How many BassChatters have never ever gigged?

[Barking Spiders]

One of the reasons I lost interest in playing in bands was that with compromise everything got watered down and no one ended up playing much of what they really liked. As I recall I don't think I ever lasted more than dozen gigs in any band before I quit. That's why I went down the samba band route instead. With a good size pool of players if you don't feel like gigging for a bit there's always someone else to take your place.

[oldbass]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Longer ago than I care to remember it was 3 to five nights a week doing the camps throughout the summer...maybe two a week in the winter and loving every minute of it.[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Last time on stage was for two numbers with guest band in the local comm centre at my partners birthday bash....that was enough, even with ear plugs in my battered old ears cant take it anymore..so things have gone full circle in a way and I now get a huge kick out of sitting in a quiet room in the house either just studying Jamerson.....or theory, love it and very satisfying.[/font][/color]

[mcnach]

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1476182526' post='3151981']
There's a difference between not liking, being indifferent and being too picky and choosy.

I've come across musicians who just won't play certain tunes for no other reason than they don't like the artist.

Put 4 people like that in the room and you start to severely limit the music you're going to play.

Playing in a band is all about compromise, if the members of the band aren't going to compromise on anything then you won't get anywhere.
[/quote]


absolutely.

even in my originals band there's a few songs that not all of us like that much... but if a couple of the members really liked them, we developed them and we play them. Some songs I enjoy more than others, big deal... if I chose only to play the ones I really liked I would probably be at home a lot more

There are a few songs I *hate*... but even those I could play from time to time. I think I like music above all, and playing a few songs that don't 'speak to me' sometimes is a small price to pay for all the other moments.

[JTUK]

[quote name='Barking Spiders' timestamp='1476173121' post='3151868']
You say that TimR, Blue but if you don't like or are indifferent about the music you're playing how can you infuse it with that most important of elements, feel!. I've been in this situation enough times and never stayed long. I'd rather be gigless than play stuff I don't like.
[/quote]

I think it is important to be picky about what you play...and the reason I do it is because I've gotten past the stage where the enjoyment of just playing is enough.
That ship has long sailed so I need or want to be choosy about the gig. To this end, I'll do a few pubs that are decent enough gigs..OR, ... by doing that pub date, we get offered a better festival date from them later.
The winter is a tick-over period where you target the better pubs/venues to keep you going and keep you in mind. The spring is all about jockeying for position for the summer dates that are in abundance.
Most of the pubs we do...will have a beer festival or weekend event done properly where the better bands get paid party type money. These will have stages, Marquees and hire-in P.A's so there will be a ticket charge to make it work.
The one or two pubs that don't charge are subsidised by the Breweries but their takings are going to be much better than Xmas takings...by some way, so they can afford to have weekend budgets of around £2k plus.

These are examples of the better pubs you target but they amount to less than 10 probably. You wont do every place with the same band but you might even be booked to be in two line-ups at the same venue.
Depends how well regarded the line-up is by the booker. And yes, of course, it is sometimes jobs for the boys.and very very tough to break into otherwise, but you've worked hard to get to that point and your credit should be good.

And most of the bands on these bills will not be flogging themselves round the circuit.. they will cherry pick the better gigs. This is called 'harvesting' the bill/rosta

But, this works because you aren't wanting to be out every week as there aren't enough of these types of gigs, so if you have the contact, you determine the line-up with the band leader and you keep the gig.

The other benefit of this is because these outfits are not out all the time, the gigs are rarer and get more interest. The downside is the line-ups have to be more fluid as the full timers are looking to fill their diary and might not be available...but because the gig is known as being a good gig, they will want to do them.

Bit OT, but there you go..

Edited October 11, 2016 by JTUK

[timmo]

I have never gigged. Got psoriatic arthritis at 19 which nearly left me crippled. With modern drugs, my joints became more pliableafter 30 years, so thought I would try playing bass.
What I get out of it is exercise for my fingers and the sense of learning something. I am not good at playing, but I really enjoy the theory.I cant play for much longer than 20 minutes at a time before my fingers cramp up, so I can't see me playing live. I would like to learn to record sometime.

[RhysP]

[quote name='ivansc' timestamp='1476142228' post='3151784']
....So don't worry about how you will be coping in 10 years time. You will be just fine.
[/quote]

You have no way of knowing that, he could get hit by a bus tomorrow.

[Painy]

[quote name='thebrig' timestamp='1476176993' post='3151924']
Thats a great achievement Painy, have you been together all that time with the same lineup, or have you had a few changes along the way?
Either way, its still great that a bunch of guys can stay together playing music for so long.
[/quote]

To be fair we're on our fifth drummer and fifth lead vocalist with myself and the lead guitarist (who was also my best man) as the original members - but both the current drummer and current singer are the longest serving members in their respective positions.
My band are my closest friends in the world and to me they are my family.

[Dave Vader]

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1476198952' post='3152215']
You have no way of knowing that, he could get hit by a bus tomorrow.
[/quote]

and that's why we don't invite you to parties Rhys...

[Painy]

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1476180121' post='3151957']


Have you seen your doctor about your hands ?

I remember seeing a tv show years ago about Les Paul. He gave up playing at one point, and started to develop arthritis. He went to his doctor who advised him to start playing again.
[/quote]

I do plan to.
I have a couple of those guitarist finger exercisers which I use when I'm on the phone at work during the week and find that it helps a lot with keeping my hands supple. Otherwise I'm fine while I'm at a gig but if I've not played much or used the exercise thingies during the week, then the next day my knuckles are swollen, stiff and painful.

[RhysP]

[quote name='Dave Vader' timestamp='1476201369' post='3152257']
and that's why we don't invite you to parties Rhys...

[/quote]

[thebrig]

[quote name='Painy' timestamp='1476173904' post='3151885']
Really interesting thread that puts a lot into perspective. I've been feeling a bit concerned recently that I think I may have the start of arthritis in my hands but to hear what some of you guys deal with and still keep going....

My band just had it's 21st anniversary of our first gig this summer. Stopped counting at 1000 gigs about 5 years ago although that number is increasing at a slower rate these days with family commitments so down to around 20-30 gigs a year these days with 153 being our busiest year about 15 years ago.
Right now we've got a few weeks off. Our last gig was 10th September and our next is 22nd October and it's driving me absolutely freaking nuts. I honestly found quitting smoking easier than this!
[/quote]Regarding the possibility of having arthritis in your hands, if it is, try to keep playing if you can, I have arthritis in both my hands and my left hand which is my fretting hand, is far better than my right hand, and I put this down to the fact that it is usually very active moving around the neck regularly, if I have a break from playing, even for just a few days, my left hand seizes up and hurts like mad, even worse than my right.

[Woodinblack]

[quote name='thebrig' timestamp='1476176817' post='3151921']
For me personally, I find it very hard to play music I don't enjoy, and as Barking Spiders said, it's hard to play with "feel", especially when you are just going through the motions when playing the song.
[/quote]

A lot of the music I play I would never listed to, and a couple of them I just winged as I really didn't want to listen to them. However, a lot of them are good fun to play, and I like playing live.
Moondance, as you say, isn't a great song, but I generaly explore different scales when playing it to see what works, sometimes they do, sometimes they don't, noone ever really notices. Pretty sure I have never played it the same twice.
There are a few songs that are just dull to play, but enough to make the overall experience good.

[blue]

[quote name='RockfordStone' timestamp='1476173679' post='3151880']

i couldn't join a band playing music i don't like just to play a gig.

i have an addictive personality so when i'm in the right band i'm all in, but when i'm not i find other hobbies that i am equally as addicted to and put the bass down for a while.

i'd rather have no gigs and do something else i enjoy than play music i dislike just to play a gig... i've done it before and didn't enjoy any minute of the 6 months i was doing it (even though i was getting paid) and i ended up quitting for 18 months.
[/quote]



If you did this for a living meaning ,you don't gig you don't eat. Your genres of choice are not available what would you do?

Oh under this scenario you can't get a traditional proper job, you must remain a musician who's lively hood depends on gigging.

Hint there's only to answers. I'll give you one of them.

Starvation

Blue

[JTUK]

[quote name='Woodinblack' timestamp='1476204990' post='3152320']
A lot of the music I play I would never listed to, and a couple of them I just winged as I really didn't want to listen to them. However, a lot of them are good fun to play, and I like playing live.
Moondance, as you say, isn't a great song, but [b]I generaly explore different scales when playing it to see what works, sometimes they do, sometimes they don't, noone ever really notices. Pretty sure I have never played it the same twice.[/b]
There are a few songs that are just dull to play, but enough to make the overall experience good.
[/quote]

The band don't notice...???? pretty sure that would get you minus points on a lot of gigs, IME, if that is the case.

It is one of those songs you would be expected to put away and also liven it up beyond being a filler.
Even if the band hasn't played together before it is cardinal to sound like it...

The thing that gets you a very big cheer right from the off is the band going thru the gears on the first number, whatever it is

[Woodinblack]

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1476211726' post='3152415']
The band don't notice...???? pretty sure that would get you minus points on a lot of gigs, IME, if that is the case.
[/quote]

Well, I am sure they do, and I don't change the whole thing, I am just never happy with the way it sounds so I play around with it a bit..
Anyway, they are all listening to the saxophone at that point.

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1476211726' post='3152415']
It is one of those songs you would be expected to put away and also liven it up beyond being a filler.
[/quote]

Its not a filler. We have some generic blues songs for that, and it is quite lively. Not sure what you mean by put away? We are playing pubs, we are not a function band.

[Woodinblack]

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1476210248' post='3152401']
If you did this for a living meaning ,you don't gig you don't eat. Your genres of choice are not available what would you do?
[/quote]

I think his answer clearly shows those arent the choices, and given the choices of making money doing something you want to do and doing something you didn't, the answer is pretty clear. And by the fact he said 'one of my other hobbies', its not a major income.

If you are doing something solely because you enjoy it, as many people here are, if you stop enjoying it there is no reason to continue.

Personally I would love to play prog rock, but there is no way I am going to be in a band that does that any time soon, so I am happy doing whatever. As long as I don't have to play oasis. I'll do anything for love, but I wouldn't do that

[thebrig]

[quote name='Woodinblack' timestamp='1476204990' post='3152320']
A lot of the music I play I would never listed to, and a couple of them I just winged as I really didn't want to listen to them. However, a lot of them are good fun to play, and I like playing live.
Moondance, as you say, isn't a great song, but I generaly explore different scales when playing it to see what works, sometimes they do, sometimes they don't, noone ever really notices. Pretty sure I have never played it the same twice.
There are a few songs that are just dull to play, but enough to make the overall experience good.
[/quote]I didn't say that Moondance isn't a great song, I just said I just didn't like it, but I have to agree with you that some songs you don't like, can be fun to play, and the first time we played Moondance, I did actually enjoyed it, even if it took me a fair bit of work to nail it, although once is enough.

Edited October 11, 2016 by thebrig

[JTUK]

[quote name='Woodinblack' timestamp='1476212164' post='3152419']
Well, I am sure they do, and I don't change the whole thing, I am just never happy with the way it sounds so I play around with it a bit..
Anyway, they are all listening to the saxophone at that point.



Its not a filler. We have some generic blues songs for that, and it is quite lively. [b]Not sure what you mean by put away? We are playing pubs, we are not a function band.[/b]
[/quote]

I mean it is a standard that so many bands do...for their own reasons--being a bit short set-wise might be one of them but you need to put it away well and truly with a very good rendition. That way people wont mind the cheese of it.. That and 'Aint no sunshine' and the like are songs that you really have to kill otherwise people wont understand why you do it and they've heard it a billion times before, and most of them done in a pretty average way.

[Woodinblack]

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1476215060' post='3152456']
I mean it is a standard that so many bands do...for their own reasons--being a bit short set-wise might be one of them but you need to put it away well and truly with a very good rendition. That way people wont mind the cheese of it.. That and 'Aint no sunshine' and the like are songs that you really have to kill otherwise people wont understand why you do it and they've heard it a billion times before, and most of them done in a pretty average way.
[/quote]

We certainly aren't short of a set, we are at 3.5 hours and we play everything too fast!
Maybe it is a regional thing. I haven't actually heard any of the local bands do it. It is one of the few songs we do straight. We also do brown eyed girl, but the reel big fish version, which goes down much better. Haven't heard aint no sunshine locally either, but we don't do that.

[ambient]

[quote name='thebrig' timestamp='1476212752' post='3152426']
I didn't say that Moondance isn't a great song,
[/quote]

But it isn't, it's awful.

😊

[thebrig]

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1476220167' post='3152521']
But it isn't, it's awful.


[/quote]It's a great song to a lot of people, but I don't like it, if I had said it's awful like you did, lots of people are going to have a right old go at me!

Oh alright then, it's bloody AWFUL!!!

There, I've said it now!

[martin8708]

Had a great run of about 30 years in Pub Rock / blues / cover bands , lots of gigs and great memories .

Last decent band folded about 4 years ago ,and it's been a real struggle to get in a band that doesn't implode or break up before we get out gigging , musicians these days seem less tolerant,or more selfish and will quit a band for the smallest of reasons .
I love gigging , but band politics really sucks the pleasure out of being in a band.

When this happens ,I just pick up the classical guitar and play purely for my own pleasure.( and the cat likes it too )

[blue]

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1476211726' post='3152415']


The band don't notice...???? pretty sure that would get you minus points on a lot of gigs, IME, if that is the case.

It is one of those songs you would be expected to put away and also liven it up beyond being a filler.
Even if the band hasn't played together before it is cardinal to sound like it...

The thing that gets you a very big cheer right from the off is the band going thru the gears on the first number, whatever it is
[/quote]


No one should hold back and not committ 100% to playing their best on any song because you don't like the song.

Blue

Edited October 12, 2016 by blue

[ahpook]

Wow, reading this thread I realise I've probably only played live maybe 10 times in the last couple of years.

Hmm....used to be much more often, sobering thought.

Edited October 11, 2016 by ahpook

[blue]

[quote name='martin8708' timestamp='1476224858' post='3152556']
Had a great run of about 30 years in Pub Rock / blues / cover bands , lots of gigs and great memories .

Last decent band folded about 4 years ago ,and it's been a real struggle to get in a band that doesn't implode or break up before we get out gigging , musicians these days seem less tolerant,or more selfish and will quit a band for the smallest of reasons .
I love gigging , but band politics really sucks the pleasure out of being in a band.

When this happens ,I just pick up the classical guitar and play purely for my own pleasure.( and the cat likes it too )
[/quote]


I'm of the school that thinks veterans of the gigging world through a little band research asking a lot questions can sniff out bands that are going nowhere fairly quickly and accurately.

Blue

Edited October 11, 2016 by blue