nobodysprefect Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 So, was at a gig last night with this woman singer who's an absolute Wonder Girl. She's had her head up her admittably highly attractive bottom for years now, and won't get her material + written music covering traditional dance music together, as it's not, according to her, 'good music.' Well, some of it has been written by greats and a lot of people enjoy playing that stuff and especially dancing to that stuff... But for her, it's gotta be Stevie Wonder. And damnation, some of that stuff is a chore to play well as a bassist when it's never been rehearsed and she can't be arsed to get someone to write decent sheets for that either. Exhibit 1 'Isn't she lovely': which version should I base my bassline on? Exhibit 2 'I Wish': we totally missed the ending hits. And the drummer put the tempo 20 bpm over the original, so no more relaxed groove. What's this got to do with disliking the music? I dunno... She dislikes the other half of the music required for the gigs. And won't take the 2 hours it takes to put together the sheets for subs. And for my part, my immense dislike for mr. Wonder's music hampers my thinking up a bassline for ex 1. In fact, I botched that song... I'd done rote learning (don't need to think about the song that way) and the transposing messed that approach. Oh, and she's one of those vocalists who almost never miss a pitch. I've heard she was a little off on a gig about two years ago. Perhaps this is the reason for her not having decent sheets:'Well, *I* never get it wrong, why don't you substitutes know this material in my key, 'coz *I* sure do!' For goodness sakes, look at those cakes! How do you deal with gigs that have [i]all [/i]of the following: material which you don't know, based on versions you don't know, with no sheets to speak of and either individual songs of genres with which you don't even want to get acquainted? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 Unhelpful answer #1 - Walk Away ... you don't need this. Slightly more helpful answer #2 - Get Into Stevie Wonder ... he's worth it. Most helpful answer #3 - Talk To Her ... she might listen, and even if she doesn't she can't claim later that she never realised. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowdown Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 Ok, Does not sound like a good situation. But reading into your post, its seems you were a dep. If so, and you are depping or freelancing. Its a good idea to have this sort of stuff under your belt. Or some sort of contact with the singer before the gig so you can do some homework. The tunes you mention do pop up quite a lot. And as Happy Jack said. SW is well worth a good listen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rowbee Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 [quote name='nobody's prefect' post='403216' date='Feb 8 2009, 09:59 AM']Exhibit 2 'I Wish': we totally missed the ending hits. And the drummer put the tempo 20 bpm over the original, so no more relaxed groove.[/quote] Even 20 bpm more than the original and that's gotta be pretty tough to play - well done! I guess you've just got to ask yourself what you actually get out of the gig: Do you get any kind of musical gratification? Are you being paid? Is it enough? Are you just there to look at the singer even though she annoys the hell out of you? Do you really want to be there? It doesn't sound like it and it appears to frustrate you more than anything. I'd probably start looking for another gig to fill that slot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ARGH Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 Whats the pay? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutToPlayJazz Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 (edited) [quote]Whats the pay?[/quote] Admittedly, that was my first thought. If you're a musician on the payroll, you turn up on time, play the gig, get paid and go home. End of story. I get paid thousands of pounds a year to play music I loathe. You just have to keep your mouth shut and take the money... I quite like the Stevie Wonder lines, but you can always funk them up a little more and put your own signature on them. Music doesn't have to be the same as the record. It's you playing the track, not the original recording bass player Rich. Edited February 8, 2009 by OutToPlayJazz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ARGH Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 [quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='403244' date='Feb 8 2009, 10:40 AM']Admittedly, that was my first thought. I you're a musician on the payroll, you turn up on time, play the gig, get paid and go home. End of story. I get paid thousands of pounds a year to play music I loathe. You just have to keep your mouth shut and take the money... Rich.[/quote] The best bit is when the dough goes to good use....but GOD getting it can be AGONY!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casapete Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 [quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='403244' date='Feb 8 2009, 10:40 AM']Admittedly, that was my first thought. If you're a musician on the payroll, you turn up on time, play the gig, get paid and go home. End of story. I get paid thousands of pounds a year to play music I loathe. You just have to keep your mouth shut and take the money... I quite like the Stevie Wonder lines, but you can always funk them up a little more and put your own signature on them. Music doesn't have to be the same as the record. It's you playing the track, not the original recording bass player Rich.[/quote] I agree about putting your own signature on stuff. However, don't forget that if everyone in the band were to do this, the song may get to a point where the punters don't like/recognize it , it defeats the reason you were booked in the first place! I remember depping on guitar years ago for a function band who did Orbisons 'Pretty Woman' - the Mark King style bass solo in the middle cleared the dance floor in seconds, yet the band did n't understand why and blamed the punters for having no taste! So keep changes subtle if you must, but remember that the original is usually best for a reason! And learn to love Stevie Wonder of course - look on the bright side, you could be having to play a lot worse. (I know this from experience!) :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGit Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 You accept the dep gig and the money, you just have to play what's needed and put up with the conditions ... If you want to have a say you join the band. If, however, this is just a moan about singers with anal-cranium syndrome then I'm on your side and l, as you have said, the visuals are some kind of compensation ... Stevie has his moments too .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hubrad Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 Even if you're playing The Wild Rover for the thirtieth time this month (been there, even managed to work past loathing to enjoy it again) just remember you're still doing what alot of folks never get past dreaming about. Alternatively go back to a more conventional way of earning the supermarket bill (if you stack shelves they'll give you staff discount) and only ever play what you want. If you're a dep, you have to play what the band play, either from charts if that's your [u]and[/u] their bag, or your ear has to develop pretty fast. If you're a member of this band, it sounds like time for one of those 'band discussions'. Best of luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 I've found Stevie Wonders bass lines to be uniquely challenging mainly because they weren't written for bass guitar. The fingerings take me all over the place and well outside the standard 1 finger per fret. Its also really interesting when the bass line is almost as complex as the melody in places. As for the singer, I can't add anything to what has already been said. Some good advice there and I can identify with your situation closely having just left my band this week for a whole host of good reasons. I'll still miss it though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 [quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='403244' date='Feb 8 2009, 10:40 AM']If you're a musician on the payroll, you turn up on time, play the gig, get paid and go home. End of story. You just have to keep your mouth shut and take the money...[/quote] Absolutely. For a paid dep, this is the only possible mantra. [quote name='OldGit' post='403307' date='Feb 8 2009, 12:12 PM']Stevie has his moments too ..[/quote] Exhibit #1 for the prosecution: I Just Called To Say I Love You But he can be forgiven for almost anything, simply for giving us Superstition, Sir Duke and I Wish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6stringbassist Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 I did a dep gig a few years ago for a band, they were doing a lot of Stevie Wonder stuff. They did 'I wish' in I think it was D or it may have been Db, so it totally screwed up the bass riff, thing is they told me that everything was the original key, they'd given me a tape with all the songs on to learn. The main problem was that the manager/leader of the band and the guy who hired me was the drummer, I suppose key signatures don't mean much to drummers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowdown Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 (edited) [quote name='Rich' post='403341' date='Feb 8 2009, 12:47 PM']But he can be forgiven for almost anything, simply for giving us Superstition, Sir Duke and I Wish.[/quote] And this, Garry Edited February 8, 2009 by lowdown Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rowbee Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 Singers and drummers are completely different animals and can sometimes get away without even being musicians! Besides, it truly [i]could[/i] be worse, you could be playing Summer of 69. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 +1 for most of these replies. In my opinion, if you are depping you have to find out what you are expected to play, learn it and play it better than the guy who you are depping for. Then hopefully you will get complemented, get paid and go home happy that a good job was done. Oh, and get booked again. If you want control over your destiny, write the songs and sing them, and don't expect rational behaviour from singers!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrcrow Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 go hunt penguins and wait for the sun to come back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bumnote Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 [quote name='lowdown' post='403355' date='Feb 8 2009, 01:12 PM']And this, Garry[/quote] stonking thanks for that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soulfinger Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 Let´s see... you have a problem with a lady who doesn´t want to sing music she dislikes because you dislike the music she wants to sing. I´d say we call it a draw. I´m sure a lot of the guys here playing in covers bands would love to have the opportunity to play stuff like "Isn´t she Lovely" and "I Wish". Both cracking tunes and very inspiring to play IMHO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorks5stringer Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 To the OP and b.r.e.a.t.h.e...................................! To paraphrase someone else, you could be playing Brown Eyed Girl! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rowbee Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 [quote name='yorks5stringer' post='403704' date='Feb 8 2009, 07:48 PM']To paraphrase someone else, you could be playing Brown Eyed Girl![/quote] As much as I've learnt to loathe that tune, it still doesn't beat Summer of 69 for me. I guess everyone here who's ever done covers could produce a list of the worst pub rock fodder they've had to grin and bear. Not that they're necessarily bad tunes, they're just waaaaaaaaay overdone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 Next Saturday I've been asked to learn Somewhere In My Heart by Aztec Camera. I [i]really[/i] don't like it but it'll be over in 3 mins and then I get to play stuff like this with some great players. Easy decision really! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaggy Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 [quote name='nobody's prefect' post='403216' date='Feb 8 2009, 09:59 AM']So, was at a gig last night with this woman singer who's an absolute Wonder Girl. She's had her head up her admittably highly attractive bottom for years now,[/quote] Played in a band with female vocals for a couple of years, and IMO an attractive bottom goes a long way to compensate for shortcomings in personality or vocal performance . [quote name='Rich' post='403341' date='Feb 8 2009, 12:47 PM']Exhibit #1 for the prosecution: I Just Called To Say I Love You But he can be forgiven for almost anything, simply for giving us Superstition, Sir Duke and I Wish.[/quote] +1 on those; some SW is pure tosh (isn’t she lovely etc), Synth part on Boogie on Reggae woman transposes really well to bass - loved playing that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 [quote name='Soulfinger' post='403703' date='Feb 8 2009, 07:48 PM']I´m sure a lot of the guys here playing in covers bands would love to have the opportunity to play stuff like "Isn´t she Lovely" and "[b]I Wish[/b]". Both cracking tunes and very inspiring to play IMHO.[/quote]Yes, it's in our set... and yes, oh god I LOVE playing it. The groove is so cool, it gives me goosebumps. Wonderful, if you pardon the pun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevB Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 I'd rather play Summer of 69 than Sweet Home Alabama any day ^_^ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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