TimR

I'd say, for completeness, really you need light orange for the 5m and dark orange for the 15m.

Panic buying sack trucks. Don't forget to get an extra one to carry the ones you buy, home.

Nice thread. Ressurected. Have just downloaded the free Mobile Sheets app and had a play. Going to try it out with a handful of songs at practice and see how I go. Great that I can write out a chart in my pad and then just take a photo of my chart. Got to be easier than flipping backwards and forwards in my pad and trying to read it in the dark. Works fine on my phone and it's only needed for a few simple 4 chord songs. 😆

I've had the E machinehead break twice on my bass. Once 10 years ago and once a year ago. I've swapped them all out with better quality ones now, seems it was fairly common issue with the Ibanez. After the first time when I had to restring my bass to be EAD on the fly, and play an entire gig on 3 strings I now take a spare bass to gigs.

It depends on the reliability of your gear. Even a small 100w amp in the boot might get you out of a hole. I have a DI box, worst case you plug into the PA and limit the volume if the speakers aren't man enough. Leads looked after well should last forever.

Turned up to one gig and the keys kept cutting out. It's not usually a problem, says the keys player, I just keep my foot on it. I opened up the plug top to find the end of the live wire floating around inside it. Take a soldering iron and screwdrivers to gigs plus a selection of fuses.

Was it wet?

That's all very well but where do you buy calibrated Zebras?

Think about the routing of the cables and the positioning of the mixer vs the speakers. If the mixer is self operated at the back corner of the stage, the cable has to go from the mixer to the floor, along the back of the stage, up the side then up to the speaker. The other one doesn't need to do the back run. If its self operated from the front you can run the cables straight across the front of the stage and doesn't need to do the sides. If you bought 3 10m cables you've probably got it covered. And you should always have a spare XLR or two hanging around in case of failures and/or extra mics.

Same song, covered by Suggs. Although I think the backwards bass you're thinking about is Paul Simon. Unless your post is tongue in cheek.

I read the thread from the beginning having noticed the date and assumed this would be an update. Use your ears and all will be fine on Sunday, those gigs can be the most fun. Good luck. Hope all is well otherwise.

It's funny. A pro brass player I used to know calls it the armature disease, and says its a well known phrase amongst pros. If you can't make a song sound exciting just play it faster. Usually aimed at people with lack of technique and feel.

I'm wondering whether 'tinkering' with the format of a song fulfills some people's need to express creativity without the risk of originals. Our singer doesn't understand how we can 'just play anything', and is now getting surprised when she comes up with a suggestion that we can't do anything with. Usually some obscure drum and bass number with no melody and no chord structure...

Yes. But a Status Quo number should be a case of adding a verse and a chorus on the end on the fly if everyone is leaping around and singing? You don't need to work on adding anything. Or am I expecting too much from musicians?

Why does anyone do this? After you've played it a few times at gigs and got blank looks from the audience you'll wish it was shorter and then you'll bin it entirely in 3 months time...

I joined a band where the singer 'could play bass', he even said he'd bring his as a spare to a gig. So when he questioned a line I was playing and said he could play it to show me, I handed him my bass with no problem. That was when I learned why he was the singer and not the bass player... I take my own spare bass to gigs.

I don't really have a problem with anyone who can't understand music in an amateur setting. Most people have no formal training or taken part in formal ensembles or even jammed in blues or jazz bands. It's becoming more and more common to meet musicians who need to rehearse bands over and over again before they'll play live and can only play tunes that they've learned. I have no problem with any of that, so long as they realise what their limitations are and don't argue minutiae over things they don't know about or really understand. One of the basic requirements I have for any musician or vocalist is; if we say, take it from the second verse, bridge, chorus or whatever, they can pick it up. I've wasted too much rehearsal time playing a song again from the top, only for it to fall apart in exactly the same time, everytime. If you're practicing an end, just practice the end. One problem with singers and guitarists is its often impossible to transpose some tunes without them sounding 'not right', or impossible to play on bass or guitar. I don't care if it's your favourite song and everyone would go crazy if we play it, if we can't find a key that works inside 3 minutes - it's a no goer. Don't suggest it again 3 weeks later.

This is getting all a bit Demolition Man. I'm guessing the Shake n Vac chords are a fairly simple 3 chord type blues progression.

Millions of Beatles fans would disagree. 😆

It does make you wonder why you spend hours learning a complex tune when 30 seconds spent picking up 3 chords for a song with catchy lyrics goes down a storm.

Classic. We used to do Postman Pat in the late 80s. Went down a storm. It was shortly after Nellie the Elephant hit the charts and we wondered what we could do in a similar vein.

I'm not a great fan of this kind of band. Very corporate/cruise ship/wedding band, type of thing. There's something missing, just feels a bit like they're 'playing the dots'.

It's a lack of imagination or experience of playing many different genres. I played with a drummer for years who was like that. Until he heard a cover version by someone else doing something clever when he'd say we should do that version. Currently in a rock band playing modern pop with a rock edge and the guitarist is slowly coming round to just because the original is piano, strings and acoustic guitar, doesn't mean that's how it must always be played.

If you're in a tribute band there's a fair chance you have the same instrumentation. If the song you're covering has a 9 piece with keyboards, brass, backing singers etc, and you have guitar, bass and drums, you're going to really struggle playing the tune exactly as per the original. Just get the structure, chords, melody and feel right.

Just smile and nod at random points on the back wall if you can't do the eye contact thing. No one will know.