mikel

Form your own band and be the leader. Make sure you have a bug in the rehearsal space toilet so you can pre empt any whispered attempts to oust you, the leader. Make the other musicians sign a watertight contract agreeing the band is yours and you make all the final decisions. That should do it.

My one and only sacking was from the band we all started as mates, and learned to play as we went along. I also ended up singing, as no one else wanted the lead vocal. By chance I was writing most of the songs, and sorting the rehearsals, and doing most of the arranging. I ended up getting most of the gigs and booked the three studios we recorded demos at. I was eventually sacked "As the band is going nowhere". I looked at it from two angles..Option 1. They were right, the band was not going anywhere and as I was by default the driving force, It was my fault. Or. Option.2..If its not going the way you think, why didnt someone else in the band step up and take the reigns. I think it was option 2 and it was easier to get rid of me and hope the next guy they got in was also an organiser. He wasn't, sadly, and the band folded 4 months later.

Lots of reasons on here to do with vocalists. What is it with singers, is it compulsory to be a flake if you want to sing? The last band I left spent 18 months in startup due to problems getting a singer. We tried 7 over that time. Pick one or more reasons from.... not learning the words, where to come in, no sense of timing, health issues, my partner is not keen on me being in a band, changed my mind, to the one that finally made me pack it in....being a big headed control freak who wasnt really very good. Argggghhhh.

Is it not the writing, the arrangements, and instrumentation that will decide if the music is more "experimental"? Conversely, If there is something out there already that sounds like its in the ballpark, find out who produced it. I dont thing the producer is the main factor in this.

Will it have an earthy sound? And it is a spade.

On another note. Ha ha. Walking past a pub yesterday and the band on Tonight is called "The Elderly Brothers". Well, it made me laugh.

[quote name='grandad' timestamp='1493278958' post='3287024'] Unfortunately my pleas wrt band name have by and large been ignored and I've ended up playing in bands with CRAP names. The one exception is the jazz quartet I mostly play with these days, 'The Fox Hollies Set'. This name was derived from Fox Hollies Farm the family home of our female saxophonist. I think it's important to get the right name that you all feel good about, something that connects. [/quote] Fantastic name, but if there had been no brass in the lineup it would have been a no no. It almost tells you what the band will sound like.

[quote name='4000' timestamp='1493320822' post='3287526'] +2. My all-time favourite. Thankfully I actually got to tell him too and he seemed quite touched. Never quite took in his death, partly because it came on the heels of so many others and partly because I was in the middle of a breakdown at the time. Still can't really believe he's gone. [b]Close to the Edge[/b] for me. The soaring, hypnotic line in that just kills me every time. But then pretty much every track is a masterclass in tone and note choice. [/quote] My all time favorite album, of any genre and any era. I wore out two vinyl copies in the 70s, the CD replaced them for a number of years but I now have another vinyl copy so I can hear it in its full glory again.

You also have to feel sorry for BD. In effect Greek is there customer, so the first point of contact in the chain, so any ear bashing is going to be aimed at them. Shops being let down by manufacturers/distributors must be a real pain for the proprietor as well as the customer. Glad you were offered a refund by BD they are obviously doing what they can to keep you happy.

I love the not difficult statements. Since when has difficulty had much to do with creativity and musicianship? Most semi decent guitarists now would say what Hendrix played was "Not difficult". Its not the point, Hendrix played it over 40 years ago when it was a revelation. The same with Chris. Its the note choice, placement and timing, and that tone that make it very special.

[quote name='Yank' timestamp='1493112848' post='3285634'] I do a really fancy restaurant gig with my duo that's like that. Playing for yourself or a few people at most in front of you. Most folks are out of sight. My buddy hates it. You get no immediate feedback from the audience until they're leaving, when they will stop by and say how much they enjoyed it. It pays good and they feed me lobster, and re-book. Much rather play this other bar which is down the road. Working class place where some folks drink too much, hoot and holler and sing along and cheer after a song. No lobster, but more satisfying. [/quote] What could be more satisfying than Lobster?

There is a lot to be said for recording this way, its the recording of a performance, a moment in time, I know it can also be done with multi track, one track for each instrument, but still all playing at the same time. That is my preferred way of recording, but I suppose the temptation then is to go through each track and modify even the slightest imperfections. Ergo its no longer the performance. I could never get my head around recording each instrument at a different time, it just goes against my ingrained perception of music being an organic performance and musicians playing off each other. I have done this once or twice in studios and its not my idea of a good time.

Depends on the gig. We have played Funk to an L shaped room and the people want to dance as its the nature of the music. The bar in the other part of the room finds it easier to hear the drink orders and the dancers can take a break. Some people in pubs like the music but they still want to talk so a two room venue can work with any music. Not everyone wants to stand at the bar and have to shout in the ear of a mate to be heard. Sometimes doing three shorter sets, with a decent break between, gives pub punters the best of both worlds. I will pretty much play anywhere, and have.

Brown Eyed Girl. Cant go wrong with that. Oh, and Agadoo, marvelous song.

Sounds sensible to me. The phrase that stuck out was "I'v just stopped enjoying it" If you are like me I presume that's why you do it? If you no longer enjoy it get out, and do something you do enjoy.

[quote name='The59Sound' timestamp='1492603234' post='3281535'] Sorry if you are upset - I can only state my experiences and I've had nothing but positive one's every time I have step foot in the shop. [b]I was not 'dissing' Bass Direct by saying they must stock these items - just making other users aware that they won't find them at the shop.[/b] [/quote] I know you were not dissing them, I was simply giving my opinion as to why they dont stock the run of the mill stuff.

[quote name='The59Sound' timestamp='1492416792' post='3279973'] I'm a fan of Bass Direct. It's a small shop but they make up for it in the amount of quality basses they have in stock. I would definitely say it's for the 'new school' breed of bass players. [b]No Fenders, no Ampegs/Oranges[/b]. I think a few of these comments on the thread have been exaggerated just a touch! [/quote] Could that be because those brands are everywhere, so they would only be competing on price? I think there business model is good. Stock specialist equipment for a market you know well and do it properly. Its difficult to be all things to all bassists,so they are going for the high end where people know what they are looking for but dont always know in what gear they will find it.

It would have been more interesting, for me, If they had played the piece with the guitars sounding like guitars. Making them sound like orchestral instruments defeated the whole point for me, If I want to hear an orchestra play that music I will go and watch an orchestra.

I lived in a bedsit in a big Victorian house back in the early 70s. I was the main vocalist at the time and we decided we needed to work on our 3 part harmonies. So obviously we used my little bedsit to hone this skill over an Easter weekend. We went over and over three Crosby, Stills and Nash songs, again and again and again, trying different vocal blends. I recall Suite to Judy Blue Eyes was one of them. The bedsit next to mine, on the same landing, was rented by a woman schoolteacher who was in her room for the whole weekend. I can still see her drawn face and staring eyes when I bumped into her on the Tuesday morning. I can only apologise for my stupidity and lack of thought. I presume she cant listen to a CS&N song without screaming, even now.

Why? Because they can.

[quote name='T-Bay' timestamp='1492431199' post='3280152'] Morris dancing is one of those activities that from a cultural point of view I am glad someone keeps it alive, but with the proviso that I do not have to be involved in any way shape or form, including watching, listening or partaking. [/quote] I feel this way about Morris Men, but women Morris dancing I find ok.

I quite like Joni, but as soon as she starts shooting up a vocal octave in random places, as she is wont to do, I switch off.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1492068051' post='3277554'] If you want to get the maximum out of your current computer try the following: 1. Make sure you aren't running any applications other than your DAW program. 2. Turn off Bluetooth and WiFi 3. Unplug any USB peripherals that aren't actually being used for making music. For a laptop that should be everything except your audio interface, and external audio drive if you are using one (you really should be). 4. If you are feeling really brave make sure you are complete disconnected from the internet and turn off your anti-virus programs. Don't forget to turn them back on when before you reconnect! Does your version of Cubase have meters for showing the amount of processor and disk usage while it is running? These can be invaluable in tracking down performance bottlenecks. IME the biggest performance boost you can give a laptop is to replace the system drive with an SSD, and then buy a big fast external USB 2 or 3 drive to store all your audio files on. [/quote] All of the above. Almost any laptop produced in the last few years should have more than enough power to run/record music.

I thought it was song titles, not song lyrics? Anyway, the early Genesis are an easy source. The Carpet Crawlers. I know What I Like in Your Wardrobe. I could go on but there are too many.

Of all the genres of music over the decades Grunge did the least for me. Too much low end mush and too much shouting and screaming. Cheer up FFS. Sad to hear of anyone dying young, especially a musician, but they did nowt to push music forward for me.