blue

[quote name='bassjim' timestamp='1468942188' post='3094544'] See advert....apply to advert....band advertising replies and gives a speech about how very very good they are....last bass player has left due to "illness"....learn some songs but really learn em good to impress....turn up at audition....in reality band is sh*t. Nice people but just people that happen to own instruments. Really ought to try something different like....golf. [/quote] That would be most of the start up opportunities . People that have a few instruments that think it would be cool to he in a band. But they have no clue that it takes work. Blue

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1468922480' post='3094275'] In the past I've answered "bass player wanted" ads where I've been told that I would be expected to socialise regularly with the rest of them. The last band I joined actually started talking about all getting together with our wives/girlfriends at each others houses for meals on a regular basis before we'd played a note. [/quote] Depends on where your at in life, most folks my age (63) are not looking for friends or new people to socialise with. My band, we only see each other at gigs. I think it's why the band had stayed together for the past 11 years.No drama , no personality issues, Blue

You want to play songs that keep people coming to all your gigs, building a following. We have fans that follow us from gig to gig.Again, that takes time. It didn't happen over night. And keep in mind we're not what you would call a professional band. Blue

Finding out there were multiple personal changes happening. In other words you really wouldn't be joining the band you thought you were. Blue

I'll start, after more thought you realized the rehearsals and gigs are too far from where you live. Blue

Pretty straight forward topic. It's been covered before but the reasons and comments are always interesting. This would be after you've been offered an opportunity. Blue

[quote name='thebrig' timestamp='1468876673' post='3094032'] I know this is one of the simpler bass lines out there, but can anyone tell me how it really goes? I hear it staying on bottom EE D E (octave) when the chords shift to A, and after watching Paul Wolfe's tutorial on his How To Play Bass channel, and one or two other versions on YouTube, they seem to confirm this, but when we played it for the first time tonight at rehearsal, everyone to a man said I was playing it wrong, BTW, I'm quite happy to shift to A if that's what they want. So how do you guys play it? [/quote] You go on YouTube and pick a bass tutorial of the song "When Love Comes To Town" that sounds best to you. Blue

[quote name='Nicko' timestamp='1468843798' post='3093668'] ^^^^ This. With a well chosen set list theres no reason why you can't please both the band and the crowd most of the time. I must amnit though I end up witholding my veto for the really crap stuff which means I end up playing crowd pleasers that I personally dont like. What started out as a 90s set list now includes some very modern stuff and a few classics thrown in as an encore. Our target audience is 30 somethings, but we have never had anyonne complain that thy don't like the set.. [/quote] I don't get involved with what material we play. I actually like all The songs we play. Some I didn't initially like ,however over time I've grown to like them. Remember in the US it's tough playing and managing 4 hours of material. Blue

Listened fot a few seconds. You guys sound fantastic and way out of my league. Blue

[quote name='Paul S' timestamp='1468684997' post='3092669'] With one of my bands we have kind of forced ourselves a niche, playing in smaller, out of town pubs to a largely older demographic. We don't go near Indie/rock/pop covers but do an eclectic mix of stuff we enjoy and is a bit more musical perhaps. We get rebooked and are repeatedly told what a refreshing change it is to hear something new. It has been hard work to get the venues - some places we have totally fallen flat - but we are now as busy as we want to be after a couple of years. Bonus is the pubs often do nice food [/quote] Very similar to the route we took. 95% of our gigs are out of the city. We play the out of the way lake and biker bars. We don't go near the indie or originals clubs for several reasons, they don't pay and the clientele is too young for the stuff we play. Blue

[quote name='bassjim' timestamp='1468666448' post='3092490'] there have been some right shithole dives we have played in lately. we are your typical bit more upmarket quality funk soul covers band that if not playing to a nice crowd of normal people in a reasonably nice pub then we are more likely to be playing a function or wedding for top dollar. We tried these dives out recently with the view that A :because its somewhere different, and B: you never know what you might pick up in future bookings. We completely died at both venues. We started off with at best 20 pissed up yobos which whittled down to the bar staff by the end of the night. If the OPs band had rocked up playing the Verve, Oasis ect they would have gone down a storm, got repeat bookings and even had someone piss all over them in the bogs whilst explaining they are the best band they have ever seen ect Both pubs were run by the same football worshiping big screen lovin every other word is fuc...g beer bellied fun time family and so its no suprise that the punters were of the same mentality. Sometimes its not what you are playing, nor how good you are at it but to whom are you playing it to. I did 4 years in a very successful indie rock cover band, traveled abroad with it and on average did 4 gigs a week playing to mainly the oaisis,jam lovin types. Once you get to know your audience its easy to cater for them but in the mean time there are safe bet tunes which although predictable you cant go wrong with. Probably not the sort of thing you cant wait to pick your bass up and play at home though. Nothing more boring than just playing a G for ages if you are not playing along with the band. Also a regular crowd can boost your confidence to the point you dont think you can do any thing wrong. Its when you are away from them in pastures new that the old comfort zone tunes get every thing back on track..........unless you are playing to the wrong crowd in the first place.... [/quote] Were a bar band we play 70s hard rock. I've noticed we have died when the crowd is the under 25 group. Blue

[quote name='Norris' timestamp='1468610265' post='3092187'] And Blue - it sounds like you play to a lot of "cold" crowds in your bars. In UK it tends to be a bit more "local" and we have quite a few fans who will follow us around and make an effort to see us if we're nearby. I suppose that makes a bit of difference in our approaches to playing. A familiar crowd makes it an intimate experience, which seems not to be a feature for you as far as I can tell [/quote] We have fans that follow us all weekend, definitely a family feel to the gigs. It didn't happen over night. The band has been together for 11 years We might run into a cold crowd every once in a while. It usually happens when we take a gig at a bar that's not known for live music. Blue Blue

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1468626208' post='3092305'] Has no one here been fired because they didn't pull in the crowds? Blue is right. Beer sales pay the band. Dad, you've got the right ideas but in the wrong order. A cover band should entertain the audience whilst, hopefully, having fun. Education? From a cover band? Good luck with that! [/quote] The people we play to aren't really educational material.😄 Blue

[quote name='stufunkybass' timestamp='1468612863' post='3092208'] We are a relatively new band, so it will be interesting to see what our audience think. I've played in bands before and it's likely that the audience will tell us what they would like to hear from us as well as the songs they don't like. What I am struggling with is playing stuff like I'm a Believer, Day Dream Believer and Suspicious Minds in the same set as Hush, Vertigo and Slight Return. [/quote] All good songs. However, audiences, well at the bar level I'd call them customers. If they stay dance and buy alcohol,that means they like you,If they leave to spend their money somewhere else, they don't like you. Blue

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1468605632' post='3092139'] No, Blue; that's [i]your [/i]job. [i]Our [/i]job is to have fun and educate the audience, whilst (hopefully...) entertaining them. [/quote] Can't think of a gig where it wasn't fun.You wouldn't have much luck in the education business over here. Over here if your not selling alcohol you won't have to worry about entertaining or being asked back. We have fun because that's what it's all about. However were not paid to have fun, we're paid to entertain and sell. It's different in the UK, you'll be fine. Blue

You should always pick songs for the audience. You won't be able to educate the audience, that's not what they come out for and not your job. Your job is to sell alcohol and entertain. Blue

Basses don't sound amazing, the person playing has to play amazing. Blue

[quote name='Sammers' timestamp='1468317310' post='3090032'] Here's a good example of Billy laying down a groove for those interested! [/quote] I like that. Blue

[quote name='MacDaddy' timestamp='1468307575' post='3089919'] Larry Graham and Bootsy Collins may have something to say about that. [/quote] Why? They are both world class bass players. They can do it all. I should know, I've followed their careers pretty closely over the last 40 or 50 years. Blue

[quote name='Lord Sausage' timestamp='1468142628' post='3088778'] Gotta say I totally agree with visog here (maybe cos we are both in the North west). When i was a teen learning how to play i was into all technical stuff like Vai, Dream Theater, and jazzier stuff, weather report, coliseum etc and i just found him boring. Is show off bits were great but when he was doing is 95% of the time stuff (as it has been put) i just thought it was dull. lacked balls n groove. To be fair it was just DLR n Mr Big that i listen too. But I much prefered Stu Hamm. Thought he did all that technique stuff but played more interesting normal stuff! [/quote] I don't care how fast you can play, how many scales you know or technical riffing. You can't lay down a basic funky groove without tapping and slapping, go home and stay there. Blue

[quote name='ivansc' timestamp='1468224954' post='3089277'] He`s dead isnt he? OOPS! For some reason I thought this was a "living drummers" list..... And yep the list is about as useful as most of them are! [/quote] Buddy is gone, but he should still be high up on the list. Buddy can out play many of those guys dead or a live. I'm pretty sure Buddy would agree. Blue

[quote name='Sammers' timestamp='1468227586' post='3089309'] Both Questlove and Steve Jordan fully deserve to be on the list, they're exceptional drummers.[/quote] Cool, me, not a fan of either. Blue

I can't go through the whole list. I'm not really sure why Ahmir from Quest Love or Steve Jordan is even on the list.Nice to see Greg Errico (Original drummer for Sly & The Family Stone) made it. If Buddy Rich is not in the top 5, The list is not credible as far as I'm concerned. Blue

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1468060096' post='3088337'] IMO "just" playing is practicing. It re-enforces what you already know which can be just as vital as learning a new technique. If you are in a gigging band knowing the songs inside out and being able to react to any musical situations that may arise during a gig due to one of your band mates messing up can be far more important than working on a technique that you'll never use outside of your music room. [/quote] Depends, if your playing things that ate challenging and need work,then yes. Having a good time jamming stuff you already have mastered, then no. Blue

[quote name='Rich' timestamp='1467832915' post='3086640'] Hogwash. A band doesn't have to actually be professional to have a 'professional' attitude, approach and organisation. [/quote] We should all have a professional attitude. I pride myself on having a pro attitude but my band is far from what I would consider professional. Blue