The more I hear about being in a band, the more I really don't want to go there...

[Grangur]

When we start out on our journey into bass, we all here those iconic bass lines and we get stuck in there. Even before we know what we're listening to is a bass guitar or DB, we're falling in love with the richness depth of that tone. A sound so deep and thick you could almost cut a slice off and... OK, maybe that's too much, but you get it.

But all these bass lines are normally in a band context. So we all go down the route of buying a bass and aspiring to play with others.

Speaking for myself, I did all that. Never had an amp in those days, apart from plugging the bass into a reel-to-reel tape deck and using it's output stage. It worked. It sounded like nothing on earth with tons of unhelpful distortion. I hated it. I dropped it for a number of reasons and came back to bass when I was 50. I still aspired to being in a band.

I got into a band and immediately came across the egos of others. The instructions to "play only the roots" as the keys were playing the bass line. Directions from guys who clearly didn't know the rudiments of music. (Like, you don't adjust the beat to fit in with the timing of the lyrics.) The sound of the band was a cacophony. I quit.

Back home I can't be bothered with the faff of mp3 players and playing along with tracks. I read cello scores and transcribe other scores and really dig the tone of a bass playing, effectively, guitar-style. It's a challenge to my ability, but it's coming on and it's a hobby. I don't need to drive all over the country. I don't have folk pulling my playing apart, letting me down. I don't have to buy and store large gear that will only get used when away from the house. I don't have drunks telling me their dad plays better (or the likes).

True, others may not agree that what I do is playing bass, but it suits me. I'm trying to get my head round something from "My Fair Lady" right now. I play almost every day and it fits in with my lifestyle as I play for any odd half-hours etc that I get the chance.

"Why don't I change to guitar", you might ask? I just prefer the tone of a bass guitar to the twang of the treble-clef.

I'm sure I'm not alone, am I?

[Happy Jack]

Band Membership 101 - Never join a band with a keyboard player unless he has lost his left arm in a tragic industrial accident.

[mikel]

In a band with keys you tell the guy not to tread on your frequencies, bass is your job. For me playing with others is what it is all about, I only learn the bass and practice so I can play with others. Nothing beats the buzz of locking in with other musicians no matter how simple the bass line may be.

I must have been lucky cos 99% of the other musicians I have played with have been fine, the odd ego but that is sometimes what you get with guitarists and vocalists. Half joking, the rest of the band tells them to wind there neck in. As I do It for fun I dont have to put up with people who are really difficult.

[FuNkShUi]

I think for your situation, starting a band and being clear from the start you're the MD might be the way to go.
Nothing wrong with not wanting to be in a band at all, but when it all comes together and it's a great feeling.

Edited November 9, 2016 by FuNkShUi

[gary mac]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif] [/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif] I don't have drunks telling me their dad plays better (or the likes). [/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif] [/font][/color][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]At a DefunkT gig in Ware a couple of weeks back, a drunk informed me that I played so much better than his Dad [/font][/color]

[BrunoBass]

Speaking from my own experience of bands; those that are successful are generally dictatorships, and people will either accept that, do as they're told and think themselves lucky to be in a band, or (as is the case with most people) they'll rebel against being told what to do, what to play etc, and the band will fail.

Unfortunately this is the way things work I've found. Truly democratic band do exist but rarely get past the jamming and messing about stage. A gigging band where each member has true equality in the bands direction, influence, set list etc would appear to be a very rare thing.

[JohnR]

Never be a cog in someone else's machine. If you are a bass player in a band make sure to get involved in songwriting otherwise when the record deal comes around you suddenly become hired help and not on the contract.

[Marc S]

[quote name='FuNkShUi' timestamp='1478683194' post='3170811']
......Nothing wrong with not wanting to be in a band at all, but when it all comes together and it's a great feeling.
[/quote]

Absolutely! If you're happy noodling at home, experimenting and jamming along to whatever you want to - fine
Yes, bands can be an absolute pain, and other people's egos can be frustrating to deal with, but that goes for pretty much any other walk of life too. It's the same if you play any team sport, or join an event involving other people (I used to get similar stuff when organising country walks for heaven's sake lol)

Yes, you can sometimes get drunks coming up to you, saying their Dad plays better than you. BUT you can also get complimented on your playing, or your sound. And hopefully, the whole sound and vibe of the band. Last Sunday, I played 10 songs at an open mic with a new band I've been involved in setting up "The Soggy Mountain Boyos" - they're fab guys, maybe at last I've met the best band members - it can happen. People loved the songs we played, they loved the sound. I got complimented on my slap style DB playing - that's never happened before, so it felt great (I've only been playing slap DB a few weeks, and the band has only been together just over a month.

At the end of the summer, I played my biggest gig yet, at the Elvis Festival in Porthcawl. The venue was big-ish, but it was rammed. The place rocked from the opening bar of the opening song, and it was a brilliant atmosphere

No amount of noodling at home could ever even come anywhere near the highs - but that's my opinion. I'm sure there are plenty of players on here who've played live and loved it, even if there are only 10 people in the audience, it's possible to have a great gig....

[Dancj]

Awesome to play at home, but your experience is just a bad one.

Been in bands non stop and i find that not only is it really rewarding, but it helps you get better as a musician. I'd just suggest finding the right mix and also taking more of an MD role as others have suggested here. Its a collaboration and team work at the end of the day - the team has to work together!

[mikel]

All the bands I have been in the musicians have been equals. If someone is going to tell you what to play and how to play it then why bother?

The way I see it what each musician brings to the party is what makes the band special, even covers bands. One of the bands I am in is made up of me, a funky, latin type drummer, the keys player who is from a strict Blues background, the guitarist who is a Jazz obsessive and and the Bassist who is a funk/Soul monster. Put these styles together in the covers we do and magic happens. We dont tell each other what to play or what will fit, we respect each other as musicians and 90% of the time it works. Sometimes we have to admit out part is not working and we are mature enough to change it to suit the song.

[FinnDave]

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1478682405' post='3170803']
Band Membership 101 - Never join a band with a keyboard player unless he has lost his left arm in a tragic industrial accident.
[/quote]

And if not, arrange one ASAP

[BigRedX]

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1478682405' post='3170803']
Band Membership 101 - Never join a band with a keyboard player unless he has lost his left arm in a tragic industrial accident.
[/quote]

I know that the quote is partly in jest, but there is nothing wrong with allowing the keyboards hold down the bottom end as it allows you to play something more interesting.

Of course if you don't know what to do with that new-found freedom then I'm afraid that you only have yourself to blame.

[razze06]

I love to play live, in front of people. I love to see them dance and sing along to our tunes. I can't do that from the privacy of my own home.

I've been in bands all my playing "career", and I have had to adjust to the other people in the band, or have them to adjust to me. I've been in bands with a clear and authoritative leader, i've been in bands with a perceived democratic leadership, i've been in bands where everybody argued and fought all the time, and in others where nothing was ever discussed. I loved them all.

[chris_b]

There's nothing like the buzz of being in a good band, or the joy of playing with great players, or the adrenalin rush of playing in a good band, with great players and performing in front of an audience.

I've also been in many bands which were the polar opposite of that. Not many players get through without a bad experience but if you don't start this journey you'll never arrive at the worthwhile bits. If you let the bad stuff get you down then playing in your bedroom probably is the best place for you. On the other hand, you'll never experience any of the good bits. . . and they just about make everything else worthwhile.

Last Saturday I played in an indifferent pub, to a small audience, who mostly didn't care, with one of the best drummers and keyboard players I know (both deps) and the gig was one of my best this year. I had a great time. Next Friday's gig is out of the same mould, but with the line up we've got, I'm looking forward to it.

[ambient]

You sound slightly like me. I've always loved the sound of the bass, but never its role in traditional music. I have no interest at all in groove, or in 'locking in' with a drummer. I prefer sound, texture and colour in music.

I spent 3 years at uni doing a music degree, and hated having to play stuff from genres that meant nothing to me.

I now play quite a lot of jazz, and I teach music.

More importantly I play bass the way that I want, both solo and with a couple of experimental projects, one with another bassist.

[Barking Spiders]

As I've said in other posts, it's better to play with mates rather than with people you've met through wanted ads. For one they're more likely to encourage/praise rather than criticise and are more likely to be democratic. When you join someone else's band you're little more than a hired hand. Many bands have broken up over this. There've been many notorious feuds been between band members who were never friends to begin with. I'd rather not be in a band at all than join one through an ad.

Edited November 9, 2016 by Barking Spiders

[ahpook]

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1478681741' post='3170799']
I'm sure I'm not alone, am I?
[/quote]

In doing what you enjoy ? I certainly hope not !

I think it's a shame you don't give bands another shot, but that's only because I get a lot out of making music with others. If you enjoy what you do, then do it but remember that that enjoyment won't go away if you were to try playing with others. Up to you !

I've known a few musicians over the years who play almost entirely on their own, one very gifted guitarist who just liked to learn and play music on his tod...so you're not alone by any means.

EDIT: Maybe we should form a nice sensible bass duet

Edited November 9, 2016 by ahpook

[KingBollock]

I only played in bands for a short time after I started playing bass. I started playing at 12, first proper (they were all much older than me and even had management) band at 13, last proper band at 18. I absolutely loved it.

The last band was amazing, with very talented members who were some of the nicest blokes you could ever wish to meet. Unfortunately my personal life became too difficult and I had to leave town, which also meant leaving the band because I had no way to contact them (they had always contacted me and would pick me up to take me to rehearsals. They had just changed rehearsal space and I didn't know where it was) That was one of my biggest ever regrets, I absolutely believe that my life would have been very different if I had been able to keep going with them.

But bass was a natural instrument for me, I still love playing it and have kept it up for all of those 23 bandless years. I would love to be in a band again, but not being in one will never stop me from paying.

Edited November 9, 2016 by KingBollock

[Conan]

This thread just goes to show that everyone's experiences are different! Do what feels good/right for you. If it doesn't, look for something that does. It may not actually exist, but at least the quest to find it teaches you a lot about yourself.

Crikey - that sounds a lot deeper than I intended it to!

[FinnDave]

[quote name='Barking Spiders' timestamp='1478689056' post='3170900']
I'd rather not be in a band at all than join one through an ad.
[/quote]

It's not always so bad, I joined the Wirebirds nearly four years ago through a wanted ad and I now consider the other members to be my closest friends.

[RhysP]

Some people are just not suited to being in bands.
After playing in various bands over the years & generally finding it to be a pretty miserable experience I can say that I'm one of them.
I enjoy playing music with other people sometimes but I have no desire whatsoever to be an "entertainer" - I get nothing from playing in front of an audience other than the feeling that I'd rather be somewhere else.

[Bassassin]

I don't know if I'm in a band or not any more. I have just pressed "indefinite pause" on the band I started with my partner/vocalist about 17 years ago, effectively to try & get back some sort of control over the music we write together.

Looking back over 15+ years as an "active" band, it really feels like 99% of everything we've done, or tried to do, has been to satisfy the needs of various people whose only contribution has really been to learn songs if they could be bothered/liked the music enough, and to turn up for rehearsals or gigs if they happened not to be otherwise occupied.

That sounds terribly bitter - and on a personal level it's really not because all the people we've worked with have been genuine good friends and fine musicians. However I am left feeling we've let ourselves down, and neglected the most important part, which is the music we create. It's always been on the table for band members to get involved creatively but no-one (even three different guitarists, believe it or not) has been interested. It's all been about playing live for them, and with a couple of exceptions everything we've recorded has just been the demos that the two of us create.

We've played hundreds of gigs over the years and I'm gutted that's over. While the live band never really properly represented my vision of how the songs should sound, we were good, always made a big impression and I loved every minute of it. But gigging relentlessly has been at the expense of being creative and developing creatively, which is really what it was supposed to be about. I dearly hope there's a future for our band but I really don't know right now.

[Norris]

Most of the band-related posts on here will be gripes. People don't usually post to say how much fun it is. Not every vocalist/guitarist is an egocentric maniac. There are some bass-sympathetic keys players out there (although very rare ime)

[Conan]

[quote name='Norris' timestamp='1478693462' post='3170960'] Not every vocalist/guitarist is an egocentric maniac.
[/quote]

Sadly, after seven years with the same band, I find myself on the verge of leaving as I have increasingly found the vocalist to be an egocentric megalomaniac

I could work with him, but I could never be his "mate". Is that enough? At the moment I don't know... I love the material and the other lads - but can't bear the company of the singer. It hasn't always been that way but due to recent developments (basically, our material starting to receive internet radio airplay), the singer has lost the plot. Even though he has the least amount of gigging and general band experience of any of us he feels that he should be calling the shots.

Damn.

[Muzz]

I can only say that in many years of playing in bands, at least 90% of the time it's been fantastic fun. Sure, I've had a few run-ins with the egocentric and the delusional (mostly at the same time, the same person), but as a few people have commented, nothing beats playing with people who stretch you musically - you get better soooo much faster than you would in isolation.

I love playing live, I love entertaining people, and even the crap stuff can be turned round when it's a shared experience between the band. I play in a couple of bands of primarily old friends, and also in a band where there are mostly deps, and both experiences are hugely positive.

Different strokes, and all that, but I've never had people pulling my playing apart, and as for drunks, well, they're drunks, and can be very funny - there's enough threads on here illustrating that