TimR

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1499532013' post='3332051'] Depends on the type of band your in Tim. In my band I only have control and opinions on my performance and stage presence. Unfortunately we're not the type of band that reviews and has open discussions on this topic. Blue [/quote] No. What I mean is, your performance needs to fit in with what the rest of the band are doing. If you're rocking it up and leaping about the stage, but everyone else is fretboard gazing and the singer is read words off a music stand, you'll look out of place. Similarly if everyone else is rocking it up and leaping about and you're fretboard gazing, then you'll also look out of place. So for you to see what you should be doing, you need to make a reference video for yourself.

You need to fit in with what the rest of the band. Don't be 'in the wrong band'. The only real way of doing that is to video the gigs from the back of the venue capturing the whole stage. You don't need up close shots, it's the overall band impression that needs to be coherent.

Each device wil have a rating written on it either in Watts or VA (they're effectively the same thing as far as you're concerned.) Add them all up. That'll give you the load.

Loft insulation can also be used as acoustic wadding, it's used as acoustic insulation in buildings. You're effectively stopping the energetic short wavelength, high frequencies. The long wavelength low frequencies require a large mass (heavy box) to damp them. .

[quote name='Yank' timestamp='1480931618' post='3188050'] When did musicians on a local level start bringing spare instruments to a gig? During the '60's, '70's and '80's guitarists and bass players that I played with only had one good instrument. When they bought a new one, they traded off the old. In the '90's, when I played guitar, I had a second for open tuning, but for bass gigs, just the one. Is this a millennial thing? [/quote] You can now pick up a pretty good bass for less than 3 gigs money. In the 80s my 'cheap' bass cost quite a lot more in real terms. .

There's probably a hundred thousand drummers out there all playing differently. Trying to stereotype them is probably not going to come to any answers. Any instrument we put through the PA is only to produce an even sound.a little bit of guitar and a little bit of bass drum to carry sound that would otherwise just get absorbed by the front row of the audience. You could always mic up the Fender Rumble 60.

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1497787851' post='3320547'] Another aspect of this phenomenon is the 'other gigs'. That orchestra gig described above could be followed by a big band gig two shows and a studio session. Remembering material is a discipline that is confined to small self contained acts or lengthy bookings like tours and is not universal amongst jobbing pros.I love charts myself because I find one or two rehearsals more confusing than helpful. [/quote] Totally agree. Turn up, play the music, next...

[quote name='T-Bay' timestamp='1497711079' post='3320201'] Open mic things are always a good laugh. All the ones around here are a mix of the genuinely talented and the utterly utterly hopeless but self obsessed. [/quote] That describes my last band perfectly.

Brass players learn differently to us. Usually they're taught formally and read music. How many bass players learned formally and read music? Most of us learn by ear. Some use tabs. It's not an excuse, it's a reason. There's no reason why they shouldn't but I don't think it's on the radar for a lot of them.

Don't worry about it. No one takes jam nights seriously.

[quote name='mikel' timestamp='1497367625' post='3317595'] Nothing to do with knocking how others rehearse. We rehearse to get the structure and dynamics of the songs correct, or to iron out problems. We feel that playing at a lower volume, so we can hear exactly what is going on, is the most efficient way to do it. We can then play gigs at the appropriate volume knowing all is ok out front. Others may rehearse for different reasons. [/quote] Definitions seem to vary. Personal practice: done at home on your own to learn the parts. Band practice: done at low volumes, working on individual sections and arrangements. Rehearsal: playing through tunes that you've already practiced to ensure you've got them all right. May include fine adjustments and slight refinements. Then if you're in the theatre you have full and dress rehearsals, and technical walk and run throughs.

[quote name='musicbassman' timestamp='1497350911' post='3317429'] I expect many of you already know this, but increases in perceived loudness to the listener (Db) only increase on a logarithmic scale compared to multiples of amplifier wattage. So, a 300 watt amp will not be 10 times louder than a 30 watt amp, only about twice as loud. Plenty of info on the web about this, Google is your friend. [/quote] Yes. But you don't turn a 300W amp up to the max and there's no standard so whether a 300w and is twice as loud as a 30w depends on a number of factors. Speaker cabs etc. It's not absolute volume you need, you might only need 50w but a 30w turned up to full is just going to distort and still not get you anywhere near what you're after.

[quote name='crez5150' timestamp='1497340217' post='3317341'] Everyone is a sound engineer these days [/quote] I'm not sure you need to be a sound engineer to know whether instruments are in balance. I would have thought It's pretty much an essential skill for any musician who plays with other musicians.

I listened to it on the radio and thought the bass was more than present in the mix. Not overwhelming but it did get annoying after a while.

[quote name='bazztard' timestamp='1497325437' post='3317282'] go DI into the PA. That's what we all do, even the drummer ! yes, electric kit for ease of practice,real drums live. [/quote] Indeed. If you're practicing, DI. If you're rehearsing take the gear you'll be gigging with. Otherwise it's not really a rehearsal.

Once you've learned a tune in one key it can be difficult to un-learn it. A band I was in played a tune for years in one key until the singer decided it wasn't her key. So we tried several different keys during a rehearsal and settled on a new key. Come the gig I launched into the bass solo forgetting we've changed key, obviously all sounds good, keys come in on new key, sounds terrible, he realises what's happened and changes key, then repeat again with guitarist. Drummer is giving everyone the death stare. Singer comes in on key and sings whole song perfectly for the first time ever. .

[quote name='Les' timestamp='1496604167' post='3312646'] We're more than capable of setting our over the mic banter from amusing to public annihilation if need be but I'm really looking for ways to discourage punters coming up to talk rather than dealing with the event. There probably isn't an answer [/quote] You can't stop them coming up and talking to you. Unless you effect a razor wire fence, which isn't always possible in your local. You can get rid of them quickly by saying that you'll have a word with the band and see what you can do. That'll get rid of them for 30mins or so. Hopefully by then they've forgotten.

Depends how good looking they are.

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1496250149' post='3309958'] Sloppy Jazz band? How can you tell? Decide after you get an impartial second opinion from someone who knows about these things. [/quote] Exactly this. I played a gig two weeks ago with the guitarist filling in as the singer and a drummer we had never played with before. It was very sloppy. It was as a favour for our friend as a last minute thing for his birthday, only 30minutes and we weren't going to be paid. Apparently of the three bands that played we were the best and as the other semi-pro and pro band were being paid, he also paid us (more than we'd usually get!)

The bass guitar is notated an octave higher than it sounds to avoid excessive ledger lines.

[quote name='Bikenbass' timestamp='1496263744' post='3310099'] And just to wind up a few more who don't see the humour, I think you'll find Carol Kaye was the original bassist on MS! [/quote] I'm sure everyone saw the humour. Some just chose to have a serious conversation around the subject. Doesn't mean they didn't find it funny.

Mustang Sally is a cracking song, it's great to play, audiences love it. Even when played badly. The down side is we've probably all been playing and hearing it played for 30+ years and are bored with it. I think that's a more honest point of view.

[quote name='Rich' timestamp='1496063664' post='3308469'] Before this thread disappears into a whirl of alleged musical snobbery and confirmational bias (whatever TF that is), just thought it'd be worth mentioning that one of the most oft-quoted criteria mentioned in the 'Requirements for Joining a Band' thread so far is "music that I like/will enjoy playing". Is that 'snobbery' or just personal taste? [/quote] Conformational bias is where you fit the evidence to what you're expecting to see and discount evidence that doesn't confirm your beliefs. E.g. If you went to see a band that played two hours of varied music but also played those four tunes mentioned you would come away with the impression that it was yet another covers band with no imagination. There's a difference between; not playing Mustang Sally because you don't like it, and not playing Mustang Sally because you think your band is too good to play it.

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1496068058' post='3308495'] I've played I Wish in my last 3 bands. Good number that always seems to go down well. IME Superstition gets chosen in guitar led bands, because they can pay the riff. IMO Superstition always works better when the keys take the lead and the guitar vamps on chords. Not many guitarists want to give up the spotlight though. [/quote] I play the keyboard line and the guitarist vamps. Sounds pretty good in a power trio.

[quote name='Rich' timestamp='1496052884' post='3308363'] I would sooner play Sally or Superstition than Dakota or Sex On bloody Fire any day of the week. [/quote] They're only tunes and it's only 3 minutes of your life. I just play the music, if people enjoy it, I've done my job. There's a lot of musical snobbery going on. These are great songs to have in the bands armoury in case they're requested. You don't have to play them all every week. The problem is, we are in bands that play these tunes and probably see other bands playing tunes we play. We've surveyed BassChat and found while there's lots of duplication, no bands are playing all the tunes and no band has an identical setlist. There's quite a bit confirmational bias going on.