TimR

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1499868067' post='3334173'] Still a drop in the ocean when compared to what G4S, Amazon and google etc [b]didn't[/b] pay. [/quote] FIFY. It's now being paid as the loopholes have been closed.

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1499857006' post='3334066'] I'd be surprised if you couldn't, I'm not an expert, but I don't think it makes a difference if it's your hobby, you're still getting an income from it. It's surprising what you can claim each year, stage clothes, suits, black trousers etc, strings and other equipment, software, I can even deduct my Mmus fees, which are classed as personal development. [/quote] You can't if it's a hobby, only if you can demonstrate that you're making money from it in order to run it as a profit. It's either a hobby or a business. If it's a business and you're not making a profit they'll start asking questions.

They have done. See my post above.

[quote name='BassBunny' timestamp='1499854745' post='3334040'] Correct. I do indeed have a great accountant and have received a tax rebate every year since I employed him. It's only when you see the figures at the end of the year, of what it actually costs you to gig regularly, that you realise how much it costs to persue our "hobby". Which is exactly why you should bother. [/quote] I didn't think you could get a tax rebate if it was your hobby. If you can then I'm going to claim a tax rebate for all the things I buy to enable me to race. All that's required is a diary showing gigs and payments and recipts of all your outgoings. I think you can even claim for mileage to and from rehearsals, MP3 downloads, and any other 'equipment', but only against offsetting payments for gigging to demonstrate that it's a hobby. You can't offset the loss you make against your day job taxes unless you're a self employed full time musician of course and then you're actively trying to make a profit.

[quote name='leschirons' timestamp='1499816057' post='3333885'] Be nice if the government had a look at Amazon, PayPal and Starbucks before jumping on window cleaners and pub bands. ... [/quote] Politics. But they did and in 2013 and 2016 bought in new laws that have effectively stopped them in their tracks. Amazon now pay tax on all UK delivery transactions when previously they were hiding it in Luxumberg, and Google have now stopped the 'licensing' activities. It's a shame the government aren't a bit more vocal about their success in this area.

[quote name='FinnDave' timestamp='1499804543' post='3333786'] Green King pubs, at least this in my area, are no longer paying bands in bundles of readies, it is transferred to a nominated bank account after the gig. Which obviously means extra work for the bass player who then has to withdraw the cash and split it amongst the rest of the band. [/quote] This is where you have to start being careful. It's one thing getting paid £50 into your bank account for each gig. Once you start getting all the bands money paid directly to you and then start paying it out, it can start to look like something else. Ultimately the HMRC aren't interested in chasing bands for money. It costs them more than they'd receive.

[quote name='KevB' timestamp='1499800846' post='3333745'] From the latest rumblings from the govt it seems they are genuinely looking to end these sorts of practices. If landlords are obliged to go through with it then could have an impact on how many on here go about their hobby perhaps? [/quote] They'd probably have to end paying cash for drinks somehow first.

[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.