TimR Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 Only one band kept going after I left. I bumped into them playing at a friends birthday party. I thought it was bad enough being paid to cover the drummers 4 1/2 beat bars and stop him speeding up through every song. But being in the audience was another experience entirely. Their next bass player didn't last long either. Well shot of them, no idea how I stayed so long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimR Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 [quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1392892515' post='2373822'] ... I'd imagine it's different with covers bands, but with originals bands I always think once you lose a member you should basically start a fresh with material. Otherwise you end up with the situation of bringing someone in with zero creative influence over what they play on your back catalogue. No-one I know who is looking to play originals would want to play a load of basslines written by someone else. I've only every worked with projects where I have absolute control over what I'm playing, if they don't like what I'm doing they can find someone who plays what they do like and I'll move on ... [/quote] Funnily enough I depped for an originals band. They gave me a load of tunes to learn, which I did but quite a few of the tunes I couldn't play exactly as their previous bass player. They preferred what I played. Which was humbling. Their old bass player even said he'd liked what I'd done to them, which felt a bit weird. I created a bass line for a new tune and then when they found a permanent player, he learned it note for note and they recorded it. Again quite humbling. I suppose what I'm saying is that originals bands setlists evolve and if they're creative enough songs get replaced fairly regularly. So it's worth learning a few because you'll be writing new stuff soon and the old stuff will get played less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 [quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1392892515' post='2373822'] I'd imagine it's different with covers bands, but with originals bands I always think once you lose a member you should basically start a fresh with material. Otherwise you end up with the situation of bringing someone in with zero creative influence over what they play on your back catalogue. No-one I know who is looking to play originals would want to play a load of basslines written by someone else. I've only every worked with projects where I have absolute control over what I'm playing, if they don't like what I'm doing they can find someone who plays what they do like and I'll move on [/quote] Looking at this from the other side - as a member of an existing band that has been through 3 different drummers and guitarists in the last 12 months, there is a wish to have some continuity of songs from one line-up to the next, and if you have a fan-base there are certain songs from the band's back catalogue (especially) if you have "product" out that they expect to hear played. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CamdenRob Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 [quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1392933953' post='2374539'] Looking at this from the other side - as a member of an existing band that has been through 3 different drummers and guitarists in the last 12 months, there is a wish to have some continuity of songs from one line-up to the next, and if you have a fan-base there are certain songs from the band's back catalogue (especially) if you have "product" out that they expect to hear played. [/quote] Yeah you guys are an established band with a fan base that will come out to see you play, so I can understand you'd want some continunity, I was more talking about bands just starting out. There seems to be a tendency for people to get very precious about what they want others in the band to play... Personally I'd never stand there on a stage and be judged as a bassist playing something I hadn't written, after all isn't that what music is all about? creating something yourself... [quote name='TimR' timestamp='1392932336' post='2374514'] Funnily enough I depped for an originals band. They gave me a load of tunes to learn, which I did but quite a few of the tunes I couldn't play exactly as their previous bass player. They preferred what I played. Which was humbling. Their old bass player even said he'd liked what I'd done to them, which felt a bit weird. I created a bass line for a new tune and then when they found a permanent player, he learned it note for note and they recorded it. Again quite humbling. I suppose what I'm saying is that originals bands setlists evolve and if they're creative enough songs get replaced fairly regularly. So it's worth learning a few because you'll be writing new stuff soon and the old stuff will get played less. [/quote] In this situation the basslines for the incoming player after you were obviously good though... It would be different if you joined this band and the previous basslines were crap, you could write much better ones, but you had to play the old lines anyway... People who had never seen the band would turn up to a gig and think "that guys basslines are sh*t" and you would have no control over it... they aren't even your lines. Not much good if there happens to be a guy in the audience looking for a bassist for his awesome new start originals band. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 New members create new dynamics and takes the band in another direction. Whether this is a good thing or bad thing depends if you picked the guy to able to go forward and if you didn't then you may well have signed the death nell of the band anyway.. And it doesn't/shouldn't matter whether you are a originals or covers... If you don't use some sort of intepretaion in the band, then you play by numbers which is never that interesting to see.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimR Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 [quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1392971230' post='2374701'] ... In this situation the basslines for the incoming player after you were obviously good though... It would be different if you joined this band and the previous basslines were crap, you could write much better ones, but you had to play the old lines anyway... People who had never seen the band would turn up to a gig and think "that guys basslines are sh*t" and you would have no control over it... they aren't even your lines. Not much good if there happens to be a guy in the audience looking for a bassist for his awesome new start originals band. [/quote] Not sure about that. Would you join a band who played music that you didn't think was good? Basslines are by definition pretty simple things for a bass player to come up with, improve on and copy. As I say there were a few lines I couldn't play. This was more down to the fact that they weren't natural for me, they may have been awesome, but I had to change them. A few people who knew the band well complimented me on my playing, no one noticed, or at least commented, that they were different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 [quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1392971230' post='2374701'] In this situation the basslines for the incoming player after you were obviously good though... It would be different if you joined this band and the previous basslines were crap, you could write much better ones, but you had to play the old lines anyway... People who had never seen the band would turn up to a gig and think "that guys basslines are sh*t" and you would have no control over it... they aren't even your lines. Not much good if there happens to be a guy in the audience looking for a bassist for his awesome new start originals band. [/quote] TBH, for me it's all about the songs and the performance. I couldn't really care how good or not the actual baselines are so long as the song sounds great. I'm happy to play root notes on 8ths if that's what's needed. And I doubt whether anyone in the audience who really matters (and for me that's someone who's going to buy a single or T-shirt afterwards or come and see the band next time we play) gives a flying f*** what I'm actually playing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CamdenRob Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 (edited) [quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1392981374' post='2374855'] TBH, for me it's all about the songs and the performance. I couldn't really care how good or not the actual baselines are so long as the song sounds great. I'm happy to play root notes on 8ths if that's what's needed. And I doubt whether anyone in the audience who really matters (and for me that's someone who's going to buy a single or T-shirt afterwards or come and see the band next time we play) gives a flying f*** what I'm actually playing. [/quote] Nothing wrong with root and octave.... some of the best grooves are simple stuff. I'm trying to make the point that you should be free to choose what you play, be that simple or complex... at least you stand or fall by your own playing then, not being judged for playing someone elses ideas. Edited February 21, 2014 by CamdenRob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UglyDog Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 [quote name='leschirons' timestamp='1392842948' post='2373483'] I stayed for the whole gig, catching up with old mates. On my return to France, I had an e-mail accusing me of having given the guitarist "a look" and raising an eyebrow, and [b]maybe it would be better if I didn't go to any gigs in the future[/b] when visiting the UK. [/quote] I would have been tempted to point out that it's a free country and that unless I was specifically barred from the venue I would turn up to as many gigs as I bloody well wanted to thank you very much. But then again, I'm a cantankerous old fart who hates being told what to do Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 In the Terrortones the songs are nearly all written by Mr Venom and myself. Mr Venom is also a pretty good drummer, and I'm a reasonable guitar player, so when we are writing we know fairly well what the drum and guitar parts are going to be doing for the arrangement to work. In fact a lot of the time I come up with my initial ideas on the guitar and the bass line doesn't get written until we are in the rehearsal room and the guitarist is playing what I've written. The guitar part may change as the song develops, but since the riff bits are the musical backbone of the song they tend not to deviate from what I originally came up with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Count Bassy Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 If I was your guitarist I'd pretty soon get peed off with being told what to play all the time. I was in a band where the drummer and guitarist kept telling me what to play. It didn't last! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 [quote name='Count Bassy' timestamp='1392985316' post='2374917'] If I was your guitarist I'd pretty soon get peed off with being told what to play all the time. I was in a band where the drummer and guitarist kept telling me what to play. It didn't last! [/quote] I suppose it relies on being able to see the whole song rather than your little segment of it. I look it as the guitarist and drummer can take our basic ideas and play them fantastically (which is what they are there for). Not every musician in an originals band is brilliant at coming up with good song ideas or even decent parts of their own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merlin Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 (edited) My old band sent me a youtube link, with the new bassist in place,yes he is very good,but the rest, just re- enforced my reasons for leaving. Edited February 21, 2014 by merlin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
12stringbassist Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 I've been to see an old band of mine where I remained friendly with them and got up for a couple of songs. That band (including myself) covered some gigs for my band of the time, when our drummer was seriously ill Another I did some gigs with 10 years later. Others I would cheerfully kill, especially if their singer happens to be an alcoholic idiot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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