Dr.Dave

[quote name='Evil Undead' timestamp='1346405154' post='1788753'] I have a gig tonight, and I'm nervous. Not for the reasons you'd expect. We're playing an outdoors beer festival, and the thing I'm nervous about is taking my beloved bass to the gig! I only have the one so I have to take this one. Is this something that others worry about, or is it just me? [/quote] Yes - I worry about this , so consider the following which is my policy. a) buy yourself something less precious for next time. lock your bass away in the car as soon as the show is over OR keep it on your person c) Ask the organisers bo make sure drunkards are kept an eye on while the band's playing - maybe get some trusted mates to watch the stage area. d) do not put up with any stage invasion or stuff being thrown (not even beer mats). Zero tolerance. Stop playing until the wrongdoers are ejected . Pack up and go home if the organisers don't respect this. e) go against your better nature , lift yourself to your full height , take a deep breath and be prepared - when there is no alternative at all - to punch someone fully in the face. So far - adopting that 'look' has been enough for me , thankfully , but if my 73P was under threat and I couldn't get away I wouldn't hesitate for a second. The only way to relieve me of that instrument is to take it from my cold , dead hands. f) relax a little. Beer festivals ted to be populated by folk as passionate about beer as you are about music. They want to enjoy themselves and will - likely as not - step in and stop any odd trouble makers in their tracks.

I think it's a great deal for one year. After that you'll (hopefully) be rehearsing less and gigging more , when I think you'd be better off re-negotiating to occassional rehearsals for one freebie a year. We have a deal with the hop in Wakey. Rehearsels when we want - which is about 4 or 5 times a year ( usually 1 hours playing and 3 hours in the bar drinking) in return for accepting £170 for paid gigs (4 per year) when we should be insisting on £200 at least for that pub. My best ever deal was a few years ago at OD's in Wakey. When we played there we got £150 which would put about £40 in my pocket after petrol money (none to me , I don't drive to gigs). So - we changed that to £100 (which Mart and Rod split) plus 50 pints for me (no time limit). As it was my local and decent bitter was about £1.50 at the time I reckon I was doing good !!

You had one go and because it wasnlt bang on you say 'I just can't do it'. Tch tch - hang your head in shame. What else in your life have you done that you were great at first time?? Driving? Tying your shoes? Playing Bass??? Practise , Ms Chick , practise. The fact that you thought your voice sounded good should lift your confidence. If you have even basic pitching skills and a halfway decent timbre to your voice the rest of it is just mechanics. Practise improves mechanics. And.... I'll bet a shiny new 10p piece that a lot of the problem was you were over concious of doing it in front of your band mates. That'll soon pass. Get in there. There's nothing at the back of a stage except cobwebs.

The hardest thing for me - at 50 , married , other interests etc - is continuing to sacrifice my weekends by arranging my life months in advance because of gigs. I wish I could go ' Oh - I fancy playing tonight then going off to party tomorrow' etc etc but you can't. You're ruled by a diary. Nobody ever asks me anywhere anymore because they got sick of me saying 'Sorry , I'm playing'. We get a good weather weekend out of the blue and Mrs Doc et moi want to take advantage by going off somewhere but I can't because I'm playing. That's the hardest thing for me. I don't resent it but it's a bastard sometimes.

I became an actor for a while - still am to a lesser extent. I figured that if I played the role of a confident singer I might get by long enough to start building up that confidence for real. It worked. As I got more confident I began to attack microphones rather than shy from them. That made me sound better - sounding better made me that little bit more confident , and so it went on. These days I don't think of myself as a great singer , more of a workmanlike one. A craftsman rather than an artist. I also appreciate why singing bass players I admired - such as Phil Lynott and to a lesser extent Geddy Lee (not lesser on playing ability) - sang lines which might appear to be a bit un-natural timing wise. It's so they can fit them with playing the bass line. I do that all the time. I don't think my playing has suffered. I think it's improved. When singing - I have a greater sense of the song in terms of it being a melody and lyrics , and therefore a better sense of how best to suport that with my bass playing. I fill the gaps better than I used to and don't interupt like I had a tendancy to do. Best of all - it stops you looking at your fcuking hands !!!! You become more of an entertainer - more in touch with the williams - less likely to hide halfway behind the drums then complain later that you're contribution isn't recognised !! Be honest - how many of us have done that?!

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1344950372' post='1771521'] And to quote the singer in one of my bands, all the bass does is go boom in a corner. [/quote] and to quote him again if he'd said that to me......... 'fcuk me , Dave , this hospital food's sh*te.

[quote name='AndyBob09' timestamp='1344948883' post='1771488'] I mean, it's piss easy. It's got 1/3 less strings than a guitar, so must be 1/3 less difficult, eh? [/quote] To be honest - I thought that which is why I started

[quote name='paul_5' timestamp='1344883419' post='1770651'] Now I'm an obnoxious, self absorbed arse-hole (but i play bass too!), result. [/quote] Me too !!!!!!! Life's great , isn't it ?

Assuming that the bracketed adendum to your thread title is designed to imply the reader to mentally complete the prose as intended by it's author..... If , indeed , you actually did cease to function in a reasoned manner (following your statement indicating that such a phenomenon was imminant) - I'm curious as to whether your deduction regarding you being appreciative of that occurance was correct.

[quote name='Grant' timestamp='1344873598' post='1770468'] That's quite inspirational actually... seriously. Perhaps not such a pointless thread? Thanks man... like i said, something to think about. [/quote] I can assure you , Grant , that it comes from having been in the same shoes you're in now once too often and deciding I wasn't going to be forced into wearing them any longer. It might not be the solution for you - others may be able to offer different possibilities - but what I think's important is that we try to find better ways forward than just complaining about an issue that's just not going to go away.

[quote name='Grant' timestamp='1344872761' post='1770439'] We've been there. But it takes more than you've mentioned. You have to be a certain type of individual to have the confidence to front a band. If it was just about technique and being able to hold a tune then I'm sure a lot more musicians would be doing it. I get your point though. Although i disagree with your idea that this is "another pointless thread". It's neither "pointless" or "another". It's mine. [/quote] Respect to your thread as an individual thing but it's a common story round here - someone already mentioned to get ready for a flood of similar storie. Yes , you have to be a certain type of individual. The type that gets sick of being at the bottom end of a power struggle that hampers their opportunities to make music and decides to get to the top of that food chain because the end result justifies the means. I assure you - all that takes is practise - but for some reason many of us think practising bass for 2 hrs a day for years is worth the trouble - but practising singing isn;t. We expect to be able to sing or not straight off the bat and the journey ends if we can't. Confidence?? Front man skills?? All can be learned and all can be bluffed during the learning process. If we don't want to sing - fine. But let's not tell ourselves we can't. This weekend I'll be out playing while many musicians wish they were but were let down by a singer. I'll be playing and singing not because I'm gifted but because I believe in myself and I practised.

The simple truth is that decent singers make or break a band whereas bass players are ten a penny and a reasonable degree of competence is often all that's required. In other words - a frank , recognition of where the real power lies within a band is an asset to a gigging musician. What's pointless - is yet another thread bemoaning singers and their seemingly prima donna ways. My answer has always been to learn to sing. Become the singer yourself. All it takes is the same degree of practise that other musicians put in. Sadly , when I say this I get shot down in flames but I don't really care. I figured all this stuff out years ago and went and did something about it by learning to sing - mostly by practising , some by bluffing until the practise caught up. Some will say that playing bas while singing isn't possible. I say 'bollocks - of course it is'.It just takes practise. Please don't feel picked on or victimised , Grant. Not my intention. You're obviously very frustrated. My intention is to encourage musicians to think differently and not just have a go at singers. I hope your current situation resovles itself - honestly I do. But I suspect more of the solution resides with you than you think.

He carrys on with that caper and he won't be a singer very long. Tune down - prove to him it sounds better - then change the keys to suit him. Rod and I share lead vocals near enough 50 50 and , weirdly , he never seems to need change keys and I almost always do. Neither of us are blessed in the vocal dept so we've had to learn to develop and use what we have. He does that quiet talk singing Chris Rea/Knopfler sort of thing and I do a loud Noddy Holderesque yell. Maybe that's why I have to change so many song keys.

[quote name='seashell' timestamp='1344371806' post='1763694'] Since I started 18 months ago.. 3 gigs with Dik Guru (just the 2 of us). Next week is the first outing with the new band! Just doing 3 songs at a jam night. [/quote] Don't say 'just' like it's nothing. 'Just' 3 songs at a jam night is how Doc B started in 1999. You're starting the adventure - I wish I could have that feeling again.

70 ish a year these days - down from 100+ when I was more interested and less creaky. 32 years at that rate with a gap in the middle to get drunk and have tons of sex like I was supposed to when I was 18 but was too busy gigging. 2000 and change I should think. Less than 50 of that as a guitarist along the way. Getting on for half that (the second half) as a singer who plays bass too which is what I consider myself as being these days Too many to look forward to them any more but too big a part of my life to stop. I wouldn't know what to do. I can't go see bands , I get bored. I often think playing killed my love of music because I never listen to it either. I just play it. I seem to be a creator rather then a consumer.

When I was a kid I saw a set of Rotosound in a shop window and really liked the packaging. I've used them ever since when I have to buy them. My sound is pretty pre-historic so if I get given any others I'll use any old crap. I don't break strings much (twice in 30 odd years of gigging) so they last me ages - usually years rather than months. I do have some elixirs on my Shuker and they do sound as good a when they went on , but to my ears that was pretty average to be honest.

We don't bother much these days - been doing it so long we just know. We check that Rod's vocal is overloud in his monitor and mine's underloud in mine which is how we like it then hit the bar. If using a house PA we bully the inexperienced mercilessly or bow to the wisdom of professionals depending who we get , keeping in mind the fact that PA crew may have power but they are further down the food chain than misicians. So long as everyone understands and accepts that - no problems. If they don't - don't employ them again. I can;t stand walking into a boozer to hear musicians dicking about playing their favourite riffs over the top of background music - unprofessional.

Some tosser once said to me (you know the sort - speaks too loudly in front of his mates) 'Do you get paid to look like that?' 'Yes I do ' said I 'What's your excuse you scruffy cnut?' Ah - the joys of being bigger than someone else !!!

Not what you want , I fear , but I always thought great set opener would be Ozzy's 'No More Tears'. Blackout stage - spotlight on bass player - bass riff starts - tension builds -bang , flash , lights , camera , show time etc etc.

[quote name='seashell' timestamp='1341322761' post='1716992'] I'm not going to let them make me stand at the back 'cos I'm much prettier than the rest of them, lol [/quote] That's always been my reason too !

Optic Nerve - and I was 17. I couldn't believe anybody wanted to pay me for what I liked doing most. I still can't sometimes. Playing live has been - and is - a massive part of my life. I can't remember what it feels like not to play gigs. I'm now much nearer the end of gigging than the start but these 33 years have been great. Making music with other like minded folk is just a brilliant thing to spend your time doing - if others can be entertained by your doing that........... well , I've yet to find anything as satisfying . Sadly - there's a far greater chance of your band falling out and wanting to kill each other in a few months than there is of long lasting harmonious joy and pleasure for all but don't worry about that. This is the start of a new journey , and if it doesn't last there's no need to regard that as the end. And don't you dare stand at the back.

Drummers tend to face their hi hat side so I like to be that side to make it easier to communicate with them. Having said that - my main priority is to make sure I'm at the front where I belong !

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1340839087' post='1710503'] It's great! But what's putting me off is the 'headstock snapped off and gone' bit. Apart from that I'd be all over it! [/quote] It's always the little things. Other than picking it up for nuts to use as part of a dodgy insurance claim* I can;t think what it would be any good for. * Dr Dave wishes it to be known that his remarks are intended for comedic purpose and he does not endorse insurance fraud in any way , shape or form..................unless he can make a few bob out of it , obviously.

Ribena made strong with hot water - always works for me. It's so viscous it sort of fills the cracks up! On occassion I've been known to dribble a few drops of TCP in it. One thing - no offence intended etc - you say it's your first gig with a new band. Nerves can affect folk in funny ways and I know of two singers who tend to get sore throats when they've important gigs coming up. Just a thought.

Martin's a very experienced and skilled drummer - he could just play quieter , or he could use practise sticks. But we won't allow him to. His being a big hitter is part of the reason we chose him and he chose us so if venues don't want that they're welcome to go get another band. When I tell publicans what beer to sell they can tell me how to play. One of the benefits of not being fully professional is you don't have to compromise your music. Remember , also , to never respect the opinions of publicans - chances are they're just drunks who can't get proper jobs. In fact only speak to them to book gigs or ask for your money. 30 + years of gigging have taught me it's better that way.