Missing Mojo

[Nicko]

After our rhythm guitarist left we had a few practices that were OK, and then recruited a replacement. He decided it wasn't for him and left after only a couple of sessions. We have decided, reluctantly to carry on as a 4 piece.

The origial guy was a bit of a buzzkill, insisted on playing songs his way rather than the correct way, and wasn't technically very good. We all agreed we were probably better off without him in many ways, but all appreciated that he did add something to the sound.

Rehearsal last night was pretty shocking. No one is saying it, but I think we all believe we are not as professional sounding as we were and now the mojo has gone. Is there any way back from here?

Edited May 19, 2017 by Nicko

[Ghost_Bass]

Rethink your entire set, replace songs if you need to, and don't keep playing them the same way you did with a 5 piece. The remaining guitarrist will need to tighten his playing to fill all the rythm needs and when comes the time for a solo you and the drummer need to fill the gap (you can use fx to help this, some octave or distortion should work in some songs).

[radiophonic]

I think you're just finding out that you can't just remove one part of a band and expect the band not to change. I played in a 5 piece in the 80s. One of the guitar players was a really bad fit by the end (divergent tastes). When he split, we just naively assumed that we could carry on playing the same tunes in roughly the same way, but instead the wheels fell of completely and we were all over the place. It took several months to get tight again, but we sounded very different. The flipside is that in the same 4 piece, eventually the singer quit and the three of us went through it all again. Incredible how many cues you don't realise you are taking from a singer. We ended up as a monumentally tight instrumental 3 piece. Then we tried to audition singers and found that nobody could do it. They just couldn't find a way in. It was like we'd zipped it up from the inside. Instrumental we remained until we split. I guess the message here is that you probably all need to chill out a bit and accept that your new 4 piece is now a different band.

[bassjim]

I would suggest you write/ learn new material from here on as you are now. You don't have to drop everything but don't rely on past material for a while. You never know you may come up with something new and fresh. Advertise for a new player and be patient. Wait for the right player. For now change the angle a bit. Like change the feel or tempo. See what happens and experiment.
Maybe you are so used to hearing how things were you cant adjust. If you are still playing the same parts which are suited to the extra guitar part there will be a hole so let go of what was and go with what is now.

[Nicko]

[quote name='bassjim' timestamp='1495184260' post='3301890']
I would suggest you write/ learn new material from here on as you are now. You don't have to drop everything but don't rely on past material for a while. You never know you may come up with something new and fresh. Advertise for a new player and be patient. Wait for the right player. For now change the angle a bit. Like change the feel or tempo. See what happens and experiment.
Maybe you are so used to hearing how things were you cant adjust. If you are still playing the same parts which are suited to the extra guitar part there will be a hole so let go of what was and go with what is now.
[/quote]

We have started re-working the set and played some stuff we worked on as a 4 piece before we got the new guy in. I dont think anyone is expecting it to sound the same, but itt was just sloppy and the 4 piece stuff we had played OK before was terrible last night.

We have a couple of gigs coming up in August and I dont think we have time to find someone new and get them up to speed.

[mikel]

So, this guy wasnt technically very good, and the band feel they are better off without him, but the last rehearsal was not as pro sounding and even shocking? Sounds like the guy may not have been a guitar wizz but he was a band musician in the truest sense. Some people seem to bring a creative buzz to a band and cement the whole thing together, regardless of perceived technical ability.

We lost a keys player like that, we only missed him when he was gone. So we had a band meeting and we discussed the direction and the songs we wanted to do, and came up with another formula that is working for all of us.

[Lozz196]

Losing one instrument in a 5 piece is a 20% reduction, you`re always going to notice that, especially in terms of depth of the sound. In cases like this either rethink the sound you have as a 4 piece, or replace the rhythm guitarist asap.

[MrDaveTheBass]

Personally, I love playing in bands with only one guitar. Unless two (or more) guitarists play nicely together, it's easy for the band sound to get muddy, and impact on your bass tone. With only one guitar you've got the chance to experiment with arrangements, revamp your tone and play with effects - enjoy!

[BrunoBass]

My band are in a similar position having just become a trio following the departure of one of our guitarists. We decided pretty much straight away not to replace him, but his leaving has necessitated a complete rethink of how we continue, which has been trying but exciting. The first few rehearsals without him were strange but we've gotten used to it and have all enjoyed the process of editing and reworking the set. I in particular an revelling in the space I now have, and the fact that I only now have one humbucker / Marshall combination to compete with...

If you do choose to rip it up and start again I'm sure the mojo will soon return.

[Phil Adams]

We had a wonderful lead guitarist. Lovely bloke. Never answered emails, never answered his phone or texts. Wound the "leader of the band" up to the point HE was going to quit, so in the end we agreed he had to go.

Listening back to the recordings we made at the time, he is a sad loss to our sound, but the band would have disintegrated had it continued as it was.

A lose/lose situation but what can you do? Weve continued without him, in a different direction that doesn't need spirited fills and solos, but secretly I miss those days!

[mikel]

[quote name='PaulGibsonBass' timestamp='1495189186' post='3301958']
My band are in a similar position having just become a trio following the departure of one of our guitarists. We decided pretty much straight away not to replace him, but his leaving has necessitated a complete rethink of how we continue, which has been trying but exciting. The first few rehearsals without him were strange but we've gotten used to it and have all enjoyed the process of editing and reworking the set.[b] I in particular an revelling in the space I now have, and the fact that I only now have one humbucker / Marshall combination to compete with...[/b]

If you do choose to rip it up and start again I'm sure the mojo will soon return.
[/quote]

Yep. The one drawback with 5 instruments is that they tend to fill all the spaces up. I love playing in a 3 piece as its liberating, but everything you play can be easily heard and is crucial to the sound, even to the none musician.

[BrunoBass]

[quote name='mikel' timestamp='1495203045' post='3302127']


Yep. The one drawback with 5 instruments is that they tend to fill all the spaces up. I love playing in a 3 piece as its liberating, but everything you play can be easily heard and is crucial to the sound, even to the none musician.
[/quote]

Exactly that. I have nowhere to hide now, as everything I play is suddenly very apparent. I'd like to think that my game was high already, but since becoming a trio I've been forced to raise it higher.

[scalpy]

Work out one musical element you all need to work on- there's always something. I was a trumpet player when I studied and one MD was obsessed with everyone finishing notes together. Starting together is easy! Made a huge difference. My band are working on any tune in the set that has that straight up billie jean type beat. Is 2 and 4 even? Are we rushing onto one because it's accented? It doesn't take much to think about but everyone starts to feel happier when they feel the improvement.

[Japhet]

A lot of good advice already in the thread. I've been there and done it. It does sound very different at first, and so it should. The important things are to analyse what you are playing to see if it actually works. There may be quite a few songs that just don't work, but don't worry as there will be plenty you can replace them with. We've consciously looked at bands that have the same personnel (Guitar/drums/bass/vox) and picked songs that work for them. You could pull off a few Queen or Jam songs but you'll never sound like Earth Wind & Fire. I'd also say 'embrace the space' that will appear in the music. What you don't play can be equally (if not more) effective than what you do. You can also do a great job stripping down songs to get your own feel and sound.

[Yank]

The thing about rhythm guitar is that it can be the engine that drives the train, which rhythm section grooves to and lead floats on top of. Someone has to drive the train. If your lead guy can't (some can't), rhythm section has to step up. Sometimes rhythm guitar doesn't get the respect it deserves. Kinda like bass, some musicians take it for granted till it's gone.