When do you become band ready?

[Marvin]

[quote name='thisnameistaken' timestamp='1334785682' post='1621409']
Yeah but you see Marvin is dead nice. Being nice is way more important than being willing to play Mustang Sally.
[/quote]


It's true, I'm afflicted with Nice Bloke Disease.

[deepbass5]

you will never be band ready until you have been in a band. So don't wait. Its the only place to learn.

[OliverBlackman]

if you always play with people better than you you will get more out of it. If your timings not great, playing live in a band will make it better. If your ears aren't great, playing live in a band will make them better. If you lack confidence, playing live in a band will make it better. ect.

Aslong as you enjoy it and have a laugh with other people in the band you'll be fine in most bands.

[discreet]

[quote name='thisnameistaken' timestamp='1334785682' post='1621409']
Yeah but you see Marvin is dead nice. Being nice is way more important than being willing to play Mustang Sally.
[/quote]

You have to be nice [i]and [/i]be willing to play Mustang Sally!
I'm neither, btw.

[ThomBassmonkey]

If you can plod along with root notes, you're ready for a band.

Be honest with whoever you join though (before you join of course). If they give you a song to learn for an audition and you play it brilliantly after spending a week on the one song then turn up to the next practice and you have to spend 2 hours learning one section in back to black, they'll be frustrated. Don't come across as though you suck, but if there's an area that you're weak in (particularly in relation to learning songs) they should know about it before you commit to them and they commit to you.

If you're a reasonable bassist (and if you weren't, you'd have given up a while ago if you've been playing on and off for years), then you should be able to jump in at the deep end and be able to hold your own.

One thing I always told students is that bass is a great instrument because it's easy to learn (anyone can fret with one finger and pluck a string with your finger off the other hand) but it takes a lot of dedication to become technically brilliant. There's a whole range in between though and you can be an amazing groove player with very little technical knowledge if you have good feel. That means whatever your skill level, from punk to prog metal, there's a band for anyone.

[alyctes]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1334780145' post='1621286']
This is also true... nothing improves your playing like being in a band. If you're the least able, you'll play up to everyone else's level and improve much more quickly than you would by playing against recordings.
[/quote]

I agree (being there, doing that

[alyctes]

But... remember you're auditioning them as well.

[discreet]

[quote name='alyctes' timestamp='1334796461' post='1621568']
But... remember you're auditioning them as well.
[/quote]

How true. They may be virtuosos... but assholes, too. Life's a balance.

[Dave Vader]

I've seen a lot of bands round here over the years where I reckon none of them were gig-ready. They were still playing though, and the punters seemed to enjoy it enough.
Don't worry about it, go and have a go, if you can play root notes along with them (no 3rds, it makes people upset) you'll be fine.
There are some god-awful bassists round here getting plenty of regular gigs.

[discreet]

[quote name='Dave Vader' timestamp='1334825665' post='1621766']
I've seen a lot of bands round here over the years where I reckon none of them were gig-ready...
There are some god-awful bassists round here getting plenty of regular gigs.
[/quote]

Hee, hee. The human capacity for self-delusion never fails to amuse me.
I am a renowned top international bass player with a huge plonker. And I live on The Moon. In a space ship!

Edited April 19, 2012 by discreet

[JTUK]

Once the confidence is there..maybe you want to make sure you know where all the notes are on the neck.
as you aren't going to be good at 'guessing' what is going on in the track and when. Or at elaste where all the 12 notes might be
even if you can't cope with octaves etc

So a Gtr can walk you through the song by shouting out his chords if you get lost/freeze or whatever.
If you can sdo this, someone can always pull you back on track.

So it would be helpfulif you knew a bit of terminology as well... but then that also depends on what the other guys know.
If you walk in to an audition...you can get the whole spectrum...

[Gust0o]

You're as proficient as you want, or need, to be - you will find bands of varying degrees of experience and skill, with huge variations across individual members. You needn't worry about waiting 'til you hit some imagined level of skill - you will find there will be outlets for all who want to try, once the basics have been mastered. If the thought of an audition terrifies you, then start your own band

I've found playing in a band to be a great uplift. You learn from the players around you, and it forces you to up your game. I've thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it to everyone.

[JTUK]

[quote name='Dave Vader' timestamp='1334825665' post='1621766']
I've seen a lot of bands round here over the years where I reckon none of them were gig-ready.
.

[/quote]

That is a matter of perspective though...

[achknalligewelt]

I have a bass student who has picked up the technique to bang out a root-note line in 8's in about 6 weeks. He likes indie rock, so I've told him that he's ready now. He won't need much else to start enjoying himself in a practise room playing Kings of Leon songs with some other guys. Go and join a band I said, because practise is the only way to learn how to use the tools I've given you. He's a bit of a natural, and very keen, so I am confident he'll start picking up more complex stuff as he goes along naturally.

On the other hand, another student is still not band ready after nearly a year. He's not musical, but his wife bought him a bass for his 40th birthday, and she's damned if he's going to get to give up. And so he's decided that before he hits the stage, he wants to be able to out-MacCartney MacCartney, possibly just to annoy his wife, but I am still doing simple scales and fingering with him, and probably will be for a while yet. Frankly, we spend most of our lessons chatting about our kids and drinking tea, but he's happy to keep paying up, and I'm happy to let him.

Horses for courses is what I'm saying. As long as you can keep up with a couple of songs you like on a stereo, and you want to take the plunge, jump in.

[discreet]

[quote name='achknalligewelt' timestamp='1334832862' post='1621969']
He's not musical, but his wife bought him a bass for his 40th birthday, and she's damned if he's going to get to give up. And so he's decided that before he hits the stage, he wants to be able to out-MacCartney MacCartney, possibly just to annoy his wife, but I am still doing simple scales and fingering with him, and probably will be for a while yet.
[/quote]

Tricky. I'm not ageist (just old) but I would say generally one learns things more quickly when young, no? Not that age should exclude anyone from doing anything of course, he added quickly. With the possible exception of base jumping.

[Norris]

I'm still not ready - but have been playing in bands for 23 years now

Just go for it

[LawrenceH]

Jam nights are all round the best way IMO, if you're in an area that has some.

[OliverBlackman]

[quote name='LawrenceH' timestamp='1334835086' post='1622026']
Jam nights are all round the best way IMO, if you're in an area that has some.
[/quote]

trouble is with jam nights is you either have to by chance know the songs being played or have a really good ear and knowledge of harmony to be able to pick up whats being played. I was at a jam night last year and the cock didn't tell me the key, i spent once round the form working out what key it was in and then the progression and must have looked a right tit

[MacDaddy]

[quote name='Dandelion' timestamp='1334771612' post='1621051']
At what point in one`s progression in learning the bass does one become proficient enough to play in a band?

I have played in a couple of bands many years ago, but we were all new to the game so we made mistakes together.

But the thought of now joining an established band causes a modicum of anxiety. How proficient does one have to be?

I am thinking about a joining pub rock affair in the future, if I can find a local one, but I don`t want to waste their time

and/or make a total tit of myself.

How good are you expected to be on a first audition?

Is personallity more important than abillity?

If somebody sent me a recording to learn prior to the rehersal, then I could do that, but not sure if I could step up to the

mark if I was just dropped in "Sink or Swim" style.

Any thoughts?
[/quote]

I refer the honourable gentleman to the heady days of punk rock, which I feel provide an interesting insight in to this very issue.

[Phil Starr]

You've touched a nerve here and everyone is saying the same thing: just do it.

I was a late starter, began playing with a band after only a few weeks, playing paid gigs after a few months and I'm still only a basic player after 5 years but in two bands and having a whale of a time. Why didn't I start years ago?

The point is that a band is a team, it may have it's stars but it needs the journeymen too. I see a lot of pub bands, there is usually one decent musician, one or two who can play a bit and one or two who can do a job. there is usually little correlation between the number of top musicians in the band to the audience reaction. The band can't function without a rhythm section and for that ace singer/guitarist/whatever you will be making their performance possible. So long as you don't bullshit anyone about your ability you won't be letting them down. My band have taken on two beginner drummers in the last four years, they improved rapidly and we couldn't have continued gigging without them. For someone you will be a godsend so long as you are prepared to work at learning the stuff.

I'd absolutely back the idea of open mic/jam nights, you need to meet people who play and get a taste of playing with them and you won't need to be on top of 2 hours worth of songs to perform.

[KevB]

+1 for jam/open mic nights. Very good intermediate stage between practising at home and being in a full time proper band. Find a regular one, go to a few without an instrument, take note of the people who seem happy to play with other bass players. Get in conversation with likely playing partners, ask if you can get up next time with them and then learn some songs they do regularly. That's how I got into it before auditioning for proper bands. I started way too late to be honest but the route I took was the right one for me. I just spent far too long between the occasional bedroom practice/jammimg with mates with no prospect of playing live and actually getting out to a jam night.

[discreet]

[quote name='LawrenceH' timestamp='1334835086' post='1622026']
Jam nights are all round the best way IMO...
[/quote]

I'm not joining the Women's Institute for anybody.

...I'll get me twin-set and pearls.

[Oopsdabassist]

I'm like Phil above, started playing (mid life crisis, bass or a motobike...music seemed safer!), answered an ad after about 3 months noodling in bedroom, band gave me 3 songs to learn,, we jammed em, I was in. 1st gig about 6 weeks later, with 4 original songs too. 10 years later I'm still learning, still loving every minute of it.

get out there and scare yerself trying, the adreneline rush is huuuuge!

[achknalligewelt]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1334833606' post='1621986']
Tricky. I'm not ageist (just old) but I would say generally one learns things more quickly when young, no? Not that age should exclude anyone from doing anything of course, he added quickly. With the possible exception of base jumping.
[/quote] I'm certainly not being ageist. I have any number of useless students. Age is no factor at all.

[TheRev]

Also, don't forget that you have to have watched 'This is Spinal Tap' before you join a band. It's in the rules.