TheGreek Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 So I had a jam with a drummer and a guitarist earlier. I thought the drummer had said it would be a keyboard player -[i] I have issues with guitarists who overplay[/i]. The drummer and I arrived on time and set up, the guitarist had to come a bit further to come so had phoned the drummer to say he'd be a bit late. In the mean time the drummer and I had a bit of a jam, I set my level so I wasn't overpowering him and we were both happy. Guitarist comes in about 15 mins late, takes about 15 mins to set up all his gadgets and joins in (too loud). Guitar sounds like everything except a guitar - harp, strings, synth - and he doesn't play a single chord - soloed for the whole 3 hours. Drummer and I were solid, listening to each other and keeping good time/rhythm. There were times when the soloing fit really nicely but the majority of the time it was just "fretboard w***ing" for the sake of it. When it was good, it felt good and I could see potential but the rest of the time I felt like I was there to make the guitarist sound good. There are still other musicians to come in - keys/ sax players. Now the drummer and guitarists are long term friends and though we were grooving without him I'm not sure whether we could go any further without him being in the picture. This was the first rehearsal so I'm tempted to give this another go with the others, who will hopefully take up some of the space he's filling with his solos, but not in the current format. I know bands can be frustrating so I'm prepared to make compromises...what does the BC Massive think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The59Sound Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 Did you ask him if he could play chords and not do solos? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 In many cases Mick, the bass & drums [u]are[/u] there to make the guitarist and singer sound good - as that`s what audiences listen to/focus on. If we`re on our game and a guitarist is mediocre, most will still think he was great and not know what the hell we`re doing up there. The flip-side to the coin above is that if you and the drummer were both all over the pace you`d never have thought is sounded good, or seen any potential, so look at it is a demon rhythm section doing their bit and laying a solid foundation for the limelight-boys to work over. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cato Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 (edited) I'm not condoning it, but generally speaking it's easier for a guitarist to solo over a jam than it is to work out the chords on the fly, it's also a lot of over indulgent fun and easy to get carried away. Try giving him some actual songs to learn next time, you may find him taking a far more disciplined aproach. Edited May 21, 2017 by Cato Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjones Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 (edited) Many years ago my band auditioned a guitarist. He set his stuff up and we jammed along nicely but I noticed that he was playing just very fast, flashy lead guitar. So I said to him 'Your lead is great. Why don't you try out a bit of rhythm guitar now? This song is in E major.' He said 'How would I do that?'. I said ' Eh, play an E major chord?'. He said 'I don't know how to'. I looked at him in amazement and then, after lifting my jaw off the floor, showed him how to play an open E chord on his guitar. Just in case you were wondering............he didn't get the job. Edited May 21, 2017 by gjones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer of the Bass Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 (edited) The band I play guitar in has only one guitar, yet the ad I answered was specifically looking for a rhythm guitarist. Apparently this is because they'd already audtioned five or six insatiable widdlers. Several years later I still haven't tried to squeeze in anything resembling a solo (though I do play some melodic parts), and they seem to like it that way. Edited May 21, 2017 by Beer of the Bass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazzbass Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 guitarists who don't know chords, where DO you guys find them? trust your first instinct, run, Forrest, run Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 [quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1495400442' post='3303519'] The band I play guitar in has only one guitar, yet the ad I answered was specifically looking for a rhythm guitarist. Apparently this is because they'd already audtioned five or six insatiable widdlers. Several years later I still haven't tried to squeeze in anything resembling a solo (though I do play some melodic parts), and they seem to like it that way. [/quote] Your guitar playing in NUF is very tasty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer of the Bass Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 (edited) [quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1495442822' post='3303669'] Your guitar playing in NUF is very tasty [/quote] I guess the solution to widdly guitarists is to find a moonlighting bassist for the job! Edited May 22, 2017 by Beer of the Bass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassjim Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 I had this once with a a guy that although very good, would noodle in a jazz style over everything. You could stop him and say this just needs a supportive role like Steely Dan during the verses but before you knew it we were back on widdling. Would look at you whilst smiling in a " isn't this great?" kind of way whilst doing so. He just couldn't help himself. Despite the "I have done sessions with..." speech, he came across as very well learned theory wise, knew all about inversions, had great chords and even had great tone but clearly inexperienced playing in a band. Definitely no experience in a gigging band despite claims about touring. I also think he got bored really quickly if not widdling and fiddling. In addition to that he was one of those guys that felt we all wanted to have an instant theory and jazz lesson. Next!....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul h Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 Recently I have really struggled with guitarists. Tried out one that turned every modern country song into a Gary Moore track. Great lead guitarist, terrible playing choices. Then I rehearsed for a while with an acoustic guitarist and an electric player...who played exactly like it was an acoustic guitar. It worked for some bits but mostly it just lacked any kind of oomph. Also they had trouble learning the songs. As the bass player I never really want to be in a position to have to show the guitarists the songs. I even swapped to guitar to try and remedy the situation but as a couple of BC'ers will be able to attest to...my guitar playing is not really up to scratch. So yeah...guitarists eh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul h Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 We should have a jam Mick. I'm not a good enough lead guitarist to just constantly solo over everything Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 Mick, if you do a try-out with Paul, just make sure he wears the hat, OK? The hat matters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul h Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 [quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1495455141' post='3303811'] Mick, if you do a try-out with Paul, just make sure he wears the hat, OK? The hat matters. [/quote] Lol. Funky stuff requires the flat cap though not the cowboy hat....different hats for different vibes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 Would that be a Snapback, Paul? Bwahahahahaha!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul h Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 Hahaha. I had no idea what one was at first! But no. I draw the line at a Snapback....headwear, and song Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_5 Posted May 22, 2017 Share Posted May 22, 2017 Run. Don't even bother to pack, just RUN!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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