mikel

Did we all not do the I hate later with Jools thing to death about 6months ago? Just re read it and save us all a load of grief. Please.

C. Always. If you are an originals band constantly playing in front of an audience that knows you will not expand your audience by any significant amount. No cash in it but playing to a big crowd pulled in by another band might be just the spark that gets you noticed.

/\ This +100. The best solos, on almost any instrument, are not a w*nk fest. They enhance and add to the mood and melody of the music.

Well yes, but that is my attitude towards them. We are a partnership, I look after and take care of them and they do the same for me. I keep them looking great and sounding great. If I didn't I would simply wait for a string to break or a pot to fail and that would be a different attitude.

I take care of my instruments and equipment. If I dont and they let me down at a gig then I cant blame anyone else. I look after them, they look after me, its a partnership.

All fine and dandy by me. If you have the time or the inclination to do warm up exercises then good for you. I am very much a semi pro/pub band player. If I were a pro musician or indeed part of the act was dancing and gymnastics then I would "Warm up" but as I am not going to put my body under any undue or unexpected strain then no.

/\ This. Its Rock and Roll FFS. Warm up? In my day blah blah blah.

I would say that was new. If its never been played then its new afaiac. You could buy a 2019 bass from a shop that 30 people have tried out.

The Commitments, by a country mile. Great music and great Irish humor, whats not to like.

Agreed. Music, for me at least, is about emotion, and if you cant even put some into a live performance then whats the point. Shouting the name of the venue now and again does not count as a live performance, or generate excitement.

Shhhhh, the wife has no idea.

Close to the Edge. Back in the day I played it so much I had to buy another copy. Now I have it in every format. Relayer would be a close second. The only band I have seen in concert more often than Yes would be Jethro Tull.

I would turn down the offer. I would say I was made up to be asked, and loved playing with you guys, but you already have a drummer who is a band member. I would add that If the drummer ever chose to leave I would be more than happy to step in. That way you leave all the doors open without making any enemies and you keep your reputation as a good guy and someone who can be trusted.

It could be that too much technology allows too many people to mess with the sound. Any experienced musician/band knows how to get the sound they want. Set up and soundcheck, get the volume and balance right, job done. May need a slight tweak when the venue is full. Put everything through a PA, especially in a pub gig situation, and it simply adds more complexity. A "Sound engineer", usually a mate or someone with little or no experience of using the complex equipment, can and probably will continue to play with the equipment for the whole gig. They are also a prime target for punters who think they know better about how it "Should sound". Keep it simple. If the gig is big enough to require sound reinforcement then use it, If not backline and a vocal PA will be fine, cost less to hire and less time to load in and out. We have never had an issue with punters at a small to medium gig.

Possibly. It is certainly a way of changing material, improvement is subjective surely? If you all feel it needs changing was it any good in the first place? Not taking a pop, just my thinking. The originals band I am part of had this discussion a while back. The three songwriters are very open and allow the individual musicians to come up with our own parts, based on the feel the first hearing gives us and how we interpret it. Their take is its a band, we all have input, we are all equal and first impression of a song, based on emotion, is the way to go.

Our bassist back in the 70s had a Ned. What an awesome beast it was. Talk about heft. He played it through a Sound City 100 watt valve amp through a WEM 2x15 ported cab, it was areal chest shaker.

Aye, cos being an "Intern" sound much better than "Desperate unpaid lackey."

Well, yea, but its the thin end of the wedge is it not? If you are good enough to pass auditions for, and perform in an event as big as the EMT, then you should be rewarded for your skills. They are saying, in effect, that the gig is so big and noteworthy that musicians should pay to take part. If it were a free concert I would agree, but bearing in mind tickets are expensive and the venues full money is not an issue for the organisers. They devalue the event and musicians in general by expecting talented people to work for free.

"A great day for freedom" from the Live in Gdansk album by Dave Gilmour. He has played some superb solos over the decades but the solo on GDFF wrings every drop of emotion from a very poignant song. I just played it in the car waiting for a meeting and I am not ashamed to say the tears were rolling down my cheeks. Mr Gilmour has the gift of playing just the right notes at just the right time to enhance the emotion of a song and bring it to an edge so sharp its easy to cut yourself.

You see what happens though, you simply end up arguing minutia and musical theory. If it sounds good then it is good. If a musician cant play along with others, and pick up a song as they go then that is another thread altogether.

For me, playing anything by Free or Bad Co, the old adage "Less is more" always works. The space they were brave enough to leave in songs is what makes them special.

All that matters at this time is the imminent gig. Band practice has to be focused on that one goal. As above, email the other members, including the singer, and agree on the current arrangements, get everyone to have their parts up to speed for the next band practice so the whole set can be gone through and any problems sorted. The final practice should simply be a run through of the set to sharpen everything up. Arrangements can be played with at a later date if it makes the songs better but for the moment the gig comes first.

Don't know and don't really care. Probably as many bassists who don't read as there are guitarists. The originals band I am in only the guitarist is a reader. The keys player never learned to read music but can play anything. Play him a piece of music or hum it to him or suggest a part and he is on it. Makes no difference to me. If you can play well enough you are good enough to be in the band. Creativityreumps technique every time for us.

This. I do miss music that may be less than "perfect" but moves me with its pure energy and sincerity.

Superb, that's what I call a glowing endorsement. People can be wonderful, even to strangers. You are now locals it seems.