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First rehearsal in 6 years


Jamesemt
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[quote name='BOD2' post='147941' date='Feb 27 2008, 04:36 PM']Try to rehearse with the volumes as low as possible (this is usually limited by the drummer who can't really turn down !).[/quote]

+1 for that.

Our drummer uses sticks called 'Hot Rods' or 'Lightning Rods' or somesuch, they look like a bundle of very think sticks. Apparently they give the same feel but a lot less volume.

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[quote name='niceguyhomer' post='148343' date='Feb 28 2008, 12:10 PM']I was just implying that if you placed a dead rabbit under the front of your cab to angle it back, you'd be able to [color="#FF0000"][b]hare [/b][/color]yourself better, that's all mate.[/quote]

Homer, was that deliberate? You should be ashamed of yourself ...

:)

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[quote name='pete.young' post='148355' date='Feb 28 2008, 12:33 PM']+1 for that.

Our drummer uses sticks called 'Hot Rods' or 'Lightning Rods' or somesuch, they look like a bundle of very think sticks. Apparently they give the same feel but a lot less volume.[/quote]

Yeah, they're called brushes. The drummer I played with when we did "Fame" had to use them because he was drowing out the singers, let alone the rest of the band!

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[quote name='Higgie' post='148421' date='Feb 28 2008, 02:39 PM']Yeah, they're called brushes. The drummer I played with when we did "Fame" had to use them because he was drowing out the singers, let alone the rest of the band![/quote]
No, not brushes! I meant something like this:

[url="http://www.stagebeat.co.uk/index.php?page_id=418"]http://www.stagebeat.co.uk/index.php?page_id=418[/url]

Underneath 'Gorilla Snot'. Indeed.

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[quote name='pete.young' post='148355' date='Feb 28 2008, 12:33 PM']Our drummer uses sticks called 'Hot Rods' or 'Lightning Rods' or somesuch, they look like a bundle of very think sticks.[/quote]
Think? Is that a cross between thick and thin? Or is it simply an unnatural pastime for a drummer?

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[quote name='tauzero' post='148450' date='Feb 28 2008, 03:22 PM']Think? Is that a cross between thick and thin? Or is it simply an unnatural pastime for a drummer?[/quote]
Aaagh, the spelling police. It's a fair cop guvnor, you got me bang to rights. Sorry, must have been a Freudian slip.

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[quote name='niceguyhomer' post='148343' date='Feb 28 2008, 12:10 PM']Sorry James - it's just my pathetic sense of humour. I was just implying that if you placed a dead rabbit under the front of your cab to angle it back, you'd be able to hare yourself better, that's all mate.[/quote]

glad you explained it, I'd totally missed the point :)

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[quote name='Jamesemt' post='148075' date='Feb 27 2008, 07:58 PM']I think I was stood a bit too far away, with my rig blocked by the guitarist.[/quote]

that's your problem... you let a guitarist get in between you and your rig... guitarists are very dense and block sound very well... :)

you may find this amusing, but our church has just put in a new PA and dedicated a channel for me so now I can get away with pointing my 10 watt practice amp at my head as a monitor and letting the PA do the rest... and I play right next to the drummer... (Olly, the drummer, can actually play quietly... he's a marvel... no you can't have him...)

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I find its the higher end of the cymbals and guitars that mean i cant hear the bass as well. move away from the drummer. Gutiraists are dim. make sure their amps are pointing at them and not at you. Often if you turn them down the drummer deosnt feel he has to play as loud.
Or if the drummer has a monitor turn that down....

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[quote name='LukeFRC' post='149694' date='Mar 2 2008, 02:11 AM']I find its the higher end of the cymbals and guitars that mean i cant hear the bass as well. move away from the drummer. Gutiraists are dim. make sure their amps are pointing at them and not at you. Often if you turn them down the drummer deosnt feel he has to play as loud.
Or if the drummer has a monitor turn that down....[/quote]


Nah, no monitors - we are all born agains :) (makes more sense if you're a biker...).

Couple of issues with the drummer - he hasn't played for a year (so is probably still letting off a bit of steam), and it's a cheapo kit which is in the rehearsal room - the ride is particularly bad.

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[quote name='Jamesemt' post='147908' date='Feb 27 2008, 03:49 PM']I decided a couple of weeks ago to start a band. Got a few members together last night for our first rehearsal.
Problem is, I can't hear myself with a loud drummer...
Where does everyone place their gear in relation to where they stand? I had my amp on the other side of the room and moved over to stand next to the drummer.

The drummer said he could hear me fine?? I seem to really like a traditional thumpy bass sound, but play rock...should I just bite the bullet and thin out the sound with the tone? I did try that in desperation, but it just sounded thin and honky.

BTW the rig is way up to the job - maybe I should have turned it up above 4...but without the drums it sounds really loud - it's just when you add a guitar to the noise that I can't hear myself.

This is my first real attempt at playing bass to a higher standard in a band - played guitars for years in different bands, and never had this problem :)

The cab was quite low on the floor - would lifting it up to my ear level help?[/quote]

I agree with most of what's gone before, except reckon on always being right in front of my bass, close as poss. The idea is not to listen to your sound but to feel it through your backside. Listening is a bit like looking at your fretboard - don't do it. Look away and trust your fingers. Hard at the beginning, but, like learning to touchtype, much better in the end. Learn to feel that rumble through your pants - it's better than straining your ears. The more you listen, the less you hear.

Hot rods are great, but try getting your drummer to use them.... You'll have to buy him loads and he'll belt away with them trying to be as loud as before!

Best practices I get are with me on vol.1, guitarist on his acoustic & drummer on brushes. We can talk to each other while playing! But then we're not trying to prove anything to each other - or pretending it's a gig. We're just learning our parts, getting it together.

Sack the drummer. And the guitarist. Sack 'em all. Go solo. Everyone loves bass solos...

Edited by dude
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Our practice room is loud as sin, it's been crippling my poor ears for ages. Our drummer is a proper rock monster, and there's three guitarists, so I've had some hearing issues myself. Finally gone back to wearing ear plugs, and the difference it's made is incredible. Not only has my head stopped ringing after every rehearsal, but the clarity in everything is so much better. I can hear me, but I can hear exactly where the drummer is heading too (usually off on a tangent somewhere :)), so it might be worth trying that!

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