dmccombe7

I'm about to start with a function band. Are wives / girlfriends / partners allowed at private functions. Never done those knd of gigs before and i'm just curious as its a similar theme to OP's Dave

Also came across this version where Trevor is playing GAG More noticeable around the 3min area Never seen this version before and an unusual costume for Bowie that i had never seen before. http://youtu.be/tP7kHp7yQqs

Just had a look thru the web page VID clips. Band sounds really good especially the recent clips. Obviously the band has settled over the last 2 yrs and are far more confident in their playing. Very impressed ...............NOW GET SOME GIGS UP HERE IN SCOTLAND Please Dave

Not a grumble but more just a post to show how sometimes things just come along as a complete surprise and totally unexpected. I've never played in a function band so will be a challenge based on what many BC'ers say about their bands. Probably a fair bit of change of attitude and approach to the performance. Will def keep you all posted tho. For anyone that has the opportunity i'd say go for it but be aware that to succeed in any venture you do need to put in the additional time and effort. The timing for me is good tho as current band set list is complete and just needs a bit of polishing off so no need to learn a lot of new songs for them. That leaves my time free to learn the function band set list. Not sure i would tackle 2 bands from scratch tho but then again it might depend on song selection. Good luck with it PaulGibsonBass and Bazztard. The age thing should never be a barrier to fun. I still think i'm 20 but my body looks a bit older Dave

Thanks guys Retired last year so a lot more time on my hands so should be easy. Still to get details of the set list but i'm actually quite excited about it. Don't know how you can cope with 7 bands at one time tho FinnDave. Dave

Guitarist from our Blues based Rock band comes back from holiday and announces to me that he's forming a function band and would i be interested. He wants to keep the current band together as well but now wants to make a few quid at doing the function thing. (he has a good background in Function style bands) Same drummer and keys player but 2 new singers male and female with a history in function bands too. Current singer wouldn't manage the function band range of songs and our 2nd guitarist is mainly interested in Blues. So i've now gone from saying i wouldn't or couldn't play in 2 bands at same time to having 2 bands on the go. Nothing beats a challenge. Just goes to show there are always new openings and challenges to keep up with. Even at my ripe old age of 57. Dave

I've found over the years that FOH sound is nearly always better than sound i have on stage no matter what bass rig i use so i tend not to worry too much about it. At one point i had no backline and DI'd every gig within a Trio and was able to hear myself thru monitors quite easily. Doesn't work with every band i've been in as you always get the one guy who gradually turns himself up usually because he hasn't positioned his own amp to allow himself to hear it properly but that's another thread i reckon. Best sound i've had recently was an od classic Orange AD200b with an 8x10 Hartke cab. It just had so much warmth, depth but still retained clarity thru the range with my Jazz bass. Don't fancy carrying an 8x10 cab about tho. Dave

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1500235117' post='3336408'] Fixed. [/quote]

[quote name='scrumpymike' timestamp='1500227648' post='3336338'] Quite right to rant about the spelling! I'm normally not that sloppy - must have inherited a late-onset rogue spelling gene [/quote] Could be you're wearing rogue spelling Jeans I'll get me cote Dave

Can't say the spelling bothered me at all. "Gings" what difference does it make Dave He He

That's hard going. Did 34 songs in 3 weeks and i struggled with that. Played the gigs and found we only played around 20 of them. All the best with the gig and let us know how you got on.............Good or Bad Dave

[quote name='scrumpymike' timestamp='1500145701' post='3335937'] Thanks dmccombe7 for posting The Spiders From Mars Interviews - just finished watching and loved it! Brought back some happy memories of playing Bowie stuff - including The G-G - dep'ing behind a really good Bowie tribute artist at a one-off charity gig years ago. [/quote] You are very welcome. Its been another good thread. Dave

Love the Purple Nikes Blue Dave

[quote name='Trueno' timestamp='1500109262' post='3335648'] Best of luck with that... we all love Rhythm Stick... heh! heh! [/quote] Never tried it altho i appreciate the bassline. Think its time to have a go tho. Dave

[quote name='T-Bay' timestamp='1500109180' post='3335646'] That may be support act syndrome though, I have seen some brilliant support acts where the majority of the crowd just don't even bother listening because it isn't who they came to see so the support act just don't get the atmosphere no matter what they do. It's sad when people are so blinkered. Some of my favourite bands are ones I saw as supports acts first. And if you ever wanted to come over here I am sure that between us all on BC we could get you a good few gigs. I know a few places locally who I am sure would have you play. [/quote] UK Tour on the cards Blue Dave

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1500079207' post='3335548'] The thread is about not using punters response to a performance as an excuse for shoddy performance. The thread is not about what punters notice or don't notice. It's clearly articulated in my thread opening. And I don't see any trolling anywhere it from anyone in this post. Blue [/quote] Exactly and i'm enjoying the thread. Not sure why the negativity on an interesting thread ? If someone doesn't like the post then don't read it. Dave [quote name='SpondonBassed' timestamp='1500102054' post='3335580'] Next opportunity you get, book a busman's holiday for a fortnight playing Open Mic nights and jams over here my friend. That'll be different enough for you. It may help you with your perspective on things. Seriously. It'd be a good old laugh if nothing else. I'd even lend you a guitar and combo if you wanted. There must be other multi instrumentalist members in the East Midlands who'd get involved in a pop-up band for the duration...? As I only play bass, I'd be happy to roadie and be involved as required elsewhere like BVs or something. Just an idea. [/quote] I like that idea. I would come along just to say hello to people i know thru BC and have a bit of a laugh. Dave

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1500062599' post='3335470'] Experience is a great topic for discussion. I have 50 years of experience. 50 years of the same limited experience. I have; 1.No travel or tour experience 2.No high level contract negotiation experience 3.No experience making sure band members have the proper passports and visas and no records with the authorities (felons) 4.No band management experience 5.No recording or video experience 6.Very little experience playing with really good musicians. 7. A lot of experience standing in an inch of piss for 4 hours and getting home at 3:00 in the morning. Blue [/quote] But how many gigs have you played. That counts as a lot of valuable experience. Many musicians i know that play regularly have that confident attitude that has been gained over many years and playing many gigs. I knew them when they were far younger and they were never as confident as they are now. Maybe age has provided that confidence but think its more to do with their gigging experience. I don't believe they have improved on a technical level as they are still playing same style of music, same songs, same routine riffs that they played years ago but they now do it far more confidently giving an aire of professionalism IMO. Dave

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1500041779' post='3335318'] Yes. But the experience is cumulated. In my case it's sporadic but over several years. For a pro I would expect that experience to be gained quickly in a few years. I think it's more about how you approach your playing. If you join a covers band and stay in that band for years playing with the same musicians concentrating on exact facsimiles of tunes, never having a lesson, you're not going to develop much. Go to college for 3 years and you'd come out with far more experience and knowledge than I have. We also talk about developing big ears. That's listening to lots of different types of music and being able to hear where tunes are going. I.e. Knowing what and where the chord changes are going to be. There are people who are open to music and new ideas and there are people who have very closed minds. Really what I'm saying is that Pro's and more experienced musicians have a massive tool kit and make it look easy, and to some extent it does become extremely easy. There is still the occasional tune that requires a lot of work. Hit me with your Rhythm stick is a tune I have to learn. I've always shied away from learning it. I'm expecting it to take a while (maybe an hour or two?) to transpose and get the right feel. But now I have reason and an excuse to learn it. That's one reason why changing bands often is quite an important driver for me. [/quote] Think this totally sums it all up for me. Explains it all in my opinion. Dave

TimR - sounds like you've reached that peak because you have put in the additional effort. Looking at your background in playing and how you describe it you have obviously gained a vast amount of experience over the years. So i guess that answers the OP question in a way. To get a flawless or a good performance requires a lot of dedicated hard work and a drive to put that job in front of other things in life. I guess that's why professional musicians are where they are too. It has to be a balance of what you feel is important to you. Dave

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1499988529' post='3335043'] How do they get to that level? Attitude, hard work,conviction, disipline, gifted, and smarts are probably all a part of it. I also think playing with like minded people and playing with musicians that challenge you helps. It will be tough for young guys in bands with guys that have the ability but are just plain lazy. I'm sure a few of you have been through that. Very frustrating. Blue [/quote] Agree with you on reasons Blue. I do regard you as a Professional musician tho as you earn a living from playing. Not sure whether TimR is also a full time musician or is it a hobby. My question was for TimR on how he managed to get to that level himself. If he's a full time musician then i would expect that kind of level. If its a part time job then i'm curious as to how he reached that level. Its not a sarcastic reply to TimR and not having a dig at anyone here. I am curious to know how a part time bassist achieves that higher level. Some guys are just sh*t hot at playing and have a natural ability and that would be the answer to my question. If it's solely down to putting in the additional effort and hard work then that kind of explains why some people are just better at it than others and partially answers Blue's original query on this thread. Dave

Don't really see it as a badge of honour. I've always had a well paid job and never really needed the money from gigging. For me i just enjoyed playing. If the gigs were well paid i really appreciated the extra cash but if not it didn't really bother me as long as i was enjoying it and the audience were having a good time. The big difference Blue is that you made a decision to make a living from playing and that's admirable but as you say doesn't make you a better player just more dedicated to earning than myself. I have found thru friends that make a living from it that they do put in a bit more effort into their performance and their overall band package. That comes across in both their ability as musicians and the overall presentation of the band. That's just a personal observation of people and bands i know. If you ask yourself "is money the driving force behind you playing" i would say No whereas some would have to say yes because it pays the bills at the end of the day. That's maybe a bit crude and simplistic view of it but it does highlight one of the differences between why we are all playing. Blue - i def don't see you as the bad guy either. I do see you as someone who has good strong opinions on the subject and posts that i thoroughly enjoy. If we were all the same it would be a boring world i reckon. Think there are many reasons for why we all play. No Good or Bad ones. Just different. Dave

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1499962090' post='3334869'] Regards professionals having more time to practice, most of the professionals I know don't practice in the same way as hobby players. Once you have achieved a certain amount of experience, playing and learning new material is extremely simple. I have a dep job with a band in 4 weeks where I have to play 35 tunes that I've never played before. I haven't practiced one of them yet let alone met the rest of the band. [/quote] How did you get to that level of experience tho. ? Surely you must have put a lot of hrs in to practicing at home or you have played a lot of gigs over the years. At some point in a professionals playing career they must have put the hours in to achieve the level of experience that you mention. Altho i personally have never quite reached that level i can see how it would be a lot simpler to learn new material at short notice. Is it not the case that they have reached that point either by playing and gigging more hrs than the average Joe who is working a full time job elsewhere. I guess that is where their commitment has taken them to a higher level of experience than many amatuer musicians. There will always be the exceptions to the rule but i'm talking more a general point of view rather than every individual. Dave

was always 40-100 until bought my Warwick Thumb in 89 which came with 35-95 Elites. Tried them for few years but went back to 40-100. Don't recall ever trying anything heavier on my 4 stringers. I always thought Rotosound 40-100 was the standard gauge. ?? Been a long time since buying them and this poll shows 45-105 is most common. ? Dave

[quote name='hiram.k.hackenbacker' timestamp='1499924258' post='3334492'] [url="http://www.bravewoodguitars.co.uk/page5.html"]http://www.bravewood...o.uk/page5.html[/url] [/quote] Cheers Now i see it. Not my taste in basses. I'm not a fan of distresse or worn basses to be honest. I like mine pristine. Dave Dave