. And the only comment I have for Birth of Hope is that because of the 5/8 time sig, I had a bit of trouble grasping the rhythm of the unaccompanied intro on first listen. That might not be an issue for people listening to it as a "score", although listening to it isolated, I thought I'd mention it.
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Yea, the 5/8 part was kind of odd, but overall I liked it. Gave it a sense of uneasiness. Since its supposed to represent a decimated population with no sense of hope.
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I like all of it. It sounds like soundtrack music. Music which is good enough to be listened to as one might listen to an orchestral work, but which is really meant to underscore something else, something visual. I found that it often evoked visual imagery, just based on the title and the music itself.
You have a great feel for orchestration. The way the strings, winds, brass, and percussion complement each other and work together is great, and no less than what I would expect from a more experience soundtrack writer.
That piano bit at the end of "M Day" was fine. It reprised the theme in a completely different way. There was definitely a contrast to it, a "this is the end" or "this is where we are afterward" feeling to it.
The 5/8 starting off "Messiah Complex" was neat. Different. I like how the theme was played without rhythm and the meter wasn't obvious right away, kinda the same thing that Blob had trouble with, I guess. Then it changed, which was nice, rather than fall into the cliché of adding a countermelody or simply adding rhythm while repeating the theme.
"War on Three Fronts" was pretty kickass. Sounded like a great war soundtrack. I love when the "choir" comes in. That dramatic effect. Okay, it's probably overused in general, but it's practically expected in soundtrack music of this type, and there isn't too much of it, which is good.
Bravo! I could never write stuff like this. Well maybe, but I'd never have the time to devote to it.
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So, do we have any singers here on DTF who have the means to record themselves? I'm messing around with putting a sort of cover song together for a project I'm thinking about, and I can't do the vocals myself, and it would require a pretty decent vocal range (up to a C#5 ideally, although a B4 would suffice).
Just thought I'd ask around and see if we've got anyone who might be able to help out.
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I like all of it. It sounds like soundtrack music. Music which is good enough to be listened to as one might listen to an orchestral work, but which is really meant to underscore something else, something visual. I found that it often evoked visual imagery, just based on the title and the music itself.
You have a great feel for orchestration. The way the strings, winds, brass, and percussion complement each other and work together is great, and no less than what I would expect from a more experience soundtrack writer.
That piano bit at the end of "M Day" was fine. It reprised the theme in a completely different way. There was definitely a contrast to it, a "this is the end" or "this is where we are afterward" feeling to it.
The 5/8 starting off "Messiah Complex" was neat. Different. I like how the theme was played without rhythm and the meter wasn't obvious right away, kinda the same thing that Blob had trouble with, I guess. Then it changed, which was nice, rather than fall into the cliché of adding a countermelody or simply adding rhythm while repeating the theme.
"War on Three Fronts" was pretty kickass. Sounded like a great war soundtrack. I love when the "choir" comes in. That dramatic effect. Okay, it's probably overused in general, but it's practically expected in soundtrack music of this type, and there isn't too much of it, which is good.
Bravo! I could never write stuff like this. Well maybe, but I'd never have the time to devote to it.
Wow dude, thanks!
....I kinda want to hug you now.
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I'll consider myself hugged.
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My band decided to change our warm-up cover from Overture 1928/Strange Deja-Vu to Solitary Shell/About to Crash (Reprise) so I've been working on those. Expecially AtC(R) is a blast to play on guitar!
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I'm gonna join another band. Yeah, crazy. But this one's different.
The local community college has a music program, with an "A" band (I don't know what they're actually called) and a "B" band known as the Concert Band. The top one is probably the Symphonic Band or something. Anyway, you can take Concert Band either for credit or as a non-credit course, and there's no audition. It's pretty much open, since it's not the top-tier band; it's the one for middle-aged shmucks like me who just want to play in a concert band. If you take it non-credit, it's only $25, basically to cover administrative costs. So for $25, I get to play in a concert band. I haven't done that since high school.
One of my co-workers plays in it, and I went to their Winter Concert last month. Not bad! They even played a piece I recognized from my days in the high school band known as "Emperata Overture". So when classes start up again next week, I'm in. Gonna play saxophone. Should be cool.
(https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/2795_1067789096888_603611_n.jpg)
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Rock on Orbert. Hope you have a damn good wail of a time.
Reminds me: I will take up sax one day... After I take up flute, ruan, pipa and get back into keyboards, probably...
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It's gonna be fun. Just a four-month thing. Classes only run from mid-Jan to mid-May. And it seems weird to pay to play, but what the hell. For $25, I get to play in a concert band, a pretty good one. As musicians, we do what we must to get our fix.
In other news, one of the guys at church sang a solo on Sunday, and I played the piano for him. He'd asked me back in December. Some wacky thing in F minor (four flats) so I actually had to practice it a bit. It went pretty well. He stopped by last night and dropped off a batch of brownies he'd made as a token of his appreciation. They're not that good, but hey, free brownies.
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I joined the choir for the choral project my association holds every year. On May 4th (Remembrance Day in the Netherlands) we will perform Mozart's Requiem in its entirety. I'm singing bass :)
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Sweet! :tup
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Nice one, Elite. Does that mean that now we can "drop the Elite?"
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In other news, one of the guys at church sang a solo on Sunday, and I played the piano for him. He'd asked me back in December. Some wacky thing in F minor (four flats) so I actually had to practice it a bit. It went pretty well. He stopped by last night and dropped off a batch of brownies he'd made as a token of his appreciation. They're not that good, but hey, free brownies.
:lol Truly it's the thought that counts.
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Yeah, the guy's a better singer than he is a baker, and to be honest he's not that great a singer. But it's truly the thought that counts, and mediocre brownies are still better than no brownies. We takes whats we can gets.
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I joined the choir for the choral project my association holds every year. On May 4th (Remembrance Day in the Netherlands) we will perform Mozart's Requiem in its entirety. I'm singing bass :)
Bass :hifive:
We're singing Purcell's Dido and Aeneas (sp?) in March, with me being the only bass guy that you can actually hear, 'cause the others are shy. :yeahright
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Nice one, Elite. Does that mean that now we can "drop the Elite?"
YES
Bass :hifive:
We're singing Purcell's Dido and Aeneas (sp?) in March, with me being the only bass guy that you can actually hear, 'cause the others are shy. :yeahright
Nice! Yeah, I had the first practice on Monday and people were really figuring out what to sing. Basically, the gist of the whole thing is that anyone can join, but the end result has to be good. Based on how much I like it (which I really did for the first practice), I may actually join a real choral group.
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Yeah, I had a similar experience. At the beginning of 11th grade, our music teacher promised everyone who participated in the choir full practical marks, because he was in dire need of new people (many of the 12th-graders that had previously graduated had been in the choir). Because of this, I joined the choir and I had so much fun that I stayed, even after our teacher never prolongued the offer after the first concert.
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Whoa. Got out the saxophone, had to literally dust off the case. Sightread a bunch of stuff I downloaded off the net for about half an hour, did better than I thought I would. Fingers still work pretty well, but embouchure is kinda sore and brain kinda hurts.
My plan is to do this again tomorrow and then again on Tuesday, in preparation for the first rehearsal on Wednesday. I think I can do this. Of course, I never stopped playing sax completely, but this is, like, real sax playing, which I haven't done in a while. We shall see.
And then of course I broke it down, cleaned it all up, stashed it, and noticed I was still wearing my neck strap. Some things never change.
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Cool stuff! Which reminds me that I need to get my sax down from the top of my wardrobe someday :P
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Do it! Instruments were meant to be played, not stored.
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I know, I know, I just don't really have anything to play it for. I play my guitar daily and have weekly band practices and such and the piano I play just for the hell of it to get better. I guess I should just do the same with the sax though.
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Well, as long as you're playing. I was just giving you some shit on behalf of your sax, since mine was so happy to get out of its case for a while.
It's hard to give all your instruments the love they deserve. My keyboards have been in their cases for almost a year now, too, since I don't have a regular gig that uses them. Been doing mostly flute and piano lately, and using the piano and keyboards at the church, so I never need to set mine up.
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Keyboard player here!
I'm in a coverband, used to compose classical orientated stuff, now record some small idea's or semi-songs every now and then. But the coverband takes over, we played 30 times last 6 months, and still going upwards!
Here's my setup btw:
(https://sphotos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/603170_465274623520918_1289137202_n.jpg)
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Loving that red right there.
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It's gotta be a Nord. Those things are so beautiful.
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That they are, that they are. It leads me to conclude that Nihil must have some bloody epic piano and organ sounds when he plays.
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And skills, right? :p I'm jealous for your vocoder; I need to get one sometime, just for the hell of it.
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It is indeed a Nord Stage, an 'old' one. I believe I've had it for nearly 5 years now, and still I get compliments about my sounds. It has been the best instrument I've had in my life, and a great investment in my career.
The vocoder is a Korg R3. I've doubted long about having either the MicroKorg XL, or that one, since the micro's are totally cool and fresh, and the R3 is slightly more serious and a tad older, but I'm happy I chose this one. The vocoder is maybe the least useful feature though, Epic, mainly because the mic included is way too sensitive to use on stage, and I don't have the money yet to buy a better mic, I will in the future though, definitely.
On the left side of my Nord, I've placed my especially special playtoy, a Korg Monotron. Wonderful totally analog nano-synth. Just an LFO, Cutoff, Resonance, and pitch-knobs, but crazy sounds.
And Sketchy, thanks, I love how the distorted Hammond sounds on the Nord.
BTW, If you'd like to see a video of us playing, check this out. A friend of my band made this clip of a show we did last month. It's a shame that it turned out to be the last show without my new Korg, though. But check it out!
https://vimeo.com/57242597
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So, the Concert Band of the College of Lake County rehearses on Wednesday evenings, and last night was the first rehearsal for the Spring Semester.
Whoa.
I have great memories of playing in band in high school and junior high, even grade school. Hanging out with other people who love music, great concerts, the rush of playing music in a big ensemble, which is so different from a smaller group or going solo.
But I graduated from high school 33 years ago, and during that time, I'd also forgotten a few things.
- I forgot that you do not start out awesome. You only get awesome after lots of hard work. He passed out the music and we read through a couple of pieces, stopping a few times when things were literally coming apart. Some of it was hard. I am going to have to practice. Ugh.
- It doesn't matter how awesome you might be personally, or your section, or 99% of the band. If there is even one person in a key position who fucks things up, your band is not awesome. There were only two percussionists, one who was great and one who had no idea what he was doing. This was surprisingly apparent sometimes.
- You are part of a section. There were only two alto saxophones, and the guy next to me pretty much sucked. During extended rests (the kind with a thick bar and a number over it) he'd get lost and inevitably come in early, or late, when all he had to do was listen to what was going on and know that it couldn't possibly be the right time. The director, John, kept looking at us and saying "Altos, please watch" or "Altos, careful with the counting" and stuff like that. I am associated with the idiot next to me. The altos suck because he sucks, and I cannot change that.
- You don't start at the top. There are actually three alto saxophones, but the first (Tammy) was out of town on business and will be back next week. She has seniority of course, and I have no intention of coming in, the new guy, and challenging her. The two of us who were there last night both played the 2nd Alto Saxophone part, and obviously Tammy will be playing 1st. Fall semester, there were two 1sts and one 2nd. We can't do that this time, because the other 2nd sucks. I have to play 2nd. It doesn't make sense for both me and Tammy to play 1st while the guy who sucks plays 2nd. I've never played 2nd Anything.
- There's a first time for everything. See above.
Anyway, it was still fun, and it will continue to be. It's just funny how you forget about some things and focus on others.
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Lots of useful stuff in that last post!
- Indeed, to get awesome requires insane amounts of time, practice, patience, perseverance and more. I feel that pain almost every day and it's the main reason for driving me to get better and better
- Absolutely fucking true; a band or ensemble is as good as its weakest member.
- Yeah, well to be honest that fucking sucks. I'm singing in the choir now and there's this elderly man who can't sing in tune apparently, so the whole bass section is just bad and we're all blamed for being bad, even though it's only one, maybe two people really screwing up.
- No, you don't. Work your way up, or start all over again. Well, this depends, I've been the guitarist for my band for years now and no-one is going to replace me as long as I'm there and we're not going to have any other guitarist in our band, because I (and the rest of the band) don't want to.
- Yes.
Keep rocking :)
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I just woke up from a dream that had a song I'd never heard before. It was cool but I can only remember the first line of the chorus and the general feel of the song. I like it when that happens, too bad I can't remember more of it :facepalm:
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Is your name Toby Driver?
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It isn't :P I take it that is something he's known for? I know who he is but aren't familiar with anything other than maudlin of the Well.
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He has this thing with taking music from the dream world and explains in the liner notes from 'Leaving Your Body Map' that Interlude 4 is the pinnacle of motW's music, because it was dreamt entirely. Or something like that, the whole story is pretty vague and I may not recall it correctly; I'll check it in the liner notes if you want.
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I wish I could do that. Sometimes I dream that I'm playing music, and it all sounds great and I'll look at my hands and just marvel at how, without even thinking about it, I'm playing songs I've never played before, seemingly by instinct. Then I wake up and realize why it all sounded so good.
Supposedly the basis for the song "Tempus Fugit" on the Yes album Drama came to Geoff Downes in a dream. Before he joined the band, he was a huge Yes fan, and he dreamed that he was playing with them. When he was later asked to join Yes, it was literally a dream come true. But he remembered the song he was playing in the dream, and they learned it and put it on the album.
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Wow, great stories. I have heard melodies in dreams, or orchestrations, but never actual songs, or anything near that.
I must say that, mainly in composing, I do stuff that I later don't understand. I took a composing course during my 4 years at the conservatory, and as a sort of finished work I compiled a cd of my most finished works. All 'performed' by vst's, which is a damn shame.
But I can go back, listen to them (it's two years ago that I finished the last piece of that album), and I sometimes really can't imagine how I did all that. I'm not the kind of guy to say that there's a higher power making you do stuff you can't actually do, but it's really more than just putting black dots on paper.
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https://m.soundcloud.com/imagebandofficial/goodbye
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What is that? I don't like clicking random links with music, can you please explain what it is?
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I'm going to join the practice of a brass ensemble specialised in modern classical music next Monday. Time to get the saxophone out and get practicing! :D
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You'll be totally saxy, I'm sure of it. :laugh:
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I doubt it, I haven't really played in about 3 years :lol
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It'll come back. Playing the sax is like falling off a bike. Or something.
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That's a very weird analogy :lol
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If you play sax near the edge of a cliff, you could die?
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If a strong wind came up, yeah, you could.
For those who missed it, that was another Orbert attempt at humor by mangling a couple of well-known expressions. I used to hear people say "It's like riding a bike" referring to how, once you've learned, you never forget. The muscle memory for riding a bike is pretty deeply engrained, probably because of the relatively high level of coordination required. Now that I think about it, it's not nearly as common anymore because kids don't ride bikes anymore.
Then there's "It's as easy as falling off a log" simply meaning that something is so easy that you don't have to think about it. It doesn't exactly require much skill. Therefore, playing the saxophone is as easy as falling a bike. It all comes back to you; you don't even have to think about it.
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I live in the Netherlands, people ride bikes everywhere, all the time. But, I get it :tup
I still haven't gone there yet, all the practices so far didn't require saxophone :lol I'm going monday in a week. In the meantime, I also haven't picked up my sax again yet, but I will do this the coming week :)
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I like that saying. It's good.
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My brother found a Yamaha Clavinova at a resale shop for $75. He told me Thursday about it, and I told him he should buy it and I'll pay him back.
I can't think of any deal I have ever gotten that would even come close to that (he bought it, and it works :eek ... needs a stand though).
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Clavinovas (Clavinovae?) are sweet. I would've jumped on it just because it's close enough to real, but you can use headphones with it.
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He gave it to me for a birthday gift. I would have never gone to the store he found it at, it was a resale shop that sells mostly things for houses (windows, cabinets, stuff like that). He went there because he needed some windows for an addition he's working on. It was one of those right time, right place deals that paid off :D
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Excellent! :tup
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Im a drummer in Sweden, and trying to find a band to play Dream Theater... Its fucking impossible. Why is there no DT fans in Sweden? :(
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There are, just look harder. From when I started getting my band together when I was 15, I just had my best friend as the keyboard player. It took us 5 years and multiple line-up changes to find ourselves a drummer and a bass player. The bass player has been with us for a year, but we only recently got our current drummer after our old one left. That said; it took 3.5 years to get the first stuff together, after me and my buddy had written lots of stuff already. It takes time, look for people to play with, find them literally anywhere and in the meantime, just practice on your own.
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So, I started taking singing lessons yesterday to get better at it :) First time was really fun, I'm going to continue, definitely.
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Our choir director has offerred to give me singing lessons a few times. I've always sung, never considered myself particularly good at it, but after singing in the choir for nearly 10 years now, I guess I'm getting better. Maybe she thinks I have potential or something. We're all amateurs, but she constantly gives us little tips and advises us on proper techniques and stuff. I've had people tell me I have a good voice, but I still consider myself more of an instrumentalist.
Singing lessons would be kinda cool, but... I don't know. I'm 50 years old, and I'm never gonna be a great singer. I don't even think I want to be a great singer. There's something comfortable about just being "okay" or "good enough" at something, and not trying to be more than that. Cowardly and lazy, too, but comfortable.
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I feel like it's alright to recognize that you're comfortable with where you are at something because it allows you to focus on other things that might be more important. I realize that I'm good enough at guitar. Sure I'd like to be better than I am, but playing guitar isn't something that I see my self doing for a living, so I don't need to worry about it that much.
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Damn it. So I quit the Concert Band I'd joined only a month or so ago.
I didn't want to do this, because I remember so clearly quitting the Praise Band I was in, and my reasons why. Wow, that was a year ago already. Sure, people here supported me, and I do think I was justified, and it's not like anyone was hurt by it. No one got screwed over, no one was left without a keyboard player or anything. But ultimately my motives were selfish, and that's always bothered me a little bit. And this time was different, but there were some odd similarities.
Community College. The top-level band is the Wind Ensemble; you have to audition for that. I was in the Concert Band; if you want to play, you're in. You can take it for credit (music majors), or non-credit (just for fun). This can lead to problems, but this band had a pretty good balance. 8 or 10 flutes, 8 or 10 clarinets, similar number of trumpets, six trombones, three baritone horns, two tuba, four French horns, three bassoons, two oboes, three alto sax, one tenor, one baritone. You almost couldn't ask for a better balance of parts.
Except that this guy doesn't like saxophones. Only three altos, and every time we played, and I mean every time, he'd look at us and motion for us to be quieter, or actually say out loud "Altos, quieter!" Over a dozen trumpets and trombones blasting away right behind us, and he can hear us, and he doesn't want to. "Everything needs to blend together. I shouldn't be able to hear individual parts!" Okay, that's true.
It's marked Fortissimo and we're down to literally blowing as quietly as we can. Any less air, and the reed won't even vibrate. "Altos, please! Blend!" In other words, if he can hear us at all (including "blended" with the brass) we're too loud.
I ask the girl to my right (Tammy, the 1st) if I'm imagining things, and she says No. Saxes always need to play at least one marking quieter than written, or he yells. At least, she emphasizes. The tenor is my co-worker and the guy who got me into this, and he agrees too. If he can hear saxophones, we're too loud. Tammy has been there four years. The guy to my left, the other 2nd, is actually taking it for credit. But someone needs to simply not play, so I guess it's me. Double-f and we're playing double-p and it's still too loud. So I don't play at all. Lip-synch, finger-synch. "Okay, that sounds better." I wasn't playing, and I couldn't hear the other saxes, either. The trumpets buried us. I guess that's what he wants.
The entire first rehearsal went like this. Second rehearsal, we got a break. Third and fourth rehearsals, he simply didn't want to hear us at all. The only time he didn't bitch about the saxes being too loud was when I wasn't playing. Due to a clerical error, there's one piece where I have the 2nd alto part and the others both have 1st. There was a spot where we go into harmony (duh) and he looked right at me, and motioned for quiet. "I shouldn't be able to hear individual parts. Blend!" I'm the only one playing that note; you're gonna hear it, you fucking moron. And yes, I'm playing as quietly as I can and still pushing air through the horn. So I stopped playing entirely. "Ah, perfect!" Now it's all unison and the trumpets can bury the saxes and it's apparently exactly what he wants.
I turned in my music. Fuck this. I don't have to be there, but if I'm there, I want to play. He has too many alto saxophones, now he doesn't, problem solved.
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Sounds like an unbelievable arsehole. I would have quit as well.
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That sucks, Orbert. If he's only satisfied when you're literally not even playing, there's no joy to be had there.
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Why is there no DT fans in Sweden? :(
Because everyone there is listening to your hometown heroes, Opeth. :biggrin:
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Sounds like an unbelievable arsehole. I would have quit as well.
I agree. But what bothers me is the similarity to my last situation. Leader was a dick, I didn't see any point, so I quit. Something like that happens once, it sucks but what can you do? When it happens a second time, you start to wonder. Am I the one who's being a dick? Am I somehow subconsciously looking for a reason to quit?
I think it's just a matter of running into a couple of shitty situations in a row. It can happen. But... damn. Quitting isn't cool. And now I've done it twice.
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If it's as you described (which I have no doubt it is coming from you), I don't think you're looking for reasons to quit. It just doesn't sound like either of these situations has given you what you're looking for in performing, and it's really not that much to ask imo. You want to contribute to making music as part of a larger whole. If you're at the point of not even hearing yourself playing, you're not getting any kind of musical satisfaction from it.
I hope you can find something that gives you that joy that performing should bring.
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Thanks. Yeah, that's all I'm really looking for. Fortunately I still have the church choir and the praise band. I was kinda psyched about making music in a non-religious setting for once, though. Oh well. I'll be rocking this summer with the guys back home. That should be fun.
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Wow, that sucks, sorry to hear it dude.
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So I'm performing Purcell's Dido and Aeneas with the school choir on Saturday, and I must say that it's hands down the best project we've ever down as a choir. Purcell really is a master at crafting beautiful choir music.
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Post video!
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I'll try. It's kinda hard to film if you're in the choir. :)
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Get someone else to film!
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That's what I was thinking, but whatever you can work out.
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As of late I'm finding I have trouble in getting myself together to practice. I don't really have a lot of time to begin with, but then when I do, I tend to do random other stuff that needs doing or just relax and shit. Bleeh, I need to get better!
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I'm not much of a lead guitarist but once a week i go and hang out at my friends' rehearsal studio and I basically just shut myself away for hours and play along to Uno Dos & Tre and practice my rhythm like a mofo ! :p
I can't play Platypus yet but BJA is probably my favourite Rhythm guitarist. I like Rhythm that is percussive at the same time.
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Im a drummer in Sweden, and trying to find a band to play Dream Theater... Its fucking impossible. Why is there no DT fans in Sweden? :(
Most fans don't have the time to practice 6 hours a day like the guys did... DT is incredibly technical, and there are obviously not many people around who have the required genes, time and dedication to become technically proficient enough.
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I got to do something new yesterday that was pretty cool. Warning: Church music stuff ahead, since that's all I seem to be doing these days.
For our Easter service, we always like to have something special, musically. In the past, we brought in trumpets, so things like "Christ the Lord is Risen Today" had some extra balls. Real brass, yeah baby! But the last couple years, the trumpets that we hired turned out to be kinda bad, so our choir director (who is also the music director in general) swore off hiring trumpets anymore. $100 each to come in and play on like three songs, and they couldn't even be bothered to practice and/or learn their parts? Get out.
But she plays the harp. I told her she should bring in the harp and that would be pretty special. She said she'd do it if I played, too. What, on piano? No, on the flute. Ah, okay. Flute and harp together would be sweet.
And it was. There's something pretty heavenly about a flute with just a harp for accompanyment. All we did was lead an Alleluia from the hymnal, but I played it through one time on the flute, then played the first verse along with the congregation. Second and third verses, I ad-libbed some stuff, so that was cool. She strummed chords on the harp for accompaniment, and it was sweet. So, another new musical thing I can check off of my to-do list (which doesn't really exist, but you know what I mean).
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I love the flute and harp combo. I've composed a minimalist piece for flute, harp, 2 piano's and some brass (if I remember correctly) once. The piano (together with the) harp and the flute really add something when combined. I used to have that stuff on youtube, but I gave up on composing a while back using the old 'no time, no inspiration' excuse. I just this afternoon decided that I really start to do that again.
In the last few years I've composed everything ranging from neo-classicist/movie type pianomusic, string quartets, minimal pieces, or even prog epics, and I just one day (a year and a half ago) stopped doing that. Drives me crazy sometimes. So here it is, I'm gonna upload all of that to youtube soon as some sort of signal to myself that I'm a parttime composer, whether I like it or not.
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Cool! Post links here, or in the video thread.
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Links, links!
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I ordered a microphone, which will hopefully turn up soon, so I can start demoing ideas on the guzheng, and even better, it's so retro it hurts. (Yes, I did deliberately buy a microphone that sounds like a 1930s one, and I am massively excited about it). Also: orbert, that sounds pretty rad.
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So I've started uploading.
There are two categories so far, the first is a collection of my solo pianotracks (with the winter-ey path picture), the second is my 'album' of modern-like compositions, made in the last couple of years (with the street as a picture)
A third categorie is starting to unwind (with the farm-ey background), with old idea's, and my more pop/rock type demo's.
Here's a link to a video of mine. Please let me know what you think!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdmO2dJqqDs (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdmO2dJqqDs)
https://www.youtube.com/user/joostniekus (https://www.youtube.com/user/joostniekus)
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Any recommendation of what to listen to first in both categories? What's your personal favourite?
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As for piano pieces, I think Be Good is great. And my orchestral works... Time Flies is special to me, A Glimpse Of... gives me goosebumps, and both Fading and Faded are great for hours like these.
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Cool, I'll have a listen tonight!
First though, a full day of practice ahead for the Mozart Requiem. This is going to be intense.
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Finally in a band again. It's out of my comfort zone (I'm a drummer, but I'm playing bass), but it's great to be playing with other people again.
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I've been playing guitar for about thirty years not that anyone would notice;-) I also play bass drums piano and sing:-) I've played pro and for fun in bands orchestras and done studio work but not so much now I am married with kids:-) now I play covers with a couple of friends it's coming together only had four rehearsals and its shaping up nicely!! If anyone is interested you can hear our first few sessions on my YouTube channel tartarus250 imaginatively enough lol comments and song suggestions welcome:-)https://youtu.be/oAt2SozD6iE sorry forgot to post a link :-)
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Tonight, we will finally play Mozart's Requiem to honor the dead of World War II. 4th of May is the Dutch remembrance day and my study association traditionally performs a Requiem in a church. Together with 100 others, amateurs and professionals alike, we will play the Requiem to about 800 people, the maximum that will fit the church. I'm really looking forward to tonight, I'm singing bass by the way.
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Fuck yeah bass! o/
I've already said that once already, but Mozart's Requiem is really beautiful. The only one that can kinda compete with that is Verdi, though it's a lot more bombastic, so I'm not always in the mood for it, and Brahms' Ein deutsches Requiem. I especially love the Lacrymosa.
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Mozart's Requiem is awesome. I saw a performance of it years ago at a local church, and it was pretty mind-blowing. Despite singing in a choir for years, I'm not really a huge choral music fan, but some friends of ours were in it so we went, and I'm glad I did.
We did the Lacrymosa a couple of years ago. Man, that's an intense piece.
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Orbert: may I ask for tips on how to start learning/practicing on the flute? I've ordered a Xiao and a dizi for a project of mine, and I was just wondering if there's any adive you'd give for someone who's not learned a wind instrument before.
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Winds are interesting. Unlike a keyboard, where the note is just sitting there, waiting for you to play it, and you can play up to 10 (or more) notes at a time, should the occassion arise, you get to play one note at a time, and you get it by combination of what your ten fingers are doing simultaneously.
Okay, that the logistics, which I'm sure you understand. The point is that, to me, it's much more similar to singing than to playing. You might have the melody, you might have a harmony in an ensemble, or a supporting line of some kind, but you get that one note at a time, so you're "always soloing", everything you're got, you put into that one note.
As for the physical process, I'm sure you'll be getting plenty of instruction, but here's a video that teaches you pretty much everything you need to know. It's pretty short, but the part you want starts at 0:54.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNfGyIW7aHM (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNfGyIW7aHM)
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Ah, awesome, thanks.
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I know it seems like a huge mountain to climb, but as soon as possible, get to the point where you are not thinking about your fingers. If you read a note, then have to think about which keys to press, then play it, then read the next note, then think about which keys to press, etc., you'll never learn to make music. You'll merely be playing the instrument, which isn't the same thing.
It has to get to the point where you see the dot on the paper and your fingers already know which ones go down and which ones come up. Obviously this will take some time, but if you're a musician, you already know how to make music; you're just learning a new instrument. When a guitarist plays, he's not thinking "third string, fifth fret, play; third string, fourth fret, play" -- he's thinking about the notes. And eventually it's not even the notes, but the entire line at a time.
Practice, practice, practice. Absorb the instrument. Become the instrument. It's the only way to make it happen.
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Jammed at the Whisky with some friends a few months ago. Here's the video. We're not a band, just some friends jamming. Ignore the singing - the guy who sang isn't a singer, he was just a friend who wanted to help out cause we needed someone to sing. I'm on guitar. Fucked up a few times, but what can ya do? hahaha. (please no trolling about the singing.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFbRj-fLvrM
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The flutes turned up. So far I've not managed a note from the xiao, although my housemate did in a single attempt (he used to play clarinet, it turns out). I have managed some notes from the dizi, although they seem to also be able to summon confused-looking dogs.
My work mates found it funny I spent my lunch break in a disused car park trying to reliably get sound out of the dizi.
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Obviously they're not musicians. Musicians understand these things.
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I think it was more I was blowing a flute in a deserted area for half an hour. They're software engineers, they understand those things instead.
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A deserted area is the best place to practice, especially when you're new to the instrument. I almost never practice at home if there's someone else home. It bothers me knowing that someone else can hear me while I'm trying to work something out. My wife and daughter tell me not to worry about it; it all sounds fine to them, or they just tune it out and turn the TV up a little bit. That's not the point. I know it's wrong. I'll sit there and play something five times wrong in a row before my fingers finally get it, and I don't want anyone to hear that.
There's performance, but everything else is private. At least that's how it is for me.
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Yeah, and as I'm still at the stage of "maybe it'll make a note... oh no, the membrane's come loose again", I quite like the not being heard. I don't mind so much when playing something I've been playing for a while, although I still really get uncomfortable when someone walks into the room when I'm playing, even though I do a pretty good job of ignoring them.
Oh, and then I pretend that there's no-one living in the flat below, although I'm quite aware the guy there can hear me when I play the zheng.
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Dear God! It amazes me how fast UPS/Finnish Postal service works!;
Last Sunday I bought guitar from Missouri. Today (Friday) the guitar has arrived at my local post office at Seinäjoki, Finland.
Fast!! O_O
(https://iheartguitarblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/sterling-sub-ax3-tr.jpg)
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Wow, there is also another DTFer from Seinäjoki! You and ? there, I should have to move there from this lazy Orimattila...
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my local post office at Seinäjoki, Finland.
You're from here too? :omg:
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Dear God! It amazes me how fast UPS/Finnish Postal service works!;
Last Sunday I bought guitar from Missouri. Today (Friday) the guitar has arrived at my local post office at Seinäjoki, Finland.
Fast!! O_O
(https://iheartguitarblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/sterling-sub-ax3-tr.jpg)
My friend has the version of that without the whammy. Good choice, that guitar does heavy pretty damn well, and is all round nice.
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I play a bit of guitar, though I'm still very much a beginner. Otherwise I make music digitally, I've found some good software and a lot of plugins that sounds fairly authentic, and that's currently how I'm making my music. It's done digitally and it feels a bit cheap since it's plugins - sounding like real instruments, but at least it's a way for me to learn sounds and to make songs.
In the long run, I would love to go over to something with real instruments instead of plugins sounding like instruments. :P
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I sometimes consider going that route. I have real instruments, but my keyboards aren't exactly pro quality and while I love playing woodwinds, I'm just not that good at it.
But with software, I can create music and "play" it. I can take my time, do whatever I want with the arrangements and instrumentation, and possibly come up with some pretty cool stuff. The few times I tried it, though, it wasn't really satisfying. I don't know; it all felt very artificial. I'd composed the music, arranged it, everything, but it only existed as bits and bytes.
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I have written stuff in midi, but ultimately, I generally prefer to write it on physical instruments predominantly, partly as I like to see how other people take my ideas, meaning it comes out as something unexpected, and also the writing process largely feels more organic in a "this sounds pretty cool if I play it like this" way, rather than when I use midi, when it feels more of an academic exercise, where I usually end up overapplying theory and changing section just because it arbitrarily seemed like a good idea.
That said, there have been some things I've come up with in midi, including entire songs, which I have decided to actually work with properly, as I've liked the effect of that section/song/arrangement.
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my local post office at Seinäjoki, Finland.
You're from here too? :omg:
Yeah O_O I'm from Seinäjoki.
Originally I'm from Rovaniemi, but I came to work at Seinäjoki. Seinäjoki is the WORST PLACE EVER! :D
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my local post office at Seinäjoki, Finland.
You're from here too? :omg:
Yeah O_O I'm from Seinäjoki.
Originally I'm from Rovaniemi, but I came to work at Seinäjoki. Seinäjoki is the WORST PLACE EVER! :D
When Seinäjoki and DTF Unite :D
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my local post office at Seinäjoki, Finland.
You're from here too? :omg:
Yeah O_O I'm from Seinäjoki.
Originally I'm from Rovaniemi, but I came to work at Seinäjoki. Seinäjoki is the WORST PLACE EVER! :D
It is - I can't wait to get out of here :lol
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my local post office at Seinäjoki, Finland.
You're from here too? :omg:
Yeah O_O I'm from Seinäjoki.
Originally I'm from Rovaniemi, but I came to work at Seinäjoki. Seinäjoki is the WORST PLACE EVER! :D
It is - I can't wait to get out of here :lol
Us finners slowly taking over this forum... Today we hit the studio to record drums!
- Tiko
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So Mrs. C's kid has been getting me to show him some things on guitar. It gets me to thinking about how far I've come in 23 years. I remember startng out, seeing sheet music and saying (for example) "No way, that can't be right, nobody could be jamming on this song and just hit a specific couple of strings amidst all the others and get it right, etc". Now when I'm showing him the chords to Rock You Like a Hurricane, he's all "How am I supposed to just hit three strings and not the others?" Suddenly, I'm 14 years old again, wondering the same thing. Then I realize that now, I can pretty much hit pretty much whatever combination of strings I need to pick, without much thought. 2-string open chord? Check. 3-string power chord? Check. Across the neck 6-string A chord? Check.
Time and practice, pal. The words NO 13 year old wants to hear. I didn't want to hear it. I look at my playing and realize that I've changed and tweaked and adapted the way I play to such an extent that if a beginner tried to emulate what I'm doing, it could be confusing, so I have to try to deconstruct all that and look at things from a beginner's perspective. It isn't easy.
And with all of that practice and learning of new songs (lots and lots), over time, it has become easier to pick stuff up quickly on a 2nd-3rd listen, but it has been work to get there. I never have to be the one that holds back band practice because I can't seem to learn a song that everyone else knows. There have been many times at practice where everyone else knows a song that I don't know and I tell them to just go and I'll find a way to follow along. It is something that I try never to take for granted. The downside is that whenever I go see live bands now, I'm evaluating them from a musician's standpoint as opposed to a casual listener's standpoint, which is a huge difference. It's hard to just sit back and enjoy a band when you're hearing every "mistake" that the average listener might not notice. The plus side is that you also hear cool things they do that you're inspired to try yourself.
I'm not where I want to be and I probably never will be (is any musician ever as good as they want to be?), but when I look back to the frustrations and limitations and uphill climb I faced 23 years ago, and where I'm at now, it's hard not to be just a little proud of myself.
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I play upright bass (with a bow) and I intend to get a bass guitar soon. I haven't completely coordinated having for than one finger plucking at a time, so that will need to be worked on. (been playing for 6 years since I was 11, I'll be 17 this Saturday.)
I can sing, but I haven't had any formal anything about it and people tell me my singing sucks. I can remember almost any lyric I hear, however, and I do stay in tune.. My voice is just not pleasing to the ear when it comes to singing.
I'm barely learning how to play piano.
Intend to become a music major at Northwestern State University of Louisiana (*gulp*).
I jam, and I would soon like to record a jam or two of mine (upright bass with a bow only) so I can arrange some schtuff.
Someday, I will either: 1. become a music teacher 2. go into a band (I have several ideas about this), or 3. simply compose music and make money off of it, and write fiction (I'm actually a decent writer)
About whatever band I would create, I was thinking about having me (upright bass, bass guitar), another (vocals), another (bassoon), another (tuba), and another (timpani, bass drum), and we would all make crazy bass crap.
The name of the band would be The Lower End.
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*rest of the story*
I'm not where I want to be and I probably never will be (is any musician ever as good as they want to be?), but when I look back to the frustrations and limitations and uphill climb I faced 23 years ago, and where I'm at now, it's hard not to be just a little proud of myself.
Ah, the wonders and joys of practicing! I can relate to pretty much all you said there, except I've been playing for considerably less than 23 years. I too am nowhere near where I want to be, but I have also found great joy and gratitude in teaching others to play. I used to coach bands of children aged 8-15 and teach them stuff on guitar. It was fun and teaching others always reminds you of the fact that you were once there too.
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*rest of the story*
I'm not where I want to be and I probably never will be (is any musician ever as good as they want to be?), but when I look back to the frustrations and limitations and uphill climb I faced 23 years ago, and where I'm at now, it's hard not to be just a little proud of myself.
Ah, the wonders and joys of practicing! I can relate to pretty much all you said there, except I've been playing for considerably less than 23 years. I too am nowhere near where I want to be, but I have also found great joy and gratitude in teaching others to play. I used to coach bands of children aged 8-15 and teach them stuff on guitar. It was fun and teaching others always reminds you of the fact that you were once there too.
Teaching can be cool. I love to teach others the 'wonders of music', but not so much where the note C is. I think others are better in doing that. The most fun in practicing, for me, is the fact that you can actually surprise yourself. In times when I play a lot, and with a lot of musicians, and become so motivated that the instant I come home I play some more, I love to hear myself play stuff I didn't think I could.
Just like a solo in a live show, sometimes I'm just 'in it', and things come out that scare me, things I never could imagine. And that's one of the wonders of practicing, you can get better than you think you can.
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One of the things I used to notice back when I started was that I was practicing a song like crazy but never quite nailing it. Frustrated, I went to learn another song and when I got back to the original, I could nail it no problem. The ego boost from those experiences are awesome and makes it all worth it.
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That happens to me a lot, and I'd imagine that it's pretty common. I've always figured that there's a point of diminishing returns regarding practice. For example, an hour is probably fine, two hours if you can handle it, but practicing four hours on the same song will not do twice as much good as practicing two hours, and practicing eight hours on the same song is insane. You will not end up playing it eight times as well as you did after that first hour's practice. Fatigue sets in, and frankly, so does boredom.
You need to take sometime away, let your brain and your fingers do something else for a while. Then when you come back to the one song, your fingers will remember most of it, and just need a little extra guidance from your brain, which has also had some time to absorb it. At least that's my theory.
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I can't wait until my summer holidays truly start and I can finally play shitloads of music!
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I've always figured that there's a point of diminishing returns regarding practice.
I agree with that. Practice is great but you also need to rest the muscles. Otherwise the muscles won't heal and become stronger.
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My band is finally getting ready to record our first demo / self release!!! :D
30 minutes of Suicidal, Misanthropic, Anti-Life and Depressed awesomeness!
I'm going to record all the guitar parts with Sterling By Music Man AX3 . One of the best guitars I've ever had :laugh:
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Hi fellow DT fans
I'm a drummer from Cape Town, South Africa. Been a fan of DT since high school hehe. Got involved in a little band a few years back, that was the coolest thing ever. Always said I've wanted my own band, though. Will definitely be prog :metal
On the lookout for Mike Mangini signature sticks and it's a mission hey....
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Finally have a full lineup. (although thinking about adding keyboards, but still uncertain)
We're called "All Hail". We play (obviously) progressive music, but not EXACTLY the way DT does it. I'd say we're more like a progressive version of maybe Alter Bridge, with a little bit of AAL and Periphery influence, and then a little bit of Coheed influence, and DT's attitude. I had written ten songs for our first album, before there were even other members in the band. Those songs range from heavy, to bluesy, to kinda ballady all acoustic. And over the last three months I've been writing our second album's worth of songs for a concept album (lyrically and musically conceptual). This album as a whole is WAY lighter than the first one. And then to make up for the lack of heaviness of that album, we're planning on releasing an EP after those first two are finished and recorded, of all heavy songs that I've started writing here and there.
Overall this should be really cool, and when we get things demoed and recorded, I'd love to share it with you guys. Hopefully you all really dig it. I'm sure there's something here for all of you!
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I kind of found a traditional Finnish instrument called the Kantele during my travels and bought one. It's a type of baltic psaltery apparently.
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Just came home from a fantastic gig with my progressive rock/metal band Overhaul. We had beautiful weather, played for about an hour and got lots of great response from the audience afterwards. Best gig in my life? Insofar as gratitude from the audience goes, yes, probably.
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Awesome! ♫♫ There is no better feeling.
I got to play tonight, too. Just a "small" get-together at some friends' house on the lake. Maybe 150-200 people, live music starting at Noon, food, boat rides, open bar, pretty serious shindig actually. She sings, he plays bass, and they leave a spot at 6:00 pm for them and whoever is around and wants to play. This guy named Scott sat in on piano; I'd brought my woodwinds with me, but didn't know if I could just go up there or what. They throw this to-do every year, but this is the first time I've gone. There was a guitar, drummer, and percussionist as well. At some point, Mike (the host and bass player) told me that Scott was gonna grab his tenor sax and I could take the piano. We did some songs, some of which I didn't even know (but took a solo anyway).
Then Mike said to grab my alto and we'd do "Sweet Home Chicago". I thought that'd be sweet, with alto and tenor saxes, but Scott went back to the piano. Okay. I played sax anyway, even took a solo. Pretty much everyone takes a solo in that song, but it was wacky because I'd never played it before. That's how it goes sometimes. Actually we all took solos during most of the songs. It was that kind of gig. Felt good.
Music is the best. ♫♫
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Tomorrow, me and my family are going to a house fellowship (as we are organic christians). This was the same fellowship we went to a couple of weeks ago, and like 3 people were playing on instruments (there was an acoustic guitar, a few small percussion pieces), and most of them sang. We ate and talked afterwards (I was so happy there were like 5 peers I could actually talk to.. and THEY WERE GEEKS LIKE ME! :hefdaddy).
Yesterday, my father suggested I bring my bass and amp.
So that's what I'll be doing tomorrow ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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:tup
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Just played probably the most fun gig I've ever played. It's so much more fun when you can get a bunch of your friends to show up to a rock gig in their town when they can't be bothered to haul themselves to a jazz gig 30 miles away :lol.
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I haven't played a gig as a drummer since November 2006.
I played a gig as a frontman when I tried to give that a go and I hated it. I'm not a frontman AT ALL. I was so awkward.
I'd rather be *just* the guitarist or *just* the drummer. I have absolutely no charisma or confidence at all.
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I almost always prefer backing someone else than fronting or performing solo. I guess there's times when I've specifically worked up a solo piece that I'd like for people to hear it, but in general, let someone else take the spotlight. I'm just there to help make them sound good.
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MOST IMPORTANT THING WHEN IMPROVISING: FINDING THE KEY SIGNATURE.
Otherwise, you're playing a bunch of notes that don't sound correct.
And with Christian (simple) music, it's going to be in either A, G, D, or C keys.
I hate A. A is my least favorite key. C and D are the easiest, but B is probably my favorite.
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Hi guys!
Im a guitarrist from Ensenada Mexico :P , i love to compose and make new things :3.
I've created a song like a month ago, and it's sound good, i need opinons and tell me what you think,
it's Technical Deatm metal with some variations, hope you like it :metal .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4Hc8tethDM
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I'm thinking about picking up the bass and writing some new songs. I've got the time and a weird desire to do it lately. I'll let you cats know if I come up with anything.
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That sounds kinda different. Usually you hear about people writing songs on guitar or maybe piano, I guess because you have chords to work with, but I can't think of any reason why you couldn't write songs on bass as long as you can hear it in your head.
Do you play any other instruments?
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That sounds kinda different. Usually you hear about people writing songs on guitar or maybe piano, I guess because you have chords to work with, but I can't think of any reason why you couldn't write songs on bass as long as you can hear it in your head.
Do you play any other instruments?
Yeah, i play guitar. I only own bass guitars now, though. I usually can write on bass and transcribe pretty well to guitar.
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That sounds kinda different. Usually you hear about people writing songs on guitar or maybe piano, I guess because you have chords to work with, but I can't think of any reason why you couldn't write songs on bass as long as you can hear it in your head.
Do you play any other instruments?
It doesn't seem too odd to me, especially for riff based music.
When I compose music on my computer, I usually end up starting with a bass line, which sets the groove of the song, then I build upon that with the drum beat to complete the rhythm section, and then accompaniment, and the melody often comes last, or just develops at its own pace along with whatever it has to play over.
That may even seem entirely backwards, but everyone has a different approach. If you were writing a ballad, piano or guitar would probably be much better suited, but for rock/metal, bass can work quite well as a foundation for a song in my experience.
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A lot of the stuff I write starts on the bass, as that is the instrument I'm most comfortable with. You can also test out chords higher up the neck, and also using harmonics, although they won't be the same chord shapes you'd commonly use on guitar (strumming a barre chord on a bass has a habit of sounding like arse).
Granted, a lot of that stuff is co-written with a friend of mine, who plays an absolute shit-ton of instruments (even more than I currently have, I think), but bass is a pretty good one to start on, even if you might not necessarily end up with chord or melody driven stuff, there's little that beats a damn good riff for setting up a hypnotic groove.
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Hmm, when I write songs I'll start out with either a guitar riff, a chord progression or a melody, never with a bassline. I suppose I could try this sometime, as I do own a bass guitar. I should also play piano more often. And get my saxophone out permanently again. And get better at guitar. Once you start making music, it gets more difficult to get to do the stuff you want to, as you explore more and more about making music.
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It's hard to get better at what you want, when what you want to do is always changing.
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I just started practice after a bit of a summer break so I thought why not find some fun thing on YT on snaredrum to get some inspiration....
So I found this cool drumline remix of Can't Hold Us and hot damn it's crazy written...I may have to spend some time on this fucker! :lol
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jt-Uq-rb8Q4
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Fucking hell, I hit a wall again in my guitar playing. Either that, or I'm just tired, but my right hand is screwing me up very badly at the moment at anything remotely fast. The frustration that comes with this is immense. Perhaps I should just stop for the day and resume tomorrow.
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So, anything happening here, my fellow musicians?
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So, anything happening here, my fellow musicians?
Well, I'm starting to write lyrics for music I haven't come up with
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So, anything happening here, my fellow musicians?
Been finally getting more and more paying gigs, but between that and my day job, I rarely have time to shed :-\
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Uh, I got given a didgeridoo, so I now have instruments from all but two human inhabited continents.
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Just took the time to figure out Rose Of Sharyn and The Arms of Sorrow by Killswitch Engage.
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New pick-ups on my RG1527 :metal
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I haven't even picked up my guitar for about two weeks, don't know why :-\
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I haven't even picked up my guitar for about two weeks, don't know why :-\
._. I have a solution for you.... BUY A NEW GUITAR!!! That's what I'm going to do.. I've always wanted a telecaster .
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GIVE ME SOME MONEY! ;D
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GIVE ME SOME MONEY! ;D
Just sell your old ones! :laugh:
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Hmm I have an old acoustic that would maybe make 50€, one incredibly shitty Strat copy that nobody would buy and an Ibanez RG that I love too much to sell it. Not really that profitable :lol
I'm still a student after all ;)
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I'm thinking of uploading some videos of me playing random stuff on Youtube, but I don't really know where to start. Anyone else that does this? I'm thinking along the lines of guitar covers / solos etc.
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Nobody? :p
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I would offer advice, but I have none. I have a bunch of videos of a couple of musical things I've done, and decided to upload them to YouTube last year sometime. That's when I discovered that YouTube had been changed and "upgraded" to the point where they're trying to make it like it's own social medium or something. I figured I had to set up an account, but I also had to set up a home page and a bunch of shit that seemed like "Facebook lite" or something. Then after uploading a few videos, I discovered that no one could see them because I'd managed to put them in the equivalent of the "comments" section and not on my main page. Or something. I never did figure out what the fuck was going on, and just gave up.
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Soundcloud is often popular.
I played the 8 string for the first time in months today. Ah, I've missed that thing.
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Nobody? :p
DO A COVER OF THE FOUNTAIN OF LAMNETH :hefdaddy :hefdaddy :hefdaddy :hefdaddy
J/k. But when/if I make a band, The Fountain of Lamneth will be on the early recordings ;D
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Soundcloud is often popular.
I played the 8 string for the first time in months today. Ah, I've missed that thing.
Yeah, I know, but you can't really upload a video there right? I want to do some stuff of me playing along to records, so I figured Youtube would be the best place.
Also, is that an 8-stringed guitar? I still need to try that sometime!
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Ah video, true.
Nope, it's an 8 string bass (octave strings ftw)
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Sounds cool! I've never seen one. That thing must have a HUGE fretboard, right?
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Sounds cool! I've never seen one. That thing must have a HUGE fretboard, right?
I don't think so actually since the four additional strings are octave strings as Sketchy said. A 12 string guitar's fretboard isn't much bigger than a 6 string one either :)
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It's a little larger than a four-string fretboard, but not as large as my five string's fretboard. Here's a pic of it (and my two four string basses) from a couple of years ago.
(https://scontent-a-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/76509_10150347167605585_6465523_n.jpg)
I need more basses, evidently.
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I only have two, but it might as well be three since one of them is as big as me ;D
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What type of bass is it? Human sized bass sounds cool.
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(https://schoolmusicneeds.com/images/double%20bass%20pic.jpg)
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1. I should have thought of that.
2. That's awesome.
3. DO WANT (But want nice keyboard and fretless 5 string first, as like hell do I have room for one of those until July at least).
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(https://schoolmusicneeds.com/images/double%20bass%20pic.jpg)
I sometimes feel really humbled when I see someone cover a song like Panic Attack on Youtube.
But then I remember that I can play this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmBk0v1hp88 almost perfectly.
Loletudesfororchestra. I was just inspired to post a video of me doing that song, and the other song I'm doing for Region (which is significantly for difficult but slower)
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Is the upright particularly difficult to play?
(Granted, I should probably practice the hell out of my other instruments soon, the more obscure ones have been a little neglected this month).
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Upright can be difficult to play. It generally doesn't get hugely difficult parts in most composition unless it's a solo or etude, or just one of those pieces where everyone gets a hard part. Intonation and tone are the real problems playing a bass. It's very easy to get out of tune (it's non-fretted duh). Tone is easier to get right, you just need to have good habits (DON'T POINT THE BOW AT THE FLOOR).
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I'm used to intonation problems, as I have a fretless, but I'm still a bit shit. (The fretless is the one with the black fingerboard).
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My video is uploading at this very moment ;D
I also did a bit of random crap the end. Upright bass can replace a Continuum, by the way.
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Excuse me while I squeal with excitement.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Mm8hq1b824
;D
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I'll give it a listen after this Godspeed album finishes.
What cruel bastard gave that line to an upright? Also: nice use of DT in there.
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So, I just realized that I have an auxiliary adapter for the cord you plug your electric bass/keyboard/electric guitar into your amp with. AN AUXILIARY ADAPTER.
I have a microphone, an electric bass, and a keyboard I know I can do this with.
Next week I'll make some music with the assistance of my computer :caffeine:
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Grrrr. :angry:
Off to practice. Praise band, we're playing in a fund-raising thing tomorrow which will suck because almost all of the conditions which were givens and were considered when we agreed to play have turned out to be crap. No sound check. There was supposed to be someone at least running sound, but no, we'll be doing it ourselves from on stage. There was supposed to be microphones and P.A., but no, we're providing that ourselves and we don't even have enough for the whole band. We're gonna go up there, we'll have ten minutes tops to set everything up, then play three songs. There are ten area bands playing, and that's our slot. We'll have no idea what it sounds like out there, and no way to fix anything anyway.
I don't even know if I enjoy playing in this band anymore. I'm the "leader" just because I have the most experience, and can arrange tunes. If the pastor asks us to play a certain song, some of the others might be able to find it on YouTube. None of them would be able to just pick out their parts and learn them. So I write up chord charts for the guitars, vocal charts for the singers, lead parts for the sax, flute, violin, whatever else I can work in to make it sound like something, learn my own part of course, and lead the rehearsals. I'm the only one who knows how to do any of that.
The only reason I keep doing it is because it's all we have. If I quit, not only would I be a quitter (again), but the band would completely disintegrate. It's still my church, I'd still be going there, and everyone would know that Alpha is no more because Bob just didn't want to do it anymore. It was too much work. What a whiny baby. So I keep doing it. We actually suck, but people like hearing us, and the rest of the band likes doing it. As long as I'm doing all the work.
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Rehearsal was not a total disaster. Actually, after working pretty hard on the vocals the other night (arrangements courtesy of yours truly), we dug up whatever P.A. we could find out of the closet, set it all up, and rehearsed with it. It was not horrible. If we can set up quickly tomorrow, and convince them to give us a few minutes just to check levels and stuff, we might be okay. It's a fundraiser, so we're not getting paid (we never do) so they'll be getting their money's worth. Actually, the people attending will have paid a $10 "contribution" so it would be nice if we sounded good for them.
It's not that I don't want to sound good. A gig's a gig, and I'll be giving it all I have. I'm just not overly optimistic. All I can hope for is an audience that's not particularly demanding, and a lucky break on how the sound works out. On stage, we're gonna sound about as good as we can.
I love show biz. :yarr
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Apparently we didn't suck. The sound was a little low, and people said it was kinda hard to hear the vocals, but what they did hear sounded really good. I would make a remark about the relatively low standards of the audience, but that's pretty much a given. We couldn't hear the monitor at all, so that meant that most of the singers didn't sing very loudly. The old problem with not singing out because you can't hear yourself and don't know how you sound. I think this is why people said they couldn't always hear the vocals.
Also, while moving things, the pedal for the piano fell and broke, but I didn't realize that until we set up and started playing, and I had no sustain pedal. So I got to play the entire 3-song set doing the thing where you hold the keys down as much as possible while playing, to provide sustain. So that was fun.
In total, 11 churches were involved in this fundraiser. We raised a total of $5200, of which $3200 came from our church. The main guy who set everything up and organized everything was from our church, three of the bands were from our church, and we gave well over half the money. It's like no one else had any interest. The reason why it was so poorly organized was because our guy was doing it all, and it was supposed to be a big group effort, but no one else helped out and he had no experience with this kind of thing. Even the ushers and ticket-takers were all ours. Where the heck were the people from the other churches?
Oh well. We were a big part of raising over five grand for youth services in our area, people thought we were great, and our church is already asking if we're gonna play a Christmas gig again. Looks like I keep doing this for a while.
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Went and set up the recording gear for the first time in a while.
... It'd be nice to get "Watching" recorded this year...
Also, nice one Orbert. Hope it continues going well.
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I love that feeling, the exciting feeling of setting up the gear for the first time in a while. The anticipation.
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I restrang and retuned the guzheng recently too, now that thing is sounding gorgeous, but during the restring, I did end up covered in blood (turns out the strings for that thing are sharp at the end). But yeah, getting gear back out is so damn fun.
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Damn, covered in blood just from setting up your gear! Who says musicians don't sacrifice for their art?
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So using this awesome program called MuseScore, I'm slowly composing a 5 part suite, bookended by arrangements (No One at the Bridge by Rush, and a song from a slightly obscure video game that I love).
I'm working on the arrangements first, and I've currently finished the finale of the song.
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Another Christmas season, another Advent Pageant (fancy name for the Christmas play the kids do at the church).
This year, the play itself is not a musical, for the first time in many years. Straight drama, but there will be some Christmas songs before and after, and we have a bunch of kids who can play instruments. So they've asked me to whip up some kind of instrumental parts to "augment" the songs. I'm thinking adding a countermelody here and there, and of course the old standby of letting a solo instrument play the intro. Yay.
The new youth minister is pretty nuts, and she asked me if I could come up with some kind of prelude for the kids to play. A challenge! I've got a 4th grader who plays violin, a 7th grader who can play piano and viola, a 6th grader who plays percussion (including tuned percussion), an 8th grader who plays the flute, and another 8th grader who plays flute and electric bass. Whoa.
Silent Night. Marimba lays down a 3/4 pattern. Violin comes in with the melody. Viola comes in on the third strain with a "bass" line. First verse finishes as a trio. Flutes in harmony for the second verse, viola continues bass line, marimba line is simplified, violin echoes first two strains then wanders off into a countermelody/harmony thing. Occassionally, the viola gets to do something interesting in the bottom, and once in a while things come together into a classic quartet, with the marimba as continuo.
It's crazy because of the relatively limited skill levels of the kids, but Christmas music lends itself to that. Simple parts, but if you play everything reasonably in tune, it will sound pretty nice. Cooked most of it up in my head last night, wrote it up this morning, we rehearse it on Sunday.
I love show biz. ♫♫
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Just got back from playing Christmas carols at the retirement home. An hour of faking it on the piano, first time we'd done it in three years. 30 or 35 old people are now that much happier. :)
It's somewhat tied to the church, as we have a number of members who are also residents at the retirement home. Our old choir director would sing, I'd play the piano, and our other tenor (there are only two of us) would usually join us. He's got a great ear for harmony would provide a nice harmony or just double the melody. It was somewhere between a sing-a-long and a performance. A lot of the old folks still like to sing, but many are just there to listen and dig the Christmas songs. It's cool either way.
Two years ago, we didn't do it because our choir director was just too busy, had too much going on. Then last year, she apparently just never got it together. The bummer was twofold; first, we used to get $100 each to do it, and I'll take $100 for an easy hour's work. And I just like playing Christmas music anyway. She told me that I could organize it if I wanted. Right. Unfortunately I can't really lead songs from the piano, so someone would have to step up and lead. Michael (the other tenor) just isn't a front man, I honestly couldn't think of anyone else with the personality to do it (I'm 51 and the second youngest member of the choir - Michael is the youngest). So it didn't happen.
This year, we have a new choir director. Our old one finally decided that it was just too much work and not enough money. Fine, later, see ya. One of the old church ladies asked me if we were going to do the Christmas sing-a-long this year. It's been a while, and they miss it. So I pushed our new choir director into leading it. She, Michael and I did it, just like in the old days. Except there's also a new Activities Director at the old folks home, and I couldn't figure out how to bring up the subject of money. I could use the $100, I'm sure they could afford it, but oh well. I guess this is how we do it now.
On the way home, I started wondering how long it's been since I played for money. All the church stuff is gratis of course; I've accompanied people a few times, also for free, and played a bunch of gigs just for fun. People used to slide me cash now and then to play for them. That doesn't happen anymore. I guess it's kinda cool that I've finally grown up and figured out that it's not about the money. It would be nice, yeah, but so is seeing all those old people smiling and singing.
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Okay, since this thread seems to have become "Orbert's Music Diary and Brag and Whine Thread" I'm gonna just go on.
December tends to be pretty busy for me, musically, but this month has been extra fun. Mostly church and church-related stuff, but that makes sense since most of it's been Christmas-related. So if that bugs you... too bad.
December 8th, Sunday, the choir performed our "Christmas Cantata". I don't know why or how it came to be called that, other than that it's catchy, but it's not really a cantata. In the past, the church choir has performed a number of pieces from Handel's "Messiah", but honestly, that was getting old, so we went a different direction this year. Five pieces arranged for full choir, each preceded by a scripture reading, taking us through the Christmas story. Nice variety to the songs, nice arrangements (each was anthem-quality), and I even got to play the flute on one of them. And then we finished with "The Hallelujah Chorus". So six pieces altogether, extra rehearsals, great stuff.
December 10th, Tuesday evening, the aforementioned Christmas sing-a-long thing at the old folks' home. I just played the piano, and literally got a cookie for my efforts. It was a good one, though. Chocolate chip. Big and thick and soft and gooey. I'd gone there straight from work and hadn't eaten dinner yet, but I had to be a little bit social, so one cookie.
This past Sunday, the 15th, was the Children's Christmas Pageant. It was drama this year, rather than a musical as it's always been in years past, but since we have a lot of kids who play instruments, they asked me to come up with stuff for them to do. I was given some specific things to try and do, but a fair amount of rein in how to do it. Altogether, I ended up adding two flutes and a viola to "What Child Is This?" (instrumental intro, various countermelodies and augmentations throughout); a clarinet to "Away in a Manger" (same, but more advanced since he's really good and can wail); and the show-stopper, "Silent Night" ended up being two flutes, violin, viola, bells, and acoustic guitar.
I was originally told that it would be the Prelude, just a nice instrumental thing to set the mood, so I went with two verses, pretty simple arrangement. I didn't have the guitar, and the tuned percussionist was going to play marimba, not bells, so the marimba laid down the pattern, and the strings and flutes played around. Then they wanted to make it the offertory and asked me to make it longer, three verses. Argh. I hate it when that happens. Also, my percussionist didn't like the marimba and asked if she could play her bell set. This completely changed the dynamics of the arrangement, and at this point I only had a week. Later that same rehearsal, I was told that I'd have a guitarist available. Problem solved. He strums acoustic guitar throughout to give everything a base, bells get to play around, double the melody/harmony here and there, everyone gets their chance to shine. When it's three verses of instrumental, it can really start sounding like the same thing over and over, so you have to get creative. Start it simpler, build it up as you go (or otherwise vary things), give different sections their turns at melody, harmony, and various counters, that kind of thing. The big constraint was the relatively limited skill level of the musicians. The violinist was fourth grade, the flutes are eighth grade; that was my range. I used all the tricks I could think of. People seemed to really like it.
This Sunday, the praise band is doing three songs plus the offertory. Our personnel has changed since last year, I'm down one flute and one guitar, so I had my choice of coming up with a new instrumental or revamping the old one. Kinda cheesy, but I ended up reworking the one from last year. Violin, flute, and soprano sax for leads, acoustic guitar and piano for continuo and color. I'm not 100% happy with it, but my audience isn't particularly demanding and I'm sure everyone will rave. That's not a brag; they pretty much go nuts anyway. They're a very appreciative congregation. Last week, our guitarist came up with this wacky idea to lead a sing-a-long 15 minutes before the start of the service. Most people get to church early, hang out, drink coffee, and chat. The choir is rehearsing, and there's the people who set up the coffee and snacks anyway. So starting at quarter to, we'll play five songs and dare people to come in and sing with us. Secular yet Christmas/winter-related songs, like "Jingle Bells", "Winter Wonderland", etc. Rehearsal tomorrow. And oh yeah, the choir is still doing the anthem. So I'll be singing, playing keyboards, and flute at various times throughout.
On the 29th, the choir gets the day off, since so many of us are out of town for the winter break and stuff. They asked me if I'd be around, and I am, since we're broke and never go anywhere. They asked if I could put together some music. I'm just gonna do a piano solo. I'm trying to decide between some kind of wacky fantasia of Christmas songs/hymns, or just a single song done up. I'm leaning towards the latter since it will be less work, but you never know.
About a month ago, I was contacted by a girl who used to sing in the bands with me at one of my other churches (I have a few, kinda) about joining a band. A regular band, classic rock. They were getting together for an initial run-through and getting-to-know-you, I think it was back on the 7th, but I couldn't make it because I was rehearsing with the kids. I told her that December is just too crazy, but I'm interested and please keep me in mind. Church music will calm down significantly after the holidays, so if they still need a keyboard player come January, let me know. She contacted me again the other day, asked if she could give them my email and phone number, and I provided them. So we'll see. I might actually be playing in a real band, first time in years.
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Your church sounds freaking epic, Orbert. I lead worship in my congregation and most, if not every Sunday, we are a power trio :lol. I have a Geddy-esque midi keyboard pedal-board thing which I use to run Mainstage, just for pads and the like, to fill out the sound. Which can be a doozy to get around considering I'm playing the only guitar (electric, so I have guitar pedals to keep my feet extra busy) and singing, leading the band and the congregation. I'd love to be at a service conducted by you, sounds like it would be so beautiful.
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Midwest Clinic was FUUUUUUUN. We also won like 3 significant spots, so that's amazing.
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Congrats! :tup
Your church sounds freaking epic, Orbert. I lead worship in my congregation and most, if not every Sunday, we are a power trio :lol. I have a Geddy-esque midi keyboard pedal-board thing which I use to run Mainstage, just for pads and the like, to fill out the sound. Which can be a doozy to get around considering I'm playing the only guitar (electric, so I have guitar pedals to keep my feet extra busy) and singing, leading the band and the congregation. I'd love to be at a service conducted by you, sounds like it would be so beautiful.
Our church is actually pretty small, maybe 60 or 80 people in attendance any given Sunday. We just do a lot of music. I guess I'm one of the more active ones, just because it seems to me like these musical things should be happening, and since I can do it, I do it. I lead, or at least participate. Someone has to. It's weird; when I was growing up, everyone took piano lessons, most kids took band or orchestra, so most people I know play at least one or two instruments. Or maybe it was just the people I hung out with. I don't have a lot to give, but I can contribute my music, and people seem to dig it, so I do it.
In other news, I got a call tonight from the guy from the band that needs a keyboard player. Unfortunately, it was while we were on our way out to dinner with another couple. All four of us were in the car, I was driving, plus it was raining, so I didn't really want to talk on the phone at the time. You know how people ask "Is this a bad time for you?" Well, it was. He understood, and said he'd call me back tomorrow afternoon. I hope he does. I want to play in a band. A real band.
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My friend who plays crazy instruments turned up yesterday and demoed both a new song he's got (with an accoustic in drop-B) and a new instrument he's got (Irish bouzouki). We ended up getting the beginnings of two new songs which are guzheng and bouzouki driven.
Hopefully in March, I'll have a week or two off to work on said songs and record some others too.
Also: Hope you can get in a band again soon, Orbert.
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The guy called me back the next day, as he said he would. It was a little different, but I can't say it was too weird considering the circumstances. We're all fogies, in our 50's. We used to play in bands back in the 70's and 80s. It was just called Rock and Roll then, but now it's Classic Rock or 70's Rock. Through a couple of different websites aimed at putting people together based on similar interests, he's assembled a second guitarist (he plays guitar), a bassist, and a drummer, also a male and female vocalist. His "vision" is to have a singer of each gender to maximize the number of songs we can cover, and they can harmonize as needed, possibly adding one or more voices from the others.
The first male singer didn't work out, and they didn't have a keyboard player, so a week from today, I'll join them on keys, and the new male singer will also be there for the first time. Right after Christmas, the drummer dropped out, citing previously unforseen conflicts, so a new drummer will now be starting as well.
The "different but not really weird" part is that it's somewhat business-like. We talked on the phone for 45 minutes. Talked about my musical background as well as my personal life. He's the CIO of a major corporation; he's doing alright, and has no illusions of being a "rock star" as most of us did when we were younger. This is strictly to get together and play music, hopefully very well, with other like-minded folks that he can get along with. And if we ultimately end up playing weddings or parties and making some money, that's cool too, but it's not the primary goal. So the lengthy phone call was like an interview, a phone screening. By the end, he said I sounded like a good fit. We have similar tastes in music, are around the same age, and played in bars back around the same time. We all miss playing, and are just looking to play in a band again.
Through email, he sent out mp3's and chord charts for four songs, which everyone will practice individually, and we'll put them together on the 12th. They're the same songs the others played last month, but half the band is new now. "China Grove" by The Doobie Brothers, "High On You" by Survivor, "I Saw Her Standing There" by The Beatles, and "Spooky" by The Atlanta Rhythm Section. All original keys, all original arrangements. "High On You" fades out at the end, but we found a live version of it with an ending, so we'll do that.
The Beatles song is the only one without keyboards, but interestingly, there are handclaps throughout, and I have a couple of different presets with various sounds, including handclaps. So I'll "play" the handclaps at the runthrough. Will they be impressed at my initiative? I don't know. But in general, keyboard players are there to fill things in, and I'm covering something that's on the original record. The song will sound better, and if they say anything, hey, it's on the record so I played it. There were songs back in the old days that didn't have keys, and I sometimes grabbed a tambourine or woodblock, but sometimes those were just songs which I sat out. I hated that. If the band has keys, you play songs with keys, none of this "Well, you just don't play on this song" bullshit.
Anyway, we'll see.
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These days keyboards a great "catch all" for any instrument or sound effect that another band member isn't playing, whether it was originally a keyboard part or not. Anything that makes the song sound closer to the original studio recording that people know and love and want to hear, all the better, I say.
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Lately I've been trying to make my rig more of a classic keys rig. I don't want to press a button and have a complete patch setup full of splits, pre-fixed effects etc. Nowadays I have my NordStage, with either a cool Rhodes, or a B3, a cool Synth Lead on my Korg R3, a cool Synth Bass on my MS20Mini, and a small iPhone-midi-keyboard with either some strings or a mellotron on it.
Everything else I have to do, I do live. Want a soft organ for this song? Just set it in the milliseconds you have between songs. Some crunch on that rhodes sound? Turn the drive up a little. That way I'm not a fifth 'make it sound like the original' bandmember, but more like a guitar player. I've got a sound, and I can fiddle with that, but nearly everything is live.
The point is, there are not a lot of bands that dig that. It's kinda like the Jordan Rudess (everything is set up) vs. the Derek Sherinian (classic instruments, everything is there when you need it) approach.
Here's my setup
(https://scontent-b-ams.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/1499434_615912878457091_1797270556_n.jpg)
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I agree with you regarding the Jordan vs. Derek thing. I have to admit, Jordan's setup is pretty damned cool, how the entire set list is pre-programmed, and all he has to do is hit a foot switch, and he goes from synth to piano to organ; pre-split, doubled; before, during and after songs.
But I always feel more like a "real keyboard player" when I actually have to hit some buttons or tweak some knobs between or during songs. To all three people out there paying attention to me, yes I actually do know what all this shit does.
These days keyboards a great "catch all" for any instrument or sound effect that another band member isn't playing, whether it was originally a keyboard part or not. Anything that makes the song sound closer to the original studio recording that people know and love and want to hear, all the better, I say.
That's my attitude as well. It's gonna sound better having the part covered, especially if the alternative is me doing nothing.
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But I always feel more like a "real keyboard player" when I actually have to hit some buttons or tweak some knobs between or during songs. To all three people out there paying attention to me, yes I actually do know what all this shit does.
That's my attitude as well. It's gonna sound better having the part covered, especially if the alternative is me doing nothing.
If the alternative is doing nothing I'd go with playing handclaps, yes. With the Beatles songs we play, I usually fire up an old, distorted Farfisa organ, sounds pretty 60's. Or drink whiskey, but that's not really something to do during rehearsal. I totally agree with the way you approach keyboard playing though!
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Nihil (or Orbert) What iphone app do you use for Mellotron sounds??
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I can't answer that one. I don't have an iPhone.
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Nihil (or Orbert) What iphone app do you use for Mellotron sounds??
Super Manetron! By far the best!
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So I played with the new "almost-band". Okay, it wasn't horrible.
The Good:
In two hours, we locked down four songs. That may not sound like much (and it's not), but this is starting from nothing, and ending up with four songs we could play all the way through, everybody getting all their parts, vocals, instrumentals, breaks, everything. Live performance quality. And it sounded damned good. Really.
The Bad:
John, the "organizer" (he emphasizes that he is not the "leader" but merely the one who organizes and schedules everything), started off by explaining the "rules". We start the song, and any time someone gets lost or can't hear something or hears something bad, we stop and fix it. Okay, that's one way to do it, I guess, but I'm used to at least plowing through the song the first time, and only stopping if it becomes a complete train wreck and we literally can't continue. A lot of things work themselves out once you've played through the song once or twice. Instead, we literally would play 20 or thirty seconds, stop, figure out what the problem was, fix it, start again. Repeat. And the vast majority of the time, it was stopping so that the guitarists and/or bassist could get something figured out. They are the ones who've already rehearsed this stuff once! The drummer and I, both of us new but apparently much better prepared, just ended up looking at each other and grinning and shrugging a lot. We never said a word, but it was there. "What? Didn't these guy learns their parts first?" Never once did we have to stop for me or the drummer.
But hopefully that will get better. I mean, I knew I was "trying out" so I've done nothing but listen to these songs on my iPod at home, in the car, and while working out. I've played along with them, played without them, played them in my head while going to sleep. I had my parts down. What the heck were the other guys doing the past month? I used to learn four songs a week. These guys have had two months.
So it was a slow start, but a start. By the end, we had four songs locked and we sat at the big table, had a beer/pop/water, and talked about the future of the band. We're all in (for now). We'll put together songs lists, start adding two songs per week, and in four months we should have 30 songs, enough to play a gig somewhere.
It's interesting. I've never played in a band with "strangers" before. It's always been the guys I grew up with, or at least one or two guys I knew, plus some friend of somebody's, something like that. Here, I knew Karen the singer, she's how I got hooked up with these guys, but everyone else was new to me. We all got on pretty well; we're all professionals, not kids with raging egos and delusions of becoming rock stars, so it was very well organized (almost too organized, really). But once we get more comfortable with each other and our "real" personalities start to show, we'll see how well we still get along. For now, it's just fun playing again. The next couple of rehearsals will reveal much.
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Progress is progress. What type of music are you guys playing?
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Took part in the competition to win a spot at Bloodstock Festival this year (Down, Megadeth, Emperor headlining), and we absolutely smashed our heat, up against some very good bands. The judges were positively glowing about us.
Well chuffed. Through to the semis ;D
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Congrats, and good luck in the semis!
Progress is progress. What type of music are you guys playing?
"Classic rock" -- whatever that means. We all played in bar bands in the 70's, some of us in the 80's and beyond, and some still play. We learned a 60's tune, two 70's tunes, and an 80's tune on Sunday. Ultimately, I think we should focus more on just 70's and 80's.
With two singers, two guitarists, a bassist, drummer, and keyboardist, we'll never make any money, but if we're lucky we'll reach the point where we get paid enough to cover gas to get to the gig. I have no idea how much bands make these days, I've been out of the biz for so long, but we're splitting it seven ways after expenses, so it's not going to be much anyway.
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Well, i'm a guitar player, piano sratcher, violin noob, cello loverand bad singer.
Always listened to good music since i was inside mommy... Things going from Bach and Paganini to Genesis, Yes, Iron Maiden, Helloween and stuff. Got a little acoustic guitar at age 4, which i used to play until i took it to "brind your favourite toy day" in school and it broke. Yeah.
Then i started playing with piano (yes, WITH piano, because i couldn't play shit). It was from my grandmother. It was always fun to create sounds ant try to play things i heard. Good times.
When i was 12 years old, the electric guitar came in, and so my love for music grew stronger every day. I started taking classes and practiced whole days with a cheap stratocaster. The strings were so high that i could put my pinky under it. That got my arm quite injuried, since i played with tons of tension. Everything i practiced in my first year of guitar was downpicked and with legatto, everything with a lot of tension. I'v cut my fingers open, washed my fingerboard in blood, because of how much i sweated and how rusted the strings got after 1-2 days. I HAD to buy a new guitar. And so did i. I bought my first decent guitar, an Ibanez RG 370, which costed me around USD$1000, because of my country's taxes. :angry:. Well, that was a great boost to my musical interest, and so i kept practicing every day... And here i am :D
Now i really wanna learn to play other instruments, like Sax, Cello and Violin, and play piano again. That's kinda hard where i live, because everything is so expensive...
Still don't know what i want with music...
My plans are to go to a good college of music, not just for the classes, but also to meet people in this area, and maybe create something...
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Update on the "almost band" that I'm playing with. We decided that to start building our song list, we'd each email five songs to Rob the bassist, and he'd set up a Survey Monkey. Each of the seven of us would rank the songs from 1 to 5 indicating how much we liked the song and/or would want to play it. Survey Monkeys are anonymous. After everyone votes, Rob ranks them based on average score, and we use that as our guide to narrowing the field. This was all Rob's idea; he volunteered to do all this.
Dave (singer) screwed up and accidentally emailed his list to everyone. Rick (guitarist) offerred his feedback by replying to all, and it was not positive. Dave's a bit younger than the rest of us and is more into 80's and 90's stuff, and his list of songs reflected that, whereas the rest of us are all old farts and prefer 70's. Anyway, I'm not sure what Rick's problem was, but he didn't hold back. Lots of big red bold letters, THIS ISN'T CLASSIC ROCK and NO! NO! NO! next to every song. Shit like that. What an asshole. So Dave quit. His official reason was that a conflict has come up and he won't be able to continue with the band. To be honest, I'd rather have had Dave than Rick. With me on keys, we need a second guitar less than we need a good singer, and he was a great singer.
This all went down two weeks ago, also Karen (the other singer) had an emergency at home, and Rob threw his back out shoveling snow, so practice was cancelled, during which time John launched a new search for another male singer. He also contacted Rick and presumably told him to stop being an asshole.
We got together last night, with the new singer, who also plays guitar. He told us that he actually considers himself a guitarist first, and a singer second. He likes to sing, but doesn't want to sing all the leads, so it's great that we have Karen as well. He's a pretty good guitarist and not a bad singer. So great, now we have three guitarists. Oh yeah, Karen texted John earlier, saying she'd be there, but she never showed up. John texted her, made sure she was coming, but she never answered. She actually lives the closest to John, less than 10 minutes away. Karen was on Facebook today, posting silly shit, so apparently she didn't get in a wreck on the way over or anything; she just didn't want to be there. I think Karen is gonna quit, too. That's too bad. Karen's the one who got me into the band. I don't even know the rest of these guys.
I still don't really care. I just like playing. We ran through a bunch of songs, tried out the new singer/guitarist, and it was all right. With seven of us, we're never gonna make any money anyway, but some of the others said that there was no point in learning songs if we're never gonna gig anywhere. I guess I can see that, and I'm not opposed to gigging. Hell, it would be fun. I haven't gigged regularly in 30 years. But it's not my main goal. I'll show up to practices, I'll have my parts down (I always do), and if we ever can keep any singers long enough, we might even have a band.
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Aw Orbert, one day you'll get the band you deserve and rock the fuck out and it will be awesome.
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Yeah, it's one of those situations which would actually be comical if it weren't so pathetic. A bunch of fogeys trying to put a band together, apparently with no idea how, and with mostly different ideas about what we're doing in the first place. But as I said, it was fun just playing with other guys. I'll haul my gear half an hour up the road every couple of weeks to jam. I guess I can see it getting old after a while, but for now, what the hell.
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Organizing any group is going to have problems, which seem to compound with the more people you have involved, which is why putting together a band with a common goal and motivation is so seemingly difficult.
It goes for any task really. That's one reason I like to stick to the safety of working alone wherever possible to avoid relying on other people flaking out or just drifting apart from the same goal (that and having no friends :neverusethis: ).
And it probably gets even harder as you get older too, with more responsibilities and less disposable/expendable income for starting up and messing around.
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Yep. All of those things.
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And one other thing. When you're in junior high, playing in the garage with your bros, it's not a huge deal if one or more of you isn't exactly professional quality. It's just for fun. Okay, some of you might be naive enough to think that you're great and will become rock stars, but eventually you grow up. 35 years later, I still get together with those guys back home once or twice a year and have a great time. There's nothing like jamming with guys you've known all your life. It's gonna be fun anyway.
But this is different. Most of us don't know each other, or didn't before signing up for this thing, so there's no personal connection. And none of us are under any delusions that we'll someday be rock stars; we're definitely just doing this for fun. But it's no fun if one or more guys is an asshole and/or doesn't learn his parts and/or can't play in the first place. We practiced again last weekend, four songs, everyone knew what to learn, the guitarists exchanged emails on the side to make sure everyone knew who was playing what part. Rick is still an asshole. "Oh, I thought I was playing this part." And "Hey, I know we agreed to <something> but I just thought it would sound better if I played <something else>." Seriously, dude?
Then the clincher. Afterwards, we're packing up and hauling stuff out to our cars. Some guys leave some gear there, singers travel pretty light, Terry the drummer just leaves his kit there (he has three!), but I have to make multiple trips up and down the stairs (keyboards, amp, stand). I head down for my second load, and John is there with some of the others, and he says "Hey, while I've got you guys here, can I ask your opinion of Rick? Do you think he's going to be a problem in the future?" And three of us immediately say "Yes" and go into reasons why and examples so far. My biggie is that we now have three guitarists, and we just don't need that. Even if there are three distinct guitar parts on the record, two will be played and I can cover/fill on keyboards. It will sound fine.
John shares with us that Rick actually took him aside just a few minutes ago and said "I don't know how much more of this I can take." That surprised John, but he diplomatically asked him to elaborate. "You know, there's all this pressure to learn all these songs, and it's like we're supposed to have everything just right. Like, there's no room for any real grooving or anything." Or however he put it.
Yeah, we pick the songs, and we each have two weeks to learn four songs. Studio versions, as closely as possible; we'll explore ways to "liven them up" as we go, but everyone has to start from the same place. Yes, you're supposed to come to practice after actually having learned your parts. Don't waste band practice time learning your individual part, and don't argue about what you think would sound better after everyone has agreed on who plays what.
So, sorry Rick, but you're an asshole and you can't play. Plus, none of us know you from Adam, so that doesn't leave many reasons to keep you in the band. After getting our feedback, John said he'd been contacting Rick this week to let him know that the band "will be moving forward without him". There's a reason this guy is a VP of a company. He takes charge, and he runs a tight ship. We've still got a lot of shit to work out, but we're getting there.
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And one other thing. When you're in junior high, playing in the garage with your bros, it's not a huge deal if one or more of you isn't exactly professional quality. It's just for fun. Okay, some of you might be naive enough to think that you're great and will become rock stars, but eventually you grow up. 35 years later, I still get together with those guys back home once or twice a year and have a great time. There's nothing like jamming with guys you've known all your life. It's gonna be fun anyway.
But this is different. Most of us don't know each other, or didn't before signing up for this thing, so there's no personal connection. And none of us are under any delusions that we'll someday be rock stars; we're definitely just doing this for fun. But it's no fun if one or more guys is an asshole and/or doesn't learn his parts and/or can't play in the first place. We practiced again last weekend, four songs, everyone knew what to learn, the guitarists exchanged emails on the side to make sure everyone knew who was playing what part. Rick is still an asshole. "Oh, I thought I was playing this part." And "Hey, I know we agreed to <something> but I just thought it would sound better if I played <something else>." Seriously, dude?
Then the clincher. Afterwards, we're packing up and hauling stuff out to our cars. Some guys leave some gear there, singers travel pretty light, Terry the drummer just leaves his kit there (he has three!), but I have to make multiple trips up and down the stairs (keyboards, amp, stand). I head down for my second load, and John is there with some of the others, and he says "Hey, while I've got you guys here, can I ask your opinion of Rick? Do you think he's going to be a problem in the future?" And three of us immediately say "Yes" and go into reasons why and examples so far. My biggie is that we now have three guitarists, and we just don't need that. Even if there are three distinct guitar parts on the record, two will be played and I can cover/fill on keyboards. It will sound fine.
John shares with us that Rick actually took him aside just a few minutes ago and said "I don't know how much more of this I can take." That surprised John, but he diplomatically asked him to elaborate. "You know, there's all this pressure to learn all these songs, and it's like we're supposed to have everything just right. Like, there's no room for any real grooving or anything." Or however he put it.
Yeah, we pick the songs, and we each have two weeks to learn four songs. Studio versions, as closely as possible; we'll explore ways to "liven them up" as we go, but everyone has to start from the same place. Yes, you're supposed to come to practice after actually having learned your parts. Don't waste band practice time learning your individual part, and don't argue about what you think would sound better after everyone has agreed on who plays what.
So, sorry Rick, but you're an asshole and you can't play. Plus, none of us know you from Adam, so that doesn't leave many reasons to keep you in the band. After getting our feedback, John said he'd been contacting Rick this week to let him know that the band "will be moving forward without him". There's a reason this guy is a VP of a company. He takes charge, and he runs a tight ship. We've still got a lot of shit to work out, but we're getting there.
I just read some of your posts today about this band you've been practicing lately and want to say its great you guys got rid of that Rick problem quickly before it turned into a bigger problem and messed up the entire band. Hopefully this is a good push for the band in the right direction and everything else goes up for you guys.
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Nice.
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We're getting more to where everyone's on the same page. The only remaining instance of people pulling in fundamentally different directions -- which hasn't caused a real problem thus far, but still might -- is how often we practice and how fast we get songs down.
The original concept was John was just putting a band together to play songs in his basement and have fun, because he misses doing that, and is in a place in his life where he's got some time to do it and some money for some equipment. After that second practice, the first one I was at, we sounded good. I mean, damned good. It was only four songs, but we could've played them live in a bar, we were that tight.
So suddenly (some) people are talking about actually getting out and playing. How often? One a month, twice a month? And if we're serious about that, learning four songs every two weeks isn't gonna cut it. Problem is, we have day jobs, and varying degrees of free time, so that's about the best some of us can do. I'm out of town this weekend, so when I left Sunday, the next practice was set for two weeks hence. Then emails went out yesterday, John asking who's around this weekend and when, and everyone except me is getting together. There's one song left with no keys, and Steve the new singer still needs to be brought up to speed on the other songs. (I noticed that Rick is not on these emails, so that's good.) John made the point that this is all they can do until Bob gets back, so I don't fear for my position or anything. Everyone else seems to think I'm fine, and John's a staight-shooter.
Argh. Sorry for dominating this thread so much lately. Apparently I need to get a lot of this off my chest.
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We're getting more to where everyone's on the same page. The only remaining instance of people pulling in fundamentally different directions -- which hasn't caused a real problem thus far, but still might -- is how often we practice and how fast we get songs down.
The original concept was John was just putting a band together to play songs in his basement and have fun, because he misses doing that, and is in a place in his life where he's got some time to do it and some money for some equipment. After that second practice, the first one I was at, we sounded good. I mean, damned good. It was only four songs, but we could've played them live in a bar, we were that tight.
So suddenly (some) people are talking about actually getting out and playing. How often? One a month, twice a month? And if we're serious about that, learning four songs every two weeks isn't gonna cut it. Problem is, we have day jobs, and varying degrees of free time, so that's about the best some of us can do. I'm out of town this weekend, so when I left Sunday, the next practice was set for two weeks hence. Then emails went out yesterday, John asking who's around this weekend and when, and everyone except me is getting together. There's one song left with no keys, and Steve the new singer still needs to be brought up to speed on the other songs. (I noticed that Rick is not on these emails, so that's good.) John made the point that this is all they can do until Bob gets back, so I don't fear for my position or anything. Everyone else seems to think I'm fine, and John's a staight-shooter.
Argh. Sorry for dominating this thread so much lately. Apparently I need to get a lot of this off my chest.
I've enjoyed your posts so far and need more. Sounds like a band's autobiography being written down here. I like it. :hat
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So on Saturday I'm auditioning at University of Texas at Arlington, where I will be auditioning with these things:
C major, C minor, G major, and G minor 2 octave scales
Mozart Symphony 40 excerpt (mvt. 1)
Beethoven Symphony 5 excerpt (mvt. 3)
Simandl Bass Etude #17
Dragonetti Concerto in A minor (mvt. 1)
That is some tough stuff, but I've basically perfected 3/5 of those things. Tonight I will finish perfecting all of them.
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Go get 'em!
Also: Man, I hate proficiencies. Scales and arpeggios and other technical stuff. Yes, I understand why it's required, and I actually believe that mastering that stuff can make you a better player. But I still hate it.
I've enjoyed your posts so far and need more. Sounds like a band's autobiography being written down here. I like it. :hat
Thanks. :) I at least try to make it interesting.
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Go get 'em!
Also: Man, I hate proficiencies. Scales and arpeggios and other technical stuff. Yes, I understand why it's required, and I actually believe that mastering that stuff can make you a better player. But I still hate it.
I've enjoyed your posts so far and need more. Sounds like a band's autobiography being written down here. I like it. :hat
Thanks. :) I at least try to make it interesting.
I always feel like you should master them, and then forget about them as quickly as possible. There was a time, during conservatory, when all my solo's were basically scales and arpeggio's. I couldn't play one single good sounding melody.
So me and my band player for our biggest crowd so far last wednesday. Three olympic speed skaters come from Zwolle (our home town) and there was a big ceremony. There was a square that could fit 6,000 people, but there was a big screen on another square where there we're at least hundreds, maybe a few thousands more too. (We've only heard other peoples estimates, as the entire crew was needed on stage). Here's a picture:
(https://scontent-b-ams.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/t1/1620669_554390904668159_128861895_n.jpg)
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Bhbb6ugIIAES6dY.jpg)
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Wow, it's been a month already? Must be time for another update.
So Rick is out. Good. He was a head case, and honestly wasn't that great on guitar anyway. We've rehearsed three more times, and we keep getting better. First set is almost done. We have 11 songs. Yesterday, we were going to get together for the fourth week in a row, just to nail down all the songs, and learn that 12th song.
Friday night, John called me with bad news. Rob the bass player had fought off cancer three years ago, it was in remission, but now it's back. They had talked for a while, and basically Rob was giving us an out. He loves playing, he still wants to be in the band, but he has to be honest in that these next few months will be really tough for him, and his head will not be in it, not to mention whatever will happen to his body during the treatment. They're starting chemotherapy pretty much immediately, of course.
At this critical point in the band's development, do we wait six or eight weeks for Rob to get the treatment he needs, then slowly work him back in, then slowly move forward? Or as a practical matter, do we start looking for a new bass player? Because, for all we know, this is it for Rob. Even if he beats it, he won't be 100% and we'll have put things on hold for 6-8 weeks anyway. He told John that he totally understood if we moved on without him. I read that as him giving us an out.
John and I talked for maybe 15 minutes. I told him that we should start looking for a new bass player. I also reminded him that Karen's husband Mike is a bass player, and I've played with Mike before. He's a good guy and a great bass player; there's no doubt in my mind that he could step right in and learn the songs. He probably already knows many if not most of them. It occurred to me at that point, and I didn't share it with John, that Rob is actually the weakest link at this point. Now that the Rick problem is solved, Rob is the one who shows up to practice most often without having learned the songs. He usually has an excuse, some of which are even pretty good, but it's somewhat annoying. He learned a different version, or he couldn't find the mp3 (both of those excuses suck because I've already told everyone that I have every single song we've talked about, and can always get them). Or he didn't have time because he was out of time. Well, that one's better because we know he travels for work a lot, but combine that with the other times, and it's not great.
Still, cutting the guy because he has cancer and we don't want to wait around for him seems really cold. But that's what I told John we should do, since he was asking. And I kinda felt shitty about it, but again, I didn't know any of these guys before January. I knew Karen, and personally I'd rather play with Mike anyway. The rest of them, well, sorry. We're trying to put a band together.
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Wrote this piece for my hero and friend, Jason Becker. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDXkkojT4Ew
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...
Letting people go is always difficult, especially when it's because of a disease. You could however make some sort of agreement, that when he is back to full strength he could start rehearsing again, and you could get a new guy, but letting that new guy know that's it's maybe only for a short period of time. On the other hand you have a way to say 'well to be honest, it's been pretty awesome with the new guy, so we're sorry but that's it'. That way you don't have to deliver the bad news right now, and you still keep a door open for him to come back.
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The situation is just so different from any other band I've been in. I've never been in a band before that didn't start with most if not all of the guys being friends first, and deciding to form a band. Guys from school, guys I grew up with in the neighborhood. The bond is already there; the music is better or at least more fun and worthwhile because it's your friends, and the friendship is strengthened by the music being made together.
Or at the very least, after a personnel change or two, it's an established, working band. You've gelled, you have gigs, then someone suddenly can no longer play. The answer there is pretty obvious; you have to replace them. This isn't just for fun, there are contracts in place and money will change hands.
Here, the band isn't even working yet, and we're still mostly getting to know each other. Bringing someone in temporarily is an idea, but in everyone's minds, it's temporary, and there's just that much less commitment to it, and that will affect things. How fair would it be to the temp guy to send him on his way if/when Rob gets better? No, at this point, the change must be permanent. It's cold, but sometimes there is no easy solution.
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Text
...and more text.
Firstly, I would like to thank you for sharing your experiences here. I’ve never been in a band before, generally just working on recording projects by myself, so I always enjoy when people share their band stories. It’s an interesting dynamic for sure.
I don’t think it is cold to move on from Rob at all. Nor should you feel bad about it. If you guys continue on like you always have, still leaving Rob at bass and expecting for him to continue his regular duties, that would be unfair to both him and the band. Especially if you guys want to start playing some more gigs. And after all, it is just a band and his health is the first priority for sure.
Also, waiting for him wouldn’t be a good solution either. That would be unfair to the band, would stall the band’s progress. If he is a sensible person, he would probably see this.
The hard part of course, is telling him. I think the best solution would be have the entire band meet (or if there are one or two “leaders”) and just talk it over. Ask him how he is doing. Ask “How do you feel about playing in the band?” Say that you understand that he is going through a lot right now, will have a lot of commitments, and if he needs to drop out of the band, you guys completely understand. Leave the decision up to him, or set him up to make a decision. I think overall it’s the best decision for him and it’s the best decision for the band.
I think also, if he decides to leave and you guys part ways, offer to have him come and listen to a rehearsal if he feels up to it, or any shows. Still include him in the loop from time to time.
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Wow, just an hour ago I received an email update from John (our fearless leader) thanking Rob for his time with us and for having the courage to gracefully step down so that the band can continue to form and grow (they'd spoken privately - it's official). John is a corporate executive with years of experience writing emails and and, on occassion, having to let people go both publicly and privately, so that was the short version. His email regarding cutting Rick was similarly elegant.
The rest of the email outlined the next step, which is auditioning new bass players. Priority is (1) Karen's husband Mike, who is currently in another project in the same formative stages but who would like to be in a band with his wife, (2) other bass players that anyone in the band knows and can recommend, and (3) a few leads out on BandMix.com, one of whom has already expressed interest. John asked for people's availabilty this Sunday for auditions, so we're moving forward, and quickly.
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Well, I typed all that for naught, but I'm glad to hear it worked out.
Do you think that both husband/wife in band could cause some potential issues, or do you think that age/experience/band dynamic make that a non-issue?
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It's a non-issue. I played with Karen and Mike in the praise band at one of my other churches years ago, and then again last summer for a one-off thing. They're both great people and super mellow. They've been in bands together before, so it won't be a problem.
Also, as a practical thing, it makes some difference in that it will cut down on potential scheduling conflicts. That is, if there's a time when either one of them might not be available, there's a slightly higher chance that the other also won't be available because they'll be at the same wedding, party, etc. The total number of potential outside conflicts is reduced by having the two of them aligned.
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Well that's that sorted then, glad to hear.
I can't imagine how it would be to play in a band that has no friendship or no sort of connection prior to playing together. I've done gigs, either as a fill in, or as somewhat temporary, with people that I didn't know very well, but never an entire band of strangers. Takes courage to dive into something like that.
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It's weird. We're all middle-aged professionals, each good at what we do, so I approached it initially as I would any project I'd be working on at my day job. Everybody be cool, do your job, keep the overall goals in mind, etc. Don't tell others how to do their jobs, but if you must, frame at as something different they might try that could be beneficial to everyone. Over the course of even these past three months, I've gotten to know everyone a bit, and we've reached the point where we give each other shit (in a good-natured way) during rehearsals, and we mess around a bit musically. So it's coming together. I'm not yet at the point where I consider any of these guys friends, but I guess we're almost there.
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So Mike, Karen's husband, auditioned with us yesterday, and he's in. There's no point in even considering anyone else. Karen was out of town, so the audition was free from any bias or potential awkwardness which might have arisen from her presence, so that was cool, but I think it would've been pretty decisive anyway. As I mentioned, I've played with Mike before and he's great, and he and Karen are both super mellow people, so I don't anticipate any issues with them being married and in the same band. Also, I was mistaken in thinking that they'd been in bands together before. Other than the praise band (which isn't really a regular band, not like a gigging band), and the one-offs we do from time to time, they've never worked together in a band, and both are looking forward to it.
Also, wow, we didn't realize how mediocre Rob was until Mike walked in, played all nine songs with us, and we even jammed on a few tunes, and it was great. He was all over it, with a good, clean sound, lots of motion but never overplaying, pretty much everything you want in a bass player. The band has once again "traded up". If this is our final form, I think we're in good shape.
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Great news, Orbert. Hopefully everything continues to run smoothly for you now. :tup
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Thanks. Yeah, that's what we're hoping now. First set is almost done, and we're looking at songs for the second set now. We didn't even miss a beat. Old bass player out, new bass player in, he already has all the songs down (and some even better) and we're moving forward.
Overall, I'm feeling much better about the band now. Also, the whole "playing with strangers" thing is diminished, since there's now two others that I have history with, plus the rest of us are getting to know each other and joke around more. Sunday's session went nearly three hours, but it flew by and was a good time.
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My dad and I have both started playing the bass. We're both complete newbs at it right now, but we're both practicing. As for why we're picking up the bass... well, one of my friends is a really talented guitarist (seriously, he's insanely good) and he's been asking me to learn how to either sing or play bass so that I can jam with him and I think my dad wanted to learn how to play too both for fun and to give me a bit of competition/family support.
Any tips from the more talented folks here? :metal
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Well, I play upright bass, to classical-modern era music (in other words not jazz), and if there's one thing I've learned, is to learn where you can play the same notes in multiple places. Playing any stringed instrument requires you to make efficient decisions on where to put your fingers to make any song playable even faster than normal.
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I just play wierd things (which I am in the process of eventually recording).
Basically: my approach was just to play around with it and see what happened (which is perhaps not the best approach), but it does help to learn vague patterns which can be shifted around to other places to play different notes. Oh, and use a metronome.
Oh, and if you sound terrible when you first start, that's normal.
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My dad got us a huge Bass Tabs book with all sorts of songs in various difficulties. I'm currently working on learning how to play "Day Tripper". My current goal is to have that whole song down and memorized by the end of the month, then work on another song or two over the rest of spring (I'm considering "War Pigs" or "You've Got Another Thing Comin'") and have "Hangar 18" down by the end of summer and "Roundabout" (which isn't in the tab book, but I'm sure I can find tabs for it rather easily) by either the end of the year or a year from now.
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Roundabout is a bitch.
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Roundabout is a bitch.
Yeah, I can tell just by listening. :lol
But it looks like it'll be a ton of fun once I learn it, and I'll feel a bit better about myself if I can get that song down by the end of the year. :tup :metal :hefdaddy Heck, my dad and I just made it a bit of a competition for each other: we both have the rest of the year to learn the song. Dunno what the reward or consequence will be. :lol
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Nice, good luck on it.
The song I've always tried learning is Fountain Of Salmacis from Genesis's Nursery Cryme album (although because I don't have pedals, I end up playing the pedals part on the low B of the bass). One day, I'll get my head around that and then I may try Roundabout again.
But yeah, that song will be fun, it'll just be difficult to not get annoyed with it.
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We have a gig!
Okay, it's not a paying gig, but we will be playing live, in front of real people. The neighborhood bash that John's neighborhood has every summer ("Countryside Oaks Summer Fiesta") is actually organized by John's wife Kay, and she put us on the docket. It's in July, so we have three months to get our shit together, which shouldn't be a problem. More details to follow, but I'm guessing we'll play a set or two, then eat hot dogs and drink beer. Something like that.
This is exactly the type of thing we need at this stage. Playing live, but low key, not for money, just for the experience. It will help solidify the band. I'm thinking we should have a second set's worth of tunes together by then, so it should be a good time.
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Sounds like a good test run for the band, without the pressure of a paid gig.
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Wow, more drama. This is actually getting to be pretty amusing, a part of being involved in this band which is almost as entertaining as playing music.
I got a call last week from John (the leader) asking what I thought of our drummer Terry. Terry's a good drummer, and a good guy overall. Things that come to mind immediately are that he's always pushing for more rehearsals, and more frequently, because we'll never get any good otherwise, and also we should be looking at more modern stuff. And less important, but still coming to mind, is that he's from a somewhat different culture. He smokes, is pretty free with the profanity in casual conversation, and just seems a bit more "blue collar" than the rest of us. As I said, that's pretty far down the list in terms of importance, though. To me, anyway.
Interestingly, John had the same concerns. All three. The pushing for more rehearsals and more frequently, newer songs, and the fact that he's the slightly odd man out in the group. John is very much about making sure everyone in the band is a "good fit" on all levels. And it's his band, so what the hell, I'll go along. Terry is a blue collar man. Works construction, overhauls cars and trucks on the side as a hobby and secondary source of income. Comes to practice clean but stinking of cigar smoke. I don't give a shit about any of that. In fact, I thought it was kinda fun and made it more interesting that we have such different personalities, but can all play, and play well together. But we don't all have tons of free time as Terry does, and the band was started with "classic rock" as one of its tenets. There may be some good, newer stuff out there, but none of the rest of us know any of it, and really, we're more into this just to play some old songs that we like.
I got an email from John today asking what people's availability is this Saturday to audition a new drummer. Whoa, I guess we're moving right along. Sunday is Easter, and most of us won't be available, but John wants to try this new guy out. Emails go around, and there's a two-hour window when we're all available, so John laid out six songs, and maybe we'll have time afterwards to jam a bit and get a feel for each other.
Like a revolving door. Hell, at this point, I wouldn't be surprised if I found out at some point that I'm out. But until then, ride the lightning.
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Like a revolving door. Hell, at this point, I wouldn't be surprised if I found out at some point that I'm out. But until then, ride the lightning.
I was just thinking that. :lol
Maybe they're having the conversation right now.
"So hey, what do you think of this Bob guy? He plays well enough, but he's too quiet, and keeps voting members out of the band." :neverusethis:
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I know, right? John has mentioned in passing a few times when he's bounced ideas off of his wife Kay, so he's not doing this in a vacuum. I bounce things off of my wife as well, including this latest development. She pointed out that if Terry's not a perfect fit now, if he's frustrated by wanting to practice more and play newer songs, then he's eventually going to leave the band anyway. If he's that good (which he is), then he'll find a band that plays more music that he likes, and has a work ethic more in line with his own. A better fit.
As for me, I think I'm safe. John sent me a Friend request on Facebook last night. Steve and Karen are also friends, so that just leaves Mike. But Mike doesn't get on Facebook very much, so he probably just hasn't accepted the request yet. I took this latest move as a "confirmation" of sorts. I may be wrong, but it seems weird to Friend someone you're thinking you might axe later on down the road.
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If it's taken this long for him to add you, then I'd probably take it as confirmation, unlike had he done it as soon as you joined/formed the band.
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Exactly. I kinda did that, at least I started searching on Facebook just to see what the others had out there, and couldn't find John. His last name is also pretty common, so there were dozens, but of the ones with pictures I could see, none were him. Probably had it set to private.
I took this latest move as him consolidating things a bit. I find this whole process interesting. Forming a band, corporate style.
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Wow you should make a TV series about this :lol
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Over The Edge are down to produce
"The Orbert Carries On"
Ya heard it here first folks
Thanks to Over The Edge for the facts
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:lol
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Oh you guys (and girl). :P
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Orbert's Den
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I might be forming a band with two buddies of mine. They both know I'm a newb on bass, but they've offered to help me improve and gel with them. Should be interesting. :)
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Good luck! :tup
Also, your avatar cracks me up.
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Good luck! :tup
Also, your avatar cracks me up.
Thanks! I'm pretty excited. We might actually form two bands together; both of them play guitar and drums. Stephen writes metal and JT writes rock, so the idea is that:
Metal Band
Me - Bass, Vocals
Stephen - Guitar
JT - Either drums or guitar if we can find another drummer
Rock Band
Me - Bass
Stephen - Drums
JT - Vocals, Guitar
And yeah, I love this avatar! :lol A friend of mine briefly used it on his Facebook page, but I loved it so much that I saved it and decided to use it here. Goes well with the Flash Gordon theme~ :tup
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Originally I am a drummer but now I play more guitar than drums. I also play bass and know the absolute basics of keyboard/piano. I write music constantly and am very proud of the recent stuff I have made. I write mostly progressive music under the name of Black Ink and I make all sorts of prog stuff like 20+ minute songs and complicated concept albums.
I will start recording with a friend soon.
Hey, that´s awesome. I´m a guitar player and now making my way into the drums. I´m loving the experience. I´m facinated by guys like Portnoy (DT) and Matt Garstka (Animals as Leaders).
The metal-jazz fusion is something that has been capturing my attention.
As a guitar-drums player yourself, would you recommend any albums that would help me improve my drumming technique?
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Not sure why I never posted it before - some people already know it, but most of you don't - my one attempt writing and recording electronic music, "4°". Made in cooperation with a friend of mine - we both recorded sounds and came up with the concept, but I did most of the editing/mixing/whatever that you do on the computer.
https://www5.zippyshare.com/v/46296769/file.html
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Here's my most recent piece ;D
https://soundcloud.com/alittledangerous/zephyros-suite-for-orchestra
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I'm pretty excited. We might actually form two bands together; both of them play guitar and drums. Stephen writes metal and JT writes rock, so the idea is that:
Metal Band
Me - Bass, Vocals
Stephen - Guitar
JT - Either drums or guitar if we can find another drummer
Rock Band
Me - Bass
Stephen - Drums
JT - Vocals, Guitar
Ha ha, our new drummer is named JT, too!
We played for a couple hours yesterday, he literally hadn't played in four years, and he already smoked our other drummer. He was late to the audition because he had to stop by the storage unit to pick up his drums, where they'd been for the last 3 1/2 years. His old band broke up, he kept his drums around for a while, then finally stashed them. He and his wife swapped cars and keys for the day because he needed the truck to move the drums, but he forgot that his copy of the strorage unit key was on his keys.
Anyway, he showed up late, explained why -- during which time it came up that he hadn't played in four years, but he'd "listened to the songs a few times this week" -- and I'm thinking "Shit, what have we gotten ourselves into?" But he set up pretty quickly, didn't warm up much at all, and said he was ready to go. He was amazing. We have a new drummer.
So at this point, the only original members are John and Karen. I came in later, and actually am next in "seniority", although I'll admit that that doesn't actually mean much in a band. At this point, it's pulling your weight, practicing, showing up to rehearsals on time and prepared, basically doing your job. I just think it's amusing. This whole process has been amusing.
Emails went out last night; John was specifically asking for a Yay or Nay vote on whether we replace Terry with JT. I voted Yay. I would not have sought to replace someone pre-emptively like this, but since John had set it all up and asked, and I don't have to do the actual firing, well yeah, JT does seem a better fit, and is a better drummer anyway. Round and round she goes...
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We played for a couple hours yesterday, he literally hadn't played in four years, and he already smoked our other drummer. He was late to the audition because he had to stop by the storage unit to pick up his drums, where they'd been for the last 3 1/2 years. His old band broke up, he kept his drums around for a while, then finally stashed them. He and his wife swapped cars and keys for the day because he needed the truck to move the drums, but he forgot that his copy of the strorage unit key was on his keys.
Anyway, he showed up late, explained why -- during which time it came up that he hadn't played in four years, but he'd "listened to the songs a few times this week" -- and I'm thinking "Shit, what have we gotten ourselves into?" But he set up pretty quickly, didn't warm up much at all, and said he was ready to go. He was amazing. We have a new drummer.
So at this point, the only original members are John and Karen. I came in later, and actually am next in "seniority", although I'll admit that that doesn't actually mean much in a band. At this point, it's pulling your weight, practicing, showing up to rehearsals on time and prepared, basically doing your job. I just think it's amusing. This whole process has been amusing.
Emails went out last night; John was specifically asking for a Yay or Nay vote on whether we replace Terry with JT. I voted Yay. I would not have sought to replace someone pre-emptively like this, but since John had set it all up and asked, and I don't have to do the actual firing, well yeah, JT does seem a better fit, and is a better drummer anyway. Round and round she goes...
You realize your position in the band makes you LaBrie, right? So like... when is your anniversary?
This story is what keeps me coming back to this subforum :)
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The Continuing Saga of Orbert's Band...
So JT is our new drummer, and he's working out really well. At the first practice with him as an official member, he brought his Roland V-Drums, and this made a huge difference. For those who aren't familiar, these are electronic drums, good ones. Unless you have walls, any band rehearsal basically has to be at least as loud as the drummer, but most of the time you don't want to practice at full volume in the basement. V-Drums, like all electronic drums, have a volume control. Problem solved. We can now actually hear each other, say things to each other, verbally cue each other, while we're playing. This is huge.
During that same rehearsal, we put some polish on "Set 1". 11 songs, since we dropped one due to not having someone who can sing it ("High On You" by Survivor). It's not really Set 1 in that these aren't the eleven songs we'll always play first set or anything, but we'd originally put together a list of 12, and as we approached it, it was something like a goal, a milestone. Once we have a complete set, we actually have something, and it kinda stuck. We played through them all, and they're pretty tight. Most are performance quality. Actually all of them are, depending on how drunk the audience is. In other words, the ones not quite perfect, we can fake well enough.
So last night we worked up three more songs, the supposed start of Set 2, and it occurs to me now that it's becoming sillier and sillier to use that terminology, but whatever. It's easier than calling them Songs 12 through 15. Obviously once it comes time to play a gig, we'll decide on actual set lists.
I am now officially keyboards, woodwinds, and background vocals. Whoa. Keys of course, sax on a couple of songs, and we talked about the occassional flute (some Jethro Tull, also maybe "Land Down Under" by Men at Work). Last night, one of the songs on the list was "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A." by John Mellencamp, and it has a short recorder solo in it. Since I'm the woodwind guy, I worked up the solo and brought one of my recorders. Hey, we start by covering the song as close to verbatim as possible; we introduce possible deviations later. So John set up a mike for me and I took the solo. Later, while working on "Show Me the Way" by Peter Frampton, I was helping the others by singing the different parts, and finally they said I should just sing the lower part. Suddenly John is talking about other songs where it would help if I sang, too. So add background vocals to the list.
Good rehearsal. We settled on Monday nights, but it was Tuesday this week because Mike was out of town Monday. I'm not thrilled about rehearsing on a weeknight since I live half an hour away and have to haul, set up, break down, and haul again all my gear every time, plus leave it in the car all day at work (John's house is on my way home from work), but it's the day that worked best for all. We must all sacrifice for our art.
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Orbert,
How is market vibe there in your town? I mean, your band is playing covers, right? The places you got there to play a gig, like pubs and bars, are more receptive to covers? No plans for songs of your own?
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If you play in a cover band in bars, you play covers. If you're really good you might get away with playing a cover or two per night, but it has to sound just like everything else you're playing. The audience has to think that it's just something they've never heard before. If you ever say "This next one is an original..." then they're already halfway to the bathrooms, so you don't say that. If you're really ballsy (and really good) you might say "Thank you, that was an original" at the end. But really, what's the point? They don't care that you play your own music. They probably don't want you to play your own music. They're there to drink, dance, hit up chicks, and listen to songs they know being played reasonably well.
I would have no idea how a band would gig playing originals. Jazz, sure. There are clubs and coffee houses all over the northern burbs. But not the bars, not rock and roll.
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Yes, I think that is the main picture everywhere.
In my case, as I get older, as a musician, I feel I have no more patience for covers. I play the guitar and the drums, and I can't stand replicating other people's material anymore. It gets boring with time! And the price is: you won't have where to play a gig. That's why I started an instrumental band. No voice. And no covers. As long as it is just instrumental, nobody cares if it is original or not. As you said, people are there to drink and chat. All you have to do is giving them a nice musical background so they can free themselves and run away from whatever they are running away from.
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That sounds pretty cool. The genre still matters, though, at least around here. As I said, there are places for jazz combos and soloists to play, although again it obviously helps if you're really good. Instrumental rock, I don't even know.
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So here's a general post for the things I've composed that I consider actual compositions, from most recent to oldest:
https://soundcloud.com/alittledangerous/end-of-the-tunnel
https://soundcloud.com/alittledangerous/zephyros-suite-for-orchestra
https://musescore.com/user/100120/scores/181182
In total I've actually made like 6 or 7 things that I actually consider complete, but I also consider them too immature to be acknowledged.
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I have decided to start getting music lessons again (I had some in keyboard when I was at school) as I have decided that I wish to be a better musician than I am currently, and also because the newest thing I bought has a very unusual finger-picking technique (you flick the strings with fake nails rather than plucking.
But yes, I've got yet another chinese instrument, this time it is a pipa.
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The crappy thing about bands is dealing with people. It´s worse than a marriage because you have to deal with more than one! People being late, people wanting to be in a band but not wanting to play, people being reckless, people being ill all the time… You know that perfect fucked up guy? The guy that has no money and every shitty thing in the world happens to him? And what about the ones that think they can play and just waste your precious time? And the ones that look perfect but soon you find out the creature has no car?! This musical world… goddamn it… the most fucked up people are there!
Sorry for this unleashing moment…
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I sort of know what you mean - but it's a give and take. I do prefer to do things alone, as much as possible, because, as you say, you're not relying on other people. What I lose, though, is support and flexibility. If you're writing music as a band, you have instant feedback on your melodies and riffs, when something's not working you'll hear about it, and more crucially, other people will be producing ideas when you hit the wall. On your own, you can very easily lose faith in your song, and lose momentum when none of your ideas seem to fit and nobody else is generating them. You get more inertia with a band, yes, but you can also build more momentum.
The other useful thing with a band, is a range of talents. I'm good at bass and keyboard, and I can put together a passable drum track, but my singing's shaky and I can't play guitar for toffee - so I end up writing songs with very few riffs. Alone, you're defined by your limitations, whereas a band is usually better defined by its members' various strengths.
Not that limitations are always a bad thing. Necessity is the mother of invention.
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You can tell I don't visit this subforum very often (despite being a musician) since I didn't even know this thread existed.
Should it be stickied, like the other chat threads?
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Not a bad idea. I follow it anyway, but it might help generate more traffic.
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I sort of know what you mean - but it's a give and take. I do prefer to do things alone, as much as possible, because, as you say, you're not relying on other people. What I lose, though, is support and flexibility. If you're writing music as a band, you have instant feedback on your melodies and riffs, when something's not working you'll hear about it, and more crucially, other people will be producing ideas when you hit the wall. On your own, you can very easily lose faith in your song, and lose momentum when none of your ideas seem to fit and nobody else is generating them. You get more inertia with a band, yes, but you can also build more momentum.
The other useful thing with a band, is a range of talents. I'm good at bass and keyboard, and I can put together a passable drum track, but my singing's shaky and I can't play guitar for toffee - so I end up writing songs with very few riffs. Alone, you're defined by your limitations, whereas a band is usually better defined by its members' various strengths.
Not that limitations are always a bad thing. Necessity is the mother of invention.
Yes, definitely a give and take. I function better on my own. But, unfortunately, I have to deal with the band members. They slow me down, they get on my nerves... But, as you said, I need them.
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Not a bad idea. I follow it anyway, but it might help generate more traffic.
Good enough for me. :tup
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The crappy thing about bands is dealing with people. It´s worse than a marriage because you have to deal with more than one! People being late, people wanting to be in a band but not wanting to play, people being reckless, people being ill all the time… You know that perfect fucked up guy? The guy that has no money and every shitty thing in the world happens to him? And what about the ones that think they can play and just waste your precious time? And the ones that look perfect but soon you find out the creature has no car?! This musical world… goddamn it… the most fucked up people are there!
The "band = marriage" analogy is as old as bands and marriage, but there's a reason for that. There are a lot of similarities.
To me, the biggest "plus" to being in a band, as opposed to just playing music by yourself, is the rush that comes from collaboration. Making music with other people can be really awesome. The connection, the feeling that what you're doing is contributing to something bigger, and it's happening in real time. That's what makes it all worth it. Putting up with other people's issues so you can jam is liking putting up with your girlfriend's (or wife's) issues because of the sex. Hopefully it's worth it.
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In other words, music is sex.
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Basically, yeah.
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You can tell I don't visit this subforum very often (despite being a musician) since I didn't even know this thread existed.
Should it be stickied, like the other chat threads?
That was the idea when I created this thread almost two years ago. Thanks for giving it a sticky. I was surprised to see it up there today :)
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:tup
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So, I'm attempting to write a symphony using themes I've used in all of my other "pieces" Currently I've finished like 3 minutes of it and I've sort of written how I want it to play out.
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Update on Orbert's Band
We have a name. After much discussion, whittling it down six finalists, and voting, the band is Oh Zone. (I didn't vote for that one, but whatever.)
Also, we have two gigs lined up for next month. Both are gratis, but that's okay. We need the experience and exposure more than we need the cash, and this has never been about money anyway. Mostly it's the chance to play live. One is a charity gig featuring four local bands (of which we are one), and the other is the neighborhood block party in the neighborhood of the house we practice in. His wife is on the planning committee, and we got on the list. Actually, this was set up months ago and would have been our first gig, but the charity thing came up and happened to be two weeks earlier, so what the hell.
For each of these gigs, we'll need about 90 minutes of music. Two sets. As of this week's practice, we'll have two sets of music, then three weeks to practice our brains out. Actually, it won't be that bad. We've all played in so many bands before, we know how it works, and we've gotten to the point where every one of us is damned good. We work up our own parts, then spend rehearsal time putting things together, maybe working out vocal harmonies and/or who plays which guitar part, and each song is nailed down in about half an hour, maybe 45 minutes. As it should be. These upcoming gigs will help solidify things, then we start working up a third set, at which point we'll be ready to do real gigs. We don't have any yet, of course, but we'll be ready.
Weird Side Story/Update on Rick
Remember Rick, the original guitarist who turned out to be a head case, was a dick to our original singer and made him quit, and eventually got fired because he was a head case and a dick? Okay maybe you don't. Anyway, I got an email from him, started off with some "Hi, remember me?" stuff and went on to talk about the new band he's in, and they need a keyboard player, and he wondered if I was interested. Right now, I'm in at least two bands plus have some other musical commitments, so no. I gave him a quick update on Oh Zone and how we lost Rob because his cancer came back, and Terry got canned somewhat preemptively but it was pretty clear that he wasn't happy.
Rick's response was to totally blast John for how he runs the band, and that he thought maybe I'd had enough of it by now, which is why he asked me to join his new band. I thought that that wasn't a completely unreasonable reply, but then he went on to talk about how John had conspired to get rid of him (Rick) and probably told us all that he'd fired him, but the truth is that he quit. Also, Rob probably lied about his cancer coming back and just wanted out, and probably quit too, same with Terry, and John again just made it sound like he'd fired him. Whoa. Some of this might actually have been true -- I mean, all we have is John's side of the story when relating how the calls went to Rick and Terry -- but we were all in on the decisions, and Rob had actually contacted me on the side, apologized for leave us hanging like that, and I even told him we could jam some time when he's feeling up to it. Basically, Rick is out of his fucking mind. Delusional.
So at the next practice, I started telling John about this weird email I got from Rick. John says "Oh yeah? I got one, too. Did he ask to come to your house?"
What? Um, no. "Did he say he had a present for you or something like that?" No...
John told me about it, but it was so bizarre that he just ended up forwarding me the email from Rick. Rick had been doing a lot of thinking, and wanted to clear the air between him and John. He wanted to come over, maybe have a drink, and just talk. He also had a business proposal for him. He also needed John's wife's advice on a business matter (John's wife Kay is a real estate agent). It would take maybe 90 minutes; two hours, tops. In exchange for their time and consideration, he'd already picked up a nice gift that he wanted to give to them.
Seriously, what? Steve (new guitarist, Rick's replacement) read that and said "John, under no circumstances do you let this guy anywhere near your house!" Joking but dead serious. Of course, Rick knows where the house is, but whatever. John had already answered the email, saying they could talk on the phone, but he was really too busy to devote a few hours to chatting, wasn't really looking for any new business opportunities, and Kay wasn't either. This was a few weeks ago. Rick hasn't contacted myself or John since.
I am very glad that I'm not in a band with this nutcase.
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This Rick is a character of a slasher movie. Keep the distance, my friend!
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This Rick is a character of a slasher movie. Keep the distance, my friend!
:lol Maybe not a slasher film, but it definitely sounds like Orbert signed up for a reality TV show rather than a band.
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Yikes. That is creepy as hell.
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Yeah, my email was weird enough -- actually the reply to my reply, where Rob supposedly lied about having cancer just to have an excuse to quit the band -- but John's email took it up a notch. Especially the part where he has a "gift" for John and Kay and wants to give it to them personally. Steve and I theorized that Rick would have a bag with him, then at some point reach into it and say "And now, I have something for you" and pull out a gun... and blow himself away.
We probably shouldn't have joked about it, since John seemed a bit freaked out about it, but he laughed it off and seemed more annoyed and puzzled than anything else. I guess Rick met Kay once for maybe 30 seconds as he was arriving for a rehearsal, and John just said it was weird that Rick wanted to discuss business with her and had a gift for her. It just wasn't appropriate (that's the word he used) and showed out far out of touch Rick was.
I was trying to think of a closing quip about about how entertaining it is being in a band, especially a band made up of people who met online, and it occurred to me that they do warn you about people you meet online. And sometimes they (whoever they are) are right.
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Alrighty, then! Tonight's the final rehearsal before our first-ever gig, which is this Saturday at 6:00 PM. We're the first of four bands, with the second band starting at 7:30 and things continue at 90-minute intervals, so we each get 75 minutes to play. The house is providing the P.A. and sound man, we bring our stage gear. They mike it up, run a quick, cursory sound check (basically make sure all the mikes are working, and they'll fix up the levels once things get started) and off we go. Actually, since we're first, we're hoping this means that we'll have a chance to do just a bit more than a cursory check, but we don't know how it's gonna work. But what the hell, it's for charity and we're not getting paid anyway. We can't exactly complain about the gig.
Then, Sunday morning, my church band is doing all the music for the service. Hymns, offertory, prelude and postlude, everything. We usually do one gig during the summer and kinda take over everything, and give the organist the day off. It would not have been my choice to do these two gigs barely 12 hours apart, but that's the biz. The date was carved into sacred rock before the charity gig came up. These past two weeks have been full of rehearsals and music and rehearsals and rehearsals.
Rock and Roll! ♫♫
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Being first and running the first sound is always good. My buddy's (now defunct) band played this big battle of a bands thing at a chili cookoff a few years ago... they were up first and wound up performing an extra song for the sound check. They would have won but some generic stupid screamo band took it.
The song they played for soundcheck was like their strongest they had too. Oh Well.
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Yeah, that was really a big factor in us deciding whether or not to take the gig. We were pushing it to have everything together by the end of July, but figured we could do that, plus it's just a neighborhood party. Then this charity thing came up and it's two weeks earlier. They said we'd be first, and we hoped that that meant that we'd at least have a little more time to check sound and stuff, so we took it.
Then our drummer was out of town on business for a week, then our bassist was out on business for four days, and our singer was in the hospital for a while... let's just say that we haven't gotten as much rehearsal time in as we'd thought. But the show must go on.
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Y'all are gonna rock, man.
Speaking of first shows, my band is finally playing a show after a few months of just kind of practicing every now and then. I'm pretty stoked to finally play out.
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Y'all are gonna rock, man!
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Y'all are gonna rock, man!
Well, we did rock. How about you, Orbert?
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It kinda sucked, for reasons mostly out of our control. It should've been great. The place is big, a sports bar with outside deck, indoor gaming room, and a private room as well. Thunderstorms threatened all day, but didn't actually come through until late that night, after everyone had finished playing. But because of the threat, the owner had gotten a huge tent to cover the entire deck. Why not just move things indoors? Because he'd booked the big room indoors. Jim, the guy who organized everything, has been doing show for seven years and the guy had never done that before. They've had to move it inside once or twice in the past, and now didn't have that option. But it was a charity gig and we couldn't really complain.
So okay, the outside deck has two stage areas, elevated areas at each end (the big room inside also has two stages, that's how big this place is) so we could still do the thing where one band sets up while the previous band is still playing at the other end. There were four bands altogether, so going back and forth would be a big help. Nope, the owner decided that one end was all we needed, and he'd rather use the stage at the other end for more customers. Because the stages are elevated and terraced, exactly one table fit there, seating four people. All this extra bullshit for the bands to deal with, just so four more customers could be seated.
So anyway, it was 85 degrees out, hadn't rained yet so it was really humid, plus with the huge tent covering everything, there was no breeze. So we were all sweating buckets. The deck itself is surrounded in brick, so the sound of the drums was deafening, and we had to bring up the stage volume just to hear ourselves. Singers couldn't hear themselves in the monitors, drummer couldn't hear anything except drums, it was a mess.
But we've heard some of the audio, and out in the audience, it didn't sound too bad. From on stage, it sounded like shit. We couldn't hear anything, just kept going, and somehow managed to put on a half-decent show. So we rocked, but didn't know it.
(https://scontent-b-iad.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/t1.0-9/10532865_10202489765267331_1366328944612526491_n.jpg)
Steve (lead guitar) couldn't hear himself, so he knelt down to be closer to the monitor, which allowed me to actually be visible for a few moments. I was buried in the back. Karen on vocals, JT on drums, Mike (up top) on bass, John on rhythm guitar. You can't really see it, but the top level had another drum kit already set up on it, owned by the band that was hosting the event, and that got to sit there all night and everyone else had to work around it. Our drummer JT is on the middle level, and I would've been up there with him (and more visible) but they had a bunch of gear just sitting there and wouldn't move it, so again we had to work around that. So with me, Steve, Karen, and John all on the floor, squeezed between the stacks, I ended up back in the corner.
Most people saw this most of the night:
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xap1/t31.0-8/10514446_333880100098360_7778566977291168769_o.jpg)
I'm directly behind Steve, invisible. Yay. Mike said he felt like he was up on a watchtower or something. What a screwy setup, when it easily could have been really, really cool.
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So we rocked, but didn't know it.
:lol I like this. It wouldn't be rock n roll if everything went smoothly. And you've got a real gig under your belt now, even if it was just a charity gig.
What was your setlist?
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Mostly 70's classic rock. "China Grove", "Takin' Care of Business", "Show Me the Way", "Barracuda", "Rocky Mountain Way", "Sweet Home Alabama", that kind of thing. The idea is to play to our strengths, what makes us unique, and in our case we have a female lead singer and also keyboards/saxophone, so our setlist leans in that direction. "Long Train Runnin'" and "What I Like About You" both have harmonica solos that sound good on sax, "Play that Funky Music" has a single horn line in it, but it's a good song and is another excuse to get some sax in there.
We do a handful of "newer" songs (80's), "I Love Rock and Roll" (female singer), "What You Need" by INXS (saxophone), "Two Tickets to Paradise" (keys), and a few others.
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Congrats, man! I know how it feels like to play without enjoying the moment. It sucks. But you rocked. Life sucks anyway. Just keep going!
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So we rocked, but didn't know it.
:lol I like this. It wouldn't be rock n roll if everything went smoothly.
I forgot to mention William, the sound man, who was amazing. He's friends with Jim, who organized everything, and also Mike and Karen from my band, as Mike used to play in a band with Jim, and I met William last summer at a thing at Mike's house where Mike and Jim's band played, and William ran sound for the whole thing (got all that?) which was also a multi-band event.
Anyway, we couldn't hear shit from on stage and just had to trust that the sound man was gonna somehow make it all sound good, or at least as good as possible, and he did just that. I've heard audio from four songs now, and the mix is great. We're all war-scarred veteran rockers and know the drill. Doesn't matter, you just keep playing, and trust your sound man, 'cause there's nothing else you can do. We were very fortunate to have him at the sound board.
William, you are the man. :tup
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Which reminds me, last Saturday I played the final concert with the American Festival for the Arts, where we played three amazing pieces:
Prelude to Die Meistersinger von Nurnburg, Wagner
Piano Concerto No. 4 Mvt. 3, Beethoven
Polovetsian Dances 8/17, Borodin
It was an awesome concert.
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That's awesome Lucien! And congrats on having done your first gig Orbert :tup
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Our church band (we provide music every Sunday) is preparing for a concert at the end of August. Looking forward to that, we will be able to "stretch" a little as musicians and play some stuff we wouldn't ordinarily get to play on Sunday mornings.
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Which reminds me, last Saturday I played the final concert with the American Festival for the Arts, where we played three amazing pieces:
Prelude to Die Meistersinger von Nurnburg, Wagner
Piano Concerto No. 4 Mvt. 3, Beethoven
Polovetsian Dances 8/17, Borodin
It was an awesome concert.
Sounds awesome! But why is it the final concert?
Our church band (we provide music every Sunday) is preparing for a concert at the end of August. Looking forward to that, we will be able to "stretch" a little as musicians and play some stuff we wouldn't ordinarily get to play on Sunday mornings.
Cool! One of our guitarists wanted to do something like that, but for some reason we never really went anywhere with the idea. Maybe we should revisit it.
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Well, there were other concerts that we did of slightly more obscure material. This was awesome, well-known stuff, on an awesome stage.
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Our church band (we provide music every Sunday) is preparing for a concert at the end of August. Looking forward to that, we will be able to "stretch" a little as musicians and play some stuff we wouldn't ordinarily get to play on Sunday mornings.
Cool! One of our guitarists wanted to do something like that, but for some reason we never really went anywhere with the idea. Maybe we should revisit it.
One song I have suggested to our director is Marvin Gaye's "Wholy Holy." It's very much a soul/jazz/mellow gospel feel, from the What's Going On? album. I doubt she will go for it, but I think it would be loads of fun.
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Why wouldn't she go for it? The genre, or the message? We've gotten away with everything from "secular yet spiritual" (My Sweet Lord, Put Your Hand in the Hand, Spirit in the Sky) to things with "a positive message" (Let It Be, Saturday in the Park). Of course, we're Protestants, so maybe we get more leeway.
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Why wouldn't she go for it? The genre, or the message? We've gotten away with everything from "secular yet spiritual" (My Sweet Lord, Put Your Hand in the Hand, Spirit in the Sky) to things with "a positive message" (Let It Be, Saturday in the Park). Of course, we're Protestants, so maybe we get more leeway.
If she doesn't go for it (no ruling yet), it would be for musical reasons, not the message.
She is (and there is really no other way to say this) very, very white.
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That's a bummer. I understand some people feel very strongly that only "traditional" music should be played in church, but numbers are down overall and that's a fact, and one way to help draw in new people is make the service more interesting and/or fun, or at least less boring, and playing music at least from the 20th century if not the 21st can help a lot.
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Imagine churches without music... I think the main thing keeping christianity alive is music.
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That's always been true, though. Songs of praise have always been an integral part of worship. I agree that today, though, it's probably more important than ever. The problem comes when the people in charge have trouble distinguishing between service and entertainment.
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That's a bummer. I understand some people feel very strongly that only "traditional" music should be played in church, but numbers are down overall and that's a fact, and one way to help draw in new people is make the service more interesting and/or fun, or at least less boring, and playing music at least from the 20th century if not the 21st can help a lot.
Oh, we do plenty of non-boring, more contemporary praise music. My wife and I have even written a few that we have done in the past; I may post some one of these days.
But we are basically white, and not nearly black enough for my tastes. Especially the director. She's pretty uptight, and "paper-trained", if you know what I mean.
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Ahhh, now I get it. Marvin Gaye is... not white. The literal interpretation of your words actually blew right past me. I guess that's a good thing; it just confused me for a minute.
Still, that's too bad. We would be able to play that song no problem, and our congregation is all white except for one person: me.
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We are definitely all white. We definitely need more non-white.
This Sunday she has us working on (just as pre-service music, which is when we generally do something not as serious) Amazing Grace to the tune of the Eagles' Seven Bridges Road. I was skeptical until rehearsal last night, but it came out pretty good.
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I read these days some news about christian rock bands. Seems like many musicians in these bands are atheists and play only for the money or the spotlight.
It became a business of its own, totally separated from the church and its message (if there's any).
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That seems odd to me. I got the impression that most Christian bands didn't make that much at all.
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They don't, for the most part.
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Doesn't seem like a very lucrative niche to me. :lol
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It probably won't make you rich, but surely you can make a living.
If you have a dream of becoming a "rock star", get on stage, make a crowd sing along, the easiest way is attending a church, show the "praise dept" you can play or sing, start playing on sundays... Man you get what most underground bands don't get: a crowd and a stage! Every week!
Nobody has to know you are an atheist. And you are there, fulfilling your dream, being a "rock star". And if your band is good enough, maybe you can reach other churches stages with the support of the president of your church. Who knows, in the future, making a record with the money of your dear church members...
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It probably won't make you rich, but surely you can make a living.
If you have a dream of becoming a "rock star", get on stage, make a crowd sing along, the easiest way is attending a church, show the "praise dept" you can play or sing, start playing on sundays... Man you get what most underground bands don't get: a crowd and a stage! Every week!
Nobody has to know you are an atheist. And you are there, fulfilling your dream, being a "rock star". And if your band is good enough, maybe you can reach other churches stages with the support of the president of your church. Who knows, in the future, making a record with the money of your dear church members...
That sounds awful.
If word of something like this ever got out, that person would rue the day. It would be a short-lived career. Christians would drop them in a heartbeat.
Why in the world would you fake it? Especially in a genre as difficult to stand out in as Christian music? That's just a total lack of class, and the mark of a true asshat.
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It probably won't make you rich, but surely you can make a living.
If you have a dream of becoming a "rock star", get on stage, make a crowd sing along, the easiest way is attending a church, show the "praise dept" you can play or sing, start playing on sundays... Man you get what most underground bands don't get: a crowd and a stage! Every week!
Nobody has to know you are an atheist. And you are there, fulfilling your dream, being a "rock star". And if your band is good enough, maybe you can reach other churches stages with the support of the president of your church. Who knows, in the future, making a record with the money of your dear church members...
That sounds awful.
If word of something like this ever got out, that person would rue the day. It would be a short-lived career. Christians would drop them in a heartbeat.
Why in the world would you fake it? Especially in a genre as difficult to stand out in as Christian music? That's just a total lack of class, and the mark of a true asshat.
Agreed. I have a friend that tried it. I guess he is still trying...
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Show #2 for Night Tribe tonight. Super excited to play live again. We're doing pretty much the same set, but with an extended jam/intro for one of the songs that we worked on a bit yesterday. we only have 20-25 minutes, so it's not a whole lot to work with, but I think we have a really solid 20+ minutes right now, so that works really well for us.
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Update on Orbert's Band
It's been a while, but not a lot has been happening. We played another gig, another freebie. When originally scheduled, it was to be our first gig. The neighborhood party in the neighborhood where John (band leader) lives. His wife is on the planning committee and we got booked for the entertainment. At the time (April or May I believe) we were just starting to put our second set together, but figured we could have two sets down by the end of July. Then that other gig came up, the charity gig where we rocked but didn't realize it, and it was two weeks earlier, so it was our first gig. This party was just that, a party. Free food and drink, in which we tried not to indulge too heavily, and we were also much looser, having played our first gig already. So we were even better this time.
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xap1/v/t1.0-9/10407068_338627666290270_1671069367603634611_n.jpg?oh=1aeb739d65fda8f1cea88a038221aefc&oe=546F84C6&__gda__=1417091610_36586bc29e188a06bd6daa8bae907a71)
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xaf1/t1.0-9/10527323_338627689623601_1158054984931406286_n.jpg)
So now we're into the business of getting our third set together, which around here is a "full night". You can play out with only three sets because (1) a lot of places only need two or three hours of live music a night, and (2) you can repeat songs from the first set if necessary because no one stays that long, and if they do, they're too drunk to care.
And the problems have started to arise again.
Our singer, Karen, is not a prima donna. She's actually really cool. She's just a flake, and really busy. Because we all work day jobs and the band is just a thing, we mostly communicate via email. Emails go around with songs and people offer feedback, and we vote, and we have the next three songs we're going to work on, and at some point we notice that Karen hasn't said anything, then she finally speaks up and doesn't like one of the songs and one of the other ones is okay, but there's this other song which is probably better for her voice. And she's right, but it would have been nice if she'd said something a week earlier.
Her excuse is that she's so busy, so can't check her email every day or every night like a lot of people, but every couple of days (more like once a week or two weeks, but whatever). And then there are "thousands" of emails piled up, so she has to kinda skim through them. This means that she's often late to the conversation, gives her input on things that we'd thought we decided weeks earlier, and in general causes chaos. She's said from the beginning that without a lot of free time, what she'd really like to do with this band is "just show up and sing". And hey, once we get the third set nailed down, we can coast a little bit. All any of us have to do is just show up and do the songs. All this more timely communication won't be so critical, as long as everyone knows when the gigs and practices are. And we'll need to add and drop songs from time to time, but that's down the road, too. But we're not there yet. Right now, we need everyone to participate. It's really not that hard. Just keep your head in the game for another month or so, and we can get this figured out.
And there's now an added complication. Our bassist, Mike, is Karen's husband. He's a great guy, an excellent bassist, all that, but if Karen goes, he goes too. He has another band, but joined this one because we needed a bassist and he had never actually played in a band with Karen before. He knows she's a flake. Not difficult to get along with in the classic sense, difficult to get along with because she's not all there. But when she does get around to giving her input, she's right. The standing rule is that if you don't provide your input, you can't complain about the output. Ever try telling a female that? I'm sorry if that's sexist, but it's generally true. And even if it weren't, there's still the problem that she's our lead singer, a damned good one, and if we try to "lay down the law" she could just decide that it's not worth it, and we lose a great singer and a great bassist. We don't want her gone; we want her to get her shit together. But we shouldn't have to schmooze one of our own band members.
John related to us the parable of The Scorpion and The Frog. If you don't know it, look it up. I knew it already. The basic message is: people don't change, they do what they do. She's not going to change, and we can't expect her to. If it's a problem, we either learn to deal with it, or do what's necessary, which is to can her, and we lose Mike, too. And hell, I'm mostly in it because of Mike and Karen, so that gives me something to think about, too. Right now, we're pretty good. We're getting better. We will probably be able to find another singer and bassist, but that will take time, and it will take time getting them up to speed, and dammit, I hate doing things over and over again. We've been through this shit so many times already.
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If she's married to another member of the band, why is she behind on this stuff? Get Mike to keep her informed on band emails, so when you vote on something, he can just get her input and put it in his email, or let her know what's going on. Am I missing something?
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If she's married to another member of the band, why is she behind on this stuff?
Yeah, that confused me quite a bit as well.
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Mike is as frustrated by this as the rest of us, but because he is her husband, he knows that there's nothing he can do. He cannot persuade her to read her emails and vote on the songs for the band, he cannot force her to do anything. She says she knows, yeah yeah, she'll get to it. Then another week goes by. It is confusing, in a way. I too would have thought that because this is something they're involved in together, that there would be more of an incentive for each of them to stay on top of things, try hard to make it succeed. Mike is always on top of things, always knows his parts, but that's because we're not exactly doing challenging songs, he's been playing a long time and knows most of them anyway, and is a real pro. But this isn't even about the playing. It's about answering your fucking email and honoring the commitment to the band.
Mike has also said that he doesn't want to be the "liason" between her and the band. He's not going to ask her what songs she decided on and let us know for her. He's not going to tell her that there's a new email from John and we need to read it. First of all, that's stupid. I wouldn't put him in that position. She's an adult, she should answer her email. Second, and this is just a guess, but I'm thinking even if he asked her, she'd just say she hasn't had a chance to think about it, and she'll get to it.
As of tomorrow, it will have been another week. As with the scorpion and the frog, I don't think things are going to change, and if we let her ride us, she'll sting us and we'll all drown. What makes it worse is that it hasn't always been like this. We haven't even been doing this very long, only about eight months, and at first everybody was into it. I guess she got bored with it or something, and just doesn't want to make the effort, and the fact that her husband is in the band doesn't make any difference.
Maybe she is a prima donna after all. I've known Karen a long time, she's a friend, so maybe I'm not seeing things clearly. But this is a clear-cut case of something not happening because she doesn't want it to happen, and it will happen when she's damned good and ready. I've always seen it as flakiness. John called me and used the same word. He said he didn't want to offend me or anything, but Karen is "a real flake". It's weird because she's such a nice person, a real sweetheart, that I can't imagine that she's doing this on purpose. But she's got us over a barrel. We can't make a move without her. And that's gotta change.
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Mike has also said that he doesn't want to be the "liason" between her and the band. He's not going to ask her what songs she decided on and let us know for her. He's not going to tell her that there's a new email from John and we need to read it. First of all, that's stupid. I wouldn't put him in that position. She's an adult, she should answer her email. Second, and this is just a guess, but I'm thinking even if he asked her, she'd just say she hasn't had a chance to think about it, and she'll get to it.
Seems like it would be a simple enough thing to do without causing any problems, but I officially do not understand people. Hopefully things get sorted without the band taking a couple of steps backwards.
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I just don't understand how someone cannot get around to checking email more than once a week in 2014.
Maybe that's just because I'm young.
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Yeah, checking my email is literally the first thing I do when I wake up, before even getting out of bed. :lol
But then again, I have no life, so take that for what it's worth.
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I have a life... and I check my email literally several times an hour. It's not hard when my phone notifies me of every piece of spam that comes in to my inbox...
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Yeah, even my mother (who can barely computer) checks her email multiple times a day.
There is no way she is "too busy" to check her email and get back with you guys. You aren't her backup band, you are a band together. It's not just something she does when she feels like it, because it's not just her life, its all of your lives. You guys have to plan things, and communication is the key.
There is REALLY no excuse if her husband is in the band. If she can't be assed to check her email, then he should discuss these things with her when HE reads HIS email. Refusal to do this on his part is just as disrespectful to the band as her not doing it herself. They both need to get their shit together.
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Yeah, that's what it's looking like. As I've mentioned earlier, they're both really laid-back people, always relaxed and chill. What I didn't realize is that's because they don't seem to give a shit about anything, if they don't want to.
We all have our priorities, we all have different things going on in our lives. The band is just a hobby, an amusement on the side, for all of us. There's still a presumed "minimum level of commitment" from all involved, but that obviously varies from person to person. The question then is how much shit are you willing to put up with from the others, because it is just a side thing, we're not making any money and never will, and it's still fun to get together and play. That's all I'm in it for, anyway. Right now, I've got some other shit going on at work and in my home life, and this break with the band has actually come at a pretty good time, so I haven't been that worried about it. It's frustrating, but I have other shit to worry about, too.
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My suggestion woulb be: get rid of the girl. She's gotta go, you know that. It won't work. If her husband decides to go as well, that wouldn't be professional! If she is too busy even to pay attention to her own husband, then I guess he would not mind... But if he does, find another bass player.
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If her husband decides to go as well, that wouldn't be professional!
Can't agree there. He only joined the band because his wife's the singer. I wouldn't expect him to stay in if we axe her. Why would he? He owes nothing to the band.
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Exactly. No reason for one to stay if the other goes.
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Very recently I had to "fire" my keyboard player for not keeping up. He was always behind. The guy wouldn´t answer our emails, the guy wouldn´t pay attention to the changes made in the songs. He was always using the "busy" argument - work, family, kids... He is a very good keyboard player, but was lacking dedication.
Suddenly we noticed that 6 months had gone by and we had only composed 3 songs. He was slowing us down. I had to get rid of him and find somebody else.
Keeping someone like this in the band is bad business. This sort of person gets on your nerves. Suddenly what was supposed to be fun became a nightmare.
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I agree with that. If he's not pulling his weight to a level others are okay with, actually falling far short and making up excuses all the time, that's no good. It comes down to the goals set forth by the band, which everyone involved has agreed to.
Our band was never supposed to be a full-time anything. It is and always has been something to get together to do for fun, a chance to play some songs and get out and maybe entertain some people. The work and practice involved was to be minimal because bar songs aren't exactly challenge for anyone who's been playing for a while. The problem is that it takes a certain amount of effort up front to get to that level, and our singer has suddenly (or maybe not so suddenly) decided that she can't make even that much effort.
I guess I've steered it back around to our situation. I wasn't sure if you were giving an example to support your argument or just providing a relevant anecdote. It sounds like our two bands are pretty different in terms of goals and structure, so I think it's important to keep that in mind. But in any situation, someone not pulling their weight to the previously agreed-upon standard is a bad thing.
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The other shoe drops.
Three weeks or so ago, John the band leader says that it's time to start working up that third set. Emails go around, songs are picked, we decide on a next practice date: this Sunday at 5:00. We've all been working on the new songs. Karen actually participates in the email discussions, even makes some good suggestions.
Today she sends an email to everyone in the band, saying that she's really sorry, she's been trying to come to terms with this, but she's decided that she just can't continue with the band. She says she knows she's let us down, she's tried to keep the band balanced with all of her other commitments, but it's just not working, etc. In a way, it's a relief. Things were looking better for a while, but I was kinda wondering how long it would last. Scorpion and frog.
Mike, her husband, sends an email. He's blown away! "Respectfully, Karen, WTF?!" He's pissed. He's been working on the songs, a couple hours each, and she should've said something sooner. Not only that, but he's her husband and this is how he finds out she's quitting the band they're both in?
Yeah, we kinda knew that these two didn't always communicate on things, but whoa. Blindsided by his own wife. And pissed about it, and blasting her on a Reply All to the whole band.
I wonder if this means he'll rethink his position on staying in the band. He said he wouldn't stay if we fired her. That would be understandably awkward, as it means that even if he voted to keep her, he stayed in a band that voted to can his own wife. But this is different; she quit, obviously he had no idea that it was coming, and he's pissed. Also, on a selfish level, I'd rather we didn't have to find a new bassist and a new singer at the same time. We were just going to come off a two-month break; this could kill the band.
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Ha, she just sent another email, all indignant, saying that he's the one that encouraged her to quit. And some other things.
John sent texts to the rest of us (leaving Mike and Karen out) right after Mike's email, advising us to just keep quiet, let them spat. Of course! I've got a front row seat, I don't want to mess up the show.
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:clap:
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I saw this coming, man! I told ya before the situation wouldn't hold itself. I've walked that road. I'm glad you guys got rid of her!
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Well, we didn't actually get rid of her; she quit. But yeah, either way, we are rid of her.
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Whoa, that's some drama! I've been waiting for the update on this band. It's the backbone of the musician chat thread. :lol
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:lol
Sadly, the emails have stopped. I think they both said their respective pieces and have calmed down enough to realize that Reply All is not the proper forum for a husband-wife spat.
So this Sunday's practice is cancelled now. I'm not surprised. Steve (lead guitar) told me a while back that he was checking out another female singer, and she was pretty good, but he didn't want to jump the gun or have anyone get upset, so he hadn't contacted her or anything. Shit, now it looks like we just should've pulled the trigger back then.
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:lol
Sadly, the emails have stopped. I think they both said their respective pieces and have calmed down enough to realize that Reply All is not the proper forum for a husband-wife spat.
You think? :neverusethis:
So she can't reply to emails at regular times, but then after she quits, it's constant. :lol She has some serious communication issues.
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The past couple of weeks, it seemed like she'd actually figured it out. As I said, she participated in the discussions about which songs to do next, who's singing what, what key, that kind of thing. She was making an obvious effort to communicate and make it work, basically solving the only real problem we had with her. Then suddenly "I can't do this anymore, I quit."
I think Mike's reaction was real, I think it caught him completely off guard, and he went ahead and shared his reply with everyone to let us know that he was just as shocked as we were.
Then she had to defend herself of course, saying he was the one who encouraged her to quit. I honestly can't see that, it doesn't make any sense, but I can imagine it being a twisting of certain conversations. She's really busy, she's got so many things going on, she can't handle it all, and he says maybe she should consider dropping something. Too many plates in the air, something's gonna fall and break. The topic comes up a few more times, the way it does between a married couple, and again the only advice he can offer is to cut back on the number of things she's trying to do at once. So she quits the band.
If there had been a next email, it would have been from Mike, saying "I said to quit *something*, not quit the band we're in *together*!" That's my guess.
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Shit. So Mike is out, too. He says it has nothing to do with the band itself, as he likes us and likes playing with us, but has everything to do with trying to build back his relationship with his wife. Apparently they've been having problems lately, have been separated on and off, and this is why he didn't see it coming, and earlier could not commit to being the liason between her and the band. Communication has been strained of late, and dropping out of the band will help them both. He's said from the beginning that he's only in it because of Karen, so this isn't really a surprise, just disappointing. But I didn't know about all the shit that's been going on behind the scenes. So there ya go. We need a new singer and a new bass player.
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Well, keep on going... You have a keyboard, just do the bass lines and ask for the drummer to improve on the bass too.
Ask one of the guitar players to sing till you find a new singer.
Maybe, after all this adaptation process, you find out you don´t need anybody else in the band! :biggrin:
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One of the guitarists does some lead vocals. Actually, he's been doing about 2/3 of them up until now, but that was never the plan. It was supposed to be about 2/3 Karen and 1/3 Steve, but since Karen never picked songs and wouldn't sing songs she didn't like, Steve ended up singing more, but we've got a couple of female singers lined up, so John said to watch our emails for audition times.
As for the bass, I've done keyboard bass before, but never in a "real" rock setting (church band only).
I know your suggestions were half tongue-in-cheek, but we've actually knocked around the different variations already, and really do need to replace each of them.
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Keyboard bass sounds like such a better option, over having a living, breathing bass player :lol I say that as a bass player myself. You would have a much more versatile sound.
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The problem is that we've specifically picked a lot of songs because they have keyboards in them. And songs with keyboards... tend to actually have keyboards (plural). Piano and strings, organ and piano, piano and synth, etc. If it's not a basic guitar-rock song, then at least half the time, I'm going two-handed already, so covering bass as well just isn't an option.
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What about a midi foot controller/keyboard thing? I have one thats one octave and it comes in handy when I need both hands. Granted you probably couldn't get too tech with it, then again I don't know how good you are with your feet :lol
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I'm not a organist. That is, not a real organist, the kind who can run scales with their feet. Besides that, you have to be sitting down to do that.
Bass pedals and even keyboard bass are no substitute for a real bass player.
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Fuck it Bob. Fly me out there. I'll play bass.
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Thanks for the offer, Jay. I'm not sure how well it'd go over with the others, telling them there's this guy I know from the Internet, and we need to pay to fly him out for an audition, but I'll keep it in mind. ;)
I guess John has been in contact with Rob, our original bass player, who dropped out to fight his cancer which had come back. Actually, he never lost contact with him; he said he talks to him every couple of weeks, and he (Rob) knows our situation and has offered to fill in if we need it. I asked John how Rob's treatments have been going, if he's up to it, all that. Turns out Rob hasn't started his treatments yet. He's been putting it off. I thought he dropped out of the band because he was going to be dealing with that, and John said that's what he thought, too, but apparently not. So I guess I don't know what's going on there. But we weren't talking about getting him back in the band, just that he'd offered to fill in if we need it. But with no gigs lined up, and no singer, that's not an issue right now.
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You'd also have to pay for a decent bass and rig... seeing as I have a piece of shit bottom of the line Samick and a 15 watt amp.
Do we have a deal>
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I'm not a organist. That is, not a real organist, the kind who can run scales with their feet. Besides that, you have to be sitting down to do that.
Bass pedals and even keyboard bass are no substitute for a real bass player.
I'm not even a keyboardist and I manage to play simple stuff, I think you'd have a far easier time doing it than I seeing as you have actual keyboard skills :lol.
I'd bet my bass rig that noone besides the musicians in the room would notice there was no bass player there :lol most people just think I'm playing electric guitar at our gigs.
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So our singer isn't putting in nearly as much effort as the rest of us in the band, which is something we've been struggling with for the last year. I've spoken to him about if multiple times and he just gave me the same old "Okay man", "you got it man" bullshit. So we've decided to kick him out of the band, which is gonna take place on friday. I'm kinda bummed about it cause I've known the guy since the first grade, and I get the feeling he's gonna take it really personally. *sigh*
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That sucks. Axing someone you know and have known for a long time is rough. I've only actually known Karen and Mike for three or four years, but she was holding us back, and if it had come to a vote, I probably would've voted to axe her. And I would've felt shitty about it.
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It´s the old dichotomy friendship x business.
People must have a rational attitude in order not to mix it up. Being a good friend has got nothing to do with being a good business partner.
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For the next six weeks or so at church, I will be moving over to acoustic guitar because a guitarist is taking a leave of absence. We have new guy who does percussion/drums, so he will be sliding over to my spot.
It will be good to play guitar again for awhile.
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Be prepared. All those people who forgot or didn't realize that you play guitar will be coming up to you afterwards, saying "Wow, you play drums and guitar? You're so talented!"
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Be prepared. All those people who forgot or didn't realize that you play guitar will be coming up to you afterwards, saying "Wow, you play drums and guitar? You're so talented!"
Yeah, I get that every time I switch things up.
The funny thing is that I'm only talented enough that people who don't play anything think I'm pretty good. I have no illusions about my abilities. I am serviceable, but not much beyond that. With guitar, I am strictly rhythm.
It's kind of funny. Not sure how else to explain it, but when I play guitar, I'm thinking of drums, and when I play drums, I'm thinking of guitar. It's like I'm playing one THROUGH another.
I need the work on guitar anyway. I am playing a wedding in a couple of weeks, I need the practice lol
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Cool!
We have something in common! I also play the guitar and the drums.
I have 2 bands today: one for the guitar and the other one for the drums!
People say I'm a pretty good guitarist. But I got tired of it and started taking drums lessons! Life is too short to spend it all playing only one instrument! :biggrin:
Anyway, I'm having a hard time trying to think as a drummer! I started to study jazz drummers to work it out!
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I think I get what Hef is talking about. Whatever instrument you play, if you're in an ensemble, what you play shouldn't just be played in isolation. You should always be thinking about how what you're doing contributes to the group as a whole. That's especially important in a cover band, as it's usually a given that you won't have the exact same instrumentation as on the original recording. During the chorus, there's extra background vocals, or maybe some strings or something. You might not have that available, but you can fill things in a bit with keyboards. During the guitar solo, be ready to add something, otherwise things will sound empty even with the guitar solo going on because up to this point he was providing a second rhythm guitar. That kind of thing.
Piano is my main instrument, but when I'm playing solo or accompanying someone, I'm thinking about the original arrangement. When it gets to the heavy part of the song, where the drums kick in big time and the guitars start hitting power chords, I have to emulate that on the piano. Big chords straddling middle C so they have some guts, octaves in the left hand, and play everything percussively. During the quieter parts of the song, lighten up, arpeggios and open inversions, maybe some flourishes in the right hand. I'm playing the piano, but thinking about the drums, guitars, bass, anything else that's going on in the song, even if it's just in my head, because it will come out through my hands.
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It's much easier to think for the group as a guitar player than as a drummer!
I am a soloist when playing the guitar. So I'm not interested in a kind of drumming that is just "the guy in the back". My guitar playing is obviously affecting my drumming attitude. I want to be a Portnoy kind of drummer! I don't want to be an AC/DC kind of drummer!
So it's really hard to build a song as a drummer (if you want to be more than just the metronome of the band).I mean, to orchestrate the syncopation, to work the possible combinations inside the bars, to keep the tempo...
God, how I respect the drummers! Tough instrument!
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I think I get what Hef is talking about.
Yeah, sounds like you do. :tup
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Be prepared. All those people who forgot or didn't realize that you play guitar will be coming up to you afterwards, saying "Wow, you play drums and guitar? You're so talented!"
BTW, this exact same thing happened yesterday after our service :lol
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Be prepared. All those people who forgot or didn't realize that you play guitar will be coming up to you afterwards, saying "Wow, you play drums and guitar? You're so talented!"
BTW, this exact same thing happened yesterday after our service :lol
Yep. It's amusing, but not unexpected. You just have to roll with it. :lol Every once in a while, I'll end up playing piano, sax, and flute in the same service, and people go nuts. I'm not doing it to impress people. There's the one song with horns, so I add sax to Dusty's trumpet. There's this other song that has violins, but we only have one violin, but I can add a flute for harmony. It sounds sweet. Et cetera.
Heck, I grew up listening to Gentle Giant; those guys would change instruments three or four times in the same song. You do what serves the music. It's not a big deal. But yeah, non-musicians tend to be impressed by stuff like that.
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I got it again at the grocery store yesterday evening. It's neat, and flattering, but ultimately meaningless. Just whatever fits the songs.
I played three instruments in one service before (drums, guitar, keys - and I mean one key at a time lol). That's my record.
This new guy playing drums is pretty good, so I may be on guitar for a while. That's cool.
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My record is four, kinda. I sing tenor in the choir, and we did an anthem with a bassoon part, written as a countermelody. No bassoon players handy, so I transcribed it for saxophone and played the part. But the rest of the music for that service was the praise band, and I did some lead and background vocals plus flute in addition to my regular keyboards. That was fun.
Whoa, bragging about praise bands. That's kinda pathetic, actually. I'm gonna stop now.
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I sing as well.
OK, I'm done too. :biggrin:
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The Ongoing Trials and Tribulations of Orbert's Band
Previously on The Ongoing Trials and Tribulations of Orbert's Band...
Our lead singer Karen suddenly quit, three days before we were to resume rehearsals and start working up our third set.
Her husband Mike, who is also our bass player, also quits, per some agreement he and Karen had made, but he's pissed. Basically both of them have too many things going on and need to focus on their marriage. He hates that she put him in this position, but he still has to put his wife before the band.
Our fearless leader, John, starts searching BandMix.com for female lead singers in our area, our approximate age and background, and interest in "classic rock" or "70's rock". He keeps the band updated via email.
No results. John announces that he is expanding the search in terms of age requirement. The assumption has been that while younger singers will generally have better voices, they will also be less likely to want to work with a bunch of old farts like us.
One hit. After exchanging emails and setting up a time to talk on the phone, twice, and not calling, John drops her. She never does get back to him.
John announces that he is expanding the search in terms of geographical area. John's house is way out in the northwest suburbs, and I drive half an hour each way as it is. But if someone wants to drive an hour or more, fine.
One more hit. About our age, same background, great voice, also good looking. And she likes our set list! John talked to her for an hour on the phone, and she's psyched. We set up an audition for this Sunday.
Bonus trivia: The band she just left had also auditioned Karen way back when, but went with her.
Bonus bonus trivia: Since we don't have a bass player, Mike agrees to help us out by playing with us for the audition. He says he misses playing with us. He is therefore helping us audition the singer who'd beaten his wife out for her previous gig, for a gig to replace his wife, in a band he's not even in anymore.
We received an email last night. She's taken a gig with another band. They're already out there working, and in some of the nicer venues around here, and their singer just quit. Can't blame her, but now we're back to the drawing board.
John announces that he's expanding the search to include transvestites.
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My offer still stands
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You're going to become a transvestite?
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You're going to become a transvestite?
:lol
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If that is what it takes to make it in music in the 'burbs round Chicago. .
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:metal
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I swear, you could not make up better drama and general clusterfuck than this.
So, John had announced that he'd expanded the search to include transvestites. If you knew John, you'd know that this is way out of character for him. He's a very straight-laced guy, never swears or tells off-color jokes. This is his frustration and anger showing.
Our drummer JT says "Wasn't that the last singer?" Does this on a Reply All, and I'm thinking "whoa, dude..."
Mike jumps in a gives JT some shit about checking the list of recipients before hitting Reply All and saying things about someone's wife, mother, daughter, etc.
JT says "Wait, what? I'm talking about that other chick (the one who never called back)!" John had forwarded everyone links to her page on BandMix.com and to her personal page so we could check her out, so we'd seen pictures of her. One of JT's friends said she looked like a guy in a wig (which she kinda does) so that's what JT thought of when John made the transvestite joke. He explained as much.
Backpedalling? I honestly don't think so. JT is a straight-shooter, ex-military, and had previously confided to me that he thought Karen was pretty hot (which she is) so I believe him. But he's not particularly eloquent, especially in email where expression is limited, so it did come off as a somewhat lame attempt to save face.
Mike seems to buy it, apologizes for jumping to conclusions, etc.
Two days later, Karen sends a Facebook message to "the group", to the band's Facebook page. Word has gotten back to her, she's upset, disappointed and saddened that people would say things like that about her, for the record, she is and has always been a woman, etc. But I'm the one who set up the band's Facebook page, and as admin, I'm the only one who can even read the message. That put me in the position of having to clear the air, explain how it all went down, and try to calm her down. At this point, I honestly don't care whether or not JT's comment was a bad joke about Karen (which I still don't think it was), I'm gonna say whatever it takes to convince her that it wasn't, and that it was all a misunderstanding. Why? Because Karen's my friend, and I might be in a band with JT, but I still care more about Karen than JT saving face.
So I explain it all to her, sprinkled heavily with reassuring things about how JT would never say that (which is true) and that he actually thinks she's hot, and how I really shouldn't share that because it goes against the guy code, but it's true and relevant here. She writes back. She buys it. It all makes sense now, especially how Mike would specifically tell her the part that hurts her the most, and downplay JT's explanation as a lame attempt to save face, because he's like that. So abusive, so disrespectful of her feelings, and a bunch of other shit that I have no business getting into the middle of. I consider both of them friends, and I met them together, played with them together, and this is super awkward for me. Karen goes on about how facing the prospect of being single at our age and at this point in her life is scary, and she's just feeling vulnerable and overreacting to everything, and feels really stupid now. I say all the right things like how it sucks how this went down, but she's a great person, talented, attractive, and she'll be fine, but yeah it's kinda scary and I'm there for her if she ever needs someone to talk to, etc. She writes back, I'm a good friend, yay.
John sends another email to the group. The last chick, the one who took the gig with the other band, called him back. Yeah, they gig regularly, which was the big draw to her. They actually work every weekend, and practice twice a week (which is probably why they're so good and work so much, but not everyone has time for that) and that's actually too much for her. So she called them back and said she changed her mind and now wants to try out with us again.
Desperation sucks. Yes, this is a good thing, because we still need a singer, so if she's figured out that the other gig was actually too much and she'd just like to get together once or twice a month and rock and roll, then that's cool. But she didn't actually talk to this other band first? They didn't tell her that they practice twice a week and have gigs booked every weekend from now until next year? They thought they had a new singer, and now they don't. We thought we were auditioning a new singer, then we weren't, but now we are again?
So much drama, so much pain, so much daze and confusion.
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Why is this not a reality show already, Orbert? I'd watch this. :corn I still hold out hope that one day your band might actually make it to a gig before exploding.
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That would be cool, wouldn't it?
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Amazing. :clap:
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So, our band from church is having an outdoor "outreach" concert at a local park tomorrow afternoon. I hope it won't be too cold for my fingers to work. I also hope all of our gear will work correctly - we never play "out", only at church, so we are using a different PA system for this endeavor.
Hopefully it will be fun and meaningful. We will be doing some things that aren't necessarily worship songs, but will let us stretch a little. We'll see how it goes.
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Where are you? Here in Chicagoland, we got below freezing for the first time this past week, and the weekend is looking to be pretty chilly. I wouldn't want to play an outdoor gig. But then, I wouldn't have taken an outdoor gig in November in Chicago anyway.
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I'm in North Carolina. Last weekend we had a cold snap and we were below freezing. The high on Saturday is supposed to be 55, but the show starts at 1pm, and I doubt we are at the high by that point. Not to mention the time it will take to set up, when it DEFINITELY won't be at the high.
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Well, stay warm, and I hope it goes well. ♫♫
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Well, stay warm, and I hope it goes well. ♫♫
Our run-through last night was pretty tight. I am hopeful of a good performance.
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Orbert, I love reading your posts in this thread :)
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Thanks. I do try to make them interesting/entertaining, which is pretty easy, given the source material.
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Well, our show went well. We did about 17 songs. I played guitar and sang on 14 and played drums on the other 3. It wasn't too cold and we had a good turn out.
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Very cool! :tup
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Oh, and I got sunburn on the back of my neck.
The sacrifices we make for our art.
lol
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Orbert, no updates?
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Quick update on my music career. My band (normally just a regular cover band) finally agreed to try and rehearse the entire The Wall album. We did that once for my final conservatory exam, and played it pretty well, but far from perfect. Lately we've been getting slightly less gigs, so the rest of the band agreed to try this again. First rehearsal went great, we worked our way through the first side (In The Flesh? - Mother) in under 2 hours. Nowhere near good enough, but it was awesome to play all this music again.
The first gigs are being set, we are trying to arrange a small try-out tour in bars (a couple have been confirmed now), and record some promotional material at those, so that we can step it up a notch and try to get small theaters interested.
It's a lot of arranging and planning, especially since there are only 3-4 gigs certain as of now, but I'm sure it'll pay off. Next up: trying to get some animators or other artists to work with us for the visual side of the show. I'd love to see this work out, I mean, it's great to play in front of drunk students about every weekend, but to play this music instead should be way more fulfilling.
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Orbert, no updates?
Oh okay, since you insist. ;)
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This new potential lead singer, Anne, has a gig coming up, so she tells John that if he'd like to come see her and her current (soon to be former) band, she can put his name on the guest list. It's a private event, but they told the band that they could each invite one or two friends. So John and Kay (John's wife) go to this party thing.
The event is the annual bash put on by the "Gender Society of Chicago" or something like that. Transvestites, transsexuals, and other trans. The joke John had made about expanding the search criteria to include transvestites came immediately to mind. She says in her email that they pay well, and as most artists say, "A gig's a gig." Hey, I'm not judging.
John gets hit on all evening. He's a good-looking guy, tall, in good shape, great smile. His wife Kay is a babe, and they totally ignore her. That's probably never happened to her before.
Oh yeah, the band. They sucked. They set up on a "stage" which was basically a platform raised a foot off the floor at one end of the room. It wasn't very big, so the monitors were down on the main floor, right against the front of the stage, which meant that most of the monitor sound went under the stage, not up to the band. Since the band couldn't hear themselves, the sound guy tried to compensate by cranking the mains, resulting in massive feedback screeches every couple of minutes. Whenever that happened, one of two things would happen: (1) he pulls the mains back down and throws his hands up in a "What am I supposed to do?" motion, or (2) nothing, because he's outside having a smoke. Option 2 happens a lot more than Option 1. The feedback screams for a while, then he comes running in the back door and pulls the mains down. Also, he's set up to one side of the band, slightly behind the stage, because that's probably where they told him to set up, so he can't hear anything anyway, and has to do the thing where he adjusts a fader, runs out to the main floor to listen a little, runs back and adjusts some more, etc.
The bassist, guitarist, and drummer all suck. John says that Anne the singer and the other lead singer, who plays the flute and think's he's Ian Anderson, are the only ones with any actual talent, and Anne would definitely do better with a decent band behind her. The lead guy acts like he's taking medication to enhance his spastic actions. He runs around and dances and stuff, trying to be Ian Anderson, even though there's really no room for it, and looks pretty stupid, but obviously he thinks it looks really cool, and it's his band, so whatever. You can understand why Anne wants to leave this band.
We set an audition date. We set up a song list. Five songs; three from our current list, two new ones that she likes. One is "What's Up?" by 4 Non Blondes, which everyone in the world knows, and if they don't, they will two minutes later because it's literally the same three chords all the way through. Verses, chorus, breaks, same chords (A, Bm, D). The other song is new to us. "High Road Easy" by Sass Jordan. Never heard of her, but it's a kickass song. We're so eager to learn new songs and also hopefully impress this girl that we agree to learn two songs just for the audition. And she's impressed by that, so... cool.
Steve, our guitarist who has been looking for a job for like two like years, has scored one. Driving a truck, 11 days on the road, three days off. This means he's available every other weekend, but that's cool because we only practice every other weekend, and hey, a gig's a gig. But it makes it tricky to schedule the audition because the weekend he's in town is coming up, and that's not enough time to learn the new tunes. Two weeks later, Anne gets sick and can't sing. We were all ready to go. That was the weekend before Thanksgiving. We still haven't rescheduled her audition.
Meanwhile, we've got a few bass players who look promising. We auditioned one of them, Jerry, last week. He's mediocre at best. Personality-wise, he's a good fit. Same age as us, one teenager and one in college, lives nearby, been playing since high school, all that. The audition takes place one day short of three months since our last gig. He seemed impressed by how tight we were for not playing together for three months. Meanwhile, we're not particularly impressed by him, especially considering that this is an audition and he presumably had prepared and this was as good as he was gonna do.
We do "Long Train Runin'" by The Doobie Brothers in E, down from G, because Steve can't sing it in G. Too damned high. Our previous bassist, Mike, had no problem playing it in E, even said it was easier. Jerry said almost the same thing, "It's just frets." Except he got lost and confused a few times. On one of the other songs, "What You Need" by INXS, he played something... weird. Mostly just thumped on the tonic, instead of that awesome moving bass line on the record. We stopped the song and asked him what he was doing. He said that "that's what on the sheet music." Oh shit.
I've looked up chord charts and sheet music for songs before, and it's often a handy shortcut to what key it's in, and some of the chords that venture outside your standard 1-4-5, but after that, you still have to learn your part. Anyone with ears knows the guy isn't just thumping on the F# the whole verse.
So Jerry is not a strong prospect. Earlier this week, John sent an email saying he had two other guys lined up, and they've both backed out. One decided he didn't really have time after all, the other has gotten back with a former band. Shit.
JT, our drummer, sent an email last night saying he's got a guy who wants to audition, is Monday okay? Four days from now. Sure, what the hell. Since then, John and Steve have practically gotten into an argument about which songs to play before I've even responded (I didn't see the email until this morning). So I finally replied and told them I was in, and when they figure out which songs to do, to let me know.
I won't have much time to prepare anyway, and might not even bother setting up my gear. It's still packed from Jerry's audition. This Sunday, the choir is doing our Christmas Cantata, and we have a full rehearsal on Saturday. Yeah, baby!
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Sweet!
Quick update on my music career. My band (normally just a regular cover band) finally agreed to try and rehearse the entire The Wall album. We did that once for my final conservatory exam, and played it pretty well, but far from perfect. Lately we've been getting slightly less gigs, so the rest of the band agreed to try this again. First rehearsal went great, we worked our way through the first side (In The Flesh? - Mother) in under 2 hours. Nowhere near good enough, but it was awesome to play all this music again.
The first gigs are being set, we are trying to arrange a small try-out tour in bars (a couple have been confirmed now), and record some promotional material at those, so that we can step it up a notch and try to get small theaters interested.
It's a lot of arranging and planning, especially since there are only 3-4 gigs certain as of now, but I'm sure it'll pay off. Next up: trying to get some animators or other artists to work with us for the visual side of the show. I'd love to see this work out, I mean, it's great to play in front of drunk students about every weekend, but to play this music instead should be way more fulfilling.
Hey, that's cool!
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I was in a bit of a hurry and forgot a few things I meant to include in that last update. Yeah I know, it was long enough as it was, but I really do think of these things, and try to remember to write about them here.
So remember how JT had made that bad joke about transvestites and "the last singer", meaning that other girl who never did audition with us because she never called John back (after twice saying in email that she would)? And how he had to explain all that when Mike, Karen's estranged husband (but trying not to be) called him out on it, taking offense because he thought JT was talking about Karen? Well, it turns out that JT really did stick his foot in it, really was talking about Karen, didn't notice that Mike was on the Reply All list (because at that point Mike was out of the band, but was on the email because he'd agreed to play bass with us to help audition the new singer), and he really was backpedalling. Steve told me about it when we got together last week for Jerry's mediocre audition. JT sent Steve a text about it. JT did such a brilliant job of backpedalling that I actually bought it.
Still, even if I hadn't, I would've given the same story to Karen because there's no point in her feeling like shit over something like that, and there's still a chance that Mike only shared that with her to upset her. I have no idea how fucked up their relationship is, but Karen intimated that it's abusive and it would be just like Mike to do something like that. I had no idea. They always seemed so cool together. But regardless, at that moment, Karen needed some reassurance and understanding, so I gave it to her. It helps that I believed JT's story, or wanted to believe it anyway, but I would've lied to spare her feelings. I don't know if that's right or wrong.
I'm Facebook Friends with all of these people, and saw recently that Karen is now Friends with Rick, the original guitarist who turned out to be a psycho head case. John fired him from the band after a unaminous vote, but Rick tried telling me that he'd actually quit and John just told us all that he'd fired him. Rick was the guy who would show up to rehearsals and play things completely differently from the record, and differently from what they'd decided (with multiple guitarists, you have to decide who plays what), and then later complained to John that he couldn't take it anymore, being expected to play things a certain way, and answer to everybody else in the band, and whine, whine, whine. The first thing is just common sense; when everyone's worked out their parts, you can't just play something totally different because you thought you'd try something new. The second, I have no idea where that came from, except maybe that some of us said something about how he wasn't playing anything like what was on the record.
Anyway, Karen and Rick are now Facebook Friends. They can bond over quitting the same band, or getting fired, or however they want to see it, and have a few laughs at our expense. Good for them.
And finally, because I'm Facebook Friends with Steve, I know that he recently joined a group called Chicago Area Musicians Looking for Bands, or something very much like that. So that's kinduv interesting. Maybe it was part of the search for bass players, and maybe it was for himself, who knows?
The drama continues. Still no lead singer and no bass player.
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I actually read all of that (both posts). Always amusing to catch up on the Orbert news (we really need a name for these reality show shenanigans).
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The Chronicles of Orbert: Musical Madness Made Magnificent.
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JT's new guy, Tony, was amazing, and he has been voted into the band, unanimously. We have a new bass player.
JT's been around for a long time, and is a very talented and very intense person. He's toured professionally (I think he said he was with Bette Midler's band for a tour) and also done some pretty high-profile gigs. The last time Tony and JT played together was at the Trump Tower for the Australian Consulate. So yeah, high-profile stuff. So why's he slumming with a middle-aged garage (actually basement) band? Because he's 50, owns two businesses and runs three, and just wants to play rock and roll for fun. The hassle of chasing down gigs and dealing with all that is for younger guys, or guys with more time than he has. He keeps one of his four kits at John's house, and just drives over for practices.
Anyway, the guys eventually agreed on five songs, which we and Tony blew through, no problem. He was great, jumped in and did background vocals, the whole nine yards. Then it was time to sit down and talk a bit, get to know each other, and everybody was cool and joking around and he was a good fit personality-wise as well. Then John says "Okay, now what?" and I knew he was talking about whether we vote or what, but I didn't pack all my shit and haul it half an hour up the road to play five songs, so I said "Let's jam some more." So we went and jammed for another half hour, maybe 45 minutes. Good times.
Anne, the potential new singer, still can't sing. We rescheduled her audition again, then had to cancel it again. Her doctor says it's developed into some kind of bronchial infection. Nasty stuff for anyone, but obviously extra bad for a singer.
John sent an email today saying he has reached out to another prospect, someone named Julie, and asked for our thoughts. I told him that it's not a bad idea to keep our options open. He sent a link to her page on BandMix.com. Three song samples, but no pictures. This is incredibly shallow of me, but generally if someone thinks their looks will help their chances of getting gigs, or at least won't hurt their chances, they include pictures of themselves. What does it mean when someone is looking to join a band, but doesn't want anyone to see pictures of them? Yeah.
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Could be a problem.
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Depends on what her age is? A lot of people over 40 and even some slightly over 30 still think putting their pictures online is a huuuuge no-no even in places where they're required. You're gonna see her at some point anyway so maybe it's not a big deal.
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True. But in the music biz, image is often just as important as talent, possibly moreso. Not so much for the stuff we're doing, but still, the lead singer is the face of the band, and right or wrong, looks matter. If there are two or three potential candidates with decent promo pics, that's all you need. You check out their song samples, read their biographies, and go from there. By not including any pictures at all, she's letting the music do the talking, which ideally is how it should be, but the number of people who listen to her samples will be greatly reduced to begin with. She's already put herself in the "second choices" pile.
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Well, that's just her problem then. Hopefully you'll be able to put the whole band together soon!
About the image - I can totally get your point. Members of bands around here always like to stress how no one comes to hometown gigs anymore but there are always flocks of people on foreign bands' gigs, and I think that one of the many reasons why that might be the case is that, unlike the foreign bands, they don't do anything to entice the audience image-wise. They don't have a stage show, or an image, or promotion, or any sex appeal. Basic rock music has a lot to do with sex appeal and if you're not gonna work on your chops to play something a little more esoteric (what you guys are playing is pretty esoteric by Serb band standards!), at least don't hire a lead singer that looks like an anemic middle schooler, and don't wear cargo shorts on stage? You don't have to be hot, you can be ugly, as long as it's an interesting kind of ugly. Look at Lemmy!
A lot of the magic of a rock/metal show for younger peeps is in the costuming. When you get to a show and the audience is dressed a certain way and the band is dressed a certain way and you are dressed a certain way, there's some tribe magic being conjured up, but the band must be one notch above "regular Joes". If you see Jimmy from the block coming up on stage with a beer to play the guitar, it's just not going to be as convincing. But if it's a hot dude with hair down to his ass, well, you got something :lol I first "met" my boyfriend on a gig of his band and he looks like he could be in Mastodon :xbones
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So yesterday at church we had our Christmas show. No sermon, just the band rocking out to some contemporary arrangements of carols and some newer-written Christmas tunes. We even did Gabriel's Message by Sting, which I got to play solo on guitar, and it has a weird time feel to it, so almost some prog. :metal
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Sounds awesome!
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So we did the children's play at church, and it was, as always, a success. Come on, it's not the most demanding audience. But I played the piano for the songs, and also led the "youth ensemble" in a modified arrangement of the Christmas medley I'd done for the praise band two years ago. It was great. Somehow, word got out that it was my arrangement, and people were all over me after the service, telling me how much they liked it, so that was cool. Someone even sent me a card completely raving about what a great ministry it is for the kids to have someone to guide them give their talents an opportunity to shine like that.
That actually surprised me, and made me think. I'm by nature a selfish person. I like to play because I like to play. I'm a showoff, an attention junkie. Yes, I get off on other people enjoying it, but I've never quite figured out if making them happy is what I like, or I just get off on the attention and acclaim. I don't know; maybe it's the same thing. But what I hadn't really thought about was the opportunity I'm giving the kids. I've thought of them as extensions of their instruments. I got to arrange a piece for flute, clarinet, violin, viola, piano, and guitar. A weird, unique ensemble, and a fun challenge. I was glad to have the opportunity to do it, and glad that there were kids who wanted to play, but I never thought about how they, as musicians, benefit so much from doing something like this. And it seemed weird to me that that had never even occurred to me before, and that's why I know that I'm really doing this out of selfishness. I love it when people love my work, but I'm still not doing it for them; I'm doing it for me, for the rush I get from the applause. That's kinda fucked up, I think.
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And of course, the latest news on Orbert's band.
Anne, the potential new singer who for two months now, on and off, has supposedly been trying to set up an audition with us, and us with her, sent John a text saying that they really need to talk. Yeah, so that sounds ominous. They talk, and she's completely on the fence about this whole thing. She doesn't like to disappoint people, and she doesn't really handle change well. Sure, her current band isn't great, but they have fun and they do get some gigs, and that's okay with her. Apparently all the reasons she wanted to quit are no longer relevant. So why is she even calling? What, just to vent?
John has had about enough of this, and he also wants her for our band, so he tells her that really, she needs to decide what she wants to do. Does she want to audition with us or not? Does she really want to stay with a band that pushes her aside for some spazz with a flute and not even see if the grass is any greener elsewhere? (Basically, shit or get off the pot, honey.) She finally decides that she should at least audition with us. Well, damned right she should!
Except she's still supposedly fighting off whatever bug has invaded her body and won't leave. And even if she auditions with us, we don't know if we're any closer to stealing her from her current lame band.
In other news, Mike and Karen's New Year's Eve Jam is coming up again. They host a big jam every New Year's Eve at their house and invite all their friends, which includes a lot of musicians since they've played in a lot of bands and count all of them as friends. I've been invited every year for four or five years now, but we always got together with our friends and I couldn't do it. Last year, the female half of the other couple (who is also named Karen) got sick, so our plans were cancelled and I was free to go jam. Yay! Except we got a foot of snow that night, starting at around 6:00, so I stayed home after all. :(
So anyway, our band, Oh Zone, was invited, either individually or as a band. Since we just got a new bassist and still don't have a singer, Mike said he and/or Karen would be happy to jump in a fill things out. It's just gonna be a bunch of musicians forming various groups and subgroups and playing songs. I'm looking forward to it. I want to jam. I just want to play.
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Playing music is inherently selfish in my opinion. Sure, when people play music, they can appeal to the people listening, but when it comes down to it, music is all about those playing the music. I wouldn't be a musician if it didn't make me feel happy, or excited, or some other way whenever I play. And if people enjoy what I'm doing, great, that makes it even better, but at the core it's all about what I get out of it.
In regards to the jam, JAM OUT, MAN. Jamming is awesome. Especially when it's with people you know pretty well and you can just rock out.
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Our bass player during the drum and bass tracking for our upcoming album. https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=630973600348361
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The New Year's Eve jam was awesome. By now you've seen the pictures. Everyone said they'd come, but only JT (the drummer) and I ended up going. John was still fighting off the flu, and Steve didn't get home until 11:30 pm, at which point he just wasn't up to it. He's currently paying the bills driving an 18-wheeler and had just gotten in from Ohio. I don't blame him.
We finally auditioned Anne yesterday! She was great. Not perfect, since she's still getting over that bronchial infection or whatever it was, but already a step up from Karen. We were a little rusty too, having not played since July other than auditioning Tony the bassist, so it was interesting. Anne had her friend Joe with her for moral support and to help assess things. He said that he could tell we were a bit rusty, but still a lot better than Anne's current band. As always, JT and I were the best-prepared. We had our parts down. John honestly is probably the weakest link, but it's his band, and Steve and Tony admitted that they had worked on the songs but not that seriously, since they didn't really think the audition would ever happen. Great attitude, guys. I learned the fucking songs two months ago when we were gonna audition her the first time.
Anyway, we voted, and have offered Anne the job. If we've gone through all this and she doesn't join our band, I will actually be pissed. I don't even care if she also stays with her other band. Heck, we're just a part-time band anyway, and don't have any gigs. We're still trying to put our set list together (though it hasn't helped that the band went on hiatus in July, then two key members quit three days before we were to start working up our third set). But we told her that we're willing to make her the front person, give her final say in all song choices, and build our set list and show around her. Honestly, I can't imagine someone turning that down, but what do I know?
So now we wait.
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Good luck, buddy. There's nothing worse than being a musician and not being able to play.
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Hey guys, I'm pretty much a beginner guitarist considering I've been playing for only 3 years. But loving it so far! I also like to write my own stuff every now and then. Here's something I just started working on while noodling around my JP70 I got for Christmas! Feedback, good and bad highly appreciated. Also feel free to check the rest of the brain farts I dumped in there. :)
https://soundcloud.com/1neeto/teaser
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We have a new singer! Anne has accepted the position. We are now sporting a full lineup for the first time in months. Time to get crackin' on some songs.
Anne has already taken it upon herself to get the party started, and sent out a list of five songs that she really wants to do. This is fine, by the way, as John has encouraged her to speak up about what songs she wants to do, something our previous singer never did. Two of the songs are the ones we learned for her audition, so no problem. The others, no problem. She also had a "wish list" of another dozen or so songs she'd like us to consider. See, now this is progress. Instead of us all sitting around going "What songs should we learn next?" she's got a bunch in mind. Some of them won't work, some aren't exactly our style, but it's still better to have a bunch of stuff to choose from than to have nothing. We literally begged Karen to name songs she wanted to do, and she never did. She ultimately contributed very little to the band, and it's sad because she's the reason I joined. She's the only one I knew before; I didn't want to just join a band of strangers. I'm not that desperate to rock and roll. But now I'm kinda glad she left. I've gotten to know the guys, and damn, we keep losing members, but replacing them with upgrades.
Anyway, John sent out an email summarizing where we are now, and the three things we need to do. We need to decide which songs from the previous set list should be kept, we need to decide on new songs to feature our new singer, and we need to decide on a rehearsal time. So we have some more administrivia to deal with, but we're making progress.
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Moving forward is preferable to standing still.
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Definitely. Also, a lot of the newer songs have synthesizer(s) on them, so I'll be breaking out the Prophet-5. Thus far, I've been covering everything with piano and/or Hammond patches, and occassional strings and/or horns, on my Yamaha. I'll bring the Prophet, but only if we actually need it. I ain't a kid anymore, and it's not about showing off the rig. The thing weighs 40 pounds and is an extra trip to/from the car and up/down the stairs by itself. Hardwood and metal, the way they used to make keyboards. I mean, my 10-pound Yamaha sounds great and is fine for what we've done so far, but it looks like we're going to step it up a notch.
I'm ready. I sent John an email reminding him that I've got a poly analog synth and I know how to use it. I only ask that when deciding on tunes to rehearse, that he group them together. If I'm going to haul the thing and set it up, I'd rather we work on two or three songs with synths. It's kinda not worth it to practice one song. Kinda the same as with the sax. I'll bring it, but let's practice two or three songs with sax at the same rehearsal. The sax and stand aren't heavy, but together they're an extra trip because I can't carry them plus the piano and amp, so again I'd rather practice two or three songs with it, or none at all.
So it's kinda like the 80's all over again. I'm still trying to figure out if that's good or bad.
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So it's kinda like the 80's all over again. I'm still trying to figure out if that's good or bad.
Clearly it's a good thing.
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As long as we don't have to wear Spandex.
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As long as we don't have to wear Spandex.
What about parachute pants?
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Nope, gonna pass on that, too.
I thought rock was getting downright stupid for a while with the makeup and hairspray, and I don't know if it was grunge or whatever the subgenre was, but I'm damned glad that they brought back jeans and T-shirts and other normal clothes on stage.
I know some people like glam metal or hair metal or whatever you call it, but come on. This is not what rock and roll looks like to me (yes, that's four dudes):
(https://www.theglamnationnetwork.com/uploads/1/3/1/2/13123626/8210803_orig.jpg)
This is what rock and roll looks like to me:
(https://spraguehs.com/students10/lowe_jordan/web1/fav-bands/Media/pearl-jam-live.jpg)
If any of the guys in your band are wearing lipstick or feather boas, seriously, just get the fuck out.
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I submit the following bitchin' 80's music video as evidence to the contrary.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85BVnQMiFFw
100 internets to anybody who accurately guessed the song prior to clicking.
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A lot of 80's music sounds good to my ears. My wife made a mix CD once (back when people did such things) simply called "Hair Metal" and I was surprised to find myself rocking out to it in the car with her.
But I just can't watch it. Sorry, Coz, and I actually thought of you while writing what I did above because I know you're partial to 80's metal, but man, that shit's just painful to watch.
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I get it, honestly. It IS completely over the top. And in some instances, even I can agree that it's a little cringe-worthy, albeit not very often. :lol
That's just part of what I have always loved about it. EVERYTHING was over the top back then. The hair. The outfits. The neon. The women. The guitar solos. The alcohol. The partying. The endless nailing of groupies. It was about reveling in the here and now and enjoying every second of it.
Not that there isn't other less obvious music that celebrates enjoying life and such, but for some reason, the excess of it all just connects with me. I don't know why, it just makes me happy.
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Happiness counts for a lot.
But a lot of it I find kind of silly now.
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Okay, that's a fair point, Coz. Rock and roll is about letting loose and just doing whatever the fuck you want, to as extreme a degree as you can handle. The fashion thing is a part of that, and it eventually got out of hand, but it's a self-correcting system. Eventually everything goes too far, implodes, and we're back to jeans and T-shirts.
Something else I thought of. All the glam and hair could well have been started by this:
(https://www.flushthefashion.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/rush.jpg)
I thought that look was cool as hell. And in 1976 it was. But bands kept pushing the limits, and eventually you have glitter eye shadow and lipstick on dudes. Shit like that.
In 1982, we were playing a venue with chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and blue carpeting on the walls, and our guitarist Pete got hit on by some guy. Like, seriously hit on during the breaks. I was unaware of any of this, but it was later that week that Pete announced that we were ditching the spandex and hairspray. I'm pretty sure those two events are connected.
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:rollin
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That second band pic just looks like a bunch of teenagers walked out of their parent's garage mistakenly onto a stage. Put some effort in. That's not what rock looks like. That's what it looked like after the rockpocalypse.
And is that first pic Poison? Come on, they're not a great example of anything. :lol But rock is all about excess and standing out from the crowd.
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Green pointy guitars & headless basses :puke:
The 80s were diabolical.
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That second band pic just looks like a bunch of teenagers walked out of their parent's garage mistakenly onto a stage. Put some effort in. That's not what rock looks like. That's what it looked like after the rockpocalypse.
And is that first pic Poison? Come on, they're not a great example of anything. :lol But rock is all about excess and standing out from the crowd.
You complete me.
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Even our heroes were not immune to that dreadful look.
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/72/Dream_1989.jpg)
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There's nothing dreadful there at all. They're just wearing black. They don't look any better now.
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There's nothing dreadful there at all. They're just wearing black. They don't look any better now.
Yeah nowhere near as bad but that hair!
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I submit the following bitchin' 80's music video as evidence to the contrary.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85BVnQMiFFw
100 internets to anybody who accurately guessed the song prior to clicking.
Guessed it, but I'll leave it at that in case somebody else wants to play
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In 1982, we were playing a venue with chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and blue carpeting on the walls, and our guitarist Pete got hit on by some guy. Like, seriously hit on during the breaks. I was unaware of any of this, but it was later that week that Pete announced that we were ditching the spandex and hairspray. I'm pretty sure those two events are connected.
You don't need spandex and hair spray to get hit on by a guy. Maybe his vibe was just so sexy that everybody fell in love with him .... everybody. Are you telling us the whole story? :laugh:
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I submit the following bitchin' 80's music video as evidence to the contrary.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85BVnQMiFFw
100 internets to anybody who accurately guessed the song prior to clicking.
Guessed it, but I'll leave it at that in case somebody else wants to play
I am thoroughly impressed. :clap: Awesome.
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Guessed it, but I'll leave it at that in case somebody else wants to play
I am thoroughly impressed. :clap: Awesome.
Well, we just had the trip down memory lane in the album a year thread. And that group definitely looked like they would produce incredibly generic music of the time. It probably kept them from breaking out properly.
Now where do I collect my 100 internets?
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In 1982, we were playing a venue with chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and blue carpeting on the walls, and our guitarist Pete got hit on by some guy. Like, seriously hit on during the breaks. I was unaware of any of this, but it was later that week that Pete announced that we were ditching the spandex and hairspray. I'm pretty sure those two events are connected.
You don't need spandex and hair spray to get hit on by a guy. Maybe his vibe was just so sexy that everybody fell in love with him .... everybody. Are you telling us the whole story? :laugh:
Well, he's a good-looking Italian guy, good singer, and an excellent guitarist. In general, he got at least 50% of the attention from all fans, so I guess the odds just favored someone from the other team coming after him at some point. But this was the 80's, the age of homophobia, so it made him pretty uncomfortable even thinking that he "looked gay". If it happened today, I'd be like Hey, we're adding a whole 'nother side to the fan base, bring it on. But then, we wouldn't be wearing spandex today.
That second band pic just looks like a bunch of teenagers walked out of their parent's garage mistakenly onto a stage. Put some effort in. That's not what rock looks like. That's what it looked like after the rockpocalypse.
And is that first pic Poison? Come on, they're not a great example of anything. :lol But rock is all about excess and standing out from the crowd.
Rock is also about whatever you want it to be about. Yes, the first pic is Poison, and this isn't even their worst offender. The cover of Look What the Cat Dragged In wins that award. I was gonna use that as my example, but didn't couldn't find a copy of the picture without the words.
When Pearl Jam came on the scene, I wasn't all ga-ga about the grunge sound, but at the very least, we were back to normal clothes and male singers who sounded male. Hey, I love a good tenor voice singing rock and rock. Brad Delp, Rik Emmett, and others had some great voices. But they stood out because they were unique, and by the end of the 80's, every rock song was by guys with those high piercing voices. And I can't sing along with them! So the return to "real" rock and roll to me was quite welcome.
I played in garage bands for years. I play in a basement band now. We show up in whatever we're wearing and rock. We play gigs dressed maybe half a notch better. Jeans, but maybe a nicer shirt. 50-year-old dudes just look like slobs wearing T-shirts to gigs. I like that the "effort" has shifted back to the music and musicianship and away from the fashion budget.
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The '80s had the musicianship and the looks, and it all got stripped back with grunge, both visually and musically, and I find it all incredibly dull. Of course I couldn't care less what a band looks like when I'm listening to the music, but the grunge/alt era has zero appeal to me on any level, even musically.
Musicianship and presentation are not mutually exclusive goals at any rate. If you've got the music down, it's not affecting anything to at least dress like you belong on a stage, instead of in a garage. With no offense intended, if a band dresses like a bunch of 50 year old dudes, they're very likely doing something wrong. :lol
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Guessed it, but I'll leave it at that in case somebody else wants to play
I am thoroughly impressed. :clap: Awesome.
Well, we just had the trip down memory lane in the album a year thread. And that group definitely looked like they would produce incredibly generic music of the time. It probably kept them from breaking out properly.
Now where do I collect my 100 internets?
Just make 100 copies of this:
(https://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/034/706/winternet.jpg?1318992465)
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:tup
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The '80s had the musicianship and the looks, and it all got stripped back with grunge, both visually and musically, and I find it all incredibly dull. Of course I couldn't care less what a band looks like when I'm listening to the music, but the grunge/alt era has zero appeal to me on any level, even musically.
Musicianship and presentation are not mutually exclusive goals at any rate. If you've got the music down, it's not affecting anything to at least dress like you belong on a stage, instead of in a garage. With no offense intended, if a band dresses like a bunch of 50 year old dudes, they're very likely doing something wrong. :lol
We're just going to have to disagree on that one, then. I find most 80's music to be dull and lifeless. Yeah, there's some nice arranging going on, and it all sounds great, but that's all it is. Over-produced, slickly arranged product that sounds wonderful but has no heart or soul. I don't find any emphasis on musicianship at all, just guys trying to sound good. You don't have to be a good musician to sound good, you just need expensive equipment and an expensive producer, and that's what the 80's were full of.
Grunge reminded me of a return to 70's sound. Strip away all the flashy synths and overproduction and get back to basics. I guess if you grew up with 80's music, it would seem pretty dull by comparison, but I'd rather hear what the guys are playing, not what it sounds like after going through a million dollars' worth of electronic enhancement. Grunge sounds like live music to me. 80's music sounds like studio product.
As for dressing like 50-year-old dudes, I don't even know what that means. These guys
(https://cbswncx2.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/rush.jpg)
seem to be doing pretty well dressing like 50-year-old dudes. If they still dressed like this
(https://www.flushthefashion.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/rush.jpg)
then that would be stupid.
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I'm so glad I love 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s and 10s music.
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The '80s had the musicianship and the looks, and it all got stripped back with grunge, both visually and musically, and I find it all incredibly dull. Of course I couldn't care less what a band looks like when I'm listening to the music, but the grunge/alt era has zero appeal to me on any level, even musically.
Musicianship and presentation are not mutually exclusive goals at any rate. If you've got the music down, it's not affecting anything to at least dress like you belong on a stage, instead of in a garage. With no offense intended, if a band dresses like a bunch of 50 year old dudes, they're very likely doing something wrong. :lol
Seems like you're categorizing the grunge musicianship into one band; Nirvana. Pearl Jam has Mike McCready which is an amazing and often underrated guitar player. Soundgarden played with song structuring often reserved to prog rock. Alice in Chains has Jerry Cantrell who is yet another underrated guitar player. Yes the flamboyant guitar solos with the overuse of Floyd Rose dive bombs were gone, but to say that musicianship died in the 90's is ridiculous.
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Agreed ^
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The '80s had the musicianship and the looks, and it all got stripped back with grunge, both visually and musically, and I find it all incredibly dull. Of course I couldn't care less what a band looks like when I'm listening to the music, but the grunge/alt era has zero appeal to me on any level, even musically.
Musicianship and presentation are not mutually exclusive goals at any rate. If you've got the music down, it's not affecting anything to at least dress like you belong on a stage, instead of in a garage. With no offense intended, if a band dresses like a bunch of 50 year old dudes, they're very likely doing something wrong. :lol
Seems like you're categorizing the grunge musicianship into one band; Nirvana. Pearl Jam has Mike McCready which is an amazing and often underrated guitar player. Soundgarden played with song structuring often reserved to prog rock. Alice in Chains has Jerry Cantrell who is yet another underrated guitar player. Yes the flamboyant guitar solos with the overuse of Floyd Rose dive bombs were gone, but to say that musicianship died in the 90's is ridiculous.
The musicianship may not have died, but its intensity went from about a 4-alarm skyscraper fire to a backyard bonfire, IMO. The things that made 80's music great were often looked down upon in the 90's - technical guitar expertise, guitar solos, upbeat songs about drinking, partying, and fucking lots of groupies, etc.
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The '80s had the musicianship and the looks, and it all got stripped back with grunge, both visually and musically, and I find it all incredibly dull. Of course I couldn't care less what a band looks like when I'm listening to the music, but the grunge/alt era has zero appeal to me on any level, even musically.
Musicianship and presentation are not mutually exclusive goals at any rate. If you've got the music down, it's not affecting anything to at least dress like you belong on a stage, instead of in a garage. With no offense intended, if a band dresses like a bunch of 50 year old dudes, they're very likely doing something wrong. :lol
Seems like you're categorizing the grunge musicianship into one band; Nirvana. Pearl Jam has Mike McCready which is an amazing and often underrated guitar player. Soundgarden played with song structuring often reserved to prog rock. Alice in Chains has Jerry Cantrell who is yet another underrated guitar player. Yes the flamboyant guitar solos with the overuse of Floyd Rose dive bombs were gone, but to say that musicianship died in the 90's is ridiculous.
The musicianship may not have died, but its intensity went from about a 4-alarm skyscraper fire to a backyard bonfire, IMO. The things that made 80's music great were often looked down upon in the 90's - technical guitar expertise, guitar solos, upbeat songs about drinking, partying, and fucking lots of groupies, etc.
You mean the ridiculousness died out. Well I'm glad that it did. 90's bands played with their own way of intensity without the ridiculous outfits and eyeliner. There's nothing much to defend about 80's hair metal other than the glorification of the electric guitar, it was if anything an embarrassment to rock music. The previous decade was a whole lot better, and the following decade things started to go back to normal. 50 years from now people will still find Nirvana to be a cool band, can't really say the same for Poison or Cinderella or Skid Row.
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Nirvana were great musicians. Sure, Kurt's guitar playing is wildly overblown, but he was still a pretty good guitar player, not to mention his song writing was incredible. Nobody ever talks about Krist, but he was a super solid bass player, and of course Dave Grohl is just a beast of a drummer. I'd take Nirvana over any 80s hair metal band 10 times out of 10.
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I'm not sure I'd take Nirvana over the flu.
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Likewise. I'd take the flu over any grunge band 10 times out of 10. At least you can recover from the flu in a few days. Rock music is still feeling under the weather after being infected with grunge over 20 years ago.
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50 years from now people will still find Nirvana to be a cool band, can't really say the same for Poison or Cinderella or Skid Row.
I still find Alice in Chains, Soundgarden and Foo Fighters much better than Nirvana. Nirvana never really did it for me.
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:rollin I didn't even see that comment by 1neeto. But I guess it helps when you die and get overrated to unwarranted legend status.
Speaking of which, I'd take Warrant over Nirvana any day too. :biggrin: Not to mention all of the other great '80s bands that have and will continue to endure for decades to come. But people here only seem to mention Poison. It says a lot that even the bad hair metal is still that well known even to people completely ignorant of it! I don't think I could even name 5 grunge bands.
While I'm not into them, I could easier listen to AiC or Soundgarden than Nirvana though. And Chris Cornell sang my favourite Bond theme, so he gets a few points there.
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I was into Soundgarden well before this song, but this is the song that made them a long term favorite
Jesus Christ Pose (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tn5OIo4FuPc)
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Musically I found that a bit monotonous and not too interesting, but I enjoyed the vocals, and I have respect for the band and the music. Still feeling the '80s influence on the vocals, much like how you can still hear the influence on the vocals on Pantera's Cowboy's From Hell. I could easily listen to this over Nirvana.
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50 years from now people will still find Nirvana to be a cool band, can't really say the same for Poison or Cinderella or Skid Row.
I still find Alice in Chains, Soundgarden and Foo Fighters much better than Nirvana. Nirvana never really did it for me.
Same here. I have no use for Nirvana, never did, but there is a lot to like about Soundgarden, and Alice In Chains was a favorite from Day 1.
I am a recent convert to Foo Fighters, but they are amazing, much better than Nirvana ever was.
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:rollin I didn't even see that comment by 1neeto. But I guess it helps when you die and get overrated to unwarranted legend status.
Speaking of which, I'd take Warrant over Nirvana any day too. :biggrin: Not to mention all of the other great '80s bands that have and will continue to endure for decades to come. But people here only seem to mention Poison. It says a lot that even the bad hair metal is still that well known even to people completely ignorant of it! I don't think I could even name 5 grunge bands.
While I'm not into them, I could easier listen to AiC or Soundgarden than Nirvana though. And Chris Cornell sang my favourite Bond theme, so he gets a few points there.
*sets watch*
I dig Soundgarden, Foo Fighters, The Offspring, Green Day. That's mostly about as far as it goes, though.
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But I guess it helps when you die and get overrated to unwarranted legend status.
Nirvana weren't influential because Kurt Cobain killed himself. Nirvana were influential because people were sick and tired of dudes with big hair and make up in spandex playing 10 minute guitar solos, and singing about banging 34 groupies every night. They were a breath of fresh air in an industry that was clogged with the excess of the 80s. They were playing simple, but meaningful songs that more people could relate to, and writing them off because Kurt committed suicide is ridiculous.
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playing 10 minute guitar solos
Spoken like someone who has all the "I hate 80's music" attitude, but without being informed enough to use actual facts. 10 minute guitar solos are something you maybe hear in prog (I don't know as I cannot speak from experience), but certainly not 80's music. An average hair metal guitar solo is probably anywhere from 30 to 45 seconds. There might be an extended live solo, but Dream Theater did that for a very very long time also. Oh noes, excessive!
I agree Nirvana weren't influential because Kurt killed himself (though that undoubtedly helped their popularity carry on a lot further than it might have). Nirvana were influential for making it cool to not care about playing your guitar well. That's my opinion, but saying that simple guitar playing and simple songs are more relatable to people is BS. That would mean that nobody could relate to Dream Theater (to be fair, anymore, I can't relate to them). I don't imagine you'd agree that DT, despite their complexity, is relatable to people.
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I think it was just time for a change. The music video forever melded music and fashion to a much greater degree than ever before, so the 80's were a unique time. Trends in music and fashion come and go; some reach great heights and popularity, others do not, but eventually they all pass. The 80's really took it to an extreme, and when it was time for a change, grunge was there. I don't know if the simpler structure was more relatable or what, but it was different, and oftentimes just being different is what catches people's attention.
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playing 10 minute guitar solos
Spoken like someone who has all the "I hate 80's music" attitude, but without being informed enough to use actual facts. 10 minute guitar solos are something you maybe hear in prog (I don't know as I cannot speak from experience), but certainly not 80's music. An average hair metal guitar solo is probably anywhere from 30 to 45 seconds. There might be an extended live solo, but Dream Theater did that for a very very long time also. Oh noes, excessive!
I agree Nirvana weren't influential because Kurt killed himself (though that undoubtedly helped their popularity carry on a lot further than it might have). Nirvana were influential for making it cool to not care about playing your guitar well. That's my opinion, but saying that simple guitar playing and simple songs are more relatable to people is BS. That would mean that nobody could relate to Dream Theater (to be fair, anymore, I can't relate to them). I don't imagine you'd agree that DT, despite their complexity, is relatable to people.
I will admit the 10 minute guitar solo thing was a bit out there, but hyperbole is a thing, but that's besides the point. Anyways, I wasn't saying the simplicity was what people were relating to. The content was what people were relating to. The songs weren't about the excess, but there was a more personal nature to them that a broader audience found they could relate to.
Also, I love music from the 80s, just not hair metal. And I also don't listen to prog anymore because of the excessive self indulgence. It's just not my thing anymore.
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I will most certainly applaud you for that! :lol
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This thread hurts my head.
You are all lesser than I because prog
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It's a chat thread. By its very nature, it's supposed to go all over the place. It got a bit one-dimensional there for a while (which is partly my fault, although I only have a few subjects I can chat about) so this is good.
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playing 10 minute guitar solos
Spoken like someone who has all the "I hate 80's music" attitude, but without being informed enough to use actual facts. 10 minute guitar solos are something you maybe hear in prog (I don't know as I cannot speak from experience), but certainly not 80's music. An average hair metal guitar solo is probably anywhere from 30 to 45 seconds. There might be an extended live solo, but Dream Theater did that for a very very long time also. Oh noes, excessive!
I agree Nirvana weren't influential because Kurt killed himself (though that undoubtedly helped their popularity carry on a lot further than it might have). Nirvana were influential for making it cool to not care about playing your guitar well. That's my opinion, but saying that simple guitar playing and simple songs are more relatable to people is BS. That would mean that nobody could relate to Dream Theater (to be fair, anymore, I can't relate to them). I don't imagine you'd agree that DT, despite their complexity, is relatable to people.
The ignorance and narrow mindedness about '80s music here is really sad sometimes, given how open minded people claim to be. Most '80s bands were all about writing short accessible songs, with maybe a little bit of flash in the solo to stand out, but the more popular ones were the tasteful and melodic ones. The bands like Nitro weren't the ones that made it to the top. And then people criticize hair metal for being simple. You can't win!
Hair metal wasn't all about partying and screwing by any stretch either. There were lots off equally relatable songs about the common stuff like relationships, life, hardship, etc.
Grunge was just the next fad, and record companies were only too happy to jump on the bandwagon and exploit it. Grunge didn't kill off hair metal, it barely even competed against it. There was very little overlap, and you can look up any hair metal band and the story is the same. The record companies only wanted their grunge, so unless you wanted to conform to the latest craze, you were essentially rock-blocked. The few bands that did release albums during the '90s sounded nothing like their '80s selves, and weren't suited to writing that music, so they all split up. There was no war, just a changing of the guard.
Grunge wasn't some rebellious movement that killed off hair metal. It was just the latest trend in popular music, just like the hair metal that preceded it, successfully pushed onto a new generation of kids via MTV.
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Hair metal wasn't all about partying and screwing by any stretch either.
Come on, 90-95% of it was. Don't bullshit me, I lived through it. Hell, I had Roxy Blue's Want Some? on cassette, baby.
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I'm not glorifying nirvana in any way shape or form. I'm just stating the fact that they were very influential and changed everything in the early 90's. And their music however "inferior" it is, will live on unlike most of the hair metal from the 80's which will be forgotten sans a few songs. I personally don't like Nirvana all that much, I was more of a Soundgarden, AIC and Pearl Jam kind of guy. Hell, here's a pic of my phone's iPod list in between the M and N, notice there's no Nirvana there.
(https://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j277/TTsixxer/061BE9BD-387A-463A-826B-17894D9CFE9B_zpsifanitbc.png) (https://s82.photobucket.com/user/TTsixxer/media/061BE9BD-387A-463A-826B-17894D9CFE9B_zpsifanitbc.png.html)
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Q: Is the grunge side better?
A: Faster. Easier to tap into negative emotion it is.
But beware the grunge side. Angst, complain, apathy; the grunge side of Music are they. Easily they flow, quick to join you in lament. If once you start down the grunge path, forever will it dominate you it will, as it did the Melvin's apprentice.
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As far as the metal of the 80s? It was essentially hard rock in 1980. By 1989, you had Dream Theater, Slayer, Faith No More, Johnson/Vai/Satriani and NIN's Pretty Hate Machine.
Quite a bit of variety took place in the guitar centric world in that decade. The hair bands were just the "crossover" artists.
Now apologize for Limp Bizkit, Hootie, Hanson, Creed and White Zombie.
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I'm not glorifying nirvana in any way shape or form. I'm just stating the fact that they were very influential and changed everything in the early 90's. And their music however "inferior" it is, will live on unlike most of the hair metal from the 80's which will be forgotten sans a few songs.
That's biased BS. A ton of it has already endured better than Nirvana, and will continue to endure as long as anything Nirvana ever did without a doubt.
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I think both hair metal and grunge had a few really great bands whose influence will last, and then a bunch of copies who no one remembers now, kinda like most trends in music I guess.
Though I'd probably tend more towards grunge, myself. Still, I like some hair metal. And some 80s pop I like quite a bit also.
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Just exactly what bands were influenced by Nirvana? Mixing up Seattle and Nirvana? Sonic Youth and Melvins came out before Nirvana.
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It's not even about what bands they influenced. Because of their mainstream success, it opened up the industry for pretty much the entire alt-rock boom in the 90s.
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It's not even about what bands they influenced. Because of their mainstream success, it opened up the industry for pretty much the entire alt-rock boom in the 90s.
Ok. Now we are getting somewhere. Poison didn't influence anybody. Hanoi Rocks / Motley Crue (look) and Van Halen (Everybody Want Some lyrics). Bands like Poison, Bon Jovi and Def Leppard just opened up the flood gates for guitar distortion (as opposed to guitar overdrive).
I specifically recall a friend telling me right before Metallica's One was out "You like Metallica? I can kind of understand Def Leppard, but Metallica? That's just noise." He liked Paula Abdul, Information Society and Bobbie Brown (the stuff that was really at the top of the charts). Of course when Metallica's Black album came out, he swore he was always into them.
BTW, they were into Nirvana as well. Because it was Pop 40.
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I think Orbert won this thread with the top post.
Grunge definitely feels to me like a return to 'honest' music after the excess of the 80s.
I'm not glorifying nirvana in any way shape or form. I'm just stating the fact that they were very influential and changed everything in the early 90's. And their music however "inferior" it is, will live on unlike most of the hair metal from the 80's which will be forgotten sans a few songs.
That's biased BS. A ton of it has already endured better than Nirvana, and will continue to endure as long as anything Nirvana ever did without a doubt.
I love how you call him out on his bias whilst clearly displaying your own :lol Both genres are bound to have an influence on lots of people, to say one is more influential than the other is like comparing apples and oranges.
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I'm not glorifying nirvana in any way shape or form. I'm just stating the fact that they were very influential and changed everything in the early 90's. And their music however "inferior" it is, will live on unlike most of the hair metal from the 80's which will be forgotten sans a few songs.
That's biased BS. A ton of it has already endured better than Nirvana, and will continue to endure as long as anything Nirvana ever did without a doubt.
This. I think Nirvana's influence is always grossly overstated. They might have had some influence but nowhere to the excess that people give them.
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I think Orbert won this thread with the top post.
Grunge definitely feels to me like a return to 'honest' music after the excess of the 80s.
I'm not glorifying nirvana in any way shape or form. I'm just stating the fact that they were very influential and changed everything in the early 90's. And their music however "inferior" it is, will live on unlike most of the hair metal from the 80's which will be forgotten sans a few songs.
That's biased BS. A ton of it has already endured better than Nirvana, and will continue to endure as long as anything Nirvana ever did without a doubt.
I love how you call him out on his bias whilst clearly displaying your own :lol Both genres are bound to have an influence on lots of people, to say one is more influential than the other is like comparing apples and oranges.
I'm not downplaying Nirvana to the level 1neeto has tried to do with hair metal.
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I think the truth of the matter is closer to 1neeto than to you, Blob.
Nirvana's place in music history is assured. People take them seriously and respect them, even if they don't like them all that much.
No one now gives much credit to the hair metal bands (even if they should), except for the statistical outliers like you, Coz, and a few others. Sure, there is a dedicated audience, but it is relatively small.
There was some great music made by hair metal bands (I like a lot of it), but it was typical 80's, as with everything else that decade: style over substance, image is everything. I feel like the really great songs that were produced were almost by accident.
Just my two cents.
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I don't know that I'd really say the audience for hair metal is relatively small, really. You'd be surprised how many people still love it. Although, obviously not here. A glance at the first page of GMD makes it painfully obvious that this isn't a place to go for hair metal.
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I don't know that I'd really say the audience for hair metal is relatively small, really. You'd be surprised how many people still love it. Although, obviously not here. A glance at the first page of GMD makes it painfully obvious that this isn't a place to go for hair metal.
I'm not talking about here. This place is a relatively small sample size no matter WHAT we're talking about.
Except Aussies who don't go outside.
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:lol
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*cues Tyketto*
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Just listened to Tyketto's first two albums last week. Good stuff.
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Just listened to Tyketto's first two albums last week. Good stuff.
I like the first one a lot. I never thought they got the acclaim they should have. I make fun of hair metal sometimes, but I liked that band.
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They're going to be at M3 this year, so I was catching myself up.
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They're going to be at M3 this year, so I was catching myself up.
Is that a festival for one-time hair metal bands?
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Lots of bands of that ilk. This will be like my 6th year in a row, going. Here's this year's lineup:
(https://scontent-b-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/v/t1.0-9/10922630_10203440141947649_2363037329003358446_n.jpg?oh=459dd8851f49f1a5ffe5f05e5cd8a4fd&oe=552B284D)
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Lol Winery Dogs
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Lol Winery Dogs
TBH, that's probably my favorite band from that poster.
I would attend something like that if I won tickets, but I'm not sure how much I'd be willing to pay for tickets.
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It's not one of the better lineups they've had, but it'll be a good time. We get lawn seats and roam back and forth from our seats where you can see the screens for the main stage, and the Festival stage that you can walk right up to. Back to back bands on alternating stages from 11-11 Saturday. And like 6-11 on Friday.
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I don't know that I'd really say the audience for hair metal is relatively small, really. You'd be surprised how many people still love it. Although, obviously not here. A glance at the first page of GMD makes it painfully obvious that this isn't a place to go for hair metal.
I hear hair metal everywhere, on TV, in movies, it still gets big exposure given how old it is, and a lot of people are still into it, and a whole wave of new bands have popped up in the past decade influenced by that music. You'd have to be living under a prog rock to ignore it. I very rarely hear grunge music anywhere these days though.
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"living under a prog rock" is my new favorite phrase.
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:lol I must say, I'm proud of that one.
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:clap:
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Lots of bands of that ilk. This will be like my 6th year in a row, going. Here's this year's lineup:
(https://scontent-b-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/v/t1.0-9/10922630_10203440141947649_2363037329003358446_n.jpg?oh=459dd8851f49f1a5ffe5f05e5cd8a4fd&oe=552B284D)
A few good ones there. The rest probably have some bills they're behind on. ;)
I've seen Tyketto about a dozen times. They were such a good band though I never really referred to them as a hair band.
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Here are the lineups for the years I've been:
(https://i.imgur.com/4LqUP.jpg)(https://i.imgur.com/2ICN0.jpg)(https://i.imgur.com/uVRCz.jpg)(https://m3rock.webs.com/M3_Admat_2013_R2-2.jpg)(https://m3rock.webs.com/M3_Admat_2014.jpg)
I missed the first year. Every year has had its specific highlights. 2010 = ZO2, Nelson (with Mark Slaughter on rhythm guitars and backing vocals), and Cinderella. 2011 = Mr. Big back together and Big Noize (supergroup with Joe Lynn Turner on vocals). 2012 = EzN and Night Ranger back to back. Also Stryper. 2013 = King's X and Steel Panther. 2014 = La Torre fronted Queensryche and Tesla headlining.
We always get lawn seats. From there, you can see the screens that display the goings-on on the main stage, then you can walk over and right up to the Festival Stage. Saturdays are basically 11-11 bands back and forth on each stage. It's great just getting to wander around, people watch (my good friend Mark referred to M3 as "A festival of rack"), and listen to music all day.
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I'm sure that it's 10 tons of fun.
lol I never thought of Tesla as a hair metal band. But I guess they could be construed that way.
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I'm sure that it's 10 tons of fun.
lol I never thought of Tesla as a hair metal band. But I guess they could be construed that way.
I never thought of them as metal at all, let alone hair metal. I know why people do it though.
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I think the truth of the matter is closer to 1neeto than to you, Blob.
Nirvana's place in music history is assured. People take them seriously and respect them, even if they don't like them all that much.
No one now gives much credit to the hair metal bands (even if they should), except for the statistical outliers like you, Coz, and a few others. Sure, there is a dedicated audience, but it is relatively small.
There was some great music made by hair metal bands (I like a lot of it), but it was typical 80's, as with everything else that decade: style over substance, image is everything. I feel like the really great songs that were produced were almost by accident.
Just my two cents.
Thank you. That is exactly my point. There are a lot of great hair metal songs, but many will be forgotten because the image style looks absolutely ridiculous nowadays. Hair spray and spandex will never be back. T shirts and jeans on stage will always be around. GenX will keep hair metal alive until we die off and then it will be mostly forgotten with the exception of some household name bands like Mötley Crüe and maybe Poison and Skid Row.
I know you must hate it Blob, but Nirvana is the Led Zeppelin of the 90's. I can't say the same for any 80's hair metal band.
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I don't know. There was no Led Zeppelin of the 90s.
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Nirvana were the Led Zeppelin of the 90s? That's just wrong.
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I'm going with REO Speedwagon of the 90's. They had a handful of songs that your average radio listener knows, and they'll be remembered as a band that was very popular in their day, but their music may not have aged very well.
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Nirvana were the Led Zeppelin of the 90s? That's just wrong.
Meaning as how the revolutionized the music industry during their time. Not style or talent wise. I knew that comment was gonna strike a nerve.
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Nirvana were the Led Zeppelin of the 90s? That's just wrong.
Meaning as how the revolutionized the music industry during their time. Not style or talent wise. I knew that comment was gonna strike a nerve.
It didn't really strike a nerve as I'm not a big fan of either. However, I don't think you can compare the influence of the two.
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Nirvana were the Led Zeppelin of the 90s? That's just wrong.
Beyond wrong. I'm not even a big fan of Zeppelin, but they've had a huge influence on rock to this day, and you can even hear the clear influence in many of the other big classic rock acts, and many more modern ones. Nirvana's influence doesn't really extend beyond grunge. It was an isolated trend that's pretty much died off. They didn't revolutionize anything in the way that Zeppelin did. I hear more influence from other bands of the era.
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Ok I'll put it in simpler, less offending terms. It's been what, 45 years since LP changed everything? And even today people still talk about them and are still relevant. 20 years from now people will talk about Nirvana and the revolution they brought into the 90's, which is their legacy. What will people remember about Poison? The lipstick and eyeliner and maybe Every Rose Has its Thorn.
So I'll be clear once again. I'm not comparing Nirvana to LP, one can't simply do that. All I'm saying that it is very likely that Nirvana will be remembered in rock and roll history almost as much as LP is remembered today.
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Ok I'll put it in simpler, less offending terms. It's been what, 45 years since LP changed everything? And even today people still talk about them and are still relevant. 20 years from now people will talk about Nirvana and the revolution they brought into the 90's, which is their legacy. What will people remember about Poison? The lipstick and eyeliner and maybe Every Rose Has its Thorn.
So I'll be clear once again. I'm not comparing Nirvana to LP, one can't simply do that. All I'm saying that it is very likely that Nirvana will be remembered in rock and roll history almost as much as LP is remembered today.
Why do you only keep mentioning Poison? Nobody would ever argue that they're one of the better or even representative hair metal bands. It's an ignorant comparison that shows a clear bias, and/or a lack of knowledge on the subject.
And you actually are comparing Nirvana to LZ by saying that. Nirvana might be remembered, but they'll never be placed on the same level as LZ, nor do they deserve to be. Zeppelin is already remembered for a lot more than Nirvana ever was, with so many iconic rock songs that have been endlessly copied through the decades (and I'm not even much of a fan of them). I'd say all that will be remembered of Nirvana will be Teen Spirit and suicide.
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Wouldn't Van Halen be the better equivalent? With that in mind, I think Van Halen blows Nirvana out of the water as far as long term musical relevance.
I typed up some explanation, but this *debate* is kind of ridiculous as it is just two biases fighting one another.
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I'd say all that will be remembered of Nirvana will be Teen Spirit and suicide.
I don't like Nirvana, but this is just ridiculous.
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Wouldn't Van Halen be the better equivalent? With that in mind, I think Van Halen blows Nirvana out of the water as far as long term musical relevance.
I typed up some explanation, but this *debate* is kind of ridiculous as it is just two biases fighting one another.
I agree that this nothing but people who disagree with each other and nothing img will change their minds. As for EVH, I don't consider them hair metal, even though they sort of adopted the look in the 80's, to me EVH plays the EVH genre lol!
To me hair metal is the likes of Mötley Crüe, Cinderella, Poison, Skid Row, Slaughter, and the countless others that wore way too much makeup and hairspray. They all have quite a few great songs, but the image was downright embarrassing.
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I'd say all that will be remembered of Nirvana will be Teen Spirit and suicide.
I don't like Nirvana, but this is just ridiculous.
It might be a harsh opinion but I agree with Blob. In the long-run that will be what people remember most.
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but the image was downright embarrassing.
NSFW Van Halen beginning of career picture (https://ww2.hdnux.com/photos/27/31/61/6134873/3/960x540.jpg)
(https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/6a/65/99/6a65991153334c1b45657cc0728d84bf.jpg)
You were saying?
Nirvana was the first big breakout grunge band. Not the very first, but the first with top of the charts success. You can't compare them to the middle of the road glam bands. You have to compare them to the beginning. Otherwise you are cherry picking.
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I'd say all that will be remembered of Nirvana will be Teen Spirit and suicide.
I don't like Nirvana, but this is just ridiculous.
It might be a harsh opinion but I agree with Blob. In the long-run that will be what people remember most.
Yes because SLTS was their only hit.
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I could only name Smells Like Teen Spirit and Come as You Are.
And need I point out that Every Rose Has Its Thorn wasn't Poison's only hit either, so yeah..... ;)
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:corn
Israel and Palestine will live in complete harmony before you two come to an agreement on this :biggrin:
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I could only name Smells Like Teen Spirit and Come as You Are.
Well, that's you.
I promise you that you are wrong on the amount of impact that Nirvana had (and still have) and what they will be remembered for.
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I would prefer Nirvana be remembered for this blasphemous piece of shit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XazY_p71fjs
NSFW vocal near the end
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I could only name Smells Like Teen Spirit and Come as You Are.
Well, that's you.
I promise you that you are wrong on the amount of impact that Nirvana had (and still have) and what they will be remembered for.
Don't make promises you can't keep. :-*
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but the image was downright embarrassing.
NSFW Van Halen beginning of career picture (https://ww2.hdnux.com/photos/27/31/61/6134873/3/960x540.jpg)
(https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/6a/65/99/6a65991153334c1b45657cc0728d84bf.jpg)
You were saying?
Nirvana was the first big breakout grunge band. Not the very first, but the first with top of the charts success. You can't compare them to the middle of the road glam bands. You have to compare them to the beginning. Otherwise you are cherry picking.
I'm sure DLR cringes at that picture and the whole look of the 80's hair bands.
As for Nirvana, I never said they were the first. Hell, I'm done explaining myself here.
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I'm sure DLR cringes at that picture and the whole look of the 80's hair bands.
And I'm sure you're basing this on nothing more than your own opinion of the era.
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Did anybody listen to the Nirvana Kiss cover I posted? Awful.
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Did anybody listen to the Nirvana Kiss cover I posted? Awful.
That's precisely why I didn't listen to it. :lol
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Did anybody listen to the Nirvana Kiss cover I posted? Awful.
I don't even like hearing the KISS version of that song, let alone a Nirvana version.
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Did anybody listen to the Nirvana Kiss cover I posted? Awful.
I saw what it was, but didn't listen to it again (I've heard it before).
I wouldn't consider ruining a KISS song to be blasphemy. But at the same time, I wouldn't hold a bad cover against any band.
AFAIK, the only real KISS fan in Nirvana was Dave Grohl. I think the Foos have covered KISS multiple times, and much better than that monstrosity. He even had Paul Stanley as one of the interviews in Sonic Highways.
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Did anybody listen to the Nirvana Kiss cover I posted? Awful.
I don't even like hearing KISS. let alone Nirvana.
FTFM. Both HUGELY over-rated bands.
Nevermind was a great album but the other two were merely ok.
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I'd say all that will be remembered of Nirvana will be Teen Spirit and suicide.
I don't like Nirvana, but this is just ridiculous.
It might be a harsh opinion but I agree with Blob. In the long-run that will be what people remember most.
Nevermind (the album that Smells Like Teen Spirit was on) is constantly regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time. Also, the Library of Congress put it in the National Recording Registry (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Recording_Registry) which collects "culturally, historically or aesthetically important" sound recordings from the 20th century.
Nirvana are much, much bigger than just Kurt Cobain and "Smells Like Teen Spirit".
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I'd say all that will be remembered of Nirvana will be Teen Spirit and suicide.
I don't like Nirvana, but this is just ridiculous.
It might be a harsh opinion but I agree with Blob. In the long-run that will be what people remember most.
Nevermind (the album that Smells Like Teen Spirit was on) is constantly regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time. Also, the Library of Congress put it in the National Recording Registry (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Recording_Registry) which collects "culturally, historically or aesthetically important" sound recordings from the 20th century.
Nirvana are much, much bigger than just Kurt Cobain and "Smells Like Teen Spirit".
I'm looking at some of those recordings that were added over the years. I'm not sure how being added by the Library of Congress will seal the fate of Nirvana as more than just a flash in the pan. Do you know all of those artists that were added by the Library of Congress? Are they household names that people remember or even know?
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Update on Orbert's almost-band.
First rehearsal tonight with the new lineup. Our new singer, Anne, has decided to join our band but also stay with her other band. Her other band has gigs lined up through this summer, so she can't just leave them. We're not exactly in a position to demand that she quit them or anything. In fact, Steve (guitar) has another band, I have a few other musical commitments through the church, and JT (drums) and Tony (bass) both occassionally do local session work, so none of us are really monogamous, musically speaking.
It was kinda funny, though, the way she sold it to us (which she didn't even have to do). She pointed out that she's still rather new to the game, and this experience with the other band will ultimately make her a better singer and performer, thus our band will benefit. She's only been singing in bands for a few years, and this other band she's in is the first one to actually play gigs. I didn't realize that. I thought she was just like us, been doing this since junior high or high school, maybe was out of the game for a while to raise a family, but is now back in. Nope. She's always liked to sing, and a friend of hers finally convinced her to "get serious" about it and audition for a band, but she's never done this before. She's great. Also pretty hot.
So ideally, she'll keep working with us while we put the set list together, keep getting experience and confidence working with the other band, then eventually quit them because they suck and go full-time with us when we start landing gigs this summer. That would be the best possible outcome. There are obviously many scenarios with less desirable outcomes, the worst of course being that she quits our band when her other band actually starts getting better and she's too busy to do both. Well, we can't control what happens, so we'll just have to see. Time to go grab some food, then head out to John's for practice.
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PICS
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I thought about that, actually. Right now, I'm gonna hold off. Once we have some pictures from gigs or even rehearsals, sure, but just posting pictures of her because I think she's hot doesn't seem quite right.
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Always a gentleman...
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Well, sometimes. Also, you guys have to remember that I'm 52 years old, and no one in my band is under 50, so "hot" is relative. I think she's really pretty, but a lot of guys would look at her and say "She could be my mom!" Well yeah, she could. But then you wouldn't be quite so ugly, would you?
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lol
I admire good-looking women, regardless of age. I mean, as long as they are legal.
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Same. We have a lot of older good looking women at work. I don't discriminate.
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That's one of the few perqs of getting older, the change of perspective. Those hot college girls still look great, of course, but the 30- and 40-somethings who I (mostly) wouldn't have given a second glance back when I was in school look pretty good now.
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That's one of the few perqs of getting older, the change of perspective. Those hot college girls still look great, of course, but the 30- and 40-somethings who I (mostly) wouldn't have given a second glance back when I was in school look pretty good now.
I agree wholeheartedly.
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Three rehearsals down, four songs each, 12 songs in the bag. We have a full set of tunes. Next rehearsal, we run through all 12 songs to freshen them up in our minds and work out the rough spots. We also have a name. We are Flashdrive. Sure, why not?
Every practice, I'm more and more impressed with our new singer, Anne, and she's more impressed with us. She openly marvelled at how fast we're putting songs together. Well yeah, but this is how it works in any decent band, as far as I know. Everyone learns the songs on their own, then you spend a few hours every two weeks putting them together. Through email, we agree on who's playing what, or what key it's in, if there's any question, otherwise everybody shows up ready to go. So four songs every two weeks. Another couple of months and we'll have three sets, a full evening. Then we'll be ready to play out, just in time for summer.
One thing that still bothers me a little bit is that she still refers to the band as "you guys". She still has her other band, the one she's been in for two years and the only band she's ever been in, so when she comes to rehearse with us, we're her "other band" and she thinks of us as "you guys". I try to gently correct her. Like, she'll say "Wow, you guys are really good!" and I'll say "No, WE are really good!" And she'll say "Right, right". Not dismissively; she's nodding her head and smiling, like she's embarrassed to have to be corrected (again).
Her other band had a gig last weekend, and she posted pictures on her Facebook page, and obviously that's the foremost band in her mind right now. We are just her side project. Our drummer JT took a picture at rehearsal the other night and posted it on Facebook, tagging everyone, and she removed her tag. I'm trying not to jump to conclusions, as there can be different reasons for that. She'd just posted a bunch of pictures of her other band's gig, and changed her cover picture to a nice band picture of them, so being tagged in a pic the next day of her rehearsing with a different band would be weird (especially since her other band members would see it, and I don't know if they know she's moonlighting). Also, it's not a particularly flattering picture for her.
So even though the band sounds pretty fucking great (we really do) and it all seems to be going well, there just seems like a little bit of uncertainty to it all. But as I said last time, it's nothing I can control or do anything about, so it'll just have to be. I know, it's only rock and roll. But I like it. ♫♫
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:metal
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So it looks like I will soon be moving from acoustic guitar to electric guitar (for the first time in roughly 10 years) with the band at church.
My guitar is a Fender Strat, and the church just ordered me a Digitech RP500, so I've been messing around with that for the last week or so. Not sure if I will transition over this week, or wait another week, but it's been fun noodling around with this thing.
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Cool Hef. We just had a conference over the weekend at it was the first time in a long time I got to play second guitar. Had so much fun with my Digitech Whammy. Got some cool sounds with the 1 Octave Up setting + delay + reverb + volume swirls; real good for the interlude-ish moments in between songs. I went between my Strat and my Tele. Strat is far more versatile though, especially for worship.
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We'll see how it goes. I am pretty much just a rhythm player, and we already have a lead player, but he doesn't change sounds at all. He comes from a blues/jazz background, and is a phenomenal lead player, so I don't have to worry about that, but then there was me and another guy both on acoustic. So I decided to go back to electric to fill out the sound, and hopefully add some texture (and crunch where needed :metal).
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Speaking of adding texture, I sat in on piano this week at my church. Our praise band has imploded, so our Deacon, who sings and plays acoustic guitar, has been leading the gathering songs each week for a while now. A mix of modern praise tunes and what I call "Sunday School Songs" -- good old singalong stuff to start off the service. Anyway, I knew this week's song, so I asked if I could join her, and she was into it. Even going from just guitar and voice to guitar, voice, and piano makes a big difference. Now we're an "ensemble". She was pretty psyched about it and and asked me if I'd like to do this every week. Of course! I miss playing, so yeah.
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Yeah, it's amazing what an extra instrument can do.
When my wife and I were playing out (her singing, me singing/playing acoustic), it was wild how our sound changed when our oldest daughter started playing percussion (djembe, shakers, rain stick, tambourine, whatever).
On the other hand, we have a fairly full band at church now, and I always find it funny when our music director freaks out if several people will be out. I always have to assure her that it will be fine, I've played with less. It will be effective.
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Music directors can get used to things being a certain way, and their first reaction is to panic if they think too many parts will be missing. Hey, a song can work with just a voice and guitar or voice and piano, or a capella for that matter. Anything else you add just makes it better. There's no "minimum" ensemble required.
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Music directors can get used to things being a certain way, and their first reaction is to panic if they think too many parts will be missing. Hey, a song can work with just a voice and guitar or voice and piano, or a capella for that matter. Anything else you add just makes it better. There's no "minimum" ensemble required.
Yep, that's my point of view, as well.
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We'll see how it goes. I am pretty much just a rhythm player, and we already have a lead player, but he doesn't change sounds at all. He comes from a blues/jazz background, and is a phenomenal lead player, so I don't have to worry about that, but then there was me and another guy both on acoustic. So I decided to go back to electric to fill out the sound, and hopefully add some texture (and crunch where needed :metal).
If he's a widdly-widdly kinda lead player then theres a perfect opportunity to add texture. That's pretty much my place in the church band - if my brother is playing (he's a real Lukather freak) I just stick to fattening up rhythms where necessary, and adding sonic textures/embellishments wherever I can. I definitely don't ascribe to the U2 guitar of most CCM but I admit I would be screwed without delay/reverb in this context :lol
Music directors can get used to things being a certain way, and their first reaction is to panic if they think too many parts will be missing. Hey, a song can work with just a voice and guitar or voice and piano, or a capella for that matter. Anything else you add just makes it better. There's no "minimum" ensemble required.
Yep, that's my point of view, as well.
Definitely the truth. I led our P&W team for two years with one guitar, a bass player and a drummer, and it was absolutely enough. We had some awesome times.
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Sweet.
Well, tomorrow night will be my first practice with the new electric rig, so we'll see how it goes.
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(https://blog.comedycentral.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/54-guitar-queero.jpg)
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So wrong. :lol
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Close.
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Close.
Oh, you weren't wearing underwear. I see.
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lol
What I found is that things that sound cool when you are at home and the only musician playing don't necessarily sound as cool with the whole band lol
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Well, solo performing is a lot different from ensemble, IMO. If it's just you, it's all you. But even if it's just you and one other person, the focus totally shifts to what you're building together. And with a full band, you go all the way with it. It's the ensemble that matters most, but within that, you still find ways for the individuals to matter, to shine on occassion.
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The most important rule with an elec. guitar path. You probably need a lot less amp than you think.
Even at a young age, I had a drum machine, synth and sequencer. So I'd almost always create a quick backing track with those. If it wasn't for a specific song but more of a "chart" type jam, I'd try to keep the backing as simple as possible. By the time you get to the band rehearsal, you have a decent musical roadmap in your head that you can concentrate more on jamming than simply playing.
And in some ways, rehearsals were more fun than the actual performance. At least you don't have a light shining in your face.
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Well, solo performing is a lot different from ensemble, IMO. If it's just you, it's all you. But even if it's just you and one other person, the focus totally shifts to what you're building together. And with a full band, you go all the way with it. It's the ensemble that matters most, but within that, you still find ways for the individuals to matter, to shine on occassion.
Yes to all of that, but I was just talking guitar effects and patches.
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lol
What I found is that things that sound cool when you are at home and the only musician playing don't necessarily sound as cool with the whole band lol
Like that " bitchin" guitar tone you got from your Line6 Pod with no midrange and 100% bass & treble that you suddenly can't hear when you go to band practice :P
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lol
What I found is that things that sound cool when you are at home and the only musician playing don't necessarily sound as cool with the whole band lol
Like that " bitchin" guitar tone you got from your Line6 Pod with no midrange and 100% bass & treble that you suddenly can't hear when you go to band practice :P
:lol Yeah, something like that!
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Well, solo performing is a lot different from ensemble, IMO. If it's just you, it's all you. But even if it's just you and one other person, the focus totally shifts to what you're building together. And with a full band, you go all the way with it. It's the ensemble that matters most, but within that, you still find ways for the individuals to matter, to shine on occassion.
Yes to all of that, but I was just talking guitar effects and patches.
Oh, you guitarists are your effects and patches. :loser:
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Well, solo performing is a lot different from ensemble, IMO. If it's just you, it's all you. But even if it's just you and one other person, the focus totally shifts to what you're building together. And with a full band, you go all the way with it. It's the ensemble that matters most, but within that, you still find ways for the individuals to matter, to shine on occassion.
Yes to all of that, but I was just talking guitar effects and patches.
Oh, you guitarists are your effects and patches. :loser:
Hey, I'm not accustomed to having to deal with them. This is new to me (or new again, I should say). :biggrin:
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I forgot i had my amp in the basement. So I think i'm going to head to the store, get a new guitar cable, plug in the acousitc/electric, and finish learning Along for the Ride.
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Rocked it out at church this morning. This is gonna be fun. :metal
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:metal
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Easter morning at church, we always like to have "real brass" augmenting the sound. There's nothing like hearing choir, organ, and real brass. Big sound. In the old days, we a had quartet; two trombones and two trumpets. For a while it was just two trumpets. We had three one year. Recent years, we've been down to one trumpet. Local musicians figured out that they could charge $100 or $150 to play at local services, since everyone was doing it, but we're just a small church and don't have a huge budget. This year, we had some money, but our choir director couldn't find anyone. Like, nobody anywhere. We usually hit up the local high schools, but everyone's on Spring Break.
At choir rehearsal a few weeks back, I said "You know, saxophones are made of brass, so technically..." I'm not sure how serious I was, but if the idea is to augment the sound, why not? I've played my alto in church a few times with the praise band, and Brian (one of the basses (I'm a tenor)) has an alto and a soprano. The anthem has optional parts for two trumpets and two trombones. Checking it out, you could have all four, or just the two trumpets, and it would work. Just the two trombones would be weird but okay, but if you can get trombones, you can probably get trumpets. I suggested Brian play his soprano, which is Bb, so he wouldn't have to transpose, and I'd play my alto and just wing it.
The next rehearsal, our director showed up with the two trumpet parts transcribed from the "miniature" versions on the back page of the choir part. Apparently you had to order them separately (and pay for them, of course), so she just did them on her PC using Sibelius. I would've done the same if she'd given me the go-ahead, but whatever, she did it, and was obviously on board with the idea. Our choir is small, but we can afford to lose one tenor and one bass if it meant having brass. So we did "Joy in the Morning" with a soprano sax and an alto sax playing the trumpet parts. It was different, but pretty cool. :tup
Rewind to Friday night. As I lay in bed, I was thinking ahead to this morning, thinking about how cool it was gonna be to have brass, and actually get to be part of it. I thought about the opening strains of "Christ the Lord is Risen Today" (which is always the opening hymn on Easter morning) and... Hey, why aren't we doing all the hymns with brass?
So Saturday (yesterday), I shot an email to Shirley (the director) and Brian, and told them I had some time, and wanted to whip up some charts, and what did they think? I'd be willing to just fly with it, but Brian isn't quite the war-scarred veteran I am, and would want to rehearse it, and maybe wouldn't even feel comfortable doing it with just one rehearsal. But I sent the email, and then immediately started working on the charts. An hour later, I had two verses. I wasn't sure how many verses we were going to sing, but we could do two, alternate between them, skip a verse, whatever. We had some ammo. Different harmonies and augmentations, lifted from the actual choral parts and transposed in various combinations. :hat
I logged back into my email and, not really surprisingly, nothing new yet. So I sent the soprano part to Brian and the two-sax part to Shirley (actually I sent both to both, since it was the same email conversation), and asked Shirley if she knew what the closing hymn was going to be. Gotta open and close with the brass, right?
I checked throughout the day, but Shirley was gone all day. I should've just called her. But Brian answered, asked me if I could meet him early to run through it a few times. Sure. Then he wrote back later, said he's tried it and it was a piece of cake, so if we did it once during regular rehearsal before the service, he'd be fine. Yes! I never did hear back from Shirley though. But hey, we'd have brass for the opening hymn as well.
This morning, Shirley happened to check her email and answered me. She's fine with everything, even thanked me for doing it since she'd run out of time (she should've just asked me -- I would've done it but didn't think of it). The closing hymn is "Christ is Risen", but at this point I didn't have time, since I too was basically doing a last-minute email check before leaving the house. Crap. She showed up at rehearsal with a pad of five-line paper, said asked me if I wanted to whip something up really quick, or she could do it. Whoa. :omg:
During the sermon, I cooked up a chart for Brian to play based on the descant written for the final verse, and I just winged a second horn part based on the tenor part. Hey, the harmonies worked, there was some counterpoint here and there, it worked. Living on the edge. Writing horn parts 30 minutes before they're gonna be played.
So we did the opening hymn, anthem, and closing hymn with "real brass" in the form of two saxophones, and I got to write the charts for two of them. And I did it for free, and I'm damned proud of it. :millahhhh
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All of the joys of music wrapped into one bundle there. :tup
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Absolutely. Doing different things in terms of playing, and arranging, making up some stuff, synthesizing other stuff. It was crazy fun.
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That is awesome, Orbert! :metal
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Update on Orbert's Band
The drama, or more accurately "the trauma", continues.
We rehearse every other Saturday. Steve (lead guitar) is currently paying the rent driving an 18-wheeler and is on the road 11 days out of 14, so he's only home every other weekend. JT (drums) runs a restaurant and owns two other businesses and Saturday mornings are just about the only time he can manage. Our new bassist, Tony, works various odd jobs as he can get them and his schedule can be unpredictable. The stage is set.
After three pretty good rehearsals in a row, each covering four songs, we had 12 songs -- one set -- and the next rehearsal was to nail them down. Finally getting a song right after working on it for half an hour or 45 minutes is fine, but if you can't come back to it two weeks later, or four or six, and get through it, you didn't really have the song nailed down.
It turns out that John (guitar, leader, and owner of the basement in which we practice) is going to be out of town, doing college visits with his son. They've tried, but there's no other date that works. Can we do Friday night, or Sunday afternoon? We settle on Friday night. I pack all my stuff into my car before heading to work, since I'll be driving out there right after work. During the day, I get an email. JT's grill cook's grandmother has died suddenly, the cook has called out, and JT has to cover. Sunday afternoon doesn't work, and by Monday, Steve is back on the road. So no rehearsal.
Two weeks later, Tony has to be somewhere by Noon for a job, so we move practice time up from 10 AM to 9 AM, so we can be done by 11 and Tony can go make some money. I get there about 8:30, since I have to set up my keyboards, amp, and sax, so I'm first one there. I get to the basement and meet Dave, John's friend, who is filling in on bass. What? Tony's start time got moved up to 11, and rather than move the rehearsal time yet another hour earlier (and on very short notice), John called a friend of his who plays bass, just so we can get through the rehearsal.
Rehearsal is not great. At this point, it's been four, six, or eight weeks since playing the songs, plus we don't have our regular bass player, so I'm not even sure what the point was of practicing, but at the very least, it helped the rest of us to run through the 12 songs, scrape off some rust.
Two weeks later, Tony has to miss another rehearsal, as he has something going on and they need him all day Saturday. He also mentions that now the baseball season is starting, he'll be busy on weekends. He plays on a minor league team. What the fuck? You join a band, knowing that you won't be available on weekends?
John sends an email expressing his frustration. Anne (singer) has another band, and they suck, but they're out there playing. Steve has another band, and they're finishing their third set. Why are we still in the basement with only a dozen songs? (Answer: because we keep changing personnel, taking "breaks", and cancelling rehearsals when we do have a full band.) He questions the commitment of people. He (rightfully, mostly) complains that you shouldn't commit to a band if you can't even learn your parts and show up for rehearsals.
I sent him a reply, him only, saying that we're all busy as hell, but Saturday mornings worked for us for over a year. Tony is the new guy, and he's a great player and also has an ear for harmonies and background vocals, but if he's the reason we keep cancelling rehearsals, then he's gotta go, and really, he shouldn't have taken the gig if he knew this.
Tony sends a reply to everyone, voluntarily dropping out of the band. He knows the score. So okay, this was probably the least painful way it could have happened, we didn't have to fire him or anything, but shit. Time to find a new bass player.
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I think once you pass the age of 25, these rules apply to musicians:
1. You have a job (and maybe even family) that takes up the majority of your time. Rehearsals are the first thing to get tossed out.
2. You don't have a real job (career), so you have a lot of time to rehearse. But if you don't have a real job by age 25, it probably means you aren't exactly reliable. So you miss rehearsals any way.
You really have a clock ticking on doing anything professionally as a musician.
Despite all that, I wish you the best in getting it all worked out. It definitely won't happen if you don't try.
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That sucks, Orbert. Hopefully you can find a new bass player.
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John has contacted Jerry, who was runner-up bass player last time. Jerry did not play horribly, but he wasn't great, and it took a bit of convincing for JT and Steve to even give the guy another shot. He's the one who played some very pedestrian parts, and said "But that's what it said on the sheet music." I know, not exactly promising. But a not-great bass player is still better than no bass player at all, and if there's one position in our band where we could get away with a not-great player, it's the bass. If your drummer can't keep basic time, it's obvious and you suck. If your singer can't sing, it's obvious, and you suck. If your guitarist can't play, it's obvious and you suck. Keyboards, just turn him down in the mix and no one will know the difference anyway.
But, and I mean no offense to bass players, if your bass player isn't exactly John Entwhistle, but he keeps the bottom end and is at least in the right key and stuff, the part is covered. Yes, a really good bass player is a definite plus, and can take you to the next level. But we have a gig coming up and 20 more songs to learn. If he's down there just thumping roots, we at least have the part covered. Anything beyond that is bonus, and he did show some game. We didn't really give him much time to prepare last time, and after we'd played the song on my iPod for him, he picked up the part, so he does have ears. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and figure he used the sheet music to cheat a little (which I've done) and never had time to come back and work up the actual part.
So John has contacted him and impressed upon him that the position is his if he wants it, but he's gotta step up his game a bit. John's going to work with him one-on-one a little, then throw him into the fire. So this should be interesting.
It has now been over a year, over 15 months actually, and we've played two gigs, changed personnel countless times, and currently have no songs in the bag. Good thing I really like to play and have a high tolerance for bullshit, because this is really getting pretty silly. But whatever. It's still fun to get together every other Saturday and jam with these guys. Life could be worse.
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So anybody here at DTF write songs together over the net (emailing parts and posting up section suggestions on SoundCloud?) We did that at John Petrucci Forums and it was pretty fun. I know I saw GoldFalcon (Alex) post here and he was a big part of that.
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So anybody here at DTF write songs together over the net (emailing parts and posting up section suggestions on SoundCloud?) We did that at John Petrucci Forums and it was pretty fun. I know I saw GoldFalcon (Alex) post here and he was a big part of that.
oh I WISH
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So anybody here at DTF write songs together over the net (emailing parts and posting up section suggestions on SoundCloud?) We did that at John Petrucci Forums and it was pretty fun. I know I saw GoldFalcon (Alex) post here and he was a big part of that.
Now I know why your name looked familiar when I first saw it here.
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Just for reference, we (JP Forum) started a thread for the song and used it to openly discuss the composition process. I haven't read the rule about not posting links to the Petrucci Forum, so this is the thread:
https://www.petrucciforum.com/forums/showthread.php?76074-The-JPForum-Project
I had this on my computer, so I uploaded it to Soundcloud as v19
https://soundcloud.com/calvin6s/jpforum-project19
For the most part, 7/8 dominates the non-chorus parts, 4/4 is mainly the chorus and Rhys wrote a kick butt jam section that has lots of 5/4-4/4 (you can tell his part as it is pasted with some cool VST sounds so the sonic quality changes).
Keep in mind, we wrote quite a bit of the song just using our VST's and I was using GuitarPro, so it is more of a sketchpad than a full on release sound. You can only do so much with GuitarPro in terms of sonic quality. Alex was really good about putting down the actual guitar parts, but I think he took him off his Soundcloud account (or I am just using the wrong address).
It really was a collaboration. R32BlitzBane started the ball rolling with the clean guitar arpeggiation that became the verse. I brought in the intro. Alex came up with the chorus and did most of the initial arrangement. Rhys wrote his great jam section and was in the process of creating lyrics. And then there was a lot of others offering embellishments, rearrangements, alterations, etc. of everybody else's parts. We all had slightly different versions simply because we didn't have a universal VST to exchange the ideas easily. Often we'd just send each other the sheet music, MIDI file or just transcribe the parts of each other.
I was kind of hoping that somebody here would be interested in starting a whole new process with a thread here (possibly cross-linking to the Petrucci Forum as well as other DT musician oriented forums).
Never really practice my guitar any more. I always liked writing songs and sections of songs more than shredding. You get the most growth by writing with other people. It is just a hobby for me and have no real aspirations of it being anything more than that. If somebody wanted to give what we (possibly) write a proper instrument recording, great. But it isn't absolutely necessary. Just writing is fun enough for me.
This thread was "musicians unite" so I figured this was the place to bring it up? If there is enough interest, we can start a new thread dedicated to the future song. I have tons of stuff that can be used as a starting point if that is what it takes to get the ball rolling, but anybody can be the initial spark.
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I kinda feel like this one thread might be trying to do too many things at once, even if the net result is not a whole lot of traffic. I came in here to give an update on my band, which I've been doing for a while, but then I saw Calvin's post from two weeks ago -- which I'd forgotten about and, unfortunately, I can't really say I'm interested in -- but I didn't want to just pull the thread back in a different direction.
So, what's the overall feeling, guys (and girls)? It's not really a "chat thread" if it goes two weeks without a post, so it's really been functioning as something of catch-all thread. Should we maybe have a thread just for people to talk about the various musical endeavors that they're involved in? Something like that?
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I thought the thread was just a place for musicians to hang out. I figured I would offer the collaboration thing up and if there were any interested parties, we'd start a new thread for the current song collaboration - like we did at the JP Forum. Nobody responded, so I guess we can just move on.
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You're not wrong. I guess I think of the entire Musicians forum as the place for musicians to hang out, and people can (and do) start various threads for various purposes. I felt kinda funny because the only things I really have to chat about are the various musical endeavors I find myself involved in, and I didn't want to just carry on with that. It seemed like snubbing you and your idea, and I didn't want it to be like that. My updates were kinda dominating the thread for a while, but I guess that's how it goes if others don't have a lot to talk about.
So anyway...
Band rehearsal, our first official one with Jerry, our new bassist. We started with four "older" songs (even through they're all new to Jerry), then worked on four new ones. We did something different, which was to listen to each song first. I always have my iPod run through my mixer/amp, the output of which is also fed to the board. We've gone to it in the past to settle disagreements, or just to review the song itself, but this time, we listened to each song first, then did the song. I always create a playlist of current songs and listen to them non-stop for days leading up to rehearsals, so for me it was a waste of time, but I know not everyone else does that, so it was good for everyone to have each song fresh in their minds. We got through eight songs in three hours.
I broke out the Prophet-5. I love playing it, but it's a 40-pound beast and up until now, there hasn't been anything that required it. I can split the keyboard on my Yamaha and do organ/piano, piano/strings, etc. But one of the new songs was "Separate Ways" by Journey, and that tune demands real synth, so real synth it was. Jeez, you'd think these guys had never seen a synthesizer before. They were literally fawning all over it. But I suppose you don't see a vintage 80's analog synth every day. It sounded great, which was all I cared about.
Jerry was much, much better than at his audition. He was actually tight, yet loose and groovin' in spots. Jumped in on some background vocals, too. I wish he'd played like this at his audition. I was okay with him before, but some of the others weren't sure, and it also didn't make sense to just jump on the first guy we auditioned. Tony was amazing, but Tony joined the band knowing full well that we rehearse Saturday mornings, and his Saturdays are all tied up. So we basically wasted a couple of months there.
Anyway, great rehearsal, eight songs nailed down. My back hurts. It hurt when I got up this morning; I probably slept funny, but after three hours of jamming, it's kinda bad now. These are the sacrifices we make for our art.
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First, congrats on the new bass player. Finding band members can be a pain. They always seem to be great and unreliable or average and reliable. Obviously that is because the better you are, the more options you have.
I broke out the Prophet-5.
What other synths do you have?
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Separate Ways on a legit synth? :metal (although the original uses a Jupiter 8, but I'm sure it still sounded amazing). One of the few songs I can play fully on keys too.
As for the chat thread, I think either line of discussion would merit its own thread, or is just fine in the chat thread too. Orbert's band saga alone certainly deserves a dedicated thread! :lol
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I think Jerry might just be a poor auditioner, Orbert. It happens to people. But god, I'm jealous of you and your synth.
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What other synths do you have?
Just the Prophet. For years, I didn't have any keyboards at all. When the band broke up in '83, I got the piano, but the synth belonged to "the band", which actually meant it belonged to Pete the guitarist, who started the band and had sunk a bunch of his own money into it. So he kept the Prophet, but let me take the Yamaha piano. It was a weird, 80's electronic piano that was fun to mess around with, but I went back to school, got a real job, etc., and it was just taking up space, so eventually I sold it. By then, my parents had retired and moved to a condo, so I had the acoustic piano I'd grown up with. There was no reason to keep the Yamaha thing.
It was probably around 2005 that the Prophet that I play now showed up under the Christmas tree. My wife found it on Ebay. There's a company in Ohio that refurbishes and sells them. It's a Mark III (there were three versions of the Prophet 5), exactly like the one I played back in the 80's, and because it came from Ohio and I'm from Michigan, there's even a chance that it's the same machine. That would be wacky, but I have no way of knowing, since I lost track of Pete a while ago.
When I joined the church band in 2009, I needed something more practical, so I grabbed a cheapo Yamaha because it was all I could afford, but I made sure it had 88 keys, could split, had a bank of presets (standard Yamaha 500 voice library) and some other goodies. Right now, that's all I have.
(https://scontent-sjc.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xaf1/v/t1.0-9/29179_1291626692688_8000109_n.jpg?oh=5a94bc6d37968016eedb4fac9e9bf719&oe=55CC1A2D)
Separate Ways on a legit synth? :metal (although the original uses a Jupiter 8, but I'm sure it still sounded amazing). One of the few songs I can play fully on keys too.
It did sound pretty fucking great, if I do say so myself. I know my way around the Prophet pretty well, and the patch I built, to my ears, sounds exactly like the Roland that Cain used on the album (actually I thought it was a Juno -- they look very similar). The guys were going pretty nuts, asking me why I'd never brought it before. Because we never needed it before, that's why.
All those knobs and switches... how do you know how to work it all? I could explain it all, and I could even make you understand. How much time do you have? Just as guitarists can flip switches on their pickups and push foot switches on their pedals and make their guitar sound just like what we hear on the radio, I know my way around oscillators, envelope generators, and filters. It's the same thing, just more nerdy. Guitarists are cool; keyboard players are geek nerds. It's something I resigned myself to a long time ago.
I think Jerry might just be a poor auditioner, Orbert. It happens to people. But god, I'm jealous of you and your synth.
Jerry said as much, but of course it seems that way now. He was having trouble with his amp at the audition, and he told us that when he got it home that night and opened it up, something had fried on the main board. So he was nervous, dealing with that, and hadn't really had a lot of time to prepare for the audition, due to some work obligations that popped up unexpectedly. He started with some sheet music as a shortcut, but didn't have time to work up his parts properly. He was easily twice as good today as he was at his audition, maybe three times as good. A completely different player.
Someday, someone's gonna come to a gig I'm playing and see the Prophet and offer me a ridiculous amount of money for it. And I'll have a hard decision to make. I love it, and it sounds great, but I'm well aware that my attachment to it is purely sentimental. It's far from practical, but it's the machine I played during what was easily the funnest time in my life. Even if and when I graduate to a pair of Nords (ultimately, I want an 88 and a Lead), I'll always love the Prophet.
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Guitarists are cool; keyboard players are geek nerds. It's something I resigned myself to a long time ago.
As a hobby keyboardist myself, I can attest to that fact. :lol Half of the appeal of keyboard to me was always the ability to create different sounds and play around with that side of it.
The only keyboard I have is an M-Audio Keystation 88 Pro, which is just a MIDI controller with no sounds of its own, with 88 weighted keys, and a whole bunch of controls, including pitch/mod and a whole bunch of generic knobs, sliders, and buttons. So all of my sounds are software synths on the computer, no real deal.
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I've thought about different ways to go with a rig. It has to be practical for both stage and rehearsal, and I'm about 30 years out of touch with how it's done today, so I have a lot of catching up to do. One thing I've seen is guys with a controller such as you've described, and a laptop on the top rack. Everything's digital, preset, and programmed. The Jordan Rudess approach. He basically has the entire night's worth of sounds all programmed and ready to go, and advances one from patch to the next via foot switch. His hands never have to leave the keyboard. Whether he's changing patches for the next song, or changing patches 10 times during the same song, he just hits the foot switch and the sounds he needs are there under his fingers.
That's super fucking cool, of course, and I keep using the word "practical" for some reason, but going that far with it somehow seems almost too far. I like flipping switches and turning knobs during performance. I feel more like I'm actually playing the thing, not just playing sounds on a keyboard that anybody could have programmed.
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I think for the type of music you're playing, it would be overkill, and it's not as reliable or simple to setup. But it's great fun if you're sitting in front of a computer noodling around with sounds and writing some music.
The PC way is more work upfront for less work on stage (in theory), but if you enjoy doing it all on the fly, then it's not a problem.
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I have a lot of respect for the keyboard player who actually turns knobs, pulls levers, and actively tweaks their sounds while playing. It soundd and looks much more organic and natural.
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I wouldn't say it's necessarily more organic or natural, it's just more oldschool, which I guess I can see the appeal of. If anything, it's more natural to not have to be fiddling with your sound at all mid-playing. Having a more automated rig leaves you to just the playing.
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Thought I'd do the 'band update' thing as well.
For the first time ever I'm playing/writing/rehearsing with a proper band. We usually practice every weekend and it's really fun. We've only barely gotten through one of our own songs so far, as I try to write quite difficult (for us noobs) music that'll push us all further to become better players. So it's hard work but still great. We haven't found a singer yet, so we're only four instrumentalists at the moment.
We are in the process of writing a full length concept album and have three songs done so far, in total adding up to 26+ minutes.
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That sounds awesome. I would love to be in a band that did original music, but it's tough enough even getting a cover band to work.
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I like flipping switches and turning knobs during performance. I feel more like I'm actually playing the thing, not just playing sounds on a keyboard that anybody could have programmed.
flipping switches and turning knobs is the best part. as a drummer who plays guitar on the side, my entire fascination with guitar is the fact that i can have pedals that make a guitar sound like, well, not a guitar. the guitarist of my band hates my obsession with pedals, but i don't have the discipline to be as good as he as at guitar, so i just turn knobs, and make cool sounds.
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The reason I prefer to play drums live is that you can't be out of tune or not hear yourself.
If you put in earplugs you can't be sure you can hear what you're playing on the guitar or if you're in tune.
But on drums you can hear everything clearly.
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Drums can definitely be out of tune. Not in terms of absolute pitch, as with voiced instruments, but in terms of relative pitch. The intervals between your toms should be consistent, for example. That's why good drummers tune up before gigs, same as anyone else.
I also disagree about the use of earplugs. Good earplugs will only lower the Db level coming into your ears. You can still tell if you're in tune, and you can still hear what you're playing. I wear earplugs during practices.
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My experiment going back to electric guitar has not been as good as I had hoped. It's hard to find good sounding patches that blend in well with our already-existing sound.
But it's on delay for a while anyway. Our drummer and his wife are expecting the birth of their first child any time in the next few weeks, so he is leaving to be on baby duty for a while. So I am officially back on drums for the foreseeable future, which will be tons of fun.
First appearance back is this coming Sunday, which is Anniversary Sunday at our church. Normally we have our Contemporary Service (where our band plays), and a traditional service (with piano, organ, and choir, where they sing mostly hymns). But this Sunday will be a combined service, with both music groups "performing" individually and together on a few songs. Should be, well, stressful, but also fun. Also, church pot luck lunch following, and those are always :metal
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One of our original guitarists played electric with the band. Our original sound (such as it was) was based on one electric, one acoustic, and piano, with the occassional violin or percussion thrown in. He kept it to a pretty clean sound, with maybe just a enough grit to give it some extra texture. It sounded really nice blended with the acoustic.
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One of our original guitarists played electric with the band. Our original sound (such as it was) was based on one electric, one acoustic, and piano, with the occassional violin or percussion thrown in. He kept it to a pretty clean sound, with maybe just a enough grit to give it some extra texture. It sounded really nice blended with the acoustic.
That's cool.
Part of the problem is the set up. I don't really have an amp at home (haven't played guitar in years, and we don't use amps at church), so I run sounds through a headphone jack at the house. And I get stuff that sounds great to me. Then we get to church and line into the system, and it doesn't sound the same. Plus, our sound guy is not the best in the world, so he can't really help me to EQ myself with everything else to get a good sound. Frustrating.
Like I said, though, I will beat the (electronic) skins for a while, so that will be fun.
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Part of the problem is the set up. I don't really have an amp at home (haven't played guitar in years, and we don't use amps at church), so I run sounds through a headphone jack at the house. And I get stuff that sounds great to me. Then we get to church and line into the system, and it doesn't sound the same. Plus, our sound guy is not the best in the world, so he can't really help me to EQ myself with everything else to get a good sound. Frustrating.
That sounds non-fun. You have to be able to trust your sound man, but I know you don't always have a choice. Maybe try to get some time in there "off hours" to work on sounds? If and when you get back to guitar, that is.
I ran into something similar the other day, when I whipped out my "Separate Ways" patch. It sounded great through my practice amp, over headphones, but I run a line out to the board and we basically rehearse listening to the monitors, and it sounded really, really dry. I had to do some knob-tweaking on the fly (yay!) once I heard what it sounded like.
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Maybe try to get some time in there "off hours" to work on sounds? If and when you get back to guitar, that is.
Yeah, that would be best, but it would work best if everyone could be there and hash out the sound as a whole. Hopefully we can work it out.
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The reason I prefer to play drums live is that you can't be out of tune or not hear yourself.
If you put in earplugs you can't be sure you can hear what you're playing on the guitar or if you're in tune.
But on drums you can hear everything clearly.
drums live can be a nightmare sometimes. if the room sucks, or the monitors are shitty, all you hear is the drums. you can easily lose track of where the song is. and orbert's right about the tuning. if one of your toms is too high it's gonna sound awkward, or you're playing on a kit that's tuned way too high for the music that you're playing, which happens to me all the time when i'm at a venue with a house kit (i keep my toms as low as physically possible, and i'm always tightening loose lugs).
no matter what instrument you're playing, you always have to adjust to the room, the monitors, and the people you're playing with.
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Wrote some piano and classical styled music recently. Thoughts? It's nothing amazing, but I sure had fun writing and programming! Took a while as I don't have a midi keyboard - just point and click, point and click... I did The Moonlight while I was learning how to use the program, that's why it may sound like it was done sloppily. I hope those of you who listen enjoy! :D
https://soundcloud.com/cody-marshall-mckenna/gizmo-21
https://soundcloud.com/cody-marshall-mckenna/venus
https://soundcloud.com/cody-marshall-mckenna/the-moonlight
https://soundcloud.com/cody-marshall-mckenna/the-galaxy
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I sung in what was probably the hardest concert of my life so far. One hour of a cappella music that was at best "pretty tricky" and at worst "fucking insane". Our conductor actually told me in private that he had no idea what possessed him to put together such a tricky program lol.
Anyway, it was good. We were all very pleased with the concert, especially considering the difficulty. The one thing that was sad though was the low turnout - maybe 100 people, tops had come. :(
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So, I finished the first movement of a symphony today
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-7wjJdSKFw
cool
one down, three to go
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Wow! To my mind, that is the ultimate achievement as a composer. A symphony. A piece for the largest possible ensemble, and of course with the implicit idea that that the composition itself take advantage of that ensemble.
And it's a good one, too!
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Wow! To my mind, that is the ultimate achievement as a composer. A symphony. A piece for the largest possible ensemble, and of course with the implicit idea that that the composition itself take advantage of that ensemble.
And it's a good one, too!
Thanks! I'll be showing off the movement in my composition club tomorrow. I had made a couple of other attempts at a symphony movement before, but until now I either 1. didn't have enough decent ideas to make it work and 2. didn't know enough about the structure I would be using (sonata-allegro form (https://home.earthlink.net/~dbratman/sonata.html#2)) as a template for the movement.
Movements 2 and 3 should be a bit easier to write, since both of them usually utilize forms that are much easier for me to grasp (ABA or Theme and Variations) :P
The finale, however.. that will be a challenge. The themes I used in the first movement have been stewing in my head for quite a while now, since my first attempts at making a symphony movement. I guess I'll just have to practice coming up with decent melody :P
Thanks again!
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Thanks! I'll be showing off the movement in my composition club tomorrow.
So this is a school related project? If so, care to share some of the books used in the class? I personally don't have an interest in writing a symphony other than to push my mind in different directions so I am less likely to repeat myself ... myself.
I can't comment yet because the track is still playing for me right now, but so far so good.
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Thanks! I'll be showing off the movement in my composition club tomorrow.
So this is a school related project? If so, care to share some of the books used in the class? I personally don't have an interest in writing a symphony other than to push my mind in different directions so I am less likely to repeat myself ... myself.
I can't comment yet because the track is still playing for me right now, but so far so good.
This is actually unrelated to school. Sure, I'm in college majoring in Music Education, but I'm not in any composition classes, just music theory and ear training classes which have helped me write music that can satisfy my ear, and have helped my ears tune into what is and isn't satisfying. The composition club is just a group of music majors that write music and show it off. I'm writing the symphony for fun.
https://www.amazon.com/Musicians-Theory-Analysis-Second-Edition/dp/0393930815
That's the college textbook I have to have for the 4 semesters I take of Music Theory. However, most (if not all, I haven't actually tried this myself) of the information in that book can be found here:
https://www.musictheory.net/
Theoretically (heheh), you should be able to learn all the same things I'm learning in my theory class from the ground up as a person with no musical knowledge (I don't know if you know music at all).
So yeah, try that site.
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Thanks for the info. I have all the fundamentals down (and some forgotten) and the 4 part writing using triads and 7th to altered chords. Some cadence work, etc. But because music is just a hobby for me, I had to drop the classes in the middle of the second semester. I bought the other books going up to 20th century music at the college bookstore. But I'm always looking for a different take. More about the big picture such as chord progressions and composition. There are tons of books out there, but colleges are usually good about finding the better books.
Once again thanks. And great work on your Symphony so far.
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What program are you using?
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What program are you using?
https://musescore.org/
It's great.
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I sung in what was probably the hardest concert of my life so far. One hour of a cappella music that was at best "pretty tricky" and at worst "fucking insane". Our conductor actually told me in private that he had no idea what possessed him to put together such a tricky program lol.
Anyway, it was good. We were all very pleased with the concert, especially considering the difficulty. The one thing that was sad though was the low turnout - maybe 100 people, tops had come. :(
That's cool. Sorry to hear that the turnout was so low, that's always a bummer, especially if your concert goes well and the program is interesting.
My choir had a concert a week ago playing Rhapsody in Blue and some old musical songs. I didn't participate because I missed too many rehearsals, but I did go to see them play. I wasn't really expecting much since I didn't like the musical songs, but it was way better than expected.
Now, we're back to rehearsing Bach's Hohe Messe. Four more rehearsals to go, and after that we're playing two shows in the Netherlands and then we're going to Italy for a four-show tour!
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The Hohe Messe is amazing. One of my favourite Bach works - the Agnus Dei, especially, is beautiful.
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Agreed. I wasn't too much of a Bach fan before, but his music is so complicated that I think you either have to have lots of classical listening experience or have to perform one of his works to start to see how brilliant it is. That surely was the case for me; I've only been listening to classical music for some 3-4 years and I finally start to see how brilliant his music is. My favourite parts of the Hohe Messe are probably the Et Resurrexit and the Confiteor/Et Expecto.
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I hope that I'll be able to sing it some time, that would definitely be amazing.
Btw, this was the centerpiece of our difficult-as-balls concert: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yz_-5KWdt2A
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I have very little singing technique, but I have pretty good pitch, so after lots of practice I now am able to sing it. Our choir isn't one of the best since it's a student choir and orchestra, but at least I think we manage to sound pretty decent. So I think you should be able to sing it as well, given that you would practice enough :)
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Yeah, I think I'd be able to, but Bach isn't easy in general.
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Oh yes, you're right there. The first time we reheared the Hohe Messe.... :omg:
By the way, the Hessenberg piece is pretty cool. Sounds difficult as well. Last autumn, our choir performed parts of Rachmaninoff's Liturgy of St. Chrysostom - that was really cool to do as well, though I don't think it was nearly as difficult as the piece you posted. It was fun to do as a bass though, with lots of D2s, an occasional C2 and a Bb1 at one point :lol
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Some of the shittiest music we had to learn on my degree was by chick corea.
The two we had to learn were " Got A Match ? " and " Spain ".
I loathed both of them. Unlike most people on my degree - I left hating jazz even more than before I went. . .
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Some of the shittiest music we had to learn on my degree was by chick corea.
The two we had to learn were " Got A Match ? " and " Spain ".
I loathed both of them. Unlike most people on my degree - I left hating jazz even more than before I went. . .
Haha, both classics, I've learned those too. I must say that I like that side of Jazz music a bit more than all the blue note, tsjing-tsj-tsj-tsjing music. The middle of the road kind of jazz.
I have a lot of respect for the keyboard player who actually turns knobs, pulls levers, and actively tweaks their sounds while playing. It soundd and looks much more organic and natural.
I know I'm late, but chiming in on the entire keyboard programming discussion. I've made a 180 degree turn in that over the last couple of years. I started with buying a NordStage, with the possibility to load up about 128 different pre sets. Wonderful stuff. I've toiled around with that a couple of years. With my cover band the setlist changes from night to night, so I'd be loading up the setlist every afternoon before a gig.
The biggest flaw in that is when you play often. It's pretty boring to play the same song over and over, and I know you can try to get as close to perfection as possible, but that's simply not how it works for me. But playing the same song, and knowing it will sound EXACTLY the same because of your presets, is awful. I couldn't stand it.
Then there was a grey area where I started to buy material, and stopped programming the setlist. Now I've got 4 keyboards on stage, and while they each have sounds that I use every night, they're not in that order. I just use the instruments. Which actually feels a lot more like playing music :lol
And don't call me a nerd, Orbert! ;)
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Okay, I'll just call you a "real keyboard player".
There's comfort in knowing exactly what you'll get when you pull up a certain patch. Then after a while, yeah, if you're doing it every night, it can get a bit boring and samey. We tended to mess around with the set list a bit, though, so that helped. Some songs were reserved for the last set, the real rippers; newer or weaker songs were usually first set when not as many people will hear it and we'd get a chance to play them again. I keep a list of songs and patches taped to the keyboard, so I can pull up any song and not have to worry about it. Aside from a genuine synth solo (which I never get), that really about as much on-the-fly as I like during a live performance.
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Speaking of live performance, this is from this morning. For Mother's Day, our choir director gave the ladies the day off, so the men sang a silly song. We wore hats.
(https://scontent-lax.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpt1/t31.0-8/11259345_10203822021822764_1293267953344572514_o.jpg)
Every picture of our choir looks like this. Everybody else's faces are buried in the music, and I'm making eye contact with the audience congregation. The song was simple; I had it memorized after the second time through, and I guess I just figured everyone else would, too. Literally half of the song was the same words over and over. I thought it would be cool to take it all the way, do silly hand motions or whatever, but the other guys wanted their music. I flipped mine open and held it the whole song, but never looked at it, never turned the pages.
I don't know. I don't know if that's "wrong" or what. But singing in a choir is, to me, not that different from any other musical ensemble. Make eye contact, look like you're actually enjoying the song. If I have to, I glance down and read the next line, then look up and sing it. Guys, it's not that hard. I'm not trying to show up the others, but I'm not gonna bury my face in the music, either. I can't do that.
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A fucking men.
At our choir rehearsals, we have to start everything at least twice because people are looking into their music which causes them to not be able to read the tempo our conductor wants. Rather annoying.
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Oh totally. Last night I had a discussion with my dad about a Dutch classical ensemble, way too corny, usually not that great, but the conductor forbids sheet music, so that the instrumentalists can make contact with the audience. It's really strange that in classical music no one ever makes contact with the audience. The only one would be the conductor, but he is even facing the wrong way! ;)
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Some of the shittiest music we had to learn on my degree was by chick corea.
The two we had to learn were " Got A Match ? " and " Spain ".
I loathed both of them. Unlike most people on my degree - I left hating jazz even more than before I went. . .
Haha, both classics, I've learned those too. I must say that I like that side of Jazz music a bit more than all the blue note, tsjing-tsj-tsj-tsjing music. The middle of the road kind of jazz.
We didn't have to play it at that tempo - but when we got our sheet music for Got A Match? We all assumed that 320BPM was a joke or a page number.
It doesn't need to be that speed...I looked up live videos of it and there's no groove or feel to it at all.
It made me think that people assume that metal or prog is all fast for the sake of it but then there's stuff like Got A Match which is just way too fast.
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I vividly remember all the discussions with the jazz lovers about feel, groove and melody. Prog and Jazz fans are the biggest snobs in the music world (well, together with classical music listeners, but they don't even know that there's other music out there, so that doesn't count), so we never reached a consensus. I mean, what's the actual difference between a Charlie Parker solo and say a fast Guthrie Govan solo? Just the fact that Charlie Parker changes keys and scales more often?
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Before I went I knew we'd be subjected to a shit ton of jazz and charts. I also knew that there would be several students who would pretend to enjoy it because they think they should.
I hated Jazz before I went and I hated it even more after I left. I've never seen the appeal of that kind of music. I get nothing out of it melodically, rhythmically, harmonically.
Quartal harmony to me sounds like when someone plays guitar who's never played one before and they just play all the strings with one finger up and down the neck.
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My youngest daughter has been taking trumpet all year at school, and she is getting pretty good. I recently introduced her to Chicago, which she loved.
She also started ukelele lessons last night, and can already play a few pieces.
My oldest daughter plays guitar, piano, percussion/pit instruments (marching band), and dabbles in violin and bass.
I play guitar and drums and dabble in bass. I can also sing.
My wife sings, very well too I might add.
Maybe we can be a new Partridge Family or something.
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I had dreams of such a thing, years ago. My wife and I are both musicians, and our kids have both inherited a certain degree of talent. The problem is that they have no interest. My son took orchestra, then band, then guitar (they teach guitar at the high school), then... nothing. After quitting each of them, he's never looked back. He'd rather play video games.
My daughter has more talent and more interest, but less free time and something had to go. She took orchestra and stuck with it for three or four years, also took guitar, and now has no time due to skating, work, and of course school.
So no Partridge Family: The Next Generation in the Orbert house.
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We have done a version of that. For a few years, my wife and I occasionally did acoustic shows at various churches and a local Christian coffee house - her singing lead, me playing guitar and singing backup, and my eldest playing percussion. That was fun.
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I've known for a very long time that i'm not destined to be a successful musician.
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I'm disappointed no one has bothered to listen to my original music. I'm proud of what I'm doing right now. Oh well.
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I know. It's so difficult to get people interested in your original music...
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I know. It's so difficult to get people interested in your original music...
I love original music! I appreciate musicians who make the effort! Especially when its quality! I can't stand juke box cover bands! They all suck in my neck of the woods. Terrible waste of time for me to be bothered listening to crappy cover bands in bars filled with drunken stunods.
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I'm disappointed no one has bothered to listen to my original music. I'm proud of what I'm doing right now. Oh well.
I know. It's so difficult to get people interested in your original music...
I know the feeling, I remember posting my music thread that noone ever listened to, or commented on. It made me second guess myself a lot, but meh I dunno. If you're playing gigs and stuff and you know people are into it round your neck of the woods then you probably shouldn't worry about a couple posts, or lack thereof, on an internet forum
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Lack of comments are disappointing sometimes, indeed. But after 8 years of writing, it's still the love of creating that keeps me going, not comments I get on the internet, even if those are obviously always appreciated when it happens.
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Lack of comments are disappointing sometimes, indeed. But after 8 years of writing, it's still the love of creating that keeps me going, not comments I get on the internet, even if those are obviously always appreciated when it happens.
I've written hours of music in the last 5 years, but I've never even played anyone most of my tunes. I like the fact that I'm exploring my own creativity, and when I finally get some sort of finished product, or the time is right, I'll make sure everyone hears it.
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Lack of comments are disappointing sometimes, indeed. But after 8 years of writing, it's still the love of creating that keeps me going, not comments I get on the internet, even if those are obviously always appreciated when it happens.
I hear ya. I do it because I love it. In your mind you think when you post something everyone is going to want to hear what your doing. People are busy and only have so much time for stuff like that. I do understand.
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I gotta be honest, I don't come here to check out original music, and part of that is because I'm usually surfing at work and can't hear anything anyway, and the other part is mostly because if I'm surfing from home, I have tunes on, and I'm just too fucking lazy. I would have to pause my tunes, and click a link. That's just too much effort for me.
Lucien wrote the opening movement to a symphony. A symphony! I had to check that out. But really, I'm rarely in the mood to check out new music, by the members here or anyone else. I'm old and set in my ways, and I just want to listen to the same shit I've been listening to for 40 years.
I suppose that if there was any place where the "quality" of original composition could be presumed to be higher than average, it would be a place like this, so I should probably make more of an effort. If I ever manage to get my shit together and write down some of the things that have been floating around in my head for decades, I would want to share it and see what people think. But it's hard to get other people interested in even checking it out. I'm sure you understand.
I do understand.
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Tick, I will try to make time to check out your stuff this weekend. I am interested.
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I gotta be honest, I don't come here to check out original music, and part of that is because I'm usually surfing at work and can't hear anything anyway, and the other part is mostly because if I'm surfing from home, I have tunes on, and I'm just too fucking lazy. I would have to pause my tunes, and click a link. That's just too much effort for me.
Lucien wrote the opening movement to a symphony. A symphony! I had to check that out. But really, I'm rarely in the mood to check out new music, by the members here or anyone else. I'm old and set in my ways, and I just want to listen to the same shit I've been listening to for 40 years.
I suppose that if there was any place where the "quality" of original composition could be presumed to be higher than average, it would be a place like this, so I should probably make more of an effort. If I ever manage to get my shit together and write down some of the things that have been floating around in my head for decades, I would want to share it and see what people think. But it's hard to get other people interested in even checking it out. I'm sure you understand.
I do understand.
Thanks for putting that sentence to good use! Tick, I will try to make time to check out your stuff this weekend. I am interested.
Thanks, Hef! :tup
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Is it bad form to put a link to one's "check out my music" in their sig. I was going to check out Tick's, but I wasn't sure where it was here and I didn't have time to do a search.
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Is it bad form to put a link to one's "check out my music" in their sig.
Nope.
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Is it bad form to put a link to one's "check out my music" in their sig.
Nope.
On the contrary, I'd love to see that! For everybody that is composing.
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Is it bad form to put a link to one's "check out my music" in their sig. I was going to check out Tick's, but I wasn't sure where it was here and I didn't have time to do a search.
I'm clueless on that but here ya go! :biggrin:
https://www.reverbnation.com/play_now/23516134?utm_campaign=a_public_songs&utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=page_object_news_item
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A guy I used to work with has a band and I went to see them play last night. Turns out their bass player is Per Wiberg, former keyboard player for Opeth. That was pretty cool. Killer gig too.
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I'm not sure why, but it always blows me away when someone you know actually knows and/or plays with someone "famous". Opeth isn't super-huge, but they're big time, I mean a real band with CDs and everything, so even being in a band with their former keyboard player is like a brush with greatness. Just a few degrees of separation and all that.
Our drummer used to do a lot of session work in the Chicago area, including a gig at the Trump Tower for the Australian Consulate, and he toured with Bette Midler for a while. Our last bass player is also a local actor and recently worked on a movie with Alicia Silverstone. I figure that's about as close to brushing with famous people as I'm ever gonna get.
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I was just reading here and seeing people just rip into cover bands. What about bands like mine, who "cover" a song, but in a different style? Again, going back to my band as an example, taking DT songs, but doing it in chiptune (video game music) style. Just interested in people's opinions on this?
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I think it takes both guts and creativity to play someone else's song, but change it and make it your own. I grew up in the 70's, which meant I heard all the Manfred Mann cover version of Bruce Springsteen songs (they had three altogether which were hits) and never realized that they were covers. Then when I heard Bruce's originals, even though I liked Bruce at the time, I was kinda disappointed. I mean, disappointed in the originals. The songs themselves were quite basic, not much more than voice and guitar, but Manfred Mann had taken them and really done something unique with them.
All that said, I'm not sure how it would work with a bar band doing their own take on a known song. With DT, it could probably work because most people wouldn't know the original song, so they'd just hear a song and judge the performance on its own merits. That's actually good. But I'm guessing that for the few who do recognize the song, their reaction would be "WTF? They've completely changed the song! What is this?" Seeing it played live in a bar is a one-and-done deal. There's not much time for the audience to get to appreciate what you've done with the arrangement, because they first have to get over the shock that they recognize the song and your band "isn't playing it right".
It can work. People can be open-minded and enjoy what you've done with it. But man, it's risky. That's why I say it take both guts and creativity to do something like that.
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hmm, interesting. So far, we've not really gotten any negativity, I guess nobody noticed that it was anything related to Dream Theater :lol
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If anyone recognized it as a Dream Theater song, I'm sure they'd let you know. If I ever heard someone playing DT in a bar, I would be absolutely sure to let them know that I recognized it.
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In other news, I played some Frank Zappa in church today. Okay, just one measure, but it was some. I've been learning "Evelyn, A Modified Dog" for my own amusement, and it's in A, and starts with a wacky E7 arpeggio. Our opening song today in church is in A, and I was playing the piano for it, so I did the "Evelyn" arpeggio, then kicked into the regular song.
So it wasn't much, and I was the only one in the building who even knew what I'd done, but I did it, and yeah, I'm proud of it. I played some Frank Zappa, and segued into "Halle, Halle, Hallelujah!" (Frank would not have been proud.) You have to take these little accomplishments where you can get them.
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I'd love to do stuff like that while I'm working. I teach music to 12-13 year olds, and when we're singing some random popsong, I'd love to pop in some whackey suspended dominant, or other chords.
And Tick: listening to your music right now, sounds cool! Straight rock song, not really my cup of tea, but the live songs sound great!
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In other news, I played some Frank Zappa in church today. Okay, just one measure, but it was some. I've been learning "Evelyn, A Modified Dog" for my own amusement, and it's in A, and starts with a wacky E7 arpeggio. Our opening song today in church is in A, and I was playing the piano for it, so I did the "Evelyn" arpeggio, then kicked into the regular song.
So it wasn't much, and I was the only one in the building who even knew what I'd done, but I did it, and yeah, I'm proud of it. I played some Frank Zappa, and segued into "Halle, Halle, Hallelujah!" (Frank would not have been proud.) You have to take these little accomplishments where you can get them.
Haha, that's great. I like sneaking in little stuff like that during worship. I remember sneaking the chords (or an approximation of them - as close as I could get in standard tuning) for Zep's Rain Song into one particular song. There's a Bon Iver chord progression that I like to pop in when I can, also some Florence and The Machine and a Joanna Newsom progression I'm particularly fond of. I'm not sure I ever got any Zappa in, although I may have popped the main theme from Peaches En Regalia into one of our pre-service jams. Good fun, I can't wait for the day someone notices them :lol
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I'd love to do stuff like that while I'm working. I teach music to 12-13 year olds, and when we're singing some random popsong, I'd love to pop in some whackey suspended dominant, or other chords.
And Tick: listening to your music right now, sounds cool! Straight rock song, not really my cup of tea, but the live songs sound great!
Thanks for listening! :tup
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Last week at our church we did a "combined" service (traditional and contemporary together - which is not normally my preference). Our worship band was asked to do "Lord I Lift Your Name On High" which is completely boring, so we worked up an arrangement that sounded like Steve Miller's "The Joker."
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Last week at our church we did a "combined" service (traditional and contemporary together - which is not normally my preference). Our worship band was asked to do "Lord I Lift Your Name On High" which is completely boring, so we worked up an arrangement that sounded like Steve Miller's "The Joker."
Your churches sound cool. Mine's just full of pensioners singing "jesus take the wheel" and such-like. Maybe we should start singing songs with rock in them. That would be great!
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We tend to rock it out. For the time being, I am back on drums, and we have a good time with it, complete with guitar solos, trashcan endings, the works.
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I need to give my church tips on how to be cool
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I need to give my church tips on how to be cool
I think that if we tried to be cool, it would fail. We are just being ourselves, and cool is what comes out lol.
We have an interesting group of backgrounds among our members - metal, Southern rock, prog, bluegrass, classic rock, country, blues, jazz, formal symphonic/choral, etc. It's an interesting mix.
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I think I've told this story before, possibly in this same thread, but I don't care. It's relevant.
A couple years ago, I was asked to fill in and accompany the children's choir at the last minute, as the regular accompanist couldn't make it. The service started in 15 minutes, the accompanist had the music; all the director had was a photocopy of the song, actually just the melody. Just the one song. The song was "Lord, I Lift Your Name on High". I remember it was in G.
I found an empty room with a piano and quickly worked out the chords. I've heard the song a few times, but had never played it. I wrote the chords right on the paper, since it was my copy. Found the choir director again, and she said that they're doing three verses, which is literally the same verse three times. Yeah, completely boring.
So when it came time to actually play the song, I did the first verse pretty straight and simple, then kinda chopped up the rhythm for the second verse, with stop-time chords and a little syncopation (the kids had no idea and just kept singing the song straight, so it sounded pretty cool), then for the third verse it was straight again, but with a little extra rhythm and flair for the big finish. Turned a pretty straightforward song into something almost interesting.
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We do it in G as well.
Not only is not musically interesting on its own, I've probably played it 300 times over the last 20 years. Yuck.
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So.
I had a concert on Saturday, it was supposed to be a huge thing - choir and orchestra, 300 people in total, outdoor.
The snag? It started raining like five minutes before the concert should begin.
The orchestra didn't want their instruments to get wet - which I understand - so we ended up improvising and doing most of the stuff choir only. That was actually pretty cool, because during rehearsals, the orchestra had been quite overpoweringly loud.
What was less cool was singing in the rain, but luckily the rain stopped about an hour in. After that, it really was pretty dang cool.
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Awesome!
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Were you all like (https://33.media.tumblr.com/2d3616eb00e249a6497fab658733e13b/tumblr_miyrj5paut1qh8jfmo1_400.gif)?
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No.
I was wearing a cheap plastic rainponcho and looking like a massive tool.
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No.
I was wearing a cheap plastic rainponcho and looking like a massive tool.
That's disappointing
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So I wrote a short, semi-atonal thing, (https://musescore.com/user/100120/scores/887116) just to keep my mind at work while I mess with things for the second movement of my symphony. I think I like it, though I'm not usually very fond of atonality.
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That sounded really cool Lucien :tup
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So I wrote a short, semi-atonal thing, (https://musescore.com/user/100120/scores/887116) just to keep my mind at work while I mess with things for the second movement of my symphony. I think I like it, though I'm not usually very fond of atonality.
That's dark! But I liked it too. Especially the end, I like how it builds up and that the rest in the final measure sounds like a relief.
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Thanks guys ;D
I should write more music at 1:30 in the morning
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Proud Papa! Here is my daughter playing trumpet at her very first school band concert from Tuesday night. She is in sixth grade, and I am thankful that she attends the only school in the area that ISN'T cutting the arts. She is second from the right. The piece was composed by two other students.
https://www.facebook.com/hefdaddy42
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Goddamit, the kids of people on DTF are better than me!
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Goddamit, the kids of people on DTF are better than me!
:lol
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Haha. That doesn't bother me. I'm as good on guitar as *I* want to be.
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Sadly, I can't play guitar, I can play drums (admittedly, badly) and I can play the keyboard/synth (although again, badly) :lol
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For anybody interested listening to an hour of choir music from the 20th century in German, English and Latin, click the link below for a concert of my choir that I had talked about in the thread a little already. It was VERY demanding, but damn was it cool.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/r0teru91pfwx8vg/AADZ9nz435gNVUUCwzg1dtCRa?dl=0
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Meanwhile, in my church,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYOHGXED-wY (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYOHGXED-wY)
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For anybody interested listening to an hour of choir music from the 20th century in German, English and Latin, click the link below for a concert of my choir that I had talked about in the thread a little already. It was VERY demanding, but damn was it cool.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/r0teru91pfwx8vg/AADZ9nz435gNVUUCwzg1dtCRa?dl=0
Will check it out!
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Me, the first guitarist, and the second guitarist/keyboard player of my band decided today that our drummer is not fit to be in this band, since he does not seem to take it seriously, doesn't practise, and doesn't even really like the genre we play. I have pushed those thoughts away for quite some time, since I didn't want to kick someone out of the band we started as four friends just having some fun playing together. But over the last few months it has become apparent that me and the two others are starting to actually take this a bit seriously, and we have yet (because of the drummer) been unable to play through a single song completely (!).
I have long suspected that he doesn't even really want to be in the band, so hopefully it won't be too much of a deal for him.
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Gotta be done. Sad but true.
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Yeah, if a band has goals, then everyone in the band has to share those same goals. You are a unit. It can't work if any one of you isn't trying to do the same thing as the others, whether it's the song you're playing or the long-time goals you're trying to achieve.
The band I'm in now (subject of much drama upthread) is dealing with some of the same issues because it did just start as a bunch of guys wanting to play some tunes in John's basement and just enjoy making music. But John "accidentally" put together a pretty talented group, and now the goal is to try to actually gig and make a little money. Our lead singer quit because of that (it became less fun and more like work) and honestly, I'm not sure how enthusiastic about it I am anymore.
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I guess that's something that's gotta be done. My band had a guy like that until a couple of months ago. He hated the style of music, and was basically ruining the project with negativity. Thankfully, we didn't have to tell him anything. He left on his own accord.
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It's difficult having to make those kinds of decisions, especially when there is a lack of talented musicians around.
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The idea of being able to gig without it seeming like work is something that seems like it should be pretty easy to pull off. We all love to play, it should be a no-brainer. But somehow, it's a tough balance to achieve. My most recent band, the singer would play anywhere, anytime, ANYTHING to put this band in front of people. The bass player and I did not ever intend for the band to be the primary focus in our lives. He has two teenage kids, a job, a wife, etc. I have a teenage step son, a wife, a job, etc. We have social lives and vacations and responsibilities and friends. Last year, in 13 weeks, from August through November, we did 11 gigs, 2 of which were in one day.
It's one of the reasons I had to just cut out and take a break. My bass player recently followed suit, since they weren't going out of their way to get someone new in to replace me. Instead, every time I'd come fill in for a gig, the singer would get drunk and pressure me to return, instead of setting up a time to talk sober about the issues I had. Then on top of it, I was constantly having to reign in our drummer who was wildly inconsistent, timing-wise, our other guitarist I could never hear, because he insisted on being quieter than me because I was the lead guitarist. All of this was just too much. Nobody would get off their ass and learn new songs or even learn little things in songs that I had to point out 30 times. Things that were important cues or things like that. It was a bummer, because we had great potential to be a serious force on the scene, but everybody was too busy trying to shoot the band in the foot for that to happen.
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I'm not gonna say "been there, done that" because I haven't experienced some of the issues you describe, but they certainly sound like things that can't be too uncommon. When you're a bunch of high school punks, you're doing it for the fun of playing, and maybe to impress chicks, and it's not like you have a whole hell of a lot going on in your life otherwise. But obviously the vast majority of high school garage/basement bands don't have any real talent.
The bands I've played with in my "adult years" have been much, much better in terms of talent and people willing to actually put in the time, but we also have lots of other shit going on which places demands on our time. Families and jobs are the biggies, obviously, so the band automatically is at least third on the list of priorities for everyone. Also, since we're not stupid punks with stars in our eyes, none of us are under any illusion that we're going to make it big or even see the band become our primary source of income. So it's "just a hobby" pretty much by definition, but one that has to have the aligned efforts of everyone involved. That's the hard part. We have six people in our band, which makes it nearly impossible to even schedule rehearsals. Incredibly, we found a time that works. Every other Saturday. That alone takes a commitment that's much harder to make as an adult than it would be as a kid.
As for playing in the band seeming like work, that's a weird one, as you point out. We all love to play, we all want the band to succeed, it should be easy. But the aforementioned conflicting priorities mess with that big time. Then there's the whole issue where you want to sound the best you can, and you're mature enough to you know when you don't. It's easy for good musicians to get together and play and sound pretty good. Getting to where you sound really good takes effort. You can be better than 80% of the other bands around, but that still won't get you gigs. You need to be in the top 10% or even top 5%, and that takes work. So your hobby suddenly has this whole other side of it that's not necessarily fun, it's actual work. Everyone has to know every song, every fucking note, and it has to be tight. That takes work. The fun comes after you've put the effort in and you're in front of a crowd and they're digging it, but it takes work to get there. It's not that no one wants to put in the effort; we just don't have the kind of time it takes to get there.
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Right and the unfortunate thing around my area is that there are a lot of bands that get out there and do a half-assed job of it, but I truly do not think they realize it. The market is so saturated with mediocre bands, that trying to put a truly great band together and get it noticed is difficult. I take no joy in being critical, but I cannot tell you how often I go out to see bands and the mistakes (that may not even be noticeable to the average person) stand out like a sore thumb to me. Not even necessarily mistakes, but not playing something the right way. An example, albeit not a great one: on Metal Health, in the verse - bass rides the A. Guitars play A, B/A, C/A, B/A. Just before the chorus, they go A5, B5, C5, D5. Bass goes A-A-C-D. When bassists go A-B-C-D, it makes me nuts.
That's a very small thing and some would say "What's the big deal?" Actually, I imagine lots of people would say "what's the big deal". The big deal is play the song correctly and make it the best recreation of the original that you are capable of delivering. I do my best to make my part of what we do the best that it can be. When "good enough" is good enough for everyone else, my experience has been that "good enough" is musician-speak for "I don't want to go out of my way to learn this song any differently than I already think I know it".
I seriously wanted to float the idea of being the band's musical director. Like how Waddy Wachtel is for Stevie Nicks. Overseeing everything and making sure it is up to snuff, for lack of a better term. The problem is, while most bands could actually benefit from someone taking on that kind of role, it will almost never fly, especially in local bands, because it makes everyone else's ego hurt. And I totally get that. Plus then you become the bad guy, that nothing's ever good enough for, etc. But I still think that a band could benefit form it, especially when it's someone who has a very good ear and understanding of music in the theoretical sense.
I get that beggars can't be choosers. It's supposed to be fun and it's supposed to be part time. This isn't our livelihood. I just have never been in agreement that if you play an instrument and you want to be in a band, even on a part time basis, that having fun AND delivering a tight and accurate representation of the material cannot exist hand-in-hand. My bass player has told me a number of times that he can't just hear things on a recording and pick them out. Like in "Panama", there's a short little bass fill the measure before the verse. He will never hear it and therefore will never play it. I recognize that I am VERY lucky to be able to hear things like this, but I sometimes feel like it's a curse, because I'm wishing for all these little things that I hear to happen in the music when we play it and in reality, they're probably never going to happen, unless I point them out and show it to someone. Then not only am I "doing the work" for someone else, I (again) fear becoming the guy who nothing is good enough for.
I'm rambling, really. I just want to play part time in a band where everybody "gets it" and pulls off everything the way it should be done. There are SOOOOOOO many musicians in my area, that this can't be an impossibility. Yet I fear that it kinda is.
I'm way too particular about music and the people that I play with. I readily admit that. I want any band I'm in to come across like a lion, when usually, they're equipped to come across like a very menacing house cat. I wish there was a way to turn off that switch in my head that makes me so particular, that makes me hear another band perform and in my head notice all the glaring issues, that makes me always want to push my bandmates to be better and better when they may not have it in them. I don't think I can.
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You sound like the guys in my band. That's a good thing. Our goal is to replicate the song as closely as possible, we all have good ears for picking out our parts, and we tend to get them down. Rehearsals are spent putting the pieces together, as they should be, not for people to actually learn their parts. The main exception is John, and since it's his band and his basement, he's not going anywhere. And it's kinda weird. Overall, it's pretty rare, but once in a while, we'll go to put a tune together, and he'll play something that actually sounds okay, but it's not what's on the record. It's like his fingers naturally did it a certain way, and his ears never noticed that it wasn't right. Steve (the other guitarist) will always correct him, every time, and that's fine with me because I hear it too, but I don't play guitar so I let Steve explain it to him.
Fortunately, we have two things going for us: (1) we have a rule in our band that anyone can correct anyone else. If the drummer hears something that the singer is doing wrong, or the guitarist hears something that the bassist is doing wrong, or whatever, they are allowed to say so. Check your egos at the door; we're all here to do this right. (2) I always have my iPod, with every song on it. My iPod is run through my amp because that's how I practice at home, and at band rehearsals my amp has a line out to the board, so if there's ever a need for clarification, I pull up the song and we can all listen to it through the monitors.
So it's kinda funky that John, the leader of the band, is probably the weakest link. Or maybe not so weird. He's the only one we can't fire for not getting his parts right all the time!
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My only basis of comparison is our band at church.
When we are working on songs, we aren't concerned with "getting it exactly like the record" as much as "getting the gist of it". Of course, that's for a couple of different reasons.
1) We aren't working on one set of songs to play over and over again, but a different group of 6-8 songs each week - there just isn't time to be that precise; and
2) A lot of the songs we do have been covered multiple times by multiple artists, each with their own "twist", so we see it as doing it with OUR twist, OUR way.
But if I was in a real band, I would feel more like you guys.
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Rehearsals are spent putting the pieces together, as they should be, not for people to actually learn their parts.
Tat right there is what I've always tried to preach. Learn your parts 100% on your own time. Band practice is for bringing those already learned parts together and making them one. Not for learning the song, which is something I dealt with a lot also. A previous band I was in, we'd leave practice and say learn these two songs for next week. Next week, we'd show up, bang both songs out and have them very well done and pretty much ready to play out. Almost every week this happened. It was glorious. Stuff like Thin Lizzy's Cowboy Song, for example, with harmony guitar parts and even harmony bass guitar bits. It was beautiful. That band isn't around anymore, but ever since, I've longed to be back in that well-oiled of a machine.
I've always asked my band members to point out to me anything I wasn't getting right, so that I wouldn't feel bad about pointing out anything I noticed. I always did the same with having a recording of the song readily available for us to listen to. I just wish everyone had had the commitment to the music that I had. For my singer and my drummer, they were more committed to playing out often. It was more important to be seen at all than to be seen as really really awesome.
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My only basis of comparison is our band at church.
But if I was in a real band, I would feel more like you guys.
That's why I love getting the other side of things, by playing in the church band. Because of our wacky instrumentation, it's a given that we won't sound like the CD, but then again, there are at least two or three versions of most songs we do, so ours will just be another version. I love that, getting to put our own spin on songs. It truly is our version of the song.
But I always send out mp3's of the versions I'm using as our starting point. At the very least, they need to know the songs. The words and phrasing, etc. In the email, I'll point out that the lead guitar line will be played on electric violin, who will be singing which parts, etc., and for the horns and guitars, I've got charts. So it's nothing like anyone has ever heard before, but it's still the song.
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My only basis of comparison is our band at church.
But if I was in a real band, I would feel more like you guys.
That's why I love getting the other side of things, by playing in the church band. Because of our wacky instrumentation, it's a given that we won't sound like the CD, but then again, there are at least two or three versions of most songs we do, so ours will just be another version. I love that, getting to put our own spin on songs. It truly is our version of the song.
But I always send out mp3's of the versions I'm using as our starting point. At the very least, they need to know the songs. The words and phrasing, etc. In the email, I'll point out that the lead guitar line will be played on electric violin, who will be singing which parts, etc., and for the horns and guitars, I've got charts. So it's nothing like anyone has ever heard before, but it's still the song.
Yeah, I get that totally. Our music director sends out youtube links of the versions we will base our versions from.
But then invariably we change keys to better suit someone's voice. Or add an instrumental part where there wasn't one. Or use the bridge as an intro, or repeat the chorus at the end, or do a reprise, or just flat out alter the chord progression because we think the one on the studio version is stupid.
Or whatever. On good rehearsal nights, its incredibly rewarding and fun. On bad nights, it is drudgery.
BTW, next month we are actually going to have another "concert" (playing at a local Chik-Fil-A lol), and we spent time at rehearsal last night working up the Doobie Brothers version of "Jesus is Just Alright" and Blind Faith's "Presence of the Lord".
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And I will concede that I take certain liberties myself, but only when I feel they will not impact the song's integrity or presentation. Solos are the main point where this is applicable. There are some songs where, for me, it is unacceptable to play anything but the studio solo. Crazy Train, Bark at the Moon, Seek and Destroy, Electric Eye, for a few examples. Some songs, I'll take a lot of the elements of the studio solo and inject a little bit of improve into. Wild Child by WASP or Keep Your Hands to Yourself are a couple examples. Some, I'll just completely wing, like Tush or Simple Man or Rockin' in the Free World. Then there are songs where there isn't really a definite solo, so I'll inject something tongue-in-cheek. Or I'll replace a solo section with something that someone who's REALLY paying good attention will recognize.
1. We used to do I Wanna Be Sedated. In the "solo" section before the key change, I'd always play the Flintstones theme. People loved it.
2. She Hates Me, by Puddle of Mudd. The "solo" section was the exact perfect length to play the solo to Def Lep's Photograph. Nearly the same key, even.
3. Mary Jane's Last Dance. The whole end solo section, since it was in the same key (barring any F major chords in the rhythm), I played the solo to Stairway to Heaven, changing the obvious F notes in the solo to E, when they didn't fall over a D minor chord.
So in instances like that, you can kinda get away with it, keep yourself entertained, and really not take away form the song at all.
BTW, next month we are actually going to have another "concert" (playing at a local Chik-Fil-A lol)
I probably shouldn't find this funny, but I totally do.
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Go ahead, I certainly do.
Believe it or not, that will be a really big deal, for us, the restaurant, and the community. Small town.
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I'm terrible at picking things out from recordings. But we play original stuff, so I guess it doesn't matter.
I agree 100% with the 'learn at home, put the done pieces together on band practise' thing. That was the biggest proboem with our drummer. He'd show up to rehearsals, not at all knowing the parts, having had months to practise. We spent three hours last practise teaching him how a certain fairly simple 7/8 rhythm went. Eventually he sort of got it, and it suddenly felt awesome playing that part. His kick drums suddenly lined up with what I was playing on the bass and the whole section just felt so much more powerful.
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I have always hated having to play music teacher at band practice, especially when everyone else is sitting there (already knowing THEIR parts) with a look on their faces like "Why am I even here?"
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Exactly, it drains everyone of so much enthusiasm, and you have to fight to get it back to where it was before.
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And I will concede that I take certain liberties myself, but only when I feel they will not impact the song's integrity or presentation. Solos are the main point where this is applicable. There are some songs where, for me, it is unacceptable to play anything but the studio solo. Crazy Train, Bark at the Moon, Seek and Destroy, Electric Eye, for a few examples. Some songs, I'll take a lot of the elements of the studio solo and inject a little bit of improve into. Wild Child by WASP or Keep Your Hands to Yourself are a couple examples. Some, I'll just completely wing, like Tush or Simple Man or Rockin' in the Free World. Then there are songs where there isn't really a definite solo, so I'll inject something tongue-in-cheek. Or I'll replace a solo section with something that someone who's REALLY paying good attention will recognize.
1. We used to do I Wanna Be Sedated. In the "solo" section before the key change, I'd always play the Flintstones theme. People loved it.
2. She Hates Me, by Puddle of Mudd. The "solo" section was the exact perfect length to play the solo to Def Lep's Photograph. Nearly the same key, even.
3. Mary Jane's Last Dance. The whole end solo section, since it was in the same key (barring any F major chords in the rhythm), I played the solo to Stairway to Heaven, changing the obvious F notes in the solo to E, when they didn't fall over a D minor chord.
So in instances like that, you can kinda get away with it, keep yourself entertained, and really not take away form the song at all.
I love doing stuff like that, especially quoting other songs in solos. Usually I'm the only one who even knows what I've done, but what the hell, at least I was amused by it.
Tomorrow we're going to do "Smokin'" by Boston. The day after the email went out, John called me just to make sure I was okay with it. I'd mentioned that I'd played the song before in a band. Well, technically I suppose that's true. Three years ago, at a one-off gig, we put together some songs and played them, and "Smokin'" was one of them. Anyway, I told him I'd be ready. I'd started working on it the night before, about an hour after getting the email.
The solo for "Smokin'" is interesting because it's a combination of ad-libbed and certain points where the band comes together. Obviously we all have to hit those big A's and go "wahh!" all together, but in between he's just riffing. And actually, he's just playing a couple of riffs, a couple variations each. Tom Scholz plays some keyboards, but he obviously just put together enough generic bluesy organ licks to do the solo.
Anyway, I told John that I'd planned to start the solo, hit those chords where we all come together, and riff around in between, so it'll work but not be exactly what you hear on the record. He was fine with that. Some solos are iconic; you play them as written because they're as much as part of the song as the words (Stairway to Heaven, for example), but some solos are obviously meant for ad libbing. So this will be interesting.
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But then invariably we change keys to better suit someone's voice. Or add an instrumental part where there wasn't one. Or use the bridge as an intro, or repeat the chorus at the end, or do a reprise, or just flat out alter the chord progression because we think the one on the studio version is stupid.
Or whatever. On good rehearsal nights, its incredibly rewarding and fun. On bad nights, it is drudgery.
We could never do that. The others would lose their minds and starting screaming, or collapse in a corner and start babbling and drooling. It's hard to enough to get them to actually play what's on the chart in front of them (which I had to write because they can't play anything from listening to it, it must be written out). If I started rearranging things or changing the key, forget it. I get enough flak just suggesting that we repeat the chorus the last time, or double the intro to get the feel. They can't deal with that.
You know what works? I write completely new charts, with the intro doubled or whatever, and say I made some changes that I think will work better. They look at it and go "Okay" because they never listened to the mp3 anyway.
BTW, next month we are actually going to have another "concert" (playing at a local Chik-Fil-A lol), and we spent time at rehearsal last night working up the Doobie Brothers version of "Jesus is Just Alright" and Blind Faith's "Presence of the Lord".
That sounds cool! Lol at Chik-Fil-A, but hey, a gig's a gig. We've done "Jesus is Just Alright" a few times, but we lost our one singer who could really nail the slow section. She wailed. So now we don't do the song anymore.
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Those two songs are really in the wheelhouse of our lead guitarist. Last night when we ran through Presence of the Lord, and we got to the instrumental section with the big Clapton wah solo, he sounded EXACTLY like him. It was awesome.
I wish I was playing drums for those songs, but I'm back to guitar at the moment.
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This one time - I was in a band where the drummer was so shit that I simply had to go.
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This one time - I was in a band where the drummer was so shit that I simply had to go.
Insert Lars Ulrich joke here
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(https://www.metallica.com/images/20150604_pics/2015-06jun04-pic26.jpg)
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:lol No, get it away from me! The HORROR! THEEE HORRRRRRORR!
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If anyone cares, here is a recording our worship band at church did about ten years ago. This is an original song called "Mosaic." My friend who is the lead vocal wrote the lyrics (and gave the song its title, which, once you hear it, you will realize is probably not as appropriate a title as "Tapestry", but I digress), I wrote the music, and my wife (who is the dominant female voice on the recording) helped with constructing the melodies. We were fortunate enough to get a few song professionally recorded at that time, although the other three songs we recorded are covers.
Like I said, this is ten years ago, but our band lineup is largely the same now. On this recording, I am playing drums.
https://soundcloud.com/hefdaddy42/mosaic
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Again, proving my church is... just the worst. Thanks, Hef.
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Again, proving my church is... just the worst. Thanks, Hef.
I'm sure your church is just fine.
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When I moved back to my Dad's - I started going to the church on his farm where he and my Grandad are both leaders.
Now I work on Sundays I can't go anymore.
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Again, proving my church is... just the worst. Thanks, Hef.
I'm sure your church is just fine.
It's mostly pensioners singing "Jesus take the wheel" and the such-like. I think many of them are of the opinion that rock is the work of the devil.
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Much music going on this weekend. Band practice tomorrow, we're gonna put together "Hotel California," so that should be interesting. I got together with John and Steve (the two guitarists) last Saturday at Steve's, and we worked out who's playing what, and we're putting it together with the rest of the band tomorrow. Basically, John and Steve cover the important guitar parts (and there are a lot of them), and I fill in B-3 with one hand and layered six-string plus 12-string with the other. Also "You're No Good" by Linda Ronstadt, and "Wonderful Tonight" by Clapton. Whoa, I just noticed that they're all pretty mellow, this batch. Except we're doing the live version of "You're No Good" which kinda rocks out. The Clapton is fun though because I'm again doing the B-3 with the left hand, but a Rhodes with the right.
We're also gonna review the two new ones from last time, Foghat's "I Just Wanna Make Love to You" (live version) and "Smokin'" by Boston. "Smokin" totally smoked. We sounded great, and that's a hard tune. So we'll do some rocking, too.
Then on Sunday, I'm providing the music for church. Our organist accompanies the children's show choir from our neighbor church, and they're doing a gig in Orlando, so I'm gonna play everything she would normally do, except on the grand piano up front. So that's gonna be sweet. I get to totally pound on it during the hymns and stuff because the congregation will be singing. Also, the Doxology. We redid the chancel a few years ago, pulled all the carpeting out and put in hardwood, and it's completely alive now. You've seen the pics.
Plus I get a few solos. A short bit called "Welcoming the Light" which is about a minute or a minute and a half (long enough for someone to walk up to the altar from the back, light three candles, then walk all the way back again). I'm gonna do a slow chill, bluesy version of "This Little Light of Mine". They won't recognize it at first, then when they do... well, hopefully I'll get a chuckle or two. Also the Benediction and the Postlude. A quickie, then I can basically do whatever I want for the Postlude. I've been wanting to play "Remembering You" (also known as the closing theme from "All in the Family") for a while, but I've got a pretty killer version of "Morning Has Broken" (with the Wakeman breaks) that would probably be more appropriate. I probably won't decide for sure until a few seconds before I play. Should be pretty cool.
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:metal
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Sounds good, Orbert.
We have normal church on Sunday morning, so playing guitar and singing on 7 or so songs there.
But this afternoon my wife and I are performing four songs at the funeral of the mother of one of my wife's friends. That will be tough, especially since it is four songs I've never played before (and one of which I'd never even heard before) on basically one day's notice. Hopefully we can do our best.
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Seven songs every week is a real commitment. I used to do the Christian Rock thing about once a month (there were four "teams" which rotated weeks) and it was usually opening the service with two or three songs, then one or two at the end. If there were only two up front, it would always be two at the end so it was always four or five songs. When I sat in with my buddy's church a few years back, we found four songs I'd played before and could throw together with one rehearsal (that Sunday morning), but when I got there, I learned that the four we were doing were only four out of the usual seven they play every week. It's a two-hour service. That's a lot of rehearsing, a lot of prep, each week. "That's why we're not very good" he joked, but no, they sounded great. I was honored to get to sit in with them.
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Our average service is:
One or two to open up the service, normally more uptempo songs/calls to worship
Greeting time (everyone gets up off their ass and goes around greeting fellow churchgoers/shaking hands)
Two or three more songs from us
Prayer time
Sometimes a special song (not crowd-participatory)
Sermon
Invitation song
Dismissal
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:lol I hate whenever our pastor decides to do " get up and shake everyones hand and say how are you " over some instrumental music. SO excruciatingly awkward...
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Why is that awkward?
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Because Kotow is an awkward person?
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Because Kotow is an awkward person?
I thought there might be a different answer than that.
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Yeah and very introvert.
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But that doesn't explain why that situation is awkward. Only why YOU wouldn't like it.
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Singing two concerts on the weekend again. Looking forward to one of them, the other not so much.
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But that doesn't explain why that situation is awkward. Only why YOU wouldn't like it.
no need to cry about it. . . . . . .
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Singing two concerts on the weekend again. Looking forward to one of them, the other not so much.
Rather you than me. I might downplay my musical abilities but I absolutely 100% definitely cannot sing. :lol
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Singing two concerts on the weekend again. Looking forward to one of them, the other not so much.
Rather you than me. I might downplay my musical abilities but I absolutely 100% definitely cannot sing. :lol
Hence all the shitty instrumental albums
jk :hug:
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That is obviously the reason :lol
" You know - i'd love to hear your music with vocals :) "
Oh bad luck :biggrin:
No. Sincerely. i am an awful singer. It's just too difficult.
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Same problem for me, but I still write song melodies and lyrics, and plan to have others do the singing.
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Sometimes the gigs you aren't really looking forward to turn out to be the greatest fun.
Played a wedding of an old schoolmate of mine last night. We were classmates for a year, but I can't recall ever talking to him, not my kind of guy I guess. He found us, and thought it was a good move to book us for his wedding. Normally weddings are the worst gigs you can imagine, with all the family humor in between sets you totally don't get, and looking in the face of a bunch of grannies with their hands over their ears, but with young people marrying it can be a cool night, starting from the moment that the old folk leave.
Last night was way different, the old folk were dancing their asses off, the bride and groom were having the time of their life, and all the guests were only there to party. I can honestly say that I prefer last night, playing for a crowd of fifty people all enjoying every second of your show, over playing to a crowd of ten thousand people just waiting for another band to play after you.
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Singing two concerts on the weekend again. Looking forward to one of them, the other not so much.
Good luck with that. What music will you play?
I'm doing Bach's Hohe Messe here in Holland next Friday and Saturday. On the 2nd of July, we'll embark on a 10 day tour of Italy playing the Hohe Messe in Bologna, Spello, Rome and Verona. Really looking forward to that.
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Oh, I'll go into them with an open mind, and I'm sure it will be fun. It's just that it's a church service again, and this time our conductor picked a very monotonous program - sure, I like all the pieces themselves, but they are all very similar, and while the second concert includes all of them too, there's some variety in that one as well.
"Setlist":
Heinrich Schütz:
- Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes
- Ich bin ein rechter Weinstock
- Die mit Tränen säen
- Herr auf dich traue ich
- So fahr ich hin zu Jesu Christ
Johann Walter
- Nun bitten wir den Heiligen Geist
G.P. da Palestrina
- Sicut cervus
- Si tivit anima mea
Knut Nystedt
- Peace I Leave With You
So basically, a typical sacred program, with lots of German stuff that won't be of use to anyone except for maybe Onno, but oh well.
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I did German until a matter of weeks ago in school. I should be able to read that, but I can't. That's bad...
Did they go well?
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It's on the coming weekend, and hang on, I'll translate.
Schütz:
- The heavens proclaim God's glory
- I am the one true vine
- Those who plant in sorrow
- Lord, I trust in thee
- So I go now to Jesus Christ
Walter:
- Now we pray to the Holy Spirit
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It's on the coming weekend, and hang on, I'll translate.
Schütz:
- The heavens proclaim God's glory
- I am the one true vine
- Those who plant in sorrow
- Lord, I trust in thee
- So I go now to Jesus Christ
Walter:
- Now we pray to the Holy Spirit
The only words I got were "Jesus Christ"... that says a lot
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Oh, I'll go into them with an open mind, and I'm sure it will be fun. It's just that it's a church service again, and this time our conductor picked a very monotonous program - sure, I like all the pieces themselves, but they are all very similar, and while the second concert includes all of them too, there's some variety in that one as well.
"Setlist":
Heinrich Schütz:
- Die Himmer erzählen die Ehre Gottes
- Ich bin ein rechter Weinstock
- Die mit Tränen säen
- Herr auf dich traue ich
- So fahr ich hin zu Jesu Christ
Johann Walter
- Nun bitten wir den Heiligen Geist
G.P. da Palestrina
- Sicut cervus
- Si tivit anima mea
Knut Nystedt
- Peace I Leave With You
So basically, a typical sacred program, with lots of German stuff that won't be of use to anyone except for maybe Onno, but oh well.
The Germans know how to party.
Right?
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Definitely. Headbanging throughout the service, and our conductor does some pulpitdiving at the end.
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Definitely. Headbanging throughout the service, and our conductor does some pulpitdiving at the end.
:lol
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Definitely. Headbanging throughout the service, and our conductor does some pulpitdiving at the end.
:metal
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Pupitdiving sounds like the world's most badass thing. :metal
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that reminds me of the time my pastor asked me and the band to play Thunderstruck at the end of a service.
I don't even like AC/DC but I had a guitar and permission so what the fuck.
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Are you serious? That's awesome. I'm assuming "Thunderstruck" fit in with the message of the day?
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:metal
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Imma get my church to let me play 6:00 on our christmas morning ceremony now...
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Are you serious? That's awesome. I'm assuming "Thunderstruck" fit in with the message of the day?
Yeah, apparently the term 'Thunder-struck' is used in The Message translation at some point? I can't remember the passage but the message was on that so the pastor got me to start it up lol. Good times.
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That's cool. The closest I've come to playing secular music like that is one time we did "The Power of Love" by Huey Lewis and The News when the theme of the day was... The Power of Love. This was when I first started doing the church rock thing, and we felt just a little bit outlaw doing the song. I had a sweet patch on the synth. We rocked it. Not exactly AC/DC though.
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Someone dug out the Rock Band at my house and we've been playing that a lot, one of them has Power of Love on it. It has some delicious casiotone synth.
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For the 80's, Huey & Co. had some good sounds. I kept the essence of the patch, but beefed it up a bit. You know how Tony Banks of Genesis has those thin, wimpy synth sounds on the albums, but on the live albums it sounds ten times fatter and ballsier? That's what I was going for. Man, I miss playing with that band.
(https://scontent-sjc2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xaf1/v/t1.0-9/19836_1200181086605_7669713_n.jpg?oh=2dde43baf56021affb5fae686296ad5f&oe=562A1878)
Front row: Steven (worship leader, vocals, guitar), Luke (drums).
Middle row: Me (keyboards), Chelsea (violin), Lynn (vocals), Tim (guitar).
Back row: Doug (guitar), Ken (bass).
Steven and I are standing the same way, unintentionally, and it created a force that caused everyone on the right side of the picture to lean towards us.
Chelsea is even more gorgeous in real life than in that picture. She's now married to Luke and they have a kid.
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In August/September, my pastor will be giving a sermon series on rock songs that display various Christian themes. I think we will be allowed to play one every week.
:metal
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There was a little contest on the website I post my music to, to make a piece of music out of only a hundred notes
so I did (https://musescore.com/user/100120/scores/972216)
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In August/September, my pastor will be giving a sermon series on rock songs that display various Christian themes. I think we will be allowed to play one every week.
:metal
That sounds sweet. So far we've gotten away with "Spirit in the Sky", "My Sweet Lord", "Morning Has Broken", "Jesus is Just Alright" and "Put Your Hand in the Hand", but those are all pretty overt. I'm curious to hear what others there are out there, especially the more subtle ones.
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There was a little contest on the website I post my music to, to make a piece of music out of only a hundred notes
so I did (https://musescore.com/user/100120/scores/972216)
That's easy. Only 12 notes exist :neverusethis:
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In August/September, my pastor will be giving a sermon series on rock songs that display various Christian themes. I think we will be allowed to play one every week.
:metal
That sounds sweet. So far we've gotten away with "Spirit in the Sky", "My Sweet Lord", "Morning Has Broken", "Jesus is Just Alright" and "Put Your Hand in the Hand", but those are all pretty overt. I'm curious to hear what others there are out there, especially the more subtle ones.
He's definitely going for subtle. Here is something from a Facebook post he made earlier this month.
"I'm continuing to prepare for a sermon series currently scheduled for late this summer: "Jesus Rocks: Finding God in the Greatest Hits of Rock 'n' Roll." I'm looking to identify hits that give expression to four important themes: Power (songs that express exuberance, joy, fun, freedom and the sheer thrill of being alive); Captivity (songs that express the feeling of being trapped by limitations and bad decisions); Longing (songs that express a sense of yearning for something more); and Love (songs that express the ups, downs, challenges and questions that come from being and staying in love).
Here's my current list for "Songs of Power":
Rock and Roll All Night – KISS
Good Vibrations – Beach Boys
I Got You (I Feel Good) – James Brown
Born to Be Wild – Steppenwolf
Start Me Up – Rolling Stones
We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions – Queen
Jump – Van Halen
Dancing in the Street – Martha Reeves and the Vandellas
Rock & Roll Band – Boston
The Loco-Motion – Little Eva"
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im not into a band i just played/jam
jam setlist
as guitarist
-i cannot tell a lie- pg
-state of grace
-under d glassmoon
-greentinted sixties mind
-for d love of god/crying mchine
-summer song
as drums
-erotomania
-protocosmos. tonywilliams
-overture
-greentinted
-wherever i may roam
-vikingkong
-enter sandman
-angelofdeath
-anotherday
-surrounded
:loser: :laugh:
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In August/September, my pastor will be giving a sermon series on rock songs that display various Christian themes. I think we will be allowed to play one every week.
:metal
That sounds sweet. So far we've gotten away with "Spirit in the Sky", "My Sweet Lord", "Morning Has Broken", "Jesus is Just Alright" and "Put Your Hand in the Hand", but those are all pretty overt. I'm curious to hear what others there are out there, especially the more subtle ones.
He's definitely going for subtle. Here is something from a Facebook post he made earlier this month.
"I'm continuing to prepare for a sermon series currently scheduled for late this summer: "Jesus Rocks: Finding God in the Greatest Hits of Rock 'n' Roll." I'm looking to identify hits that give expression to four important themes: Power (songs that express exuberance, joy, fun, freedom and the sheer thrill of being alive); Captivity (songs that express the feeling of being trapped by limitations and bad decisions); Longing (songs that express a sense of yearning for something more); and Love (songs that express the ups, downs, challenges and questions that come from being and staying in love).
Here's my current list for "Songs of Power":
Rock and Roll All Night – KISS
Good Vibrations – Beach Boys
I Got You (I Feel Good) – James Brown
Born to Be Wild – Steppenwolf
Start Me Up – Rolling Stones
We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions – Queen
Jump – Van Halen
Dancing in the Street – Martha Reeves and the Vandellas
Rock & Roll Band – Boston
The Loco-Motion – Little Eva"
No Steel Panther? WTF?
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lol
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Doesn't like every rock song that is not about gratuitous sex qualify for one of those four categories?
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Don't forget, Beach Boys songs are about surfing and cars, too.
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Doesn't like every rock song that is not about gratuitous sex qualify for one of those four categories?
Well, probably.
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In August/September, my pastor will be giving a sermon series on rock songs that display various Christian themes. I think we will be allowed to play one every week.
:metal
That sounds sweet. So far we've gotten away with "Spirit in the Sky", "My Sweet Lord", "Morning Has Broken", "Jesus is Just Alright" and "Put Your Hand in the Hand", but those are all pretty overt. I'm curious to hear what others there are out there, especially the more subtle ones.
He's definitely going for subtle. Here is something from a Facebook post he made earlier this month.
"I'm continuing to prepare for a sermon series currently scheduled for late this summer: "Jesus Rocks: Finding God in the Greatest Hits of Rock 'n' Roll." I'm looking to identify hits that give expression to four important themes: Power (songs that express exuberance, joy, fun, freedom and the sheer thrill of being alive); Captivity (songs that express the feeling of being trapped by limitations and bad decisions); Longing (songs that express a sense of yearning for something more); and Love (songs that express the ups, downs, challenges and questions that come from being and staying in love).
Here's my current list for "Songs of Power":
Rock and Roll All Night – KISS
Good Vibrations – Beach Boys
I Got You (I Feel Good) – James Brown
Born to Be Wild – Steppenwolf
Start Me Up – Rolling Stones
We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions – Queen
Jump – Van Halen
Dancing in the Street – Martha Reeves and the Vandellas
Rock & Roll Band – Boston
The Loco-Motion – Little Eva"
That sounds super interesting. I'd love to hear it, if your church is the podcast/upload message to soundcloud type church.
I love putting in snippets of songs that not many people would get, but we don't usually do whole, secular songs. There are a couple Bob Marley songs that we've done in the past, that's about it.
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That sounds super interesting. I'd love to hear it, if your church is the podcast/upload message to soundcloud type church.
Not normally, but we do record every service. I'll see what I can do.
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Awesome! :tup
Covers gig tonight ugh. Have to constantly remind myself that there are worse ways of making $200 in a night.
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So I wrote some minimalism/ambient music. (https://soundcloud.com/blackmusicalrabbit/wind) I think it's pretty cool sounding.
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That's beautiful Lucien, I dig it. Thanks for sharing.
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That's beautiful Lucien, I dig it. Thanks for sharing.
No, thank you! :D
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Good stuff, Lucien!
We are doing our final rehearsal today for our big concert Monday evening. It will be frought with peril and I am somewhat nervous - not for myself, but for a couple other guys in the group. We'll see how it goes.
Also -
I am a fan of Carvin/Kiesel guitars, and my ambition is to one day order a custom guitar from them.
They have a line of headless guitars called Vaders. That is not the particular kind I would want, but they are pretty neat.
Their custom shop recently produced this beast - just to see if they could. It is a triple-neck Vader, which I am given to understand is the world's first-ever triple-neck headless guitar (for those keeping score at home). The bottom neck is standard six-string, the middle is seven-string, and the top neck is an eight-string. The thing weighs 14 pounds (which is less than I would have expected).
In a fitting name for something so outrageous, they named the guitar Merica. There is also a red, white, and blue color scheme.
I would never want such a thing, but I marvel at it nonetheless.
(https://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i238/hefdaddy42/other/Merica_zpsbgxczcgv.jpg)
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Almost done with the movement 2 of the symphony, stay tuned ;)
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And here it is!
https://musescore.com/user/100120/scores/1025111
and here's the first movement for those of you who haven't heard it
https://musescore.com/user/100120/scores/781356
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so, my friend's friend's band (foxing) got all of their equipment stolen last night. i guess it was like over 20k total in gear. when i heard about it, my heart sank. i met these guys a couple years back, and they were some of the nicest people i had ever met, and hearing that this sort of thing happened to them, i just couldn't believe it. to me, it seems that over the last couple years there has been a spike in bands getting their gear stolen. i feel like every other week there is another band that has had a trailer or car broken into (or in Foxing's case, their entire trailer). some close friends of mine a had a computer and a couple guitars stolen last year (i think).
anyways, i guess what i'm trying to say here is that there seems to be way too many cases of bands having some equipment stolen on tour, and honestly, it's really making me consider not pursuing this whole music thing. i've spent way too much money on gear, and having some asshole come and take it while i'm playing a show, or sleeping, or eating dinner, or whatever, really makes me cringe.
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So, my church band's show is tonight. I am anxious to get through the day and start playing and singing.
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Ah, gig day. I hope all goes well for you tonight. ♫♫
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Ah, gig day. I hope all goes well for you tonight. ♫♫
Thanks, buddy.
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Just got back from a pretty shitty band rehearsal. Feeling shitty, also pretty tired since I worked all day then went to rehearsal, as did everyone else. That's probably one of the factors; us all being tired.
Once we'd decided to rehearse every other week back in March or whenever it was, John had sent out a rehearsal schedule with dates, every other Saturday through September, which is when we have a gig. This past Saturday would have been a rehearsal day, but since it was the 4th of July, he asked if people would be able to get together Monday night (tonight) instead. We've done it a few times before, but it always sucks. I guess it's better than not rehearsing at all, but we're all tired, especially from the holiday weekend. We should've just rehearsed Saturday morning as usual. I didn't have anything planned until later in the day anyway.
Despite John sending out the song list for tonight's rehearsal nearly two weeks ago, and me making sure everyone had copies of the mp3s later that day (I'm the official curator of tunes in the band), we still got there tonight and our other guitarist has been "too busy" to learn the new songs. Like, apparently at no time in the past two weeks did he even listen to the songs. I honestly don't even understand that. I put the songs on my iPod and listen to them every day, because these aren't always songs that I know, and even if they are, I've never listened to them with an ear toward learning to play them before. Driving to and from work every day, sitting here on the PC, I listen to the songs over and over, sing my keyboard parts out loud in the car, drill them into my head. I don't necessarily expect everyone to do that, but how can anyone, especially these days, claim that they haven't had time in two weeks to listen to the songs?
Our drummer and singer ignored the mp3s I'd sent out and just went on YouTube and found a different version of one of the songs, didn't even bother to check and see if it was the same one, and they learned that version. It's the live version, and is very different. Different intro, different breaks, different ending. Great, so we wasted a bunch more time trying to figure what the hell was going on, and finally decided we'd learn the live version, so our singer is going to email it out to everyone. This is after I'd spent two weeks learning the studio version.
And to top everything off, we're dropping two songs which would have featured the keyboards: "Smokin'" by Boston and "Separate Ways" by Journey. The keys sounded fucking fantastic, if I do say so myself (which I don't, but literally everyone else did). I worked hard on those tunes. But our singer can't sing them; they're just too damned high. It's no one's fault, so I'm not actually mad about it, but I'll admit to being pretty damned disappointed. Not many people, male or female, can sing like Brad Delp or Steve Perry, but I'd hoped that she could. After a couple of times through, it was pretty obvious that it wasn't gonna work. Shit. So we had to drop them.
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Ah, it always sucks when you can't do a really good song because its just too damned high to sing. That's like my band with Hotel California. Sucks cos I miss out on all that delicious guitar wank at the end!!!
You couldn't just drop the key of the song(s)? One of the bands round our circuit plays everything with guitars tuned to Eb, which makes a lot of sense. Even just that semitone drop can make a world of difference when it comes to singing. I imagine you're more than competent enough to change your playing to suit that, or you could do the lazy way and hit the transpose button on your keyboard, I know I would :lol
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Suuup, first post here
Today it's the first rehearsal of my new project. We're playing Foo Fighters and Muse songs, and we're all very pumped about it. Hope it turns out good :metal
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Damn, isn't half the benefit of having a female singer the higher range?
Separate Ways goes up to an E5, which should for manageable for a female singer with a typical register as a one off note. Even if she couldn't hit that note, you could easily modify the melodies to only need to go up to the B4 (which shouldn't be a problem for any female singer) and only sacrificing a couple of notes in the process, which the average listener probably wouldn't notice anyway.
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Damn, isn't half the benefit of having a female singer the higher range?
Separate Ways goes up to an E5, which should for manageable for a female singer with a typical register as a one off note. Even if she couldn't hit that note, you could easily modify the melodies to only need to go up to the B4 (which shouldn't be a problem for any female singer) and only sacrificing a couple of notes in the process, which the average listener probably wouldn't notice anyway.
:blob:
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This was the second time we'd tried Separate Ways. She wasn't too sure about it the first time, but had been working on it and thought maybe she could make it work. I got the feeling she really wanted to do it because the band sounds so damned good on it, but the high stuff at the end was killing her. The ad-libbed stuff is optional, technically, but the scream at the end is not, and it was just killing her. Doable, but not healthy.
We also tried dropping it to D. It just sounded bad. Probably partly because we'd just be playing it in E, but also, the harmonics on the guitar don't work the same way so it wasn't possible to get that sound in E.
Smokin' was the same way. Doable, mostly, but she really had to push herself, and it was showing. And again, dropping the key just made it sound wrong. I know a lot of people can't tell when the key of a song has been changed, but I can always tell immediately, and so can Steve, our lead guitarist. It doesn't just sound different; it sounds wrong. You're playing it in the wrong key.
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Bob, I can sing those songs. I'll move up there and join your band.
Well, no I won't. But it would be fun to jam out.
At any rate, our show last night went fairly well. Meaning, we had a great turnout, and everyone seemed to have a great time.
But I was not happy because our sound was for shit. We were using a sound system that we normally don't use, and our sound guy is not the sharpest crayon in the box, and we had real trouble all night with the monitors and mains.
But we powered through, and although I thought it sounded like shit, it seemed to go over well.
Here's the setlist:
Salt & Light
Move
Amazing Grace (to the tune of Seven Bridges Road - I had the high harmony)
My Redeemer Lives
Greater
Days of Elijah
Love Lifted Me
I Must Tell Jesus (really bluesy song)
There's A Stirring
Revelation Song
People Get Ready
From The Inside Out
Lead Me To The Cross
Presence of the Lord (Blind Faith cover)
Jesus Is Just Alright (Doobie Brothers cover)
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Congrats on the gig, conditionally I suppose. Did you get a chance to hear things from out at the board or in the audience, or did it just sound like shit on stage? I've played gigs where I thought the stage was going to implode from all the suck, but audience recordings revealed that we sounded great. Gotta trust the sound man.
Of course, you already know your sound man isn't great, so there's that. :|
Still, the audience enjoying the show is still the ultimate goal, and if that was achieved, then it was a good gig. It's no fun playing when you think you suck, but if the audience is digging it, then you're still awesome.
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I haven't heard any audience recordings. It definitely sounded like shit on stage.
All in all, it was fun, and since it was at Chik-Fil-A, the manager let us eat for free after the show, so hey.
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Do you do Love Lifted Me a'la Jack Black in Bernie? That southern gospel style? Love that song. My brother is such a southern gospel freak, which is weird as.
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Do you do Love Lifted Me a'la Jack Black in Bernie? That southern gospel style? Love that song. My brother is such a southern gospel freak, which is weird as.
Not familiar with that rendition, but we don't do anything southern gospel. I hate that shit.
The version we did was a bluesy thing in D minor. I think our music director did the arrangement. I had never heard it before. And frankly, I don't like it very much. But I am just a soldier following orders.
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Do you do Love Lifted Me a'la Jack Black in Bernie? That southern gospel style? Love that song. My brother is such a southern gospel freak, which is weird as.
Not familiar with that rendition, but we don't do anything southern gospel. I hate that shit.
The version we did was a bluesy thing in D minor. I think our music director did the arrangement. I had never heard it before. And frankly, I don't like it very much. But I am just a soldier following orders.
:lol fair enough. Not a huge fan of it myself, but some of it is cool. They generally have the same vibe as the old hymns where the lyrics go much deeper than the 'jesus is my boyfriend' stuff that annoys the shit out of me in a lot of ccm and modern worship.
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Ah, it always sucks when you can't do a really good song because its just too damned high to sing. That's like my band with Hotel California. Sucks cos I miss out on all that delicious guitar wank at the end!!!
Anne emailed everyone a recording she'd made of us doing "Separate Ways". She said it wasn't as bad as she'd thought, and she's willing to give it another shot, but either she sings it solo or we do some real work on the background vocals. She's right. Journey harmonies are clean and tight and a big part of their sound. Either do it right or go home.
Now I'm having mixed feelings. Yeah, great song, keyboard sound is a big part of that, but it is literally the one and only song which uses the synth. I love my Prophet; it sounds great and is perfect for the song. But it's a 40-pound beast and hauling it to rehearsals and gigs just for the one song is kinda dumb. Also, we go to a gig, keyboard player has a fucking Prophet up there, and we play one song with it? Oh, that's right; maybe two people in the whole place would even realize. Forget I said that. Anway, as disappointed as I was to drop the song, part of me wouldn't miss having to haul it around just for the one song. But I'm a whiner. The band was originally "70's classic rock" but we've been moving into some 80's stuff. If we actually did a few more songs with synths, it would be worth it.
We do "Hotel California". She sounds pretty good on it, and so do the background vocals and everything else. The two guitarists do the main guitar parts, and I lay a bed with Hammond in my left hand and a 12-string patch in my right. Rolling the chords sounds just like strumming, and it's definitely good enough to fill in behind the guitar lead lines.
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Bit of a non-sequiter but there has to be a band called " Ctrl-Alt-Del"
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Bit of a non-sequiter but there has to be a band called " Ctrl-Alt-Del"
Not sure about a band, but there's a popular web-comic by that name.
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And a computer keyboard command too.
:neverusethis:
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Ah, it always sucks when you can't do a really good song because its just too damned high to sing. That's like my band with Hotel California. Sucks cos I miss out on all that delicious guitar wank at the end!!!
Anne emailed everyone a recording she'd made of us doing "Separate Ways". She said it wasn't as bad as she'd thought, and she's willing to give it another shot, but either she sings it solo or we do some real work on the background vocals. She's right. Journey harmonies are clean and tight and a big part of their sound. Either do it right or go home.
Now I'm having mixed feelings. Yeah, great song, keyboard sound is a big part of that, but it is literally the one and only song which uses the synth. I love my Prophet; it sounds great and is perfect for the song. But it's a 40-pound beast and hauling it to rehearsals and gigs just for the one song is kinda dumb. Also, we go to a gig, keyboard player has a fucking Prophet up there, and we play one song with it? Oh, that's right; maybe two people in the whole place would even realize. Forget I said that. Anway, as disappointed as I was to drop the song, part of me wouldn't miss having to haul it around just for the one song. But I'm a whiner. The band was originally "70's classic rock" but we've been moving into some 80's stuff. If we actually did a few more songs with synths, it would be worth it.
We do "Hotel California". She sounds pretty good on it, and so do the background vocals and everything else. The two guitarists do the main guitar parts, and I lay a bed with Hammond in my left hand and a 12-string patch in my right. Rolling the chords sounds just like strumming, and it's definitely good enough to fill in behind the guitar lead lines.
I'd love to hear some of your cover band tunes, can trade you tune for tune ;)
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And a computer keyboard command too.
:neverusethis:
omg no wait 4 rlz ? :neverusethis: dats totes cool af ngl !!!!!
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At practice the other day, we were working on "Hard to Handle" by the Black Crowes, which has some Honky-Tonk piano in it. After we finished a run-through, John says "Bob, nice job on that Honky-Tonk piano."
JT, ever the smartass, says "Hey, isn't that racist? Since it's Bob, shouldn't it be Asian-Tonk piano?"
"Asian-American-Tonk piano," I say, "if you please."
So there it is. The tune has Asian-American-Tonk piano, courtesy of the resident Asian-American keyboard player.
My wife got a chuckle out of it, but I had to explain it to my kids. I know; if you have to explain it...
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lol
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I recorded guitars for a friend's hip hop project last weekend and was part of the choir for the epic closing track together with him and my other buddy. I have the widest vocal range, so I sang three-part falsetto harmonies! :D I listened to raw mixes of the songs and they sound really cool! :metal Working on music with others lit a spark of creativity in me, so I'm writing my own stuff for the first time in a year. The riffs I've come up with so far sound pretty good; some of them are pretty doomy, while others sound like 80s hard rock, so it's going to be an interesting mix. :P
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I haven't heard any audience recordings. It definitely sounded like shit on stage.
All in all, it was fun, and since it was at Chik-Fil-A, the manager let us eat for free after the show, so hey.
Video footage!
Presence of the Lord (https://www.dropbox.com/s/yct350mopcj1u3j/In%20the%20presence%20of%20the%20Lord.MOV?dl=0)
Jesus is Just Alright (https://www.dropbox.com/s/gjieftrdkavwj4c/Jesus%20is%20just%20alright.MOV?dl=0)
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a guitarist, pianist, bassist(considerably?), keyboardist and still trying to play some drums here. well not much, i'm 13 now and i started my very first music journey like 8~9 years ago with a piano. after 7 years of lessons i thought it'll be cool if i can play some guitar and--hey in fact ever since i play more in guitars than piano. i got my bass basics while figuring guitars on my own. when i met dream theater musics back there i got inspired to play the keyboard again(i used to play some while taking my piano lessons back there). well, here i am, a keyboardist and a guitarist mainly.
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Recorded som stuff with the band for the first time today. It was mostly to experiment and find a sound we like, rather than to record something for release. We did maybe a minute and a half of one of our songs, and it already sounds really really cool. Very excited to record it properly and share it now.
We still have half the songs from the album to finish. 4 out of 8 are done (musically at least, still lyrics and vocal melodies to be done) and the other 4 are still only ideas and concepts, two of which are planned longer tracks. So it'll be very interesting to develop this further, and I'm sure it'll turn out great.
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I haven't heard any audience recordings. It definitely sounded like shit on stage.
All in all, it was fun, and since it was at Chik-Fil-A, the manager let us eat for free after the show, so hey.
Video footage!
Presence of the Lord (https://www.dropbox.com/s/yct350mopcj1u3j/In%20the%20presence%20of%20the%20Lord.MOV?dl=0)
Jesus is Just Alright (https://www.dropbox.com/s/gjieftrdkavwj4c/Jesus%20is%20just%20alright.MOV?dl=0)
Very Nice!! ♫♫
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Thanks!
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I treated myself to a Yamaha PSR-230 Keyboard
(https://usa.yamaha.com/local/products/images/821/12001/821_1.jpg) - it was €10 in a store, so why not? It has MIDI in/out - so I can use it in Logic! Very nice, and it's from 1996, so is actually the newest full size keyboard I've ever owned.
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I treated myself to a Yamaha PSR-230 Keyboard
(https://usa.yamaha.com/local/products/images/821/12001/821_1.jpg) - it was €10 in a store, so why not? It has MIDI in/out - so I can use it in Logic! Very nice, and it's from 1996, so is actually the newest full size keyboard I've ever owned.
For the price, that makes a great cheap MIDI controller. Anything 5 octaves and above is good, especially for using in a sequencer.
This is what I've got, bought it several years ago.
(https://www.miguelcampos.net/images/full-size/DSC_2032.jpg)
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(accidental double post)
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Looks cool. I accidentally posted in the wrong thread (whoops) - my only issue is that it didn't come with a MIDI to USB to plug into my computer - the only good ones are around 40€ (a roland one) and the cheap 3€ (PROXIMA Direct or other "china brand") all get really mixed reviews. I'd rather not spend more on a cable than I did on the actual device :lol (also, amazon doesn't have a greek page, so I'm forced to shop from the UK store and pay a butt ton of money to ship :-\ )
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Nothing inbetween? I wouldn't think you'd need anything too fancy. For the price, one of the cheap ones might be worth it for the meantime, even if it's not perfect (depending on how bad the reviews are).
Being a newer keyboard, mine supports native USB already luckily (along with standard MIDI too of course).
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I would've grabbed it, too, for that price.
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I would've grabbed it, too, for that price.
That's why I did :lol Great pick up. Even without the MIDI functionality, it's better than the full size keyboard I had previously.
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What would you guys get as the perfect beginner's keyboard on a budget? I'm not thinking of anything fancy, but next year I'd really like to learn to play SOMETHING and keys have always appealed to me (I like Kevin Moore, duh). Keep in mind I'd probs have to get it delivered all the way from somewhere, but that I'd also like it to sound kinda decent as I might not have the funds to get another one as soon as I want to :lol
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What would you guys get as the perfect beginner's keyboard on a budget? I'm not thinking of anything fancy, but next year I'd really like to learn to play SOMETHING and keys have always appealed to me (I like Kevin Moore, duh). Keep in mind I'd probs have to get it delivered all the way from somewhere, but that I'd also like it to sound kinda decent as I might not have the funds to get another one as soon as I want to :lol
Look in thrift stores/charity shops. You may pick up a great deal. Or get a MIDI keyboard you can plug into your computer. I can't recommend getting a standalone keyboard now, though.
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Look in thrift stores/charity shops.
The thing is I live in a small city of a small country and I'm not sure what to look for. I have one friend who plays the keyboards and he could probably hook me up with something sweet, but since he's both a perfectionist and a hoarder I'm not sure whether he has the nose for beginner-friendly bargain deals :lol
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Look in thrift stores/charity shops.
The thing is I live in a small city of a small country and I'm not sure what to look for. I have one friend who plays the keyboards and he could probably hook me up with something sweet, but since he's both a perfectionist and a hoarder I'm not sure whether he has the nose for beginner-friendly bargain deals :lol
To be honest, anything by the big name brands is usually okay for beginners. Looking for names like Yamaha, Casio, Roland etc. Make a note of the model number, and research it. Check the amount of voices it has (the amount of keys you can press at once) and if it has touch responsive keys and such. That's about all I can say.
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Thank you!
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All good advice. Any better brand keyboard from the past decade at least should have a variety of decent sounds. It probably doesn't need to be said, but I wouldn't bother with anything less than 5 octaves (and you wouldn't be getting anything bigger if you're n a budget). Even for a beginner, less than that is very restrictive even for simple piano stuff.
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Yup. 50+ keys, I would say.
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It should be noted that if the ultimate goal is to play the piano, then no electronic keyboard can ever give you that experience. The keys are basically switches with two positions: up and down, off and on. Velocity-sensitive keys can help just the tiniest bit, but nothing can emulate the touch of a piano. (The closest thing to a real piano in an electronic box is the Clavinova by Yamaha. An excellent facsimile in terms of both sound and feel. But from the sounds of things, that's not in the budget.) My point is that if the ultimate goal is playing the piano, then starting on an electronic keyboard will do irreparable damage to the development of proper technique and should be avoided at all costs.
If the goal is just to learn to play "keyboards" then the only real restrictions are to stick to keyboards with full-sized keys, and try to get at least four octaves. Five is pretty common (61-key keyboards), but there are decent four-octave keyboards out there. I would think that you can get lucky and score one for pretty cheap, but you have to be vigilant. They do show up at the second hand shops, but they don't last long.
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After some Googling I found a couple of relatively cheap Casio keyboards for beginners that don't look too bad to me, based on the descriptions:
Casio CTK-2400 (https://www.casio.com/products/Digital_Pianos_%26_Keyboards/Portable_Keyboards/CTK-2400/)
Casio CTK-3200 (https://www.casio.com/products/Digital_Pianos_%26_Keyboards/Portable_Keyboards/CTK-3200/)
Both have 61 piano-style keys, 400 sounds, 48-note polyphony and can be plugged into a computer using USB. As Orbert said, nothing can replace an actual piano, but piano-style keys are at least a tiny bit more authentic than the light keys on my first Yamaha. I became a decent piano player despite learning all the songs for my lessons on it, though... :P
I'd pick 3200, because it doesn't cost a lot more and has some extra features, but 2400 should be passable too, if money is tight. However, out of these two, only 3200 has a pitch bend wheel, so you should buy that one if you wanna do some KevMo-style pitch bending á la Caught in a Web and Lie. :D
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As Orbert said, nothing can replace an actual piano, but piano-style keys are at least a tiny bit more authentic than the light keys on my first Yamaha. I became a decent piano player despite learning all the songs for my lessons on it, though... :P
That's my classical snob showing, I guess. I suppose it's possible to eventually move from plastic keys to playing an acoustic piano, but it seems like it would be a horrible transition to suddenly encounter the actual weight, resistance, and action of acoustic piano keys. Just going from an upright to a grand piano can be tough. Playing a grand after years of only having to push plastic tabs up and down has got to mean sore and tired fingers for days afterwards.
And I honestly can't imagine learning the proper release technique, or pedal technique, at a later date. These skills are learned and developed at the same time as simply reading notes and associating them to the keys.
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I've never used a "proper" piano - so... I don't know what they feel like.
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(https://i.imgur.com/H12kwmY.png)
There are 88 of these inside a piano, one for each key. Pressing down on a key (58)... does nothing. You literally must strike or hit the keys to get any sound. This is because the release mechanism is set up so that hitting a key results in the hammer (6) flying up and hitting the string (1) but then falling away so that the string can resonate freely, as long as you hold down the key. Once you release it, the damper (2 & 3) comes down and presses against the string, silencing it. Pressing a key slowly either causes slippage resulting in no action at all, or just causes the hammer to rise up and press against the string, and since the hammer head is made of felt, it will stifle the string.
My point is that there is a technique which must be mastered before you can get beyond just plunking out a melody. Pianists' fingers do these things automatically, because if you actually had to think about it, you'd never be able to play anything. It's all muscle memory.
If you know the notes and the keys, that's a good start, but that's all it is. Actually working the instrument, controlling what it does via the keys and pedals, is what takes years of practice. "I know how to read music and hit the right keys" is not the same as "I can play the piano". An electronic keyboard can help you learn the notes, but practicing pushing plastic keys down will do little towards teaching your fingers how to work actual piano keys, other than where the keys themselves are. It just seems to me that it would be really hard for one's fingers to make the transition.
When I was 10, I took piano lessons. I learned to read music and played a 3rd-year piece at the class recital, which was three months after I'd started. Being even more arrogant and obnoxious than I am now (imagine!) I decided that I had learned to play the piano, which is what the lessons were for, so I quit. The idea of taking lessons for years and years just seemed stupid to me. My sister went the other way. She took lessons for years and years, studied with Van Cliburn, and at one time considered a career as a concert pianist. She can play anything that's written, but cannot play a single note without it being written down in front of her.
When I quit, what I didn't realize is that those stupid pedal exercises that my teacher made me do actually taught me proper pedal technique. Those scales, literally running up and down the keyboard over and over, taught my fingers fluidity, and also consistency. The harder you strike a key, the louder the note is played, and the goal is to make everything smooth. My teacher assigned lessons from each of four books every week; pedals studies, scales, and two different method books. I didn't realize it at the time, but she was a great teacher.
I've seen and worked with kids who took piano lessons, sometimes for years, but they can't play a piano. They can play notes, but they can't work the pedals, and there's no dynamic control in their fingers. You can't learn that on a plastic keyboard.
Okay, I'll shut up now.
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TL;DR - a real piano feels nothing like a synthesizer piano.
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My keyboard has fully weighted piano style keys, I have a 2gb sampled piano VSTi with all of the dynamics levels covered, and a sustain pedal. Ignore the snobbery. :biggrin: (still love you, Orby)
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(nice, but it's still not the same :P (love you too, Blob))
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I saw that post and thought: "so... that's an essay... not reading that"
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(nice, but it's still not the same :P (love you too, Blob))
Oh I'm not arguing it's the same by any means, I just disagree with the general sentiment that you can't learn to properly play a piano on an electronic keyboard, because the high end ones do a very reasonable simulation of one these days. Of course it won't ever replace the real deal, but for most situations it's close enough for all intents and purposes. I've played real pianos often, and I've played both high end and low end keyboards, and there is a lot of difference, so I do understand where you're coming from.
I saw that post and thought: "so... that's an essay... not reading that"
You should always read an Orbert post, because they're full of wisdom.
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Anne emailed everyone a recording she'd made of us doing "Separate Ways". She said it wasn't as bad as she'd thought, and she's willing to give it another shot, but either she sings it solo or we do some real work on the background vocals.
If it helps at all I'd checked this song out years ago, to possibly do. The chorus harmonies are actually fairly easy to remember, as the harmony notes above and below the melody do not change. The upper note is a B, throughout and the lower note is an E, throughout. I just double checked this on the little piano app on my phone to make sure I remembered right. Of course it sounds odd, because the melody part has an A and an F# in it, then the backing chords are Em, D, and C.
I'm almost positive this is how I remember it, so give it a listen, try those harmony notes, and see what happens.
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There's also the pre-chorus harmony a 3rd below.
I think the point is more the singing ability than knowing what the parts are. The lower E in the chorus is easy enough (and you could either forgo the higher B, or do it an octave lower, which I'm not sure they don't also do anyway), but the pre-chorus harmony may present some trouble for an average male vocalist.
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Oh yeah, I get it. It ain't an easy song to pull off, regardless. Just putting out the info. I was just sitting here thinking about the pre-chorus harmony and thinking "I'm pretty sure there's only the lower harmony there". I didn't think that pre-chorus harmony was very demanding, but maybe I'm not remembering right. I'm kinda out of it lately. :lol
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Yep, prechorus is just the two parts, lead and harmony. The chorus has more layers, but they're dead simple parts if you can hit the note. The pre-chorus melody isn't that hard if you're a solid vocalist, goes from an E4 up to a G4 (A4 briefly), so the range is narrow, but it may be upper range for regular dudes.
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The fortunate thing about the high harmony is that, if you can hit it, it doesn't last very long, so it doesn't tire you out too badly. I always do the high harmonies in anything we do, because nobody else can do them, despite the fact that my talking voice is decidedly UN-high.
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And also because it's a BG vocal and doesn't move around in register, falsetto is ok.
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The chorus harmonies are actually fairly easy to remember, as the harmony notes above and below the melody do not change. The upper note is a B, throughout and the lower note is an E, throughout.
That's exactly what it sounds like to me. I could not convince the others that this is the case.
And also because it's a BG vocal and doesn't move around in register, falsetto is ok.
I'm making some progress convincing them of this. To me, the important part is that the notes be there, and if it's just background vocals, quality of voice is far less important.
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The chorus harmonies are actually fairly easy to remember, as the harmony notes above and below the melody do not change. The upper note is a B, throughout and the lower note is an E, throughout.
That's exactly what it sounds like to me. I could not convince the others that this is the case.
And also because it's a BG vocal and doesn't move around in register, falsetto is ok.
I'm making some progress convincing them of this. To me, the important part is that the notes be there, and if it's just background vocals, quality of voice is far less important.
When it comes to background vocals, pitch is much more important than tonal quality or how you hit the note. People are focusing on the lead vocal, with the background vocals just adding fullness, as long as they're not mixed louder than they should be.
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I actually, on my little android screen piano, tapped out the upper, lower, and melody notes all at the same time and it sounded just right. I can see how it would be tough to believe (the harmonies don't move AT ALL?? With different chords in the background that aren't Em?? Bullshit!), but that's most definitely how it goes.
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It should be noted that if the ultimate goal is to play the piano, then no electronic keyboard can ever give you that experience.
I would be happy with just playing the keys. I mean, pianos are beautiful, but when would I ever get a chance or the need to play one? Most music I like is either guitar-driven or electronic and I'd find music school pretty boring (although I guess most people need to be taught in that environment, so I might be too). I never knew there would be so much of a difference though!
Thanks y'all! Hopefully I'll join you on this thread properly when I get more space in life :)
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The chorus harmonies are actually fairly easy to remember, as the harmony notes above and below the melody do not change. The upper note is a B, throughout and the lower note is an E, throughout.
That's exactly what it sounds like to me. I could not convince the others that this is the case.
And also because it's a BG vocal and doesn't move around in register, falsetto is ok.
I'm making some progress convincing them of this. To me, the important part is that the notes be there, and if it's just background vocals, quality of voice is far less important.
When it comes to background vocals, pitch is much more important than tonal quality or how you hit the note. People are focusing on the lead vocal, with the background vocals just adding fullness, as long as they're not mixed louder than they should be.
I'm definitely a backing vocalist :lol
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In August/September, my pastor will be giving a sermon series on rock songs that display various Christian themes. I think we will be allowed to play one every week.
:metal
So this started this past week. The theme was Songs of Power (joy, exuberance, celebration, etc).
We did Old-Time Rock N Roll. Not my favorite song, but definitely a toe-tapper, and everyone really enjoyed it.
Not sure yet what is coming this week.
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King's X?
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Um, no.
The theme this week is "Songs of Captivity."
The non-religious song we will be playing is "Stuck In The Middle With You." Which is a problem, because every time I hear that song, I think of the torture scene in Reservoir Dogs, which is set to that song.
Should be an interesting worship service lol
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A good pastor would make it work :lol
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Oh, HE will.
I'm worried about ME. I'm singing the song, and I'm just going to try not to laugh throughout.
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Oh, HE will.
I'm worried about ME. I'm singing the song, and I'm just going to try not to laugh throughout.
:lol that would be my worst nightmare...
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Um, no.
The theme this week is "Songs of Captivity."
The non-religious song we will be playing is "Stuck In The Middle With You." Which is a problem, because every time I hear that song, I think of the torture scene in Reservoir Dogs, which is set to that song.
Should be an interesting worship service lol
Haha. Sunday just gone it was just me and a couple singers. Towards the end we - well, I was just vamping around G Major while the pastor was talking at the end of the worship set and I slipped in Blackbird by the Beatles and that Bach Bouree in G Minor (the one Page used to do in the middle of his Heartbreaker wank live). Quite a few funny looks from the congregation lol.
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Nice.
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So, at rehearsal Thursday night, our drummer was out sick with a high fever. So if he doesn't show this morning, I get to play drums.
We'll see what happens.
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There's a family at our church which is basically wall-to-wall musicians. Dad plays guitar, mom plays flute, oldest son plays piano, daughter plays viola and sings, younger son plays violin. They are going to play "Imagine" by John Lennon today during the service. Last week, Steve (dad) called me and asked me if I could help them out. They were looking all over for sheet music, and couldn't find any which transcribed "Imagine" for violin. What?
I asked what Amy (mom) would be playing. "Flute" he said. I know that, but what, is she just gonna play the melody, while Lauren (daughter) sings the song? And they were thinking the violin would also just play along? I always think that that's really lame when people do that. It sounds horrible. I didn't say that. Instead I talked about how this is an opportunity to do something more creative, more interesting. There's a string section on the original song; I could transcribe that for flute and violin. It would be cool. The piano of course drives the song, but a guitar strumming along would be nice. It would be a unique arrangement. (Also, this told me that while they all play instruments, the actual musical talent may be minimal, since they didn't realize that a violin and flute are both C instruments, therefore if the flute was just going to play the melody, the violin could play the same part, but it would still sound really lame.)
So I wrote up charts for the piano (because he was just gonna play the lame sheet-music arrangement which attempts to cover the piano part and also play the melody, as most lame sheet-music arrangements do), flute, violin, and guitar. Sounds pretty sweet on the computer anyway. The violin and flute, in harmony, cover the nice string parts on the record. Then last Sunday, Steve told me that Ryan (son) might not be able to be there today, and he asked if I thought it would work without the piano, or if I'd be willing to play.
Without piano, it completely changes to a voice and guitar arrangement, augmented by flute and violin. That would be reallly sweet, I thought. But if they're not comfortable with that, I could play the piano part. I never heard from them this week, so I guess they're good. Or maybe he was just gonna tell me five minutes before the service that I'd be playing the piano. I'd still do it, and I'd actually like to because I think it would be sweet, but I'm also really curious to hear how it sounds without the piano driving it.
We'll see what happens. ;)
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My dad plays the guitar at church. i started out on drums playing to songs in church and now my 11 yr old brother is playing violin in church.
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That's cool. I wish I got to play more with my kids, or my wife. My daughter has a violin that she doesn't play much anymore, but I got to accompany her a few times when she did solos, so that was cool.
"Imagine" went really well. There are six kids altogether in this family, and with Ryan out, they augmented the sound with the two younger sons playing bongos and some kind of shaker thing. The only one present who wasn't playing was the baby. She gets a pass, being only like a month old.
Anyway, as a voice and guitar piece, it worked well because it's so simple and melody-driven. The flute and violin sounded great, and the added percussion took it in slightly different direction. A nice, unique rendition of the song. Like an idiot, I wondered later if anyone recorded it, and realized that it should have been me. I would have loved to have a copy. Oh well. You had to be there.
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Here is us doing "Stuck in the Middle With You" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ewRFUffzcQ&feature=youtu.be) at yesterday's service, with me on acoustic guitar and lead vocal. That was fun.
And here is a legitimate worship song from yesterday's service, "Break Every Chain" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTurMIbS2T8&feature=youtu.be), with my wife on lead vocal.
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Eyyyy, nice. Sounds tight! Great vocal Hef. Lead guitarist has some nice chops.
Break Every Chain is nice too, I quite dig that one, although we don't do it at church. Your wife does a great job of it.
The dreaded electric drums... *shudder* lol, they don't actually sound too bad here, I've just never had a good experience with them. There's a church around here that uses them and they sound so poos - plus you can hear the stick hitting the pads louder than the actual drum sounds. It sounds like your soundguy has a pretty good handle on things.
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He does a pretty good job. Thanks for the kind words.
I don't mind the drums. I get to play them sometimes. Real drums wouldn't work in our space without major shielding, and they already have a couple thousand invested in the Roland set, so yeah.
We played a gig at a retirement home last night. We are our own roadies, so I am aching all over today.
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[CSB]I remember not long after graduating high school, I was involved in playing some music with a guy at church, the guy was a big Steven Curtis Chapman fan and was a good singer and guitar player. We re-did a hymn for a band-setting. I Know Who Holds Tomorrow, I believe it was. Pretty laid back, t'was kinda cool. I was considerably inexperienced at the guitar, having only played for 5-ish years at that point, but somehow managed to put together a chord-based solo that another guitar buddy of mine said was Chet Atkins-ish.[/CSB]
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Cool.
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So... the long-awaited first gig is scheduled for this Saturday. This is the band that played two gratis gigs last summer, did pretty well and got reasonably good comments, then we took a short break while people went on vacations and stuff, and two days before we were to reconvene and start working up our third set, our singer quit. She was followed out the door by the bassist, because he's her husband and it was pretty much understood that she was the reason why he was in the band.
Over the winter, we auditioned singers and bass players, found a great bass player, then it turned out that he can't practice on Saturdays, which is when we practice and he knew that. By spring, we had a singer and bass player and started building a set list. We're up to 26 songs, two or three sets (kinda), and this Saturday would be my first actual paid gig since the 80's.
It's an outdoor gig, a block party, and it's supposed to rain all day. Rain date is Sunday. It's supposed to rain all day. Shit.
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Did you get Separate Ways worked out?
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Yes! We're doing the song, with the correct harmonies and everything. If we play, that is.
We have another gig scheduled for two weeks later, another gratis gig. It's another charity fundraiser thing, so I shouldn't really complain, but damn, it would be nice to actually get paid some time. I love to play, and I do consider myself fortunate to be able to rock out with some good musicians and make people happy, but it is a lot of work, too, so even the $50 apiece we're supposed to get for this block party is nice, and makes it all worth it. Not sure how many more freebies I have left in me. Good practice blah blah blah good exposure blah blah blah charity fundraiser blah blah blah give me some fucking money, okay?
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Good practice blah blah blah good exposure blah blah blah charity fundraiser blah blah blah give me some fucking money, okay?
:lol
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Our song of the week this Sunday is Show Me The Way by Styx. That should be fun.
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The long-awaited debut of Orbert's Almost-Band (now an actual Band) got rained out. Shit.
It rained on and off all day Thursday and Friday, and Saturday was looking better, but not guaranteed. We were to start at 8PM, but had to make a call by Noon whether or not we would risk it. Easily $10K worth of gear set up in the middle of the street with no protection from the elements, it would all be at risk if a sudden storm came through. As of Noon, it was still raining, and the best-case scenario had things clearing up by late afternoon and staying dry throughout the evening, but that didn't look likely at all. Worst-case and everything in between included rain.
As it turned out, things did clear up by about 5:00. If we could've set up in three hours, in dwindling light and on wet pavement, we could've played after all. But we called it off, and it was the right decision at the time, based on the information available.
The world will have to wait just a little longer to experience our awesomeness.
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What is "Orbert's Almost Band"? It sounds cool.
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We will be wrapping our "Jesus Rocks" sermon series this Sunday. Early indications are that the rock song this will be the All You Need Is Love.
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What is "Orbert's Almost Band"? It sounds cool.
Just a silly nickname I came up with a while back. This band has gone through many, many personnel changes, and it's still less than two years old. We're a band, I mean we have singers, all instruments covered, all that, but we have yet to play a paying gig. We did a few gratis gigs last summer, just prior to our latest implosion and subsequent restructuring. I haven't done the math, but it's entirely possible that we've spent more total time missing at least one position than we have at full strength.
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We will be wrapping our "Jesus Rocks" sermon series this Sunday. Early indications are that the rock song this will be the All You Need Is Love.
I love playing that one. The time changes keep people on their toes, and the message of course is terrific. We do it up with the horns and everything.
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We will be wrapping our "Jesus Rocks" sermon series this Sunday. Early indications are that the rock song this will be the All You Need Is Love.
I love playing that one. The time changes keep people on their toes, and the message of course is terrific. We do it up with the horns and everything.
We don't have actual horns, so I suspect that will be a keyboard thing, unless we just completely change the arrangement.
I'm curious to see how the time changes work. With the band, I mean.
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We will be wrapping our "Jesus Rocks" sermon series this Sunday. Early indications are that the rock song this will be the All You Need Is Love.
I love playing that one. The time changes keep people on their toes, and the message of course is terrific. We do it up with the horns and everything.
We don't have actual horns, so I suspect that will be a keyboard thing, unless we just completely change the arrangement.
I'm curious to see how the time changes work. With the band, I mean.
Yeah, that one is deceptively tricky with its bar lengths! Best of luck, would love to see another vid of that one!
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I've been told that I will be playing drums and singing lead on that one.
Glad it's Ringo.
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That's a good move - I feel like that would make it easier, seeing as the bar lengths are made to follow the vocal.
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Well damn, it looks like we're actually gonna play this Sunday.
For those not following along (which is pretty much everybody, since this has gone on for so fucking long), the core of the band, the two guitarists and myself, have been together since last year. We've gone through singers, drummers, and bassists, and all the personnel changes kept setting us back as far as getting songs put together, but we have 25 songs, and we're gonna see how many we get through. No, it's not yet enough to play the bars, but it is enough for a two-hour thing. A Sunday afternoon charity motorcycle ride to benefit the local animal shelter ("Hogs for Dogs"), a 90 minute ride out to a bar in the far northern suburbs, where we'll be set up. The riders will get free food and reduced prices on drinks, and we'll be providing the music.
Stupid things that could not be helped:
- This is the Chicago suburbs, it is the Bears' opening day, and it's versus the Packers. As it happens, this bar is basically right between Chicago and Green Bay. As you might guess, it is a huge rivalry.
- They want us to start at 2:30. This is idiotic because the game starts at Noon and won't be over yet. The riders will start showing up between 1:30 and 2:30, and the whole timetable was set up before anyone realized that it's the day of the home opener. But they didn't want to change anything because all the posters were printed and timetables were sent out. I can't even imagine someone telling us to start playing if the game is still going, but they said they'll have it on the TVs and just turn the sound down so we can play. Um, okay.
- As with our previous "debut gig", which got rained out, scattered showers are in the forecast for Sunday, and this is an outdoor gig. Unlike the last gig, they have some kind of contingency plan; we set up inside if it looks like it'll rain. The exciting thing of course is that this is Chicago. Everything could look fine, we set up, then rain moves in before we start playing, or perhaps after we start. Yeah, that could be fun.
- But it won't matter because from what we've heard, the riders will eat some burgers or sandwiches, drink some beer, then leave. Our challenge therefore is to actually be good enough to get them to stay and listen.
Our third gig if you count the two from last summer and still no payday, but this is a pretty nice place and apparently it's a huge deal to play there. Just to be able to say you've played there gives you some cred, so what the fuck, let's rock and roll. I'm looking forward to just playing somewhere other than the basement.
Pictures to follow, if we actually pull this off. I'm still not quite believing it's happening.
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Good luck.
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For those not following along (which is pretty much everybody, since this has gone on for so fucking long)
Hey now, this real life Spinal Tap saga is the very backbone of this thread! :tup
Good luck for the gig, Orb! I hope it all goes as well as can be expected under the circumstances.
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Thanks for the well-wishes, guys. I guess it wasn't the best choice of phrase; I know some people have been following along, but this really has been a ridiculous journey, and I recently referred to this band as an "almost-band" due to us spending nearly as much time without a full lineup (including several months without a lead singer) as we have with one, and someone asked for clarification. So I was trying to jokingly refer to the fact that I felt the need to recap.
Finally getting to play that first gig is a great thing, and with all the lineup changes, this is a new band with a new name, so we're calling it our first gig.
We practiced Tuesday night because we couldn't get together over Labor Day weekend, and by time we were done (pushing 10:00 PM after working all day on a Tuesday that felt like a Monday) I was pretty wiped. John asked if I wanted to just leave my piano there at his house, and he'll load it up with all the P.A. gear and his own stuff and bring it tomorrow. At the time, it sounded like a good idea. After running through all the songs again, I had them down. I still do, but it's gonna kill me all day today to not run through them all one more time for tomorrow. I'll practice my saxophone solos. That'll be a real treat for my wife and daughter, who will be home today. I'll have the tunes on my headphones, so all they'll hear will be saxophone solos, over and over. If they're smart, they'll go shopping or something.
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- They want us to start at 2:30. This is idiotic because the game starts at Noon and won't be over yet. The riders will start showing up between 1:30 and 2:30, and the whole timetable was set up before anyone realized that it's the day of the home opener. But they didn't want to change anything because all the posters were printed and timetables were sent out. I can't even imagine someone telling us to start playing if the game is still going, but they said they'll have it on the TVs and just turn the sound down so we can play. Um, okay.
Oh god i hope it works out, especially this part. We have done a couple of gigs where we've had to play through a big game, and its never fun, especially if there's a bar full of people wanting to watch. If the bar has any common sense they'll let the game run first.
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Incredible. In-fucking-credible.
Our drummer, JT, called John at 8:00 this morning, said he was in pain, probably a kidney stone, thought he could play the gig anyway. Called him back at 10:00 from the ER, pain was so excrutiating that he couldn't move. No way he could play the gig today. Some phone calls around, and there was no drummer who could just jump in and play with us today, no one available anyway. Our singer Anne's boyfriend Brian has a band, which she also sings background vocals with, and they covered the gig. The only way it could work was if Steve and John headed over there with the P.A. and stuff, and Steve ran sound. It was 10:30 by time the decision was made, and they had to come in from far and wide. There was no way they could be there in time to set up the P.A. and everything else, and start in time.
I had left my house a little after 10:00 AM, allowing an hour out to the place. We were going to set up between 11:00 and 11:30. It was close to 11:00 when I hit the gas station a few blocks from the bar, used the bathroom, and checked my phone. A missed call, a voicemail, two emails, and several texts. Uh-oh. The whole saga. The voicemail from John had come ten minutes after I'd left my house; now I'm a few blocks from the bar. So I just went over anyway. Helped set up the P.A., talked with the other guys, met the other band (I'd met Brian before a few times) as they showed up one by one over the next few hours, and stayed for the first hour or so of them playing. They weren't horrible, though not great, but they sounded as good as they were going to because of Steve's killer P.A. Had a truly disgusting chicken sandwich, threw part of it away.
So our contribution was the P.A. I guess. Rockus (the other band) played, so the event had tunes. At least we got someone to cover the gig. I'm just bummed, and still a little bit in disbelief, that once again, our debut gig was cancelled and we didn't play one way or another. It's like the music gods hate us.
It's been over a year since the previous "stable" lineup, Oh Zone, played a gig. The new lineup, FlashDrive, is yet to play. The plan was to get these two gigs under our belts, there was going to be a photographer there, and we were going to get some video and audio, too, for the website and Facebook page, and we would start looking at putting together the third set, so we'd truly be ready to start playing out. Now, we still have to do all that, but we haven't played out yet, and we have no promotional materials. And since we didn't play the two gigs, we didn't exactly score any new connections, either.
Shit.
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Seriously, your drummer ends up in the ER on the day of your gig? What are the odds? Your band is clearly cursed! :lol
At least he didn't die, or else my Spinal Tap comment earlier may have been too scary. :|
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It is truly incredible. I am so ready to play.
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So I found a music making software and spent all this afternoon learning how to use it, and made a little chill song. I have no idea of what I'm doing, and the tune goes nowhere, but what the hell, here it is (https://soundcloud.com/saculs78/le-chill). I'm now making an electronic, industrial-y song - making music is quite interesting. At least for a total noob like me :lol
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Your band is clearly cursed!
My first thought! Jesus, sorry to hear that Orbert. That is truly unbelievable.
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So I found a music making software and spent all this afternoon learning how to use it, and made a little chill song. I have no idea of what I'm doing, and the tune goes nowhere, but what the hell, here it is (https://soundcloud.com/saculs78/le-chill). I'm now making an electronic, industrial-y song - making music is quite interesting. At least for a total noob like me :lol
Sounds cool! Thats a nice, punchy guitar sound, what's your setup? Piano crashing chords remind me of something off Mezzanine. This is really good Lucas, nice work :tup
Its always fun when you start figuring out recording, enjoy the journey!
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Sounded great to me. Sounded nice and clear and pro, and whatever was going on with the reverb sounded cool. Next just get some bass going!
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Thanks guys - although it's pretty much unfinished by now, I plan on revisiting when I earn more experience with writing music and expand it a bit.
Sounds cool! Thats a nice, punchy guitar sound, what's your setup?
Some really cool-sounding loops ;D . I honestly suck at playing any instrument, so making music with loops is quite interesting - I'll get to do some sampling later. Let's just say that Endtroducing-kind-of music is what I aim for. An absolutely unattainable goal of course :lol
Sounded great to me. Sounded nice and clear and pro, and whatever was going on with the reverb sounded cool. Next just get some bass going!
Realized that after uploading it, when friend told me so :facepalm: .
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Thanks guys - although it's pretty much unfinished by now, I plan on revisiting when I earn more experience with writing music and expand it a bit.
Sounds cool! Thats a nice, punchy guitar sound, what's your setup?
Some really cool-sounding loops ;D . I honestly suck at playing any instrument, so making music with loops is quite interesting - I'll get to do some sampling later. Let's just say that Endtroducing-kind-of music is what I aim for. An absolutely unattainable goal of course :lol
Sounded great to me. Sounded nice and clear and pro, and whatever was going on with the reverb sounded cool. Next just get some bass going!
Realized that after uploading it, when friend told me so :facepalm: .
Haha. I'm listening on shitty laptop speakers so I didn't notice.
Nice, you should try sampling some stuff in that case!. Dragging mp3s into the DAW you're using is the most straightforward way.
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Or downloading some loops online :P .
So I did another one, but took a bit more of time, and I'm kind of starting to see how music composition work. Next time I'll try to come up with structure or something :lol Feels like two different songs, which I may later expand each one on their own as separate tunes, but what the hell, here it is (https://soundcloud.com/saculs78/nostalgia). Added some sweet bass in there btw.
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*finds 3-part sheet music for Zelda 1 overworld theme*
*begins transcribing for bass and two guitars*
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Zelda music is always inspiring.
As a regular on the Parker Guitars Forum I traded clips and FX settings with a user called wkcchampion a few years back. We experimented with sounds that worked well together. One day he sent me one of his home made backing tracks called "Summer Jam". He added a melody line after the intro and left some space for me to add something. I didn't know at the time that it was a cover of Joe Satriani's "Summer Song" simply because I didn't know the song so I approached the material without any preconceived ideas. His melody close to the original starts at 0:19, I come in at 0:43, and from 1:07 it's my solo track.
wkcchampion & Nefarius - Summer Jam (clip) (https://dreamshade.net/foren/dreamtheaterforums/summersong_wkcchampion_nefarius.mp3)
So why do I tell this story when I commented because of Zelda music? Just listen to the part at 1:19 to 1:25.
Whoever recognizes this line first and can tell me what Zelda game it is from... is a true fan, congratulations! :biggrin:
Greetings...
Nef
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I figured out how to get a decent Geddy Lee tone out of my bass rig tonight. Pretty proud of myself, but boy do my fingers hurt.
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The ongoing drama/trauma of Orbert's almost-band continues...
After our second non-debut a few weeks ago, our fearless leader John emailed a list of seven (seven!) potential gigs he'd drummed up. Ranging from 10 miles away to nearly 30, mostly playing for the door, but hell, at this point we'll take anything we can get. We have to get out there, get some experience playing, get some pictures, audio, and video, and hopefully make a connection or two.
JT was the first to reply. He's out of town for three of the seven dates. As you may recall, JT (drummer) was the one who got a kidney stone the day of our second attempt at a debut. Obviously that could not be helped, but still, that's the first thing that came to my mind.
So this past Saturday, the 26th, was our next practice. Full run-through of both sets, in preparation for the one gig of the seven which actually panned out (some were just too far away for shit pay, some had other date conflicts). Also, John's wife Kay has a nice camera and a bit of photography experience, so she's gonna take some posed group pictures after practice, just so we have something for the web site and Facebook page. John send out an email with all these details, and also some guidelines on what clothes to bring, etc.
I go clothes shopping and bring my wife along since I have no idea what looks "cool". I'm 50something years old, an aging rocker, who must somehow get up on stage and look like a rocker without looking ridiculous. We find some nice shirts that she assures me will look very cool with black jeans and my extremely Asian appearance. :orbert:
Friday night at 10 fucking PM, JT sends an email, and just to make sure we all get it, a group text telling everyone to check their email. He got his dates mixed up and is flying out Saturday morning, not Sunday. Oops.
That's it. No apologies -- although I'm not sure what's left after his literally four or five apologies for the kidney stone, which he couldn't help -- and no actual statement that he won't be able to make the practice, although that was obviously implied. Just that he got the dates mixed up and he will be flying out in the morning.
Anne (singer) had gotten her hair and nails done, because of the pictures. Kay (John's hot wife) had rearranged her work schedule to be available that day to take pictures. She's a realtor and Saturday is normally a very busy day for her. We have all been practicing. The night before, all JT can say is "Oops".
JT got his dates mixed up. JT got a kidney stone. JT had already missed the last two practices and now this one, which has not just inconvenienced others but also cost them money. JT recently dropped some of his other commitments so he'd have more time for the band, but was the first to get three of seven potential gigs crossed off the list because he's out of town. JT is in the proverbial doghouse.
John is beyond disappointed, and beyond pissed. I had a long phone conversation with him, and he's going to talk to JT about the band and his level of commitment to it. I am, as always, thankful that that's his job and not mine. I love to play, I want to play, but this is still just a hobby for me. If it falls apart, I'll be bummed, but not heartbroken. For John, this is his dream. He's put a lot of money, time, and effort into this band, getting it going, keeping it somehow going despite all the shit that's come our way, from within and without, and he's not a quitter. He's finding us gigs, just working independently as our manager, without an agent, with no experience at it, just through effort and perservenence. I genuinely feel sorry for the guy.
After our phone call making sure a few things were in order and that I was available on certain dates, John sent out an email with two practice dates. We have to do weeknights because we're out of weekends (the gig is Oct 10 and we can't practice Oct 3), the practices will be Oct 6 and Oct 8, please let him know as soon as possible if there are conflicts. He did not say that the practices are "required" or "mandatory" because that was implied.
Next week we have two weeknight practices, and a gig on Saturday. Third time's the charm?
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Wow, man, that sucks. Hope everything turns out OK.
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Sounds like your band needs a new drummer.
Although that's honestly a lot easier for me to say than you guys. It seems like he is only creating problems, headaches and stress, but I imagine things used to be fine if he is still in the band. Hopefully this is just a phase and everything will go back to normal soon because I would imagine this takes a lot of fun out of your hobby with all the drama going on.
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He is an excellent drummer. He is experienced, as we all are, and rock-solid when it comes to keeping time. He came in on the recommendation of Steve (guitar) and has shown that he knows probably thousands of songs. Learning new ones takes time, of course, but fortunately we've stuck mostly to tried-and-true bar standards for now.
He is also busy as hell much of the time. He owns and/or runs three businesses, one of which was recently demoted from "owning and running" to merely "owning" because he had too many things on his plate. He actually wrote an email to the rest of the band a few months ago apologizing for how distracted he's been and how he has so much going on, and he's cut back on his commitments and promised to be much more there for us in the future. Then John manages to find seven gigs for us, and we can't even consider three of them because JT is out of town those dates. So much for minimizing distractions.
This whole experience has been very interesting for me. When you're kids in school, your bandmates are your friends, guys you've known for years. There's already a bond, and already a level of commitment both to your friends and to the band. What we're doing now is merely a business arrangement. I like the other guys in the band, but it's on the "co-workers who you get along with" level, not "dudes I've known since grade school" level. We don't get together and hang out much, we don't call each other on the phone or chat just to chat. It's business. And it's weird for me because I've never been in a band like this.
So if after talking with JT, John decides that we need a new drummer, I'll be bummed, but not crushed or anything. I like JT alright, but if he's holding us back, we are probably better off with someone else. That "someone else" may not turn out to be any better, but he may. As with anything else, it's about weighing cost/benefit. Another personnel change will cost us the time to get the new guy up to speed. The benefit is ending up with a (hopefully) better drummer. "Better" meaning many things, not just playing. Being available for practices and gigs is starting to weigh big. Right now I'd settle for anyone who can keep time and make it to practices and gigs.
And something which is also in the mix is that we basically "stole" our lead singer Anne from another band. She was singing with an actual working band. Yeah, they kinda sucked, and she knew it, so after months of discussion and ass-kissing, John was able to convince her that she's rotting on the vine with the other band, and with us she can really go places. And six months ago (holy shit, has it been that long?!) she starting working with us and was blown away by our level of musicianship. And we are good, if I do say so myself.
But after all this shit and we still haven't played a single gig yet, I wouldn't blame her if she said "You know what? I gave you guys a chance. I quit a gigging band that still wants me back*, and I have gigs singing backgrounds with my boyfriend's band. I don't need you." I wouldn't blame her at all. If we decide to look for a new drummer, and that causes our lead singer to quit, then we're really, truly fucked.
*In an ironic twist, her old band auditioned and eventually hired Karen, our old singer. Then Karen quit, just as she quit our band, with basically no notice. They had gigs booked, so they begged Anne to do those gigs with them, and since we weren't doing anything, she agreed. Also, they got rid of the one guy who sucked the hardest, and now they're better. It would actually be a good move for her to get back with them at this point. I just hope she doesn't figure that out.
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Wow man. This whole situation is almost unbelievable. I really feel for you. I know how hard it is to get gigs booked, and what it feels like when one guy lets the team down.
That being said, myself and the guitarist from the covers band I play bass in decided to form an acoustic duo a couple months ago, and we had our first gig last night. It went surprisingly well actually, was quite happy with it. Very different to a full band dynamic, and I'm singing, like 200% more than I do in the other band so that was a nice challenge. Definitely need to stop smoking if I wanna keep that up :P
Also we got an email from a bar in town that had a band call in sick, so we are playing again tomorrow night, a sweet ass 5:30 - 8:30 slot for the after work, suit crowd. Really looking forward to playing some chilled out stuff and not having to bust my balls and cigarette-addled lungs trying to keep it high energy like last night.
We've had one practice together :lol
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One practice? Now a three-hour gig?
Nice. :lol
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lol yeah, but we've been playing together for about a year now, doing the same sort of cover stuff except I moved to bass from lead guitar when he joined so we pretty much know the material.
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That sounds awesome. I love laid-back gigs where you know what you're doing anyway, and the one practice is basically a formality just to make sure you're both on the same page. Then you go do the gig.
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Yeah Monday was actually really fun and easy-going, it definitely wasn't as RAWK as the band thing, but it's good for testing your boundaries with singing and playing and getting a crowd going without much behind you.
It's also a really good test of what pop songs are awesomely written and which ones suck :lol
Orbert, you should totally sort out a Keyboard/Guitar duo with another singer/player from the band!
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Actually, I've known our old singer Karen for years (she was how I got involved in the band in the first place) and she said she thought we could do gigs, just her and I. I'd play piano and she'd sing. I thought that sounded great. She said she knows tons of people, she'll start talking to people and see what the picture looks like. That was two years ago.
Both drummers from the band have said, and Steve our guitarist agreed, that if I wanted to, I could be playing every weekend. Keyboard players are still pretty rare, good keyboard players even moreso, and (their words, not mine) I'm a great keyboard player. They just blurted it out, after we'd been playing for a while. I told them to calm down. I learn my parts, I play them well. I practice. Come on, it's not that hard.
So okay, if I wanted to, but I don't want to play every weekend. I'd be cool with maybe once or twice a month. It's a side thing, for fun, not a second job. At this point, we should be playing once or twice a month, but we just can't seem to get it together. It's gonna take a bit more before I quit this band.
But doing a low-key duo thing, that would be sweet. Some other guys I know are doing something similar to what you're doing. They've been in various bands together over the years and have recently just gone out as an acoustic duo. They just call it "Mark and Jim" (their names, duh) and do chill versions of classic rock stuff. I don't know why, but even seeing them doing that, and thinking how cool that is, didn't make me think about doing the same thing. Not even once. That's weird, because I love to play, pretty much any chance I can get, but apparently it takes someone else pointing the opportunities out to me.
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I don't know how you are going to overcome this because at your age, it is probably the hardest time to put together something like this. As a youth, it was more about the fear that you were going to tank. But when you are a full grown adult, you have legitimate reasons for schedules never aligning as you would like.
Can you aim for a less threatening and easier to schedule gig? What about just inviting a ton of people to your rehearsal space? Just anything to give you that performance adrenaline.
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John's wife has had friends over a few times, and even though I'm sure you can hear us throughout the house, they come downstairs sometimes and watch us for a few songs. That's kinda nice, reminds me of junior high days when guys would bring their girlfriends to practice and they'd sometimes bring some friends.
John's a millionaire. He could invite a bunch of people over, throw a huge to-do, and we could play for them, sure. But the thrill level would be that of a high school band playing at a party. Cool, but we're past that. Yeah, it would be fun, a chance to play. But if you literally have to invite people to come see you play, it's not the same as going out in public and playing an actual gig.
None of these gigs were demanding. All one-night stands, Friday night or Saturday night, in the neighboring burbs. Seven gigs. I'm sure John was thinking that at least three of them would pan out, maybe even more. I sure was. But JT's travel schedule nixed three of them, two of them were for "original music only" (bar bands still get gigs for that?), and one of them conflicted with a couple of us. That only left the one, and we're confirmed, but John has said that he'll cancel us if we can't get at least a full practice between now and then. There's no point in getting up there and embarrassing ourselves. At this point, it's been over a month since the band has practiced, and the gig is still two weeks out. Well, a week from this weekend.
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Demoed this new track for the guys in the band. I'm super stoked with it. It's just an instrumental demo. Haven't written lyrics yet. Thoughts?
https://soundcloud.com/we-are-all-hail/illustrated-zodiac-nightmares
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just got a bunch of mics to do some sort of recording. i haven't gotten too in depth w/ anything yet, but i'm looking forward to finally getting my ideas recorded properly.
also, LOTS, that demo is pretty sick.
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Demoed this new track for the guys in the band. I'm super stoked with it. It's just an instrumental demo. Haven't written lyrics yet. Thoughts?
https://soundcloud.com/we-are-all-hail/illustrated-zodiac-nightmares
Really cool track, I imagine it will be really fun to play live. I thought it was all good, but from 1:28 to 2:16 was especially cool.
I also finished a demo for my band today actually. It's just a MIDI programming so far, but it sounds really cool. It's planned to be the lead single of our first album, and for that it needed to be tight. Or at least more tight than the other tracks, most of which are pretty progressive and changing, changing keys and tempos here and there. But this one turned out about as consistant and "straight forward" as I wanted, while still being very much a modern progressive metal track.
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One of my songs got played on local radio. yay. that is all.
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:tup Future rock star.
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just got a bunch of mics to do some sort of recording. i haven't gotten too in depth w/ anything yet, but i'm looking forward to finally getting my ideas recorded properly.
what'd you get?
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just got a bunch of mics to do some sort of recording. i haven't gotten too in depth w/ anything yet, but i'm looking forward to finally getting my ideas recorded properly.
what'd you get?
3 sm 57s, a beta 52, and a couple condensors. i forget what they are.
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Demoed this new track for the guys in the band. I'm super stoked with it. It's just an instrumental demo. Haven't written lyrics yet. Thoughts?
https://soundcloud.com/we-are-all-hail/illustrated-zodiac-nightmares
:metal That's pretty wicked, dude. Can't wait to hear the finished product with vocals.
One of my songs got played on local radio. yay. that is all.
Cool! Can we hear it?
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author=hefdaddy42 link=topic=33789.msg2016189#msg2016189 date=1443782623]
Cool! Can we hear it?
Sure. It's not exactly metal (It's Greek Ambient and Post-Rock mashed together) but yeah.
https://soundcloud.com/heliosgr/coming-home
BTW, because I've had people ask - the silence at the end is nothing symbolic - it's just my DAW wierded out, and it was already uploading to SoundCloud - I edited it for the radio version.
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Wow, that was really cool!
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Thanks, man! ;D
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just got a bunch of mics to do some sort of recording. i haven't gotten too in depth w/ anything yet, but i'm looking forward to finally getting my ideas recorded properly.
what'd you get?
3 sm 57s, a beta 52, and a couple condensors. i forget what they are.
Naaiice!
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This Saturday, we're going to try it again. We're going to attempt a debut gig. Our first attempted debut got rained out; our second attempt was cancelled when our drummer JT ended up in the ER with a kidney stone. Third time's the charm, right?
It's a semi-crappy gig, to be honest. A sports bar 15 miles from here will have the Blackhawks game, and they want a band to play from whenever the game ends (around 10:30) until closing time. We'll only have time for two sets, which is fine because that's all we have anyway. I'm sure it's gonna be one of those situations where the owner won't want to hear a sound while the game is still going, then expect us to start immediately and sound perfect without a sound check. Our sound check will be the first couple of songs.
We're running through the first set Tuesday night, the second set Thursday night. I hate evening practices, but this is what we have to work with. I'm taking Friday off of work to prepare myself mentally and physically.
Ha ha, just kidding. I had Friday off already anyway.
The first time, I was wired, so excited to be playing a live gig. But as the week went on and we watched the weather forecasts, I had to keep my hopes guarded, and ultimately was disappointed but not surprised when we were rained out. The second one, I'd actually driven out there before I found out the situation, then stayed and hung around the board with Steve and John because why not (also, the waitress in our section was... damn!)
I find myself not excited about this at all. I honestly cannot get excited about something which, in my mind, may or may not happen. Saturday night, if I get there, we set up, nothing catastrophic happens, and we play, great. I will play, I'll do all the things on stage that I'm supposed to do, and I'll kick ass. But I can't help feeling that someone's fucking with me. I will not get my hopes up again.
So I'm on Facebook, checking to see who's going to our Event (I manage the band Facebook page), and I see that four Friends are going and four Others are going. That's kinda weird; I thought the other five members of the band had at least clicked that they were going. I look and see that JT, our drummer, is no longer a Friend. What? I click, go to his page, and nope, we're not Friends. It lists Friends we have in common, which include Karen and Mike (the husband-wife team who quit) and some other guys we both know, but neither myself nor anyone else currently in the band is Friends with him anymore. Apparently he had a hissy fit and un-Friended all of us.
Oh, the drama! Oh, the humanity!
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Best of luck, mate. Hopefully no issues this time. Maybe Orbert's Almost Band will become Orbert's Actually a Band Band. ;D
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That JT is really grinding my gears!
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EDIT: Just read until the end of the post, which I didn't before - was in a rush to go somewhere. This guy seems like a butt.
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I just got off the phone with Steve. JT is apparently going through some serious shit right now. Like, he and the girlfriend broke up, he moved out kind of shit. I said maybe he got "breakup drunk" and went on a Facebook rampage, deleting Friends and stuff. He said No, he'd talked to him, and he's in the middle of creating a new Facebook persona. Also, he doesn't drink. Well okay, but kinda weird that he'd specifically un-Friend the other members of the band and keep everyone else.
Also, significant drama is brewing with Anne, our lead singer, who is showing signs of advanced psychosis. Clearly, this is just what we need right now.
Practice is tonight. This gonna be good.
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i really hope this all works out for you. i know whats it's like to want to get somewhere in band and having other people in the band hampering things regularly. nothing to this extreme, but it can get very frustrating very fast.
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I just sold my Thunderbird.
:(
Such a sweet bass.
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I just sold my Thunderbird.
:(
Such a sweet bass.
why'd u sell it then?
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Need the cash for a trip to australia :(
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Also, significant drama is brewing with Anne, our lead singer, who is showing signs of advanced psychosis. Clearly, this is just what we need right now.
No, no, you're looking at this all wrong.
Every good singer is crazy. This is just what you need!
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I'm starting to believe that. I've worked with a number of singers over the years, and in general, the better they were, the crazier they were. Unfortunately, this also meant that they were harder to work with. Finding a balance is key, as with all things.
Steve texted me this morning, saying that Anne was burning up his phone again. She has a lot of comments about how things went last night at practice. I told him I think it's great that the two of them have such and open, honest rapport going. (And by that I mean it's great that it's the two of them and I am not one of them.)
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:tup
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Ha ha, I may not have been entirely clear. Her comments were not positive. I'm glad I'm not the recipient of her outbursts.
She has plenty of critique for what everyone else is doing, but when it comes to her, if there's something she's not singing correctly, it's "I'm having trouble feeling this song. I don't really like it."
Well shit, we all have songs that we don't really like. But we play them because other people love them and they're in the set list, the set list that we all agreed to. So suck it up and do your fucking job.
My remark to Steve had two sides, though. Steve and Anne have not always gotten along. For a while, they were ready to kill each other. But they got together for lunch and drinks on a day off, and had a long talk about the band, music, etc., and now they have a pretty good rapport. So I was telling Steve that it's great that they're talking and stuff, but really I'm just glad it's not me. I still get to hear all about it from Steve, so it's not really that much better. :p
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lol
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By the sounds of it, I should be glad I'm a solo musician. This band shit sounds tiring :lol
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This is easily the most drama I've ever dealt with in a band. Most bands I've been in have gotten along pretty well, because we were friends first. We were in a band together because we knew each other and liked each other first. This band was formed via Internet searches, and is people from all different backgrounds. We don't have the bond. But we all have experience in bands, and know how it needs to work; it just doesn't quite feel the same and I don't think it's a conscious thing that it doesn't work.
Also, we all have lives and jobs and other commitments, so it's not like when you're 20 and the band is your life. This is just a hobby. It's supposed to be fun. And it is, once we start playing. It's just getting to that point that's a pain.
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We did it! We fucking did it! We played a gig!
(https://i.imgur.com/iMtmSBu.png)
Getting ready for the second set. Steve checking the talkbox, as we open the set with "Rocky Mountain Way". Me watching the babes playing darts over in the corner. They were there most of the night. The one, Corinne, was pretty hot. She came over and talked to me and stuff, introduced herself and her friend (I don't remember her friend's name) and kinda kept me company throughout the show. It's cool when you get to interact with people in the audience, cooler still when they're babes. Corinne gave me a hug at the end of the night, said I was awesome. Damn, I've missed doing this.
We were not flawless, but we were pretty damned good, especially for a debut, and missing our singer for rehearsal the other night (meaning we never did get a full run-through of the second set). Also no sound check. The owner was a real dick. But... owners.
A new chapter. I'm so psyched. It's 2:45 AM and I just got home from the bar. An actual paying gig, first in over 30 years. Okay, we only made $10 each, but a gig's a gig. We played for the door, and for friends and significant others, and for fun, and for experience playing, and so some agent named Bob Something could come see us (he did, and he said he was impressed, so that's cool).
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Awesome!
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Nice! I can't wait to actually do a live show.
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Congratulations! Glad things finally worked out.
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Great news, Orbert! Congrats!
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Entered this singer/songwriter contest. Would really appreciate if you guys could give it a listen and give some points if you like it.
https://songwriter.amplifiertv.com/channel/Cody+McKenna
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congrats, orbert! make sure when u start touring the world to come to ct.
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Shredders !
Any shredders in ! I know the principles of harmonising. E.g. If you're shredding in E minor - you can harmonise in G major for example.
But if you're doing really long legato runs - is it the same principle ?
I can't get my head around doing some crazy sweep and legato runs and having to harmonise every note. :dangerwillrobinson:
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Shredders !
Any shredders in ! I know the principles of harmonising. E.g. If you're shredding in E minor - you can harmonise in G major for example.
But if you're doing really long legato runs - is it the same principle ?
I can't get my head around doing some crazy sweep and legato runs and having to harmonise every note. :dangerwillrobinson:
What's a shredders?
I'm not very musical.
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Shredders !
Any shredders in ! I know the principles of harmonising. E.g. If you're shredding in E minor - you can harmonise in G major for example.
But if you're doing really long legato runs - is it the same principle ?
I can't get my head around doing some crazy sweep and legato runs and having to harmonise every note. :dangerwillrobinson:
What's a shredders?
I'm not very musical.
:'( :'( :'(
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Shredders !
Any shredders in ! I know the principles of harmonising. E.g. If you're shredding in E minor - you can harmonise in G major for example.
But if you're doing really long legato runs - is it the same principle ?
I can't get my head around doing some crazy sweep and legato runs and having to harmonise every note. :dangerwillrobinson:
What's a shredders?
I'm not very musical.
:'( :'( :'(
Sorry to disappoint. :-[
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Ok I'm way behind but Orbert next time you have a gig let me know where you are playing! If it's not too far let me know and I'll (hopefully) make it out to see you (to return the favor for seeing me like 5 years ago!)
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It's a deal. It looks like we might be playing 210 in Highwood (formerly The Alley) the day after Christmas, which should be interesting, and way the hell down to Sheffield some time in January. It sucks just starting out. You have to take what you can get.
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New track I demoed for my band! Switches between 4/4 and 7/8 during the verse parts. Pretty stoked on the ending. Thoughts? (it's just a drum/guitar demo like the last one)
https://soundcloud.com/we-are-all-hail/sorrow-mk-ii-demo
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New track I demoed for my band! Switches between 4/4 and 7/8 during the verse parts. Pretty stoked on the ending. Thoughts? (it's just a drum/guitar demo like the last one)
https://soundcloud.com/we-are-all-hail/sorrow-mk-ii-demo
Saw this at work, meant to listen when I got home but forgot.
Listened to it now though, and that's a kickass track! The, I guess I'd be the chorus, was especially cool, with the alternations between the distorded chords and then the rhythmical stuff.
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Also, me and the band finished writing track 7 for our first album last night, which means we only have one song left before we're done! Started writing this long concept album over a year ago and I can barely believe we're almost done. Hopefully after we finish, we'll start recording and I'll share something here.
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New track I demoed for my band! Switches between 4/4 and 7/8 during the verse parts. Pretty stoked on the ending. Thoughts? (it's just a drum/guitar demo like the last one)
https://soundcloud.com/we-are-all-hail/sorrow-mk-ii-demo
That was really cool! Nice riffage!
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Also, me and the band finished writing track 7 for our first album last night, which means we only have one song left before we're done! Started writing this long concept album over a year ago and I can barely believe we're almost done. Hopefully after we finish, we'll start recording and I'll share something here.
Looking forward to it!
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It's a deal. It looks like we might be playing 210 in Highwood (formerly The Alley) the day after Christmas, which should be interesting, and way the hell down to Sheffield some time in January. It sucks just starting out. You have to take what you can get.
Yep. Develop a following and report and it will get better.
Highwood I can't do because I'll be likely out of town for the holidays, and Sheffield is way out there. Keep me posted.
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It has begun. The agent dude who John was talking to, the same guy who asked if we could do the day after Christmas, offered us a one-nighter at a place we eventually want to get into anyway. December 18, a Friday night in the middle of Christmas craziness, $500. Even for a fraction of that money, this is a place we want to play. The owner is actually a neighbor of John's, and when John asked him about playing at his place, he had to talk to the agent dude. Agent dude just offered us the place. If we do well, we play there again.
But we don't have four full sets of tunes. We've got a couple hours, and are adding a third batch now. Agent dude suggests we play three 45-minute sets, with 25-30 minute breaks in between. His idea. Shit, we could do that right now. So anyway, we're in. Then if we do well there, and the thing on the 26th, he says he's got some stuff to look at in Q1 2016. He tends to book a quarter at a time. Very businesslike.
So... things are happening. Gigs booked, promise of future gigs with the agent dude who basically owns this county. We keep him happy, he keeps us working, and everybody's happy.
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Sounds great! Looking forward to hear how it all turns out!
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Good luck Orb! Hopefully you can keep one lineup through it all!
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Thanks. In a weird way, I kinda miss writing about all the band drama, since most of it is apparently behind us. Saying "We practiced on Saturday and nailed down two more songs" just isn't as exciting and provacative. But we practiced on Saturday and nailed down two more songs. Starting two weeks hence, we're gonna try to "bulk up", adding half a dozen cheap 'n' easy songs that everyone knows. We jammed on "Cocaine" for a while warming up, so that one's in. Apparently we all know "Sweet Home Alabama" so that's in. That kind of thing.
At the one gig we played, someone yelled "Freebird!" (because there's always someone who does) and since John was still in the process of switching guitars, I started playing Freebird just for the hell of it. JT came in on drums and Steve played the whiny lead and we got through the intro. Then John was ready and we started the next song, but we got a brief round of applause. I suggested to John that we actually play the song next time, another ten minutes on the clock. He seemed to consider it.
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Okay, you knew it was too good to be true. You knew that this band couldn't actually start gigging regularly and making money. You might not have any idea why not, other than that it's pretty much how it has always been with this band, but it had to happen.
Steve (lead guitar, lead and background vocals) has quit the band. Over something completely stupid. Completely over-reacting to something, because it's his way, because he's a fucking misogynist who told us right up front that having a girl in the band is "poison" and that no band he's ever been in with a female has lasted more than a year. Well, we now know why. It's not because girls are poison, and it's not the girls themselves. It's Steve.
John had tried, as manager, to get some gigs for us, and scraped up some crummy little gigs, one of which we even played, but the reason why we didn't get anything better was because they all book through the same company, which comes down to the one guy, agent dude. Well, we're in with agent dude. Agent dude sent some stuff to John, needs names, phone numbers, website and/or social media pages, and a secondary contact. John forwards this out to all of us, just keeping us in the loop, letting us know what's going on. But we need a volunteer to be secondary contact.
JT (drums, and also a personal friend of agent dude) says he's just the drummer, but he does know agent dude. I say that that sounds to me like someone volunteering. It's a joke, son! A joke! Anne says she votes for JT. Just innocuous little messages via email, right?
Steve sends a text to Anne, asking her what her problem is. Anne is confused. Steve asks what gave her the right to start the voting. He wants to be the secondary contact, he has the most experience out of all of us, blah blah blah. Anne isn't even sure he's serious. Has he actually gone off the rails over this? She asks if he's going to make a bigger deal out of this than it has to be, or something like that. Steve says Fuck this, I can't be in a band with you any more. He then calls John and tells John the same thing, that he can't be in a band with Anne any more. John can't believe he's serious either. Are you quitting the band? Steve says Yes. John accepts his resignation.
John calls JT, who has known Steve for many years and is the reason he (JT) is in the band, and asks him to call Steve, and find out if this can be saved. Ten minutes later, JT calls John back. Steve is out, he ain't coming back.
If we could've held it together for six more weeks, we'd have those two gigs behind us, be on agent dude's list of groups he can count on, and we'd be on our way. But the underlying problem in the band, Steve Who Cannot Get Along With Females, would still be there. If we survive this one, we'll end up better off. Harmony within the band is still more important than raw talent. Finding a guitarist who can sing is nothing. Finding one who you can get along with is the trick. And we're back to Square One.
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Jesus Christ. :facepalm:
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Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan seriously? That sucks. It would be funny if it weren't real. I'd expect this kind of drama from a teenage band (no offense, teenagers), but not from adults.
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This is so ridiculous that it defies believability. It truly does. Couldn't Steve have kept his assholic tendencies in check just a little longer? We were on the fucking brink. Paying gigs booked, promise of plenty more where that came from, as long as we don't suck (and we don't).
Steve and Anne have apparently never really gotten along. John shared this with me. He's actually talked to both of them, many times, and things seemed to be getting better. I've noticed little snipes at each other during practices and stuff, and while we all joke around and give each other shit, I've often suspected that these were actual barbs. Mostly Steve giving Anne a hard time over something stupid, and just not backing off. Overreacting. Anne would eventually get tired of his shit and strike back, but I've never seen her start it. Steve, on the other hand, is like a teenager, so yeah, all this drama.
I wouldn't blame Jerry, JT, or Anne if any one of them decided that enough is enough, this band is just plain jinxed. I don't know if we could survive a second departure at this point. It would vastly increase the odds that a third would occur, and at that point, I think everything would collapse.
Personally, I'm still in. I mean, I don't have anything else going on, why not? I have a bunch of holiday-related musical obligations coming up, but other than that, nothing.
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This is so ridiculous that it defies believability.
Yyyyep! Its like, how more fucking ridiculous could this get.
Steve sounds like a raging douche, and you guys are certainly better off without him, though I understand that this is just more ass pain for you guys. Hopefully you can find someone quick smart to fill in!
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Tell Steve we think he's a prick.
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lets start an official steve depreciation thread.
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I got a text last night, after I'd stuck my phone in the charger for the night, so I didn't see it until this morning. "Sorry Bob, I just couldn't deal with her anymore. Her need to control everything, her constantly needing to have her way, even to the detriment of the band..." it goes on. He's fucking psychotic; I never truly saw it before. I wanted to ask him if he'd looked in a mirror lately. Instead, I said that I never really understood what the issue was between the two of them, but I guess sometimes certain personality types just don't get along. Like Steve and anyone female. I didn't say that last part. So after sending my reply this morning, he replied again, going on about all the horrible things he imagines she's done. I just put the phone down. I'm not continuing this conversation.
Last year's drama, with our original singer Karen, actually made sense compared to this, if that statement itself even makes sense. Karen was a great singer if she liked the song, barely tolerable if she didn't. She also missed practices and sometimes showed up obviously unprepared. So Steve's complaining about her was legit, and I guess when he took the opportunity to rant about how females are always pulling shit like this and how it's just not worth it, I let it go because he was annoyed, as we all were. When he started in on Anne, who is a much better singer, has infinitely more stage presence, and is just a much cooler person in general, I didn't get it. It's like he's constantly looking for things to get annoyed about, and of course always finding them, because if they're not really there, he'll just make them up.
Or maybe I just looked the other way because he's a hell of a guitarist, one of the best I've ever played with. But I'd rather have someone with half the talent if I can get along with them, and the whole band is better off without someone like that. If we survive...
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Orbert's Almost Band is starting to sound like Orbert's Teenage Grindcore Band.
I'm also starting to think you could make a soap-opera after this, called Orbert Street.
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Tell Steve we think he's a prick.
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Orbert, you may have answered this long ago, but where did you even find this guy?
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Steve answered the ad for a singer way back when we lost one of our original singers, Dave. Dave could sing high stuff like nobody's business. Survivor, Journey, Toto. He was amazing. Steve doesn't have the same kind of range, but he can play a killer guitar, and we figured that would help make up for reduced song selection. Eventually it became obvious that not only was our original lead guitarist Rick an idiot and a head case, but we also didn't need three guitarists, so Rick was let go and Steve took over lead guitar.
The original concept for the group was a male singer, a female singer, two guitars, keyboards, bass, and drums. It's John's band, and while he is easily the least talented and least experienced of all, he's also a millionaire with a huge house and a studio/practice space in his basement and lots of top-shelf equipment. His idea was to surround himself with great performers and just have fun rocking out in the basement. Having both a male and female lead singer meant greater song selection and built-in strength with harmonies and stuff. It was only after "accidentally" amassing a lot of genuine talent that we started talking about actually playing out. Adding Steve while losing both Dave and Rick was a good move overall, and certainly a good move at the time. Also, a band with seven people is just too big. It's still tough with six of us, but it's workable. After John and myself, Steve was next in seniority in the band.
John sent out an email this morning, assuring everyone that he intends to keep this band going, and reminding everyone that setbacks happen. I made sure to reply quickly that I for one am still in, and pointed out that the band has been through many changes in the past, and each time we've gotten better people. Better in terms of a better fit for the band (we get along better), and also more talented (doesn't hurt to toss in a compliment, especially since it's true anyway).
All three of the others are still in. Jerry also expressed disappointment, but he's in.
It occurred to me that Jerry and Anne were the last to join the band, and therefore this is the first personnel change for them, so it's not like this is the final straw or anything like that. I've been through all seven. Two singers, a guitarist, a drummer, and three bassists. And we have in fact gotten better people each time, and keep getting closer to our ultimate goal of playing loud music not just for our friends, but for hordes of drunk people in bars. Dare to dream!
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Where are you guys located? And what's the age group of the members?
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If you guys would commute to North Carolina, I would totally jam with you guys.
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If you guys commuted to either the UK or Greece (depending on the time of year) I would totally jam with you guys.
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If anyone of you guys came to my house in Wales - you'd hate me just as much IRL - if not MORE !! :neverusethis:
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Where are you guys located? And what's the age group of the members?
Chicago far northern suburbs. We're all in our 50's.
Most of us played in bands back in the 70's or 80's, and have played on and off to varying degrees ever since. John organized a reunion of friends at his house a few years ago, and they had a band back in the 80's which didn't really go anywhere but was fun, so when they got together, they brought their gear and played some songs. The "Before" and "After" pictures are great. John got bitten by the bug, and decided that he's got the time, he's got the money, and he's at a point in his life now where he can buy a bunch of gear and put a band together. That's us. He freely admits that he has the least experience of all of us and is probably the least talented (he's correct on both counts) but it's his band, and all we're doing is playing for fun. Or at least that was the idea at first. Once JT our drummer joined, it started becoming clear that we have some real potential, and we started talking about playing out, once we get enough tunes down. That was nearly two years ago, but we've been plagued by personnel changes, each one of which sets us back in terms of time to find a replacement and time to get the new person up to speed. But each change has ultimately helped the band because we've "traded up" each time.
It's different doing this now as adults with kids/wives/lives as opposed to when you're young and stupid and the band is everything. It's just a hobby. We have no delusions of grandeur; we're never going to get rich doing this, and we know it. We just like to play. That's all we're trying to do.
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Where are you guys located? And what's the age group of the members?
Chicago far northern suburbs. We're all in our 50's.
Most of us played in bands back in the 70's or 80's, and have played on and off to varying degrees ever since. John organized a reunion of friends at his house a few years ago, and they had a band back in the 80's which didn't really go anywhere but was fun, so when they got together, they brought their gear and played some songs. The "Before" and "After" pictures are great. John got bitten by the bug, and decided that he's got the time, he's got the money, and he's at a point in his life now where he can buy a bunch of gear and put a band together. That's us. He freely admits that he has the least experience of all of us and is probably the least talented (he's correct on both counts) but it's his band, and all we're doing is playing for fun. Or at least that was the idea at first. Once JT our drummer joined, it started becoming clear that we have some real potential, and we started talking about playing out, once we get enough tunes down. That was nearly two years ago, but we've been plagued by personnel changes, each one of which sets us back in terms of time to find a replacement and time to get the new person up to speed. But each change has ultimately helped the band because we've "traded up" each time.
It's different doing this now as adults with kids/wives/lives as opposed to when you're young and stupid and the band is everything. It's just a hobby. We have no delusions of grandeur; we're never going to get rich doing this, and we know it. We just like to play. That's all we're trying to do.
Get John to put up $50 and make a profile on The Musician's Contact Service and put an add on there. https://www.musicianscontact.com
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Thanks for the suggestion.
The band was mostly put together via the Internet. Various online want ad places, such as BandMix.com and ReverbNation. Steve, Anne, and Jerry were all the results of web searches and subsequent auditions. JT came in when we lost our first drummer, as he was someone Steve knew. I came on board because the original singer Karen knew me, but otherwise the entire original lineup was formed via the net.
John's buddies have all scattered to the winds. None of them lives close enough to play on a regular basis, so he used Internet searches to put the initial lineup together. I guess that's why, from the beginning, there's been an attitude that if anyone doesn't work out, we try someone else. The other big difference between this band and the kind of band you're in when you're younger is that back then, the band was all guys you knew from school, maybe even grew up with. That was my first band, all guys from the neighborhood. Later that expanded to include guys who knew other guys from somewhere, but there was always a personal connection. Our band has more the feel of a business arrangement. I like everyone well enough, but we're all from different towns, different walks of life. I didn't know anyone in the current band before the band. We're not quite friends; we don't hang out together on weekends or go hit the bars together. We're more like co-workers who get along and have a good time, but when it's time to go home, that's it. Well, we're all friends on Facebook. We share jokes and memes and stuff, and we've met most of each other's significant others. So I guess we're closer than just co-workers, but don't have tight personal bonds yet. This whole experience has been very interesting. And if nothing else, I've gotten to play with a number of different people, played songs I never would've played otherwise, and am a better musician for it.
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To be honest, I'm just exceptionally surprised you can keep a positive outlook on this. I'd have told each individual member of the band where to shove their finger and left if all this had happened to me, so, good on you, man. :tup
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Believe me, there's been a couple of times I've been tempted to just quit. We've gone through a lot of personnel changes, resulting in a lot of lost time. If we'd had the same lineup for two years, we'd probably be gigging by now. But the original band did kinda suck, so there would be limited payoff in that. And I'm serious when I say that every time we lost someone, the replacement we eventually found has been better, both in terms of talent and personality.
I like to rock, but I don't have any other rock bands to play in, and I don't have the time or energy to devote to starting one up. I still get my musical rocks off on a regular basis singing in the church choir, and also leading the praise band, which gives me the opportunity to arrange tunes for some pretty esoteric ensembles, also sing and play piano, sax, and flute. So I've stuck with the rock band, because it's still worth it for me. John does all the organizing, web-searching, dealing with agents and bar owners and stuff. All I have to do is learn my songs and show up for practice. I like learning new songs, and I like getting together every other Saturday and playing. The money is absolutely not a factor. We got $10 each for that one crappy gig we did play; it paid for my dinner, eaten there at the bar before the show. Burger and Coke was $8 or so; I gave the girl a ten and told her to keep it because she was hot. When John came out of the office later with $10 each for us, I just chuckled. I got dinner and got to rock and roll for a few hours, and broke even. It cost me gas money, but it was a reasonable night's entertainment.
I would love to actually play gigs. Rocking out in the basement is fun, but obviously playing for people is the goal for most musicians, myself included. So these setbacks have been very frustrating, but there's not a damned thing I can do about them. I still get to jam every other Saturday. Quitting the band would mean giving that up, so I stick with it.
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Well, at least you still find getting together to jam with them enjoyable. I'm wanting to start a band with people from my school (my school is pretty music-intensive) - we have a "band night" every year where bands with members from the school can gig, but to be honest it's difficult to find people with the same music taste as me. You don't get many 15-17 year olds who listen to prog. Plus, we don't get any money for it. :lol
I'm looking at playing some of my ambient stuff outside of my school soon, though.
Just make sure you guys actually keep practising. I hope to see an Orbert's Almost Band debut album at some point. :)
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Do you guys have a name? Or do you just go by "Orbert's Almost Band" in the real world as well?
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Do you guys have a name? Or do you just go by "Orbert's Almost Band" in the real world as well?
I really want them to, but I doubt it...
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Somewhere in this thread, I think I mentioned that the original band went by the name Oh Zone and that the current band is called FlashDrive. But maybe not.
(https://imgur.com/cuVhoyi.jpg)
Cheesy logo I whipped up in half an hour using Word. John is currently trying to hire people to come up with a more "professional" looking logo. So far, he's spent $300 and they've all sucked. We haven't officially voted or anything, but Jerry and Anne have said that they like this one fine, and don't see the point in changing it.
So he's having one of his sons work on it. Since his son is a graphic designer, it will obviously be much better (yeah right). And since it's his son, it will be free. Mine was free, too. I don't really care that much; I just don't want our logo to suck, and while this isn't exactly "professional" quality, it's sharp and easy to read, which none of the "professional" ones were.
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How did you arrive at Flashdrive?
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FlashDrive, with a capital D.
Last year, after we'd lost our singer and bass player at the same time, we decided that we needed a new name. At a band meeting, we'd decided on a new batch of songs, and this was before I'd set up my Dropbox, so we passed around flashdrives with the new songs on them. Someone remarked that "flashdrive" was a cool, catchy word, also a relatively new word, having only been created in the past decade or so, but now quite common. Good for a band name. I pushed for the capital D.
John argued that it's Foghat, not FogHat; Coldplay, not ColdPlay; Soundgarden, not SoundGarden; and others. All single words without a capital letter in the middle (something he personally dislikes, and which I agree with in general). I pointed out that every one of those names aren't real words in the first place, but two separate words slammed together. I thought that the idea was to take a common, everyday word and put a spin on it, not just use a common everyday word. Anne said that she likes the big "D". It emphasizes that it's two words that each sound like something. "Flash" and "Drive" both are "action" sounding words. Both are both nouns and verbs. That kind of thing.
I just said Hey, Anne likes the big "D". How can any guy argue with that? And with that, I won the argument.
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hahaha she wants the big D
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Exactly.
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I like the name. You should do it in the style of the Flashdance writing. :lol
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Oh yeah, I finished the third movement of the symphony: https://musescore.com/user/100120/scores/1247851
here are the other two movements: https://musescore.com/user/100120/scores/781356 https://musescore.com/user/100120/scores/1025111
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How did you brainstorm that and not go with the name:
The Big d
Just make sure you don't become dated with FlashDrive. If your band started earlier, you would be:
The Floppy d
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Brilliant :lol
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Oh yeah, I finished the third movement of the symphony: https://musescore.com/user/100120/scores/1247851
here are the other two movements: https://musescore.com/user/100120/scores/781356 https://musescore.com/user/100120/scores/1025111
Nice work. Do you just keep it on musescore or do you have your own instrument sounds elsewhere?
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Oh yeah, I finished the third movement of the symphony: https://musescore.com/user/100120/scores/1247851
here are the other two movements: https://musescore.com/user/100120/scores/781356 https://musescore.com/user/100120/scores/1025111
Nice work. Do you just keep it on musescore or do you have your own instrument sounds elsewhere?
I have no knowledge or ability with sequencers, so the sheet music and sounds that come out of it are all I've got
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I have no knowledge or ability with sequencers, so the sheet music and sounds that come out of it are all I've got
Do you have to drag/click it in note by note? I do that, but hooking up a MIDI (USB) keyboard is much more conducive to getting it down quickly, naturally as well as experimenting more freely.
What did you study? Videos, books, transcribing / reading / listening to famous recorded scores? Besides the instrumentation (which you hinted is still being explored by you in your comments) do you free flow the song form, or do you set up charts/forms and try to keep with tradition?
One thing that is very aggravating about using MIDI, patches, programs, samples is that you hear something in your head and no matter how full and dynamic it sounds there, it seems a shell of itself in the programmed format. It is fine for the composer because they can hear it in its full glory, but it can be annoying that the people you are sharing it with cannot. You realize it is just a scratchpad, but to the listener it is the final product.
All that said, it sounds very good. I listened to all 3 (but I only did about half of 1 because clicking on the next page of comments stopped it and I didn't know where it cut).
What are your short term and long term goals with this?
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I like the name. You should do it in the style of the Flashdance writing. :lol
I want to see one of the professional guys come with that. That could be fun. I have not the skill. The "logo" I came up with is basically Word Art, although I did cook up the outline color and custom fill gradients to match the lightning bolt (which was just clip art I found on the net).
(https://imgur.com/cuVhoyi.jpg)
Click on it to biggify. There's actually a bit of detail to it, which I'm kinda proud of.
In other news, we already have a guitarist/singer lined up to audition a week from Saturday, which would have been our next scheduled practice anyway. His name is Pat, he's about our age and background. The band he was in before was really good; in fact, they got so good that they were working every week, sometimes twice a week (one-nighters Friday and Saturday probably) which was really getting to be too much, as most of them have full-time day jobs. So he ended up leaving that band and taking a break, but now he wants to get back into playing. Once or twice a month, tops, and that's perfect because that's exactly what we'd already decided on. We don't want to gig every weekend, certainly not twice a week. Once or twice a month sounds about right.
I've seen an old promo video of his former band on YouTube. Guitar sounded pretty good, vocals sounded great. He was one of three singers in the band, and the promo vid showed that off, but we got to hear him sing a verse of "Come Sail Away" and "Footloose" and he's got that high voice that sounds pretty effortless. As an added bonus, the video was made at the same crummy bar we played at a few weeks ago, our one and only gig. When I recognized it, I chuckled mightily.
Anyway, John has already talked to him, he says he knows a lot of the songs in our list. They're going to decide on four songs for the audition. We usually work on four songs every two weeks, so this will be basically like a practice session. I do not know if Anne is the one who "found" him or what, but he said he's worked with Anne before and he likes her. So that right there is a big step up over Steve, who told me point blank that he didn't really like or respect Anne. So this should be fun.
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:clap:
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(https://www.fightersgeneration.com/characters4/shazam.jpg)
Shazam TV show opening (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7TR4ixOkhM)
I was trying to think what that lightning bolt reminded me of. But it isn't quite the same, so you are legally able to proceed. ;D
Nice work on the lettering btw (I biggified)
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I remember that show.
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Do you have to drag/click it in note by note? I do that, but hooking up a MIDI (USB) keyboard is much more conducive to getting it down quickly, naturally as well as experimenting more freely.
Yes, I click the notes in. Don't have a midi-usb adapter.
What did you study? Videos, books, transcribing / reading / listening to famous recorded scores? Besides the instrumentation (which you hinted is still being explored by you in your comments) do you free flow the song form, or do you set up charts/forms and try to keep with tradition?
We've discussed form (binary/ternary) in my theory class, which sort of inspired me to look into more complicated forms such as sonata form (as you can see in the first movment. the second and third movements are both sort of a mirrored ternary/ABCBA). When learning about sonata form, this page (https://home.earthlink.net/~dbratman/sonata.html) was what I followed most to write the first movement. I never really wrote anything down drafting exactly what I would do when (as I often write in stream of consciousness, even when I'm using a specific form). Tradition is unimportant to me, moreso now than when I began seriously writing the first movement back in april or may.
All that said, it sounds very good. I listened to all 3 (but I only did about half of 1 because clicking on the next page of comments stopped it and I didn't know where it cut).
What are your short term and long term goals with this?
Thank you. Short term, start drafting the 4th movement, complete 4th movement, sit on the 'completed' work for a while. Long term, get more serious about dynamic markings and articulation, learn orchestration so that no instrument has an impossible part (I've already failed this part with french horn :P ). After I feel that it is actually completed, then I'll see about publishing it and having it performed. But that might not be for a while (God I'd love to hear it though.).
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I was trying to think what that lightning bolt reminded me of. But it isn't quite the same, so you are legally able to proceed. ;D
Nice work on the lettering btw (I biggified)
Thanks. And yeah, the Shazam logo zags twice, whereas ours only zigs once. I figure other than the lightning bolt itself, which is clip art that I directly grabbed from somewhere, I'm pretty safe, and since the bolt is tilted a little bit (it tilted 11 degrees ccw when I tilted the letters, since they were grouped at that point) it might be considered modified enough to skirt an infringement. We're just a bar band from the burbs. If someone wants to sue us, we'll stop using it, but they're not going to get blood from a stone.
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Not that I'm a graphic designer and have any weight behind what I'm about to say, but ...
You did a nice job of adding some flair without going over the top. When I did my company logo, I started off a bit over the top, but when I found time I scaled it back to simpler design (less color and texture). So don't pick at the logo and find new things to add. Your balance is already ... balanced.
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Thanks. That's the thing I was going for. The idea was that it needed to look good in a tiny square as a Facebook profile picture, bigger on a T-Shirt, or really big on a poster. I wanted it to be simple, little more than just the name of the band and a lightning bolt.
I wasn't exactly sure how to combine them, but I started with just writing the word with the lightning bolt behind it, and I already felt that I was most of the way there. I knew I wanted to use Word Art, since it's simple and easy to reproduce, with the words filled in with color, so I found a font that looked good "hollow". I liked how this font has the extra shadow lines built in, giving it a 3-D look. Then it was just a matter of playing with the colors until I liked how they worked with the lightning bolt. Outlining the letters in dark orange had the unexpected but welcomed side effect of changing the lines inside the lettering to the same color.
One of the "professional" designs had the word written in the lightning bolt, which looked kinda cool, but it was hard to read the word itself. They provided a couple variations on that idea, none of which I really liked. Another design had the word much more stylized; the "F" had a lightning bolt "tail" on it, and the "E" angled up, but had a weird downward curve at the end which made the whole thing remind me of a dick going limp. A third design was just too busy. Lots of colors, and lightning in the background. I have no idea how that could be reproduced, but in graphic design, lots of colors = more money to reproduce.
The one thing that all three of those designs had in common was that they were just so damned fancy that you had trouble reading the word FlashDrive. In my mind, that is the most important point. If someone looks at your logo, which is basically just the name of the band, and it takes them more than a few seconds to even read it, the logo fails. Promoting the band, and the brand, is way more important than looking all super-fancy.
I know nothing about design, either, but I looked at the "professional" submissions (we had the first two at that point) and said "Shit, I could come up with something better than that in half an hour in Microsoft Word" and proceeded to do just that. The third submission came in, and it too was just too fancy and silly. Often, simpler really is better.
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which made the whole thing remind me of a dick going limp.
Save that design for your band's alter ego, The Floppy d
The one thing that all three of those designs had in common was that they were just so damned fancy that you had trouble reading the word FlashDrive. In my mind, that is the most important point.
Absolutely. There are so many creative things one can do with the letters of a title/name, and it almost always ends up looking funny.
I know nothing about design, either, but I looked at the "professional" submissions (we had the first two at that point) and said "Shit, I could come up with something better than that in half an hour in Microsoft Word" and proceeded to do just that. The third submission came in, and it too was just too fancy and silly. Often, simpler really is better.
I wouldn't totally discount the pros though. You might have just ended up with a few bad ones. It is a bit like being a musician. You can learn things to expand your abilities, but you still have to be a musician at the core. The people that are meant to be in graphic design and take the time to learn the trade skills are actually quite impressive. And sometimes the person requesting the work can make a world of difference by just articulating what it is they are looking for.
But you lucked out and already hit upon a clean logo. Send the bill to the rest of the band.
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Sounds like they were not very good designers. Simplicity is actually one of the hardest things to achieve, because it gives you nowhere to hide. Also a designer's goal is to fit what the client wants, and you seemed to know the parameters well (I've worked for people who have basically contradicted themselves at every turn, but you still try to give them what they want, because that's your job).
It is a bit like being a musician.
I think it is like being a musician. The key to both is knowing when not to do something, just as much as doing something. A new designer is like a young musician; they think they'll be great and stand out by throwing in the kitchen sink and overdoing something (whether it's adding lots of gradients and lens flares, or trying to write a 5 hour wankfest prog concept album).
The pro knows how to do a lot with a little, because they can do it with style that only comes from experience and taste. You can hear an amateur guitarist and a pro guitarist play only one note, and instantly hear the difference in execution. It's the same with anything creative.
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I always used to get a laugh when I worked at the rehearsal studio when bands would come in with Gibson Les Pauls and huge amps and massive pedalboards and huge drumkits with like 7 toms...
...and then they couldn't play :lol
Funny how some people think that buying the most expensive gear will make them sound better. Whereas a pro guitarist who puts the work in can sound good on any old shit.
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But not quite as good as using good shite.
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Well no :p
But a terrible musician will sound terrible on whatever they play.
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I thought you were in the UK when clearly you are outside my office window. Stop making fun of my playing.
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I AM EVERYWHERE. I'M LIKE JOB IN THE LAWNMOWER MAN.
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John has some of the nicest gear I've ever seen, but the cool thing about John is that he's always made no secret of the fact that he's not a super-talented guy; he's decent and works really hard to be better all the time. The gear doesn't make him any better, but it doesn't hurt. He knows he's got no excuses. It's all on him now. So in that sense, I guess it does help because it's another thing in his head pushing him to be better.
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I've worked for people who have basically contradicted themselves at every turn
Yup, they're called customers and I usually hate them with a passion!
Design & Development would be so awesome without them. :biggrin:
Greetings...
Nef
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Yup. My bro spent ages making exactly the video the "client" wanted. Then when he delivered it - they'd changed their mind in the interim and didn't want it.
::)
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Besides customers I also hate my local music store with a passion. They're only good enough for the most basic of needs like strings and cables, which was exactly what I intended to buy there on October 31st. I've been using a Shure SM58 as a stage microphone for many years but got increasingly interested in trying an AKG D7 after I got my AKG C414 XLS studio microphone and being extremely happy with it. And so I made the mistake and decided to get one there.
They checked their computer to see if they had it in stock, then one of their monkeys went off to fetch it for me. I paid while waiting for him to return. A few minutes later he came back empty handed, looks like their computer was wrong. I actually wanted to try the new microphone that very night but wasn't overly angry with them as I had my SM58 in perfect working condition anyway and didn't actually need to have it right away so I gave them my phone number to call as soon as they had a D7.
As of today and thus half a month later I still don't have my D7. :facepalm:
Edit a few hours later on the same day:
Seems like complaining on DTF works! :biggrin:
I got a message at noon and picked it up after work.
Greetings...
Nef
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Ooh, my bro has one of those mics, they're fantastic. Certainly better than any SM58 I've used.
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The curse of Orbert's almost-band-now-actual-band continues!
This past Saturday was our next scheduled practice, and was also to be the day we auditioned potential new guitarist/singer Pat. Instead, we got 12 inches of snow. John lives out in the sticks a ways (in a "neighborhood" of mansions) which means 10 miles on a two-lane road that winds through hills and shit. It was still coming down Saturday morning. So... no. Practice/audition was postponed until tonight (Tuesday), the next day we were all available.
Last night, our drummer JT got in a wreck. Nothing broken, but some separated ribs and torn cartilage. He'll be okay, eventually, but is currently in the hospital on a lot of pain killers. He will not be playing drums for a while.
It just never ends.
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Are you a praying man, Orbert? If not, your look seems so bad, you really should be.
Best wishes to JT. Hopefully Orbert's almost-band-now-actual-band won't do a Yes and kick him out like Jon Anderson...
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Is your rehearsal space by any chance built upon an ancient Indian burial ground? Have you noticed any suspicious looking people hanging around sticking pins in little dolls that look coincidentally just like the members of your band?
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Are you a praying man, Orbert? If not, your look seems so bad, you really should be.
Funny you should mention that.
Monday night, I was at a meeting at the church, and we start each meeting with "check-ins" which is just going around the table and each person checking in, giving a little update on what's been going on in their lives and what's on their minds. Music and the band is never far from my mind, so when it came to my turn, I just said I've been working on music and the band, the usual thing for me. They all asked how the band was doing, and I said that we'd managed to play one gig, then our guitarist quit rather suddenly, but we have an audition tomorrow. I did not ask for prayers, although that was an option, and it did occur to me, the way things have been going for this band.
I can't help but think of "that kind of prayer" as being rather selfish. A relative dying of cancer, or a friend going through a rough time, sure. Pray for help, for them. But I figure God has plenty to deal with without dealing with my stupid band that can't seem to get its shit together.
Less than two hours later, JT wrecked his truck. I don't know whether to feel guilty or what. I also don't know how serious I am about that last statement, because I know it doesn't work like that, but... damn. This is getting truly ridiculous.
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Wrote this a month or so ago. Kinda different than anything I've done up to this point. Thoughts? https://soundcloud.com/cody-marshall-mckenna/death
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Very nice. I like chill stuff like that. Not what I was expecting, based on the title, but that's my fault for expecting something based on the title.
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In other news, I did the church music thing again today. Not with the praise band, just me solo on the grand piano in the sanctuary. It was kinda wacky, because today was the First Sunday in Advent, which is a big deal, something worth playing up a bit in the service. Lighting the first Advent Candle in the wreath, the official start of the "Christmas season", etc. Except the choir director is out east visiting family for Thanksgiving, and the organist is also out of town visiting family, so no choir today. So they asked me to play the piano and basically provide all the music for the service. Obviously, there's no way I'm gonna turn down an opportunity like that. I say "again" because I did this once earlier in the year, but that was during the summer when attendance is traditionally on the low side. Today it was not.
All during Advent, the Introit is "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence". Except that with no choir, it was down to me to provide the theme, so the Prelude was "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence". I introduced the Dm theme straight, then wandered off into a theme-and-variations thing featuring Bbmaj7 for extra color and flavor. It was cool, maybe just this side of jazzy. Came back and finished straight, all in about 2.5 minutes. Then the opening hymn ("O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" of course). Call to Worship, Announcements, then Lighting of the Advent Candle, so music for that. Middle hymn was a Taize thing which naturally lends itself to a lot of improvisation, so I obliged. For the offertory, I did an original arrangement of "Do You Hear What I Hear?" Four verses, starts really simple ("Said the night wind to the little lamb..."), each verse builds, big and slamming by the end ("Said the king to the people everywhere..."). Got a spontaneous ovation, so that was cool. You don't always get that in church, but I guess they couldn't help themselves.
Doxology, again my own arrangement. Big and booming on the grand, ha ha. Closing hymn was "Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus", another standard First Sunday in Advent hymn. After the Blessing and Dismissal, I kicked into "Deck the Halls" for the Postlude. Pounded for a few verses, then cut way back, just for some contrast, then finished up big and booming again. I intentionally went four verses so hopefully most people would have filed out, because if too many people are left when I finish, they might applaud again, and I was hoping to avoid that. Really, it's kinduv embarassing. But they did anyway. I mean, yeah, it feels good. It feels great. And people coming up to me afterwards telling me "Nice job!" and stuff, very cool. But it's weird. Any other music, I'd eat it up with reckless abandon. But this is church music. It's not about the accolades; it's not about the applause.
But a chance to serve, and provide four written pieces and four original arrangements, you can't beat that. I love playing that grand piano in the chancel, making it sing.
After lunch I took a short nap, then finished up the arrangements for some of the songs for the Christmas Pageant. They asked me if I could do another arrangement for the Youth Ensemble, so I arranged "Fum, Fum, Fum" for a wacky quartet with piano accompaniment. Clarinet Soprano, Violin Alto, French Horn Tenor, Bassoon Bass. Those are the instruments I had to work with, so I had to voice things accordingly. You might wonder why I didn't do Violin Soprano and Clarinet Alto, but it's a matter of proficiency. Our Clarinet player is much, much better than our Violinist. Also, the Clarinet is going to naturally be louder. The best musician in the group is the girl on Bassoon. She's amazing. I gave her the first half of verse two by herself, with just a little backgrounds from the others. Anyway, it worked out pretty well. Each of the instruments gets at least a little spotlight, just like last year's thing.
The other song is the one the little kids are singing, "Mary Rocked the Little Baby", which is a 50's-style rocker. Our pianist can't exactly jam, but he can play whatever I write, so I wrote up a boogie-woogie shuffle thing in 12/8. All he has to do is play what's written and it'll rock. Violin and flute for color. They double the melody mostly, per instructions from the director, but they get to break into some harmonies here and there. I let them have some fun, while still supporting the melody. I'm pretty happy with the arrangement there, too, even though I only ended up with an hour and a half to do it.
This is why, as much as I love Rock and Roll, I won't be heartbroken if the band implodes. At church, I get to do original piano arrangements of all kinds, and write and arrange crazy ensembles to give a bunch of kids each a chance to shine. That's a gas, a total gas. Music is the best.
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We had a special First Sunday of Advent service as well. What we did was a combined service, with our contemporary band starting out with a song called "Christ Has Come" and then a more mellow song called "Let Us Adore". We then combined with the piano, organ, and choir for a stanza of "Come Thou Long Expected Jesus", the chorus of "Let Us Adore" ending with the second stanza of CTLEJ. I was on drums the whole time. It was fun.
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Not sure what the right place to post this is, but I've learned a bit of Gift of Music today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6PFFfhq-tw
Fun song!
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Mosh, there's the post a video of yourself playing an instrument (https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=3241.0) thread. It hasn't been updated in a while, but that's only because we're all busy gigging. Yeah, right.
Or posting it here is fine. By the way, nice job! That's a tough song.
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In other news, here's what a music nerd does on his day off:
(https://imgur.com/8Ob098l.jpg)
These are the arrangements I cooked up last weekend. Since the choir will be up in the choir loft during the actual Advent Extravaganza (or whatever we call it), I can't conduct the youth ensemble this time. It's all one big shebang. So our choir director's husband Steve will be conducting them, and I figured I'd print out the scores for him. Had to clean them up a bit, first. The software I'm using doesn't have a feature to auto-align notes, or at least not one that I could find, so I did it all by eyeball. Bleah. But it had to be done. Steve is easily the best musician in the church (he's a music professor at DePaul) and I wouldn't want him to think I was some kind of amateur hack, even though that's exactly what I am, especially compared to him. But he's a really cool guy, too, so I try to measure up.
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:tup
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I'm actually attempting to learn to play guitar now.
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I'm gonna learn one of these days, too. There's just too many situations what it would be really handy to at least be able to play a couple of chords.
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(https://imgur.com/38fJEMw.jpg)
FlashDrive Update!
We auditioned Pat last night, and separately, each of us has "approved" him. All that remains is the formality of John offering him the position and him accepting it.
We played four songs from our list, songs that he and John had previously agreed on which Pat knew already. John also wanted to try the beginning of "Come Sail Away", which we've never played before, but I've known it forever so I started the piano thang and Pat sang and it sounded great so we kept going. Bass and drums came in on the second verse as I added some layers to the keys, then the big change when the guitars came in, and we even fumbled through the Ab bridge (I was yelling out chords and stuff) and came back to C and finished it. And it wasn't bad. We could add that song to the list now. I love it when you can just play a song in a band because everyone knows it, or knows it well enough to get through it. It was pretty cool.
Then we did "Some Kind of Wonderful" by Grand Funk Railroad, and Pat impressed us by adding guitar, and doing it tastefully. Our general rule is to stick to the original arrangements, but there's no guitar in that song. He just added scratches and fills, but it was sparse and kept the original feel of the song, and was very nice. (I'm pretty sure Steve could never have done that. He tends to overplay everything.) Then Pat said he'd been working on "Hotel California". So we did that, too, and it was pretty damned good. Sure, there are a few spots where the guitarists need to figure out who plays what, but it's already 85% there. And then, just for fun, "Johnny B. Goode" in A. Silly, brainless jamming, just because it feels good.
I'm pretty sure we have a new guitarist/singer.
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That's great news! It's a shame your next band update will probably be about the drummer spontaneously combusting or drowning in his own vomit (or someone's vomit. You can't dust for vomit).
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Great news, Orbert!
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After we finished, JT disappeared for a little while. He was in so much pain (from the accident a few weeks back) that he was in tears. But of course as a former Marine, he's manly and could not let us see it. I honestly do expect him to be the next one to go, if and when that happens.
Pat has officially joined the band!
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:tup
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It's been a while, but I've made another song (https://soundcloud.com/saculs78/sax-in-the-city-demo). Hope you enjoy it :smiley:
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Sweet lawd, dat sax. Great one, Sacul!
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New piece of music. It's an intro for a song I'm in the middle of writing. https://soundcloud.com/cody-marshall-mckenna/skys-the-limit-intro
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Sweet lawd, dat sax. Great one, Sacul!
Thanks! Took me a while to find some sax samples that flowed well together but looks like it was worth it :smiley:
Yet I can't stop feeling like whatever I write goes nowhere - can't find the way make tracks evolve. Well, at least they loop fairly well, so I guess I could use them as soundtracks to my games :lol
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New piece of music. It's an intro for a song I'm in the middle of writing. https://soundcloud.com/cody-marshall-mckenna/skys-the-limit-intro
That's really pretty man! Well done!
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I'm a little excited. This Sunday, our band at church will be presenting our Christmas program, and one of the songs will be one that I wrote titled "We Rejoice". I'm looking forward to it.
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That's awesome! That might be something like a next step for me; performing an original. I do all the arrangements for praise band and the youth ensemble, but have never written an original. Of course, I'm not a composer, so that does present a problem. :p My strength is more in arranging things.
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Composing is just like arranging. Just start arranging something that didn't previously exist.
Boom! Original composition.
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The problem is that I never like the stuff I come up with. I mean, it's all very clever, and I think it sounds alright. But I'm too close to it. It may sound alright, but while other people hear music, I just hear something that was written by someone trying to be clever and write something that sounds alright. I know from experience that certain chord changes sound pretty cool, but if I work that into the composition, then it's not real anymore. It's just something that was included because it sounds cool. Everything I do is like that. Sure, people say it sounds good (not bragging, just giving the situation) but I know it's just a bunch of stuff made up to sound good. It's not real.
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but I know it's just a bunch of stuff made up to sound good. It's not real.
I don't get it, isn't that the point?
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I guess. I think I've always had some trouble accepting my own music. I can cook stuff and like to get feedback. I can write stuff that I think is pretty good, and I like to share it and get feedback. But music is different somehow. No matter how many times I'm told that people like what I can do, inside I can't help but think that I've pulled something over on them.
Writing is something I can do, but I have to think about it, and sometimes it comes out pretty good. Same with cooking, or programming, or teaching, or any of a dozen other things I can do. I can do it, even do it well, but I have to think about it. But a musician is what I am. I don't usually think about it; it just happens. I can be stoned out of my mind or drunk off of my ass, to the point where I don't even remember the gig, and what comes out of my fingers will still blow people away. I've heard the recordings, seen the video. Heck, if I start thinking too much about what I'm doing, I screw it up. I'm usually better off not thinking about it and just letting instinct take over. It's not me; it's coming from somewhere else. Call it a gift from God, something in my genes, or whatever, but it's not me.
I'll sit down at a piano and just start playing (I listened to a lot of Keith Jarrett when I was younger) and people go "Wow, what is that?" and it's nothing; I'm just messing around, letting my fingers have some fun. It's not real. I've had people tell me that if I ever recorded an album, they'd buy it (again not bragging, just saying) and that's flattering, but it's also embarassing. It's not me. My fingers, my brain, but somehow I don't feel like I'm the one who created it.
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So, despite my all-round lack of talent, some friends who have a mild interest in prog decided to start a chiptune band (I was in one before - it didn't work out, but I joined this one anyway) and asked me to program drums for them, given that I do a course in music technology at school. We released 2 EPs recently. Almost entirely Yes covers, a couple of Dream Theater ones, and a chiptune working of the Dream Theater "Instrumedley". Find us at https://soundcloud.com/thechromerainbow if you're interested in any way. My personal favourites are The South Side Of The Sky and Big Generator.
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It has begun. The agent dude who John was talking to, the same guy who asked if we could do the day after Christmas, offered us a one-nighter at a place we eventually want to get into anyway. December 18, a Friday night in the middle of Christmas craziness, $500. Even for a fraction of that money, this is a place we want to play. The owner is actually a neighbor of John's, and when John asked him about playing at his place, he had to talk to the agent dude. Agent dude just offered us the place. If we do well, we play there again.
But we don't have four full sets of tunes. We've got a couple hours, and are adding a third batch now. Agent dude suggests we play three 45-minute sets, with 25-30 minute breaks in between. His idea. Shit, we could do that right now. So anyway, we're in. Then if we do well there, and the thing on the 26th, he says he's got some stuff to look at in Q1 2016. He tends to book a quarter at a time. Very businesslike.
So... things are happening. Gigs booked, promise of future gigs with the agent dude who basically owns this county. We keep him happy, he keeps us working, and everybody's happy.
That is amazing.
Can't make either of those days, but keep me posted.
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I miss being in a band. I'm too busy and can't afford babysitters during practices and gigs. Right now I'm not only teaching but am an assistant conductor of a community choir out in the Chicago burbs, so my plate is pretty full...
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Community choir seems like it'd be fun. I like singing, but I'm not a choir person the way some people are choir people, or like I'm a band guy. I couldn't see paying dues to sing in a group, although I can understand it for choir-type folks who don't have any other outlet. I sing in the church choir, and that's enough for me. I joined the concert band at the community college once a few years ago, because that seemed like it would be fun. I took band all through junior high and high school, elementary too if you want to get picky. But the director at the community college was kind of a dick and we didn't get along, so I just dropped the class.
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https://musescore.com/user/100120/scores/1548246
This is it. The entire thing. 40 minutes long. Symphony #1.
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That sounds really good Lucien. Didn't listen to all of it but if you could ever get this performed/recorded by a real orchestra I'd probably buy it.
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That sounds really good Lucien. Didn't listen to all of it but if you could ever get this performed/recorded by a real orchestra I'd probably buy it.
Thank you! :tup
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https://soundcloud.com/oktoberofficial/guitar-sound-test-1-palm-mute (https://soundcloud.com/oktoberofficial/guitar-sound-test-1-palm-mute)
Short guitar sound test me and my band threw together. The first thing we've recorded to go online! Not much though, and it's a bit sloppily played, but we were just trying out the sound so who cares.
Also, we're not actually this djenty. This riff will probably not be on the album as it was just something we threw together in 5 minutes.
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(https://imgur.com/38fJEMw.jpg)
FlashDrive Update!
Pat has officially joined the band, and amidst the holiday craziness, John still feels that we should try to keep some momentum going, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. The problem of course is that it truly seems like this band is cursed.
We were going to get together a week ago last Saturday, our next regularly scheduled rehearsal, but JT had booked something else that day. The regular rehearsal schedule probably became tentative once Steve quit and the future was uncertain, and I don't blame JT for booking a catering gig. He's a chef, and this is income for him, catering a holiday party. He said he was available that evening. John sent emails around asking if a weeknight the following week would work. JT reiterated that Saturday evening was still open. No one replied for a while. I think the unspoken consensus was that giving up a Saturday morning to practice was one thing, but giving up a Saturday night was another, which is kinda sad, but that's reality. This band keeps getting closer and closer to being something, but thus far it is still not a working band, therefore giving up a Saturday night to practice in the basement with fellow losers is tough, especially during the holidays when we all have better things to do. But no one wanted to say it.
So that Saturday evening came and went without a decision. The next round of emails started with John again asking about weeknights, and we decided on Monday the 28th (two days ago). And that day, we got hit with an ice storm. I swear, this band is cursed. No way I was driving 10 miles out into the sticks on icy roads, and at least one other person agreed, so I'm glad. Last night wasn't good, so we settled on tonight.
Yesterday, I noticed my brakes were feeling kinda "squishy" and there's the noise when I go around corners, so I took the car to the shop and called my wife to come pick me up. My car is one of only two which can hold my keyboards and gear. I have to check with my son to see if he's using the Durango. His girlfriend comes back tonight after being gone for six weeks, but I think he said she won't be in til kinda late, and they'll get together tomorrow. We shall see.
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May the Force be with you.
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The problem is that I never like the stuff I come up with. I mean, it's all very clever, and I think it sounds alright. But I'm too close to it. It may sound alright, but while other people hear music, I just hear something that was written by someone trying to be clever and write something that sounds alright. I know from experience that certain chord changes sound pretty cool, but if I work that into the composition, then it's not real anymore. It's just something that was included because it sounds cool. Everything I do is like that. Sure, people say it sounds good (not bragging, just giving the situation) but I know it's just a bunch of stuff made up to sound good. It's not real.
I know this feeling. I was this way for several years when I started writing. I was forever saying to myself, "Oh this sounds good, I need to put this in." Songs became vehicles for those cool parts, not necessarily songs. However, with further development, that "stuff made up to sound good" becomes integrated and encompassing of the entire song. Looking at the song from the macro level helps this I believe. What do I want from this song? Where is it going and what purpose does it have? What do I want to feel and want it to feel?
As limiting (and boring) as it is sometimes, I find the Intro-Verse-Chorus structure often focuses the mind on that. The desire should be to make each section as good as possible (and achieve the message or sound desired) and also to make each section fit. Before you know it: song. And all those cool parts are there too, because you naturally put them in.
I guess. I think I've always had some trouble accepting my own music. I can cook stuff and like to get feedback. I can write stuff that I think is pretty good, and I like to share it and get feedback. But music is different somehow. No matter how many times I'm told that people like what I can do, inside I can't help but think that I've pulled something over on them.
Writing is something I can do, but I have to think about it, and sometimes it comes out pretty good. Same with cooking, or programming, or teaching, or any of a dozen other things I can do. I can do it, even do it well, but I have to think about it. But a musician is what I am. I don't usually think about it; it just happens. I can be stoned out of my mind or drunk off of my ass, to the point where I don't even remember the gig, and what comes out of my fingers will still blow people away. I've heard the recordings, seen the video. Heck, if I start thinking too much about what I'm doing, I screw it up. I'm usually better off not thinking about it and just letting instinct take over. It's not me; it's coming from somewhere else. Call it a gift from God, something in my genes, or whatever, but it's not me.
I'll sit down at a piano and just start playing (I listened to a lot of Keith Jarrett when I was younger) and people go "Wow, what is that?" and it's nothing; I'm just messing around, letting my fingers have some fun. It's not real. I've had people tell me that if I ever recorded an album, they'd buy it (again not bragging, just saying) and that's flattering, but it's also embarassing. It's not me. My fingers, my brain, but somehow I don't feel like I'm the one who created it.
I think we are similar in terms of music, becuase wow do I know that feeling. There have been times, hanging around with friends around the piano, and they are working their way through jazz changes or classical pieces like it was nothing, I sit down, just start playing like you say, and get the same reaction you do. And I just think to myself and say, "Yeah I don't even really know what I am doing. I'm not even thinking about it."
The thing is, it is you who created it. It is a gift, and a great one I think. It is a natural, creative way of writing music. From what it sounds like, you would be better served not thinking about it. Forget chords and progressions and structures, close your eyes, use your ears and write what you want. What I always say is, "Make the music you want to make, the music you want to hear."
Yes, it is impossible to tell where it comes from, but in the end it comes from you. I love that feeling, that I don't know how I came up with something, but I love the way it sounds and is exactly what I wanted to hear. One of the hardest parts of writing is getting what is in your head, out. It is the absolute best when it just comes to you. There are many people I have known that can't do that that wish they could, and when they have to write music they have to sit down and scratch it out. Some prefer the latter method and get the best results that way. The key is, use what works for you. From what it sounds like, you do it naturally, you just need to accept the music you write.
It took me years of writing and many songs before I began to accept my music, and still more years after that before I would stop getting upset at myself because it didn't sound as good as the professionals. Finally, after many many songs (I don't even know how many) I am to the point where I enjoy what I write. Not all the time. Like any other person, I write some things and then later think it is total rubbish. But I have also written things that I really love listening to, and will listen alongside any other artist. Not that I am saying it is as good as any professional (I won't judge that myself), but that I can listen to it like any other song and really enjoy it.
In the end, keep at it! From your description it sounds like you are a natural, so take advantage of that and write a ton!
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FreezingPoint, thanks for the feedback! Everything you're saying makes sense. At some point, someday, maybe I'll start writing down or recording the endless noodling my fingers like to do if I let them. I need a PC rig of some kind. MIDI from the keyboard into the PC, directly into some transcribing software. I can save it, edit it, mess around with it, eventually decide that it's a composition. That kind of thing. Someday.
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Here are two pieces of classical style music I put together.
https://soundcloud.com/cody-marshall-mckenna/gizmo-21
https://soundcloud.com/cody-marshall-mckenna/venus
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I finally wrote something with piano and guitar, here is a link to the first minute: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-wFOZ_1jZ7eWkFES1NEY3JZcG8/view?usp=sharing
I would love to hear some opinions :)
Here are two pieces of classical style music I put together.
https://soundcloud.com/cody-marshall-mckenna/gizmo-21
https://soundcloud.com/cody-marshall-mckenna/venus
They both sound very nice! I think they would fit great in a game (as someone replied on soundcloud)
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I finally wrote something with piano and guitar, here is a link to the first minute: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-wFOZ_1jZ7eWkFES1NEY3JZcG8/view?usp=sharing
I would love to hear some opinions :)
Nice! I like the changes, how it's always not doing what might be safe and expected. Keeps you on your toes.
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The file doesn't play for me.
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Nice! I like the changes, how it's always not doing what might be safe and expected. Keeps you on your toes.
Thanks! There will be an even more unexpected (I think) section after this :biggrin:
The file doesn't play for me.
Do you get an error message or something?
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No, when I press play nothing happens. It's like it doesn't load the entire page or something, so the media player has nothing to play.
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No, when I press play nothing happens. It's like it doesn't load the entire page or something, so the media player has nothing to play.
I really don't know what causes this :/ I'll upload it to soundcloud when I've recorded the rest, that'll definitely work :) I listened to some of your songs (from the link in your sig) Blue has a nice groove!
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I really don't know what causes this :/
I think it's something with my computer. It's been doing that with a few sites lately.
I listened to some of your songs (from the link in your sig) Blue has a nice groove!
Thanks a lot mate!
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Here is the (sort of) finished song: https://soundcloud.com/ikmatthijs/dawn-leaves-roughly-done (https://soundcloud.com/ikmatthijs/dawn-leaves-roughly-done) Some transtions aren't perfectly timed.. I would love some critisism! :azn:
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Fun track. I agree with Orbert about the changes. Makes it interesting. And the main melody, the "chorus" I guess, was really cool.
Critisism.. I don't know. Maybe the mix of triplets and regular 4/4 rhythm at 0:57 is a bit jarring when done at the same time. But that may just be me.
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Fun track. I agree with Orbert about the changes. Makes it interesting. And the main melody, the "chorus" I guess, was really cool.
Critisism.. I don't know. Maybe the mix of triplets and regular 4/4 rhythm at 0:57 is a bit jarring when done at the same time. But that may just be me.
Thanks! I am not completely sure about that part too, I think the strings sound more epic in triplets instead of 8th notes but I agree, it sounds a bit jarring. I might see if I can change it a bit, perhaps adding some triplets in the drum pattter will make it sound more natural.
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I need to start composing again. No time.
Orbert, I just liked your band's facebook page. Hope to hear you guys soon.
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Thanks!
At our next practice, we'll be putting together six more tunes, which will bring us back up to 20. That's how many we had before Steve had his hissy fit and quit the band. With 20 tunes, we'll at least be able to do split shows and some places which don't require a full four hours of tunes (such as the two gigs we had booked but had to cancel). Agent Dude says to let him know when we're ready, and he has some places in mind. He said up front that the #1 thing he wants from bands is honesty and integrity. Don't take a gig if you're just gonna back out later for some bullshit reason, but if you do have to cancel, give him plenty of notice. Don't wait until the week before and then say you'd tried to work it out but ultimately couldn't. It was like two days after he'd set us up with those gigs that John had to call him and back out because Steve quit, but he was cool with it because it was beyond our control, and he had plenty of time to find someone else.
Then the goal of course is to keep adding tunes until we do have a full evening's worth of material, and that gets us better gigs. Then after that, go back through and add some more interesting/challenging songs and drop the filler. We've managed to amass a fair amount of actual musical talent in the group, and ultimately our goal is to play songs that are recognizable, but which you rarely hear bar bands playing because they're so hard to play.
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If you are in need of an additional vocalist or keyboard player, you know who to contact ;)
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I'll keep that in mind.
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(https://i.imgur.com/qQafzA7.jpg)
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:lol
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(https://imgur.com/38fJEMw.jpg)
FlashDrive Update
We have a gig!
February 27, at some dive an hour west of here (and thus a half an hour west of civilization) called Sammy's Bar & Grill. They know we only have two hours of music, but they think that's just fine. Okay. They're also going to pay us $400, and that's definitely okay.
No lights or sound equipment, no stage. It's one of those "you can set up in the corner there, just move those tables" kinda places, but what the hell. We need to gig, and it's not big money, but it's better money than the last gig. We're movin' on up!
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Awesome! Looking forward to know how it turns out!
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After being singerless for over a year, we've finally committed to a dude for a trial, probationary period to see how he does. I'm gonna personally work with him over the next few months to condition him to be the singer we need, meanwhile the other guys and I are gonna start recording the first album instrumentally. Then come summer time, assuming our singer is ready and kicking ass, we'll "welcome him to the family", lay down the vocals, get it mixed, stream it online, and then start gigging hard.
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(https://imgur.com/38fJEMw.jpg)
FlashDrive Update
We have a gig!
February 27, at some dive an hour west of here (and thus a half an hour west of civilization) called Sammy's Bar & Grill. They know we only have two hours of music, but they think that's just fine. Okay. They're also going to pay us $400, and that's definitely okay.
No lights or sound equipment, no stage. It's one of those "you can set up in the corner there, just move those tables" kinda places, but what the hell. We need to gig, and it's not big money, but it's better money than the last gig. We're movin' on up!
Saw the details, that's not super far from me. How family friendly is the venue? Is it just like dive bar or can I bring my kid? She likes gigs and she's a night owl, she'll be dancing up a storm. Otherwise I can see about a babysitter.
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After being singerless for over a year, we've finally committed to a dude for a trial, probationary period to see how he does. I'm gonna personally work with him over the next few months to condition him to be the singer we need, meanwhile the other guys and I are gonna start recording the first album instrumentally. Then come summer time, assuming our singer is ready and kicking ass, we'll "welcome him to the family", lay down the vocals, get it mixed, stream it online, and then start gigging hard.
I'm currently in a singerless band as well. How did you find one? because we're unsure of where to start at the moment.
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(https://imgur.com/38fJEMw.jpg)
FlashDrive Update
We have a gig!
February 27, at some dive an hour west of here (and thus a half an hour west of civilization) called Sammy's Bar & Grill. They know we only have two hours of music, but they think that's just fine. Okay. They're also going to pay us $400, and that's definitely okay.
No lights or sound equipment, no stage. It's one of those "you can set up in the corner there, just move those tables" kinda places, but what the hell. We need to gig, and it's not big money, but it's better money than the last gig. We're movin' on up!
Saw the details, that's not super far from me. How family friendly is the venue? Is it just like dive bar or can I bring my kid? She likes gigs and she's a night owl, she'll be dancing up a storm. Otherwise I can see about a babysitter.
I don't know the place, but "Bar & Grill" often means more like a restaurant that happens to serve alcohol than a bar that happens to serve food, although I suppose it could go either way.
Their website (https://www.sammysbarandgrill.com/) makes them look pretty family friendly.
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After being singerless for over a year, we've finally committed to a dude for a trial, probationary period to see how he does. I'm gonna personally work with him over the next few months to condition him to be the singer we need, meanwhile the other guys and I are gonna start recording the first album instrumentally. Then come summer time, assuming our singer is ready and kicking ass, we'll "welcome him to the family", lay down the vocals, get it mixed, stream it online, and then start gigging hard.
I'm currently in a singerless band as well. How did you find one? because we're unsure of where to start at the moment.
This guy we actually met through a friend. But previously we had just been keeping up on craigslist ads, printing fliers and posting them on bulletin boards at rehearsal studios and at music departments at colleges in our area.
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At church we are implementing in-ear monitors.
Thus far, I like it a lot, but it's definitely different.
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At The Chapel (Christian Rock thing I did for a few years, a few years ago) we all had in-ear monitors and each had our own one of these:
(https://www.aviom.com/Images/products/500px/A-16II_1_500_front.jpg)
Everybody has their own personal monitor mix, and it's in stereo. I never needed drums or bass, since I could hear them perfectly well on stage even with my in-ears, but I could pan and mix the vocals, guitars, and myself however I wanted. It was very cool, very nice. Regardless of how crappy it sounded out in the house, I could make it sound really great at least in my own ears.
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We are using a newer model of those, from Aviom.
The thing I like best is having total control. I don't have to pester the sound guy for anything.
The only weird thing is that I normally play acoustic guitar. I don't use an effects processor; I line straight into the sound system. The sound guy then adds whatever reverb or other things are on it.
The in-ears get the dry mix, as it comes into the system, so my guitar is flat, no effects. It takes a little getting used to. Even sitting down to play unplugged, you hear natural reverb from the room, so hearing it with NOTHING is strange.
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Yeah, I can see how that would be weird. But other than that, hearing exactly what you want/need to hear is the best.
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I've always hated playing with a click track, so I always kept Channel 16 (click) turned all the way down and just followed the drummer and/or the singers. That worked just fine. Eventually I forgot that it was even there.
One time, we were working on a song which starts with keys, so when the WL turned around and gave me the nod, I'd start playing the song. People were completely messed up, and I couldn't figure out why. It was because they were listening to the click track, but I was totally ignoring it (because I couldn't hear it and didn't even remember that it was there). So for that one song, I had to turn up the click, so I could "play it right". Bleah. Then once the rest of the band came in, I turned it back down.
But it must've been really weird to hear a click, then the idiot back there on the keyboards starts playing and completely ignoring it.
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lol
We don't use click tracks.
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That was the only time I've ever played with a click, and I ignored it and just followed the drummer anyway (except the times when keys started the song).
Those who are used to it say that it might take some getting used to, but eventually you do, and you work with it, and it's oh so nice when everyone's all together. I say you can do that if people actually listen to each other, but I guess it's still true that the tempo can waver, especially if your drummer doesn't have a good internal metronome. I've also heard of bands where only the drummer has a click, and everyone just follows him.
But mostly, I'm not going to buy a machine that goes "click", and I'm not going to let a machine that goes "click" tell me I'm wrong for putting some expression into my music in the form of tempo. And as much as I love making music and my mantra is basically "make music every chance I can get" I'd probably turn down a gig that slaved itself to a click track. I just can't deal with it.
Nowadays, "everyone" uses them. Good for them. To me, it's kinda like younger folk who grew up listening to mp3-quality music complaining that CDs or vinyl sound weird to them. They're actually used to artificial compression and shitty sound to the point where lossless sounds wrong. Whatever you grew up with is "the right way" for you. I didn't grow up with click tracks, so... well, fuck click tracks.
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If the musicians are good and have good tempo (or will listen to the drummer), a click track is not a requirement at all. A lot of people are using them now because they're adding loops and backing tracks, so the band absolutely has to be in time or it fails.
When I was in high school, we always played with a metronome while learning music, so I'm used to playing with or without. If everyone's on the same page I definitely prefer not to have one though.
One of the drummers at the church where I used to play didn't listen to the click, but everyone else did. You can imagine the trainwrecks that caused.
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Now that's different. Everyone except the drummer followed the click? Yeah, I can see that not working very well.
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Now that's different. Everyone except the drummer followed the click? Yeah, I can see that not working very well.
Yeah, he would turn it really low so he could only hear it to count off a song. Logically they should have just shut it off after that so it didn't create timing problems but that never happened. So everyone else was trying to listen to both at the same time, and since they weren't in sync, it was definitely a headache...glad I am out of that particular situation, haha.
But I'm confused on one thing, since you said you normally don't listen to the click. Was the drummer constantly keeping time, even in the softer sections? In my experience there's always sections that are just keys, or sometimes keys and guitar, when things quiet down. Did you just shut off the click for everyone at that point?
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To be honest, I don't know. I know that I never listened to the click, unless the keys started off the song, which was rare and only with the one WL. Once things got going, I have no idea. I know that at least some of the others listened to the click, because they're the ones who got confused when I wasn't following it. But in the middle of a song, if it gets quiet and the rhythm drops out, I don't know, and I've never really thought about it before. I just kept playing what I thought I should be playing, and following the singer(s). They were probably listening to the click, so if I followed them, we were fine. Ultimately, the band is there to support the singers, and I have a long, long history as an accompanist, so I guess it just worked out.
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The couple times I've played drums at church I've used a click because I have a horrible meter behind the drums. It was good for making sure I was at a comfortable tempo for the singer to be able to sing properly. I'm not a drummer tho, so I feel like I'm allowed to cheat a little :P
I have so much respect for a good, solid drummer. Not flashy, but real solid. It's not as easy as it seems, on an instrument you haven't grown up playing anyway. Keeping it solid on guitar is a cakewalk for me, same as bass. It's when I have to coordinate all four limbs that things turn to shit in terms of tempo. Also, playing drums with a band is so much different to just playing along to records, you have to be able to drive it along - lead and not follow.
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What I'd like to see (and I'm sure it exists but I'm too lazy to Google it) is a device that's basically a metronome, or click machine if you will, but instead of clicking, it flashes a light or L.E.D. at the prescribed tempo. At the start of each song, quickly type in the meter you want, it flashes at that tempo, and there's your tempo.
I've played with too many drummers who get excited during live performance and want to "rock out" more. Well, on drums there's basically only two ways to "rock out" more, overplay everything with fills and shit, or speed up the tempo. Extra fills and shit can be okay, though too much of course is bad, but speeding things up is just bad.
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What I'd like to see (and I'm sure it exists but I'm too lazy to Google it) is a device that's basically a metronome, or click machine if you will, but instead of clicking, it flashes a light or L.E.D. at the prescribed tempo. At the start of each song, quickly type in the meter you want, it flashes at that tempo, and there's your tempo.
It's pretty normal for a metronome to have a little lamp that does that :smiley:
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Well, on drums there's basically only two ways to "rock out" more, overplay everything with fills and shit, or speed up the tempo.
Or both of those at the same time!
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(https://imgur.com/38fJEMw.jpg)
FlashDrive Update
Found out more about the gig. The dive bar is hosting some kind of political fundraiser, and we're the "entertainment". I'm not sure how I feel about this, I just know that somehow it seems to change things. I've never liked mixing politics with... well, anything really. I suppose if I like the candidate, then it's cool, but if I don't like the candidate, then I'm helping support someone/something I don't really believe in, and being paid for it. That makes me something bad and evil which I can't think of the right word for right now.
I don't have any more details. A gig's a gig, so we're doing it because we need the gig. The money is nice but isn't the primary motivation here. We just want to get out and play. But I'd feel really shitty if we got there and it's some asshole candidate who I honestly don't like or want to support. Hopefully it's just some local thing that I won't have to give a damn about. It's in the next county over, so maybe. Ugh. :-\
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What I'd like to see (and I'm sure it exists but I'm too lazy to Google it) is a device that's basically a metronome, or click machine if you will, but instead of clicking, it flashes a light or L.E.D. at the prescribed tempo. At the start of each song, quickly type in the meter you want, it flashes at that tempo, and there's your tempo.
It's pretty normal for a metronome to have a little lamp that does that :smiley:
I've been ripped off. No light on mine.
(https://i.imgur.com/pfujMFT.jpg)
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What I'd like to see (and I'm sure it exists but I'm too lazy to Google it) is a device that's basically a metronome, or click machine if you will, but instead of clicking, it flashes a light or L.E.D. at the prescribed tempo. At the start of each song, quickly type in the meter you want, it flashes at that tempo, and there's your tempo.
It's pretty normal for a metronome to have a little lamp that does that :smiley:
I've been ripped off. No light on mine.
(https://i.imgur.com/pfujMFT.jpg)
Wow but that thing looks fancy! I just had these small electronic things.
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That's a genuine Seth Thomas metronome. I've had that baby since the 70's.
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Third way a drummer can rock out more, hit the drums harder. I love that.
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You'd love our drummer, then. He is already the loudest drummer I've ever played with. Former Marine, huge arms, and just pounds the shit out of the drums. That's his normal thing, and honestly, it's enough. I guess I'd rather have that than overplaying or playing too fast, but man, it's like not playing as loudly as possible just isn't in him. He can't do it.
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Man, I use a half-stack in my band's rehearsal room. We go all-out and have to wear earplugs to not screw up our ears, only because the drums are so loud. Our drummer has his way of bashing the shit out of the drum-kit as well. As a results, all other volumes have to go up as well. We'd probably be deaf if not for earplugs.
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Yeah, I'd much rather rehearse at maybe half the volume we do now. You don't have to rehearse everything at stage volume. But the drums.
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(https://imgur.com/38fJEMw.jpg)
FlashDrive Update
Found out more about the gig. The dive bar is hosting some kind of political fundraiser, and we're the "entertainment". I'm not sure how I feel about this, I just know that somehow it seems to change things. I've never liked mixing politics with... well, anything really. I suppose if I like the candidate, then it's cool, but if I don't like the candidate, then I'm helping support someone/something I don't really believe in, and being paid for it. That makes me something bad and evil which I can't think of the right word for right now.
I don't have any more details. A gig's a gig, so we're doing it because we need the gig. The money is nice but isn't the primary motivation here. We just want to get out and play. But I'd feel really shitty if we got there and it's some asshole candidate who I honestly don't like or want to support. Hopefully it's just some local thing that I won't have to give a damn about. It's in the next county over, so maybe. Ugh. :-\
Please keep me posted about this... Chances are because it's there it's probably some county fundraiser, but it's probably of a political party of the opposite persuasion than my personal views.
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Well, you've Liked our page, so updates will be coming your way on Facebook, but I'll probably post some details in here as we get them.
I know some bands hype each and every gig, which is fine, but right now we're a new band without any following to speak of, and trying to get people psyched up about driving an hour each way to see us play some dive for two hours feels... embarrassing. We had two gigs within 30 minutes of our "home turf" I pumped the hell out of those, then they each got cancelled. John asked me to put together an Event (every gig is an Event) so I did, and of course I did it up, but it feels just a bit silly.
I know. You gotta be shameless. You gotta hype yourself and your band relentlessly. I honestly don't know how much difference it makes, but I guess if the result anything greater than zero, you gotta do it.
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Yeah I really hate that as well. The acoustic duo I'm in doesn't have a Facebook page, and I have no interest in making one just to tell people we are gigging somewhere. We get paid no matter who shows up, and seeing as neither of us are in it for the glory, I don't see much point. Sure, it can be a crucial marketing tool, but we seem to do well without it just by proving to bar owners that we know our shit, are professional and entertaining.
The other band I'm in, the page is run by our singer and some of the stuff he posts is so cringe. 'We're coming for you! radiradirah.' fuck that. It's a fucking covers band, give it a rest.
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The thing is, there is no "promoter" for bar gigs. You are the promoter, not the bar, and not the agent. Last December when we first hooked up with Agent Dude (during the two days between the initial hook-up and when Steve had his pissy fit and quit the band), I read over the "agreement". It's not a contract, just an agreement. It outlined a number of expectations that both we and Agent Dude are expected to follow, one of which is that we must promote the gig.
It makes sense. Why should he book us for gigs if we're not even going to promote ourselves?
If we're going to play somewhere, we should have posters up on the bulletin board at that venue a month before. We don't just expect the bar to promote us. We go there and put up posters with, at the very least, our name and/or logo, and the date(s) we're playing there. I mean, that seems pretty obvious; if you're going to build a following (which theoretically is the idea here) then you want your name out there. Do it often enough, and there will eventually be some people who recognize it, and some of them will specifically decide to go to that venue that night because they know you're playing, and you're good. There are bands around here who've achieved that level of name recognition. You say their name, and bar owners want to book them in their place, and people will go to see them.
Obviously we're nowhere near that level yet, but you have to start somewhere. In addition to posters at the venues, hype each gig on your official band page and any social media you might have. We have a band website and a Facebook page, and the gig is on there, so we've met that requirement. Agent Dude didn't book us this one, but it sure doesn't hurt to have a bunch of past Events on your Facebook page. It shows that you gig a lot, so you must be good, so more people will come to see you, so you'll gig even more, because you must be good, etc.
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hmm. must just work differently here. Most bars hire bands to play weekend nights, and promote it as 'Live Music Friday' or whatever. If you get hired to play at a bar, you're pretty much their employee. The onus is on them to promote their bar and get punters in - its not on you. If no-one shows up, the bar still pays you. They didn't pull a crowd and they take that hit.
It's different if you get the odd gig where the bar insists on you taking a cut from the door. That's when you need to promote the shit out of it, otherwise you won't get paid.
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It's different here, but not that different. Lots of places around here advertise live music on Friday and/or Saturday, and there are always the regulars who go to any given bar on a Friday or Saturday anyway, or it will at least be one of a short list of options for them. But within that, it can't hurt to play a place so often that people recognize your name, and if it's a matter of heading to the bar or going to someone's house to chill and watch the game, or just staying home, there's always a chance that someone'll say "Hey, FlashDrive is playing at Sammy's tonight. They're pretty good, and the singer is hot. Let's get some guys together and go."
Again, I have to figure that that doesn't happen a hell of a lot, but it can and does happen. And if a bar owner notices that the place is busier on nights when certain bands play, they'll be more likely to book you next time. That's why it's not just "fun" to have your friends come out and see you, it's good business. Even if each band member brings one or two people, that's ten or more people there, buying drinks and filling tables. When regulars come in, it's a couple more tables that are full. That all helps build critical mass. The place is that much busier, and everyone there is that much more likely to stay, 'cause the place is hopping and the band is rocking.
The gig in December was heartbreaking. Not only were we going to get paid $500, but it was 20 minutes from their house, John's wife is a realtor, and she was going to set up a "Customer Appreciation Night" there and invite all her clients. If you show up to play a place, and bring 30 people and buy food and drinks for them all night, that's a party. You just put a couple hundred bucks in the till. The owner is pleased. You're coming back. That one gig could have gone a long way towards putting us on Agent Dude's "keep these guys working" list.
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FreezingPoint, thanks for the feedback! Everything you're saying makes sense. At some point, someday, maybe I'll start writing down or recording the endless noodling my fingers like to do if I let them. I need a PC rig of some kind. MIDI from the keyboard into the PC, directly into some transcribing software. I can save it, edit it, mess around with it, eventually decide that it's a composition. That kind of thing. Someday.
Hey, sorry I never responded on this.
No problem. Does your keyboard have USB out? If not, a MIDI to USB converter might do the trick. Then Finale or Sibelius should be able to take the input and you can start writing. I'm not sure if Finale Notepad would work, I do know that it is free.
I have to say your band story has always been an interesting read. And so true as well. My dad has been trying to put together a band recently, and now I hear it first hand, different people, trying people out, etc. I'm pretty sure they play a similar set of music as well, with the occasional Yes song thrown in haha. I'm pushing them to do more of that (I would really like to hear them try some 80s Rush as well), but they need a keyboard player and I'm not quite willing to volunteer for a full time gig. Besides, I can't really cut it on the keys anyway.
I saw from the link to the place your gig is at that I must live nearby. Huntley is a bit of a haul, probably 45 min away, down the perpetually-on-construction 90. If you guys get some more, post them up! I might be able to make it out one day.
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Here is the (sort of) finished song: https://soundcloud.com/ikmatthijs/dawn-leaves-roughly-done (https://soundcloud.com/ikmatthijs/dawn-leaves-roughly-done) Some transtions aren't perfectly timed.. I would love some critisism! :azn:
Good job. Lot's of good themes here that are used well. I like the atmosphere it brings overall.
What are you using to write/record?
Personally I would smooth out those transitions a bit more, but that personal preference.
The other thing I would do is make the ending a bit bigger, stating "This is the ending." It doesn't necessarily have to be over the top bombastic, but a change here or there, a layer added, and that completes the journey and tells the listener they have arrived at the end.
There are general mixing things you can do as well, but that is a different topic.
Keep up the good work and keep writing!
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FreezingPoint, thanks for the feedback! Everything you're saying makes sense. At some point, someday, maybe I'll start writing down or recording the endless noodling my fingers like to do if I let them. I need a PC rig of some kind. MIDI from the keyboard into the PC, directly into some transcribing software. I can save it, edit it, mess around with it, eventually decide that it's a composition. That kind of thing. Someday.
Hey, sorry I never responded on this.
No problem. Does your keyboard have USB out? If not, a MIDI to USB converter might do the trick. Then Finale or Sibelius should be able to take the input and you can start writing. I'm not sure if Finale Notepad would work, I do know that it is free.
I have to say your band story has always been an interesting read. And so true as well. My dad has been trying to put together a band recently, and now I hear it first hand, different people, trying people out, etc. I'm pretty sure they play a similar set of music as well, with the occasional Yes song thrown in haha. I'm pushing them to do more of that (I would really like to hear them try some 80s Rush as well), but they need a keyboard player and I'm not quite willing to volunteer for a full time gig. Besides, I can't really cut it on the keys anyway.
I saw from the link to the place your gig is at that I must live nearby. Huntley is a bit of a haul, probably 45 min away, down the perpetually-on-construction 90. If you guys get some more, post them up! I might be able to make it out one day.
My keyboard has USB out as well as MIDI out, so I have plenty of options as far as capturing the output and feeding it into a PC. I think I may even have some software, so it really is just a matter of hooking it all up. The issue is always time. Even if I had the know-how (which I don't, but I'm sure I could figure it out), doing this kind of thing is down the priority list a little ways. Not that far down, but definitely after working on tunes for the band and also some other musical endeavors I have going on.
I'm glad people are enjoying the band saga. I've tried to make it interesting and amusing, because that utlimately means that more people will read it, and if I'm going to take the time to write it, people might as well read it. But it's non-fiction, which is what makes it so ridiculous. The drama and challenges of old guys trying to rock are even worse than young guys trying to rock.
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Here is the (sort of) finished song: https://soundcloud.com/ikmatthijs/dawn-leaves-roughly-done (https://soundcloud.com/ikmatthijs/dawn-leaves-roughly-done) Some transtions aren't perfectly timed.. I would love some critisism! :azn:
Good job. Lot's of good themes here that are used well. I like the atmosphere it brings overall.
What are you using to write/record?
Personally I would smooth out those transitions a bit more, but that personal preference.
The other thing I would do is make the ending a bit bigger, stating "This is the ending." It doesn't necessarily have to be over the top bombastic, but a change here or there, a layer added, and that completes the journey and tells the listener they have arrived at the end.
There are general mixing things you can do as well, but that is a different topic.
Keep up the good work and keep writing!
Thanks for your feedback! I agree with the transition, they could really use some smoothing out. About the end, I made it the intro but than mirrored (if that makes sense) which I think kind of works, but I agree that a bigger ending generally works better :azn:
I used Stagelight (because I can use VST plug-ins like guitar rig in it) and Ignite (because it has a large sound library, I did the flute and string part in it, but it doesn't support VST plugin's) as DAW's. I recorded the electric guitar with Guitar Rig, the acoustic with a mic and the rest I played on my midi-keyboard. About the mixing, I really have zero knowledge about that, I just set the volumes to what sounds good and that's it :lol
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I'm glad people are enjoying the band saga. I've tried to make it interesting and amusing, because that utlimately means that more people will read it, and if I'm going to take the time to write it, people might as well read it. But it's non-fiction, which is what makes it so ridiculous. The drama and challenges of old guys trying to rock are even worse than young guys trying to rock.
How about a young guy with a group of old guys trying to rock? :lol You saw that! Some of the guys in the band were older than my dad. I just think that the guys in the band were appreciative that there was somebody my age who appreciate the music that they did. That was fun though. I miss being in a band. At least last time I got to meet Gary Green so it's all good.
I'm probably going to go see you in Huntley no matter what. It's not that far from me, and the wife is OK with it. She's not going to go neither is my daughter so it's just gonna be me.
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Cool! I look forward to seeing you out there. :metal
To be honest, I didn't really notice the age thing. You're on the younger side of middle age, most of the rest of the band were on the older side, but the older you get, the less it matters. I think.
I got a little more information today about the "gig". It's a fundraiser thing for someone running for States Attorney for McHenry County. We still don't have a name. Appetizers and ass-kissing start at 7, and we start playing around 8. It's at a bar, but it's not a regular bar gig; we'll play for a couple of hours (because that's all we have).
I'm guessing that because it's a bar and it is a Saturday Night, that they might ask us to play more. Some folks might stick around, but once they figure out that we're playing all the same songs over again, they'll start bailing, or maybe not. Meanwhile, once the event is over and regular bar hours start, people will come in and they obviously won't have heard us before, so hopefully they'll stick around. But I don't know. I do know that if we start playing at 8, we sure as hell aren't going until 2 like a regular gig. So we'll see.
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Here is the (sort of) finished song: https://soundcloud.com/ikmatthijs/dawn-leaves-roughly-done (https://soundcloud.com/ikmatthijs/dawn-leaves-roughly-done) Some transtions aren't perfectly timed.. I would love some critisism! :azn:
Finally got around to checking this out. I like it! You have some nice themes going on. I would smooth out the transitions for sure. Also, the part with the strings playing tripplet parts...you may want to change the drum part to reflect that or simplify it. I think it would flow better that way. Keep it up!
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So even though there will be a fundraiser there it's still like normal bar patronage, correct?
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That's the part I'm not sure about. If it's a public event, then I'm sure anybody can attend. It's just a matter of whether or not you want to, given the political atmosphere.
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That's the part I'm not sure about. If it's a public event, then I'm sure anybody can attend. It's just a matter of whether or not you want to, given the political atmosphere.
Well I haven't seen anything advertised on a couple of the candidates who are running... I don't live in McHenry Cty (my wife and I both work there though, but that doesn't matter voting wise), so if anyone comes to me I'll say I live in cook county so you wouldn't be interested :lol
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Here is the (sort of) finished song: https://soundcloud.com/ikmatthijs/dawn-leaves-roughly-done (https://soundcloud.com/ikmatthijs/dawn-leaves-roughly-done) Some transtions aren't perfectly timed.. I would love some critisism! :azn:
Good job. Lot's of good themes here that are used well. I like the atmosphere it brings overall.
What are you using to write/record?
Personally I would smooth out those transitions a bit more, but that personal preference.
The other thing I would do is make the ending a bit bigger, stating "This is the ending." It doesn't necessarily have to be over the top bombastic, but a change here or there, a layer added, and that completes the journey and tells the listener they have arrived at the end.
There are general mixing things you can do as well, but that is a different topic.
Keep up the good work and keep writing!
Thanks for your feedback! I agree with the transition, they could really use some smoothing out. About the end, I made it the intro but than mirrored (if that makes sense) which I think kind of works, but I agree that a bigger ending generally works better :azn:
I used Stagelight (because I can use VST plug-ins like guitar rig in it) and Ignite (because it has a large sound library, I did the flute and string part in it, but it doesn't support VST plugin's) as DAW's. I recorded the electric guitar with Guitar Rig, the acoustic with a mic and the rest I played on my midi-keyboard. About the mixing, I really have zero knowledge about that, I just set the volumes to what sounds good and that's it :lol
Just listened to your song. I agree with FreezingPoint - I like the mood/atmosphere. Some parts remind me of The Cure and The Gathering, two bands I like quite a lot. The short bass phrases in the middle remind me of Chris Squire.
I also enjoyed "Het Grote Loop Pedaal Lied" - the intro, and its heavier version after the first minute.
Me and my best friend will be making music together for the first time in 10 years, and this is the sort of music I've been wanting to make with him. He's been playing piano for a couple of years now, and I think some of your earlier tracks he'd enjoy. I'll link him to your Soundcloud.
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Thanks for the feedback guys! Oh damn I completely forgot I uploaded "Het grote looppedaal lied" to Soundcloud, that is a very very rough demo, more like a sketch. I rerecorded almost everything already, and I am going to ask a friend to sing, cause I can't sing at all, I tried to autotune it, but If you have to move the pitch more than a semitone, well :rollin
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So I was bored all day and made this dark drone track (https://soundcloud.com/saculs78/tiny-drone). It's funnier making than listening to them :P
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So I was bored all day and made this dark drone track (https://soundcloud.com/saculs78/tiny-drone). It's funnier making than listening to them :P
That's quite nice for a drone track! It reminds me a bit of being in a cave or metro in a Fallout game. What did you use for the "ambient" sounds?
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Our new guitarist/singer is named Pat, and he used to be in a band called Soda. The Soda demo video (which is five years old) has him in it, and since the whole point is to showcase the band's various strengths, part it has Pat singing "Come Sail Away" by Styx. He sounds great. In fact, when he auditioned for us, John asked me to work up the intro and first verse just so we could hear if Pat still has the pipes. He does. (Also, I've known the song since junior high, but whatever). Jerry and JT (bassist, drummer) also knew the song, so we fumbled through the whole song, including the A-flat bridge, despite never having played it before, at Pat's audition. That was cool.
Anyway, a few weeks ago, JT was on his way home, an hour west of here, and stopped at this dive called Jerry's Bar & Grill to get something to eat. The lady behind the counter, Diane, says "You're new around here. What's your name?" and he says "James". She says "James? That's a nice name. James what?" "James Taylor". (That's his real name, so he always just goes by JT.) "James Taylor? Like the musician? Are you a musician?" And JT says "Yes, but I'm not a singer. I play the drums."
There's a big board that says "Live Music Saturday Nights" with pictures and the names of various bands that have played there. JT continues "In fact, I was looking at the board there, and I've played with a lot of those guys." He names one of the bands, names some of the guys in it, says he used to play with them in some other band, etc. So now they're talking about bands and stuff, and she says "You know, there was a band we used to get a lot, but we never get them anymore, there were called Soda. Those guys were great." JT tells her that our new singer used to be with Soda. "Pat?" she asks. "Sailing Pat?"
Sailing Pat? "You mean, like Come Sail Away?" he asks. "Yes! Come Sail Away! What a great song, and the way he sang that song..." So JT tells her, yes, "Sailing Pat" is now in our band, and (he bends the truth just a bit) we do "Come Sail Away".
Just then Mike (the other owner, Diane's husband) comes out of the kitchen, and Diane says "Hey Mike, this guy James is in a band with Pat from Soda! You know, Sailing Pat?" And Mike says "I love Styx. Come Sail Away is one of my favorite songs by them. Pat is in your band?" And JT nods. Diane goes on "Plus, he's played with (so-and-so from this band, so-and-so from this other band)..." And Mike says "You're hired. I'm sure you guys are great if you have Pat, and you've played with those other guys, too. When do you want to play here?"
JT says "This is the part where I give you our manager's name and phone number."
And that's how we got the gig. They never listened to us, didn't go to our website or Facebook page, and JT could have been completely bullshitting them, but we got the gig based on "Sailing Pat" being our new singer, and they love that one song he sings.
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Looks like you guys auditioning Pat was a good move! :biggrin: Things seem to finally be taking off for your band, which is great especially after all the problems you guys went through.
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Thanks. Yeah, seriously, the crap we've been through. I have to admit, I've been tempted to just throw in the towel, but as I mentioned upthread, I don't have another band right now, I might as well stick with this one. We're getting closer to being an actual working band. If we can just keep our shit together a little longer...
So at our last practice, during which we made sure we have "Come Sail Away" nailed down, so we can impress Diane and Mike and at least have one regular place to play (they said if we're good, we come back and become a regular band there), JT said that this is a hell of a song, and we should make it like a complete showpiece. Bob should jam a bit on the piano, a solo, then work into the intro to "Come Sail Away" which everyone in the room will recognize, they'll go nuts, we nail the song, and we're freakin' heros. I was cool with all of it except for the piano solo, but what the heck.
So I jammed bit in C, went through a few changes, worked around to a G, then started "Come Sail Away". They thought it was pretty cool. So it's gonna be our second song. We open with "Born to be Wild", then completely kill the momentum by having Bob do a piano solo, leading into a tune that's six minutes long already, then Anne introduces the band. That's our opening one-two punch. I guess it could work, but I pushed for saving it for later in the show. They said we only have two sets right now. It'll be one of the ones we play again later. Whoa. Roll with the changes.
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whoa. Roll with the changes.
Will you do Roll with the Changes? That one is fun to play.
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I imagine it would be. I've always liked the piano in that song. But no, we don't. :(
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Roll With the Changes is an awesome song.
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After working literally all day, from the minute I woke up until now almost half past 1am, I finally finished writing the last song on my band's first album. An 18 minute crazy epic.
Now all that's left to do is record! ... and find another drummer. ... and find a singer. ... Yeah we're not quite there yet, but now the album is officially written, which is a huge step that took almost a year and a half to take. So that feels great.
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So I was bored all day and made this dark drone track (https://soundcloud.com/saculs78/tiny-drone). It's funnier making than listening to them :P
That's quite nice for a drone track! It reminds me a bit of being in a cave or metro in a Fallout game. What did you use for the "ambient" sounds?
Some sampled textures and sounds I had - I plan to make some more in a few weeks after exams :P
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After working literally all day, from the minute I woke up until now almost half past 1am, I finally finished writing the last song on my band's first album. An 18 minute crazy epic.
Now all that's left to do is record! ... and find another drummer. ... and find a singer. ... Yeah we're not quite there yet, but now the album is officially written, which is a huge step that took almost a year and a half to take. So that feels great.
I'LL SING FOR YOU!!!! :laugh:
But I'm not in Sweden. :'( I have a quarter of Swedish ancestry though. :lol
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But I'm not in Sweden. :'( I have a quarter of Swedish ancestry though. :lol
Awesome, then you'll fit right in! :lol
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After working literally all day, from the minute I woke up until now almost half past 1am, I finally finished writing the last song on my band's first album. An 18 minute crazy epic.
Now all that's left to do is record! ... and find another drummer. ... and find a singer. ... Yeah we're not quite there yet, but now the album is officially written, which is a huge step that took almost a year and a half to take. So that feels great.
If the album sounds anything like the "Long to Forget" demo, then :hefdaddy.
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It sort of the same style, so it should be pretty rockin' ;)
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Hey here is another song I wrote, It is the first time I used samples of people speaking I hope it works. I would really really love some opinions :azn:
https://soundcloud.com/ikmatthijs/isnt-it-great-my-laddie (https://soundcloud.com/ikmatthijs/isnt-it-great-my-laddie)
By the way, please excuse the autotuned singing, I can't sing haha.
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Orbert, how did the gig go? I was planning on going most of the week but lack of funds and daughter starting to not feel well meant I needed to stay home unfortunately. Hopefully the gig went well enough that there will soon be another gig?
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I was looking for you, but figured something must've come up. Sorry you couldn't make it.
It went really well. It was weird, a Saturday night in a small town, a political fundraiser at 7:00, and we start playing at 8:00. We were there about 4:00, figured two hours to set up, sound check at 6:00, get out of the way, have something to eat, festivites start at 7:00. That all went according to schedule, except that come 7:00, no sign of any "festivities" starting. There were a lot of people there, however, and there was one guy in a blue sport coat and tie and great hair passing out business cards, so we figured he was The Man. He was. He came by our table maybe quarter after 7.
By this time, everyone's met Mike and Diane, the owners, and they're great, really nice people. After The Man wandered off to kiss some more asses, I asked Mike if he still wanted us to start at 8:00, because I thought things were gonna start at 7:00 and I couldn't tell if they had or not. He said he wasn't really sure about how this works, having never done it before, but yeah, we should start playing at 8:00. I said that that meant we'd be finishing up before 11:00, so how does that work? He said the place usually starts clearing out by Midnight. This is not a huge place, and it's a tiny town. No crazy headbanging until 2:00 AM here. So okay.
Five minutes to 8:00, we start gathering, doing some final checks on stuff, and The Man asks if he can just say a few words before we start playing. Sure, we figured that was the deal. He introduces himself, some buddy of his running for Commissioner of something, and some other buddy running for Circuit Court Judge or something like that. Asks everyone for their support, then introduces the band. That was the extent of the political activities during the night.
We totally killed 'em. I mean come on, this is Huntley, Illinois. We were the best thing they'd seen/heard in a long time. We played a little over an hour, took a break, came back and played our second set, by this time it was pushing 10:30. Diane asked if we could play a little more. We told her that that was actually all we knew; we've only practiced together four times. "Four times!" She was blown away. But we whipped out Johnny B. Goode in A, stretched it out, everyone took solos, then we repeated Born to be Wild, and did Come Sail Away again (even better than the first time) which is Diane's favorite song. I did my piano solo thing leading into the intro, John did the Tommy Shaw solo at the end and took it a bit farther, then the big ending. It was actually a really good rendition. Diane looked like she was gonna cry. She said we're definitely invited to come back. So that's cool. I'm not a fan of the hour drive out there, and playing two counties away doesn't do a lot to build a local following, but a gig's a gig. They like us and are willing to pay us, and it's good practice for when we start doing more high-profile stuff hopefully not too long from now.
Now we just gotta get a third set together and we'll be ready to go.
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Let me know when you guys go back. I feel bad for not going, I was planning on going, but just didn't work out this time unfortunately. Keep me posted!
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I figured out how to find everyone who's "Liked" the band's Facebook page, and see that you're on it, so you should see Event notices and other postings to the band page. But I'll probably blab about it here, too. If/when this band actually starts playing regularly, I'll back off on that, but for now, every gig actually is an event. In over two years, this was only our fourth gig, and other than a birthday party in two weeks, we have nothing on the calendar (yet).
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Wish I had connections. Someone I used to teach with is in a band who plays mainly the far northern burbs and my dads band plays an occasional gig in Kenosha and down here probably once every 3 years or so :lol I'm no help
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*gig write up*
Sounds great, Orbert!
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Thanks! It was a good time.
Our next gig is two Saturdays from now, a private thing in another tiny little place in a tiny little town. Somebody rented out the bar for a birthday bash and will pay us $300 to play. Sure, why not.
So John wants to get together this Saturday to practice, brush up a few things that didn't quite go right the other night, and also learn "Birthday" by The Beatles. As much as I'd rather have a Saturday to sleep in, it wouldn't hurt to practice a bit more. I already know "Birthday" (having learned it and arranged it for the praise band a few years back) but it'll be cool to whip it out at the gig, since it's a birthday party. Also, there's always a chance that someone will be out celebrating a birthday, so it'll be a good song to have in the bag anyway.
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it'll be cool to whip it out at the gig, since it's a birthday party.
I predict this will be the last gig you get.
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Hey, we don't know what kind of birthday party this is, at all. It could well be what gets us many gigs in the future, though perhaps of a slightly different nature.
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You got me there. In that case, rock out with your cock out. :metal
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:metal
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If they are renting out the bar, it's possible that the manager of the bar may also be there, and if they like you, well there you go.
Where is the gig? Obv since it's a private party I won't be going, but just wondering for geographical purposes and what you mean by tiny town :lol
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The town is Wonder Lake (https://www.google.com/maps/place/Wonder+Lake,+IL/@42.3848148,-88.3754022,12z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x880f657dbeca9bfd:0x70ab595cf505070), on the shore of... Wonder Lake. Population 4000 as of the 2010 census, but in 2000 it was only 1300. West of 31, east of 47, north of 120, south of 173. I've never heard of it before now, but that's not unusual. There are a zillion little lakes around here.
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The town is Wonder Lake (https://www.google.com/maps/place/Wonder+Lake,+IL/@42.3848148,-88.3754022,12z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x880f657dbeca9bfd:0x70ab595cf505070), on the shore of... Wonder Lake. Population 4000 as of the 2010 census, but in 2000 it was only 1300. West of 31, east of 47, north of 120, south of 173. I've never heard of it before now, but that's not unusual. There are a zillion little lakes around here.
And every lake has a town. Round Lake, Grayslake, Third Lake, Lake Villa, Lake Forest, Lakemoor, Lake in the Hills, Crystal Lake, Fox Lake, Gages Lake, Island Lake, Lake Barrington, Lake Zurich, Lakewood... And half of those towns are in Lake County. :lol
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Seriously. Lakes all over this damned state.
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(https://imgur.com/38fJEMw.jpg) (https://www.facebook.com/Flashdrive2015/)
Thanks to Splent and Cozmo for their support!
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Someone wrote this nice blog post about my music :)
https://eclecticmusiclover.com/2016/03/10/david-oakes/
No I didn't write it :lol
I would not have put "exceptionally talented" :lol :p
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That's a pretty nice writeup. I would think that getting positive exposure like this would be quite a boon, although the irony of eclectic music becoming more popular isn't lost on me, and I have no idea how many people follow ECLECTIC MUSIC LOVER.
Also, I've often wondered where "Kotowboy" came from, and now I know. :)
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Yeah it was my band for 5 years. I f---ing loved it but we broke up because we went from being the most popular band in our area to nobodies when we moved to London.
I was the drummer but we wrote the songs between the 4 of us and we all contributed to the songwriting. We tried to be really original. Anything generic was out.
You can sample our album here : www.itunes.com/kotow.
This is just me on guitar and my bro on bass and vocals and Production. Drums are programmed.
:)
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I just realized you must be the same David Oakes to whom James responded about Richard Chyki's voice as Nafaryus, right?
https://twitter.com/jameslabrie/status/705150701819797504 (https://twitter.com/jameslabrie/status/705150701819797504)
https://twitter.com/jameslabrie/status/705487313447591937 (https://twitter.com/jameslabrie/status/705487313447591937)
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In other news, my band has a gig tomorrow, and try as I might, I just can't get fired up about it.
(https://imgur.com/38fJEMw.jpg) (https://www.facebook.com/Flashdrive2015/)
It's the second gig with the new guitarist, and he's great and the gig two weeks ago rocked, and we finally seem to be getting somewhere. But tomorrow's thing is at a place even more remote and nowhere than the last one, the venue itself has no website, and their Facebook page (which is apparently their only official web presence) looks like shit. No logo, no picture of the place, just a semi-bad picture of the sign hanging over the door taken by a patron and submitted to the page. Other pictures taken by patrons and submitted reveal a tiny little place frequented by 100% white rednecks. User posts rake them for being racist assholes and implore them to at least come into the 21st century. For obvious reasons, I'm a bit sensitive about racism. Interesting that the posts are even there. Either the people running it don't care, aren't savvy enough to remove them, or some combination of both.
Yelp reviews aren't all horrible, but the second one mentions the bartenders getting high right outside the front door so people have to walk through the smoke to get in. Real classy place.
Our drummer JT took a trip up there to do reconaissance, and says the place is about 2/3 the size of the last place (which was tiny) and has a stage. A stage might sound good, but it's actually not. It means that we have a predefined place to set up six people, and there's no way to push out even two inches onto the dance floor. And we were pretty crammed into the last place.
So it's basically a shithole out in nowherefuckingland, and once again will do nothing to help build our local following because it's an hour away. I told John all this in an email and that I realize that we have to start somewhere, but shouldn't we at least try to have some standards? He acknowledged my concerns, and joked that hey, as long as they check for weapons at the door, we'll be fine. The next email from him was the official announcement to everyone that we had accepted the gig, because Agent Dude (the same guy who got us the shitty gig last November) got it for us, and he's in with The Man, and we want to make The Man happy, because he's the one who'll get us the real gigs. Whatever. I do love to play. I'm just having trouble getting excited about this one. The last gig was a nice place that just happened to be really small. This place really does look like a shithole. We're not even getting paid as much as the last gig, and this time we're paying a sound man, too.
(https://i.imgur.com/S9BZcBW.jpg)
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Well...
Yeah :lol
No seriously I hope you guys do well there. Yeah you gotta start somewhere but I hope you can start playing at some venues closer to where you guys are.
I don't know of any places by me that do live shows, there are some bars that do karaoke but I don't know if that means they do bands or not.
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I just realized you must be the same David Oakes to whom James responded about Richard Chyki's voice as Nafaryus, right?
https://twitter.com/jameslabrie/status/705150701819797504 (https://twitter.com/jameslabrie/status/705150701819797504)
https://twitter.com/jameslabrie/status/705487313447591937 (https://twitter.com/jameslabrie/status/705487313447591937)
Didn't even see this. :). Thanks.
Album credit mis print.
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I know we have to start somewhere, but the idea is that it doing it will lead to something. What's next, birthday parties for 10-year-olds? The only reason I can see for playing this gig is because playing live gigs will help solidify the band, work out some kinks, etc. That's always good, but driving an hour each way, setting up and tearing down in middle of nowhere, is not necessary.
I told John that we don't have to jump on every gig they offer us. Agent Dude is, by all accounts, an asshole. JT and Steve have both met him and confirm this, but more importantly, they also both say that we don't actually have to kiss his ass. It doesn't hurt to keep him happy, of course, but he's basically The Man's lap dog. We're already in with The Man. Last band meeting, John asked us if we thought we were ready to call The Man and tell him we're ready for real gigs, and we all said "Yes!" The Man had us booked twice last December before Steve had his hissy fit and quit, one for $500 and one for $400, and we're better right now than we were last December. We're getting $300 for this nowhere gig, a fucking redneck birthday party, and our sound man comes out of that. It's time to cut out this piddly shit and play some real gigs.
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What's next, birthday parties for 10-year-olds?
I believe next is an Air Force base, then some kind of jazz exploration in front of a festival crowd.
If you had a few more gigs under your belt and a small following, I'd start to get more selective, but for now I'd just take it as experience with the worst to prepare you for anything that comes later. So basically what you said.
I shall wish you good luck though, and pray to the rock gods that nothing more goes wrong. :tup
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Request: A thread called "As the World Orberts"
The only thing worse than moving slowly is not moving at all. I'd just power through the gig and treat it like a very important gig. Pump up the crowd (patrons). Get a local fan to record the performance for facebook or similar posting. If you are worried about somebody sneering that the gig is a joke, that just gives you the opportunity to respond that the band treats every gig like a no holds barred event.
This can then become your calling card (or link) for local gigs. Perhaps some similar hole in the wall local gig will think "Hmm. I like band's that would treat my place like the greatest gig ever offered."
It sounds like you've passed the worst part of a startup band. The band itself. There are so many factors with the players. Not aligning with the band direction. Not showing up to rehearsals. Talent and ability.
Heck, one band (with original music - so even tougher on direction alignment) I played with was great. We all got along great. We all were supportive of one another. Rehearsal was a fun event, so calling for a rehearsal was as easy as "have free time to rehearse tonight?" answered with "let's do it." All were very talented. But they were more the garage band type (mentality). When it was just us jamming, we pushed each other to perfection. If we had to quickly rehearse something before a class, we knew the songs so well we could play a 6 minute song in 3 to 4 minutes. And other musicians would always look in the door window and tell us it sounded great.
But ever rehearsal would end with me or the other guitarist saying "let's play live". I understand the hesitation. We were talking about playing in front of a ton of top notch musicians that could be the "arms crossed observer" x10. It was strange though because prior in high school, I'd always form the bands that played in front of the whole school. And I had enough muso friends to say "Christine from the Drama department asked me to have us play as part of their big production." We could have same day prep and go in with no fear. Now I'm at a musicians school playing with top notch musicians and some of them freeze at the thought of playing live. What if they mess up? So what? And that's all in your mind because you play flawlessly when you didn't even these musicians are watching you through the door anyway.
After so many rehearsals, my friend and I just scheduled the time and told them we were playing instead of asking. They said no at first, then agreed. We played and the intro was great. Then a few bars in, the bass just dropped out. And that is a big frequency range drop. Then the other guitar dropped. Thankfully the drums kept going. It caught me by surprise, and I turned from the audience to the band and thought I was going to mess up as well ... but the ungodly amount of rehearsals kept me playing and it was like somebody else was playing as I talked the drummer into not stopping so the others could find their place and come back in.
After we were done, they were adamant that they weren't ready to play again. I said it wasn't their rehearsal prep, but their stage fright and they just conquered it. If anything, we should play again the very next night.
It was a strange thing because we played smaller stages around town and even in front of the MI teachers as part of the curriculum where it wasn't about cheers, but always about critique on what we could do better. In other words, unless you were the best, most perfect band ever created on the planet ... you were going to get feedback / critique. And it was done without a hitch. But go up on the big stage and these insanely good players freaked out. It almost made me want to call up the less stellar high school buds to come play just so I didn't have to deal with people that had no reason to freak out ... freak out.
And you are past all that. Where 800 factors of band dynamic are checked and in the rear view mirror. Don't cancel the upcoming gig. Own it and push really hard for more gigs. If you aren't concentrating on why this gig is so bad and possibly cause another bandmate to lose enthusiasm, you can concentrate fully on the other gigs.
Especially the jazz exploration gig. (BTW, I know I'm not telling you anything you haven't thought of. But sometimes it is good to hear)
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What's next, birthday parties for 10-year-olds?
What's next ? A gig for ANTS?!
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Calvin, you are spot on. Treat every gig like it's an event, treat every crowd like you're there just for them, because you are. Every one of us has done this enough to know how it works. By time we get set up and sound checked, the adrenaline will be flowing and I'll be ready to rock.
There was exactly one gig, back in the 80's, that I didn't give the proper treatment, and I regret it. We were to be the "special guests" at some multi-band thing an hour south of where we lived. The problem was that we had a gig the night before, two hours north. This was in the days of three-day and four-day gigs all over northern Michigan, so driving two hours each way was okay because it was an extended gig and good money. Well, $700 in 1982 money, which wasn't too bad.
Anyway, we decided to tear down and pack the bus the night before, get some sleep, then hit the road when we got up the next day. We got started late, traffic sucked, and we got lost on the way there. We were still there half an hour before we were supposed to play, which was good, but that's when we found out that being the "special guests" was a euphemism for "suckers who we got to fill up a set". Our guitarist and bassist had to plug into the "host" band's amps. Drummer had to use their kit, and I had to use the keyboard rig. Seriously? In the half hour we had, I went up there and tried to quickly learn everything I could about some other guy's setup. He gave me a ten-second summary, then disappeared, because he didn't like the idea of someone else using his gear any more than I did. Nice stuff, but it was all backwards. Synth on the left, organ on the right, piano in the middle. I always have the synth on the right (it's a fucking lead instrument, of course it's on the right if you don't stack them) and my choice would've been to have the organ on the left, but I wasn't allowed to move them around or anything. I'd never played a real Hammond with drawbars and everything, and it would've been nice to actually have even ten minutes to learn, but we weren't allowed to make any sound during the break, I guess because people wanted to hear the shitty jukebox music.
I was tired, sore, felt screwed over, and was trying to navigate someone's else rig. "Special guests" my ass. I decided it was okay to let it show on my face. Yeah, we sound like shit, sorry, we're not happy about it either. Later, the other guys asked me what the deal was. Apparently they all had problems and I was the only one who actually sounded good, but I looked bored/unhappy/whiny the whole time. Even their sound man said it was cool finally getting to mix a keyboard player that knew how to actually use all that awesome gear. It was just a shame that obviously it wasn't easy for me, but it sounded great.
So... never again. Every show is an event, every audience is special. I'm a professional (even if I'm just an amateur) and I'm gonna act like one.
Sorry to hear about your experience playing with great musicians but never really getting to go live with it. I love playing music, and just jamming with other talented guys is great, but ultimately, playing for others is where it's at. Our band was originally formed because John has a huge basement and plenty of disposable income, so his idea was to buy a bunch of gear, assemble a group of capable musicians and have a freaking awesome time rocking out in the comfort of his basement. Like me, he hadn't played in a "real band" since the 80's, so the idea of gigging wasn't even in the picture. That changed when we realized how good we are. It's already great playing with these guys, so going live is the next level.
Oddly enough, just thinking about this is starting to get me kinda fired up. Or maybe it's the coffee kicking in. I think I'll go make another cup.
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I completely understand not feeling on top after all that you described about that gig. I'm not sure I would have been able to keep up my enthusiasm either.
I'm both nervous and excited when I think about playing live with the band some day. Nervous because I have aspergers, and am nervous as shit around people in general. And excited because we have some really cool music, and I think it'll sound really good live. And I do like performing music for people, despite my otherwise nervous nature, so I'm sure it'll be worth it once we get there.
I expect it will be really difficult finding an audience for our weird prog/metal/rock where we live, but we will certainly try our best.
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That's the spirit! :tup
Also, don't underestimate the influence of seeing music performed live. There are lots of times I've been out somewhere and stopped and at least listened to stuff that I would probably blow past on the radio, because it's different when you're seeing it performed live. Seeing them actually doing it, feeling the connection and the adrenaline, knowing what they're feeling as they perform, even if it's stuff I don't even like. Any musician will feel it. Even just flipping channels on TV, there can be some band I've never heard of, playing something I've never heard before, but I'll stop and check them out. You never know. You might think no one's going to want to hear weird prog/metal/rock, but play it well and look like you're into it, and some people will check it out. And out of those who do, you might even connect with a few, make a few new fans.
I've told this story before, probably in this thread, but to me it's the perfect example of this. Years ago, I had a friend whose roommate was a music performance major, majoring on the clarinet. I can't say I'm a big fan of clarinet music, but I went over to their house one time, and he was practicing for his upcoming audition for something. So he's sitting there in the living room, music on the stand, and he's completely tearing up some kind of clarinet concerto. I mean, he's really wailing. Amazing 32nd-note runs, great tone, great dynamics. Totally killing it. We all just stood there and watched and listened. And when he finished, a great round of applause, of course.
Did I rush out and buy a CD of solo clarinet music? No. But for those five or ten minutes, with this guy right in front of me playing the best clarinet music I've ever heard in my life, it was mesmerizing. The power of music, played live. ♫♫
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Totally agree. That's something me and my dad use to say, that almost anything is good live. If performed well of course.
look like you're into it.
I have also found this to be sooo important. Many modern beginner bands, at least the genres I usually listen to, often think it best to look really "cool" and serious, as if it's no big deal. Like they're not enjoying what they're doing at all. Not just live but in music videos and stuff too. So when you come across someone who you can truly feel is really into the music, it always makes it better, and it pulls you along.
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I can't bear bands who scowl and frown in every picture.
You're in a popular band. You're doing what you always wanted to do.
People like you and you get paid for it.
Fucking look like you appreciate it.
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Last night's gig went really, really well. Probably the best the band has ever played, and we had a small but appreciative audience.
It was at a little dive called The Lizzard Lounge, a surprise birthday party for someone named Patrick. He thought he was just meeting a bunch of people there, but they'd rented out one side of the bar, set it up with food and balloons and stuff, and we were the entertainment. A dozen or so folks our age, plus I think it must've been his mom or someone (older lady named Maggie, seemed to be in charge of things) and one of her friends, and even some little kids. We had a sound guy named Marty who'd worked with Anne in her previous band, and he was great. On stage, everyone could hear everyone else, and it was loud, but balanced. The loudness couldn't really be helped because the place was tiny, but a lot of people told us we sounded great, one even said we "have a great sound" and that's the sound man, not us. I suspect that we'll be working with him again in the future. He actually asked John if we had a regular guy, if he (Marty) was just filling in for the night, or what, because he loved working with us. He can afford to be a little picky about who he works with, and he said we're a group he'd like to work with.
Our set list had one saxophone song in the first set and the other three were in the second set. That's just the way it worked out. During the break, Patrick the birthday boy asked if we could do more songs with saxophone, because he loves the sax, and we told him we had a bunch coming up. During "Play that Funky Music (White Boy)" everybody was dancing at the end when we normally end it, so I started wailing, the band followed my cue, and we went around another time with an impromptu sax solo, then came back and finished with another chorus. I think that was our first improvised "live" moment as a band, and it came off really well, like it was planned that way. I also doubled the length of the solo in "What I Like About You" although I think that might've been an effup. Anne didn't come in to sing the third verse; she kinda looked at me like she wasn't sure if she was supposed to come in. The solo literally goes right until the vocals come back in, so there's no break. Anyway, she held off so I kept wailing, we went around again, and then she came back for the third verse. More saxophone!
(https://i.imgur.com/iL4WKR3.png)
So my greatest fears were not realized, and that's good. Everybody was really cool, really nice people, and I even got a piece of birthday cake, so what the heck.
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That's awesome! :tup
Either you've used up all of your bad luck and are on easy street from here on out, or you're overdue for your drummer to spontaneously combust.
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Cool :)
I used to play the saxophone when I was young. A little before I turned 16, almost 7 years ago, K picked up the guitar amd now only very rarely pick up the sax. I'm learning the piano as well now and people mostly know me as a guitarist. A lot of times when people find out I play the sax, they tell me I should play it more often and I do need to really, it's an awesome instrument. Unfortunately, finding the time to practice guitar and piano is difficult enough and I need the guitar for my band and the piano for my work, so it's a tricky situation.
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That's the spirit! :tup
Also, don't underestimate the influence of seeing music performed live. There are lots of times I've been out somewhere and stopped and at least listened to stuff that I would probably blow past on the radio, because it's different when you're seeing it performed live. Seeing them actually doing it, feeling the connection and the adrenaline, knowing what they're feeling as they perform, even if it's stuff I don't even like. Any musician will feel it. Even just flipping channels on TV, there can be some band I've never heard of, playing something I've never heard before, but I'll stop and check them out. You never know. You might think no one's going to want to hear weird prog/metal/rock, but play it well and look like you're into it, and some people will check it out. And out of those who do, you might even connect with a few, make a few new fans.
I've told this story before, probably in this thread, but to me it's the perfect example of this. Years ago, I had a friend whose roommate was a music performance major, majoring on the clarinet. I can't say I'm a big fan of clarinet music, but I went over to their house one time, and he was practicing for his upcoming audition for something. So he's sitting there in the living room, music on the stand, and he's completely tearing up some kind of clarinet concerto. I mean, he's really wailing. Amazing 32nd-note runs, great tone, great dynamics. Totally killing it. We all just stood there and watched and listened. And when he finished, a great round of applause, of course.
Did I rush out and buy a CD of solo clarinet music? No. But for those five or ten minutes, with this guy right in front of me playing the best clarinet music I've ever heard in my life, it was mesmerizing. The power of music, played live. ♫♫
This, indeed.
One of my wife's favorite artists is Garth Brooks. I am not much of a country music fan, but I am familiar with his "hits", and I think he is a fairly talented songwriter. I got her tickets to one of his concerts for Christmas, and it was this past Friday night.
Now, this was for her. I would not ordinarily want to see this kind of music live. But I must say, it was an incredible show. Obviously they are pros and incredibly well-rehearsed, and the production was amazing, but they just as obviously were enjoying the hell out of it. It was really captivating to see.
Also, that show was loud as fuck. Country my ass. That was a straight-up rock show. I've seen Van Halen live, and I've seen The Who live, but I've never seen anyone live that was loud as Garth Brooks.
One cool part was during one of the encores. He came back out on stage by himself, no band, just him and his acoustic guitar, and he started looking around the arena for people holding up signs with titles of songs that weren't part of the setlist. And then he played those songs by himself. Some of them were ones he hadn't played live in a long, long time, and he gave fair warning that it might suck, but it didn't suck. That was cool as hell.
So, am I a big Garth Brooks fan? No. But was that show cool as hell? Yes it was.
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And again, that's what seeing music played live can do. You weren't converted, but I'll bet at least a few people were. People who were there with someone, weren't really a fan before, but walked out of there thinking "So, should I buy the greatest hits first, or the latest album? Both?"
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I wasn't "converted", but I would go see another concert of his in a hot minute.
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Close enough. :p
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Also, a lot of hot chicks were in attendance. I haven't seen that much T & A in one place in a long, long time.
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Also, a lot of hot chicks were in attendance. I haven't seen that much T & A in one place in a long, long time.
T&A = Tits and Ass
TA = The Astonishing
Therefore T & A are Astonishing
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I certainly saw some astonishing tits & asses.
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:zydar:
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So glad to hear your gig went so well Orbert.
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Thanks! :tup
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Cool story Orbert, glad it was a fun gig! It's funny how sometimes the gigs that seem like they're gonna be a total dead rubber turn out being fun.
I'm finding that more and more with the acoustic duo I'm in - I tend to start dreading doing a gig, usually on that day. It's like my mind starts running through all the negative things, 'this is going to suck, noones going to dig it, my voice isn't going to hold up' yada yada. I kinda drag my heels all the way. But once I'm actually into the swing of it, that seems to disappear and I end up enjoying myself quite a bit. It's weird how my mind works against me like that. In a way it's kinda good, cos if I'm going in with low expectations I can only really go up from there :lol
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Thanks! :tup
And going by your first impression of the gig, thank you for not ending up in a bar room brawl. You planted some doubt in the back of my mind that I might have cheer led your band going to a legitimately dangerous gig. :blush Or your story today would be about your gear being stolen.
When are you posting the pics and/or video?
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Unfortunately, there aren't any pictures of us playing, because we were all on stage. Jerry's wife Vicki usually takes literally hundreds of pictures (she's a camera nut), but since it was a private event and we were just hired as the entertainment, plus it was out in the middle of nowhere, we didn't know if it would be okay to bring our significant others, and we didn't ask.
Jerry took one picture of the stage before we started. He stood in the middle of the room. There were four booths along the wall behind him, and three or four tables to the left. The thing that looks like a gazebo next to where I'm standing is a stairway leading down to the storage/office areas. That's it. The place is small, and we were only on one side of it.
(https://imgur.com/R5iRqy8.jpg)
I snapped a picture later, knowing I'd want to put at least something on the band's Facebook page.
(https://imgur.com/HjInRT2.jpg)
$2.00 PBR in 16oz CANS!
look like you're into it.
I have also found this to be sooo important. Many modern beginner bands, at least the genres I usually listen to, often think it best to look really "cool" and serious, as if it's no big deal. Like they're not enjoying what they're doing at all. Not just live but in music videos and stuff too. So when you come across someone who you can truly feel is really into the music, it always makes it better, and it pulls you along.
I had a great buzz going by time we started, plus I get really wired up when I play music anyway, so I was laughing and smiling and having a great time all night. JT (drummer) was sweating his ass off, but I kept looking over at him and laughing, and he couldn't help but smile back. Jerry (bass) was kinda bummed because he literally could not move around at all; there was just nowhere to go once we were all up there, but I laughed at him and got him to smile, too. When I wasn't playing keys or sax, I whacked the cowbell or just danced badly behind my rig. I just kept telling the others how awesome they were, how awesome we are, and it was infectious. A lot of people said it looked like we were having a great time, and we were.
Bonus picture of Orbert laughing while playing:
(https://imgur.com/qb4Lpk9.jpg)
Damn, I love playing music!!
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:tup
So happy you are now getting to enjoy what you set out to do with this adventure. Good luck on keeping it up and adding to the fun.
But people love drama, so be careful not to change the show's dynamic of "As the World Orberts" or you risk viewership.
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Oh yeah, I know. Some kind of shit is bound to come up.
John contacted The Man, and said we were ready. The Man said he just had someone cancel May 27. That's the Friday of Memorial Day Weekend, and I'm out of town. Meanwhile, Agent Dude had something for us on April 1. I'm out of town that weekend, too. Both events are set in stone. Shit.
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That (partially) sucks. I know if you were 18 to 25, the answer would be easy. "Damn the torpedoes. Let's do this."
This is also why I only pick up the guitar to write. And back in the day, if I had a song idea, I'd stay up and my sleeping patterns would take a back seat to finish it. Now, even when I have an idea, most of the time I just realize it will probably be the last time I hear it (and what I do remember at a later date won't have the magic). Doing the band scene? I can't do a half-assed job and I know that is exactly what I would end up doing at this time in my life.
The reality is that even if I was about to write the greatest album of all time;
1. It would be written by some *old* dude
2. Assuming that guaranteed reception didn't happen, who makes serious money off albums? So it is still a hobby.
By set in stone, John agreed to them already or it is just accept those dates or miss out completely?
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Yeah, that wasn't very clear. I have commitments which are set in stone for both of those weekends. One is a trip to Virginia, the other is a trip to Michigan. The Memorial Weekend trip to Michigan happens every year, for nearly 20 years now. I'm okay skipping it, but my wife would have some trouble with it. I brought it up, and she said that since it's a Friday night, we could conceivably hit the road Saturday morning, return late Monday night, and still basically have a three-day weekend. So I went to email John again, saying it was now a maybe, but by then Pat had responded, saying that he was also out of town that weekend. I feel better knowing I'm not the one holding us up. If two or more of us can't make it, well that's just how it goes. The Man has got to know that with us older dudes, we have families and stuff. The 20somethings can drop everything and play that weekend.
The thing on April 1 would have been nice because it would've been our first time playing at least in this same county, actually in Anne's home town. But that's been set for a while, too, and it's a train trip for myself, my wife, and our daughter to visit her college. We've always wanted to take a trip by train, and since I really, really hated driving through the mountains last time, this kinda combined the two concepts. We get to do the train trip, we do the college visit, and I sleep rather than white-knuckle it for 12 hours each way.
There will be other gigs.
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How receptive is *The Man*? Does it seem like he's looks at it as "there will be other gigs" or does it seem like he might feel "this is why I don't get older people gigs."
Why is *The Man* doing this btw? If it is their livelihood, I could see the latter reaction. The good thing is you guys did last weekend's gig. If you had turned that down and then these two, I could really see *The Man* losing interest.
When do we get to have a perfect world that stops so we can go realize our dreams on the side?
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The Man is the biggest agent in Northern Illinois for bars which have live music. He is basically the agent. All the major venues in Lake County work through him, and many in the neighboring counties as well. We've known for years that to make it in this area, we must work with him.
He says he's not vindictive, and past experience bears this out. If he offers us a gig and we turn it down, he doesn't get pissy and not book us for six months or some shit. He's a businessman. Treat him right, he'll keep us working, and we all make some money.
This isn't a huge deal. He had set us up with two gigs in December, knowing full well that we only had two sets, maybe 2.5 hours of material tops. He booked us anyway, and said to play three 45-minute sets with 20-minute breaks. Three hours, problem solved. Then Steve quit, and John called him immediately, told him the situation, and we had to back out. He understood. We gave him plenty of notice, so he wasn't left hanging. That's good. So yesterday, John sent him an email saying that we were back to at least where we were in December, and should be ready for full shows by summer. He responded by saying that someone had just cancelled on him for May 27, and offered it to us. John said he'd check with the band and let him know as soon as possible. Two of us can't make it, so John will reply today that we can't do it. I'm sure he doesn't actually expect to get a response same day, so I don't think this will be a problem. He's still got over two months, and plenty of bands trying to get work.
I'm using monikers like "The Man" and "Agent Dude" because in general, I have a thing against booking agents. That's from past experience getting screwed by them, even though it was years ago with my old band. But in relating these events, I've chosen to give them silly names rather than use their real names. There's no point in that, plus there's the tiniest chance that these tales will show up in searches and stuff.
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Damn, I love playing music!!
I don't comment on this thread that often, even though I initiated it, but I always enjoy reading your blog-like posts. You truly sound like an awesome dude to play music with. Making music with fun and and (at least to some extent) experienced people and having a good time while doing that is one of the best things ever.
I'm considering joining something like a jam band. I kind of miss simply playing music in a band. My own band rehearsals are very strict and to the point, which is definitely fun in its own regard (don't get me wrong, I love playing with the guys and nailing the stuff we write), but it's a different kind of fun than jamming and messing around. I want impromptu extended songs live as well and jamming around on stage. I'm pretty versatile as well. Although the guitar is my main instrument, I could pick up the sax as well occasionally (it would certainly be an incentkve to use it more often) and I know my way around the piano at least well enough for simple stuff. Plus I can sing reasonably well. Maybe once some other things in my life settle down a bit, I can have a look around for a band.
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Orbert, I love reading your posts as well. Your joy in playing is obvious, and it is inspirational for a musician like me, whose only real outlet right now is playing at church (which I love, don't get me wrong).
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Orbert's saga IS the musician's chat thread.
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Thanks. You guys are too kind. Music is indeed the one thing in life that I'm truly passionate about, and sharing what I've done and what I've learned in my many years is a way of giving back to the community. And yeah, bragging and showing off a bit, too. But really, I'm just trying to make people aware of the possibilities.
I moved to the Chicago area over 20 years ago now, but between a young son, a new job, and just plain hustling to make ends meet (I supplemented my income by tutoring math in the evenings), there was no time for music. After our daughter was born, we joined a church and I started singing in the choir, just to feed my music jones. I'd never sung in a choir before, but I could read music and have decent pitch, so what the heck. Making music with my mouth instead of my fingers. Somehow, that led to playing in the praise band, then eventually doing all kinds of arrangements for other things as well.
(https://imgur.com/38fJEMw.jpg) (https://www.facebook.com/Flashdrive2015/) The band which is now FlashDrive started when Karen, who used to sing at The Chapel (a different church) with me, was in a startup band that needed a keyboard player. She's gone now, and John and I are actually the only original members left, but it wouldn't have happened if I didn't take a chance on playing keys at The Chapel, and I only did that because a co-worker of mine was playing bass up there. He's long gone now, too, but I've kept in contact with most of those folks.
As I see it, musicians are a community. Yeah, we have to compete with each other for the venues and gigs available to us, but we're all trying to do the same thing, play music for people. So the important thing is to just get out there and do it. Musicians have a way of finding each other, and you never know what can happen. At the very least, you get to play and people get to hear you. That's already win-win right there, and it only goes up from there.
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I can't wait to see you gig. I miss being in a band...
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You'll get your chance. If the band can just hold it together another couple of months, we'll be ready for prime time. We had to turn down the only two new offers we've had, so the only thing on the books right now is a festival in June. John's out of town on business right now, but when he gets back, I'm sure he'll be busting his ass to get us something. He's a hustler and a good businessman; he didn't rise to CIO of a major corporation by accident. He worked for it. He'll get us something.
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I've been writing 80's video game music since last night. Holy shit guys, this is so much fun! What do you guys think?? (the pieces aren't necessarily supposed to flow together or anything, although some kind of do)
https://soundcloud.com/cody-marshall-mckenna/sonics-super-poke-kong-world
https://soundcloud.com/cody-marshall-mckenna/battle-themeromancenight-time-village
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^Awesome! nailed the vibe
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Something I've always wanted to do. My computer crapped out so I can't at the moment.
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Easter Weekend was pretty music-filled for me. Friday Night, our new Youth Director came up with a wacky idea to host "Dinner at Joseph's". Joseph of Arimathea, that is, the night of the crucifixion. A number of people were "cast" as certain people from the Bible, and they spoke about what they'd seen and felt, how they knew Him, what they think it all means, etc. A couple of us were local musicians hired by Joseph to provide music and atmosphere. So I brought a flute and recorder, Michael played violin. We played a bunch of free-form stuff in D minor (the saddest key) to set the tone. Wandered in and out of melodies and harmonies, echoed off of each other, that kind of thing. We kept it low key. It was pretty cool. Got some nice compliments.
(https://imgur.com/38fJEMw.jpg) (https://www.facebook.com/Flashdrive2015/)
Saturday was band practice with FlashDrive. Worked up a medley of three songs that our new guy Pat used to do with another band, and tightened up "Babe" by Styx which was a minor train wreck at our last gig. The break was, anyway.
Sunday of course was Easter. I took a brass quartet (two trumpets, two trombones) and arranged it for what we had available, which was flute and violin on one part, alto sax, French horn, and tenor sax. The balance wasn't bad, with the flute and violin doubling. We did two tunes, plus of course the choir had a couple of tunes. Actually, counting choir rehearsal Thursday night, it was four straight days of musical indulgence.
The band has another offer, second weekend in June, at another tiny little place with a tiny little stage, but at least it's in the same county. Actually not too far from John's house. So at least it's not a frickin' hour away like the last two gigs. That would be two gigs in June. Hopefully something will come up between now and then, though. If not, we'll have time to nail down our third set and be ready for the summer festivals.
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Where are the gigs in June?
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Some new piano music for you guys.
https://soundcloud.com/cody-marshall-mckenna/alone-again
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That feeling when you wake up in the morning with a cool melody in your head and by the time you've turned on your phone to record it, it's gone:
(https://i564.photobucket.com/albums/ss83/AliveAgainAvenger/FFFUUU-.png)
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Where are the gigs in June?
Saturday, June 11 at The Irish Mill Inn in Mundelein. Tiny little place. The upside is that it's close by. Downsides are... many, but it's a nice little place.
Saturday, June 25 is a thing called VetFest, the first annual actually. It's out in Huntley. I guess our debut at Sammy's in Huntley impressed somebody so much that they contacted someone they knew who's on the team organizing VetFest, and convinced them that we should be one of the three bands. So we are. That's how word-of-mouth works. VetFest of course is a festival honoring Veterans, and half the band are Veterans (three of the six, including myself) so it's a good fit.
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Some new piano music for you guys.
https://soundcloud.com/cody-marshall-mckenna/alone-again
That's nice and relaxing! Perhaps it could do with a contrasting part somewhere?
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OK, here's a problem.
At church, our band has gone into personal monitoring (in-ear/headphones as opposed to floor wedges). I have been using headphones for the last month or so, and overall I've loved it - love doing my own mix, love not relying on the sound man, etch.
Just used in-ears for the first time Sunday morning, and there were some differences. Biggest problem is easily that the in-ears completely seal me off from the outside, which would be great if I weren't singing. My skull is filled up with my head voice.
How do I get around that? Better buds? I don't relish the idea of only using one bud, that seems to defeat the purpose. I know that pro performers/singers use both, so it must be a fixable problem.
Any ideas?
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I have no idea, so I'll leave it up to someone with experience there to answer. But it was all in-ear monitors at The Chapel, and it took some getting used to. I loved have my own private mix of whatever I wanted, but it was kind of a pain the way it sealed off the world. At the end of each song, or if we stopped partway through, the WL would sometimes start talking, giving comments/pointers, then remember that we couldn't hear him unless we pulled them out. After a while, he'd just give his comments to into the mike, and we could hear him, but some folks would pull them out of their ears out of habit, then have to put them back in. It got to the point where we had to have ground rules just to know what to do if/when we ever had to stop during a rehearsal. The final verdict was to just leave them in all the time, and he'd talk through the mike, but it took a while. Then he left and we got another WL.
But I only ever played keyboards, never did any vocals with that group, so I have no idea what it would be like to sing with those things in. Seems like it would be weird.
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OK, here's a problem.
At church, our band has gone into personal monitoring (in-ear/headphones as opposed to floor wedges). I have been using headphones for the last month or so, and overall I've loved it - love doing my own mix, love not relying on the sound man, etch.
Just used in-ears for the first time Sunday morning, and there were some differences. Biggest problem is easily that the in-ears completely seal me off from the outside, which would be great if I weren't singing. My skull is filled up with my head voice.
How do I get around that? Better buds? I don't relish the idea of only using one bud, that seems to defeat the purpose. I know that pro performers/singers use both, so it must be a fixable problem.
Any ideas?
I've used in-ears for years, they really take some getting used to if you are singing. Better buds probably won't solve the problem you are having because good quality in-ears are supposed to seal off sound, so if you buy better quality ones you'll probably further the issue.
I have done the one ear out thing before, but I don't like that because you lose a lot of the clarity of the mix, which is one of the huge benefits to having in-ears in the first place.
Some in-ear companys do make models with "ambient" bleed, basically they intentionally don't seal your ear off the whole way and allows bleed from the stage sound in... This might be good for you to hear less of your voice in your head. Other options would be less specific, essentially what I have done is adjust my in-ear mix if I'm singing so that I really don't have my vocal mic turned up hardly at all in my actual mix, that way, even though I hear my voice in my head, it's not overpowering the mix of instruments. The last thing I'll suggest is time. My wife has been singing in churches since she was a kid and in the last couple years was put into a situation where she had to use in-ears. She struggled because she was hearing her voice differently for the first time ever, it caused her to adjust some things, but after a while she got used to it and now hates to sing without in-ears because now she's used to that level of transparency hearing her voice.
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Yeah, I turned my vocal channel all the way down. But when I sang, my voice was still louder than anything else in my ears lol
I'll just work with it more. Like I said, Sunday was the first time I've used them, and that was for performance, not even a rehearsal where I could work with it a little.
"Fuck it, we'll do it live!"
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My dad has used in ears for years in his band. I could ask him.
I'll try to make it to one of those gigs Bob. I'm kind of equidistant from both Mundelein and Huntley.
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If I wasn't singing as well, there would be no issue.
Oh well.
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If I wasn't singing as well, there would be no issue.
Oh well.
What do you play in addition to singing? Everyone in my dads band uses in ears and everyone sings at some point while playing.
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Guitar normally.
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Guitar normally.
I'll ask the guitarist what he does.
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So I've been putting together a very basic instrumental and finally have everything recorded in Reaper (which I ditched Audacity for and couldn't be happier). The only thing that I didn't actually play was the drums, which I put together in Hydrogen drum software. Not the best option, but I'm not spending hundreds on GOOD drum software, when this isn't something I do more often. Maybe someday.
Anyway, it's basically something I've kinda put together as a gift of sorts for Mrs. C, like "Look, this is for you!" for our anniversary. So I've been spending a ton of time downstairs working on this, but trying to be quiet about it. Couple that with the lack of any good studio monitors to listen back through and it's bee difficult finishing up. I'm going to go back in tonight and adjust some levels and hopefully get it to the balance I would like. Once I'm happy with it and she's heard it, I'll post it so you guys can hear it.
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That sounds pretty cool. Babes love it when you write a tune for them. It's so romantic!
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Amazingly, it's 100x more difficult to come up with a slow and restrained melody than it is to just jam.
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Oh yeah, writing instrumentals is not for the meek. Basically, the melody alone, and your performance of it, have to carry everything. No words, so no "message" to get across, at least not in the conventional way. It's all you.
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Being the first time I've ever even attempted such a thing, it's fairly basic, but if nothing else, it's given me a considerable amount of experience working in Reaper and re-thinking ideas that I (at first) thought were good and trying to find ways to improve them.
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I'm really excited. After being inspired by Michael Giacchino's application of theme and variation to the soundtrack of Zootopia, I've just started writing my Symphony #2. This time instead of being 4 movements, it will just be a single long movement (20-30 minutes?) in a sort of symphonic poem style, with a ton of themes each representing something (characters, events, feelings, etc) in some written but untold story I'll write for it. The introductory theme looks like this.
(https://i.imgur.com/6pe1bLn.png)
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Sound good so far! I like melodies that kinda go back and forth between major and minor. They feel more free-form, less restricted to tonality or something. You never know where they're gonna go, so if this is the opening of a long-form piece, the possibilities are endless.
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I got an email yesterday while at work (to my personal email) from one of the women from my church; her daughter is auditioning for a couple of things, and needs an accompanist. Since she doesn't have rehearsal until 7, she wondered if I had any time between 3 and 7. This made almost no sense to me, so naturally I was intrigued. It was 1:30 at the time. She apologized for the late notice and offered to pay me for my time, which I had no intention of accepting. I've played for her in the past, and she's a sweet kid with a beautiful voice. It's always a pleasure playing for her, and a good excuse to leave work early, too.
Eventually I worked out that she got out of school at 3, had to be at rehearsal at 7, so this left time in between for the auditions. I still wasn't sure what the heck was going on, but I told the mom that I could probably duck out of work at 5 (which is early for me), meet them around 5:30, and if she had sheet music, then we're probably fine, but if I had to work things out by ear, we might need some time (which we obviously didn't have). Last time it was a song from some show I'd never heard of, and all they had was a YouTube video. I found some bad sheet music online, in the wrong key, and worked something out, but going from cold to audition-quality in an hour wasn't likely. Show tunes tend to jump all over the place and use a lot of fun chords. She said she had sheet music.
I get there and they've got a video camera. The "audition" is actually in the form of a recording, two songs, which she sends to various places. That's how you audition for summer programs and stuff these days. Okay, so that's good, because it means we can do multiple takes and keep the best one of each. Except the battery is getting low, and the spare is dead. Great. So we're only going to get a couple of shots at each one.
I look at the songs; one's in Db, the other Gb. Seriously? Five flats, six flats in the signature, and since it's show music, accidentals all over the place. Oh wait, this one isn't Gb; it's actually Eb minor. Yay.
Practiced myself a few times, then she started singing along with me a few times. We worked out the tempos of each, the changes (there were many), the dramatic pauses (one in each song), all that. One of them slowed down at the end, the other just ran its course. It was almost 6:30 by this point. I was thinking we had until 7, but that's when rehearsal starts; she has to leave about 6:45. So now we have 15 minutes to get a good take of each song.
The battery had enough juice for three takes of each song, and in each case the third one was the best. No surprise there. Knowing the tape was rolling got the adrenaline pumping, but these were still tough pieces. She had to bolt; it was almost 7 and she was gonna be late for rehearsal. She's in the school play, of course; this was all for something completely different. Mom reaches for her wallet; I told her no way. I was my pleasure, plus I honestly wasn't that good. She insisted, literally pushing the money at me (a couple of 20's) and besides, she thought it sounded great. She's always amazed at how I can just blah blah blah okay fine, I'll take your money.
So I got out of work early, got to play some challenging music and help someone with their audition, and even made 40 bucks. Life of a free-lance musician.
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The happy-go-lucky days in the life of Orbert.
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The happy-go-lucky days in the life of Orbert.
It makes a nice change from the usual punishment of Orbert's almost band (which seems to be getting a good head of steam now by the sounds of things!)
So I've been putting together a very basic instrumental and finally have everything recorded in Reaper (which I ditched Audacity for and couldn't be happier). The only thing that I didn't actually play was the drums, which I put together in Hydrogen drum software. Not the best option, but I'm not spending hundreds on GOOD drum software, when this isn't something I do more often. Maybe someday.
Anyway, it's basically something I've kinda put together as a gift of sorts for Mrs. C, like "Look, this is for you!" for our anniversary. So I've been spending a ton of time downstairs working on this, but trying to be quiet about it. Couple that with the lack of any good studio monitors to listen back through and it's bee difficult finishing up. I'm going to go back in tonight and adjust some levels and hopefully get it to the balance I would like. Once I'm happy with it and she's heard it, I'll post it so you guys can hear it.
Awesome! Can't wait to hear it. I've written a couple for my wife, she doesn't listen to them very often but :lol
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Yeah, there hasn't been much drama lately with the band. I've meant to post an update a couple of times lately, but haven't had the proper combination of time and motivation. I mean, if something drastic and ridiculous happens (band member quits, major gig scored, etc) then that's noteworthy, but lately it's just been working up songs and slowly adding gigs to the calendar. We're coming along. I really hate some of the new songs, but whatever; we all end up playing stuff we don't really like sometimes.
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Yeah, there hasn't been much drama lately with the band. I've meant to post an update a couple of times lately, but haven't had the proper combination of time and motivation. I mean, if something drastic and ridiculous happens (band member quits, major gig scored, etc) then that's noteworthy, but lately it's just been working up songs and slowly adding gigs to the calendar. We're coming along. I really hate some of the new songs, but whatever; we all end up playing stuff we don't really like sometimes.
Life of a band member. I still wish I had the time to do something like that. The choir I'm in has quite a few gigs coming up and so I'm busy as hell. But that's life. I do plan on catching a gig of yours if I have time and I'm close. Just keep the fb page updated and/or post here.
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So here's 2 minutes of the work-in-progress Symphony #2.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByOxb4EZHbgpd2N1X3BNaVFOWTA/view?usp=sharing
Sort of stuck with that huge resolution at the end :lol I'll figure out how to keep going soon, though.
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Nice stuff.
Rather than me critique anything (beyond "I think it is really good"), what do you consider the strongest parts that are "done" (besides sound, production and maybe minor re-orchestrating) and which parts do you think you might come back for some stronger tweaking?
You should start a thread on orchestration and use some of your work as examples. Why you choose this instrument for that line here, and that for that one there (beyond the obvious range limitations). I messed with stuff in the early 90s, but MIDI was so much worse back then (at least on a budget). The hardware synths were multi-timbral, but you could really hear all the depth of each instrument go down the drain when you chose it. So I usually had a drum machine for drums and bass and one synth that I would only use one patch/tone at a time so that tone sounded good instead of 4 or 5 thin patches at once. And I'd play guitar over it (but that was a live thing as recording guitar back then was dreadful). Unfortunately, it kind of hurt my ability to experiment with better orchestration.
I'm more into unnatural synth sounds these days. But if you put up a thread on classic orchestra with samples and your thought process, I'd find the time to check it out. I know there are other places on the net for that, but I'd probably do it on a casual basis. I doubt I'm the only one that would find it interesting.
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I ordered JP's Rock Discipline book from Amazon earlier in the week, and it arrived yesterday.
I'm going to make an effort to spend some time working through it. Prob a small amount of time (20-30 mins) each night for a while to see how I get on. I've been playing for over 20 years, but have to admit that I've never really practiced regularly, unless there is something very specific that I'm working on, which is rare. It will be a shock to the system!
I'm afraid it might be a case of "old dog, new tricks" though. :lol
What have been other folks' experiences of the book? Helpful? Infuriating? Make you want to chew your own fingers off?? :)
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So here's 2 minutes of the work-in-progress Symphony #2.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByOxb4EZHbgpd2N1X3BNaVFOWTA/view?usp=sharing
Sort of stuck with that huge resolution at the end :lol I'll figure out how to keep going soon, though.
I dig the opening melody! Glad to find other people doing orchestral work here :tup
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Song is done and posted in my Soundcloud thread!
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So I wrote a serial piece (https://musescore.com/user/100120/scores/2038976) for my final composition project in Theory 4. It's pretty cool if you're into that kind of stuff.
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So I wrote a serial piece (https://musescore.com/user/100120/scores/2038976) for my final composition project in Theory 4. It's pretty cool if you're into that kind of stuff.
That's pretty cool indeed, I like it! What exactly is a serial piece?
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Sounds like a soundtrack to some really out there indie movie. Pretty cool.
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So I wrote a serial piece (https://musescore.com/user/100120/scores/2038976) for my final composition project in Theory 4. It's pretty cool if you're into that kind of stuff.
That's pretty cool indeed, I like it! What exactly is a serial piece?
Basically a piece of music that uses a row of unrepeated notes and the entire piece is just manipulations (transposition, inversion, retrograde, and retrograde inversion) of the row. The row in this is a 7 note row (C - G - C# - D - A - F# - G#) that I do some of those things two, going back and forth between fast and slow.
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I attempted to write a 12-tone piece in college to make it tonal. My composition professor got mad. :lol not really but he was like "you aren't supposed to do that!!"
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So I wrote a serial piece (https://musescore.com/user/100120/scores/2038976) for my final composition project in Theory 4. It's pretty cool if you're into that kind of stuff.
That's pretty cool indeed, I like it! What exactly is a serial piece?
Basically a piece of music that uses a row of unrepeated notes and the entire piece is just manipulations (transposition, inversion, retrograde, and retrograde inversion) of the row. The row in this is a 7 note row (C - G - C# - D - A - F# - G#) that I do some of those things two, going back and forth between fast and slow.
Thanks for the explanation! :)
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Update on my band, because fun!
We've ditched the guy who was our drummer and who had the studio we recorded in. It just wasn't working. He didn't care for the music, he never had the time to record, so we were getting nowhere. So now it's just me and two guys left, and we've started recording demos at one of the other guys' house instead. We've already gotten further in a few weeks than we did with the other guy in a few months.
We still need to find a singer and a new drummer, but once we've done that and gotten the demos done we have a more professional studio guy we know that we can go to. We'll have to pay this time, but it'll be worth it.
Also, where we record our demos is just a few hundred yards away from Fascination Street Studios, also known as Jens Bogren's place. We'd love to involve them in some part of the process, perhaps for mastering once the album is done a year/a few years down the line. That would be mighty exciting.
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Changing personnel is never fun, but if it's necessary and you're better off with the change, then it's a good thing even if it's a hassle. Sounds like it's the right move here. Good luck!
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Have a small 1 minute bit of a 12-tone serial piece (https://musescore.com/user/100120/scores/2151341) I'm working on.
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While we're at it; my band released a short snippet of 5 new songs on our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/overhaulband/?fref=ts). We're going to record a full album of 11-13 tracks later this year and it will definitely be released before the end of 2016 (unless things go very wrong, in which case it will be 2017).
At this point we're mainly looking for places to record our drums and guitar, since all the rest (bass, keys and vocals) is stuff we can do at home well enough. Then we're looking for someone to mix the stuff and someone else to master it. The demo EP we released 2 years ago was nice and all, but it's very outdated and frankly, it doesn't sound as good as we would have liked. We're going all the way for the debut album, because we feel that's what our music deserves.
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Have a small 1 minute bit of a 12-tone serial piece (https://musescore.com/user/100120/scores/2151341) I'm working on.
That sounds really epic, especially near the end! :omg:
While we're at it; my band released a short snippet of 5 new songs on our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/overhaulband/?fref=ts). We're going to record a full album of 11-13 tracks later this year and it will definitely be released before the end of 2016 (unless things go very wrong, in which case it will be 2017).
The instrumental part sounds quite solid and very energetic, what's up with the chipmunk? :lol Does remind me a little bit of The Mars Volta this way :D
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Everything is sped up :lol That's how we put this much music into less than a minute. The album will be at a normal speed :P
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Have a small 1 minute bit of a 12-tone serial piece (https://musescore.com/user/100120/scores/2151341) I'm working on.
That sounds really epic, especially near the end! :omg:
Thank you. Eventually I expect the piece to be about 5-10 minutes. 12-tone serial pieces are pretty easy to write since the only rule is that you cannot repeat the notes of a row within a row.
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My composition professor got mad at me when I did a 12 tone song but used about 20 different variations of the tone row in order to try and get some sort of tonality out of it. it's a woodwind trio for flute, oboe, and bassoon, with piano accompaniment... It's on my other hard drive and I don't have access to it at the moment :(
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Here's a few things I did in college.
An orchestration of a Debussy prelude (I got a B+ on it and am still pissed) (https://web.archive.org/web/20060430212628/https://students.millikin.edu/~slent/downloads/Debussy%20La%20Cathedrale.mid)
OK never mind everything else that was on there sucked :lol
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We had to harmonise melodies and we would run the result through a midi-sequencer and put blast-beats underneath. The results were usually hilarious :lol
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Last thing I released was an EP in September last year, but in the shadow of Paris in the Spring being on hiatus, I have worked on a collaboration with Joseph Tingle (Perpetual Change formerly on this forum), who I have collaborated with before for PitS, but this time it's a whole new project where we've worked 50/50 on it.
It's pretty close to release now and our work is pretty much done. Looking to release it before May is over if possible, and it will be a 6 song EP, kinda Indie Rock with some ambient & post-rock influences, not that far off from some of my albums. But yeah, should be coming out soon. Happy about that, and happy about finally getting something creative out again. :)
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I've got hardly any motivation at the moment to record new music and anything I do record sounds pretty poor tbh so i'm just recording demoes and I don't care how long it takes to put the next
album out. The first "Juggernaut" album I put out took me like 2 years. 1 year of writing demoes and almost 1 year of recording so it would be cool to do that again.
After that first year I had like TWO HOURS of ideas in an iTunes playlist which I whittled down to a 35 minute album.
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Last thing I released was an EP in September last year, but in the shadow of Paris in the Spring being on hiatus, I have worked on a collaboration with Joseph Tingle (Perpetual Change formerly on this forum), who I have collaborated with before for PitS, but this time it's a whole new project where we've worked 50/50 on it.
It's pretty close to release now and our work is pretty much done. Looking to release it before May is over if possible, and it will be a 6 song EP, kinda Indie Rock with some ambient & post-rock influences, not that far off from some of my albums. But yeah, should be coming out soon. Happy about that, and happy about finally getting something creative out again. :)
So yeah this is out now!
https://arcadiaforever.bandcamp.com/
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Listening now, sounds very relaxing.
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Very nice. August 18, 2013 is especially good so far.
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Cool to hear that you like it! Yeah we definitely went for a pretty chill vibe. A day at the beach kinda. :)
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(https://imgur.com/38fJEMw.jpg) (https://www.facebook.com/Flashdrive2015/)
Had a gig last night, it went pretty well overall. Outdoor thing set up in the big parking lot out back, under a tent, perfect weather, the first band went from 1:00 to 4:30, then we were supposed to go 5:30 to 9:00. Well, that's wrong, because it takes more than an hour for one band to move all their stuff out and another to set up and be ready to play. At 5:30, however, we were surprisingly close to set up, thanks to a lot of coordination and many hands making light work, but once we got to checking the mikes, something was wrong. So we lost 20 minutes chasing down a bad cable, and that was after taking longer than I would've thought for two guitarists to get all their shit together. I thought the idea behind having all your pedals on a board and semi-permanently arranged was so that you can just plug in and play. I was the first one set up, and had keyboards, stand, pedals, amp, saxophone, and my own mike to deal with.
Anyway, we didn't start til nearly 6:30, so after the first set, one of the guitarists turns around and says "We should just keep going, since we started late". I was still pretty fresh, so I voted "Yea" and so did everyone else, so we went another set. Okay, at 8:15, I was damned glad for that break. Somewhere in there, I got a cramp in my foot, since gigging and rehearsing are the longest I ever stand up non-stop these days, but I kept playing, and tried to make it look like I was striking dramatic rock poses while I was stretching out my left leg and foot. For anyone actually watching me, that is. One of the good things about being in the back corner is that no one ever sees me, and to be honest, I'm usually okay with that. Yeah, it would be nice to be seen once in a while, but mostly no one knows I'm even there. "Oh, your band has keyboards? Cool."
Proof: During the break, I went to get a Coke at the bar. The guy took his time (asshole), slowly wandered over and got a cup, poured it, and asked me if I was gonna run a tab or what. I told him I thought the band got drinks for free (which we do, word from the owner herself). He said "Oh, are you with the band?" You asshole, I just got done playing for nearly two hours, and I still have my saxophone strap around my neck. Also, you asked me the same thing last time I was here.
Anyway, this was our first time playing three full sets. John had it in his head that we needed to have 40 songs down before we started taking on full gigs, which meant that we nailed down two songs at our last rehearsal. There, we have 40 songs. But we only skipped two songs, skipped a break, and still went until 9:30. I guess around here, you play three longer sets. Back in the 80's, it was four sets of 45, sometimes five 40's, whatever. Now they want fewer breaks, so longer sets. Getting too old to Rock and Roll? Never!!
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:metal
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I'll catch you guys at the next one. I'll be done with school then!!!! FINALLY!!!
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Next one's up in Mundelein on June 11. John says the stage there is really small. This will be the closest gig so far, at least in the same freakin' county, but with six of us, fitting everyone up there will be a pain. This should be interesting.
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And you know that by the rules of stage priority, you'll probably end up having to play the gig from the bathroom. People can say hi on their piss break. :neverusethis:
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Yeah. There's usually a round of emails that go around after a gig, and this one's no different. Things that were good, things that we need to work on, etc. As usual, most pictures show our singer being animated and engaging, while the guitarists are standing up there looking at their hands while they play. The back row is actually looking up and out most of the time, but our front line is pretty boring. I can't even be seen in most pics, since I always end up behind a stack and/or in the shadows. I could actually be off stage somewhere, and maybe four people there would even know the difference. And half of them are in the band.
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That's the way it goes sometimes. When my dad's band plays at Coins in Kenosha, it's like that, but they have such a blast playing there. Having that energy and excitement through the ENTIRE band and not just the singer is very VERY important. When that happens, the crowd will usually be engaged.
Speaking of venues, I'm trying to find places for my dad's band to play. He wants to kind of break through into this market and expand to more upper midwest venues than just mainly NE, SE, SW Wisconsin, and E Iowa once in a while. They've won WAMI awards (like the state's version of the grammys, basically acknolwedging achievement throughout wisconsin; they've won best tribute band twice, and last year my dad won best male vocalist in the STATE), so that should be some sort of indicator of success. Obviously, they have a huge setup, and a pretty devoted following that would make the trip down here. I emailed Dirty Nellie's and Reggie's, and he's mentioned he wants to play the Arcada in St. Charles, but I'm wondering if there are any other places in the area that would be able and willing to host them. Do you happen to know of any that I'm forgetting, Bob?
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I know almost nothing about the scene around here. I'm a transplant from Michigan, and have only played bars around here for a few years, and at that, only four times, and all pretty small places.
Edited: Probably shouldn't be using real names here.
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EDIT
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Actually, I think I'm going to edit my post. I don't think we should be using real names here. Google searches, etc.
Coz, editing your own post is up to you, but my band name is here in this same thread, so I probably should be more careful.
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Yeah I'd possibly edit your post, Coz.
I don't know much about the music scene either, and really don't know a lot of people who are in it. I'm just looking for venues that would work for the band. They have the Journey band, which is a full blown setup with lights and projectors and everything, so they need a big stage for that which is why I'm looking at larger venues like Durty Nellies or something. I basically looked up music venues in chicago and ignored like house of blues and stuff like that... he's probably going to have more success in the burbs anyway... so I found a few venues all throughout the area, south, west, and north. Wheeeeee
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Not sure that you need to ignore the House of Blues. I know the one in Myrtle Beach occasionally has tribute bands play.
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Yeah I'd possibly edit your post, Coz.
Completely understandable. Done
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Thanks, Coz. I don't know if the guy is in the habit of Google searching himself or various band names (especially since ours is also a fairly common word) but you never know.
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Not sure that you need to ignore the House of Blues. I know the one in Myrtle Beach occasionally has tribute bands play.
I guess. They just haven't "broken through" this market yet, you know? There's a more popular (although inferior, in my completely unbiased opinion) that plays more often around here called infinity, but I haven't seen them performing for a while. Also, house of blues in myrtle beach is probably different than HoB in Chicago. They do a lot more "up and coming" bands here than tribute bands. Or at least that's from what I've seen.
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The one in Myrtle Beach features a little of everything. Current bands play there, and classic rock acts play there (I just missed Heart there last summer), and they also do comedians and rock tribute bands.
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So today we answered the question which no one dared to ask: What if someone decided to arrange a couple of classics from the Methodist Hymnal for two alto saxophones?
(https://imgur.com/SvyjsqM.jpg)
Brian - Alto II, Orbert - Alto I
There's a certain freedom in arranging duets; for the most part, one of us always has the melody, and the other has to do something which provides everything else. Rhythm, and carefully chosen harmonies so you "feel" the chords. I took it a bit further by having the two of us constantly toss the melody back and forth between us, so as the lines interwove, whoever ended up on top had the melody for a while. Usually. Sometimes the top line was harmony, but I used a few tricks to make it work. People seemed to like it.
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That's outstanding. I would love to have heard that.
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Thanks. There aren't a lot of what I would call "real" musicians in the congregation, those with any degree of musical knowledge, but the few who were there made sure to compliment me on the arrangements. They thought they were unique and really just pretty cool. And that's all I was going for. It was a fun challenge, something different, and we did it up.
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Sweet.
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"If a cock could sing." - My cousin trying to convey the passion in the sound of a sax
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Checked the intonation on my 2011 Gibson Les Paul recently and apart from the G - it was pretty much spot on :metal
Plus I raised the pickups slightly. Sounds awesome now.
Spent a couple of days also setting the intonation on my SG and it's also much better now. I just need to sort out the nut on that one and possibly lower the action a bit. :)
Plus i'm thinking of removing the Min-E-Tune system on it and putting normal tulip machine heads on.
The Min - E - Tune is cool but i'm not a gigging musician.
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I'm hoping to catch your gig this weekend, Bob. It's all dependent on how tired I am and I honestly don't remember if anything is going on Saturday... Sunday I'm going to two parties (my brother-in-law;s retirement party and my friend's Tonys party) so I'm honestly not sure what's going on.
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The venue is small, and the stage is even smaller. John gave us an idea of the size of the stage the other day at practice. "See the area of the brown rug. It's about that." The brown rug covers about half of our practice space, maybe a little less. Maybe 15 feet wide, eight feet deep. The rest is covered by the blue rug.
I'll be crammed into a corner, behind one of the stacks, with my saxophone set up under the piano. Because the place is so small, John has opted to forego a sound man, so you won't hear me, either. As usual, the guitars will get louder as the evening goes on, meanwhile no one will be there to turn up the keys, which will be coming through the P.A. I'll have my little practice amp on stage, but that's basically my monitor. It's the only way I can hear myself. My amp, hidden behind the stack next to me, cannot possibly compete with guitars and Mesa Boogie amps.
So while I hope you can make it, this one has a relatively low potential to not suck. We're only doing it because it's five minutes from John's house and he likes the place. Acoustic duos and trios play there, and are fine. I have no idea why he thinks it's a good idea for a six-piece rock and roll band to play there. I was pretty pessimistic about both of the places we've played so far, however, and all three (two at the same place) have turned out to be great gigs. So hopefully we won't suck.
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I'm performing Schumann's Missa sacra on Saturday, pretty excited for that! It's a 40-minute piece for choir and organ, and probably the longest piece that I've ever sung. Yeah, it's divided into parts, but still.
Here's a link (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJolNMFqlU0) if you're interested.
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Sweet! That should be cool!
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Good luck! :tup
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OMG that sounds awesome. Wish I could see that, Scorpion.
I sang this (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_MZoEE9pe0)about a month ago. This was a BITCH to learn. It's a lot harder than it sounds, because it's double choir, and we did it as an acapella 16 piece vocal ensemble. We didn't take it this fast, obviously.
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Oh, here it is!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBCfxj8Eov4
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So our performance went pretty well, the only annoying thing was that there was what felt like a floodlight on the choir making it really uncomfortable to stand there in a suit because you were basically sweating from the first second on. Other than that, I had a really great time, and everyone that I talked to really enjoyed hearing the mass.
There was also a recording made, which I might post here once I have it; I hope it turned out good.
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Congratulations! Performing a mass is not for the weak or faint of heart.
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The venue is small, and the stage is even smaller. John gave us an idea of the size of the stage the other day at practice. "See the area of the brown rug. It's about that." The brown rug covers about half of our practice space, maybe a little less. Maybe 15 feet wide, eight feet deep. The rest is covered by the blue rug.
I'll be crammed into a corner, behind one of the stacks, with my saxophone set up under the piano. Because the place is so small, John has opted to forego a sound man, so you won't hear me, either. As usual, the guitars will get louder as the evening goes on, meanwhile no one will be there to turn up the keys, which will be coming through the P.A. I'll have my little practice amp on stage, but that's basically my monitor. It's the only way I can hear myself. My amp, hidden behind the stack next to me, cannot possibly compete with guitars and Mesa Boogie amps.
So while I hope you can make it, this one has a relatively low potential to not suck. We're only doing it because it's five minutes from John's house and he likes the place. Acoustic duos and trios play there, and are fine. I have no idea why he thinks it's a good idea for a six-piece rock and roll band to play there. I was pretty pessimistic about both of the places we've played so far, however, and all three (two at the same place) have turned out to be great gigs. So hopefully we won't suck.
Okay, we didn't suck. In fact, people seemed to really like us, which obviously is not a bad thing. Maybe I should just accept the fact that John is going to book us into crummy little places because that's all we can get (for now?) and stop being so pessimistic, because the fact is that we haven't had a bad gig yet. Every one has been well received and, I must admit, much more fun than I thought.
I wasn't too far off about the stage dimensions. 18 wide by 7.5 deep. Tight. Also, at one end was a statue of St. Patrick, and at my end -- I jive you not -- a bookshelf and some other crap that we were not allowed to move. Also, behind the stage was a big TV, which was left on all night. He killed the sound, but since one of the other two TVs in the room was down, he wanted to leave the big one on. Okay.
(https://i.imgur.com/EF45mxu.jpg)
It was loud as fuck in there, as predicted, but my wife was there, and she says that yeah, the volume was insane, but the mix itself wasn't bad. You could hear everything. I asked if that included keyboards, and she said yes, in fact they might have been too loud in a few spots. Yes! I mean, no, not great that things were out of balance, but I do get a bit tired of playing for my own amusement. Because the place was tiny, John chose to forego a sound man, and as the guitars got louder, I just turned myself up, too.
Our drummer JT was late, as usual, so sound check was late and rushed, which is bad enough in a small room, but fatal if you don't have a sound man to adjust things as you go. I'd turned my keys down to 2 to warm up (which we all did while people were still trying to watch TV and stuff), and before I knew it, John had turned me up at the board to compensate, and that part of the sound check was done. Then we started the first song. I was therefore responsible for turning myself up a bit for solos, but there's a huge difference between 2 and 2.5 when the P.A. is multiplying everything. But in general, the mix was good, people danced, I got paid, and overall I had a great time, and I think so did everyone else. So we're four-for-four. I mean, I really don't think our band is capable of playing a gig that truly sucks, so I shouldn't be surprised. All things considered, we're getting pretty good.
I also met a very pretty girl named Jessica who told me I was great and had "mad skills". I also met her boyfriend Armand, and my wife was there and there was zero chance of anything happening anyway, but Jessica had beautiful hair and a great ass and it's important to remember why we're doing this.
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Indeed :metal
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I'll catch you guys one of these days. I swear. This sounds like a broken record of promises. We had two parties the next day (my brother in laws retirement party way out in Hampshire and then my friends Tony award party in Des Plaines so lots of driving (I didn't drive because I drank more)... But yeah. Couldn't go the night before. The next gig looks more doable.
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(https://imgur.com/38fJEMw.jpg) (https://www.facebook.com/Flashdrive2015/)
Vet Fest in Huntley Town Square. Apparently we're going to be playing two hours straight, no break, one of three bands on the bill that afternoon. So that should be interesting. I hope you can make it. This last gig, we played two 90-minute sets. Damn, that was killer, especially since it was about 90 degrees in there. I had a big fan blowing directly on me where I stood, so that made it bearable, but just going 90 without a break, then going another 90 was tough. Hell, just standing that long would test me, let alone rocking the whole time. During teardown, I was leaning over to deal with some cords, then sat down on the floor because it was killing me to lean over. I realized my mistake almost immediately. At some point, I had to get back up. I briefly considered just laying down right there and sleeping a little bit.
Anyway, I know it's tough to make it out to see bands, especially when you have a family and other commitments. My one buddy at work -- the only other musician type -- has been wanting to check us out forever and this gig was like 10 minutes from his house. So of course he was out of town last weekend for a family thing. That's the breaks.
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I did a cover of Donovan's Catch The Wind, for fun. https://soundcloud.com/cody-marshall-mckenna/catch-the-wind-donovan-cover
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https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByOxb4EZHbgpZTMzM1BvVmw2UWs/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByOxb4EZHbgpUzJEUlAzOUxVc28/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByOxb4EZHbgpbnlfR25CaEh0dTA/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByOxb4EZHbgpME1vcVBVYUpNd1k/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByOxb4EZHbgpazZkeGY5MXpNX2c/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByOxb4EZHbgpOE5NVWtiNzlUQ1U/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByOxb4EZHbgpRndOQ18ybGxNbHM/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByOxb4EZHbgpb2huYnpMQW1OMWs/view?usp=sharing
Here are a bunch of short, 40-secondish tracks for a music mod for a game a friend of mine is working on
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I'm conducting 3 pieces for the community choir of which I am the assistant conductor coming up... Our summer concert is at the end of June and then we are singing in the city's Independence Day festival on the 3rd along with the community band for some pieces. Should be interesting. I love doing this and just wish some middle or high school principal would see me and hire me based on this, because conducting a choir is my passion...
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Whoa, what exactly is "the city's Independence Day festival"? If you mean the City of Chicago, then it's gonna be televised. (And also, I'm gonna record that!) There's some great exposure right there. Congrats, and I hope it goes well!
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Whoa, what exactly is "the city's Independence Day festival"? If you mean the City of Chicago, then it's gonna be televised. (And also, I'm gonna record that!) There's some great exposure right there. Congrats, and I hope it goes well!
:lol no not Chicago. Crystal Lake. That will not be televised LOL
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Not even on the local cable station or something? You never know.
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Not even on the local cable station or something? You never know.
Public access, maybe. I don't know.
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That's what I mean. Seriously, you should check.
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I will try to make it to Huntley to see you guys but it's not as cut and dry as I thought since we have to get up at early 0'clock to go to church since my daughter is singing with VBS. I know you aren't playing that late but my wife is like "man that's going to be late" so I don't know.
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We're scheduled from 6:30 to 8:30, no break. On the other hand, they've only allowed half and hour between bands (4 to 6, 6:30 to 8:30, 9 to 11) because organizers are stupid like that, so I suspect we'll be running behind before we even start.
Still, I hope you can make it. With no break, a rush to get things cleared out once we're done, and you having to leave, I don't know if we'll get a chance to talk, but let's see how it goes.
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(https://imgur.com/38fJEMw.jpg) (https://www.facebook.com/Flashdrive2015/)
Holy Hell! 95 degrees in the shade, two hours without a break, people passing us bottles of water so we wouldn't pass out.
But it was a big tent open on all sides, so plenty of breeze, a nice stage, and so it was another rockin' Saturday in the park. I still love outdoor gigs the best.
(https://i.imgur.com/bHruYD2.jpg)
Orbert, Pat, JT, Anne, Jerry, John
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Hey, here is a song I wrote with a friend. He plays the piano and sings on this, I did the guitar parts, the drums are mostly done with EZdrummer. We would really love some opinions/criticism!
https://soundcloud.com/ikmatthijs/the-drinkers-jest (https://soundcloud.com/ikmatthijs/the-drinkers-jest)
The lyrics are about an old man sitting in a bar and thinking about how he lived his live without actually enjoying it. Than he realises he should change that, but drinks too much and wakes up remembering nothing and goes on living his live without enjoying it.
95 degrees in the shade, two hours without a break
That must be exhausting! I haven't commented on them I think, but I do really like reading the Flashdrive updates :azn:
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(https://imgur.com/38fJEMw.jpg) (https://www.facebook.com/Flashdrive2015/)
Holy Hell! 95 degrees in the shade, two hours without a break, people passing us bottles of water so we wouldn't pass out.
But it was a big tent open on all sides, so plenty of breeze, a nice stage, and so it was another rockin' Saturday in the park. I still love outdoor gigs the best.
(https://i.imgur.com/bHruYD2.jpg)
Orbert, Pat, JT, Anne, Jerry, John
Yeah couldn't make it. There was no way... especially since my wife worked early afternoon, and then later my mother in law took us to dinner (we aren't passing up free dinner :lol) plus our daughter has been absolutely ridiculously obnoxious the last week or so, going through a phase of testing us with EVERYTHING. Plus with the weather... it was AWFUL the last few days... we went to swedish days yesterday in Geneva (where our church is, so we were down there anyway) and we were dying. Add on top of that that my wife has an accompanist audition at New Trier on Tuesday and she needs to practice... Believe me a week ago I was still planning on coming.
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It's okay. As I'd mentioned, the way things were scheduled, we wouldn't have had a chance to talk much anyway, if at all. There's one guy from my church who comes to most of our gigs, mostly because he doesn't have a life, and I felt kinda bad for basically blowing him off. As I suspected, we spent most of the time beforehand getting things unloaded and staged, then we had half an hour for both the previous band to exit and us to get set up, plus sound check (we made it in about 40 minutes), then two hours no break. After we finished, he came up to me and said we were great, but he had to get going because he worked in the morning. I got the distinct impression that he stuck around just because he wanted to say something and didn't want to leave before we finished, but he bailed almost immediately.
And man, once we finished, it was the same thing, get our shit off the stage as fast as possible. I took the time to pack mine up and take it to the car (I scored rock star parking right across the street) because I knew once I sat down, I didn't know when I was gonna get up again.
Would've been nice to see you, but really, don't feel too bad. Next time. Mike and Diane from Sammy's were there, they raved a lot, and they want us back again. Looks like we're getting really popular out in the booming metropolis of Huntley, Illinois.
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I am going to be moving from Mount Airy, NC to Raleigh, NC in a few weeks. Which is very exciting in every way...except I have to leave the current church where my wife and I serve in music ministry.
Great friends, and we have a pretty kick-ass band, if I do say so myself. I will miss them. :(
Our last Sunday morning service with them will be July 17th, and the music minister is letting my wife and I pick the setlist. So that will be cool.
Also, they will be playing an outdoor gig on a Saturday night later this summer, and we will come back for that. And that will be it.
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Bummer about leaving the church and the band. There will be tears, but you can tell them you'll be back in x weeks for the outdoor gig. Then coming back later for the outdoor gig will be bittersweet, since it'll be both a "good to see you again" and a final farewell.
I hate moving, for any reason. I've never been in a situation where things were so bad, I had to move, so each move I've made has been because of economics, or my job, but I've never had to leave a musical group because of moving. That's gotta suck.
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Yeah.
But, my wife's whole family lives in Mount Airy, so we will certainly be back for visits. Maybe we can "sit in" from time to time with the old gang.
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Our summer concert was tonight and I conducted 3 songs... and halfway through the last song I conducted my music started to blow away. THAT was fun... I was up there holding the music down with one hand and conducting the end of the piece with my other hand and the choir was trying really hard not to laugh... they were singing "Children will Listen" from Into the Woods... which is NOT a light-hearted song in the least.
Other than that, it went really well, I love conducting so much
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Sounds awesome!
Hopefully not a stupid or condescending question, but with only half a song to go, could you have just "winged it"? You know the the music, you know the parts. How important was it to actually have the score in front of you?
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Sounds awesome!
Hopefully not a stupid or condescending question, but with only half a song to go, could you have just "winged it"? You know the the music, you know the parts. How important was it to actually have the score in front of you?
It wasn't, but I didn't want the rest of the music to blow away
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Figure I might as well just come back and immediately start promo-ing myself. (I'm shameless)... Here's a song from the album I'm currently working on - greek folk-inspired ambient... https://heliosgr.bandcamp.com/track/as-the-stars-drift-by (https://heliosgr.bandcamp.com/track/as-the-stars-drift-by)
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Sounds awesome!
Hopefully not a stupid or condescending question, but with only half a song to go, could you have just "winged it"? You know the the music, you know the parts. How important was it to actually have the score in front of you?
It wasn't, but I didn't want the rest of the music to blow away
♫♫ Let it go! Let it go! ♪♫
Sorry
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Figure I might as well just come back and immediately start promo-ing myself. (I'm shameless)... Here's a song from the album I'm currently working on - greek folk-inspired ambient... https://heliosgr.bandcamp.com/track/as-the-stars-drift-by (https://heliosgr.bandcamp.com/track/as-the-stars-drift-by)
It's very relaxing and peacefull! I don't really listen to ambient music very often so I can't compare it very well but I like it :azn: It could perhaps do with a little more variation? Or perhaps that would ruin the peacefull feeling...
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It's very relaxing and peacefull! I don't really listen to ambient music very often so I can't compare it very well but I like it :azn: It could perhaps do with a little more variation? Or perhaps that would ruin the peacefull feeling...
Thanks! Yeah, I think the repetitive theme is consistent across a lot of ambient. Some of the songs I'm working on are a lot more "proggy" for lack of a better word, although I do tend to reserve the not-ambient stuff for the ol' band, rather than any solo works.
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Figure I might as well just come back and immediately start promo-ing myself. (I'm shameless)... Here's a song from the album I'm currently working on - greek folk-inspired ambient... https://heliosgr.bandcamp.com/track/as-the-stars-drift-by (https://heliosgr.bandcamp.com/track/as-the-stars-drift-by)
That's nice. I also listened to the new track, "Waves". I'll pay attention next month when your album is released. Are you uploading it to Bandcamp, or will it be released just in CD in Greece?
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That's nice. I also listened to the new track, "Waves". I'll pay attention next month when your album is released. Are you uploading it to Bandcamp, or will it be released just in CD in Greece?
Thank you very much! I'm not actually in Greece anymore, I'm currently based in the UK. The album will be on BandCamp and SoundCloud. I'm thinking of doing limited run CD-Rs, as I have done with some of my old releases.
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That's nice. I also listened to the new track, "Waves". I'll pay attention next month when your album is released. Are you uploading it to Bandcamp, or will it be released just in CD in Greece?
Thank you very much! I'm not actually in Greece anymore, I'm currently based in the UK. The album will be on BandCamp and SoundCloud. I'm thinking of doing limited run CD-Rs, as I have done with some of my old releases.
May I ask why you left Greece? I visited Athens in 2014 and I love the music, the weather (it was Winter, but actually pretty warm weather) and the food (soublakia and salads :) ). Although, maybe you left for economic/personal reasons?
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That's nice. I also listened to the new track, "Waves". I'll pay attention next month when your album is released. Are you uploading it to Bandcamp, or will it be released just in CD in Greece?
Thank you very much! I'm not actually in Greece anymore, I'm currently based in the UK. The album will be on BandCamp and SoundCloud. I'm thinking of doing limited run CD-Rs, as I have done with some of my old releases.
May I ask why you left Greece? I visited Athens in 2014 and I love the music, the weather (it was Winter, but actually pretty warm weather) and the food (soublakia and salads :) ). Although, maybe you left for economic/personal reasons?
Personal reasons :) I'm going back for a few weeks this August, however, I still love the place.
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(https://imgur.com/38fJEMw.jpg) (https://www.facebook.com/Flashdrive2015/)
Remember how I said I still love the outdoor gigs the best? Man, I was starting to seriously reconsider that last night.
A private gig, backyard party for which we were each paid $100. Six piece band, do the math; these people have a little money. 97 degrees out, no breeze, and threat of storms coming later. We get there and yeah, it's big backyard. A bunch of 8x4 plywood sheets laid on the ground is our "stage", covered by a big tent, roomy enough, but with the back and sides down, no air. Step 1, before setting anything up, get those back and side curtains up. Ah, a little bit of air at least, though there was still virtually no breeze.
Deck on the back of the house has steps coming down into the yard and also connects over to the deck surrounding the pool off to the right. Really one big deck, actually. Little kids' play area with some climbers past that. Tables and chairs, most under tents, some out in the open, more or less in front of us and to the left.
These folks throw a big backyard party every summer and invite all the neighbors, so there were maybe 30 or 40 people when we got there, with more arriving as time went on. Probably 100 or so total, with people coming and going. This year's party is extra special, because their daughter graduated from high school, so it's also a graduation party for her. This is good to know because there are half a dozen very pretty young ladies in tiny little dresses and other things you wear when it's 97 degrees out, and since they're the grad and her friends, they're all 18 (or close enough) so it's okay to look. (It would have been impossible not to, but it's good to know it's okay.)
Three sets, 70-75 minutes each, so four hours with breaks. Somehow we survived the first set, during which it was hot as fuck. That's the only way to describe it. I survived by doing the same thing I do at every gig, which is stand in my corner with my 20-inch fan leaning on an amp up at me while I play and watch the babes. You know how 18-year-olds sometimes look like they're still in junior high, but sometimes like they could pass for 25? This one brunette was absolutely stunning, the "looks much older" type not just in looks but in the way she carried herself, clearly the leader of this little group. Of course, it turns out that she's the guest of honor. Also a 4.0 honor student and a very nice young lady overall.
Her favorite band is Twenty One Pilots, so we learned and played "House of Gold" just for her, and opened the second set with it. It was also the birthday of Joe, one of the neighbors, and another neighbor also named Joe had his birthday this week, so we played "Birthday" by The Beatles next, continuing the "hey let's celebrate things" theme, which seemed to raise spirits a bit. People seemed to like us, but it was hot as fuck, so not much dancing or anything. Mostly people sitting under tents drinking and trying to have a good time. By the end of the second set, the sun was down and it was starting to cool off a little, so that helped.
Second break, we're all checking the radar on our phones and stuff, and the storms which were forecast are definitely on their way, though it looks like they might veer north. Clouds roll in, and suddenly the air temperature drops and the wind comes up, both very noticeably. The storm front is here. We're either going to suddenly get wet, or we're just going to enjoy the breeze and the fact that it's now only about 80 degrees out, which is still kinda warm but feels heavenly compared to five minutes ago.
It did not rain. The third set was amazing. Cooler now and with a breeze, people were up and dancing. People were eating, and all that drinking they were doing earlier to try and stay cool was hitting them pretty good. The place completely came to life. In a far corner, some guys were doing bong hits. And at some point, the graduate and her friends decided it was time to hit the pool. Remember how the deck to the pool is just off to my right, maybe 20 feet away? These are times when you know that there is a God. I have seen proof! I mean, go ahead and use your imagination, but it will not exceed what passed before my eyes, many times in fact.
So another rough start, but by the end, again, I'm thinking yeah, I still love outdoor gigs the best. :xbones
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Got an email yesterday... The guy who is in charge of the GG band wants to start things up again but only if everyone is all in. 3/5 including myself have said yeah. Waiting on the other two but man that would be fun.
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That would be awesome if Gende's Giant could get back together. You guys have been on hiatus for too long. Bands capable of playing that level of music have a moral obligation to be out there playing it for the unwashed masses. I'm pretty sure that's true because I read it somewhere.
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That would be awesome if Gende's Giant could get back together. You guys have been on hiatus for too long. Bands capable of playing that level of music have a moral obligation to be out there playing it for the unwashed masses. I'm pretty sure that's true because I read it somewhere.
It may still happen, but the guitarist doesn't really play anymore and doesn't want to commit to anything... we may still do a jam in the future, but I'm not super optimistic. Now that may change, but I don't know.
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Get Gary Green.
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(https://imgur.com/38fJEMw.jpg) (https://www.facebook.com/Flashdrive2015/)
Remember how I said I still love the outdoor gigs the best? Man, I was starting to seriously reconsider that last night.
A private gig, backyard party for which we were each paid $100. Six piece band, do the math; these people have a little money. 97 degrees out, no breeze, and threat of storms coming later. We get there and yeah, it's big backyard. A bunch of 8x4 plywood sheets laid on the ground is our "stage", covered by a big tent, roomy enough, but with the back and sides down, no air. Step 1, before setting anything up, get those back and side curtains up. Ah, a little bit of air at least, though there was still virtually no breeze.
Deck on the back of the house has steps coming down into the yard and also connects over to the deck surrounding the pool off to the right. Really one big deck, actually. Little kids' play area with some climbers past that. Tables and chairs, most under tents, some out in the open, more or less in front of us and to the left.
These folks throw a big backyard party every summer and invite all the neighbors, so there were maybe 30 or 40 people when we got there, with more arriving as time went on. Probably 100 or so total, with people coming and going. This year's party is extra special, because their daughter graduated from high school, so it's also a graduation party for her. This is good to know because there are half a dozen very pretty young ladies in tiny little dresses and other things you wear when it's 97 degrees out, and since they're the grad and her friends, they're all 18 (or close enough) so it's okay to look. (It would have been impossible not to, but it's good to know it's okay.)
Three sets, 70-75 minutes each, so four hours with breaks. Somehow we survived the first set, during which it was hot as fuck. That's the only way to describe it. I survived by doing the same thing I do at every gig, which is stand in my corner with my 20-inch fan leaning on an amp up at me while I play and watch the babes. You know how 18-year-olds sometimes look like they're still in junior high, but sometimes like they could pass for 25? This one brunette was absolutely stunning, the "looks much older" type not just in looks but in the way she carried herself, clearly the leader of this little group. Of course, it turns out that she's the guest of honor. Also a 4.0 honor student and a very nice young lady overall.
Her favorite band is Twenty One Pilots, so we learned and played "House of Gold" just for her, and opened the second set with it. It was also the birthday of Joe, one of the neighbors, and another neighbor also named Joe had his birthday this week, so we played "Birthday" by The Beatles next, continuing the "hey let's celebrate things" theme, which seemed to raise spirits a bit. People seemed to like us, but it was hot as fuck, so not much dancing or anything. Mostly people sitting under tents drinking and trying to have a good time. By the end of the second set, the sun was down and it was starting to cool off a little, so that helped.
Second break, we're all checking the radar on our phones and stuff, and the storms which were forecast are definitely on their way, though it looks like they might veer north. Clouds roll in, and suddenly the air temperature drops and the wind comes up, both very noticeably. The storm front is here. We're either going to suddenly get wet, or we're just going to enjoy the breeze and the fact that it's now only about 80 degrees out, which is still kinda warm but feels heavenly compared to five minutes ago.
It did not rain. The third set was amazing. Cooler now and with a breeze, people were up and dancing. People were eating, and all that drinking they were doing earlier to try and stay cool was hitting them pretty good. The place completely came to life. In a far corner, some guys were doing bong hits. And at some point, the graduate and her friends decided it was time to hit the pool. Remember how the deck to the pool is just off to my right, maybe 20 feet away? These are times when you know that there is a God. I have seen proof! I mean, go ahead and use your imagination, but it will not exceed what passed before my eyes, many times in fact.
So another rough start, but by the end, again, I'm thinking yeah, I still love outdoor gigs the best. :xbones
I love you.
BTW, my 13-year old daughter's favorite band is also Twenty-One Pilots. I am glad that she has a band to be really excited about (like I have been about other bands), but I wish it was one that I liked better lol (although I actually like their new song "Heathen" from the Suicide Squad film).
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I've only heard the one song, "House of Gold", but I guess it's alright. Mostly uke and voice, so we did a special thing where John's son played the uke and Anne's son sang it. Keys, then drums and bass come in later. The grad loved it.
One of her friends came up to me later and said "I'm your number one fan!" I told her I was glad to hear that. High five. I'm Bob, by the way. She said "Oh, okay" and turned and walked away. Some fan. Didn't even stick around for an autograph. What, is it because I'm like three times your age? We could make it work!
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lol
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Get Gary Green.
How is he doing? Last I heard he wasn't doing the best health wise (granted that was forever ago and he's probably recovered). I know he lives in Illinois though. I mean the fact he came to our gig was just freaking awesome. I told him I didn't feel like I did the vocals justice and he's like "Dont' worry about it that music is a bitch to perform" or something of that nature and that made me feel a lot better :lol
But isn't he playing with Three friends right now?
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I had no idea about this when I made the remark, but Gary had a heart attack in November 2015. Up to that point, he was still with Three Friends.
He survived and had a stent inserted, and according to the brief article (https://threefriendsmusic.wordpress.com/2015/11/11/gary-green-in-hospital/) on the Three Friends website (https://threefriendsmusic.wordpress.com/) he "should be home in a day or two". That sounds to me like a very mild heart attack, to be released so quickly and with only a stent. All heart attacks are potentially serious, though, and I have no idea what his current status is, or that of Three Friends.
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I considered making a seperate thread for this, and I will, but not until we have something proper, like our album coming out or something. But that's likely a long way off.
My band Oktober's first demo is done and is up on soundcloud!
https://soundcloud.com/oktoberofficial/voyage (https://soundcloud.com/oktoberofficial/voyage)
It's not perfect. In fact, it's pretty rough. But it turned out really well considering that we produced it ourselves and it's the first thing any of us ever produced, so we had to learn everything from scratch as we went along.
This is the first song of an eight track concept album called "Virgo" that we've written.
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https://soundcloud.com/heliosgr/sets/hills-and-valleys (https://soundcloud.com/heliosgr/sets/hills-and-valleys) https://heliosgr.bandcamp.com/album/hills-and-valleys-the-debut-album (https://heliosgr.bandcamp.com/album/hills-and-valleys-the-debut-album)
My album is now out! Woohoo! Give it a listen, if you would like :)
@BlackInk, I love the track. It's really good! Can't wait to hear what the finished product is like.
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Thanks, mate!
Listening to your stuff now, very nice and relaxing way to end my day.
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Thanks, mate!
Listening to your stuff now, very nice and relaxing way to end my day.
No problem. And cheers, glad to hear it's relaxing :)
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So, my band is entering the studio the coming month to record a ten-track, almost 50-minute debut album under the name Overhaul. Essentially a follow-up to the EP 'Daybreak' we released in 2014, but with completely different music and, if I may say so, a far more pronounced style and attitude. I'n ridiculously excited for this, as it is the first time we're going into a proper studio to really record our music. Next weekend will be all drums, but since I'm the guitarist I have to be there all the time to play along (so the drummer has a little more to play along to than just a click-track).
It's great seeing everything come together; a tracklist of songs for the album (and an order in which the songs make sense), a title (don't underestimate how hard it is to give your album a title), album art, definite arrangements for all the music, et cetera. Excuse my ramblings a little, but oh boy, this album is going to kick ass. I know that already. We've been working towards this for the best part of the last two years, and now it's finally happening! :caffeine:
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Really cool! Looking forward to hearing stuff.
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That's exciting!
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(https://imgur.com/38fJEMw.jpg) (https://www.facebook.com/Flashdrive2015/)
With three more gigs under our belt and three coming up on the calendar, you'd have thought the band was finally getting something going, starting to fire on all cylinders, doing the things we've been trying to do for nearly three years now. And you'd be right. After last practice, we had a brief meeting to talk about some of the calls we've been getting, and John just wanted some guidance as to how much we should ask for, what's the lowest we'd take, that kind of thing. We all seemed to be in the same boat. Things are finally happening. A well-known if not huge venue coming up, and a well-known and huge venue after that, our biggest so far.
So of course our "new" guitarist/singer (joined us in the spring) gave his notice that he's quitting. He'll work the gigs we currently have scheduled, if we want (we do) and honor his commitment to them, then he's gone.
When he joined us not that long ago, he didn't have a day job and was gigging as much as he could to make some money. We were one of three bands he was in. Shortly after joining us, he dropped one of the others, as we were making more money. Since then, he's been called back to his old day job, and only needs/wants to play in one band, not two, and we make less than that other band, so we lose. He's a mercenary, something we hadn't counted on. He freely admits that we're a better band and more fun to play with, but they're gigging regularly and making some good money, and if he's gonna be in a band, he'd rather make steady money than just play for fun.
That's the difference. Since we're never gonna get rich doing this anyway, we're just doing it for fun. Sure, it's nice to play bigger crowds and take bigger bucks; we're getting there, slowly but surely. Wouldn't be so damned slowly if people would stop quitting the fucking band every time we get something going! But each time, we get closer. We've actually played paid gigs and have started building a very small following. Two steps forward, one step back.
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Sucks about your guitarist, Orbert.
Hopefully you can find someone else soon.
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Thanks. So far, the rest of us are still in. I'm getting pretty tired of this shit where we finally get something going and somebody quits or has a hissy fit or whatever, but what can I do? If I decide I've had enough of this crap and also quit, then I don't have a band. I would then have to hunt around and try to find a band to play in, and hope that that band works out (and I'd have no reason to believe the odds are any better than what I have now) or just stick with what we have. So I might as well stick with FlashDrive.
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Keep it going :tup
I've had to endure many line-up changes and people not being committed enough to do shit, but once you get a steady line-up of players that want to work for something good, well, you probably know that better than me ;)
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From the other side of the world: drum recording went extremely well. It took him only two days to drum in the entire album, out of the projected 3 days, so that gives the engineers more room to edit the drums. We've got a full package at the studio, meaning that if one aspect of the recording process takes less time than planned, more time will go into editing and mixing, so the end result will be even better. I'm up next with guitars, starting next sunday. I'm super psyched to be hitting a proper studio for the first time in my life, practising like crazy to make sure I land the whole album in as little takes as possible (even though the engineers want to quad-track the whole thing :eek). It'll be a fun weekend, definitely :D
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Excuse my ignorance, but does quad-track mean they want to record four separate tracks of guitar?
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Yes, indeed! It means that you record the exact same guitar part four times, so that in the mixing process you get a huge guitar sound. Mixing wise, you would then pan one track to the left, one to the right and the other two around 70/30. This is no exact science, as it differs per record, obviously. The reason you record guitars again is that the minuscule differences in the playing results in an overall 'larger' sound, rather than doubling the first take exactly, which would just make it louder. Examples of this can be found on basically any metal album. Dream Theater did this on Awake, all other DT albums are double-tracked, for example.
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That's cool. And yes, that should give you a huge sound, for sure.
I know that JP also records a lot of acoustic guitar on a lot of songs, even if they aren't prominent in the mix, they are in their for texture.
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We usually stick with double tracking, saving the quad for the parts where we want a certain part to stick out. But we're more rock than metal, so it's a bit different.
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More ch-ch-ch-changes for Orbert's band.
I mentioned meeting a pretty girl named Jessica in this post (https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=33789.msg2177371#msg2177371) about a gig we did earlier this summer. I didn't mention it at the time because it didn't seem important, but I was introduced to her by our band leader John. Separately, John has mentioned wanting to do something about what he considers the band's most obvious weakness, which is our vocals. I agree, and have been pushing for vocal rehearsals, but John is too impatient and too much a damned manager for that. He started talking about this band he saw that had two female singers, one mostly leads and one mostly harmonies, and they sounded great. He decided that that's what we should do. Two strong female singers, then if me or him or our new guitarist also sing, that just adds to it. Seven piece band, with two who basically just sing.
Well, what the hell, we're not in this for the money, so splitting things seven ways rather than six isn't my biggest concern. My biggest concern is that we already have issues scheduling practices with six people, and already have to cram ourselves into tiny little stages. This will only make it worse.
Then he mentioned that Jessica, the pretty girl with the great ass, is the one who he wants to be our other singer. This changes everything. Well, not really everything, but it changes something. I'm thinking as long as she wears those white pants, she can join the band. I'll just stand back in my corner and try (unsuccessfully I'm sure) not to stare at her ass all night.
Jessica and Anne were at John's the other night trying things out, and John recorded some of it and sent it to us. They sound pretty damned good together on "Bring Me To Life" by Evanescence. I can now imagine us doing Heart, Pat Benatar (with proper background vocals) and some other stuff we couldn't really do justice to. So... interesting.
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That's cool. :metal
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John sent us an email with a full document of the rehearsal. They sang six or eight songs together (I didn't count), and nailed every one. She is a vocal music teacher with a degree in vocal music, so her ear for harmony is excellent. In the recording, she was easily nailing 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th harmonies like it was nothing, because to a trained vocalist, it is nothing. They're just lines to sing.
And of course she's hot. Two reasons to be excited about this.
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So practice was cancelled earlier this week because JT (drummer) had to travel on Saturday. Then practice was back on because JT isn't travelling because of Hurricane Hermine. Then practice is probably back on, but JT might still need to fly out on Saturday, but we'll know for sure by Thursday at 8:00pm. It's Thursday afternoon now. Then practice is on for sure, but JT has to leave by about Noon, and Pat isn't included on the email this time because he's a short-timer and we're going to repurpose the rehearsal. Jessica is coming, and we're going to run through some songs with her, the ones she sang with Anne the other night.
I'm the first one there, and John is telling me all this, and I say Oh so kinda like an audition, and kinda like a proof of concept, the dual female vocal thing? John says No, that part's a forgone conclusion. She's there to meet the rest of the band and practice the songs she's singing with us at the gig, a week from tonight. Um, okay. (It really is okay with me. It caught me off guard, but I'm fine with her joining, so whatever.) Then afterwards, a band meeting to discuss current issues and future direction. She will leave, Pat won't be there, the rest of us can chat a bit. We already know where JT stands on all of this (his position, officially, is to let other people worry about it; whatever we end up doing is fine), so it's okay that he has to go.
That's the plan, anyway. We're standing on John's driveway discussing this, and Pat pulls up. John panics just a little; I tell him Hey, it's no biggie. If Jessica's singing with us, it makes sense that she'll be there. I hear John going over to Pat, saying Hi and that we'll be having someone join us today, something new we're trying out, and Pat's fine with that because he's leaving the band anyway. Jerry is always so direct, it's funny. He pulls up and yells "Pat! I thought you weren't going to be here today!" Pat says he wasn't going to just leave us high and dry. He's still in the band right now, so he's going to attend rehearsals and stuff. A true professional, even if he is kind of a dick.
So we rehearsed as a seven-piece, and it sounded freaking awesome. The set we do with Jessica is going to rock, hard. Pat's always the first to leave, and he does, and JT bails to catch his flight, and apparently no one told Jerry to stick around, so after Jessica leaves, it's just John, Anne, and myself. So we discuss the future of the band.
Jessica sounded great, Anne is fine with her singing backgrounds. Jessica also wants to sing lead on just a few songs a night. This isn't a bad idea, as it will give Anne a break. The problem is that she's great at backgrounds, but not really a "lead singer" quality vocalist. We tried one song with Jessica singing. It was only one song, and I don't know if it was a fair trial; it wasn't planned. Anne's fighting a head cold and started coughing and needed a break, so we figured we'd let Jessica sing a song, we'd all see how she did. She picked a song from the list and sang it, not really well but not horribly.
Pat made it a bit easier on the rest of us by being his usual pissy-bitchy self. When he left, it was like "Later, now we can talk about you." Okay, it wasn't quite like that, but it kinda was. It's harder to part ways with someone you like a lot; Pat never warmed up to the rest of us, and we never really warmed up to him. He's a great guitarist and pretty good singer, but never really felt like part of the group. I figured it would come with time, but there weren't even signs, and now he's leaving.
Anyway, we're moving forward. We are adding a second singer, and it will probably be Jessica. We're still looking for another guitarist, preferably one who sings, but apparently we're now talking about John singing more leads, and maybe even me, so if the new guitarist comes with a couple of songs that he sings, we're all set. Anne will still sing between 2/3 and 3/4 of the songs, and instead of one other person singing leads, it will be spread out a bit more. That's cool; other bands do that, and it works. Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes.
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:tup
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My band put our new demo track up on soundcloud today!
https://soundcloud.com/oktoberofficial/born-of-neptune (https://soundcloud.com/oktoberofficial/born-of-neptune)
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My band put our new demo track up on soundcloud today!
https://soundcloud.com/oktoberofficial/born-of-neptune (https://soundcloud.com/oktoberofficial/born-of-neptune)
Loving it, man. The synths are a nice addition!
[edit]
I liked it as my band, so that's who "the nebula of the sun" are. Figured I'd give you a follow.
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(https://imgur.com/38fJEMw.jpg) (https://www.facebook.com/Flashdrive2015/)
Tonight we play our shortest gig ever, but also in some ways our most important. There's a place nearby that's large enough to have national touring acts play (my son has been to concerts there a few times) but is really a huge bar/restaurant with an upstairs room that's like a concert hall, except they also serve food and drink upstairs. So it's somewhere in between. You're not gonna see KISS there, but Motley Crue and Avatar play there. Bands doing the club thing these days because they can't fill stadiums anymore, and smaller bands on their way up.
Anyway, a Led Zeppelin tribute act called Kashmir plays there a few times a year and is by all accounts very, very good. We're opening for them. Ten songs, 45 minutes, get the hell out of the way. So the biggest venue we've played yet, the biggest crowd, but most of them won't be there to hear us. Hopefully, however, we manage to impress some people. Tonight will also be our last gig with Pat, who is a good guitarist but has turned out to be a pissy bitch and we're kinda glad he's leaving.
We auditioned two guitarists last Sunday and the second one was much better, so we hired him. Well "hire" is the wrong word, since this isn't just a job; it's an adventure!
His name is Larry and he's like us, been playing in bands 30-some years, just for fun, looking to play maybe once or twice a month, certainly no more than that because then it feels like a second job. It stops being fun when you feel like you have to do it. This is exactly our attitude, so he fits right in.
Anyway, he was great with Journey, Benatar, Doobie Brothers, etc. The audition was five of the ten songs we're doing tonight and he nailed them all. I almost pulled John aside afterwards to ask him if maybe Larry should just learn the other five songs and play the gig with us. We still have the Friday night practice (last night) to run through things.
I mentioned this to John at rehearsal last night, and he said the exact same thing crossed his mind. He did call Larry afterwards and told him three more songs, the other two being optional because if he ran out of time we can get by with one guitar. Larry is coming to the gig tonight to check us out anyway, and just in case Pat did something truly dickish, Larry said he'd be ready to jump in. This is just in case Pat calls John during the week and has some story about how he's sorry but can't do the gig this weekend blah blah blah, Larry will be ready and have his guitar in the car.
Strange the shit you have to do in a band sometimes.
But Pat was at rehearsal last night, and it went well. On the way out to his car, John was helping carry some of his equipment, and Pat stops and just goes "Man, this is a good band." Was that regret? He already said we're the best band he's played with in a long time, but we're just not pulling in the money. John told us about it when he came back in. Pat is in it for the money, which as far as I'm concerned is stupid. Yeah, you can pick up some extra green if you want to bust your ass, play every weekend, and really make it a second job. But as I said, that really doesn't sound like fun at that point. I play because I like to, because I want to, not because I have to. Pat's talking about getting to Wedding/Special Event level. Taking home $1000 apiece every time. Yeah, that would be awesome, a true second source of income. And (still) much more work than I'm really into.
Anyway, huge gig tonight, then we move forward with a new guitarist who could be better than Pat anyway, and is a much cooler guy.
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My band put our new demo track up on soundcloud today!
https://soundcloud.com/oktoberofficial/born-of-neptune (https://soundcloud.com/oktoberofficial/born-of-neptune)
Loving it, man. The synths are a nice addition!
[edit]
I liked it as my band, so that's who "the nebula of the sun" are. Figured I'd give you a follow.
Thanks man, glad you like it! Followed you guys back.
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Holy crap, what a gig! Well as much as a 45-minute set can be a gig, anyway. We hit 'em hard, and didn't let up. Even got an encore, which was pretty cool, and also pretty unusual from what I hear. I mean, we were the warm-up act for a tribute band, so still not exactly big time, but it was the nicest room we've played so far, they hit us with their lights and sound and even a smoke machine. So we got to be rock stars for an hour. A couple people asked for our business cards, a bunch of new views and Likes on the band Facebook page, and the guys from Kashmir said we were great and could open for them any time. Hopefully this exposure will lead to something. We currently have no gigs on the schedule (which is actually okay since we now have to get our new guitarist up to speed as soon as possible).
I've seen a handful of pictures, so far nothing with the entire band. A few with everyone except me which actually look pretty cool, but fuck if I'm going to post those.
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Some gig pics.
(https://imgur.com/QORgHET.jpg)
(https://imgur.com/N1V0QmQ.jpg)
(https://imgur.com/ij4OFZa.jpg)
(https://imgur.com/5rYZbdo.jpg)
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That's awesome, Orb. :tup
What was your setlist? Did anyone get video?
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(https://imgur.com/ij4OFZa.jpg)
Very nice shot, congratulations!
Greetings...
Nef
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Thanks. I'm trying to look contemplative or something, like it's no big deal playing two parts at once, but in reality I'm concentrating pretty hard.
That's awesome, Orb. :tup
What was your setlist? Did anyone get video?
Someone got 30 seconds of cell phone video. That's all I've seen. Also, it starts out correctly aligned, then she turns her phone 90 degrees, so 28 seconds of it is sideways.
Separate Ways
Born to Be Wild
Hit Me With Your Best Shot
China Grove
Chain of Fools
Higher Ground
Play That Funky Music
Long Train Runnin'
Bring Me to Life
I Just Wanna Make Love To You
Encore: Come Sail Away
We do the Little Caesar version of "Chain of Fools" which rocks pretty hard. Also, our "Higher Ground" is somewhere between the Stevie Wonder original and how the Red Hot Chili Peppers might play it if they had keyboards.
Yep, we got an encore, which I understand is pretty rare for this place, for an opening band.
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awesome, cool set up! and...
(https://imgur.com/ij4OFZa.jpg)
Very nice shot, congratulations!
Greetings...
Nef
that's a mean photo.
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Great set list, Orbert. Very cool.
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Pretty sweet, Orbert!
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Thanks, guys! :tup
"But Orbert, what about the drama? We miss the drama which only your band can provide!"
The gig at Austin's Fuel Room was our biggest gig yet, despite being less than an hour set. It was the largest, nicest room so far, and gave us great exposure. John got a call the next day; some guy saw us and wanted us to play this weekend, but we currently don't have a full lineup, because it was also the end of an era of sorts. It was our last gig with Pat, who joined the band in February on guitar and vocals, replacing Steve. It was our second gig with Jessica, added recently to help bolster our vocals. She's been a great addition to our sound overall, even if I was philosophically opposed to her joining in the first place.
But when Pat gave his notice, we began the search for another singer/guitarist, had a few leads, both of which fell through, and John made the decision to focus on guitar skills, with vocals a nice plus. Jessica would have to step up her role, and John and I would sing more, perhaps even some leads. We found a great guitarist named Larry, who told us up front that he'll sing backgrounds if we think it'll help, but he's not a great singer and if we already have three parts covered, we're better off without him.
Because John is a businessman and the band has always been run more like a project at work than a "regular" band (whatever that is), we kicked off the new era with a meeting at his house last Saturday. The agenda included future direction of the band in general, how the dynamics and roles have changed, which songs on the current set list to drop, which to keep, and new ones to vote on adding.
We all thought that Anne and Jessica got along fine. Anne and Jessica thought they got alone fine. This meeting showed that that's not necessarily the case. Anne has always sung around 70% of the songs. She can't sing lead on every song for three hours, and having another singer gives her a break as well as adding variety to the set list. This is by design. Steve sang 1/4 to 1/3 of the songs, and so did Pat. Since Larry doesn't sing lead vocals, we discussed how the aforementioned redistribution of vocal dutes would work.
Anne has a problem with this. Even though what she's actually doing in the band will not change (she'll still sing around 70% of the songs, more if she wants), the fact that Jessica is now also going to be a lead singer bothers her. Why? It wasn't a problem when Steve sang leads, and it wasn't a problem when Pat sang leads. What's different?
The difference is that Jessica is only a singer. Anne will do lead and background vocals, Jessica will do lead and background vocals. Anne will still be our front person and lead singer. Her role is not changing. But she wants to be the lead singer. The only one. Fucking seriously? Ego? Now? When we're on the fucking verge of really, really making it big? It was okay with her when Steve or Pat was singing because they were also playing guitar. Maybe she's so insecure that she imagines that eventually we'll just want Jessica and not her (not likely -- Jessica is good but not nearly as good as Anne). Maybe it's because Jessica is also female. Anne has always gotten along better with the guys than with other girls. Some girls are that way. Not a problem... until it becomes a problem.
So she's all upset, and we're trying to get her to articulate exactly why, and she's having trouble getting to it (what I just wrote above is my summary of what we managed to drag out of her over the course of 15 or 20 minutes). We assure her that she's still our "main" lead singer, she's still the face of the band, the front person, and then in an incredible display of stupidity, Jessica pipes up "Wait a minute, I'm a front person, too. I mean, I'm right up front, too, right next to her." Jane, you ignorant slut! You were hired as a background singer. You were told you could sing lead on one or two songs, so your friends could come see you and cheer for you. But you were never a front person, and you're not a front person just because you stand on the front line. The drummer, bassist and I are the back line, the guitarists and singers are front line, because this is Rock and Roll and this is how it works and this is what looks cool. But you're not the front person any more than the guitarists are. There can be only one.
(https://imgur.com/rWZPCry.jpg)
I didn't say any of this, because there are seven people in the band and at least four of them were already talking. JT is amazed by this and gets up to grab something to drink or something. Then he comes back and we see how incredibly mad he really is. "I have played in dozens of bands the past 30 years, and almost none of them had the talent that this band has. But every one of those bands broke up because of one thing: Ego! There is no room for that. There is what's best for the band, and that is what you do, and if you don't like that, you can leave!" He's not speaking to anyone in particular, just venting, but his words are true, and we all know it. We all enjoy playing in the band, but we all have things we want to get out of it, therefore every single one of us must compromise, at least a little. I just wish he hadn't said the part about leaving if you can't deal with it, because it looked to me like Anne was about to quit. She's sitting there crying, and feels like everyone's ganging up on her. We're really just trying to talk sense, but when you have three or four people all doing that at once, let's face it, it's ganging up. Jessica has chosen the worst possible time for her little power play, and is sitting looking somewhere between defiant and confused by how much commotion it's caused.
JT leaves. He cannot calm down enough to stay in the room and deal with this level of stupidity. His position has always been "I'm merely the drummer" which sounds like a cop out, but in fact it has helped on more than one occassion. He really doesn't care what we play or where we play. Somebody make the call, and he'll learn the songs. After nearly three years with us, we've worked this out and it's fine. He'll be fine; he just needs to calm down.
Jessica has to be somewhere and has to leave at Noon. We knew this going in. It's almost Noon now, so she starts gathering her stuff. Jerry, who has always been the mellowist, most laid-back person in the band, says he hopes we can figure this out, because right now he's about 50-50 regarding whether this is worth it. He loves the band, thinks we're great, but all this bickering and behind-the-scenes shit really bothers him. This surprises me because he's never let on that that was the case, not until now.
The meeting is apparently over. Jerry and Larry get up to leave, and John walks them to the door (and presumably takes the opportunity to say something to each of them). This leaves Anne and me in the room. Anne's still sitting there, no longer crying but still visibly upset. I go over and give her a hug. We've reached this point; at gigs and practices we greet each other with a hug and say goodbye with a hug. For me, it both reinforces bonds and serves a completely selfish purpose; I think Anne is hot and hell yes I'll take the opportunity to hug her. But standing up and hugging someone while they're sitting down is a little awkward, so she stands up and turns to face me and goes to continue the hug. Just as we're leaning into each other, I see her face. Oh shit! It's that face.
You see it in movies and bad TV shows. A mix of realization, resignation, vulnerability, and uncertainty all at once. Two people, just friends until this moment, and then the look crosses one or both of their faces, and they start making out. Depending on the circumstances, clothes might start coming off (which is always hilarious to watch, especially if they try to do this without releasing liplock). But this is not the face I wanted to see. In retrospect, maybe I shouldn't have been surprised. She and her boyfriend broke up a few weeks ago, and the last couple of practices, when I asked her how she's doing, she's actually told me. Not great. Adjusting. Getting used to being alone again. And it can be tough at our age. I've tried to be a good friend to her, not just because I like her and genuinely care about her, but again for selfish reasons, this time going the other way. The better she is, the better the band is. Got to keep her happy, and let her know the rest of us are in it with her.
I made the split-second decision to completely ignore "that face" and just give her a hug. A supportive, friendly, chaste hug. By time I release her, I look and her face has changed. We're just friends. Good. But I know what I saw, and goddammit, of all the things this band does not need right now, it's this. Well, this and our two singers not agreeing on the dynamics of front-line singers and their respective roles in the band. I asked her if she was okay, she said Yes, and thanked me. I started heading toward the door, and I guess I figured she'd be right behind me. I get outside, John is still talking a bit with Jerry and Larry (that sounds funny) and I ask "So, do we still have a band?" Larry says "I'm still in!" Ha ha, good answer, one who has not yet played with us. Jerry says something like "I think so." I hope so, Jerry. None of the behind-the-scenes bullshit has been resolved, apparently. I look, and Anne has not followed me outside. She's still inside, alone at this point, probably still getting her head together. John glances around, apparently reaches the same conclusion, and says Bye to us and starts heading back inside. The rest of us get in our cars and leave.
I have no idea what the fuck is even happening anymore.
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Woah. I don't even know how to respond to that :lol
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Good grief
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You're really telling us the true life story of Heart, and passing it off as your band, aren't you. Somebody is going to have to be the opportunistic one here and destroy the band when he hooks up with Anne.
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I'm not familiar with the backstory of Heart; I'm somewhat familiar with the the backstory of Fleetwood Mac (the Buckingham Nicks version) but only because so many stories have been told about how the band didn't break up, but instead got a lot of good songs out of the shit they went through. The important thing is that they did get through it. That's not the case with Heart, I presume?
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Woah. I don't even know how to respond to that :lol
As I was driving home, I remember thinking to myself "Ha ha, the guys on DTF would love this" but the drama was mostly a thing of the past. Once we got Pat settled in and started actually playing gigs, things were pretty cool for a while. This past summer has been great. Plenty of good Rock and Roll, plenty of fun.
But then I figured the drama is, at the very least, entertaining. Might as well share it. And unless I completely misinterpreted "the face" -- which I suppose is still a possibility -- I'm actually involved in some of it. Possibly. Hopefully, it's nothing. A moment of minor weakness, no harm, no foul.
It was funny, though. John called me a couple hours later, just to check in. He does that. After a meeting or practice, especially if things didn't exactly go well, he'll call specific individuals and speak privately with them. He's a manager by profession, and this is how he manages issues within the band. If having everyone in the room together just leads to chaos and yelling and crying, he deals with us one-on-one. Anyway, I'd gotten pretty stoned on the way home, and John opens with "So I talked with Anne a bit after the meeting..." and I'm thinking Holy shit, please this cannot go where it sounds like it's going. What, she's all confused? She thought that maybe I was trying to... something? She thinks that maybe she's... something?
He continues, "...and, I guess I just wanted to thank you for being one of the cooler heads in the room today. Things got pretty tense, and I had to alternate between sitting back and letting people sort it out, and jumping in to be the referee. I noticed that you didn't say a lot, but when you did, it was calm, made sense, and tended to defuse things. Anne said you stayed a bit afterwards and talked to her, got her to calm down, and I appreciate that." He went on to talk about how we're at a crossroads, the lineup has changed and we have to figure some things out, etc.
I'd almost forgotten that Anne and I did talk quite a bit. I told her that I know she's not sure what's going on right now, no one is, but this is the best band I've ever been in, and I really want it to succeed. She seemed surprised by that. But to do that, we have to keep it together, and get through the rough times. I was holding her and saying all kinds of nice, reassuring things, she's a great singer and a great person and I know she's been going through some shit lately, but I'm there for her, and I think that's what led to the face and the almost-more-than-hug, but it was just a moment of vulnerability.
Anyway, I reminded John pretty directly that I was against adding Jessica for exactly the reasons we're dealing with now. If he sees our vocals as a weakness, our first course of action should be dedicated vocal rehearsals. Anne would see adding another singer as a threat. He would have to approach it very carefully, get her buy-in at every stage, and keep things cool on both sides. He reminded me that he'd started this process in February. Eight months ago. Whoa. The gig where I met Jessica was in March. He'd been taking this as slowly as he could, but when Pat decided to leave and we couldn't find a guitarist who can also sing (they're all already playing in bands), it changed things, and Jessica's role has changed. He thought that the girls were getting along fine, were comfortable with each other, and that this wouldn't really be a problem. He was just wrong about that last part.
Anyway, don't worry, I'm not going to try and bang our singer or anything like that. I'm not an idiot.
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I'm not familiar with the backstory of Heart; I'm somewhat familiar with the the backstory of Fleetwood Mac (the Buckingham Nicks version) but only because so many stories have been told about how the band didn't break up, but instead got a lot of good songs out of the shit they went through. The important thing is that they did get through it. That's not the case with Heart, I presume?
Ann and Nancy were romantically involved with band members Mike and Roger Fisher, respectively. Both of the Fishers left in '79 amid breakups with the Wilson sisters. I gather that the band didn't do so well for a while, then got popular again mid-80's. I was really more commenting on having two chick singers, one named Anne, and that someone was gonna have to nail her.
Anyway, don't worry, I'm not going to try and bang our singer or anything like that. I'm not an idiot.
I hope you understand that I wasn't implying that it would or should be you.
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:lol No, it's cool. I figured you were making a reference, a joke. I just wasn't familiar enough with the context.
And believe me, if things were different -- a lot of things -- then I'd probably make a play. I suppose I was saying it to remind myself how foolish it would be, as much as stating it for others.
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Anyway, I'd gotten pretty stoned on the way home
You're a goddamm rock star
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^this
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I use the word "anyway" too much. My stories ramble as my brain wanders around (usually due to what's referenced above), although in print I can eventually bring things back on topic. I rarely manage to do that in real time conversation. Still, I need to find a way to do that other than using "anyway" all the time.
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Figures that you're talking about "Anyway" when I was talking about "I'd gotten pretty stoned on the way home".
That's how much of a goddamm rock star you are.
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I knew where the focus was supposed to be, but I decided to deflect it. A mention in passing seems to be okay on DTF these days, but it used to be a bit tighter.
Also, it gave me an excuse to own up to something that bothers me about my own writing, but not until I actually see it later, with a clearer mind. If anyone's out there thinking "Damn, Orbert rambles around a lot, and uses fucking 'anyway' all the time to bring it back" then, well yeah, I know that.
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I don't normally think of posts on a discussion forum as "writing", even though they technically are. I view it as conversation. So things like that don't normally register to me, at least not as a bad thing, because I'm not judging posts the way I would judge an essay, or fiction, or a news article.
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To me, it's somewhere in between. True, it's a conversation, an exchange of ideas, pleasantries, what have you. But I tend to think of "conversations" as taking place between two people, or a small group. A forum extends this concept to offer a voice to anyone who wishes to participate. But because unrestricted numbers can easily lead to chaos and anarchy, a forum must have rules and limitations. Internet discussion forums solve some of this by their very format. Everything is written, therefore there is a defined order in which people have responded and thus a defined order in which responses can be read. People can't stomp on each other just by shouting over them or talking louder as with a true public forum.
But there's the other side of it. Everything is written, and read. Chat rooms are closer to true public forums. Despite the fact that responses are ordered (and written, obviously) there's more chaos than order. Shorter sentences, spelling not necessarily of huge importance, etc. Some people prefer it that way, and that's fine.
In my mind, Internet discussion forums are (or should be) more orderly than chat rooms. And because the medium is the written word, I think of it as writing. Also, because I like writing and tend to take it more seriously than most. Sometimes I'll shoot off a quick response to something, contribute to the discussion, but I generally prefer to "compose" my responses. I edit, I go through multiple drafts, way more than the average poster, I'm pretty sure. Half the time, I'll do all that, then delete it all anyway. I don't like where it's going, or I don't think I'll be able to properly convey my viewpoint, so fuck it, I'd rather just not say anything. I suppose that's another reason why my posts tend to be on the long side. I'm not just saying something, offering my contribution; I've composed a response and presented it.
Ironically, this is the "Chat Thread", which I'm guessing is meant to model a chat room more than a structured forum. But we don't have enough traffic for things to really get chaotic, so I started chatting about my band, and that has lead to a lot of copy. In retrospect, I probably could've (and should've) created a new thread to chronicle the saga, but it's kinda late for that now. :lol
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Well, even though your saga takes up the majority of the thread, it's not as if nobody else ever posts in here. Besides, I - and I'm sure others as well - quite like reading what you're up to.
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I'm actually glad when others post stuff in this thread. Songs they're working on, updates on their stuff. I know I write a lot, but I don't want to dominate the thread.
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I was half laying down when I began to read the last few FlashDrive updates, but when I got to "the look" I sat up straight and actually said like "oh shit" out loud. Lol.
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:lol
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One of my bands has recorded our first EP. We're a concept band who's songs revolve around the main character from a book that I'm writing. This particular EP tells the backstory of a secondary character from the book. I've written a short story that details his backstory which I plan on releasing as an ebook for free sometime soon. We play progressive blues-based rock, though some friends think we also dab into the metal genre (which was unintentional, but I'm kinda a metal guy at heart, so it just kinda happened). Take a listen - like I said, it's conceptual, so it's meant to be listened to from start to finish. Thanks guys.
https://bloodhoundbandcamp.bandcamp.com/album/poet-ep
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I've lurked in this thread for a long time but I don't know if I ever posted. Some really entertaining stories here. I do a lot of music myself, although not many interesting stories I can think of right now. I recorded an album over the summer that I'm pretty happy with. I'm still learning how to record and mix properly, but I've gradually made improvements with this. One thing I tried to do here was strip down the sonic field a bit by only having one part at a time for each instrument. If there is an organ part being played, that is the only keyboard part, or only one guitar at a time, etc. A few songs break this rule (most notably the first song), but this really helped in the mixing process. It sounds less like a sonic mess than my previous album did.
https://animalsoup.bandcamp.com/album/eardreams
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Take a listen - like I said, it's conceptual, so it's meant to be listened to from start to finish. Thanks guys.
https://bloodhoundbandcamp.bandcamp.com/album/poet-ep
This was great, dude. Really well done. Was especially impressed by the vocals. It's the weak link in so many projects, but whoever's doing the vocals here is really good.
I recorded an album over the summer that I'm pretty happy with.
https://animalsoup.bandcamp.com/album/eardreams
This is less my type of music, but it was still pretty cool. I'm at 'Under the Light' right now and it has a really nice laid back feel-good vibe to it.
"The music on this album was written with the intention of being concise and unique." You certainly delivered on that front in my opinion. So, good job!
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Thanks for checking it out!
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Take a listen - like I said, it's conceptual, so it's meant to be listened to from start to finish. Thanks guys.
https://bloodhoundbandcamp.bandcamp.com/album/poet-ep
This was great, dude. Really well done. Was especially impressed by the vocals. It's the weak link in so many projects, but whoever's doing the vocals here is really good.
Thanks brother! The bass player and I did all the vocals. Actually, we're the only two members of the band! haha
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So I was bored last night and made this (https://soundcloud.com/saculs78/midnight-lullaby-demo) nice little beat :corn
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Today I finished writing this solo (https://musescore.com/blackavar/tunnel) for the instrument I play. After I learn it I'll probably record it with a pianist.
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Who is Stephen Wilson?
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Who is Stephen Wilson?
who the hell do you think :lol
sort of an unfortunate name, i suppose
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Is that your real name? :o
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Is that your real name? :o
Yeah. I don't think I'll ever become a popular musician thanks to another certain someone ::)
Google likes to not care about the difference between a ph and a v
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And here I was thinking your real name was Lucien, which isn't that strange a thought.
To be fair, there's probably thousands of people named Steven/Stephen Wilson.
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I've lurked in this thread for a long time but I don't know if I ever posted. Some really entertaining stories here. I do a lot of music myself, although not many interesting stories I can think of right now. I recorded an album over the summer that I'm pretty happy with. I'm still learning how to record and mix properly, but I've gradually made improvements with this. One thing I tried to do here was strip down the sonic field a bit by only having one part at a time for each instrument. If there is an organ part being played, that is the only keyboard part, or only one guitar at a time, etc. A few songs break this rule (most notably the first song), but this really helped in the mixing process. It sounds less like a sonic mess than my previous album did.
https://animalsoup.bandcamp.com/album/eardreams
This was actually really cool! haha. Super laid back. The electronic elements have a very daft punky feel to them, which is cool. Good stuff dude!
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Thanks! I love Daft Punk though they were almost more of an indirect influence. The vocoder vocals in particular were more out of necessity because I'm not much of a singer. I did reference some Daft stuff for that.
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More Drama!
In the Chicago suburbs, every suburb has their own festival and celebration every year. They range in size, but in general are the biggest local event of the year. The Village Green or whatever the big park downtown is gets converted into a fair. Rides, games, and of course live music. This is known as "the festival circuit". Bands can make anywhere from $800 to $2000 for that one night, and if you manage to get on the circuit, you go around and play six or eight (or more) of these during the spring and summer months.
Two weeks from Friday is a big thing at one of the big hotels, it's a showcase for the local festivals. Reps will be there to decide what bands to hire for next year's festivals. Bands will be there to basically do mass auditions. 15 minutes, show them what you've got, maybe score big. This is a very big deal. We weren't ready for the festival circuit this year; we would've had to have been ready last fall and appear at this showcase. We're ready now.
So the thing is coming up, and the organizer contacted John with some tips: Don't play individual songs, put together a medley of 7-8 songs which show your versatility, variety, musicianship, and vocal strength. That's the only one that caught us by surprise. We'd decided which three songs to play, killer songs, but what the hell, we can put together a 15-minute medley of songs. I volunteered to do it, and "Festival Medley v3.mp3" was eventually emailed out to everyone, along with a breakdown of how it's all put together. Saturday was our first practice of two to nail this thing down. We worked on it for three hours. It's coming together really well.
Some things didn't work quite as well as I'd thought, but whatever; I knew this was only a draft. Some transitions worked better if we left in four or eight bars to give someone time to switch guitars or stomp on pedals. Some things flowed better if we cut this out part out, but left this part of this other song in. That kind of thing. I remember that there was an one eight-bar section we cut that Anne felt very strongly against cutting, but it was basically a throwaway section. It's in "Separate Ways" right near the end where Perry is ad-libbing "I still love you I really love you blah blah blah" while Neil plays the same solo he'd played before, then the big ending. We cut that. Anne thought it made more sense lyrically to keep it because the next thing is "Noooooooo!!!!" over the synth hook and it would sound like she's telling him No, as opposed to No, please don't go. Whatever, it's bits and pieces of songs. The buyers will not be critiquing the lyrics.
I get up from my Sunday afternoon nap yesterday to a missed call, a voicemail, and a text, all from John, all asking me to call him. This will not be good.
He got an email from Anne Saturday night at 11:00 PM (after he'd gone to bed; he didn't see it until Sunday) which he presumes came about after several glasses of wine, but as he puts it "alcohol is the best truth serum" and he's right.
Anne can't deal with this. The way we disrepect her (what?), the way we're always talking about her behind her back (which she's never seen but she knows we do it), the way she never has any input into the decisions we make, blah blah blah, whine whine whine (and probably more wine wine wine). This thing with cutting the vocal ad-lib part was just the last straw, the one that broke the camel's back. She's so tired of having to put up with all the shit she gets from us (seriously, WTF?) and the way we gang up on her if she dares to open her mouth.
Uh... no. This is a band. Every one of us has compromised, for the good of the band. Every one of us puts the band first, because without the band, we don't get to be rock stars on the weekends. Every one of us, except her. John says that this has been going on for a while, most of the summer at least (I had no idea) and her emails are always full of "I thought... " and "But I wanted..." It's always about her, it's never what's better for the band. He's spent the last few months trying to smooth over the hurt feelings regarding adding Jessica as a support singer, which a bigger person would be able to see objectively makes us a better band. Our vocals now are as kickass as our instrumentals. We did it. We are now a fucking top-shelf cover band, really for the festival circuit, the big bucks as far as this level of entertainment goes. So of course it's now time for someone to get fucking butthurt about something and want to quit.
John's telling me all this, and I'm thinking maybe it's time for a different approach. Mediation? That would be weird. How about we just ask her what the fuck it is that she wants us to do? Does she want full control of the set list? Not gonna happen. Does she want final say on all vocal decisions? She has the most say, but the final word still comes down to the band. No one has 100% control over anything. It's called compromise, putting the needs of the many ahead of the needs of your own selfish ass. Given that, what does she want? Have we ever really asked her that, point blank.
John says that he suspects she'd never be able to articulate that. And unfortunately, it really doesn't matter at this point because there's more. First, this has been going on for a while (that's when he shared that bit about it going on all summer) and Anne is beyond pessimistic, beyond paranoid; she's full-blown delusional. The accusations of us colluding against her, the objectively wrong perception that she has no input into the decisions, the way we brought in another singer without her approval (approval?)... But most of all, there's another thing. Jerry, who at our last band meeting said he was 50-50 on staying and putting up with this shit, had also sent John an email after Saturday's practice. He's decided. He'll play this showcase thing with us, but after that he's gone. He won't be as dramatic as Steve was ("either she goes or I go") but basically he's tired of dealing with Anne and her shit. Again, I'm totally caught off guard by this. I had never perceived anything negative between those two. Never. When we're playing, for three hours, everything in the world is great. I'm playing rock and roll. I'm playing good rock and roll with a good band with good singers and it sounds good and we are good. As far as I knew, everything was great. Maybe I'm the naive one.
But there it is. We either find another singer or we find another bass player. Steve left because of Anne, Pat had numerous reasons for leaving but #1 was Anne, and Jessica isn't available for the showcase thing (she teaches vocal music, and that is the day of her school concert) but has intimated to John that she's having second thoughts about being in the band and working with Anne.
There are other bass players, and yeah, I'm sure it's easier to find a good-enough bass player than a good singer. But from Day One, the basis of this band has been that it is not our day job, and we may never make any money doing it, therefore it has to be about fun, and playing music isn't fun if you don't get along with the rest of the band. It's about "fit". John has cut people he didn't think were a good fit, and right now, if there's one person who's causing the most problems, giving him the most headaches, not "fitting" with the rest of the band, it's our prima-donna lead singer Anne. He's made the executive decision and she's got to go, for the sake of the band. The band is not the lead singer. Actually, he sees the core of the band as JT, Jerry, myself, and him. We've seen lead guitarists come and go. We've seen singers come and now probably go. These are key positions in the band, no question. But if the person in that position places their wants above the needs of the band -- that is, considers themself more important than the other five members combined -- then that person is the problem.
My phone says that John and I talked for 46 minutes, 11 seconds. I basically agreed with him on everything we discussed. I like Anne, he likes Anne, but we both like the band more, and the band is not going to bend over or bow to the wishes of the lead singer. Some bands do that. This is his band, and this band will not do that. I'm perfectly fine with that.
Next steps: Somehow keep it together for two more weeks. Get this festival showcase done, wow a bunch of people, line up some big gigs for next year. Then replace our lead singer and, by next summer, get another one and get her up to speed. When we hit the festival circuit next year, and live out our dream of playing for thousands of people at a time, we will not be the same band that auditioned; we will be better.
Two steps forward, one step back. That's been the pattern, every single time. We finally had a full set list together and were ready to start playing gigs when we lost Karen. We finally got to actually playing live when we lost Steve. We finally got to playing some decent venues and not $10 shitholes when we lost Pat. We are on the edge of playing the festival circuit, and it looks like we're losing Anne. John says that there's one thing that could change the outcome of this, and it's that Anne has to convince him that she's turned herself around, realized how out-of-touch with reality she's been, make amends with the rest of the band, and show that she's ready to place the needs of the band ahead of her own. He seriously doubts that this will happen. But he has to keep her compliant until after the showcase. Placate her, tell her Let's just get through this thing and then we can take a serious look at her issues and what we can do about them. It would not exactly be untrue.
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I haven't read the latest Orbert's post yet—I'm going to be on it right after I post this—but I've got to say, these FlashDrive updates are the best thing happening on DTF right now, as far as I'm concerned.
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I kind of agree, it's great reading all of that.
Wow, I think you guys have got the right idea though; the band is always more important than a single person, but as soon as that single person gets too much a hold of a band's sound or writes most of the music, it's not as easy. This happens with lead-singers, lead-guitarists and bands in which there's only one person writing the songs (Steven Wilson comes to mind; every musician can basically be replaced except for him). You guys are a cover band, so obviously anybody could potentiallybe replaced and as you said, the intention is to have fun. Don't let your fun be spoilt by drama and tell you lead-singer what you said here. Oh, and nail that festival show-case!!
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By the time I'd gotten up from my Sunday afternoon nap, John had already spoken with JT and Jerry, and they were both on the same page as he and I. Also, John had replied to Anne's email, stating in what he thought were very clear terms that he thought she was off base with her perceptions, there was no great conspiracy against her, and that everyone is compromising here. Everyone is placing the good of the band ahead of their own wants, except her. He gave multiple specific examples.
She completely either missed or ignored the point of the email and responded with more "But I wanted..." and "But I said we should..." and "But I thought..." and literally just a bunch more examples of her just not getting it. She sees the band as existing so that she can get what she wants out of it. That's true for all of us. But she is not more important than the band itself. No one is.
It was that reply which prompted John to contact the rest of us individually and bring up the impending departure of Anne, and do whatever calming down and/or convincing was necessary. None was necessary. We all agree completely with John's position on this. For now, if Anne brings anything up, we just say that yeah, it looks like we have some more stuff to work out, but let's focus on this showcase for now, then we'll address specific complaints that anyone might have. And just hope she doesn't bail before then.
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I just thought of something. And to be quite honest, I feel kinda shitty that I hadn't thought of it before.
I do consider Anne a friend as well as a bandmate. I personally would rather see her stay in the band and work things out, if that's at all possible. Even so, it's still three votes to two against her. (Larry and Jessica presumably do not get votes, having little to no tenure in the band yet.) I could reach out to Anne, call her, send her an email, something, and tell her Hey, this is it. John is ready to kick you out, and let's just say it's not looking great but there's still something you can do to fix that, maybe. You're not gonna like it, but here it is, take it or leave it. And tell her what John said about what she has to do, completely, or else. And we're still outvoted and John could still say Bye-bye, so it could just make things worse. Jerry could decide Well okay, I guess she's staying, so I'm gone, sorry it worked out like this. And we'd have Anne, but she'd still be a psycho prima donna, and now we need to find a bass player, too.
So I should just shut up. And let my friend get kicked out of a band she really likes being in. The fact that I'm also a member of that band shouldn't matter, right? But it does. The band still comes first.
Fuck.
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Band comes first.
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Bros before... well, something like that. I won't speak that way about Anne, maybe because I still kinda want to bang her, though I'm pretty sure that would never happen anyway.
Steve at least had one thing right: Females in a band make things infinitely more complicated. If it's all dudes, we can give each other shit, speak freely and with whatever level of profanity is appropriate, and at the end of the day it's all good. With females, you never know what one remark they're going to remember and go home and cry about, and then bring it and a dozen other things up later when they finally get upset enough to make a scene.
John has started looking (quietly) for another female singer. I asked him whether he's learned anything from dealing with Karen, and now Anne. He says he has. I hope so.
Something else I thought of. All this crap that Anne has been laying on John these past months, all the whining and long rambling wine-fueled emails that have driven John to the point of just not wanting to deal with her any more regardless of how great a singer she is... that's all John's word and nothing else. It's possible that John is completely making it all up. It's not likely, and I don't believe it for a minute, but it's an interesting thought. What if John is really the psycho here, and his "alternate personality" surfaces from time to time and torpedoes everything we've accomplished? Weird how you never really know.
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:omg:
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It's a wacky thought, and as I said, I don't believe that that's the case. For example, Jerry independently brought up at our previous meeting about how all this behind-the-scenes drama was just driving him nuts. He wouldn't feel that way unless he too had seen it, right?
Or maybe John had been telling him about it, driving him nuts, and it never really existed.
Jessica made the situation ten times worse when we were in the middle of reassuring Anne that she's the lead singer, the one and only front person, and she (Jessica) said "Wait a minute, I'm a front person too!"
Or maybe John had been talking to her about that, and told her to make sure that if it comes up, to assert herself.
John talks to each of us individually, and there are also emails to subsets of the band back and forth, the ones he feels are relevant to the conversation. This is 100% due to his many years of "managing" people, and he takes the exact same approach with running the band. I'm sure you can see the problem there. Being in a band is not the same as working your job and doing what your manager says. The band is supposed to be fun; we're all in it because we want to be. You can't just up and quit your job if you don't get along with a coworker. Well, you could, but you get the point. It's not the same thing. Some aspects have similar dynamics, yes, but you can't just run it exactly the same way. It's just interesting that it creates the possibility that he's manipulating every one of us. Or maybe I'm going nuts, too. It's a very paranoid thought to even have, isn't it?
Anyway, it's just a weird and wacky thought I had. For right now, the band still exists, I get to Rock and Roll, and it's all good. I'd rather Anne stay, but if she's causing problems for the rest of us, causing others to leave, then she's the problem. It's just a lot harder to find a good leader singer than it is to find a good bass player.
And in a twisted way, I do find all of this drama interesting. Call it studying human behavior. I'd rather it didn't happen, but as long as I get to Rock and Roll, whatever.
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It's just a lot harder to find a good leader singer than it is to find a good bass player.
Are you sure? I mean an actual good bass player. Not a guitarist who happens to know where the notes are, but one that can groove and really give a song that nice low-end. One who can add subtle bass lines to the song without overdoing it or becoming yet another melody-instrument. In my experience, a good bass guitarist is really hard to find. Then again, this can be said for basically any instrument. Once you really start looking for quality, you'll find out how many bad musicians there are out there.
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In our position, yes, I think it's harder. We're all in our 50's, and it's just common sense (and a bit of experience) that the singer will need to be of a similar age. Some hot 20-something or 30-something singer might have great pipes, but they're not going to want to sing classic rock with a bunch of dinosaurs. They also have to live near enough to make practice every weekend and have weekends free in general because that's when the gigs are. John is set on the singer being female, so if she has kids (which is definitely the norm around here) they have to be old enough to be left alone during these times. Sure, it's possible that she's so fired up about being the singer in a rock band that she'll shell out for a babysitter just so she can go practice with a bunch of dudes 20 years older than her, but what are the chances of that, really? And how many 50-somethings can still sing, really sing Rock and Roll? If they can, chances are good that they're already in a band.
And part of it is because, while we'd love to have a really good bass player who can groove, there's a bit more leeway there. The bass player only has to be "good enough". The musicianship level of the rest of the band is still very high; we could get away with a mediocre bass player if need be. A mediocre lead singer/front person is not an option.
It just blows my mind that this band keeps getting better and better, and we're on the verge of actual success, including real money (which was never the goal but certainly a nice plus) and we have not one, but two people going "nah, this just isn't working for me". We're a fucking great band, it's official. Every time I play with this band, I can't believe how good we are; it's the best band I've ever played in. And our singer still can't put her selfish wants and needs aside; it's still not enough for her. And our bass player loves playing with us but can't deal with the behind-the-scenes bullshit, which is so behind-the-scenes that I didn't even know it existed.
When I'm playing, if the music's good, I don't give a fuck if the singers hate each other, if the bass player secretly wants to be somewhere else, or anything else. All that matters is the music. I guess for me, that's enough. That makes it all worthwhile. Other aren't the same, though.
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Solution: get a male singer.
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I'll second the "way easier to find a good bassist than a good singer" conundrum. Currently there myself, and I suspect that it's due to the kind of stuff we want to do. We've likely been entirely too ambitious in the type of stuff we've chosen to do, and because of it, we can't find a singer worth a shit. Or at all, really. Bummed, but not much I can do. I need to get something going though. I'm ready to start playing again and really would love to be playing again.
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Solution: get a male singer.
Female singers start with the advantage of having higher voices. Good singers are hard to find anyway, but you'll still find more girls that can sing Steve Perry or Tom Johnston than guys who can sing Pat Benatar or Ann Wilson. Also, John is pretty stuck on having a female singer, although part of that is because of the variety and flexibility that comes with it.
Even if you find a guy who can sing way up there, how many are willing to sing "girl songs"? Benatar, Heart? Joan Jett if you're lucky. Girls don't seem to have the same issue singing guy songs because they're the norm. Very few bands can get away with only doing songs originally sung by female lead singers. You'd have to be really, really good, make it your thing, your trademark. Otherwise the lack of variety just won't get you gigs around here. Way too much competition.
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I've always been anti-chick singer, but maybe it's time to relent on it. Maybe it would do us good.
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It's different. Our band back in the 80's (the last "real" band I was in before all this mess) started with a guy singing, then we switched to a girl singer, and it opened up a lot of possibilities. She was also a better singer than the guy we started with, but that's a separate issue. At the time, Missing Persons were hot, Quarterflash, The Motels, I guess kinda like today you have Pink, Lady Gaga, Adele, etc. A pretty significant percentage of popular music, and if you have a guy singer, you really can't do them. But if you have a girl singer, you can do it all.
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My thing is twofold:
1) There are a lot more rock songs with male singers than female singers. If you can't do a particular song by a female singer, big whoop, there are hundreds more songs to choose from that have male singers.
2) Not being a chauvinist, but guys are generally easier to get along with. Guys tend not to like drama.
IMHO and for my time and from my experience.
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Exactly. Like Orbert said, with a guy singer, he's "one of the guys". You can bust his balls, be sarcastic, be "guys", and everyone's cool, and there's no emotion tied to any of it. Do that with a woman and chances are, as demonstrated, it will eventually bite you in the ass, because you never know what little thing will get picked out and held onto.
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Oh, absolutely. You're both spot-on. There are definite downsides to the whole mixed-gender band in the first place.
Due to his 20-something years of management experience, John believes that he has the skills to keep this ship sailing, and ride out the bumps. He's willing to put up with the downsides in order to exploit the upsides as he sees them. And to his credit, he's mostly managed to do that, despite some serious bumps, and we do emerge stronger each time.
But yeah, sometimes it would be nice to not have all the drama. It's not enough to make me want to quit or anything, not nearly enough, because I refuse to let it bother me. I just want to rock. I get to rock. Good enough for me.
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Orbert talking about chicks and their serious bumps.
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Agreed, there are many pro and cons to a female singer, especially if it's not the way the song was sung officially.
I think the two worst cons that prevented me from having a female singer ever are :
-It's not a "guy", you've got to care a little more about her and if it goes bad she can f*ck everything up or make you live a nightmare, when a man usually just leave, or punch you
-In France, most of those cover bands are more known as "that girl's" band, rather as a band, and it's tough for musicians, some sexism backfire.
By the way, I'm far from willing to take too much space here, and read the band's story from day to day, but I thought I could talk a little about mine :)
As one of the most hardcore Dream Theater fan, I joined a drummer that wanted to make a...Muse tribute :p
The idea of a DT tribute was an absolute no for me because it would never be ready to gig, and finding a gig would be a pain here.
So, after many years playing the usual torture in pubs and some outdoors stages, I stopped gigging for some years, and last winter I felt the urge to play live music.
My only band at this moment was my family one (playing pop punk in the basement with my wife and her sister + guests), garage way :)
I answered to an ad on a music kind of craiglist and went to meet the drummer, a muse fan that dreamt for years to do a tribute.
We played together for month, weekly, over backing tracks, and became friends.
We had a tough time finding other members for many reasons, some made us wait, some singers didn't have the good voice, and then BAM! this summer we found a bassist and a piano+singer !
The bassist is always clowny and full of energy, the piano/singer is a little classical/calm music snob and is the most perfectionnist, but I think we wouldn't make a lot of progress if he wasn't. As a metal/prog snob we live in constant opposition, but are enough open minded to make that a pro, adding some magic to each other's part.
Everybody is supportive around us and it's really cool.
The only tough point about the band is that we are spread locally and we rehearse an evening a week, so I get home in the middle of the night on wednesday, I do the effort to cope with work, more.
Technically, we rehearse with headphones 3 times a month and one time in a full rehearsal studio with PA :)
We have a 11 songs first set nearly ready to gig and a second one to begin.
Hope I'll be able to share some video soon, if anyone wanna see :)
Cheers !
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That sounds like a nice setup. I've played gigs where everyone had in-ears and their own Avion mix. Cool stuff. Great for rehearsal, great for performance.
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Orbert should really have his own thread - "The Flashdrive Saga".
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I've actually thought about going through this thread and taking all the FlashDrive bits and consolidating them in a separate thread. Thing is, there's also a lot of discussion, or comments in passing, so the editing/quoting effort has to be considered. I still might.
So we got together Friday night for a short practice. We ran through the medley start to finish a couple of times. Got through it both times, which was good, second time was better than the first. This Friday is the Festival Showcase.
I was the last to leave, stuck around and asked John if anything had changed since we talked last Sunday, he said No. Oh, well Yes, actually. Friday is the thing, then our next regularly scheduled practice is Saturday. The rest of the band, including Jessica, gets together to check out a singer named Cheryl. Or maybe that'll happen Sunday afternoon. He'll let us know.
This is shitty. No one says a thing to Anne about the impending axe falling, because we want to get through the showcase, then John's gonna talk to her I guess (or maybe not), and we're already looking for new singers. Just like how it's done in business.
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https://davidoakes.bandcamp.com
I've a new instrumental album out.
Please check dat :)
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This is shitty. No one says a thing to Anne about the impending axe falling, because we want to get through the showcase, then John's gonna talk to her I guess (or maybe not), and we're already looking for new singers. Just like how it's done in business.
How else could it be done? You have to get through the showcase, so you don't want her out of there until after that. But it sounds like the band can't keep her. I'm not sure what else to do.
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I see both sides of it. I was in a band where they didn't want me around anymore (the singer was not a fan of me, apparently), they held auditions behind my back, then one Sunday morning, I awaken to a call from my guitar player saying the guys don't want me in the band anymore. Out of nowhere. Instead of discussing any issues with me like grown-ups, so that any problems could've been rectified. Nope. They eventually folded, as the singer had memory issues and was constantly looking at the lyrics on the floor, so at gigs, the crowd generally only ever saw the top of his head. On the other side, in an issue like this, you kinda have to do it on the sly, to preserve gigs and momentum that you already have. It sucks having to be on either side of it.
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I see both sides as well, and to answer Hef's question, there's no other way to do it. But it's still a shitty thing to do to someone.
John's business analogy was that there's a group or person who is being eliminated, but there's this big project currently underway and they're key to getting it done, so we keep it mum. Then once the project is complete, we cut that group or person. We use them until we have what we want, then cut them as originally planned.
The reason why it's shitty is because this isn't just like a business situation. We play in bands because we enjoy it; it sure as hell isn't for the money. When a co-worker gets cut, it's either "bummer, I liked them" or "oh well, I didn't like them anyway". Either way, there's nothing you can do about it, so no use getting all upset. But this isn't just business; it is also personal.
I understand why it has to be the way it is, and John says he's talked to her many times about this, always in an attempt to get her to see the bigger picture (that is, put the band first) but nothing seems to have worked. So now that it's apparently not going to improve and other members of the band are threatening to quit, it has to be done, and it has to be done now. But it's still a shitty thing to do to someone. Don't tell them what you know is coming, because first you need to use them for something. There is no good solution. This is just how it has to be, and that's the only reason I can justify this to myself. What I can't do is not feel shitty about it.
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Well, obviously I'm not in your situation, but if my only connection to the person in question was the band itself, and their continued presence would jeopardize the existence of the rest of the band, I wouldn't feel shitty about it.
Of course, I have also been told that I am a hard-hearted son of a bitch, so take that into account.
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My only connection is through the band, but after working with her for nearly two years, I really have come to like to her like a lot, and I do consider her a friend. We have spent some time talking about stuff other than band things. I also happen to know that she's in a really bad place mentally right now, having come off of a bad breakup from a guy that was no good for her (but who she loved anyway). That's why I feel shitty about it.
This band is so weird in that it's practically corporate rock. We were formed as the result of Internet searches, we have some say in the songs we choose, but most of us are playing a lot of songs we don't like, just because we enjoy playing. At first, I lamented the lack of personal chemistry between band members. We've built up quite a bit of that, which was inevitable and I looked forward to it happening, but that makes it harder to cut people, as we're doing now.
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I didn't realize it had been two years.
It doesn't seem like that long.
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Funny, I was thinking it was longer, but I was just going through this thread, and it was just about two years ago that we started hitting on her, trying to get her to leave her old
boyfriend band.
At that time, we promised her that she would be the center of the show, would have final say in all song lists, and we would literally build the show around her. I didn't think it was a good idea then to make promises we had no intention of keeping, and it's biting us now. She may be a prima donna, but we promised her a lot more than we delivered as far as how much control she would have, and I don't blame her for being pissed about how things shook out. John sees that as the cost of doing business. I guess I need to remind him again that this is not just a business. This is people. If your job suddenly gets eliminated, you can't do shit about it, so there's no use complaining. If a band literally courts you away from another band with promises that they never kept, then the new band cans you for whining about not getting all the things you were promised, you have a legitimate beef. There's still no use complaining, but it's still not the same thing.
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(https://imgur.com/38fJEMw.jpg) (https://www.facebook.com/Flashdrive2015/)
John called me this evening, says there's a new wrinkle. I can hardly wait.
I've been whining about feeling shitty about how this is all going down, with Anne and the Festival Showcase, but Larry (unlike Orbert) had the fucking balls to lay it down with John. He does not feel good about doing this showcase with Anne and her having no idea that she's about to be chopped. And he cannot in good conscience play the showcase with her if we don't tell her what's what.
Bravo! I didn't have the balls to put a friend before the band, but he did, and I'm glad. His history is not with this band, it's with Anne.
I say to John "So you're calling her tonight, right?" and he says "I already left her a voicemail." I told him I look forward to hearing about their conversation.
You cannot make this shit up.
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Can Jessica do the job for the showcase, if Anne won't do it?
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Jessica isn't available that day, which is why we have Amy to fill in. But Jessica is not a lead-vocal quality singer anyway.
It comes down to Anne doing it, knowing full well that it'll be her last appearance with us and that she's basically helping us to move on without her; or her choosing not to do it, which is well within her right. If she doesn't do it, we don't do the showcase. We find a new singer, work up our new guitarist, and say "Just wait 'til next year"
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Ahh, okay. Hard to keep track. :lol
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Good grief.
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If I were her, I definitely wouldn't do it after John's back-stabbing class-act. A voicemail? He might as well have sent a text-message. 'Hey, you're out. You still wanna do the show-case though?' There's no way I would.
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No, I think he means John left her a voicemail to call him, so that he could discuss it with her. He didn't fire her via voicemail, I don't think.
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I also didn't remember that she had been promised the moon to join your band.
That's a horse of a different color.
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No, I think he means John left her a voicemail to call him, so that he could discuss it with her. He didn't fire her via voicemail, I don't think.
I must have misunderstood than. In any case, also to reply to Hef, the whole situation as far as Orbert portrays it, is rather shitty. Being promised the moon has nothing to do with it. As soon as you join a band, it's not unreasonable to assume you're being treated fairly and your input is weighed in as well. Discussing stuff behind someone's back is never fun to do, and often not the 'best' way to keep everyone happy. If she does retaliate, she has all the right to (and it would be understandable).
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Yeah, John's voicemail to Anne was for her to call him back as soon as she got a chance. That's it. As of 8:00 this morning, she hadn't called him back yet. He didn't fire her via voicemail.
I received a text from John about an hour ago. She called him back. He told her, she's bummed, she'll go through a few more emotions in the next 24 hours and be a wreck at work (kinda dumb idea calling back from work, but whatever). Then she texted him 20 minutes later and said she wouldn't be doing the showcase on Friday.
As for "back-stabbing" and doing stuff behind her back, it's all a matter of perspective. John is a communicator. He talks to each of us individually, he sends texts to the group, he sends emails to the group, or to the subset of the group which seems relevant. As much as possible, he tries to insulate the rest of the band from issues any given individual might be having. This can be good or bad. If there are problems and they get dealt with and I never even knew about them, I'm fine with that. But the deal with Jerry getting to the point where he's ready to quit, while I had no idea, was an interesting example of how it might be better to let others in on things sometimes. But what's he gonna say? "By the way, Jerry is thinking of quitting, he's so tired of Anne's crap." And before John could do that, Jerry himself let it fly at a band meeting.
After dealing with Anne all summer and trying to get her to put the band first, to try to work with others instead of always saying "I want this" and "I don't like that" and finally having it lead to one member leaving and another threatening to leave, John made the decision to start looking for a replacement. It's his band and as far as I'm concerned, that's his decision to make. He assures me that if I knew all the shit he's been through with her, all the back and forth, all the whining he's gotten and the pleading he's done in vain, I would feel differently. Well, okay, I'll have to take his word for that. Anyway, because he didn't want to make a decision this critical without input from the others, he contacted me, Jerry, and JT separately. Jerry and JT were on board. I took a little more convincing, but I'm on board. It wasn't a "secret vote" or a great conspiracy against her, though I can see how it looks like that. It was to see if he has a consensus, and he does. Larry was approached a bit differently. He's a member of the band, but hasn't actually started working with us yet. He was okay with the decision, though a bit bummed because it was Anne who brought him in. But he didn't like the idea of doing the showcase with her and her not knowing what was coming while the rest of us all did. That's fair, and that's why he insisted that Anne be brought up to speed.
So John had to tell her, and hope that she'd be willing to do the showcase anyway. She has chosen not to.
This weekend, time and date to be announced, we start looking at new lead singers.
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Aw, that sucks (the no show-case gig thing). But I guess you guys were in the situation where no matter what you do, the consequences would suck. Hopefully you'll find a new awesome lead singer.
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Orbert's band stories are my favorite soap opera by far! :corn
I've been though some of that stuff myself and I hated it every time. Especially when the music was awesome but eventually suffered from dealing with people problems all the time until the inevitable yet nonetheless painful end.
Your patience is admirable. I would probably have left long ago.
Greetings...
Nef
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There have been a few times when I've considered quitting. But the band still gives me more than it takes. I like learning new songs, and I like playing the old songs. I like rocking and rolling. If I quit this band, I would not be rocking. If I sought out another band, it would be a while before I was nearly as comfortable with them as I am with FlashDrive because I've been with FlashDrive since before the beginning. I helped build this band. I designed the logo and run the band's Facebook page (which admittedly could be a little better but what the fuck).
It's too easy to just quit when things aren't going well, especially things we're only doing for the fun of it. If or when it reaches the point where it's just no fun any more, or not worth the hassle, I'll probably stop. But I'm willing to deal with the shit for the payoff of getting to be a weekend rock star.
And despite all of the shit we've been through, including numerous personnel changes, we emerge better every time. Anne is a better singer than Karen. Larry is a better guitarist than Pat, who was better than Steve, who was better than Rick. JT is a better drummer than Terry. The only one I'm not quite positive about is Jerry over Tony on bass. As far as playing and singing, Tony was probably better. But he also missed practices because of other commitments and eventually had to leave the band because his baseball league was starting up and they practice every Saturday. He knew the band practiced every other Saturday when he took the job. I'll give Jerry the edge because having a better player who's never there doesn't help anyone. Jerry is very good, certainly good enough for our level, and I don't believe he's ever missed a practice, nor have we had to cancel or reschedule one because he couldn't make it.
Our gigs keep getting bigger and better, and we as a band keep getting better. That's good enough for me.
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https://davidoakes.bandcamp.com
I've a new instrumental album out.
Please check dat :)
Very nice stuff. Low Tide and 2000 Miles Away were favorites.
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https://davidoakes.bandcamp.com
I've a new instrumental album out.
Please check dat :)
Very nice stuff. Low Tide and 2000 Miles Away were favorites.
Thank you. I worked on it for a long time. Track 11 is my fave as It came from being scrapped and re-written about 3 times. Then the final time it all came together.
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The other shoe drops. Larry has left the band.
Larry was brought in by Anne, and seemed to fit very well with us in terms of personality and of course musical background. John talked with him before the official decision to cut Anne, and Larry indicated that he would stay in the band even if Anne was cut. At his "suggestion" Anne was informed of her impending fate prior to the showcase, and she has chosen not to do the showcase, which surprised no one. Larry quitting, I must say, is not really a surprise, just disappointing. Because he said he'd stay even if Anne was cut, my only conclusion is that it wasn't just the cutting; it was the way it was done.
Texts have gone around. JT asked if it's time to call Jimmy. I ask who Jimmy is. Jimmy is a male singer. Goes against John's "vision" for the band, we're already looking at a singer this weekend, and in context I assumed he was a guitarist. Maybe Jimmy Page is looking for a new gig. You never know.
So once again, I feel like I have no fucking idea what's going on. But I'm still not ready to quit. I'll stick with it and rock when I can, because the current option is to not rock at all. Finding a new band would be a pain in the ass. Jerry hasn't weighed in yet. If Jerry quits (less likely now that Anne is officially out but potentially more likely because Larry is now also gone and we're again looking at rebuilding for a few months, minimum) then there's a good chance that the band will just fold. When John called me the other night to talk about things, he briefly mentioned the possibility of the ending of the band, so it's crossed his mind as well.
In a way, it would be a relief. An end to all the drama and frustration. If that happened, I'd probably see about maybe finding another band. I still won't be the one to quit and do that, though. I don't see any upside to quitting a known quantity to take your chances on an unknown, not in this biz.
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Damn, it just never ends, does it?
I hope this thread gets archived, or you compile all of the updates in this thread into one complete story.
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I swear to God, musicians know how to bring the fucking drama. There's some outright meows on the scene around here and people that I've committed myself to never working with.
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Now if you download the EP (which you can do for free by just inputing $0 in the price section), you will get the 20 page short story (which ties into a book that I'm writing) detailing the storyline that the lyrics tell.
If you like prog rock, blues rock, hard rock... give it a shot. And remember, it's conceptual, so listen to it from start to finish like you would a DT concept album.
https://bloodhoundbandcamp.bandcamp.com/album/poet-ep
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(https://imgur.com/38fJEMw.jpg) (https://www.facebook.com/Flashdrive2015/)
FlashDrive is officially in a rebuilding season. I tossed that term out there yesterday and got nods all around. Wait, let me back up.
The Festival Showcase was Friday. The band did not play, but that turned out to be maybe a better thing after all. Last Saturday after practice, we sat and stuffed press kits, 50 of them. Nice shiny black folder, logo (custom decal) on the front. Open it up, 8x10 glossy of the band on the left side, song list and cover letter on the right. Pretty slick-looking package. John called them this week and turned the $100 audition fee into a booth fee, a kiosk with electricity. He sat there all day Friday with the kits and a laptop playing video of FlashDrive playing live, ready to fellate prospective clients. Good stuff.
Friday I had the day off, so I was being a bum at home and decided Oh yeah, I should revoke Anne's Editor privs on the band's Facebook page. While I was in there, I took the opportunity to clean up some things, standardize Album Titles, add Descriptions to pictures, make sure everything looks nice if/when prospective talent folks go there for a look. One of the pictures from our last gig is JT and Amy. Amy is the girl who was going to fill in for Jessica as backup singer, since Jessica is a teacher and couldn't just take the day off. Anne had added most of the pictures in the last two albums, but didn't add Descriptions, so I added them. Mostly serious, some silly. It was easy to tag Amy because we became Facebook Friends this week, yay.
I get a Facebook message from Amy, thanking me for the tag. She remembered that picture being taken, but didn't get a copy. By the way, her and JT have had a falling out and she doesn't think they'll be friends any more. Um, okay. So she removed the tag but downloaded the picture. Then it occurs to me that Amy was really only brought in to fill in this one gig, Anne took her under her wing, we didn't do the gig, Anne is gone, her only connection to the band was JT, and I wonder if anyone actually told her that we weren't doing the gig.
Turns out Amy called Anne to talk about practicing one more time this week, and Anne told her the gig was off. John assumed JT would tell her, JT saw the group email saying that we weren't doing it, but didn't notice that Amy wasn't on the To: list (it was just regular band members) and thought she knew. Meanwhile, she found out from Anne, who was already pissed about being let go and had quickly become best friends forever with Amy so Amy called JT and says What the fuck, you didn't even tell me? and JT has no idea what she's talking about so they get into an argument and let's just say JT isn't fucking Amy anymore. Too bad, she was cute. Amy and JT aren't Facebook Friends anymore, but she and I still are.
Also, Anne unFriended Jerry and JT, but not me, and I can't believe I'm relating Friending and unFriending drama like it's the 90's and we're in high school but that's just how ridiculous this all is. Bring on the fucking drama. Jerry sends a text to me, JT, and John just laughing about the fact that Anne has unFriended him ("Good riddance!") but wondering why. I said it's because she traces her exit from the band back to his comments at the round table, about him being 50-50 on quitting the band because of all the drama, and she knows she brings the drama, so it's "his fault". Ah, wisdom!
John's email is just to me, JT, Jerry, and Jessica, the only people still officially in the band. I'm the only one left whose name doesn't start with J. It states that Anne is officially out of the band, and that Larry has left as well. Larry was on his third strike with him (John) anyway, so John didn't actually try that hard to keep him. So the search is now on for a new lead guitarist as well as a singer. John goes on to question his leadership of the band, and now understands why many band leaders prefer a more Authoritarian model than the more Democratic model he's been using. He does not say so, but he seems to be looking for feedback.
So I give him some. First, I ask for clarification on Larry's "three strikes". Then I go on to say that I actually like the way the band has been led thus far. No leadership model is perfect for all situations; it depends heavily on the individuals involved. If someone's not good with the way the band is run, they're not a good fit for the band, and that's going to be true of any model. The band has been through some serious setbacks recently, the lows which always seem to follow the highs, and it's natural and expected for him to reexamine things, but I'm telling him that things couldn't really have gone any other way. Anne was consistently putting herself ahead of the band, and was practically the definition of "not a good fit". But we've replaced band members before. I'm still in.
He thanks me for the "calming words". Larry's three strikes were: 1 Telling John that he was okay waiting until after the showcase to tell Anne and otherwise deal with band personnel issues. The personnel issues are separate from the gigs we have to play. 2 Turning around and insisting that Anne be told, or he's not going to play the showcase. But don't worry, he's not quitting the band or anything; he just thinks it's not cool using Anne like this. 3 Quitting the band anyway after Anne says she's not doing the showcase.
Saturday (yesterday) I get there, ready to audition a new lead singer named Cheryl. Her Soundcloud is good. She's also pretty, but it's just a head shot. She sings Jazz, but that's just her Soundcloud profile. She sang in Rock and Roll bands for eight years out in Colorado. Okay.
I get there, and Jerry is already there. I ask him point blank: Are you still in? He's like What? The band, Are you still in? He's like Yeah, of course I'm still in! JT shows up, and I ask him: Are you still in? and he's like Fuck yeah, I'm still in!
Wait, this stack of promo packs that we stuffed last week, it looks like most of them are still here. John fills us in on the showcase thing Friday. It was "a learning experience". Promoted as a showcase to 40 or 50 local vendors, representatives from three counties, folks looking to sign bands to their local events and bands looking to play them, John says there were maybe 12 or 15 vendors there all day. It wasn't a continuous crowd, lots of folks all checking out the local talent. There were two or three people there at a time, at the most, they'd listen to a few bands and leave, and sometimes they'd go a while with no vendors actually there. The first band, right at 9:00, played to an empty room. No one was there yet. They just kinda wandered in and out all day. John handed out 15 packets altogether, but probably only 12 to vendors. The other three went to other bands. They were wandering around, too, and saw our kits and went "Whoa, can I take one?" So now they know how to make a professional-looking press kit. So anyway, if we'd played, it would've been for the maybe one or two reps there at the time. This way, 12 vendors out there have our info. The band that they sign will not be the same people as in the picture, but so what? We show and play, we have a new singer, or a new guitarist. It happens.
Cheryl is just going to audition with the four of us, the "core" of the band. We have just established that we are in fact the core and are all still in, and we've replaced singers and guitarists before, and what the hell else are we gonna do on weekends? And we're all here, and we all sit down for a second and have some snacks (John always has snacks and drinks; he's an excellent host) and reassure ourselves and each other that we're the core of the band and we're all still in. We ponder whether being "the core" means that the new guitarist and new singer will not by definition be part of "the core". That depends. Pat never felt like he tried to fit in. Larry seemed like he would have, everything seemed so cool, but then he went psycho on us the same way Anne did. So you never know.
Cheryl arrives, along with her husband Neal. She hopes it's okay that he came along (of course it is) and she jokes that you never know, she thought she was auditioning for a band, but she might have been driving out to some house to get gang-raped or something. Neal is maybe 5'7" with glasses and kinda nerdy-looking, and he immediately points out that he would have been no help at all if this had turned out to be the case. Okay, so these two have a wacky sense of humor and don't feel the need to hold back.
Cheryl sings pretty well. We go through four songs, "What's Up?" by 4 Non Blondes, "Higher Ground" by a cross between Stevie Wonder and Red Hot Chili Peppers, "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" by Pat Benatar, and "Some Kind of Wonderful" not by Grand Funk Railroad, but Joss Stone's version. We've never heard her version. Jerry has never heard of Joss Stone. Loser. The rest of us have. John plugs Cheryl's iPhone into the board and we listen to it. It's funky, cool, and does not suck. So we try that version. She's like What, do you know this version? and we're like No but we just listened to it so let's try it and she seems impressed but hey, we are professional musicians here, baby.
So we rocked it. We couldn't remember how to get to the ending thing, so it kinda crashed at the end, but we did it, a funky, cool version we'd never even heard before.
Cheryl and Neal leave, just the core four of us again. Thoughts? Decent singer, a bit thin in the upper range, though. Alto, not a Soprano. Anne was stronger in the upper range, so it didn't matter so much that Jessica wasn't, but we don't know how it'll work with Jessica and Cheryl. They might be able to support each other, or they might suffer because neither are really that strong up there.
JT points out an uncomfortable truth. This is show business, and talent definitely matters, but image also matters. Cheryl is pretty, but she's not tall, and nearly as wide as she is tall. She's like, round. You can get away with mediocre looks if you have massive talent and presence. You can get away with mediocre talent if you're hot and have great presence. You can even get away with lousy stage presence if you're hot and talented. But you have to have at least two of the three. She was a decent singer, had no presence, and is not strong in the "image" department. Hmm. John says, Well, we keep her in mind and we keep looking. Somewhere in here, I threw out my line about this being a rebuilding season.
In sports, a team occasionally has a period where it's a given that they're not realistically even thinking about the pennant. They've lost some key guys and/or have a lot of new talent coming up and in need of seasoning, etc. With us, it always seems to be winters. Two years ago, we'd lost Karen and Mike, and had to replace a singer and a bassist, then we had to build up enough songs to play gigs. We rebuilt over spring and summer, and by fall we played out for actual money. Then Steve quit. We got Pat in and by spring we were gigging again. We gigged all summer, had some fun, played a major local venue, then lost both Pat and Anne. Larry never even played a gig with us, so fuck him. We got the holidays coming up again, I'm always busy with other musical things this time of year, and there's no gigs anyway, so whatever. We rebuild, and keep on rocking, because what's the alternative? Not rocking? Sorry, but that's just not an option. We must rock!
FlashDrive updates will likely be lesser over the upcoming months, as we enter the off-season and audition folks. Hopefully, we'll be back to a full lineup and gigging again before too long. I might take the time to create a separate thread for all these band updates, because in terms of total content, there's a fuckton of it and I feel like it dominates this thread too much. I know some of you guys are fine with that, but hey, you can follow the updates in the new thread, too, and this way guys like Kotowboy and TheLordOfTheStrings and their projects don't get bombed out by me.
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For those who haven't seen it, I've created a separate thread here (https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=48839.0) which consolidates all the band updates. I included most of the comments at first, because it seemed appropriate, and sometimes other discussion would be sparked which didn't really directly relate to the band, so I had to make some on-the-fly decisions about what to include. At one point, I'd included an entire discussion which didn't end up being as closely related as I'd thought, so I edited everything. I wasn't very consistent about where I drew the line either, and got a bit ruthless towards the end when it became obvious how much content there was. Also, I wasn't always sober when I did all this, so there could easily be some mess-ups. I don't feel like going back through the whole thing to check, not yet anyway.
But my band seems to be continuing, so I'll be posting updates there (https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=48839.0).
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My pastor texted me a few weeks ago and asked me if I'd play the piano for the Multifaith Thanksgiving Eve Service (or whatever it's called). I'll pretty much play music anytime, anywhere, and I love playing that grand piano in the chancel, so of course I texted her back telling her that I'd do it. The multicultural thing started several years ago and moves around to different churches and other houses of worship. Our church has hosted it twice, and I've been to it at a few other places, singing in the choir, but I think this will be my first time playing the piano.
She texted me back, thanking me, and later sent me an email telling me where and when it would be. It's in the basement of the Islamic Cultural Center over on the west side of town, and she cc'd the Imam, giving his phone number as well. Also, they don't have a piano there, so we'll have to figure something out, probably bring the electronic piano from our church.
It crossed my mind that it was no mistake how she'd asked me to do this before mentioning that it was not at our church, or that I'd be hauling the Yamaha. I still think it's possible. It's also possible that that angle never crossed her mind, and she was just doing her part, the same as the other leaders/organizers, and finding someone to play, and she knew someone and that we have a keyboard as well. But our Yamaha thing is nice, 88 weighted keys, and I'm not supposed to lift that much weight by myself (long story). Also, someone messed it up and now the power cord keeps dropping out unless you get the cord set just the right way and hold it there. It's currently taped in place, but you still have to move it around to find the right spot; the tape just holds it in place once you've actually found the spot.
So I'm not hauling that thing down stairs into a basement; I'm just bringing my own Yamaha, which is a $500 piece of plastic and doesn't quite sound as nice, but it has a decent piano patch that sounds good enough through a decent P.A. It's the one I use in the band. I went over there last night with my Yamaha, stand, amp, and cord bag. We ended up running it through the board, so I didn't need the amp, but you never know. Got everything set up, tested it, it sounds good coming through the P.A. They've got an eight-channel board, four wireless microphones, a few other things hooked up, so I'm on Channel 7.
On the way out of there, I'm walking down this long hallway to the stairs, then up the stairs, then down another hallway to the main entrance/exit. It occurred to me that this is the type of place that some people would firebomb, a house of Islam, and we'd be in the basement, far from the nearest exit. They would do it when there was a service going on, when they knew there'd be lots of people inside. I would be one of those people. I don't know why that even occurred to me, other than the fact that I make it a point to always be aware of my surroundings and circumstances, because you never know. I'll be getting there tonight an hour before things start. I'm going to wander around a bit, admire the decor (it really is very nice), and make sure I know where the emergency exits are. Yes, this is a shitty thing to have to do, to even think about, but these are the times we live in.
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Got there around 5:45, things didn't start until 7:00. My piano was still there, right where we'd left it last night, and the P.A. was on, so I switched the piano on and warmed up a bit. The Imam had seen me come in and walked down with me, but after a few moments, he excused himself and left me there alone in the room. I went through the hymns, and there's a part of the service marked "Offering" so I'd prepared a piece for that. Didn't end up using it.
Before he left, the Imam had said something about playing as people are coming in. Cool, I'll just noodle around, wander in and out of songs, my usual thing. About 6:30, people are starting to wander in, but it's really quiet and it seemed weird to just start playing. By 6:40, more people were there, and there was chatter, so I turned the volume down and started playing some quiet stuff. "Solace" by Scott Joplin (I wonder if Joplin had ever been played in that building before), which is in F, pretty mellow. I figured that at that volume, I could go brighter, so I started messing around in D. D was boring, so I switched to G. G, D/F#, Em... and suddenly I heard a voice cry out "Freebird!", so F, C, D. Turns out the voice was only in my head, but it was too late, I was committed to it. Played the intro, a verse, took the solo (live version, of course)... it's actually a lovely piece of music as a solo piano piece. I looked up to see if anyone noticed. No. It's probably for the best. I'm pretty sure Lynyrd Skynyrd has never been played in that building before, not during a service. But music is about breaking down barriers and bringing us all together, right?
Glanced at my phone; it's 6:50 now. Cool. "One for the Vine" by Genesis is exactly ten minutes long. I worked out a solo piano arrangement years ago, and pull it out on occasions such as this. It sounds better on an acoustic piano, but this was serviceable, plus no one was paying attention anyway. Strictly background music. Finish, check my phone, 7:00. Except there's no sign of any clergy.
I started noodling around some more, just some basic stuff in G, and after a few minutes I see the clergy starting to enter. The main entrance is at the side of the room, and they snake around to the back and come up the center aisle. I'm going between G, D, and C, and start giving the chords a bit more punch, make it kinduv regal sounding or something, like a Processional, since that's what it is. As the last of them nears the front, I wind things down, end on a big G chord. Yay. Soundtrack for people walking.
I guess I expected someone to say something, some kind of Welcome message, but after a few moments of silence, no one's moving, so I kick into the first hymn. And we're off!
Closing "hymn" was "America the Beautiful" in Bb. Big, rich-sounding chords, yeah baby! Closing words by the Bahá'í leader, technically not a clergyman since they do not have clergy in the Bahá'í faith, just leaders, but he's the new president of the local Clergy Association who've organized this whole thing, so he talks for a while, then wishes everyone a Merry Christmas. After a pause, he realizes what he's said, and corrects himself with a Happy Thanksgiving.
The program says "Recessional" so I start up "Morning Has Broken". I figured it would be a nice thing as people get up, walk out, maybe linger and chat, whatever. As I started the first verse, people started singing along. Whoa, unexpected, but I rolled with it. After the first verse, the next Wakeman break that's when everyone started getting up, chatting, walking out (refreshments in the Community Room across the hall), etc. Perfect. Finished the tune. At least four or five people came up to me and thanked me for the music, which was nice. Then I packed up and got out of there.
I'm not in the program. No one knows my name, but I played Scott Joplin, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Genesis, and Rick Wakeman (and a fair amount of Orbert original) in a mosque, and people had no idea; they just thought it sounded nice.
I'm a musical whore, I admit. I'll play for anyone, anytime.
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Very cool story indeed :D
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https://musescore.com/blackavar/gymnosolitude-9
https://musescore.com/blackavar/tunnel
https://musescore.com/blackavar/gymnosolitude-10 (YMMV)
https://musescore.com/blackavar/respite
https://musescore.com/blackavar/symphony_2-2
Here's five pieces I've written relatively recently, including the second movement of my second symphony (the first movement can be found here (https://musescore.com/blackavar/symphony_2-1). Enjoy
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D was boring, so I switched to G. G, D/F#, Em... and suddenly I heard a voice cry out "Freebird!", so F, C, D. Turns out the voice was only in my head, but it was too late, I was committed to it.
I cannot count the number of times this has happened to me.
Sweet story, bro.
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Thanks. I played it purty (for Atlanta).
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:clap:
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So I thought I have to share my epic fail today. I was playing drums in a trio outdoors in preperation for a christmas gig tonight. The stage was very small and maybe one meter up so we all could just barely fit with our gear. I was behind everyone and my drum chair legs was dangerously close to the edge so of course the thought crossed my mind.....
Anyway one song had only piano and bass so I took a break, while standung up I accidently moved the chair a bit and when I sat down again one leg was outside the edge and I just lost balance and fell backwards. Time slowed down and as I was in panic mode and looking for something to grab onto I grabbed my hi-hat stand which of course didn't help me one bit. During the fall my foot also caught my snare and brought it with me into a pile of mess behind the stage. I quickly stood up and started laughing nervously thinking no one noticed, of course everyone saw it including the small audience listening at the rehearsal. People rushed towards me asking if I was OK, I of course was fine however the only thought that went through my mind was....I hope no one was filming..... :-[
For the sake of my pride please share if you been involved in related stage accidents.
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So, my band did something and released a music video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ly38wHzFZBY
This band has been very FlashDrive esque, in that we've had many problems... the biggest one being that half of the band didn't actually turn up to the filming. If y'all want I'll expand on that, but, I just thought you might like to see it. (I play keys).
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This band has been very FlashDrive esque, in that we've had many problems... the biggest one being that half of the band didn't actually turn up to the filming.
what. how. why.
Nice song though, good job.
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This band has been very FlashDrive esque, in that we've had many problems... the biggest one being that half of the band didn't actually turn up to the filming.
what. how. why.
Nice song though, good job.
It's basically just a lack of dedication. We were basically formed out of 2 bands, so we ended up having one half super dedicated, and the other half not giving a damn. They didn't turn up to most of the writing sessions, one of the guitarists didn't record on the actual track, and the drummer is just an all round dislikeable person. My side of the group (the people who give a shit) have basically decided to kick all of them out and get a new guitarist. I'm gonna program drums for the time being, until we get a proper drummer again.
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Get a text out of the blue from the pastor of my church, a very pretty lady named Melissa. She is great, but sometimes her brain runs a little differently from most people's, and you have to keep up.
Her: My notes from our meeting have you and Michael playing on one of our songs. Do you know what instrument you are playing?
(There was a meeting about three weeks ago. It's already foggy...)
Me: One of our songs for what?
Her: For Wednesday's longest night
(Longest Night is a special midweek service on Dec 21, the longest night. It's for people for whom the holidays are not all happy or fulfilling or whatever someone would like them to be but they're not, and it can be tough.)
Me: Ah yes. I was going to play something on the piano.
Me: If that's okay.
(Yes, I use punctuation when I text. Sue me.)
Her: Great!
Her: I think it was for when we sing In the Bleak Midwinter. Was there also another piece?
Me: I was thinking of a solo piece. But I know In the Bleak Midwinter came up during discussion. I could play that.
Her: Let's do both!
(That's right, kids. She suggested doing both.)
Me: That's fine with me. :)
Haven't heard from her since, must be a done deal. :hat
I'm gonna whip out "Solace" by Scott Joplin again. It'll be perfect. My goal: Make them weep, openly. (I've done it before, heh heh.)
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:metal
BTW, that is a cool idea for a service. I am jealous.
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It's very mellow, very laid-back. Most of the attendees are the old church ladies, the widows facing another holiday season without their husbands. The music is all quiet, contemplative stuff. Lots of candles and stuff. I like it. At the meeting, I had said that I wanted to play something this year. In the past, I've accompanied some songs, and sometimes didn't do anything, but I've never played a solo piece. I didn't have anything in mind, but I knew I wanted to contribute something.
I got a text from her this morning asking if I'd like to just do the whole service (prelude, postlude, etc). She was probably thinking that it would be a little weird that we have our regular organist, then there's me playing a solo piece and one of the songs. If it was just the solo piece, it would make sense; it's a special thing. Playing one of the songs but not the rest is a little wacky, but that's what we ended up with last night.
I declined, because as it happens, I'm already doing all the music for Christmas morning and New Year's Day (Sundays this year) so our organist can take some time off. But it's not because of the effort; I would love to do the whole thing. It's because I only have so many pieces in my head and I don't want to run out, or start repeating myself. She said that it had never occurred to her that I'd run out of things to play. She's heard me just sit down and play for 20 or 30 minutes, but what she doesn't know is that that's most of what I know. I mean, of what I have prepared, performance-quality, and suitable for playing in a church. I need a prelude, postlude, and offertory for each service. I could probably do it, but this is not the Orbert show. I don't want anyone to ever think I'm doing this for some kind of glory, showing off, whatever. So it seemed at the moment (I hadn't had my coffee yet, so I'm still not sure) that it would be best to take a step back.
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I understand.
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I'm curious how well Extreme's "More Than Words" would translate to piano. It's random thoughts like this that make me wish I could play the piano.
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I would think that it translates well. With a song like that, there's lots of room to play, too. You could go for something which more or less emulates the original song (e.g., staccato chords where originally the guitars picked rather than strummed) or go all Richard Clayderman with it, with the melody up top with open sixth harmonies and flowing arpeggios in the left hand. Or anywhere in between.
That's the beauty of playing the piano; there's infinite modes of expression on the spectrum. It just comes down to your audience, your mood at the time, and finding something suitable for both.
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Only problem with More than Words is that the guitars are tuned a half step down, so despite being played in G position, it's actually technically sounding in Gb. Easier to do on a guitar than on a piano, since you can retune the guitar on the fly
Whereas with guitar, unless you're someone like Stu Hamm, playing melody AND accompaniment all together is considerably more difficult than on a piano.
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Playing in Gb isn't a big deal if you're cooking up your own arrangement anyway. Your fingers will know what to do. It can be a little harder to read because there are five flats in the key signature, but really, you get past 2nd or 3rd year piano students and that's not a big deal either. I know, some people go "Oh shit, five flats! G flat?!" But I've never seen anyone who can actually play get all upset over the key.
Plus it sounds sweet in that key. Super mellow.
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Nice. I get so agitated that I can make my fingers do spectacular things on a guitar, but I cannot for the life of me make them work with anything more than a very slow and painful amount of facility on a piano. :censored
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I'm just the opposite. I can do some very basic things on guitar, but on the piano I literally don't even have to think. If I start thinking too much about what I'm doing, I screw up. It's better just to let my fingers go. They know what to do.
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Waiting for a Christmas bonus to finally put the final touches on my pedalboard.... :)
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Our church organist is out of town for a few weeks, so I'm filling in. I don't play the pipe organ. Maybe one of these days.
Last Sunday (Christmas Day) I hauled my amp and my main keyboard in and we set up in the fellowship hall for an informal service featuring juice, coffee, cinnamon rolls, and singing a lot of Christmas songs. I was joined by a violin and viola played by some of the better musicians in the congregation, so it turned out really cool. Sounded great.
Tomorrow (New Year's Day) we're back in the sanctuary, so I'll be on the grand piano. Yeah, baby! I love playing that piano. Hymns, prelude and postlude, offertory, all me, tickling the ivories and (hopefully) amazing everyone. It's also "Student Sunday" where the college kids take over for a day, since most are in town over break and stuff. I got an email Thursday night from one of them, saying he'd picked a piece to play on Sunday. I'd completely forgotten that one of the kids was going to play a clarinet solo, so I offered to accompany him. But he hadn't decided what to play yet. I told him to just let me know when he decided. That was weeks ago and I'd completely forgotten. So yesterday he dropped off the music at our house. Fuck. Some wacky thing by Saint-Saens in Ab, Allegro, and we're playing it tomorrow. I have some practicing to do.
I know it's my own fault for offering to play, but I didn't think he was going to wait until two days before and drop off five pages of four flats and all kinds of crazy timing and shit. This will be interesting.
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How did Student Sunday go?
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It went well. I practiced the hell out of the thing, doing my usual thing of looking for shortcuts, both mental and physical. I'm just the accompanist, the "orchestra" backing up the soloist in a concerto. All ears will be on him; all I have to do is cover. I don't have to play every note that's written for me, just enough to back him up, provide the chords and rhythm, which I have plenty of experience with. I realized a while back that Classical music, for all of its seeming insanity and complexity compared to popular music, still comes down to chords and rhythm. I can never play anything the same way twice. First of all, that's boring; second, I literally can't because I'm always changing things on the fly and I often don't know what my fingers are going to do until after they've already done it.
So the solo clarinet piece with me accompanying went well, better than I'd expected. I practiced it several times sober, a couple of times not so sober, and even later while I was somewhere in between. I figured having the tune in my head the same way as playing any rock song would be the way to go. The audience has no idea what I'm supposed to be playing, so whatever I can add will be cool.
"Morning Has Broken" (Cat Stevens Rick Wakeman version) makes a great opening prelude, and in the past people have told me that they love that piece, so it was a good choice. Plus, New Year's Morning, a brand new year, all that. During communion, "Solace" by Scott Joplin, chill and unobtrusive. "Firth of Fifth" by Genesis (intro only) for the postlude. I always liked the effect of final words by the pastor and a moment of silence before the organist rips into something uptempo and exciting, and "Firth of Fifth" brings it. 88 keys, and I use most of 'em for that one. The hymns and stuff were pretty basic. Cook up a little intro on the fly, then once people start singing it's just a matter of pounding out something to keep it moving and support the voices, again stuff I've been doing for like 40 years.
Got an email from one of the church ladies later that day, thanking me for the music and always being so generous with my gifts. I thanked her, and explained that the true gift of being a musician is not the talent; it's the awesome feeling of playing for others and having them totally dig it. That's what I live for.
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So true. :tup
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So, as many of you know, my wife and I were very active in music ministry at our long-time church, but we moved in July, so we had to leave that behind. We haven't yet found a new church in our new city yet, so we have basically gone that long without using our gifts.
Next month, though, we get to visit our old home church to lead worship while the music minister is out of town. It will be good to get back to do what we do and see old friends.
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Ah, the triumphant return! Sounds like a good time. :)
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Ah, the triumphant return! Sounds like a good time. :)
Hopefully. We are really looking forward to it.
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Speaking of church music, our choir did a pretty swinging gospel arrangement of "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen" with my buddy Brian playing Alto Sax. He even got a nice solo. Brian is my partner in crime when it comes to doing unconventional music. He and I were basically the main guys in the praise band, and he's the one I've roped into doing wacky things like a Sax Duet for "Special Music" and stuff like that. So I asked our director Shirley if I could play the piano for it. She agreed, and we rehearsed it a few times at Thursday night rehearsal, for not the Sunday coming up, but the one after that. This was a few weeks ago.
The next day I realized that we'd be out of town that weekend. Crap. I'd gotten so excited about the prospect of playing the tune that I didn't even think. Also, I was bummed because I was really looking forward to jamming on that song. Shirley's husband Steve ended up playing the piano instead. He's one of the few "real musicians" in the congregation, an excellent pianist. Better than me when it comes to the technical stuff, like several leagues above me, since I'm mostly self-taught and he's on the freakin' music faculty at DePaul University.
Anyway, I asked Mike and Brian later (Mike is the other tenor, and also a regular in the praise band) how it went, with Brian's solo, and with Steve on piano. Mike goes "It was fine. Steve is very..." and he looks at Brian, and Brian says "precise" and Mike practically says "precise" at the same time. A very different style from mine. I just let it fly, while Steve clearly had practiced and was very well-prepared to play it. That's how they described it, "but that's good" they were sure to mention. It's great that I can just sit down and whip through it, as I did at rehearsal, but Steve is at the other end of the spectrum; very "precise". It was funny because I couldn't tell if they were searching for words to praise Steve properly without insulting him, or to not insult me by comparison to someone so much better. Steve was very precise, but it would have been more fun with me on the piano. Ah ha! A sincere compliment to Steve, while making clear that they still would've preferred me. But I have no problem with "precise". Most of the time, if everyone sings and plays exactly what's in the arrangement, it sounds great.
My problem is that I literally cannot do that. I've tried. I can't sight-read that fast, but what I can do instead is very quickly scan the notes, process them and translate them into chords and rhythm (this realization recently is what led to my comment about chords and rhythm earlier), and then I play something with the same feel as what's written, possibly even groovier, with the right chords and all, and I couldn't tell you later what my fingers were doing. Even if I practiced for hours (and believe me, a couple of hours is more than I can usually stand, practicing a single piece), it would not get significantly better, if better means closer to the original arrangement. But it'll sound fine (possibly even groovier).
To me, that's what being a musician is all about. Someone's playing or singing something, and you can grab a guitar or a saxophone or a flute and just play along, add something to what's going on. It'll be completely original and spontaneous and will never happen again, but you were there and you were part of it. I love that, I love being able to do that. Oh fuck, now it sounds like I'm bragging, and I guess I am, but I fucking love playing music, especially with other people and/or for other people.
"Music is the best." -- Frank Zappa
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Got home from band practice Saturday - damn, 10 songs in 2 hours - to an email from our choir director, asking if I can cover the hymns again on Sunday (today), as our organist is sick. Sure, what the heck. Third time in six weeks, but who's counting?
I did something a little different for the prelude; I just improvised the whole thing. I didn't mean to; I started in F and had planned on working around to B-flat and then into "How Great Thou Art" which is in B-flat, but I messed around too much and before I knew it I'd hit a B-flat major 7, and I couldn't figure out a way to a regular B-flat, so I just kinda kept at it. Kinda jazzy, kinda new-agey, major sevenths and minor sevenths everywhere. At one point I got into a bunch of open stuff, like C6/9 with a roving bass to kinda change the color. C6/9 turns into an F2/6 if you put an F in the bass, so I did the new age thing for a while, in and out of Am, Fsomething, Gsomething, that kind of thing, then worked into something more jazzy with the sevenths again. Ended up being about a six-minute improv.
Steve made a point of finding me later and telling me it sounded great. "You made that up, didn't you?" Yeah. I mean, I would've thought it was obvious, but maybe not. Just Orbert messing around. I've done that in less formal situations and have people ask me what I'm playing. I have no idea; I'm just messing around. Just tune in your head and move your fingers.
I whipped out "How Great Thou Art" for the offertory, since I still wanted to play it and needed something more structured, and good old "Morning Has Broken" for the postlude. The hymns went well, and I pounded out the doxology as usual. Some people told me that the piano sounded really great today, which I took to mean me (but maybe not, I suppose). Hey, we've got that baby, might as well pound on it. That's what it's for.
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:clap:
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Contacted by a singer and drummer looking to get something going. I'm bringing my bass player on board and we're going to jam in a couple weeks and see how it sounds/feels. Chosen tunes for said jam:
Gypsy Road – Cinderella
Shake Me – Cinderella
Piece of Me – Skid Row
S*x Type Thing – Stone Temple Pilots
Fly High Michelle – Enuff Z’Nuff
Slide It In – Whitesnake
Bark at the Moon – Ozzy
Home Sweet Home – Motley Crue
Don’t Go Away Mad, Just Go Away – Motley Crue
Tell Me – White Lion
Burnin’ Like a Flame – Dokken
She Sells Sanctuary – The Cult
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Yeah, baby! It's exciting just knowing you have a jam coming up, and that it might lead to something more. :tup
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I know, I'm feeling good about it. Saw some video of the singer doing Fastway's "Say What You Will" and it was pretty good. Crossing my fingers this actually sounds good all around and turns into something. The fact that I was able to suggest an Enuff Z'Nuff song and nobody even flinched, is a good thing. :lol
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:metal
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Pretty sure that this is going to happen:
https://www.amazon.com/Digitech-DROP-Compact-Polyphonic-Pitch-Shifter/dp/B00LXMN740/
The Digitech Drop. Auto-detuner. I can, from FB recommendations, have a whole set of standard tuned songs, kick this on to play a Kiss song (down 1/2 step), off for more standard songs, on to play a Motley Crue song (down 1 step), then back off for more standard songs and no changing guitars or retuning them. Sofa king stoked.
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So one of my bands is recording our first full length album (we're a concept band), and our buddy is putting together a little documentary on the making of the album. It'll also go over how the band got started, what the concept is about, the recording process, etc. Is that something you guys would be interested in checking out?
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Sure, post the links here when you have them.
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Oh. Damn. Tonight's jam was fecking DYNAMITE! Unbelievable.
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Sweet! Nothing like good jamming, jamming good.
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Damn. So freakin' cool. I brought he bass player on board, as he and I have played together since '06. But for being the first time that all of us have been in the same room together, as well as being the first time he or I have met the singer OR drummer, Easily half of the songs could be ready to play out already. Unreal. Another practice or two and we'll be ready to do some openers, easily. I'm pitching the idea of bringing a rhythm guitarist on board. We'll see what happens, but I feel like it would definitely be beneficial. When you solo on songs that have a heavy rhythm guitar going on, it feels like the bottom drops out. It appears that all four of us walked away from Saturday night feeling really good.
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So, we moved away from Mount Airy, and our old church and praise band, in July 2016.
My wife and I haven't really done any music since then.
This past Sunday, we got to travel back and play with the guys again. Man, that so awesome.
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Reunion gig! Lots of catching up and stuff, people telling you how awesome you are and how much they miss you, etc. Good times. :tup
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That's always a good time. Once we quit doing the Kiss thing, the times we'd get together for one-offs in the later years were always a big deal.
The singer and drummer have sent me a list of new songs they've picked out. I'm getting a list together from me and the bass player to send back to them. We're going to have a lot of tunes to choose from, methinks. Their list:
Paradise City – Guns n Roses
Used to Love Her – Guns N Roses
Night Train – Guns N Roses
Symphony of Destruction – Megadeth
Bad Girlfriend – Theory of a Dead Man
Slither – Velvet Revolver
It's Not Love – Dokken
Comin Home – Cinderella
18 n Life – Skid Row
Looks That Kill – Motley Crue
House of Pain – Faster Pussycat
Shoot to Thrill – ACDC
Down on Me – Jackyl
Hysteria – Def Leppard
Down Boys – Warrant
I've got a few ideas of things I want to suggest. Some other Warrant, LA Guns, Great White, Ozzy, Lynch Mob. Also, I'm gonna float the idea of doing Three Little Pigs as a closer. People would lose their shit.
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You should do
Rob the Cradle - Roxy Blue
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I can dig that shit.
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I always liked "Let Me Be The One" by Tattoo Rodeo also, but man, they really died off the face of the earth.
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Say, Orbert. Are you familiar with the David Crowder Band? I figured you might be, given your proclivity to do church music from time to time.
They disbanded in 2012, and I recently revisited their final album together, titled Give Us Rest; or (A Requiem Mass in C [the Happiest of All Keys]). For some reason, I thought of you. As their swan song, they definitely went all out. It is a double album, using lots of different genres of music (but it all sounds like David Crowder Band), laid out like a really long order of worship. Here is the track listing for more context.
Disc One:
The Entrance (or, the introit)
1. "Requiem Aeternam Dona Eis, Domine" 0:54
2. "Oh Great God, Give Us Rest" 3:27
3. "Lux Aeternam Shine" 0:53
4. "Come Find Me" 4:54
The Plea (or, the kyrie)
5. "God Have Mercy (Kyrie Eleison)" 5:16
6. "Why Me?" 2:15
7. "Fall On Your Knees" 3:59
The Plight (or, the gradual and the tract)
8. "A Burial" 1:08
9. "Let Me Feel You Shine" 4:20
10. "Reprise #1" 1:11
11. "Blessedness of Everlasting Light" 4:19
12. "The Sound of Light" 1:15
13. "Interlude" 0:52
The Sequence (or, the dies irae)
14. "Sequence 1" 2:29
15. "Sequence 2" 2:16
16. "Sequence 3" 2:19
17. "Sequence 4" 3:27
18. "Sequence 5" 3:01
19. "Sequence 6" 1:23
20. "Sequence 7" 1:40
Disc Two:
The Invocation (or, the offertory and the sanctus)
1. "Reprise #2" 1:16
2. "Oh My God" 2:45
3. "I Am a Seed" 2:48
4. "After All (Holy)" 4:36
5. "The Great Amen" 1:18
The Consummation and The Memory (or, the agnus dei, the communion, and the pie jesu)
6. "There Is a Sound" 5:45
7. "Oh, Great Love of God" 4:01
8. "Our Communion" 3:56
The Absolution (or, the libere me and the paridisum)
9. "Sometimes" 4:40
10. "A Return" 2:19
11. "Oh, My God I’m Coming Home" 2:43
12. "Leaning On the Everlasting Arms /'Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus" 4:45
13. "Jesus, Lead Me to Your Healing Waters" 4:15
14. "Because He Lives" 4:21
Somewhat like Jackson Browne's Running On Empty album, some of the tracks were recorded on the road, either during performance or in green rooms/tour buses, while a lot of other tracks were studio tracks.
My favorite part is the Sequence, which is largely instrumental, and bits even sound proggish.
Altogether, it is a fantastic piece. My ideal way to listen to it would be alone, in a room by myself, listening to all of it in one shot; I have found it to be a powerful personal worship tool that way. But it can certainly also be listened to piece by piece, or like a normal album.
At any rate, wanted to throw it out there, as I thought you could appreciate it.
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Thanks! Yeah, we did a few David Crowder tunes when I was doing the Christian Rock thing, and I always liked them because the keyboard parts were fun and often on the unusual side. It always seemed like that band had a bit more going on than your average CCM band, and I remember downloading one of their albums once, and being a bit disappointed that it was mostly "regular" CCM. Pretty good stuff, not bad by any means, but not quite the semi-prog I was thinking I might find on maybe the deeper tracks.
This, however, looks very interesting.
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It's really immersive. Don't get me wrong, it's not Neal Morse, but he tends to go a little more deep and intimate in his lyrics and a little outside the box in his instrumentation. I consider it "thinking man's modern worship music".
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Good enough for me!
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So I recently recorded a band. They are planning on releasing a three song demo EP, using it to give to venues and promoters in order to book shows and generate interest in the band.
Surprisingly enough (or perhaps not) I came across some moral issues after doing the session. Let me give you the rundown of the situation.
They are a young band, college aged or not much older, not possessing a lot of great gear. The plus? It is a paying job for me. However, I know they have limited time and budget. They wanted to do one 10 hour session, and I planned on charging by the hour so as to cut down on the nonsense and downtime.
They did not have too much studio experience with playing to a click, etc. That, combined with the fixed length of the session meant that we couldn’t necessarily go back and fix all the mistakes. There are all sorts of timing issues, tuning issues, etc. I get it - they only have a limited budget and limited time.
Now it is time for me to mix. Here is where the issue comes up. I can fix 95% of the problems in editing. I can pitch correct the vocals, I can line up the guitars, bass and drums so they aren’t all over the place, rushing and speeding up. The question is…should I?
Is it a true representation of the band? Or is it a band fixed with studio magic? Is it being honest as to their sound or not? On one hand, they gave me a fair amount of latitude in terms of their sound. On the other hand, they didn’t specifically tell me to do whatever I want. No doubt there have been different ways of doing it and philosophies throughout the years, even through the biggest bands.
The one other thing I have to consider is this: even if the band is bad, my name is on the project too in some capacity. Do I really want to release a recording that sounds bad because of bad decisions made by the band, when I can easily correct those and release a quality project?
Let me know your thoughts, DTF musicians! I can give more details if necessary, but I thought it was an interesting topic for discussion.
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This is a tough one. I'm currently in a band that's trying to drum up some work, and I know that a good professional demo would help a lot. I would tell the guy to do whatever he can to make us sound good/better. On the other hand, I do feel that that's dishonest. Our website has stuff that was recorded live at previous gigs. It's live, warts and all, although obviously we picked tracks with as few warts as possible. I hate the very concept of tweaking a live recording, and I don't care that "all bands do it" because not all bands do, and it's still dishonest. This is not what we sound like. But with studio recordings, the rules are different.
They paid you for your studio time, but did that include any number of hours spent "fixing" the recording? As something of a perfectionist myself, I understand your wanting to fix things up, make everything sound as good as possible. But I'm also a mercenary. If they're not paying me to do all that, I probably won't. Sure, your name is on the recording, but anyone who pays attention to that will also know that that only applies to the quality of the recording itself. It's not your fault if you produced a high-quality recording of a mediocre band.
I'd say go back to them and explain the situation. You can fix things, but that's more work for you. You're not doing this out of charity; they will understand the need for you to be paid for your time. Or maybe offer to do "basic" tweaks but any "advanced" stuff will cost extra, something like that.
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I would say fix it. The CD should be the best representation of what they are capable of. If nothing else, it will give them something they have to learn to live up to.
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I kinda agree, but at the same time, I'd feel a little dirty about it. I have high standards for what passes as a good band, on the local circuit. I'm not even gonna pretend not to. I would feel bad passing a band with tuning and timing issues off as something they clearly are not. Those are some of the single most basic things a band should be capable of getting right, ESPECIALLY when going to a studio to record. So they pass this thing around to clubs in order to get in, go in, suck, and the club looks to see who it was that produced the demo for them.
Although club owners are usually slimeballs anyway, so I wouldn't give them much credit for thinking to see who passed this band off as being good.
Also, I get that they're young and don't have a lot of bucks to get more time in the studio, but them's the breaks. You want a good demo? Be good. Or bust your ass to do side jobs or anything under the sun to get the money for the studio time to make it good. That's how most every band that's worth a shit did it.
Does anyone feel like there might be value in (if you make the corrections for them) to sit them down and tell them about the questionable things you corrected and that these are the things they should probably focus on going forward, or no? I mean certainly constructive criticism from someone in the know IS valuable, so hopefully they'd take it as such and be appreciative of the feedback.
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Does anyone feel like there might be value in (if you make the corrections for them) to sit them down and tell them about the questionable things you corrected and that these are the things they should probably focus on going forward, or no? I mean certainly constructive criticism from someone in the know IS valuable, so hopefully they'd take it as such and be appreciative of the feedback.
Absolutely.
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I would say fix it. The CD should be the best representation of what they are capable of.
Yeah but see that's the problem. They are not capable of playing that well. They are not capable of consistently playing in tune and getting their timing and tempos correct, and as Cozmo pointed out, those are basic things that any decent band should be able to do. Representing them as a band that can actually do that, when in fact they can't, is dishonest.
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Exactly my dilemma. You want to help them out, but by misrepresenting them, you're like the parent who always argues with the teacher when their kids' grade slip. You are doing them no favors by not allowing them to fail due to their own shortcomings, no matter how much in your heart you want them to succeed.
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Thanks for all the replies.
They paid you for your studio time, but did that include any number of hours spent "fixing" the recording? As something of a perfectionist myself, I understand your wanting to fix things up, make everything sound as good as possible. But I'm also a mercenary. If they're not paying me to do all that, I probably won't. Sure, your name is on the recording, but anyone who pays attention to that will also know that that only applies to the quality of the recording itself. It's not your fault if you produced a high-quality recording of a mediocre band.
I'd say go back to them and explain the situation. You can fix things, but that's more work for you. You're not doing this out of charity; they will understand the need for you to be paid for your time. Or maybe offer to do "basic" tweaks but any "advanced" stuff will cost extra, something like that.
In response to Orbert, I am getting paid for this post-studio work, but a flat rate per song. Someone suggested to me that I should have charged flat rate for the studio time and hourly for the post/mixing work. That would have been more beneficial I think (to me) and might encourage them to be better going into the studio.
I kinda agree, but at the same time, I'd feel a little dirty about it. I have high standards for what passes as a good band, on the local circuit. I'm not even gonna pretend not to. I would feel bad passing a band with tuning and timing issues off as something they clearly are not. Those are some of the single most basic things a band should be capable of getting right, ESPECIALLY when going to a studio to record. So they pass this thing around to clubs in order to get in, go in, suck, and the club looks to see who it was that produced the demo for them.
Although club owners are usually slimeballs anyway, so I wouldn't give them much credit for thinking to see who passed this band off as being good.
Also, I get that they're young and don't have a lot of bucks to get more time in the studio, but them's the breaks. You want a good demo? Be good. Or bust your ass to do side jobs or anything under the sun to get the money for the studio time to make it good. That's how most every band that's worth a shit did it.
Does anyone feel like there might be value in (if you make the corrections for them) to sit them down and tell them about the questionable things you corrected and that these are the things they should probably focus on going forward, or no? I mean certainly constructive criticism from someone in the know IS valuable, so hopefully they'd take it as such and be appreciative of the feedback.
One of the frustrating things about it is that I told them to be prepared. I suggested to them practicing with a click a few times, just to get a feel for it. I told them the process of how I was going to record ahead of time to be prepared. I told them to be super solid on all these songs so we could be efficient and work right through it. I guess they just might have a different concept of what makes a tight group vs. how it actually comes across on the recording.
I feel that I shouldn't, for instance, tell them to get their guitars set up and ready for the studio session. Coming into the session with old strings and intonation that is way off - no excuse. Could I set it up for them? Yes, I do all my own guitars, but I am being paid to record, not to be guitar tech. That will cost extra.
I agree about the money. You want to sound the best you can? You will have to 1. Practice to get there, 2. Make sure it happens in the studio and have the time for it. Without going into too much social commentary, if they didn't spend so much on cigarettes and other substances, they might have more money for more studio time and better gear. But those are personal choices and decisions for them to make themselves haha.
Yes, I have decided I am going to put some notes together at the end and tell them what needed to be done and what they need to work on. There is a difference between having a good jam on a Friday night and getting together to practice for your studio session. One thing that really came across in the studio sessions was being tentative and without as much feeling as they should have, despite my best efforts during the session. Knowing your parts and not making them up on the spot would help too (I'm looking at you Lead Guitar Player).
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Something we have been talking about here is accurately representing the band. Let's say that we did have all the time in the world to get it right. Finally, on the 500th take, the singer gets it dead on, no correction needed. Is it really an accurate representation of the band if they can only play it right 1/500th of the time?
However, doing take after take to get it right is not an uncommon practice in the studio at all from bands big to small.
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I get the point there and is it an accurate representation? 1/500th of something can't really well be considered 1 of something, no, but in the end, it is them, without auto-tune and computer trickery and correction. And if nothing else, they're now a LOT better at playing it, because you've forced them to go over it so many times. They obviously need the practice.
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I get the point there and is it an accurate representation? 1/500th of something can't really well be considered 1 of something, no, but in the end, it is them, without auto-tune and computer trickery and correction. And if nothing else, they're now a LOT better at playing it, because you've forced them to go over it so many times. They obviously need the practice.
Can't argue with that whatsoever.
From different sessions I have had, it is night and day between the people who have practiced and those who haven't. Those who practice are the best sessions, as one would imagine. In and out (no not the Van Halen song), less frustration, less time, more fun, more opportunity to try more ideas and work on the feeling, the emotion and the soul of the song.
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I remember my old band did like a 5-6 song demo to hand out to clubs. 1 original and the rest covers. We'd played these songs a bazillion times. We knocked the whole thing out in probably 5-6 hours. This was a friend of ours who basically had a studio in his basement and used Cool Edit Pro to put it all together and it actually sounded pretty decent.
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That's the way to do it, and a really good pace for 5-6 songs. When you have a band who is practiced, that is what you get. A good solid band will shine through in most recordings, from cell phone to studio. Within reason of course.
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And the good thing was that since the guy was a friend of ours, he burned me a DVD of all of the individual tracks he used for the finished product, so if I wanted to tweak something or re-record a guitar part myself, I could. Very cool.
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That's how this session should have gone; it's how any session should go. Be prepared, know your tunes, have everything as ready as possible, including stupid things like not getting there and then spending 10 minutes putting new strings on or something. That's shit that should be taken care of ahead of time, not while the clock's running and you're paying by the hour.
But as FreezingPoint has pointed out, these guys are young and naive, and have probably never done a "real" recording before. I'm sure it was a learning process for them, big time. At least I'd hope it was.
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Absolutely.
I think in the future I also have to be more clear. Am I being hired to be the producer, or be the engineer? Because if it is the latter, I will just sit there and push the button when you want me to.
I certainly hope they have learned a lot. In any case, I plan on laying it down to them after I am all through, just in case enough didn't sink in during the session.
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That's the way to do it, and a really good pace for 5-6 songs. When you have a band who is practiced, that is what you get. A good solid band will shine through in most recordings, from cell phone to studio. Within reason of course.
I was in a band at my church, and about 10 years ago we did a four song demo. We came in and did the instrumental tracks complete in about 2 hours or so - precisely because we had our shit together and knew our parts. Which is not to say there was no improv - we just knew when and what to improv, no flying by the seat of our pants.
We did all the vocals (leads and harmonies) a separate night, but again about 2 hours or so total.
It was a really neat experience. I had never played to a click before, but we prepped for it in rehearsals for, like, a month before that.
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That's awesome.
If I may ask, what do church bands usually do with demo recordings? I am a little outside the realm of the worship music world, so I don't know too much about it.
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That's awesome.
If I may ask, what do church bands usually do with demo recordings? I am a little outside the realm of the worship music world, so I don't know too much about it.
The only reason we made one is that a pretty big Christian band (Newsong) was going to play in our small town to open up a new amphitheater, and we did the demo to send to them to try to get the chance to open up for them.
It worked. We got to meet and hang out with them, and in opening up for them, we played in front of the largest crowd I've ever played for (around 4,000 people). I still think about that night. Very, very exciting. I was playing drums at the time.
hefdaddy's fun fact of the day: The concert was in August of 2005. Dream Theater's album Octavarium was released in early June. Several of us in the band were DT fans, and we thought that the song "I Walk Beside You" had lyrics that were "close enough" for us to get away with doing it at this performance, so we talked the rest of the band into it, learned it, and pulled it off. In doing so, we actually played it live before Dream Theater did. They did some European festivals in June and July, and then Gigantour (where they focused on a heavier setlist) from late July to early September. "I Walk Beside You" didn't debut in DT's setlist until the second date of the first real leg of the Octavarium tour, in late September. So, we were one up.
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That's pretty cool! :tup
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I find myself listening to songs we're going to be doing and saying "It's a damn good thing we're bringing another guitarist on board". Like Def Lep's Hysteria. Can it be done with one guitar? Yes, I've seen it done. Can it be done proper justice with one guitar? No. Or Comin' Home by Cinderella. Great harmony leads, that should not be done by one guitar. Plus the fact of how much it fills in during solos.
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Absolutely.
I've seen very, very few cover bands with only a single guitarist (and no keys) which I think did an adequate job, let alone a good job, covering songs like that. When a solo comes up, everything just sounds empty with nothing filling in the chords. And there's the harmony leads, and there's even songs that just plain sound better, fuller, with two guitars (or guitar + keys).
On the other hand, I was at a place one time with our old guitarist Steve, and the band there was just a four-piece (singer, guitar, bass, drums) doing exactly that. With only a single guitar, any time a solo came up, we both thought it sounded like shit. It was like a huge hole in the sound suddenly opened up. But the crowd in general loved them and didn't seem to give a shit. All they heard was a great solo and it didn't bother them at all that there was no rhythm guitar behind it. Harmony leads were even worse, with only one line being played and no chords behind, but again, the crowd didn't seem to care.
I hate to fall back on the cliché that musicians and non-musicians listen with different ears, but it does seem to be the case.
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It absolutely IS the case. We hear how incomplete a picture a single guitar paints, where the crowd just see that there's a picture, period.
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So if two guitars are good, then three are even better, right?
Eagles, Outlaws, and Lynyrd Skynyrd, I'm looking at you.
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Meh. Not necessarily. If the singer can play some rhythm guitar one a song or two where it would really make a huge difference, then yeah, but for the most part two SHOULD be fine. Take Hysteria for example. I've actually had to go to looking at live performances to figure out what parts to play. The choruses have a cool arpeggiated part going on, that I think is doubled an octave lower, with power chords in the background. The outro on the studio recording has four different guitar parts going all at once. The arpeggiated clean part that makes up most of the song, the lead part, random crystal clean chords here and there, and a rhythm part chugging on a slightly higher D note. That last part is buried pretty well in the mix. It does something similar in the second half of the second verse. It's just enough to add a certain something to the sound, but unless you're really paying attention, you don't recognize WHAT it is that's going on. They do the same thing in the second and last chorus (NOT the first) of Pour Some Sugar on Me. There's a single note way in the background that's just chugged on in 16th notes. Again, very subtle, but it's there and it's just part of what makes their studio recordings sound so huge.
My old singer loved to play a lot of guitar throughout the night, which was fine, but it limited his movement. He couldn't move around and entertain as much. We really only NEEDED him to play on 2-3 songs, but it ended up being a lot more, unfortunately.
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Three guitar players is where it usually gets real tricky. Everyone has to be very deliberate about parts, who is playing in what register when, when to split, when to play together, when to sit out...etc... Basically all three players have to have a level of taste and tack on the instrument.
I used to be in a southern rock/country rock cover band that had three guitar players (I was the lead player), a keyboardist, bass player, drummer, and lead singer. And it worked, but a lot practice time was literally dividing up parts so things didn't sound crazy all the time.
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I always try to take the Stanley/Frehley approach. Play the same thing, but in different octaves or different voicings, so it sounds more fresh.
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We had a lot of 3-guitar lineups in our church band. We didn't normally have any problems; two of us (including me) would play acoustic, and one electric player. Usually with us acoustics, one would play open and the other capoed, or both capoed at different spots, or something. And the electric player was easily the best of us, so when he wasn't playing leads and fills, he had no problem finding something else to do.
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We were flipping channels the other night and my wife stumbled upon a recent thing with Neil Young with a good six or eight other folks up there all strumming guitars. She just said "Why would you need so many guitars? At some point, isn't it just redundant?"
I looked, and there's Neil, a couple others playing acoustic, and a few others playing electric. They looked like all different kinds of guitars (obviously I'm no expert), so I said something about how they all have different sounds, and when they blend together you get something really full and practically orchestral sounding. But yeah, it's basically overkill as far as I'm concerned, and doesn't do much more for me than just Neil solo singing and playing the song. But I guess if you really love guitars, then it sounds awesome.
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Well, that's kinda like saying why do you need more than one voice in a choir? Because the effect created when you have several of them doing something in unison is pretty cool sounding. Each voice may be singing the same thing, but they're all going to start and end at different times (fractions of seconds here), they're all going to be microtones apart from one another, enough for effect, but not enough to be out of tune, they'll all have different vibrato speeds, etc.
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It is kinda like that. The effect created by multiple voices, even in unison, is much fuller, definitely bigger sounding.
Watching all those guys strumming, I thought it was pretty cool, and as I said, it probably sounded pretty awesome, but I wondered at what point you can't really hear yourself any more. Two guitars, you can hear each one. Three, four, sure, if your sound man is good. But by time you have a dozen guys all strumming, I think you're after a different effect. At that point, I think the idea is to create a "choir" of guitars, all blending together to where the idea is not to distinguish the individuals, but instead dig the huge sound created by all of them together. But on top of all of this, Neil was singing, so that's why I said it kinda still came down to a voice-and-guitar song. The guitars I'm sure sounded glorious all blending together, but it was still just a backdrop to the vocals.
But the "point" of the performance and arrangement will be different depending on who you ask. For some I'm sure it was just that Neil wanted all these folks up there with him because it's cool to all get up there and play some songs together.
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The funny thing is, that's the whole point of using a chorus pedal for guitar. To make it sound fuller, like more than one guitar.
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Interesting. I guess I've always known that, but never really thought of it that way. Chorusing definitely makes it sound fuller, and of course having more than one guitar makes it sound fuller, but I've never thought of chorusing as specifically trying to make it sound like more than one guitar; just making it sound fuller.
Back in the 80's, we tried adding some effects to my keyboards to juice up the sound. The Prophet was fine, but my piano was a cheapo Yamaha thing with only a couple of built-in voices and not much else on board, so we tried running it through a chorus pedal. It sounded bigger, fuller... and truly horrible. We tried various settings on both the pedal and keyboard, starting with as clean a sound as possible, trying various levels of each, etc., but somehow we could not make it sound any better, or even good.
Someone suggested that since it's a "guitar pedal" that it won't work with keyboards. I nearly slapped him. Maybe I did; I don't remember now. But something about the way the cheapo Yamaha generated sound just did not work with external effects. Maybe because it had its own built-in effects or some kind of harmonic enhancers that caused the chorusing to go nuts. It's was very odd, and ultimately disappointing.
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I've actually considered doing the same with my cheap POS Casio to see if it would sound any better. Right now we run it right into the PA, since it's really only used on one song right now. If we don't find some more songs with keyboard in them, we may have to dump it.
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I hadn't thought about the pedal experiment with my Yamaha until you mentioned chorus pedals. Two things come to mind: (1) When the band broke up, Pete ended up with my chorus pedal. How the fuck did that happen? It was my pedal! (2) If you do end up running your Casio through a chorus or any other effects, let me know how that goes. I'm curious.
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It's a Wal-Mart special Casio. The headphone out jack serves as a "line out". :lol My bass player actually has a better keyboard he uses for gigs, even though it's decades old. The Ensoniq SQ-80:
(https://soundprogramming.net/images/Synth/Ensoniq_SQ-80_8.jpg)
But yeah, I'm gonna try out the Casio through some sort of chorus effect and see if it sounds any good.
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Good luck.
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So as soon as we get another guitarist on board (auditioning one tomorrow), and we're all comfortable with doing some openers, we've got a set list ready:
Look What the Cat Dragged In
Gypsy Road
S*x Type Thing
Down Boys
Down on Me
Paralyzer
Looks That Kill
Slither
House of Pain
Slide It In
Bark at the Moon
Crazy Bitch
Shoot to Thrill (Or Shook Me All Nite Long)
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It would appear the we have settled upon the name "Scarlett".
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F*ck.
It's amazing the difference one day makes.
I wake up today, happy, looking forward to going to the gym tonight and watching Survivor. Excited about having a really stellar band that's getting off the ground.
Then my drummer calls me.
"Did you see what (singer) said to (random chick who I don't know) last night?" Who? He explains and I say "Funny you say that, I got a friend request from her this morning, and saw that she is a singer in another local band, but didn't think much more of it."
He goes on: Apparently, our singer must have been private messaging her on FB and whenever she didn't get back to him soon enough (apparently she'd gone to the bathroom), he gets all huffy, and starts being a dick. It escalates. Considerably. So she decides to screencap the entire thing and post it to her FB wall telling anybody who reads it to avoid this guy. Her last post to him (he'd blocked her by then) was something along the lines of "Good luck getting gigs with your band".
:censored
All I can figure is he was drinking. Because last November, I found a post on his FB page where he put up a long apology for drinking too much and making an ass of himself at a benefit gig. Finally, FINALLY, something goes right and the planets start to align, and I’m genuinely f*cking EXCITED about a band for the first time in a long time, and now this. This chick is FB friends with a LOT of people on the local scene. A lot of people who will see this and be all WTF? Let him go and we’ve lost one of the only people in the area who can sing this kinda stuff. Keep him and we risk looking like shitbags who condone this kind of behavior.
I'm hurt, deeply. I know a thousand worse things could be happening to me right now, I know, it isn't like somebody died, but this is a huge blow. All morning, I have been a nervous wreck and upset and lost. I had to GTFO at lunch and just go next door for a beer to try to calm down a little. He's messaged the rest of the guys in the band this morning, discussing songs to add, like nothing happened. He likely doesn't know she's posted this and that the drummer and I know about it. I HAVE to talk to him and tell him we know. But sadly, I feel I need a few drinks in me. I'm a bit of a pushover sometimes and I cannot let this kinda behavior slide. My last singer was an unpredictable person when he got drunk, and he would rant at people on FB, making the rest of us look bad by proxy. I cannot allow that to happen again, always walking on egg shells, wondering when the next f*ckup will come.
I do not know if this is recoverable. I'm pissed, hurt, upset, devastated.
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That sucks. Why is it so fucking hard to get a band together, a good band, and keep it together? Oh yeah, because other people are involved. And you never know for sure what you're gonna get when other people are involved.
It's kinda like last fall when my band was finally starting to score the real gigs. Actual money, actual gigs in nice places, so of course the inner tensions within the band finally came to a head and we lost two people. It was a huge blow, but somehow very, very similar to what had happened before, when we finally started gigging and suddenly our guitarist lost his shit and quit out of nowhere. I can't wait to see what kind of shit fate will throw at us next, because I'm sure it will be amazing. As much as I'd love to think we'll finally make it, I honestly do not believe we will. Something will happen; it always does.
But what can you do? You gotta keep playing. You gotta keep rocking and rolling. It's a blow, for sure, but you gotta keep pushing forward.
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I'm floored, because he's a super nice guy. Both practices we've had have been fantastic and he is prefect for this kind of music. We auditioned a guitarist on Saturday. He's in. Turns out the guy can pull random harmonies out of his ass. I asked if he could reproduce certain harmonies if I told him the note or played it for him and I said “for example, if I said ‘the low harmony on Slide it In is a D’, and this is how the note soun...” and he just sang the note. Before I could really even play it. So me, him, and the singer tried it a cappella with the melody and my high harmony and it was like magic. Seriously, magic. Nobody I’ve ever been in a band with has been THIS capable of harmonizing so effortlessly. So I'm flying high since then and now this. Seriously, WTF.
Yeah, I get it, we DO have to keep pushing forward, but I mean it when I say there's next to nobody in this area (that's available) that can sing this stuff, at least not to my knowledge.
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Sounds like someone needs to put a boot in his ass.
You're doing mostly hair metal type stuff, right? Just play it off as him being a real bad boy, not just a poser.
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It's a good angle, and would be great if we were superstars. :lol
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Fake it til you make it, bro.
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Fake it til you make it, bro.
This.
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I'm drinking heavily, but still have my wits. Have been on the phone with him for a while and he is fucking LIT. Has been drinking all day, apparently. Mrs. C. is on with him now trying to talk some sense into him. He's the victim, etc. Keeps interrupting, unreasonable, the whole nine yards. It almost sounds like she's making better headway with him than I was. I think he at least knows enough not to talk shit with her.
I don't have enough alcohol for this. Christ.
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FUCK ME, MRS. C. IS ON THE PHONE WITH HIS MOTHER!! This is truly the stuff of legends.
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Okay, I'm confused. You and Mrs. C. are talking to the singer (and his mother)? To what end? I thought he was basically blacklisted already, and by extension the band.
You're trying to talk him into not being such an asshole, so that maybe you (the band) can survive your singer being blacklisted?
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Why do you have a 15 year old singing for your band?
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I was trying to impress upon him the weight of what he'd done and WHY this was an issue, but he was too far fucking gone. Blasted. He was trying to explain something and said here, my mom can explain, so he put her on. She confirmed that he most definitely has a drinking problem. etc. etc. I'm absolutely floored. I went into this hoping it could be salvaged. If he wakes up sober today, realizes what he's done, and tries to make amends, I think things can be fine, but I'm always going to have to worry about what happens when he's at home, drinking, and unable to control himself. The chick he argued with even said to me "If he apologized, I would be fine, he's a great singer, and I would love to come see your band someday." So the possibility is there for him to make it right. But Jesus Christ, you're a grown up. Fucking act like one.
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That reminds me of a story, and you'll have to forgive me because it really isn't that similar to yours and has nothing to do with music, but talking to that guy's mom reminded me of it.
Way back, after college but before "real life", some friends of mine were renting a house with a guy they'd known since they were kids. Everyone called him Baker, his last name. So the three of them were renting this house together, and Baker was the one who knew the landlord and stuff, so he dealt with the rent money. Every month, Scott and Steve (my friends) would give their share to Baker, and he'd pay the rent. Or so they thought.
One day, the landlord comes by. I don't remember now if he had actual eviction papers with him or if he just wanted to talk, but apparently Baker had been taking the rent money and we don't know what the hell he was doing with it, but he wasn't paying the rent with it. Now three months behind, the landlord is pissed. Scott and Steve have been giving their money to Baker, so they can't just pull out three months' rent to placate the landlord, but they tell him that they'll talk to Baker (who wasn't home at the time), and if he could just give them three days, they will have his money. The landlord isn't going to get his money today obviously, so he tells them that they'd better have it in three days, and leaves.
This is when I happened to stop by to hang out or whatever. Scott is on the phone, so Steve answers the door, laughing his ass off about something. I ask Steve what's going on. Steve briefs me on the situation, and tells me Scott is on the phone with Baker's dad, Mr. Baker. Scott called his daddy on him. Having grown up together as kids, they knew Mr. Baker, and apparently the Bakers were pretty well off. Mr. Baker told Scott that he'd take care of it, since he also knew the landlord.
Bottom line is Mr. Baker paid all the back rent, and the landlord was happy. Scott and Steve immediately began looking for another place to live, and it turns out that Baker's name was the only one of the three on the lease. Two other guys were originally in the house with Baker, but they moved out and that's when Scott and Steve moved in. They moved out, leaving Baker to pay the rent by himself (or not). And they aren't friends with Baker anymore, which is kinda sad because they'd all been buds since grade school.
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Lol, being a shit bites you in the ass sometimes.
My head is spinning. One part of me says that there's no way I should've attempted this conversation with the guy when he was clearly drunk, but the other part of me said that I couldn't go another day fretting over this and him not knowing that it's out there for the world to see that he was bring a dick. I had to take the shot at discussing it. I suggested that he call me when he gets home from work tonight and we're both sober and can discuss this level-headedly. We'll see.
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Good luck.
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He's posted some sort of thing today, indicating that he's been in a bad place lately and he's sorry for anyone he's hurt. She took her post down and replaced it with something apologizing for posting a private conversation, not wanting it to affect those associated with him, and notes that he IS a good singer and hopes all will be well, etc. Hoping things are smooth sailing from here on out. Crossing my fingers, because this project has the potential to be something out of this world.
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That's good news. It sounds like they've both calmed down a bit.
People, especially drunk people, can do some really stupid things, and this girl that he pissed off may have some clout and some connections in the local scene, but pulling out the old "You'll never work in this town again!" isn't particularly cool either.
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No, it isn't, and she very clearly recognizes that having posted what she did out of anger was not a good idea, so a classy move on her part. I asked him last night to call me tonight when he gets home, so we could have a sober conversation. Not sure what will happen, but hopefully nothing like this ever happens again. It's deja vu, because my old singer often had problems handling his alcohol.
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Sounds like someone needs to put a boot in his ass.
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If push comes to shove.
Should this ever happen again and we have to boot him, there's always the option to revert back to doing classic rock, where the other guitarist and I can both sing.
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So back to business, I guess. He reached out to the singer to apologize and they're cool now. I'm going to tell myself this was but a bump in the road and I will expect nothing but smooth sailing from now on. I hope I'm right.
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Oh you silly person! Of course there will be more bumps in the road. This is a rock and roll band you're talking about. The important thing is that you get through each one.
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I know there will be. :lol
I'm just telling myself there won't be any more, to get from one day to the next.
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That's how I do it. "Let's hope there's no more psychotic episodes and/or complete meltdowns... today"
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Sounds like another drunk playing rock star. Dump him and move on. Find someone who doesn't drink. None of my band members drink or drug, and we have an incredible relationship. Also, we're always tight and on top of the material. You've just gotta take a step back and ask yourself if you play music because you love the music? Or is it because you love the lifestyle. If your answer is because you love the music, then find people who feel the same.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7J-3vdopARk
I did my second ever gig!
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Sounds like another drunk playing rock star. Dump him and move on. Find someone who doesn't drink. None of my band members drink or drug, and we have an incredible relationship. Also, we're always tight and on top of the material. You've just gotta take a step back and ask yourself if you play music because you love the music? Or is it because you love the lifestyle. If your answer is because you love the music, then find people who feel the same.
This seems like it was a fluke, so I'm gonna let it go and keep my eyes open for any other questionable behavior. I can tell he loves the music just the same. Saturday we're going to play straight through our opening set 2-3 times at practice, to get good and comfy with it. I took the liberty of sitting down and tabbing out all of the vocal harmonies for our other guitarist, who has demonstrated that he's more than capable of handling any specific harmonies we give him. This way, he look at the tab I put down, play the note, hear it, and replicate it with his voice. Saturday, we're gonna get together a half hour earlier than full practice starts, to work on 3-part harmonies, as we have 5 (possibly 6) songs that will have 3-part harmony. So freakin' stoked.
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I've got a "much music weekend" coming up. Not the first time, but this is a good one, and for the first time in a while, I'm actually feeling just a bit of anxiety about it, to the point where I had a pretty wacky dream/nightmare last night. That's how I know I'm feeling anxiety, or at least what other people must feel as anxiety, because I never know myself. I just do whatever needs to be done, and in this case there's much music that needs to be made!
This Saturday is band practice, same as every other Saturday. Nothing out of the ordinary there. Four new songs on tap, plus run through some of the older ones, whichever ones John has picked that he thinks need some work.
Friday night, however, is the first rehearsal of a one-off project that I'm involved in with Mike and Karen, the husband and wife team who not-so-coincidentally used to be in the band I'm in now. There's a charity gig on the 21st, and Mike and Karen are involved with the charity and offerred to put a band together so there would be live music at the event. Cool enough. Six people, three rehearsals, one show. I can do that. Slight concern about rehearsing Friday night after working all day, then getting up Saturday morning to load up again and head to another rehearsal, but such is the life of a musician. I'll take a nap after I get home Saturday afternoon.
Then Sunday morning, singing with the church choir as usual, then afterwards we're rehearsing a recorder quartet. Never been in one of those before, but our director thought it would be kinda cool to do, so she found a book of flute quartets and picked a relatively easy one for us to do on recorders. It won't be anything mind-boggling, but it's one of those things where if everyone plays the right notes, it sounds pretty cool. Anyway, I have to remember to bring my recorder with me to church on Sunday. Should probably practice a bit after my nap Saturday, too.
Monday night, I got a call from Mike. He'd sent out the song list for the charity gig two weeks ago, and I spent a lot of time working on the tunes this past weekend (and also working on the tunes for my regular band), but now Mike and Karen have some concerns about some of the songs, how the message might not be really appropriate for the gig and stuff. Stuff they hadn't really thought about before. They were just picking songs they thought most people would know and which would work, not necessarily how well they'd go over at a gig for homeless people and the staff at the homeless shelter. "Put a Little Love in Your Heart", "Celebration"... yeah. So he bounces some other song titles off of me for a while, we chat a bit, and he says he's gonna send out an email along with a list of "possible substitutions". Okay. We get the email Tuesday, and now I'm wondering when we're supposed to work up the tunes individually, since the first rehearsal is Friday night. I Reply All to the email, wondering if we're just going to discuss these new ones, or try to run through them as well. Most of us don't have a lot of time during the week, you know. Plus, of the original 15 songs (we're only playing for "about an hour"), I've got the keyboards down, but there are three I'm playing sax on, and I haven't practiced them yet. I was planning on doing that with the little bit of remaining time.
The new list is 12 songs and somewhat heavier on keys, usually no biggie, except that these songs happen to have parts that are pretty well-known and really need to be played like on the record or they'll sound "wrong". Carole King, Fleetwood Mac, Rascal Flatts. I sat down to see which songs I already had mp3's of, and which I needed to download, and found I only needed two of them, so that was cool. But by then it was getting late so I didn't really have to time work on them. Plus it was Tuesday, and "The Americans" was on. Anyway, there's still a difference between knowing a song as in knowing what it sounds like because you've heard it for 40-some years and knowing it as in being able to reproduce it. I'm fortunate that that difference is not as great as it is for some, but I still have to at least play through the song a few times.
So last night, I dreamed that I had agreed to play in a trumpet quartet. I have working knowledge of all brass instruments, just as I do for woodwinds, but I don't profess to play brass because my embouchure doesn't cooperate. Still, if the part is simple enough and I have time to practice, I can probably play it, or at least I think I could. I have a cornet in the basement that I haven't touched for years, but I do have it. Anyway, in my dream, it's Friday night and my wife are driving to the church (weird crossover) for the service, of which the trumpet quartet is a part. All week, I've been trying to find some time to practice, and between being genuinely busy with my other musical projects and my feeling that I can probably just wing it, it just hasn't happened. I mean, within the context of the dream, it's Friday night, and I can remember specifically blowing off practicing on Tuesday and Wednesday, then I had choir rehearsal on Thursday. You know, the weird level of detail you sometimes get in dreams.
So we're there at the church, and it's the one I grew up in (which is about 500 miles away from where I currently live), and the service is going, and it's time for us to start getting ready for the quartet. I'm thinking Man, I better be as good as I think I am at this shit. Wait... where's my horn? I'm such a spaz, I left my cornet in the car. I go running down the stairs, and on the way down the stairs (two at a time), I realize Holy Shit, I didn't even bring it! I did not grab it when we got in the car because we were running late. I grabbed my choir folder out of habit, and I can picture the cornet case still sitting there by the front door (again, a weird detail, but I could "see" it there in the dream).
No resolution. I woke up at that point.
Anyway, lots of music this weekend, lots of stuff to practice, hopefully I'll at least remember to bring the various axes I'll need to wherever I'll need them.
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Hopefully everything worked out!
This weekend, practice went well. For some reason, somebody mentioned “Raise Your Hands” by Bon Jovi and I mentioned that the only part I’d ever played was the intro riff, so I wasn’t sure about trying it (it IS on the list to work on, we just hadn't gotten to it yet). My guitarist Sean was in the same boat, he only knew the intro riff. My bass player, Ray is fairly adept at watching me play and following along to what everyone else is doing. So we said “F*ck it, let’s give it a shot”. We got through the whole song, figuring it out on the fly and it actually sounded GOOD. Tried it again later and it was like “Okay, this is going to be the new opening song”. So we put that first and cut Slither out of the opener set. I was floored at how unbelievable it sounded. The only thing I really need to figure out is the guitar solo and the keyboard chords in the background. While Sean is playing the 16th note riff, I'll be banging out the keyboard chords on the guitar.
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I love doing that, playing a song you've never actually played before, but maybe you know some of it, and you've heard it so many times that you can kinda tell what the next chord is each time, and you get through it. Like, you skip the step where you play a couple of different chords to see which one's the right one, and just go straight to playing the next chord.
I survived my "much music" weekend. Five rehearsals in four days with four different ensembles. Legs are sore, back is sore, but that's how it goes.
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I love doing that, playing a song you've never actually played before, but maybe you know some of it, and you've heard it so many times that you can kinda tell what the next chord is each time, and you get through it. Like, you skip the step where you play a couple of different chords to see which one's the right one, and just go straight to playing the next chord.
I survived my "much music" weekend. Five rehearsals in four days with four different ensembles. Legs are sore, back is sore, but that's how it goes.
EXACTLY. With each coming chord, I'd heard it enough to be able to anticipate where it was going next. Fortunately most of it is A, G, and D. It got to the guitar solo and as usual, the accompaniment in a solo usually differs a bit from the main song structure. Somehow my brain knew to play D/F#, G5, A5. After the first run through, we were all standing there looking at each other like "Whoa, that totally just happened". What an amazing feeling. I was high on that shit all night. Well, that and beer.
5 rehearsals in 4 days. Hardcore, man. Not sure I'd survive.
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With each coming chord, I'd heard it enough to be able to anticipate where it was going next. Fortunately most of it is A, G, and D. It got to the guitar solo and as usual, the accompaniment in a solo usually differs a bit from the main song structure. Somehow my brain knew to play D/F#, G5, A5. After the first run through, we were all standing there looking at each other like "Whoa, that totally just happened". What an amazing feeling. I was high on that shit all night. Well, that and beer.
Ray, pretend for a moment that I don't know anything about metallurgy, engineering, or physics, and just tell me what the hell is going on.
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tl:dr
Somehow you learn enough songs and understand song structures enough that you're incomprehensibly able to guess how a song (you've never played) goes WHILE you're playing it. It's magic enough when one person does it. It's even more magical when an entire band does it.
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I'm gonna take back some of the things I said about you, Egon.
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One day my uni band was just jamming and It was just me and the drummer waiting for the other guitarist and bass player...
I played something out of thin air and the drummer goes " that's a cool riff - what is it ? "
So I said " I just made it up on the spot.."
So he said let's jam it.
We figured out an intro and verse before the other two arrived. When they got there - we showed it to them and a chorus middle 8 and solo soon came along.
From absolutely nothing to a completely finished song...
...in 45 minutes.
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So freakin cool. Moments like that are pure magic.
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I was my band would do that more. When we're setting up and warming up, I'm always playing stuff, little riffs or chords or whatever. If some of us are all ready before everyone's there, I'll say "Let's jam a bit". Just play something, you know. But the answer is always "What should we play?" or "What song?"
Well, "jamming" to me is more open-form, but I guess it can also just mean playing something. I'll say "I don't know, play something." I figure whatever riff they start with, I can work with that, we can work with that. But they always just think of playing songs, never just "jamming".
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I get that, because as a cover band, that's the mindset you're in. This is what we play for people - other peoples' stuff - so let's work on that. If this thing ever gets moving along, I hope that we will work on originals as well.
If it isn't one thing, it is another. Monday morning, our guitarist, who'd been working hard over the weekend and practicing a lot, wakes up with ZERO function in his right hand. Radial nerve palsy, the docs called it. He has it in a brace and is supposed to rest it for a couple weeks. On top of that, our practice schedule has been hampered from the start, due to the drummer making some dumb choices with credit cards MONTHS ago and now his wife is being a complete PITA and limiting when he can practice. I'm ready to pull my hair out.
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Palsy is serious shit, but wife limiting practice time because of credit card debt makes no sense to me. Okay, keeping wife happy, not pissing off wife, I get that, but not connecting practices to credit cards. Unless he can't make practice without incurring some kind of charges. You're not charging your drummer to play with you, are you? 'Cause that's not normal.
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He opened two credit cards last year and put stuff on them without telling her. She thought there was some sort of ID theft until he finally came clean and told her.
It's about 30 miles from his place to ours for practice. We don't charge anyone to play, of course. We could practice at his place, and practice more often, but my place is kinda right in the middle for the four of them. If we went to his place, our singer and bass player would have to drive considerably FURTHER for practice. The only charges he incurs for practice is in gas and I'm pretty sure that's not well received either.
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I was kidding about charging the guy to play, but I guess gas money adds up, and that doesn't help an already tense situation. When you're younger, you accuse the guy of being pussy-whipped, but married guys who've been there are more familiar with "Happy wife = happy life".
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Of course, and like any married guy, I follow that philosophy as well. I'm sensitive to it in other peoples' lives to a degree, but when it holds me back, then it's a problem. Especially when it appears that the unhappy wife is holding things up to teach a lesson.
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Yeah, sounds like she's being a bitch. But she's his bitch. Or he's hers. Or something.
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Right. At least with all the other issues, drinking, schedules (my bass player umps baseball games throughout the summer), nerve issues, those things are all somewhat within the person's grasp to control in some fashion. A wife issue is often times 100% outside the band member's ability to control.
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Anyone ever just get tired of the circle of musicians they know? Where I live, it seems like everyone wants to play some kind of metal or space rock. Good stuff, but man am I tired of it. I play with a couple groups, but it's all the same kind of crap. I want to play blues, soul, jazz, even country. Tired of space rock and metal. I guess I should be happy I have semi-reliable people to play with at all, though.
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Reliable is harder to come by than you might think. It seems the greater wealth of "musicians" that we seem to run into are flakes in some fashion.
My old singer texted me yesterday, asking if I could fill in for two shows next month. The first one is at a private party, the day of Jr's prom. Fortunately, the gig is early (12 or 1) and I told him I have to be LEAVING by 3:30-ish. The other is at a fire hall and is an evening show. On a practice day. So I asked if he'd mind if my band came and opened for them. He agreed, we exchanged set lists and that's that. So we have our first opener scheduled. Not for as high visibility a band or venue as I'd have liked, but I'm not gonna complain.
My guitarist meets with the orthopedist today to try to figure out where the nerve issue is. Apparently this is a common thing for guitarists and he had been playing non stop, all weekend, so it's not real surprising. Sounds like the kind of thing that's not likely to recur, so that's good. He just needs to stand while he's practicing, instead of sitting and resting his arm on the guitar. Already getting some command of his hand back, so that's good.
Everybody is on board for this opener and it's a good thing. I'll get to do a couple of gigs, get a couple bucks out of it, and get some much needed practice.
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Sounds like a good deal, and of course "a gig's a gig".
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Guitarist Sean says doc told him to rest his hand for 2-3 weeks and he'd be fine. Pinched nerve in 2 places. Apparently the doc is a guitar player also and asked Sean "were you trying to play Ozzy or something?"
This is after I suggested last night that Bark at the Moon was probably what did Sean in. :rollin
I've played that song countless times and it is STILL like a wrestling match with a similarly skilled (or slightly better) competitor. It's fucking difficult, requires all of your effort and concentration, and it might still get the better of you, no matter how prepared you are. By the time the song is over, my right forearm is angry at me.
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These are the sacrifices we must make for our art.
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And as difficult as they are, they're sacrifices I'm happy to make. There was a time when I never would've imagined being able to play all of Bark at the Moon correctly. I'll happily accept some fatigue as the payment for now being able to do something, I never thought I could.
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That's what it's all about. I mean, I look at guys who've been playing for years, the pros, and they're always talking about trying to improve, learning new things, trying new things. I used to think "Are you fucking kidding me?" These guys play 10 times better than I ever will, but they're not slowing down. And then I realized that it's always a constant journey; you're always looking to grow. There are songs I can play now that I never could before, either (okay, mostly because I was never in a band good enough to play them), but I'm 55 this year and still pushing. Players gotta play.
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So as discussed in the GD char thread, it appears I'll have to learn 3 songs for this fill-in gig. Lonesome Loser, Jessie's Girl, and a Volbeat song called Lola Montez. They're all pretty straightforward, so it shouldn't be a problem. I do need to dust off all the old stuff and make sure I remember it all. It's a LOT of material to remember, but I played the stuff for long enough, that I should be able to remember it all with a minimum amount of effort. *crosses fingers*
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Good luck!! :tup
I'm pretty tired these days, but there is much music to be made!
Recorder quartet was last Thursday; it went well. Small but appreciative audience.
Friday was to be the second rehearsal for the one-off band we're putting together for the charity thing, but our singer ended up in the E.R. Thursday night, was released Friday, but was taking some time to rest. We'd penciled in a rehearsal for Monday (last night) because the gig's this Friday, and losing last Friday's rehearsal changed last night's from "maybe" to "definitely". So we rehearsed last night.
Oh yeah, in between, Sunday morning was Easter of course, so the church choir did three pieces from Handel's Messiah. I swear to God, Handel must've had an ex-boyfriend who was a Tenor who pissed him off or something because Handel writes absolutely sadistic Tenor parts. We opened with the Hallelujah Chorus, and it was the easiest of the three pieces we did. We closed the service with the final piece from the oratorio, so there are like 10 pages of "Amens" going on and on and building and getting higher and higher and more complicated and parts are interweaving and pretty soon the Tenors need oxygen masks. Holy Crap! Like, literally. But we did it.
Easter Morning, we traditionally augment the choir with "real brass", but it's getting harder and harder to find trumpets and/or trombones to play, and we don't have a huge budget. So just like last year, Brian and I played saxophones, which are made of brass, so technically that counts. Unlike last year, Brian played his tenor sax; I stuck with my alto. It sounded sweet. So singing three tunes, playing sax on two more, plus other incidental stuff (Doxology, etc.)
Back to the one-off band. After last night's rehearsal, there were serious concerns about even doing the gig Friday. Bill (guitar) and Ryan (drums) have been "so busy lately" that they haven't had time to practice any of the tunes. Haven't even had time to listen to them. And it showed. But seriously, are you fucking kidding me?? Three weeks, you haven't found even an hour to listen to the fucking songs? Bill is the most concerned, and I guess it's really his gig and not Mike and Karen's, but he's just been "so busy lately". Mike asked him something, and I didn't hear the question, but Bill said "Yeah, we can listen to music at work. I could at least listen to them."
Three weeks. Hasn't even listened to the songs.
Two days after the song list went out, I'd downloaded the few I didn't already have, uploaded all 12 of the original songs to my Dropbox, and sent links out to everyone on the mailing list. Everybody had mp3's of all the songs three weeks ago, downloadable or streamable. I also loaded them onto my iPod in a new playlist, and put them all on a flashdrive for in my car. I've been listening to them over and over for three weeks. When we added some new songs because some of the first batch weren't looking good, I added them as well, to the Dropbox and and my flashdrive. I showed up for the first rehearsal with charts for every song. I'd already spent a few hours practicing them. I showed up last night with all 27 songs ready to go. Our guitarist and drummer have had three weeks and have not even listened to them, and the gig is this Friday.
So Bill looks concerned (and he should). It's his gig because his wife works at the homeless shelter (the charity we're doing this for) and he jumped at the chance to please his new bride by putting a band together. Mike had contacted me, but that's because Bill doesn't know any keyboard players. Anyway, Bill is seriously considering dropping the whole thing, except for one problem: His wife would not be happy. Thus, Bill (and the rest of us) decide that we will do the gig.
We add another rehearsal, tomorrow night. It was between Tuesday (tonight) and Wednesday, and I pointed out that Tuesday doesn't make any sense because what we need is time in between to work on the songs individually. I didn't name names, but fuck, we all knew. So we're rehearsing again tomorrow night. Then Thursday I have choir practice, Friday's the gig, then I get up Saturday morning for rehearsal with my regular band, FlashDrive. I'm tired now. I'm gonna be exhausted by Saturday.
But these are the sacrifices we make for our art.
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Indeed they are. Best of luck, it sounds like you're going to need it.
And there are few things that irritate me more than people showing up to practice unprepared. THREE WEEKS? Complete bullshit. He had more than enough time to listen to the songs and make them happen. He just chose other things that he preferred to do. If it were me, and I didn't feel good about it after tomorrow night, I'm not sure I'd agree to showing up sounding half-assed. There's simply no excuse for it.
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If we had decided not to do the gig, part of me would've been relieved. First, I wouldn't be playing a gig the night before band practice with my real band. Second, there is a chance that we'll suck Friday night. Since we're not getting paid anyway, just blow off the whole thing.
But part of me would also be very pissed off. I approached this gig like I approach any other gig, professionally. I learn my parts, I listen to the songs over and over, "playing" along with them in my head while also listening for anything I've missed that they play that should be there. I knew up front that this would be a relatively low-key thing, and it would be fine if we were all up there with music stands and charts, so I made charts. I'm ready to play. To have put in all this work, only to have it called off by the guy who put it together because he himself couldn't be assed to learn his parts, would definitely be piss-worthy.
There's also this: It's not a fund-raiser for the homeless shelter, which is what I believed at first (this was my fault, my misunderstanding). It's actually an end-of-year party, to celebrate everything they've done this (fiscal?) year, and an excuse to have some fun. The only attendees will be the residents of the shelter (about 20) and the staff (six or seven). They don't even know that there will be live music, so it's not like they'll be bummed when they hear that the band pulled out. They'll show up for the party and be happy with whatever's there. And along those lines, even if we suck (which we really won't -- we'll have some shaky moments at worst), we'll still be better than nothing, and the best thing these people have heard in a while.
What we have going for us is that we're all pros, even if some of us haven't quite acted like it thus far. Bill says he hadn't listened to the songs, but nearly all of them are 70's tunes that we've all heard 1000 times. Even if you've never played them before, you already know how they go, so once you know what key they're in, you can fake your way through them. The same phenomenon we were just talking about; you can get through a song if you've heard it enough times. What Bill hasn't done yet is listen "critically" with an ear towards learning and reproducing them. He'll be okay.
The drummer, Ryan, is a different case. I'm not sure why he was chosen (possibly he was the only one willing/available), but he's maybe 20 and the reason why he's been so busy is because final exams are coming up and he also has research papers and projects due for classes. Also, being a full generation younger than us, he did not grow up with these songs and they are not embedded in his brain. The Beatles tunes, the Doobie Brothers tunes, obvious accents that everyone knows, they completely blew past him because he had no idea that they were there. He just kept playing 4/4 through everything. He's the weakest link, and as I said, I'm not even sure why he was tapped for this.
But whatever. Rehearsal tonight. I left my gear at Mike's house Monday night. No sense in hauling it all home, because I wasn't going to set it up again last night and play anything, only to tear it down and pack it up again for tonight, plus I was too damned tired. We'll see how it goes. Good thing this isn't a regular band, because I'd be pissed already. Instead, I'm just annoyed and concerned.
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Dude, if I had time, I would totally come to your rescue on drums. I wouldn't even need to practice.
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If that were the case, I'd recommend you. Seriously, I'd tell Bill that this Ryan guy obviously isn't working out, hasn't learned the songs, but I know a guy who already knows all these tunes.
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Feeling better about my group recently. I sent a simply alt rock type song earlier in the week, but one that incorporates some jazzier, colorful, poppier chords - something a lot different than our typical slow, minor key post-rock. Thought I'd get the typical "nah, that's not us" response, but we everyone listened to it and we spent 30 minutes or so last night working on it. Everyone's happy with where it's going, and it feels very "us" with the other guys adding their own twists.
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If that were the case, I'd recommend you. Seriously, I'd tell Bill that this Ryan guy obviously isn't working out, hasn't learned the songs, but I know a guy who already knows all these tunes.
:metal
"I know a guy..."
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Well, we played the thing. Ryan the drummer never did learn his parts. Some but not all, and his tempos sucked. Bill never did learn his parts. Some but very few. And you know what? They loved us anyway. They yelled for more. We gave them more. They yelled for even more. We played songs over again that we'd already played because it was all "we" knew. I still had my stash of another dozen charts ready to go; hell, we could have gone at 'em with just me, Karen, Mike, and Scott. It would've been fine. But whatever. Worst gig I've played in years, but the best time I've had all week.
Any musicians there would have been embarrassed for us, but regular people don't know and don't care. We played, they liked. I'll take it.
Tired as hell right now, but I gotta get ready for band practice. Coffee is ready.
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Any musicians there would have been embarrassed for us, but regular people don't know and don't care.
Funny how that works. Being a musician has kinda ruined me for going out to see local bands. I unconsciously hear every mistake. I don't purposely look for them and I don't WANT to hear them, but I can't help it. And I've seen bad bands where the crowd couldn't get enough of them. So weird.
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Yep, it's strange. I can't help but listen to what another is playing and I hear the mistakes and all that. When they get to that one part, the tricky part, will they get it? And if they don't, they suck! But regular people just hear a band. Someone's playing guitar, someone's banging on drums, someone's singing, most of it sounds reasonably in tune and in time, good enough.
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The only picture from the gig where I'm visible. This'll probably end up in the Picture Thread too because I'm an attention whore.
(https://imgur.com/KwW5Fwk.jpg)
Orbert (keyboards, sax, vocals), Bill (guitar, vocals), Karen (vocals), Mike (bass, vocals), Scott (percussion, harmonica), Ryan (drums)
We introduced ourselves as Revelation, which was only picked about five minutes before we started, and it doesn't matter anyway because it was a one-off gig. We're all too busy to start another band on a regular basis. Nothing like a good one-night stand.
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So a quick update on the situation I posed about earlier.
Link for reference: https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/boards/index.php?topic=33789.msg2289545#msg2289545
I completed the recording project for the band, mixed and mastered. They released it the next day and scheduled a release show at their rehearsal space, a kind of house show and started to book more shows, contact people about playing out more.
I typed up a post-production analysis (don't know what you would call it), pretty much spelling out what I had to do, what they needed to work on, and what they could really focus on to become tight as a band, both live and in the studio, and make the entire process go better for all involved the next time around. I didn't get any response, not that I expected any. From what I have heard, none of the band members made any mention of it in any of their get-togethers either. I can say I tried at least to tell them.
As you might expect though, if you've read my original post...the live shows didn't go all that well, especially the one down in the city. Musically, they were alright. Nothing spectacular, but not great either. Vocally...that was rough. It was really off, and incredibly off pitch. Couple this on top of a decent, but not particularly captivating performance by the musicians, and I wouldn't say that they came off particularly well. I wouldn't say that it was horrible by any means, but it just goes to show that the producer can fix all your mistakes and quirks in the studio, but those will be evident if you hit the stage and you haven't worked on them.
In any case, my part of this is over with and it is up to the band now to make it or break it out there live. If anyone is interested in hearing the recordings, let me know. But otherwise, thanks for listening to this saga and for your opinions.
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Interesting to read, for sure. Especially since I am in a band, and I've known for some time that playing tight is something we all need to work on. It's not really a big problem for us right now since we're not doing gigs yet, but sooner or later we will want to do that and I know that we have to be ready. So I've always got that little bit of stress about that in the back of my mind.
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I haven't picked up my guitar in so long. I intentionally got an acoustic/electric so I could learn some classical guitar but also have the luxury of it being an electric when I need that option. It sits there most of the time. I got as a gift a couple of classical guitar music books. I've looked through them both and they have some great selections.
Any other classical guitar players here?
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First of two fill-in gigs for my old band is this weekend. Here's the set list:
(https://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj144/guitarcozmo/set%205-6-17_zpsbvwd4gd1.jpg)
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So...what genre is it?
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lol, it was mostly hard rock and metal before I left. Lonesome Loser they picked up because the Motorcycle Club the singer's a part of is called the Lonesome Losers. They picked up a few less metal songs, I assume to help out their old guitarist who was in WAY over his head with these guys.
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First gig with the new band tonight. The response and comments after the fact were VERY complimentary. About 20 minutes after we finished, a buddy of mine, a guitarist in another band (he's also very well known on the circuit and very respected) who was doing the sister event to the benefit we played, maybe a half hour away, messaged me and says "I heard you guys kicked ass tonight". Which means somebody important here messaged him and told him so. Very, very cool. Got all but the first song recorded. So fecking stoked.
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Nice Coz :tup
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Excellent! :tup
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Still stoked about Saturday. I will say it was a slightly rough start. I like to wear sunglasses on stage - it sounds dumb, but it's almost like I can hide behind them. I like that. However, this place was dark. There were lights at the front of the stage, but for the first few songs they weren't on. Then they came on later, but not very bright. I had to take the sunglasses off and even then, I still had trouble seeing the dots on my guitar. At times, I had to turn sideways, so that the back lights could hit the neck and I could see where I was. That was rough. We eventually settled into a groove and it came off really good. I have twelve songs on video that I have to transfer and split up. It's boomy, from all the bass, but it was a little place. Not much I could do about that, unfortunately.
Now this Saturday, I do the other fill-in gig for my old band, with my new band opening. Gonna be excellent. Now we have to start building a second set. If we can get two 15-song sets together, we can do gigs with an opener.
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Slide It In - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fviayo1PElc
House of Pain - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1GaF_6C3ds
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Rock and Roll!
Your bass player looks and acts so much like my buddy Chris that it's unreal. Watching the vids, I could easily imagine it being Chris. That's wacky. Chris is easily the best musician I personally know, the co-star in my Styx and Foreigner concert stories, and a total character. He plays guitar, bass, and/or keyboards, sings, and does it all very well. Back in 80's, we were in a band together and he played bass, and looked exactly like your guy. Unreal. :omg:
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First of two fill-in gigs for my old band is this weekend. Here's the set list:
*Setlist*
Damn, that's a huge setlist! Good stuff in there, too :)
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My band is doing alright at the moment. Planning to release the second video for our upcoming debut album in the first week of June. Then there's a release show coming later this year (to be announced...) and hopefully a bunch of gigs after that. It's going to be a good year still, at least that's the planning. Releasing the album is proving to be a real game changer behind the scenes. We're having to set up a business and all that behind the scenes to actually be able to distribute the CDs and make some money, without needing to hassle and share the costs and expenses after every single transaction. It's really getting somewhere, which is obviously a lot of fun, but also some work. I 'just' want to play mostly, but of course I want stuff to be arranged well enough behind the scenes. In short: album is coming, and I can't really wait :)
And beside that, I'm going to have a chat with some local guys about forming a new band. I don't really know them, yet, but one is a great drummer, the other a bassist of a recently disbanded local band. They want to set up something new and asked me, as well as another guitarist. I don't have good experiences playing in a band with two guitarists, but I'll see how this plays out.
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Sounds great! Best of luck!
Around here, most places have a band from like 9-1, or somewhere thereabouts. So it's very normal to see a 40-45 song night like I posted. Two set breaks and a lot of music.
A couple from this weekend's gig:
Raise Your Hands:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMoa9WJq-Mk
Gypsy Road:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVNcYO8wOg8
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Rock and Roll!
Your bass player looks and acts so much like my buddy Chris that it's unreal. Watching the vids, I could easily imagine it being Chris. That's wacky. Chris is easily the best musician I personally know, the co-star in my Styx and Foreigner concert stories, and a total character. He plays guitar, bass, and/or keyboards, sings, and does it all very well. Back in 80's, we were in a band together and he played bass, and looked exactly like your guy. Unreal. :omg:
Too funny. Our bassist, Ray, is pretty laid back. He's also a pretty good keyboard player. He and my other bassist are damn near impossible to talk to on the phone. You almost have to drag conversation out of them. Phone calls to those guys are over in no time.
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But that's a good thing, right? Short phone calls.
Our band does a lot, probably most, of the communicating electronically. Since half of us are IT nerds, we have a shared online calendar for rehearsals and gigs, a private Google Group for discussion regarding logistics, set lists, etc., and some of the guys (and girls) shoot texts around to the whole group about various things. The only time I ever talk to anyone on the phone is when John calls me and we need to talk in-depth about something big, like whether a certain member is causing issues or isn't working out. It's my understanding, however, that the two guitarists talk a lot to work out who's playing what, and the girls communicate a lot about the vocal parts, because when we get together for rehearsals, pretty much everything's worked out and we're ready to go. Most of our first run-throughs are shockingly good because of all the communication and work put in ahead of time (as it should be, IMO).
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They're probably fine, but not so much when you feel like you are the only one trying to take the conversation anywhere.
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We hired a singer after months of research, keyboardist was filling in as well as he could be, now he is b*tthurt as hell because he think he is going to be bored playing now, thought he has never been hired for singing in the first place.
Drama, I hate drama
We always said that we were still searching for a singer and even him said his voice wasn't that good on recordings ^^
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Sounds like an ego issue. He needs to be reminded that the good of the band -- what sounds best, what works best -- overrides what one person wants. He likes singing. Boo-hoo! He's not the singer. You now have a singer, and the band is better, sounds better with him. End of discussion, as far as I'm concerned. The only possible mitigating circumstance is if he's so bored or otherwise dissatisfied that he's thinking of leaving the band. Then you might have to consider whether it's worth having him sing a few leads on songs to appease him. Or maybe singing background vocals will be enough.
I'm in a similar situation (which I just wrote about, I thought it was in this thread but must've been another) where I like singing, but I wasn't originally hired for vocals and the bass player sings. I'm better (IMO) but in this case it's kinda the opposite because the others are now looking to him for backgrounds. I want to remind them that I too am capable of providing background vocals, but I don't want it to be a whiny thing ("Hey, me too!"), and it's possible that I'm not as good as I think I am and there's a reason they're going to him for vocals now instead of me. Also, it's less for me to have to learn, so it's not exactly unwelcome. I rarely if ever get bored playing in my band. So I just roll with it. Hurts the ego a bit, but that's how it goes.
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Hey guys, my band released our first full length album - it would mean a lot if you guys checked it out.
https://bloodhoundbandcamp.bandcamp.com/album/caution-k9
We're a concept band, so all of our songs revolve around this particular storyline, and although THIS particular album is connected to the story a little differently than the way you would normally expect a concept album to be connected to a story, it's still very much part of the whole thing. So give it a listen, and let me know what you guys think. Once again, it would mean a lot to me and the other band member.
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^ Huge fan of the new album, I've just bought it & I'm downloading it now. :tup
The only criticism I have it that it seems to drag on a lot in the 2nd half. I'd suggest maybe taking the best ideas from each song from the final quarter (apart from CK9) & putting it into one song so it flows better for the whole album.
Favourite tracks: That's A Nice Bike, Strange Things, Do You Remember, CK9
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^ Huge fan of the new album, I've just bought it & I'm downloading it now. :tup
The only criticism I have it that it seems to drag on a lot in the 2nd half. I'd suggest maybe taking the best ideas from each song from the final quarter (apart from CK9) & putting it into one song so it flows better for the whole album.
Favourite tracks: That's A Nice Bike, Strange Things, Do You Remember, CK9
Wow we're super stoked you like it! Also, I appreciate the feedback. This album was extremely experimental in that we were really trying to craft a sound (as pretentious as that might sound). Also, we really wanted to cram the album as much as we could so we had a lot of material to choose from when we finally start gigging. There aren't really any plans to deliberately do that again, unless the story calls for it. Anyways, thanks so much for the support and for buying the album. It means a lot. <3
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Hey guys, I've got something new for ya! I just released my first instrumental solo guitar album! I wrote, arranged, recorded, and mixed everything, as well as played (and programmed) all of the instruments. My buddy (and Bloodhound bandmate, Tyler) mastered it for me. Would mean a lot if you guys would check this out as well. It's definitely not as long as the last Bloodhound album!
https://codymckenna.bandcamp.com/album/the-circle-of-wonders-i-welcome-to-the-circle
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Had to let go our bassist, who replaced our former bassist in what was a total shitshow of a breakup three years ago.
Sucks, but he was one of those passive aggressive personalities. He had a strong vision of what the band should be, but he had no desire to lead us in that direction through anything other than arguments in the band group text.
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Had to let go our bassist, who replaced our former bassist in what was a total shitshow of a breakup three years ago.
Sucks, but he was one of those passive aggressive personalities. He had a strong vision of what the band should be, but he had no desire to lead us in that direction through anything other than arguments in the band group text.
Losing members is the worst. One time one of my bands had to kick out our singer. We weren't sure how to break it to him, so we looked up "ways to break up with a girl" online cause we though the situation would be similar. hahahaha. It said that doing it in a public place was a good idea so they don't make a scene, so we took him to poquito mas. Terrible idea. As we were in the middle of this conversation, they were calling our orders, so we'd be right in the middle of this intense thing - he's begging us to give him another chance (a 5th chance at this point), we're trying to explain to him why we can't do that, and then "NUMBER 21!", and one of us would be like "Oh, just a sec" and then get up to get our food, while he's just sitting there about to cry. :lol :lol :lol
It was awful. hahaha.
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Hey guys, I've got something new for ya! I just released my first instrumental solo guitar album! I wrote, arranged, recorded, and mixed everything, as well as played (and programmed) all of the instruments. My buddy (and Bloodhound bandmate, Tyler) mastered it for me. Would mean a lot if you guys would check this out as well. It's definitely not as long as the last Bloodhound album!
https://codymckenna.bandcamp.com/album/the-circle-of-wonders-i-welcome-to-the-circle
Hey I took a listen to this, and I enjoyed it. You're quite talented. I really like the expressiveness you have over your lead playing; you make the guitar sing. The way you've layered the parts is also interesting and keeps the listener engaged. You've definitely put some thought into them. There's also a great mesh of rock genres in play here, without straying too far into any one.
I would say I liked the second half of the album better and my favorite tracks would be Fragile, McFly and The Circle.
Would be interested in hearing a follow up album for sure.
Were the drums programmed? I thought so from the sound of it, but I could be wrong.
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Hey guys, I've got something new for ya! I just released my first instrumental solo guitar album! I wrote, arranged, recorded, and mixed everything, as well as played (and programmed) all of the instruments. My buddy (and Bloodhound bandmate, Tyler) mastered it for me. Would mean a lot if you guys would check this out as well. It's definitely not as long as the last Bloodhound album!
https://codymckenna.bandcamp.com/album/the-circle-of-wonders-i-welcome-to-the-circle
Hey I took a listen to this, and I enjoyed it. You're quite talented. I really like the expressiveness you have over your lead playing; you make the guitar sing. The way you've layered the parts is also interesting and keeps the listener engaged. You've definitely put some thought into them. There's also a great mesh of rock genres in play here, without straying too far into any one.
I would say I liked the second half of the album better and my favorite tracks would be Fragile, McFly and The Circle.
Would be interested in hearing a follow up album for sure.
Were the drums programmed? I thought so from the sound of it, but I could be wrong.
Hey thanks for listening! You're actually the first person ever to give me feedback on this (other than a couple of friends), so I'm super relieved it's positive. haha. Thanks so much for the kindness. And yes, the drums are programmed. It's funny, because a lot of my friends were fooled. Not you though! Good ear. ;)
Anyways, thanks again for listening. It means a lot.
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We uploaded a new song. It's meant to be a stand alone single. It's definitely our most radio-friendly song. It relates to the concept much like the entirety of our last album did - that is, it's supposed to be a song written BY the main character instead of the normalcy of it being a song ABOUT the main character.
https://bloodhoundbandcamp.bandcamp.com/album/odyssey-single
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Got kicked from the band because I asked for weekend rehearsals, or nearer to me, since I couldn't handle physically anymore to drive through the night, picking up and dropping the singer, sleeping 3 hours before returning to work at 7am.
Had a pathetic chat with the drummer/funder, and the other two didn't even bother to send me a bye via messenger.
I wonder what I'll play next and when I'll be able to play live again, cause it's gonna miss me fast !
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That sucks. You asked for some kind of reasonable accomodations, and they kicked you out? It sounds like you might be better off without them. It sucks not having a band when you want to play, but being in a band shouldn't cause more pain than joy.
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The drummer told me if I couldn't rehearse at his home on weekdays each week, it couldn't be possible anymore.
I can understand a part of the issue, but i've been dumped like poop and the two others just ignored me, it hurts a little, but I'm better without them.
Btw it was a mise tribute and never understood the need to rehearse every week
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Yeah, that hurts. But fuck them, obviously if they care this little about a band member, the band was not going to succeed.
Playing in bands once you get older, out of school and whatever, is really different from playing with friends in someone's garage or basement when you're growing up. You're all friends first, or maybe someone is a friend of a friend, but you get tight personally if you weren't already, and that helps overcome a lot of other issues (like not actually being very good!) The band is an important part of your life, but that's partly because you're young and there isn't a whole lot else in your life that could actually be important. (School? Ha!)
The band I'm in now was formed via Internet and word-of-mouth. None of us in the current band knew any of the others before joining. When we get together to rehearse, or even to play a gig, it's much more like a project team at work. We know our jobs, we do them well, everyone wins. But we're not tight on a personal level. Occassionally two or three of us will meet at a bar to check out local competition, but we don't get together for dinner with our spouses, or social events or anything. I've known our band leader for four years now, the drummer and bassist for three, and I don't know if I consider them "friends". They're more like co-workers who I get along with really well. We'll grab lunch together after a meeting if the timing works out, but that's about it.
Band members have come and gone over the years. Some I'm still friends with (one anyway, the singer who originally got me into the band and was a friend first), some I would have wanted to stay friends with but they chose to cut ties, and some I was happy to see gone. Some of the ones who I was happy to see out of the band are still Facebook friends, which is weird.
I'm not sure what my point was anymore, but what the hell, this is the chat thread. Blab blab blab.
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Thanks for the kind words, you're obviously the voice of wisdom and it's a pleasure to have someone to talk about it.
I had several bars and pubs bands from 15 to 24 years old, that was my first tribute and I'm now 36.
I think several mistakes have been made and they are too stupid for this chat to happen with them.
The drummer waited with his classified searching for members, I met him in the end of 2015.
We worked loads of song every wednesday evening having loads of fun and I was getting home around 11pm.
Summer 2016 we meet a bassist and this guy became a friend, can play anything with some serious touch, while dancing like crazy.
Later on we get a keyboardist and average singer.
We redo the list of songs and work.
I grab the singer in town, forcing me to hurry after work and get home near 0h30, my mistake because he decided it was not possible for him to grab me because I am living farther on the road than him, Hello I'm uber.
I did this for a year and in june and july we had some live venues. I was happy because it was three loud outdoors venues with a good big crowd that appreciated the show, plus we got some money.
There we go downhill :
-we met a fantastic singer that auditionned with us, the drummer declined because the keyboardist threatened to leave if he stopped lead singing
-the bassist left the town so we got a new one that is weak technically
Summer comes and we stopped rehearsing
September I ask for a change of rehearsal times, we discuss the small possobilities and do it 3 times.
Until november the drummer asked me several time to go back to wednesday and fuck my life.
Then we rehearse with 6 new songs we all worked and we are rather happy.
The morning after I receive a mail from the drummer that kicks me because the fact I can't rehearse at night in weeks is driving him crazy and puts his family life in danger.
Then an epitaph on fb messenger, the two others don't bother to talk, and the day after I'm kicked everywhere.
On a side note, he updated his classified 10 days before the rehearsal so I'm not stupid, but the hypocrisis of making me work the songs for nothing and playing comedy is so weak of them.
I got the weekend after at the drummer's to get my stuff back, including my jamhub silent rehearsal, that he didn't miss to tell he was going to miss it and needed a solution to replace it.
I left this band as a prince, with a little money, good memories and no regret.
Without ego issue, I'll just add that I was the only current member with the technical level needed, and I which my future band will be stimulating for my playing quality and raise me up :)
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Good for you. Every musical experience is unique, and thus has something you can learn from. We all grow as musicians from every gig we play, every time we jam, every time we rehearse. They still acted pretty shitty toward you and you have every right to be pissed, but if you can walk away from this experience with a smile on your face, and a bit wiser, then you'll be fine.
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Band drama is tiring. A guy in my band and one of my closest personal friends recently slept with the girl that he knew that I liked. More of a sit-com drama situation there but still just makes you tired.
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First single off my upcoming solo concept album!
https://codymckenna.bandcamp.com/track/drawing-on-the-wall-part-1-single
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Wow, the Musician's Chat Thread hasn't been too chatty lately. You guys posting original stuff, let me be the first to say that I suck and never seem to get around to checking out your stuff. I'm sorry. That said, let me now bore you with some of the shit I've been up to lately.
I worked up a six-part instrumental medley for Flute, Violin, Alto Saxophone, Guitar, Piano, and Organ. Selections from "Jesus Christ Superstar" played Easter Morning at my church. It seemed to go over really well. We ended up with two guitars, both acoustic but one with pickup and small amp and one naked. The music director told me what the final instrumentation would be (God knows I wouldn't have done it this way) and I worked with that. Mostly flute and violin duet, with the occassional intrusion by the alto sax, and different combinations of guitars picking and strumming and the piano doing piano things to accompany. The organ doesn't come in until the final eight bars, as we're pounding out the big ending. Pretty crazy stuff.
Got a call this morning at 8:30 from Tim, the pastor's husband, asking me if I could bring my Melodica this morning (presumably for me to play, but I find it humorous that he didn't actually say that) because there's this song that Sherrie (the pastor) asked him to do in church this morning, and he thinks a Melodica would be a nice addition. Sure, I'll bring it. I was getting ready to leave, with choir rehearsal at 9:00 and service at 10:00. So we ran through this song once at like 9:50, and we played it during the service. He sang and strummed, Mijin played piano, and I played the Hooter. Pretty fun stuff. Mijin is our insanely beautiful/cute/hot Asian keyboard player. Well, she's the organist and thus accompanies the choir and plays for the hymns and stuff, but also plays the piano sometimes. Funny how I thought of her as a "keyboard player". I guess it's all about context.
Oh yeah, we did a Taize Service on Maundy Thursday (Google is your friend) with me on the Flute, Michael on Violin, and Mijin on Piano. Lots of free-form semi-structured music and singing.
My regular band is still practicing regularly, or at least somewhat regularly, learning new tunes, trying to be ready in case someone actually gets us a fucking gig. We have like 60 songs now, and no gigs until September. Yay.
Gonna do the gig for the homeless shelter again this year. Bill the Guitarist/Vocalist is in charge again of course, at it's once again at the place I used to play at years ago. Karen and Mike who I played with there before, and later in a regular band, and who are married in real life, will be on Lead Vocals and Bass respectively, another singer named Amy will be joining us this year (she's hot), and this time on Drums it'll be Scott who I played with years ago at the other place that I started playing at after leaving the first place. He plays there sometimes now, too, and Amy is also from there (the first place) though she wasn't there when I was there before. I'll be on Keyboards and Sax again. I saw Scott playing in a band a few years ago, the band that the friend of our old lead singer was in, the same singer who joined after Karen and Mike left. But remember, I knew Karen and Mike from before anyway. And yes, I'm being intentionally obtuse in describing all this because I think it's funny how I'm connected to all these people in one, two, or even three degrees, and the "how" doesn't really matter. So anyway, six people, 15 songs, three rehearsals and then we play the thing on April 27th. That'll be fun. Crazy set list. Hotel California, Sweet Home Chicago, Rock Around the Clock, I'm a Believer... all over the place. I'm looking forward to it.
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Glad to read from you, nice stories and be patient, gigs can only come !
Just beware of too much hotness around you, as it can lower hands accuracy and focus :D
I'm still bandless since november, but I have to take care of my pregnant wife, it's not a bad thing.
I play here and there and read music theory on relaxing time.
Next year will surely be busier ^^
I'll just try to do some jams with musician friends, that I wasn't able to do with the band activity.
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I don't really know about where to put this but...
Back in 2015, high school I went to was shut down (or actually merged to another high school but whatever). It was a great place to be, it had some emphasis on music and theatre and a lot of hugely talented people had been there. There was also a nice, welcoming and accepting athmosphere. Many people still miss the place. Anyway, when the musically oriented students heard about the merger and realized the fact our dear school wouldn't be no more, somebody came up with an idea of making a record where students would play different songs. Plenty of people liked the idea and in the spring 2015 recordings took place. The album was a real mixed bag: there was cover songs, students' own compositions, acoustic stuff, metal, pop, one child's ditty we thought was funny...
And some Dream Theater.
I was actually graduated by that point, but was friends with one guy who was a driving force behind the record. I don't actually record how it came to be, but I had probably mentioned to him that I was a fan of DT. Apparently some of the more metalhead students had came up with the idea of recording a Dream Theater song and he asked me to sing on it. I was naturally pretty stoked, getting to sing one of my favourite band´s song on a record!
The song was The Best of Times, with slightly altered lyrics. It was also shortened a little, to about 10 minutes. I was bit hesitant about the song choice at first, knowing that it was very personal and important track to MP, and really, losing our school was nowhere near close as devastating as losing a loved one. But I still decided to take part. One more thing: it was a duet. The other singer is a hugely talented female vocalist, way better than I am. And the performance of the musicians was absolutely top-notch, the guitarist nailed the solo. The guys and girl were around 18 for Pete's sake! And then there was me, with my croaky, Portnoy-esque baritone :lol. I actually sang parts of it octave lower than JLB, because my range is rather low. But it was a fun experience. And we actually played the damn thing live at school! Sadly, I suffered from cold that day and couldn't really hit the high notes. But it was great!
I don't think our version is online anywhere, but I might be able to upload it if someone wants to hear it. I might have to ask permission from the people involved first.
TL; DR: I have sang The Best of Times on a record commemorating my former high school.
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I think it's awesome that you got to do that. Any gig is a good gig. Any chance to record a song and put it out there (whatever "out there" might mean) is a good thing.
:tup
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Did the gig for the homeless shelter last night, and it was a gas! Technically a one-off gig, this was the second year in a row we've done it, but since Bill put the band together each time, who plays depends on who's available. Bill (guitar, vocals), me (keys, sax), Mike (bass) and Karen (vocals) same as last year, Scott (drums) new this year but we've all played with him before, and Amy (vocals) who I didn't know but who has sung with everyone else before.
Then last weekend, Karen caught a nasty respiratory infection, was in bed all week, and couldn't do the gig. Amy was promoted from background vocals to lead vocals on seven of the 15 songs, a girl named Lynn joined us on about half the songs, I added some backgrounds and the occassional lead vocals, and we did the gig anyway.
The shift in vocal responsibilities moved things around musically, which was interesting. Bill did more singing, but he's not great at singing and playing at the same time, so a lot more fell to me, so that was fun. Very challenging. But we didn't cut any songs; we got through them. "Hotel California" turned out pretty damned good, especially considering the personnel involved. It turned out that Amy and Lynn's voices blended perfectly, and I added a third part, so the harmonies were tight. When we got to the solo, I had my hands full with pad on the left, and a combination harpsichord/piano sound in the right, emulating all the picking/strumming stuff going on in the background. Kinda hard to describe what I do with my fingers there, but it's a wacky combination of arpeggiating, comping, and "strumming" (rolling the chords) all at once. Between that and the padding, and the fact that everyone was listening to the guitar anyway, the effect was nice and full, when it was only the three of us.
Four Fleetwood Mac tunes, all which Karen was supposed to sing lead on; that was a challenge. Amy and Lynn split them up, we all sang, and it worked fine.
Got to play Superstition by Stevie Wonder. I've always wanted to play that song, always meant to learn it, and managed to do it. My Yamaha POS has a pretty decent Clav sound; people said it sounded great, so that's cool.
I'm still gassed about it (in case you couldn't tell). Damn! There's nothing like gigging, nothing like playing live music. ♫♫♪♫!!
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So given that I haven't been round for a year, I thought I'd check back on this, glad to see the band's still going Orbert!
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Next single of my upcoming solo concept album. I'm hoping the album will be done and out in the next couple of months. It would probably be done already if my there's wasn't so much crap going on at my job. But either way, here's the track. Hopefully you guys dig it.
https://codymckenna.bandcamp.com/track/come-and-see-the-show-single
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I'm currently preparing songs lists to help chosing with future band members because I'm fed up waiting for a band to join ^^
Only issue with my local ads is that I got 10 guitarists and that's it :D
One pop-punk set and one metal set, hope it will go well and rehearse soon !
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Singing Handel's Messiah for the first time on Saturday! I'm super stoked - such a brilliant piece of music. Tough though - not sure how worthy the Lamb will sound at the end... :P
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I've never sung the whole thing. The most we've ever done with our choir are "selections" during the Christmas season. The most we've ever done was seven pieces, plus five other pieces that were solos/duets by the featured soloists.
Honestly, I can't even imagine singing the whole thing in one performance. My throat would be ravaged.
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It's gonna be tough for sure. Especially since we're doing it twice: once on Saturday, once on Sunday.
I shall post here with details of just how ravaged my throat has become. :D
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Tough business indeed. From what I remember, the second tenors' part is throat hell. Constantly on the passage.
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So I had three perfomances of Messiah on the weekend - final rehearsal and two concerts. And it was pretty tough, but more so on the feet (standing still for three hours with no breaks sucks, especially during the parts where you're not actually singing and thus don't have anything to focus on) than on the voice. Either way, it was soooo much fun, even if it was quite taxing.
Tons of goosebump-inducing moments, chief among them the fantastic arias "And who shall abide", "The people that walk in darkness" and "He was despised", just to name three. All of the soloists were fantastic and a real joy to listen to. I had to restrain myself from bopping my head along to "Why do the nations rage", what an infectious piece. Also, there was a small child that started clapping into the pause just before the final Hallelujah in "Hallelujah", which was seriously hilarious. I think none of us could keep a small grin from forming. He was so enthusiastic, it was just a pleasure to behold. And belting out that final "Amen" at the end... what a feeling.
10/10, would sing again. Definitely recommended to anyone who has the chance to be a part of a performance of this amazing piece.
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They have a thing every year here in Chicago where anyone can just come down and sing The Messiah. If you've always wanted to do it, here's your chance, that kind of thing. Everyone brings their own copies of the book (or you can probably buy cheap copies on site), you rehearse all day, then do it that night. Some members of our choir go every year, some do it every couple of years, depending on various factors. I've never done it. I couldn't stand for three hours for the performance, especially after rehearsing all day, and my throat would be wiped out, especially when it's needed for my own church choir (it always seems to be the same weekend or the weekend before our big cantata). I'm a natural baritone, but can sing *most* tenor stuff. I can hit an F#, and pop an occassional G, but that's about it. I swear, Handel must've had a bad breakup with a tenor or something. The tenor parts he writes are brutal. But yeah, it would be a hell of a thing to do.
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That sounds like a really cool project! I'd imagine that the quality would probably be nothing to write home about and it's probably more for the performers than for the audience, but it still sounds like a hell of an experience.
And yeah, I was really glad that I'm a bass and not a tenor. Some of the stuff that the tenors had to do was downright ridiculous.
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Yeah, it's definitely a thing more for the singers than for the audience. But it's a thing, and I'm sure it's pretty cool singing in a choir of several hundred people. Most people who would participate I'm guessing are at least moderately talented and interested in doing it seriously, so it's not a total lack of quality or anything, and the sound must be huge. Link, just because. (https://imfchicago.org/programs/do-it-yourself-messiah/)
For me, it would be kind of like playing in a symphony orchestra. A single part out of hundreds, would often not make any difference if I wasn't there, but it's a chance to be part of something huge, something bigger than you could ever do without lots of help.
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Did a pretty cool church gig this morning. I'm still kinda psyched. About a month ago, the music director said she was thinking of having this song she'd heard played during one of the services, and asked if I'd be up for arranging it (knowing full well that I'd say Yes). I said Yes. Two acoustic guitars, piano, violin, flute, djembe (drum), and either two or three vocalists, depending on who we could get. I started putting charts together, and after a few weeks we didn't have any singers, so I kinda said if we got desperate, I'd do one of the leads. As it happens, there weren't any intrumental parts left to play; I'd managed to write myself out. So fine, I'd probably sing one part, and Shirley the music director sang the other part. I did a freakin' duet with a vocal music instructor. Kinda held my own, too, from what I heard. It was scary. People said they liked it, liked the arrangement, so that was cool.
So anyway, that was this morning. The ensemble was really good. We got a nice balance, got a lot of nice compliments afterwards. Besides the one "feature song" we opened the service with three songs, and there was the closing song as well. Our organist played piano for all of it. I played Melodica on the rest of the songs. Between that and the flute and violin jumping in here and there, two guitars, drum, it was a pretty cool sound.
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I've been flirting with another band online.
My regular band has had numerous personnel issues, many of them health-related and the rest are the normal shit you deal with trying to keep a band together, but the bottom line is that we played exactly two gigs in 2018. It's insane. Our schedules are just fucking impossible. Seven people, how often are we all going to have a Friday night or Saturday night available at the same time? Sure, we could if we had gigs and people didn't commit to things, but apparently everyone besides me has other stuff going on and won't block out their weekends just in case we get a gig. I guess I understand that, but since I don't have a life, I'm always up for jamming or gigging.
So anyway, our drummer JT has always said that I could be playing every weekend if I wanted. Keyboard players are in demand. Yeah, probably, if I really wanted to work at it. Or maybe if I only wanted to half-ass it, I could work once a month or so. So fine, I put together a profile on Bandmix dot com and put myself out there to test the waters. Keyboard player looking for a band, just to jam and have fun, not to "work" regularly; I already have a job. Music is supposed to be fun.
Less than a week, I've heard from two bands so far. One practices on Thursday nights, which basically rules them out, since I have choir rehearsal on Thursday nights. That one's not negotiable. The other band sounds somewhat promising, mainly classic rock, girl singer (pretty hot, too) so I checked out their videos on YouTube and thought I'd stepped into a different dimension or something. 12 videos, and I only knew three of the songs, and had never played any of them before. Maybe we have different definitions of "classic rock" but I was expecting to know most or all of them, and hopefully had played some of them before, so all we'd have to do was pick some and we could jam this weekend. But this complicates things.
Also, most of the songs in the videos had a few things in common; they were mostly slower, bluesy kind of rock. Not bad stuff, can be fun to play, but I just didn't know any of it, and it was all kinda samey. "Crossfire" by SRV, "Stormy Monday" by Allman Brothers, and "I Put a Spell on You" by someone I can't remember (but I always think of Bette Midler's version from Hocus Pocus, which smokes). But they do the slow, bluesy version, the version the house band was playing before the Sanderson sisters took over.
So maybe we're not a good fit after all, or maybe the song list I asked them for will have some songs on it that I know and we can jam this weekend. We shall see.
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"I Put A Spell On You" is an old, old song. Probably the most widely known popular version is by Credence Clearwater Revival, but the song predates them.
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I'd never heard it before the movie Hocus Pocus. I've heard it a few times since then, always the slow, bluesy version, but I still think of it as the song from that movie. Silly me.
I've heard from two more bands looking for a keyboard player, and the one that practices on Thursdays said that they used to practice on Mondays years ago, but they switched to Thursdays a while back. The guy couldn't remember exactly why, and it might be possible to change back to Mondays if that works better for me. So yeah, JT was right; keyboard players are in demand. I feel kinda bad because ultimately I will disappoint most of these people, possibly all of them. They all think they've found a keyboard player, since I put "looking for a band" in my profile, but while I'm a musical slut (I'll jam with anyone, any time) I still have classic fear of commitment. I'm not just going to join your band because I'm available and you need keys. We have to jam, we have to have chemistry, I have to like you. And if you don't have at least one hot female in your band, you will lose out to one of bands who does. Sorry, my keys, my rules. If I'm gonna spend time in a practice room with a bunch of people I've never met before, all other things being equal, the band with the babe is the tiebreaker.
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Reasonable.
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So I heard from another band, a Skynyrd tribute band. I told them I liked Skynyrd okay, but I'm not crazy enough about them to want to join a tribute band. If I'm gonna play, I need more variety and stuff. But I thanked them for the note and wished them luck in their search.
The band with the 12 videos and nine of them I'd never even heard of the songs, they followed up with another list of tunes (at my request) and they're mostly different, but still in the same vein. Trower, Clapton, Doors, and it occurred to me that this is a band of all guys, because no way a girl's singing those songs. Plus, other than The Doors, a lot of their songs don't even have keys. ZZ Top, Cream. The videos were all from three years ago and they don't do any of those songs anymore. They have a different lineup now; it was really just to give me an idea. In other words, we don't have the hot babe singer any more. So I told them hey I'm sorry but I'm gonna pull out of this. I used those words because it amused me. But I thanked them and wished them luck in their search.
But this other band, the one with a song list that's kinda cool, I'm still gonna jam with them next Tuesday. The leader is a woman named Carol who is the same age as me (56) but looks like she keeps in shape. Once we got serious and exchanged song lists via email, I had her last name, so I stalked her out on Facebook and checked her out. I'm still planning on going to her house to jam with three other dudes (guitar, bass, drums) so this could be cool. She picked "Don't Stop" by Fleetwood Mac, "Born to be Wild", "Margaritaville", and "Come Sail Away". She told me to pick two songs from her list to be my "showcase" for them.
Sidebar
I think it's amusing how, throughout all of this, neither I nor any of the bands/persons I've communicated with have used the word "audition". We've talked about getting together to jam, see if we have any chemistry, see if it's a good fit, but never used the "A" word. And now that I think about it, I'm the only one who's really talked about chemistry and fit; they're just looking for a keyboard player, and I'm musically promiscuous.
End Sidebar
So anyway, I picked "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey because I learned it recently and want to play it, and "Never Been Any Reason" by Head East. Synth and B-3 all up in that bitch. I would've picked "Come Sail Away" as one of my showcase tunes, but Carol had already picked it, because she wants to see what I can do with it anyway. I hope she's prepared to have her britches blown off, in a not necessarily gentle fashion.
So two bands still on the hook right now. I'm jamming with Carol and her band next Tuesday, and this other band still wants me to get back to them. I'd told them already that the holidays get pretty crazy for me, but if they're okay waiting until after new year's, maybe we can do something then. The guy got back to me and asked if Jan 7 worked. It's a Monday. Oh yeah, this is the band that practices Thursdays, which I thought ruled them out, but they're willing to do a Monday night. Fuck. They're like 45 minutes south of me, the opposite direction from work from my house. I'd be driving over an hour to get there after work on a Monday night. I'll give him credit: he's pushing, but not quite pushing too hard. It just confirms my theory that I'm in control here. I don't need them; they want me, or at least want to check me out.
I find this whole process to be very enlightening, and entertaining. Win-win. :hat
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Heard from yet another band yesterday, a Steampunk band. I'm familiar with Steampunk as an aesthetic, but I have no idea what a band based on that concept would be. But their stage sets and promo pictures all have a Steampunk aesthetic to them. Also long hair, facial hair, black leather, and overall "badass" look. I could conceivably fit in with the badass Asian thing going on. But overall not my thing. They do mostly studio and festival work; they have a CD of original music. It sounds like they're a much more serious band and work a lot harder than what I'm looking for right now. Also, the girl is kinda ugly. I told them thanks for the note and I wish them luck.
I told the Monday night band I was pulling out. I like that phrase. It's common enough to where it doesn't have to carry sexual undertones, but it does anyway and when you tell someone you're pulling out, you're telling them that it's over, all the foreplay was for naught, and hey we're both a little disappointed here, but let's try to move on with our lives.
I changed my status from "seeking band to play with" to nothing. I'm just a guy out there with a profile page. I'm going jam with Carol and her band next Tuesday because I spent a couple more hours tweaking "Margaritaville" and "Don't Stop Believin'" and now I want to actually play them with someone, if only once. Plus they're only like ten minutes from my house, so going over there on a weeknight isn't the complete pain it is going up to John's house after work. If my regular band finally self-destructs or whatever, they could be a good fallback, so I want to keep them on good terms. Something we tried but the timing just wasn't right.
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When I think about my main band, and the various musical side projects I have, I often find myself thinking in terms of relationships. And yes, I mean that in a sense analogous to relationships between two people. My main band (whose name some people may have noticed I don't use anymore, because it occurred to me that people could search for it and find this thread, and find out all kinds of gooey secrets that really ought not to be shared with the public (but I'm too lazy to go back and excise from earlier posts)) is obviously my main squeeze. Tonight I jam with another band, one that's looking for a keyboard player. I told my wife a few weeks back that I was flirting online with another band. I find myself looking forward to this in some ways I assume are similar to having an affair, a piece on the side. No one in the band knows about it. I'm going to go get my rocks off tonight (hopefully) with some strange, do things that my main squeeze isn't into, and I'm excited about it. Kinda like... you know.
Now seriously, I realize that the analogy only goes so far. For one thing, there's no reason not to tell my main squeeze about it. We're not monogamous; we're not in some kind of exclusive relationship. Most of us have other musical endeavors that we're involved in. David and JT each play regularly with another band. Jerry has studio stuff that he does with some band. Even I have all the musical stuff that I do at church. But the church stuff is kinda like my female co-workers. Appreciate, admire, enjoy the time together, but it's understood all the way around that it's 100% chaste and can never lead to anything more.
But this is different. I learned two songs for tonight and have been practicing four others today. I'm looking forward to rocking differently. I'm looking forward to connecting with new musicians, playing new songs, and playing some old songs differently, because it's always different. Everyone is different. And jamming is much like pizza, or sex. Even when it's bad, it's good. It's all good. I'm gonna take a shower, shave my face, cop a buzz, and go rock and roll. I already assume that this will be a one-night stand, as my regular band is starting to line up gigs for early next year. But this is kinduv exciting.
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There is the walk of shame, and then there is the "haul your keyboards, stand, and amp up a steep narrow staircase and out to your car" of shame.
Yeah, it was still good. Making music. But No, I'm not going to be joining this band. And despite the fact that the guitarist was pretty bad but at least was a self-admitted "rhythm guitarist, not a lead guitarist" and the bassist was kind of an asshole, the Number One Reason why I'm not joining this band is because of that stairway.
Her email said to take the driveway all the way to the back, and she'll help me load in my stuff. The driveway is long and narrow and runs between her house and the neighbors next door. You either drive in and later back all the way out, or back all the way in so you can drive straight out, but there is no margin for error. Once inside, the basement stairs are right there. There is no room to set anything down for a second while you close the back door. The stairway is steep and narrow; it's an older house and making stairways up to code was optional, if there was even a code back then. The practice space is at the far end. They cleared a spot for me by the drum kit in front of the big bookshelf with stuff on it that I kept bumping into. Once we were all set up, I could not get to and from my keyboards without stepping on cords. They were all over the floor, and there wasn't much room to begin with. Also, it was loud as fuck in there, with acoustic drums and everyone amped, in a tiny basement.
They practice every Tuesday night, in that basement. If the band was really good, or the singer was really hot, it might be worth it. But I'm not going to make three trips up and down those stairs every week carrying my stuff in, and three more later carrying it back out, and deal with that driveway, too. I'm the one in demand. They wanted me; they wanted to add me to the emails "just in case" and start talking about next week's songs (even though half the guys hadn't bothered learning the ones we played last night), but I'm in control here. I set the bar as low or as high as I want. And fuck that stairway. I'm not dealing with it.
I sent her an email this morning. I told her I was sorry, I know I'd said I wouldn't make a decision right away, but I'd actually decided before we were done last night, and it was just awkward being there after I'd made my decision, and I couldn't say No to their faces. I'm such a wimp. But whatever, I sent the email. I'm done with this particular experiment, for now.
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That's too bad.
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Yes and No. I wanted to test the waters, see if keyboard players really are in demand as I'd been led to believe, and as I kinda guessed was true anyway. It is definitely true. I was contacted by six people in a week, all looking for keyboard players. So at the very least, I now know what I'd only suspected before, and I consider knowledge a good thing.
Kinda bad because the band and their situation turned out to be not great. They're just starting out. The guitarist is easily the weakest link, but he admits he's not lead guitarist material. They are currently looking for keyboards and a lead guitarist. Some of the songs we played, they'd never actually played through as a group before. Maybe it's not fair to hold them to the same standards as my regular band, but I honestly don't see that as excuse for what I see as the biggest problem, musically anyway. They just weren't prepared. The drummer said he was glad he'd listened to the songs earlier that day, or it would've been much worse. The guitarist was reading chord charts on his iPad while we were playing. What the fuck, people? I showed up there with all six songs in the bag, ready to go onstage and play. Dual keys on three of the songs, background vocals down, the works. You perform how you practice, which means you show up to practice ready to perform. I'm just starting to come to terms with singers reading lyrics off an iPad or sheet, but I'm not going to play in a band where there's people reading the chord charts as they play. There's being able to play the songs, there's knowing how to play the songs, then there's knowing the songs. Don't tell me you know the song if you have to read it off a chart. You can play the song, great, you know how to play the song, okay, but you don't know the song.
Turns out Tuesday night is their regular practice night. They do this every week. I have no idea how they expect to get anything done as a group if they don't individually do their homework first. You don't waste band rehearsal time discussing how many times that one section repeats before you go into the solo, or how many bars the solo is. Theoretically, you've been playing this song along with the mp3 or video or whatever and know exactly how it goes. That goes for every song.
I told Carol the truth, that I'd forgotten how much work it is to get a band started, but it's not something I'm interested in. Somehow I'd imagined "band looking for a keyboard player" to mean an established band, already together for a while and maybe even gigging. All I'd have to do is learn the songs, show up, and suddenly we're awesome. I didn't think to include that in my profile. I'm definitely not interested in helping start a new band. I mentioned the lack of preparation and the chord charts and people not knowing the songs we'd all agreed on a week earlier.
I didn't mention the staircase.
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After a year of playing alone and trying to for a pop punk + metal band, I've been mailed by a pop punk band that just fired a lazy guitarist and that have a gig on 26th january.
Since we got along well on messenger, I think tonights rehearsal will be fine ^^
Even my wife is uber supportive because it's her favorite music ;)
The only goal I have is to maintain 100% availability to my 5 months daughter !
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Good luck!
It can be tough when you have little kids. I'd stopped playing in bands when I "got serious" and when back to school, got my degree, got a job, got married, and had kids, but once they were in grade school and junior high, life had settled into a new routine that allowed me time to get out and play again. Gotta play.
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I felt like I shouldn't wait too long before having a small musical activity again, to avoid routine and being locked (it would be less of a battle).
First rehearsal was great, due to the simplicity of the song it was pretty plug and play, and it felt pretty square right away, so we were overexcited and since there is a gig january 26th, it's a relief !
We are currently choosing the last songs of the set.
Rehearsing again in a studio with a PA system sounded massive :)
(with the muse tribute we rehearsed a lot with headphones)
We made a little facebook page and I can't wait to fill it !
The singer/guitarist just told me to take all the guitar parts, he is not interested in soloing etc, so no battle neither here
Rock on !
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Wow, this topic is surprisingly quiet ! Don't make me think Orbert and I are the only gigging musicians lol
So, rehearsals are going fine, the gig has been a little changed, we play first and it's kind of a private birthday party, so the crowd will be smaller.
I'm a little disappointed but it will be our warmup :)
On the human side, I began to make my opinion on my 3 mates :
On the pro side, they are nice, very positive etc
On the con side, they are disorganized, have various money issues & have kind of lay back behaviour
So yes, I expected it 100% joining a punk band, but I already know that I must be cautious about money and I'm gonna be their mom when preparing gear & gigs...
My first project was to create a band, so I don't mind being in charge.
Cheers Orbert ;)
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Hiya Lax!
Yeah, I know there are other musicians here on DTF, and I'd have thought that we'd all share war stories about bands, gigs, bandmates, pscyho bandmate girlfriends, etc., but maybe the others are all too busy gigging. :P
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I'm releasing my new concept album this friday. I've worked on it for the better part of a year so it's been a lengthy project. I've never worked on a single project for that long before. In all fairness, it was supposed to have been ready for release this past August, but long story short, due to a circumstance at work I lost quite a bit of free time to work on it for about seven months (May - Nov). But now it's finished, and I'm super proud of it, and I really think a lot of DTFers would really like it if you guys took the time to listen through it. I suppose my usual concern with releasing concept albums has always been whether or not people actually listen from start to finish, or if they just skip to the next song every 25 seconds. I use bandcamp and what a lot of people don't realize is bandcamp tells me whether or not people listened past the 25% mark. You'd be appalled by how many people skip before the song really gets started. It gets depressing because I work just as hard as any professional band/artist out there (perhaps even harder because I have to find the time/energy while still going to my shitty day job, not to mention I do EVERYTHING - write/record/engineer/program/mix/etc), but the fact that I'm sharing my music on forums (my only real outlet) instead of through some label's social media platform, causes people to have this mentality that it's not a "real" album or whatever. It's pretty disheartening and discouraging that people might not give me the same chance as they would any other "professional" band/artist. Anyone else feel this way?
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Gig saturday, I can't wait :)
@thelordofthestrings : There are two separate things to me :
-Concept album with long proggy songs : It's a thing only people enjoying it can listen from start to finish. You need to share a good synopsis and eventually the lyrics for the people to stick and follow. When you see how discreet is ayreon and how flat the astonishing fell, marketing is nearly as important than the music itself for a concept album.
-Unlabeled & "real" album : I feel like ola englund is right on one thing, if you want to sell via internet : release singles. You're on a better start if you put a song that is acclaimed on youtube with a good video clip than releasing a streamed full album.
I don't believe you need a label contract for it to work, even my bank promotes musicians :)
Find your despacito and people will WANT to listen for more and discover you, or it's the same reaction as a wall of text that removes the will to read it.
My 2 cents obviously, I'm not more enlightened than this theory.
Cheers ! And happy and successful release !
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Concept album has released. I'm really proud of it. Hopefully you guys dig it. I think there's something in there for everyone to enjoy.
https://codymckenna.bandcamp.com/album/volume-ii-tribes-oddities
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Congratulations for your release !
Our gig went very well, we begin to share pics and videos already on our page :)
https://www.facebook.com/Noshers06/
(https://scontent-cdg2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/50995065_285510362114019_1772945100876283904_o.jpg?_nc_cat=104&_nc_ht=scontent-cdg2-1.xx&oh=7dee1e5d70d86a34a94e4059556c6bae&oe=5D009F4D)
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Update, in theory we gig at the same place again on april 5th ! :) *edit
This time it's not a private party and we'll get paid a little.
We get to play 15 songs (12 before).
Rehearsal time !
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Update :
-The singer left the band to pass exams and leave the region in august
-The drummer's wife is going to replace him (maybe). She sings right with a nice english accent, but has no power :/
-Once we are settled we are going to search for a guitarist or a lead singer guitarist, right now I'm doing it all
Best gigs of the year are between may and july, I don't think we are going to make it...And we just started promoting the band while getting ready !
Happily it's a fun band and we play easy songs, and I'm now the biggest mouth for decisions :D
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As our drummer keeps saying "Putting a band together is easy. Keeping it together is the hard part."
Good luck!
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Finally, after 6 long years, I completed my progressive rock concept album (seems like the concept album idea has been in vogue around here recently). At this point, I'm just happy to have completed it in the first place! It's the first full album I've ever completed and by far has been the most collaborative project I've ever done.
I realized that I did it more for myself than anything else. If anyone else happens to listen to it, that's just a bonus. It feels very strange though - as it sinks in that I am done with the project.
The process was quite a grind, and a lot of fun as well. I think I got the production close to where I want it as well. While it might not be as pristine as Steven Wilson's work, I'm happy with the effort nonetheless.
I did have a blast doing the album art though:
(https://qrpuaw.bn.files.1drv.com/y4mH9rpDW4z276MyCyPHXbVR2jcAi7VkMzW2FDsC4dC1uiUArDLkhjGNQMZq-S29KZPLI3f4_dLIy_YaVIMxJh07PGgAE_HAF9kfLq2QRMdJerW9ri3rzJJm_RR82CdPZlprWFBoNXN3gOQ4pyRVdIYhy8AUF0sHW7u4CEdd_OsFuoKOabplu3pYGVsROPCaNajL8mL3xEj9Rq2H2jPJIvRXw?width=1024&height=1024&cropmode=none)
(https://qrppaw.bn.files.1drv.com/y4mQb6q8MDvZIe5XTiBrQvzOZY7B2JP40Ki0SPcEp61p_BBrixhUdIoa8_DcZ3TQoVgfSqxgBM-d3KLmtt_PnhKCWsJY7wPBhCuZp2Z5uzHeZhtMMu1JFJobAjjGFCIqkLqR4RHsU1f9A5YByANUUVm09Z4xD3DzJxN5k_DONED5Gnl8IWGcUWS70vh5gUMDzY1bNZchwRrk71KRR7LjD1R9w?width=1024&height=1024&cropmode=none)
If anyone desires to listen, the album can be found below:
https://avenuex.bandcamp.com/album/building-empires
Well, I figure that's enough of my ramblings, and now it is on to different projects. Not sure about anyone else, but after I complete a set of songs in a certain style, I find that writing a few songs in a completely different style is a refreshing change, almost a cleanser and refresher from the previous project. Definitely going to be trending more electronic for now, which means I can keep to one studio for a while instead of the bouncing back and forth between locations I've been doing over the past few months.
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Hey everyone. I'm doing some market research for a class and would appreciate it if anyone filled out this short survey: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScVB-XVG5OOm-uyKNE9008olzBrn0-41i5PnhC42vM9GEl0tQ/viewform?usp=sf_link
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So...I feel like I'm in a band that works like a gang, it's caricatural !
We rehearsed once (drum/bass/guitar/singer) and it went ok, but starting over (we cancelled gigs until the music day on june 21th)
Next rehearsal the drummer brought back a guitarist that played with them in the past but got fired because he was whiny and critic all the time.
The guy clearly didn't care about the guitar and wanted the lead singer role.
They got in some kind of fight over internet messenger and it settled down.
Last rehearsal the guy didn't show up and asked if he could arrive around 10pm (we stop around 10:30pm lol).
We discussed a little without him and he got fired.
He messaged us 48 hours to stay, mixing excuses and less nice things to read...
I clearly told the drummer that he had to manage his mistakes when he takes decisions alone.
So, back at 4 people, it works, I shine as the lone lead instrument, but songs are too slowly assimilated.
The singer has a nice voice and english accent, but she just began lessons and her ears aren't used to even check pitch (she sings at the original song's pitch whatever happens).
I didn't think joining the easiest kind of band would be so unproductive :)
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I didn't think joining the easiest kind of band would be so unproductive :)
:lol I love the smiley there.
Just getting together and jamming with other musicians is good for you, I think. Maybe not worth it to do all the time, but you gotta check things out, right?
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Anybody else play classical music? Just curious. I don't work well with others and am very reclusive with my writings, so I'll probably never have a band or an album made, but I recently got back into playing classical piano after spending the last 5-6 years burnt out after getting my music degree. I've been pulling out works I haven't played in 7+ years over the last week. It's been really cathartic. I kind of lost interest after mastering several pieces I wanted to learn for a very long time. I'll probably be spending the weekend shaking more rust off my fingers and working on Bach two-and-three-part inventions.
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I play classical music badly. I took less than a year of piano lessons a long time ago, learned to read and work the pedals, then quit. I figured you took lessons to learn how to do something, and I'd learned how to play the piano, so I was done. My sister, on the other hand, kept with it for years and years and ended up getting very, very good. I now understand the value of studying something for years and years and getting better and better at it. I didn't then, and I don't know if it would have made a difference. I went self-taught from that point.
Back when I was in college, I decided to learn a couple of really impressive classical pieces, for the sole purpose of being able to fool people into thinking that I can actually play. They wouldn't realize that I knew exactly two classical pieces and that's it. So I learned Chopin's Fantasie-Impromptu in C#m, and Debussey's Claire de Lune, which is in Db. They make a terrific medley. I'm not good enough to fool real musicians, but I can fool regular people.
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Double post because why not?
Every summer the church choir takes a break, so the more musically inclined amongst us and the rest of the congregation sign up for Special Music for some service during the summer. Last week, my partner-in-crime Brian and I whipped out my latest creation, the gospel tune "Every Time I Feel the Spirit" arranged as a Duet for Soprano and Alto Saxophone. It was a riot. Got a round of applause, which some people still aren't sure if they can do or not in church, but some do anyway.
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Me and Brian last summer. We did a thing for Alto and Tenor. You get this because no one took pictures of us doing the Soprano and Alto thing.
(https://i.imgur.com/m5cftXN.jpg)
In previous years, we've mostly done Alto duets, and once or twice I arranged a solo for Brian and I played the piano, but Brian is nuts and keeps buying more saxophones, so we keep doing different things. I just have the Alto.
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Long time no see !
Things are pretty bad in my band, I won't regret leaving if it happens.
We gigged on june 21th for national music day and it was roughly nice
1) the singer is years from doing the job, because she isn't a musician, pitch and english accent are nice, but she can't memorize or recognize songs structure...And songs often become a crash course when the voice is drifting anywhere.
2) the members are whiny princesses, for a punk band they are the less punk people I ever met. They are pretty silent on messenger, they don't search for any gig and not even for a new rehearsal place because we are leaving ours in august...I'm fed up doing everything
3) they wanted a second guitarist again and they hope to rehearse mid-week with him because I won't play outside weekends. I go to the next rehearsal with a guitarist I know, that I brieffed already.
Honestly, I think there are 80% chances that they are firing me but not face to face, they need me to play music, but we disagree about searching for gigs to get motivated.
I'm not throwing flowers around me, but I should be the frustrated one playing the same songs over and over for months without any band progress.
Am I wrong hating to rehearse just for rehearsing ? (my case is worse because they nearly learn songs at the rehearsal...)
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Rehearsing "just for rehearsing" is worthwhile if you're making progress. If you feel like you're getting better, tighter, whatever, then it's worth doing. Then when you finally score some gigs, you're ready to rock.
Personally, I enjoy rehearsals because I like to play anyway. I'm lucky to be in a band that I like with people I like, so just getting together every other Saturday to play is cool with me. But we're always working on stuff, always aiming to improve. Email goes out earlier in the week, or even the week before, of songs to work on, sometimes calling out specific spots that were rough the last time we played out. So it's rehearsal with a purpose, not "just to rehearse".
Five years ago, I didn't feel the same way. I'd been out of gigging since the 80's. The closest I came to live performance was playing with the church praise band once a month (which was cool, don't get me wrong, but it wasn't quite "real gigging"). So five years ago, I was happy just to get my Yamaha POS out and play with others. It was great rocking again, playing the old songs, and learning new ones. Gigging was not even a goal at the time; we just wanted to play.
But once you've reached a certain point (which I think is what you're getting at), just playing the songs over and over isn't doing any good. If you're not getting any better, not learning any new songs, and don't have any gigs on the books, then what's the point? I mean sure, play the songs once in a while to make sure you don't get rusty, but if it's genuinely boring for at least one of you, it's not healthy.
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Precisely, furthermore because we are talking about blink182 level covers, I could play them live without rehearsing !
I left this morning, the fact that they are pushing for 2 rehearsals a week, and the way they behave (pretty disrespectfully) showed me there is nothing to be done.
I have one holidays month to spend with my family and I'll check once back what I wanna do, personnal project or joining a metal band...No hurry, I feel even better right now.
Next gig for now is june 2020 for a wedding :D
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I think that as you get older, the whole deal with "the band" becomes different. When you're young with stars in your eyes and your band is going to be playing in front of huge crowds someday, it's the most important thing in your life. Blood, sweat, and tears go into keeping it going. Later, the band is still important, and as before it lives or dies because of its members and how they work within it. But priorities change.
Of course it's still great to get together and play music, but you're probably not willing to put up with as much shit in order for it to happen. Maybe you have other opportunities, maybe your family and/or significant other and the balance you've struck between them and the band isn't working. And so on. There can be a million reasons why the band isn't the most important thing in your life anymore, all of them legit.
I'm glad I have a band to play with, but I also have many other interests, musical and otherwise. But if it ever got to the point where "the band" was causing issues elsewhere in my life, it's still just my hobby. You have one life to live. Spend it doing what brings yourself and others joy.
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I agree, but a minimum chemistry is needed in both cases, if there are internal issues, it will go wrong, whatever level of dedication you are.
I only talk about cover bands, we usually don't run after exposure and big money, only good venues and fun, money is a bonus :D
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Absolutely. With the band I'm in now, the founder/leader/manager has always emphasized "fit". People need to fit together. Talent is important, but we'll take a slightly less talented person who isn't a pain to work with. I think that's the chemistry you're talking about. The band has to get along, and have reasonably aligned goals, or it's just not going to be any fun. And since we're not making a ton of money doing this, it has to at least be fun or there's no point.
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I play classical music badly. I took less than a year of piano lessons a long time ago, learned to read and work the pedals, then quit. I figured you took lessons to learn how to do something, and I'd learned how to play the piano, so I was done. My sister, on the other hand, kept with it for years and years and ended up getting very, very good. I now understand the value of studying something for years and years and getting better and better at it. I didn't then, and I don't know if it would have made a difference. I went self-taught from that point.
Back when I was in college, I decided to learn a couple of really impressive classical pieces, for the sole purpose of being able to fool people into thinking that I can actually play. They wouldn't realize that I knew exactly two classical pieces and that's it. So I learned Chopin's Fantasie-Impromptu in C#m, and Debussey's Claire de Lune, which is in Db. They make a terrific medley. I'm not good enough to fool real musicians, but I can fool regular people.
That... is actually very impressive. The Fantasie Impromptu is a real bitch just to learn on one hand let alone two, and Claire de Lune is deceptively difficult, doesn't look like it, but trying to get the emotion and delicate tones out of the piano and knowing how to emphasize the dynamics properly is not a simple feat. That's really cool :)
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Thanks. I'm stubborn. The sixteenths in the right hand against the triplets in the left are nuts. I literally had to learn each part separately and just mathematically fit them together. At least that's how it works in my mind. But basically, they're just patterns. Practice them enough, and eventually muscle memory takes over and you can play it. It's a technical bitch, but yeah, it's pretty impressive when you can do it. It helps that I really do love that piece and wanted to learn it. I had no idea how hard it was, but I can read, so it was just a matter of working it up.
The Db major arpeggio at the end leads perfectly into Claire de Lune so I just run them together. Claire de Lune is like the opposite kind of challenge. The arrangement is sparse, so everything is emotion, feeling, and timing. Once again, the idea was "If I can pull this off, people will think I can actually play". Maybe I can. I guess it depends on your definition.
I think of that scene from the movie Curly Sue, where Jim Belushi is showing how smart the little girl is. He has her spell "avalanche" or "anthropology" or whatever, some high-level words. Then the lady asks her to spell "cat" and she can't. She can't actually spell those big words; she just memorized the answers. That's kind of where I am about playing the piano. I can't sit down and whip out a Beethoven Sonata or even a Mozart Etude. But I've got a couple of pieces I worked up that dazzle people and make them think I can play. Kinda twisted, really.
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There's a "Post of video of you playing" thread but not a "picture" thread. I only ever seem to get pictures of me playing something, probably because that's pretty much all I do. I try not to post too many in the picture thread in General Discussion because normal people post there.
(https://imgur.com/iFd0PfA.jpg)
Ruben (bass) was in my very first band, back in effin' junior high, 45 years ago. He has a cute sister named Linda, who married Greg (guitar, vocals). Dave (drums) jumped in, and they were doing "Going Up The Country" by Canned Heat which has the flute in it, so I joined them. Ending up playing about half the set with them, mostly on keyboards though.
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Will not saturate the topic either but here my latest gig (june 21th)
(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/462871454384390144/591976328178434048/FB_IMG_1561184144052.jpg)
I have left the band at the end of july, I'm now searching for the next project ^^
Plus preparing my wife's sister wedding little gig (playing some of her favorite tunes with my wife and a pianist friend) next june
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Nice Marvel shirt!
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So this morning was a fun gig, another one of my crazy arrangements. The Beatles "All You Need Is Love" except we don't have a brass band, but we do have a violin, flute, and melodica. So we were both the horn section and the string section. I also whipped up charts for guitar and piano, plus a lead singer and the choir doing background vocals ("Love, love, love" and the "ahs" during the verse). Tim usually plays guitar but he jumped on bass. By time we got to the last chorus and the whole place was singing, it sounded pretty cool.
(https://imgur.com/BA65jBB.jpg)
Steve (guitar), Tim (bass), Jonah (lead vocal), Mijin (piano), Amy (flute), Orbert (melodica), Michael (violin). Shirley conducting the choir and leading the congregation.
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That's cool! At my previous church (a couple of years ago), we did All You Need Is Love as well, but just with our normal praise team.
That was part of a sermon series that our pastor did where he would talk about themes from pop songs. During that month, we also did Stuck in the Middle With You and Show Me the Way (Styx).
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The Beatles have a bunch of songs with great, positive messages. We've done "All You Need Is Love" a couple of different ways now, "Let It Be", "Got To Get You Into My Life", "Birthday" (on Pentacost Sunday, of course), plus "Give Me Love" and "My Sweet Lord" by George and "Imagine" by John. There might be some I'm forgetting. I love arranging music, the very act of taking a song and figuring out what parts play what so that they combine and do the coolest shit possible. Like an aural jigsaw puzzle. And people seem to like what I come up with, they keep asking me to do it, so it works out well.
When I did the regular praise band thing for a while, we'd work in pop songs when we could. "The Power Of Love" by Huey Lewis, "The Climb" by Miley Cyrus (don't laugh it's a great song) and maybe a few others. Our WL also wrote originals and we did a few of his songs. They were right there with the Chris Tomlin and Phil Wickham tunes. Good times.
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Changed guitar strings for the first time in at least a decade today, forgot how much of a pain in the ass it is.
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How do you manage to play guitar on strings that are a decade old!? :O
Mine sound terrible after a few months. I don't change them nearly as often as I should, but I'm always super happy when I do. Gives me the chance to clear the gunk off the fretboard as well, and the guitar sounds infinitely better with new strings. It really isn't that much work if you can do it quickly; use a string winder to get them off and on again quickly, and tie them neatly at the tuning pegs. I can probably change strings and tune a guitar in under 10 minutes, without cleaning the fretboard.
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Oh don't worry, I didn't play the same set of strings for a decade :lol I basically stopped playing for 10-11 years and only picked it back up this spring. Brought both my guitars to a local luthier for a full setup and string change in late April/early May and I've been playing on the same strings since then. I changed the strings on both a couple of weeks ago, along with cleaning the guitar and fretboard and treating the fretboard with oil.
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Remixed a concept album I wrote with my band back in 2017. Super stoked with how this mix turned out.
https://open.spotify.com/album/6cMimMKQM1CywjFRtTtivQ
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So how's everybody spending these weeks staying at home? Losing my usual work commute and generally being at home all the time instead of just in the evening makes me play a lot more these days!
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Free evenings are a blast, and I've picked the guitars up seriously after a loooong time.
I've actually grown some callous back dicking around with some heavy-bending solos. It's a pleasant pain.
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My band leader is insane, and keeps thinking that this will all be over soon. He sent out a list of tunes to work on for our next rehearsal, whenever that might be. I've been working on them. Feels good. I've also been amusing myself by plugging my iPod into my amp and jamming along with tunes, the same way I practice band songs.
My church thinks I'm one of the main music people, and our music director sent out a song that she wants to include in this week's service. We've been having virtual services online, with music and stuff. So tonight some of us are going to get together to record a song for this Sunday's service. Only four of us, so it's legal. I don't know how smart it is; obviously the safest thing to do would be to stay home, but we'll stay six feet apart from each other and wear masks I guess, and hopefully the recording comes out. I haven't made music with others in nearly two months, and with everything there is risk. Hopefully I don't catch it from someone.
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I have one friend who I usually make music with - a lot (this is apart from the bands and stuff I'm in) and we have played together about 3 times during this Covid mess by meeting up outside in nature (it's been pretty good weather) and just jamming songs we both know. That was fun. I haven't played with a band since probably Monday the 9th of March.
My band is going to record a 'quarantine live video' this next Sunday for an online festival. We'll be standing on other sides of our rehearsal room, which is more than large enough. Our bass player can't make it, so he's going to record his parts at home and film that too. I'm pretty sure we can do this safe enough, especially since my country is actually opening up more and more and slowly getting back to normal life.
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Last night's session was pretty cool. We only had one song to work out, but we had some fun with it.
Pretty basic hymn, "Let All Things Now Living", arranged for voice and piano, just two verses, with a descant part added on the second verse. Shirley (the director) is a soprano, Michael is a tenor, I'm a baritone, and we also had our regular accompanist Mijin on piano. Michael brought his violin, which is always nice for adding a countermelody or lead line. The surprise was Shirley's husband Steve on banjo. He's not great (yet), but just plunking some arpeggios and stuff added another color to the mix. Michael played the top line of the intro and break on violin, and the three of us took turns singing lines of the first verse, with the fourth line in unison. The octaves were nice, but I couldn't help breaking into some efficiently-placed harmony here and there.
The second verse, Michael sang the descant, while Shirley and I sang the melody in octave unison, but again I busted out harmonies here and there. The overall effect was very nice, with some three-part counterpoint going on in some places. We recorded in the sanctuary, all spread out, so the natural acoustics of the place made it sound live (which it actually was) rather than the flat sound you might normally go for with such a piece. We went from reading through it a few times, to a couple of takes, to a finished recording in about an hour. Good times.
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Did some more church music this past week. Recorded live in the sanctuary, then edited and broadcast during the online service.
We did a four-part hymn a capella, which was pretty challenging. The tune itself was pretty simple, which helped, but the parts got pretty crazy for a while. Some fugue-like stuff, some parts weaving in and out of each other. Since Michael is a much better Tenor than I am, I sang the Bass part, so that was interesting. I'm no more a Bass than I am a Tenor (I'm a Baritone), but once I warm up, I can get those lower notes pretty well. Same deal as last week; run through it a few times, then record it. Our accompanist Mijin has a nice Alto voice, so she sang the fourth part, which was a first for her as well.
The other tune we did a little more "normal" (for us). Mijin on piano, Michael on violin and vocals, Shirley and me on vocals. Shirley and I did the leads, with me breaking out some ad-libbed harmonies here and there. Michael adding some countermelodies and fills on violin.
I just watched the online service, and both tunes turned out pretty good. We kept the pitch with the a capella piece, and the ensemble was pretty cool. It's great working with musicians who have a good feel for making things up on the fly that add to the overall performance, and this way I get my live music fix. Win-win.
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I got an email from that online site I'm a member of, the one which connects musicians with bands and bands with musicians. Since I don't actually check my home page very often, I have it set to send me an email any time someone sends me a private message.
An area Bon Jovi tribute band is looking for a keyboard player. The way it was worded, it wasn't sent to me specifically, but probably to any area keyboard players on the site. Must also be able to sing background vocals. My first response was "Yeah, right."
Then I thought about it some more. I mean, I'm not a Bon Jovi fan by any stretch, but most of his stuff is pretty good, good rock and roll, and the girls love it. And let's be honest, that's a big part of why we're playing rock and roll, to watch the girls on the dance floor.
I thought about it even more. We've done a handful of Bon Jovi tunes in the band over the years, four or five I think, and every one of them was actually pretty fun, had keyboard parts that weren't trivial and actually added something to the song, and were even reasonably challenging. Of course, the ones we picked were picked specifically because they had keyboards, but there's probably a lot of them. I don't know, because I don't own any Bon Jovi albums. But if a Bon Jovi tribute band has a keyboard player, I'm sure they lean towards tunes with keyboards.
And finally, it would seem that my regular band is either in another rebuilding season, or on hiatus due to COVID-19, or both. I suppose every band is facing the same thing.
But my final thought is that if I'm already not 100% sure about rehearsing with the band I know, how am I gonna feel about rehearsing with a bunch of people I've never met before? Probably even less sure. So I'm pretty sure I'm not gonna do it.
If it wasn't for COVID-19 and lockdowns, I might've seriously considered it. Of course, if it wasn't for COVID-19 and lockdowns, my regular band would be gigging right now.
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Played a church gig this morning. ♫♫ My church hasn't held live services since things shut down back in March, but this morning we tried something, and it worked out pretty well. We don't have a huge congregation, maybe 100 regulars on the roster and only 20 or 30 who attend regularly, so we figured we'd set things up outside, lots of space and social distance, and give it a shot.
I played piano/keyboards on two songs, and one of the prerecorded pieces had the ensemble with me doing some vocals and Melodica. So that was fun. Some prerecorded stuff, some live stuff, no singing, some readings, basic message, it was about 45 minutes altogether. Nice little service, out on the lawn, under the tress. The weather was perfect. Mid-70's, mostly sunny, nice breeze. We're gonna do it again next week.
I've missed playing live music for the masses. Not exactly masses, and only a couple of tunes, but hey, it was live. Shirley on Autoharp, Orbert on Keyboards, Michael on Violin, Steve on Guitar. There might be pictures somewhere; none up on Facebook yet. I'll steal some if anyone posts any.
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Live music in the great outdoors! ♫♫!!
(https://i.imgur.com/7oraxvm.jpg)
Steve on Guitar, Michael on Violin, Shirley on Autoharp, Orbert on Keyboard.
Not a lot of gigging going on these days, but apparently I'm doing this every Sunday morning for while, weather permitting, so I'll take it.
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Today's gig was slightly different. The theme of the service was planning for the future, and reaping the rewards. Somehow gardens were mentioned as an example of something you plan, put a lot of effort into, and then reap the rewards later. We somehow decided on "Octopus's Garden" by The Beatles as our closing song.
To me, playing secular songs is different from playing the hymns and other sacred stuff. Also, we've been joined recently by a guy named Ryan who plays the piano. Shirley asked me if I could bring my synthesizer and play that, and Ryan could play the piano. I'd written up a piano part and printed it out, so I gave that to Ryan. As it happens, I'd been somewhat concerned that there's all those nice background vocals, not to mention guitar leads, and those weren't covered. This isn't "cover band" territory, but I still tend to approach secular songs the same way. I want the arrangement to be faithful to the original. But basically Michael would play the melody on violin, piano would comp chords, guitars would strum, and we even had Brian on his djembe (drum). Nice little arrangement, it would have been fine. But it bugged me how much more we could have. Eureka! With Ryan playing the piano, I am now free to fill in some other stuff, like the background vocals (on keys) and take the guitar leads on keys as well. Because I've been starved lately for songs to learn, and I actually enjoy to process of learning new songs and playing them, I jumped in. Practiced up a couple different solos, figured out how the pads and chords would work. I've been working on it, the one song, for two weeks.
That must have been what led to the "gig nightmare" I had last night.
You ever have one of those dreams -- nightmares for me, usually -- where you're back in school? Enough is familiar that you recognize immediately where you are, but there are tragic differences. For me, I usually can't remember what my schedule is; what room am I supposed to be in? What class is this? Did I do the homework last night? Sometimes the layout of the school is completely different, and I can't find where I'm supposed to be. School nightmares.
Anyway, I have gig nightmares. Get to the gig, but find out that the stage is actually a couple of pieces of cardboard on the floor; not only completely stupid but also not nearly big enough. Or I get lost on the way there. Or any number of other tragedies that don't make any sense, but in the context of the dream they do, and they're happening, and it's a fucking nightmare.
So last night, I dreamed that the band -- my cover band, not the church band -- had a gig. First one in months, because of COVID-19. We get there, and there's the stage, and a grand piano. Oh yeah, that's right; they said that there was a grand piano on the stage, and they didn't have any way of moving it, so I was going to play it. So I left my keyboards at home. What the fuck? We still have to do songs with synths and B-3 and stuff, and it's not like I could just play all those parts on acoustic piano. This was a tragic mistake, and there wasn't time to drive back home and get my keyboards, so I had to figure out a way to cover all those keyboard parts from all our songs on a grand piano. Actually, it was a pretty cool challenge. Obviously it wasn't going to sound the same as what people are used to, but the part will be there. It might even sound kinda cool played on a grand.
I woke up before we got to any of the good stuff. I guess I'll never find out whether the nigthmare gig ended in triumph or tragedy for me. "Octopus's Garden" went really well this morning, though.
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I couldn't think of anywhere to put this, but I had to share it.
(https://i.imgur.com/v1z7k4L.jpg)
Posted on Facebook by a friend of mine who's easily the best sound man we ever worked with. He in turn "stole" it from somewhere else. And so on, and so on...
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I couldn't think of anywhere to put this, but I had to share it.
(https://i.imgur.com/v1z7k4L.jpg)
Posted on Facebook by a friend of mine who's easily the best sound man we ever worked with. He in turn "stole" it from somewhere else. And so on, and so on...
I don't know why but this reminded me of this funny video I first saw like ten years ago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2Rhh_4GZmU
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;D That's basically what non-engineers think working a mixing desk is like. Hehe.
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The clip looks like those "hacking" scenes where the person is just bashing random keys on the keyboard, but on a mixing desk. :lol
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Yes. I was taught how to mix and engineer on a proper desk with the cables and the tape machine and the outboard gear and that's hilarious to me.
All he would be doing is EQing at best.
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Got a newish gig going on with a singer named Patty. We call it The Patty & Bob Show. (I'm Bob)
Other than that, I'm still doing the church music thing. A few weeks back, I was wondering what in the heck I'm doing, doing this. Our organist is back from her extended leave, so I wasn't needed on the piano. Between her on piano, Michael on violin, and Shirley on Autoharp, I was wondering how much difference it made with me playing Melodica. I literally just sit there and make shit up. Add some chords here, a countermelody there. I'm doing it as much to get my own musical rocks off as I am to "serve" the music. Sure, I tell people that I'm sharing my gift, being all magnimonious about it, but are people thinking "WTF is that thing that Bob is playing? And that thing Shirley is strumming, WTF is that? This is all very bizarre." I mean, I would totally get it, and since I have almost no objectivity when it comes to this stuff, it seemed quite possible. We are an eclectic group.
That very day, after the service was over, two separate people came up to me to compliment me on the music. It always sounds so great, it's what keeps them coming back, it's so amazing how well it all blends together into something really unique. Wow. Yeah, so apparently it is all worth it.
We had a guest pastor and he commented on our "ecletic" ensemble. He used that same word. Yesterday, we had another guest preacher who also commented on how our music is the most unique thing she's heard in a while.
Yes, I'm bragging. Because I'm tired of wondering if people like it or not. Now I know that they do, so I'm gonna brag about it.
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Wow, what the heck? I just got a Facebook chat from Pat, our old guitarist. He was at The Patty & Bob Show last weekend, and knows both of us. He also knows Steve and Bob from this other band that Patty was in because... he's in that band! We talked and hung out during breaks.
Anyway, he and the other guys want me in their band. No audition necessary. They've all heard me, and Pat of course has played with me. They play once a month, and are fortunate to be in the position to pick the gigs they want. They make about $100 each per gig. Whoa.
I told him I have to think about it.
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I told them No. I think I got a little excited there, started thinking about whether I could do it, when I should've been thinking about whether I should do it. I'm already committed to two weeknights a week, Wednesdays with Patty and Thursdays with the church choir, but those are both pretty low-effort practices. This other band practices every other week, but also on a weeknight, usually Monday or Tuesday. I remember full-band practices on weeknights; they suck. Finish work, break down the rig, pack it into the car, drive half an hour, set it up, rehearse a few hours, break it back down, pack it back up, drive home, unload, go to bed dead tired, get up and work the next day. Also, I know 1/3 to 1/2 of their songs, which is great, but that's still 20 more songs to learn just to join this band.
It's nice to be wanted. There are more bands needing keyboard players than there are keyboard players. That means I have my choice. Maybe in another six months or a year, things will be different. But right now, I'm good.
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Remixed/remastered my instrumental solo guitar album.
https://thecircleofwonders.bandcamp.com/album/i-welcome-to-the-circle
https://open.spotify.com/album/5A6samcIXzpEaE7co8mGmK?si=XO4GBRgJSPuqFC1j8eCvnQ
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I told them No. I think I got a little excited there, started thinking about whether I could do it, when I should've been thinking about whether I should do it. I'm already committed to two weeknights a week, Wednesdays with Patty and Thursdays with the church choir, but those are both pretty low-effort practices. This other band practices every other week, but also on a weeknight, usually Monday or Tuesday. I remember full-band practices on weeknights; they suck. Finish work, break down the rig, pack it into the car, drive half an hour, set it up, rehearse a few hours, break it back down, pack it back up, drive home, unload, go to bed dead tired, get up and work the next day. Also, I know 1/3 to 1/2 of their songs, which is great, but that's still 20 more songs to learn just to join this band.
It's nice to be wanted. There are more bands needing keyboard players than there are keyboard players. That means I have my choice. Maybe in another six months or a year, things will be different. But right now, I'm good.
I've gone through something similar recently.
I just had a kid a few years ago and it's cut in to my ability to keep up with a weeknight band. I would just rather be home with my wife and son as much as possible.
Right now I'm playing with a jazz ensemble that meets a few Saturdays per month and gigs very occasionally (only thrice last year in its entirety). Perfect for me.
But not long ago, the drummer and keyboardist approached me about starting a new band, and initially, I agreed. I was flattered by the offer, and excited to do something new.
Then I remembered all the work of being in a serious band. Committing 1x-2x for rehearsals aside, there's also putting in the homework, both learning the songs, and doing the other research... I just didn't have it in me. I had to tell them no, after saying yes. Thankfully, both guys understood, we're all icebergs to eachother and we all get ahead of ourselves from time to time.
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Yeah, gigging requires a certain amount of personal time (which obviously varies according to the person and the gig), and has to be weighed against whatever else is going on in your life.
When we were young and stupid, the band was everything, because we didn't have lives. If we had a job, it was some hourly thing and you could get time off, or if they didn't give it to you, quit and find something else. Music trumps that shit pretty easily. Family, friends, "real jobs"... all of that has to come before playing weekend rockstar, or at least be balanced against it.
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Posted this in my own thread down there, but I figured I’d drop it in here as well.
Just released two singles from my two upcoming concept albums (a single from each album). Without going into a crazy amount of detail at the moment, one of the albums is about a serial killer, and the other is about an American Vietnam War veteran who suffers from depression and PTSD and is convinced by a witch that his only way out is suicide. Both tracks are currently on their way to Spotify, Apple Music, etc, but in the mean time are available to stream on my bandcamp.
https://thecircleofwonders.bandcamp.com/
Also, if any of you could take the time to follow on Instagram, it would really mean a lot to me. Everything you hear (every instrument, voice, lyric, the mix, the writing, the stories, etc) is all done by me alone and I work really hard on it, so any type of support (a listen, likes, follows) would mean the world to me.
https://instagram.com/thecircleofwonders?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
UPDATE:
Now available on spotify.
A Killer Return!!: https://open.spotify.com/album/4S43vqwMMInrSD6mGU0x1m?si=wszZGWApQA6P-rj3u8piUA
The Witch & The Widow:https://open.spotify.com/album/0Ek1fQv1bOQZL7nUIPOmwS?si=lQ73HpnyTMWtsNwMrISubQ
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Wow!
I finally sat my butt down and listened to "A Killer Return" and I really liked it. No idea what to expect, and it went through some changes so I was constantly surprised and kept wondering where it would go next, and was wrong every time (and that's good)! This is the type of thing I wish I could do. Just sit down and record parts and tracks and stuff, which obviously takes many hours, and after many more hours of editing and tweaking and whatever else, end up with something. With life and kids and health issues and money issues... it never seemed like the right time to start putting together that little home studio which would eventually enable such things to happen, so they never did.
But this isn't about me. I just wanted to say that I finally listened to something that someone else posted, because I'm a shithead and never do that. Oh, okay, I guess it is about me. But I did really like the track and might listen to more later.
:hat
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Wow!
I finally sat my butt down and listened to "A Killer Return" and I really liked it. No idea what to expect, and it went through some changes so I was constantly surprised and kept wondering where it would go next, and was wrong every time (and that's good)! This is the type of thing I wish I could do. Just sit down and record parts and tracks and stuff, which obviously takes many hours, and after many more hours of editing and tweaking and whatever else, end up with something. With life and kids and health issues and money issues... it never seemed like the right time to start putting together that little home studio which would eventually enable such things to happen, so they never did.
But this isn't about me. I just wanted to say that I finally listened to something that someone else posted, because I'm a shithead and never do that. Oh, okay, I guess it is about me. But I did really like the track and might listen to more later.
:hat
Thanks so much Orbert!! ;D
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Posted this in my own thread but I figured I’d add it here as well.
My latest concept album “III: The Sparrow & The Architect” has released! Without explaining the story, it’s about a serial killer mystery. Clocking in at just under 82 mins, it’s my longest album to date (not intentional) and I’d love your feedback and opinions. I write/record/play/mix/produce everything for this project and I’m extremely proud of the work I’ve done here.
https://open.spotify.com/album/3n2qQY59OdPK4O40gBYfn9?si=JxQHPq7TTUmatIn30Lxy2w
thecircleofwonders.bandcamp.com
If you enjoy it, please follow the project on Instagram @thecircleofwonders
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At my church, we of course have a pipe organ (actually it's digital, but it sounds good) and we usually augment that with acoustic instruments. I've never quite figured out how that evolved into a regular thing, but it seems to be the norm now, and people say it sounds really good, so we continue with it. The "core" group is Michael on Violin, Shirley on Autoharp, and myself on either Flute or Melodica. We are often joined by another flautist, an electric bass, and/or one or two acoustic guitars. There's also a girl that plays cello sometimes. It depends on who's there.
Anyway, Shirley (music director) asked me to cook up an arrangement of "Hello, Goodbye" by the Beatles, for Violin, Flute, Autoharp, and Organ. Ah, a challenge! It's been a while since I was "commissioned" to do something like this. I put together a nifty arrangement that we ran through yesterday and will play on Feb 4th and Feb 11th. It sounded pretty good.
I prepare a score and individual parts, but I only pass out the individual parts, so I'm not sure if anyone there realizes how much work goes into these things. So I have to share it here if I'm gonna brag and/or get any adulation.
(https://imgur.com/em27g2L.jpg) (https://i.imgur.com/em27g2L.png)