Guitarists... why are they such knackers

[Geek99]

3 hours ago, snorkie635 said:

 

What was that danish king … him with the waves … oh yes … Canute (some vowels  here are unnecessary) 

[Geek99]

3 hours ago, nilorius said:

Nothing to do with this, they are, they was, they will be, just like dinosaurs. We just have to live with this, it's ok !!!

No, it is not, definitely not, okay

[Gasman]

19 hours ago, BigRedX said:

Bad guitarists are no worse than any other bad musician. Get rid ASAP, because by keeping them in the band your are only enabling their bad habits. If you kick them out (and tell them why you are kicking them out) then maybe they will eventually learn, or stick in the environment where they are currently best suited - playing by themselves at home.

Playing WiTH themselves at home, surely?

[nige1968]

10 hours ago, snorkie635 said:

 

 

It is *always* time for this picture.

[Gasman]

Judging by the map on the wall behind him, he must be silent busking 'Going Underground'...   

[BigRedX]

2 hours ago, Gasman said:

Playing WiTH themselves at home, surely?

 

I resisted the temptation to type that...

[Ralf1e]

On 01/05/2023 at 18:55, ezbass said:

I think the OP should be retitled, Musicians…. Why Are They Such Knackers.

 

I have had a almost a week of passive/aggressive shenanigans from the drummer, with him manufacturing a scenario where he can take offence at something trivial and throw his toys out of the pram. If you want to leave just say you’ve had enough, don’t look for someone else to blame. FFS! 😤

I think you are right. Musicians are creative, artistic, sensitive people as are mathematicians, politicians etc. Lol

They constantly need reassurance that they are better and more valuable than they are or they loose confidence and run away to hide or become instant megalomaniacs.

Someone said the other day "throw a stick and you hit a guitarist they are everywhere and everyone wants to be one but you will hardly ever hit a bass player"

He had a point.

Edited May 3, 2023 by Ralf1e
Typo

[stewblack]

Luckily guitar players are 10 a penny so you ought to find hundreds.

It's finding the ones who want to work like you want to work.

The best guitarist I've played with is like me, he'd rather chew through his own leg than waste time and money in band rehearsals. Imagine being expected to go to work , in your time, and paying to be there, because your coworkers needed you there so they can practice working. 🤦

[asingardenof]

9 hours ago, Geek99 said:

What was that danish king … him with the waves … oh yes … Canute (some vowels  here are unnecessary) 

Cnut if you want to be pedantic  

[Geek99]

28 minutes ago, asingardenof said:

Cnut if you want to be pedantic  

Yes, but mine was funnier 

[Woodinblack]

21 hours ago, asingardenof said:

To have done nothing in a month is just unacceptable, however talented you are

 

Also not going to turn up at the same time, if you were talented,you would have learned the songs.

 

We got a new guitarist just before christmas, showed him the setlist, asked him to learn 3 songs for the audition, come the audition he had done those 3, but then we went through another 12

 

 

15 hours ago, Boodang said:

We've just taken on a second guitarist with some very irritating habits. He treats rehearsal time as 'time to start learning the songs', although after a friendly word that has hopefully changed.

 

doubt it - our old guitarist did that, he never changed

[gjones]

I was in a band, until recently, which was originally formed by two guitarists in 2019. We'd started 6 months before lockdown and were working on a set. In 2022 we got back together and spent a lot of time and money working on two sets worth of songs (about 25 songs). 

 

I decided it was time to get a decent demo together so booked a studio. We picked the songs and 3 days before recording got together to go through the tunes we were planning to record. In the rehearsal room one of the guitarists seemed a bit distant and was not contributing much. Then, the next day (2 days before we were due in the studio) he sends a Whatsapp message to us all to say he doesn't want to join us in the studio.

 

Of course I contact the studio, to apologise for mucking them about, and cancel the studio session.

 

We then organised a band meeting and he explains he doesn't like approximately half the songs in the set, as there's nothing for him to do (i.e. there's only one guitar part on the original record and no guitar solos).

 

He's a grown man, we've been rehearsing this stuff since 2019. Why wait until 2 days before a recording session to tell us this?

 

The singer in the band started a poll to pick the songs that we all liked. At which stage I told them if the criteria a song has to meet to get it in the set, is that its a song we all like, then it's going to be an awfully small set.........and left the band.

 

But I took the singer with me. She is a great singer and really loves Americana and Country. The songs we will play will be the songs she wants to sing, not the songs the guitarist wants us to play (because he likes the guitar solo). 

 

What's that joke about how does a guitarist change a lightbulb?

 

 

 

 

[fleabag]

Maybe ...

 

How many guitarists does it take to change a lightbulb?

50 – one to change it and the other 49 to say “I could have done that better”  

 

Or...

 

What's the difference bewteen God and a guitarist  ?

God doesn't think he's a guitarist.

 

ad.Inf.

[Phil Starr]

Guitarists, drummers, singers, bassists aren’t really the types of musicians you need to worry about IME. The big divide is between gigging musicians and the rest. Skilled and unskilled, pro or semi-pro, talented or just jobbing all fails into insignificance if you are in a band with these people. 
 

For a covers band you are going to need probably 30 songs to create an evening’s entertainment. That’s a lot of work. It’s disrespectful to expect to turn up knowing you’re going to mess up in front of an audience and to turn up to a rehearsal with four other people having learned the songs you are there to practice without having them good enough that you don’t hold them back.

 

Hands up, I’m not the world’s greatest player, my playing is at best intermediate, we don’t all learn at the same rate but you know if someone is working hard. They make every rehearsal, turn up with everything prepared and let you know if there is a problem.

 

Weve had a bit of illness and a couple of changes of personnel recently and I’ve worked with several dep’s. It’s been a privilege and an eye opener. Some have just been wonderful, a drummer who depped without rehearsal and others an inspiration. We had a bassist who depped on drums. He’d never gigged drums before but he learned the set,kept it simple and then sang harmonies as well. He was a gigging musician though so a deep understanding of what was needed carried him through. These people are real pro’s and a delight to work with, much more important than raw talent.

 

We are a tolerant band, no big egos, we’ve all messed up but no one takes the mickey. We forgive mistakes from a new band member but you know if someone isn’t putting in a shift or they just aren’t capable. If every rehearsal shows some progress you know they are trying. If none of your set is working you know you’ll never get there.

 

Get rid of these two or you will never leave the rehearsal room. With a decent keys player you can probably rehearse the rhythm section and vocals and be ready when you find the right guitarist. See how it goes with one before you add to your problems.

[Gasman]

On a positive note, there are some nice guitarists personality- and work-ethic-wise out there if you can find them. I have to say that of all the guitarists I've played alongside, the guy in my current band is the most talented, humorous, dedicated and together chap I've had the pleasure to know - such a change from the widdlers, soi-disant six-string gods, slackers and knobs that I've endured in the past. Of course, to be fair maybe my past bandmates had me marked down as one of the above, except that us bass players don't widdle, do we? 

 

Oh, and our guy is a very good bass-player too - handy for my short set on sax...