Pete Academy Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 (edited) You've suddenly forgotten where you are in the song and what you're supposed to play. Do you: a) Pretend your lead/amp/bass has a sudden fault. Play a drone note until you remember what you're supposed to play. c) Throw your hands up and admit defeat. d) Panic. e) Do all of the above. Edited August 25, 2011 by Johngh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waynepunkdude Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 [quote name='Pete Academy' post='1349497' date='Aug 23 2011, 09:13 PM']You've suddenly forgotten where you are in the song and what you're supposed to play. Do you: a) Pretend your lead/amp/bass has a sudden fault. Play a drone note until you remember what you're supposed to play. c) Throw your hands up and admit defeat. d) Panic. e) Do all of the above.[/quote] I just fiddle around in the key. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Academy Posted August 23, 2011 Author Share Posted August 23, 2011 Sorry, can't get rid of that smiley. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Academy Posted August 23, 2011 Author Share Posted August 23, 2011 [quote name='waynepunkdude' post='1349499' date='Aug 23 2011, 09:14 PM']I just fiddle around in the key.[/quote] So do I. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magnolia Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 Turn round and give the drummer a dirty look as its obviously his fault! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 [quote name='waynepunkdude' post='1349499' date='Aug 23 2011, 09:14 PM']I just fiddle around in the key.[/quote] This^ and look confident whilst you do it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WalMan Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 [quote name='waynepunkdude' post='1349499' date='Aug 23 2011, 09:14 PM']I just fiddle around in the key.[/quote] [quote name='Pete Academy' post='1349502' date='Aug 23 2011, 09:15 PM']So do I.[/quote] Yup that's about the size of it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doddy Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 I'll just lay out for a beat or two and get my bearings. Fiddling about can sometimes work unless there is a key change or whatever..then it can just be a train wreck. If I balls up badly I'll hold my hand up to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbayne Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 I usually give the guitarist a dirty look! - Its normally him who mucks it up anyway, so everyone else looks at him as well! I know, horrible git aren't I?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Jamin Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 Guesstimate the intervals or if I'm not feeling that confident be a bassist and play the root of the key! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 Play a little flurry of notes in chromatic runs and rapidly don my beret, trusting that the audience will recognise jazz when they hear it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 If it's in a verse, I'll just stop playing & clap along & get the audience going until the chorus comes back in (&hopefully have remembered what I'm supposed to play). Though that doesn't seem to work too well on ballads P.S. The is caused by putting a "B" & a ")" next to each other with no spaces. You'd be better replacing the ) with a , or a } Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 In an ideal world, stare at the guitarist, everyone in the audience thinks that all the sound comes from him anyway. In the real world, try and stay in key, but play a little bit quieter, until you remember where you are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Academy Posted August 23, 2011 Author Share Posted August 23, 2011 Glad to see it's not just me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan2112 Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 Stop playing...then when I know where I am...do a big bass slide into the note Works everytime Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrismuzz Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 Fiddle around in the key, or just do a slide to buy some time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ROConnell Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 (edited) I just wait a few beats to get in time then find my bearings. Usually I catch eye contact with our drummer and smile because we always have a competition to see who makes the most mistakes in a set, as a way to motivate our playing. Edited August 23, 2011 by ROConnell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bartelby Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 I mutter a coupe of swear words, quickly glance at the guitarists left hand and play root notes for a beat or two and hope I figure it out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 Keep playing.... unless I have completely lost the plot but the likelyhood of that is very low as the drums will be playing so I am playing along to him..until I can rescue it. And then I'll laugh...unless no-one has noticed and then I wouldn't want to give the game away either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrismuzz Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 [quote name='Pete Academy' post='1349497' date='Aug 23 2011, 09:13 PM']c) Throw your hands up and admit defeat.[/quote] Slightly off topic, but I once attended a gig where the bassist broke a string mid song. He didn't quite throw his hands up and admit defeat... What he actually did was to shout "F*CK!!!" into the mic and storm offstage cue the entire band stopping the song and the vocalist awkwardly mumbling "Erm... has anyone got a spare bass?" True story! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Academy Posted August 23, 2011 Author Share Posted August 23, 2011 [quote name='chrismuzz' post='1349540' date='Aug 23 2011, 09:32 PM']Slightly off topic, but I once attended a gig where the bassist broke a string mid song. He didn't quite throw his hands up and admit defeat... What he actually did was to shout "F*CK!!!" into the mic and storm offstage cue the entire band stopping the song and the vocalist awkwardly mumbling "Erm... has anyone got a spare bass?" True story![/quote] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrtcat Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 I just bulldozer thru with whatever comes into my head then at the end of the song get everyone to point and laugh at the guitarist for not being able to improvise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Alsatian Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 (edited) I remember the words to one of our songs completely exiting my head at one gig, after the first line. I stayed at the mic and said (in character for the song) "You know, I do believe I've forgotten what I was going to say. I blame all these dashed pretty girls putting me off". The other two chaps carried on for an extra verse and we recovered. Being in a comedy band, people usually think cock ups are part of the act, but we're pretty quick at ad-libbing when stuff does go awry! I remember another one, where the bassline to the chorus of one of the songs just deserted me for the whole song I skipped the bass for each chorus and added backing vocals, to make it at least sound intentional, rather than risking hacking my way through it. I wouldn't mind, but I wrote the chorus for the song! An earlier time, with the same song, something went wrong and the chap on keys (and drums - one of those cheap Yamaha Portatones) and the bassman (I was on keys in this version of the lineup) stopped - I think the adapter got knocked out of his keyboard, so the guitarist and I repeated the chorus with myself on keys and him carrying on singing the audience just thought it was part of the song. You know when you have a 'great minds' moment with one of your bandmates and it works out better? It was definitely one of those, as we started incorporating that bit in the song! A general rule of thumb for us, is that if someone gets lost, we repeat the current verse/chorus to cover. I do pull a 'just watched someone getting kicked in the balls' face when I hit a bum note sometimes! Edited August 23, 2011 by Green Alsatian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doddy Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 [quote name='chrismuzz' post='1349540' date='Aug 23 2011, 09:32 PM']Slightly off topic, but I once attended a gig where the bassist broke a string mid song. He didn't quite throw his hands up and admit defeat... What he actually did was to shout "F*CK!!!" into the mic and storm offstage cue the entire band stopping the song and the vocalist awkwardly mumbling "Erm... has anyone got a spare bass?" True story![/quote] Idiot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cameronj279 Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 The first gig I played, I only knew 3 and a half out of 6 of the songs, I basically just kept playing hoping i wasn't sounding too terrible The reason I look terrified in my picture is because I had no idea what I was playing, as a first gig infront of about 200 people...I needed a nappy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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