Geek99 Posted February 9 Share Posted February 9 (edited) I totally corpsed it at jam night last night but I learned a few things i have two nights a month agreed with partner as acceptable. We have a lot on to do but she accepts that I WFH full time and need to get out of the house. I have to be back by 10 as the dogs barking will wake the kids. No issue with that. I don’t get much if any practice time but managed to play through and chart Johnny b Goode in B the usual drummer there knows I have a curfew and promised to get me on early but got distracted and another band went on at 9. The singer kept telling them to slow down and he was visibly struggling to keep up. They spotted me and my bass two minutes before I had to leave and I felt pressured to go on, conflicted as I had to get going, slightly nervous anyway plus also wary of the speed thing. They spent ages arguing about whether to do it in A or B, settling on B and then telling me my starting note was A. I knew that was wrong. The guitarist then took off at breakneck speed before stopping, and waiting for everyone else before going off at breakneck speed again. I realised it was all going to pot and then lost my place. At the end I apologised for losing the plot and they said they hadn’t realised I had a curfew. I told them I’d come back better next time I learned that 1. I cannot see the position clearly if I’m not lit. The stage looked bright from out in the room but I realised it wasn’t when I got there. More than once I realised that I was a fret out 2. I’ll never buy a dark wood f board for that reason 3. there’s no guarantee that a band will stick to the original speed, or arrangement 4. I’ve played successfully with other solo players but never a band, I need to practice with a drummer, perhaps I can ask the usual drummer if he can spare some time 5. I need more practice 6. it was shockingly loud and I could not hear the drummer Edited February 10 by Geek99 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nekomatic Posted February 9 Share Posted February 9 Getting your behind kicked at a jam is never fun - been there! - but it teaches you ten times as much as bashing through an easy tune with no upsets, and infinity times as much as not getting up and putting your behind on the line in the first place, so good on you. You'll be back. Carving out the time to play when you've got responsibilities at home can also be a tough one. I'm only just managing it now the kids are teenage! 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted February 9 Author Share Posted February 9 Mine are 14 and 9 with sleep issues. Tried to do some practice on Monday and I had literally played one note (silent) and she came down 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asingardenof Posted February 9 Share Posted February 9 (edited) Oh man, that sucks. Better luck next time! 1 hour ago, Geek99 said: 1. I cannot see the position clearly if I’m not lit. The stage looked bright from out in the room but I realised it wasn’t when I got there. More than once I realised that I was a fret out 2. I’ll never buy a dark wood f board for that reason Would something like this be useful? https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1034693771/fretboard-side-dot-markers Edited February 9 by asingardenof 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted February 9 Share Posted February 9 I remember when I first started playing having a jam with someone who I thought was experienced only to find them playing 14 bars in a 12 bar blues tune. Blew my confidence for a while till I realised that they were blagging it - they weren't that good or experienced. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
12stringbassist Posted February 9 Share Posted February 9 My band runs a jam night. One thing we've learned is that it isn't an exam. We happily laugh at ourselves when we get things wrong because it doesn't really matter - there's always another opportunity to play things. If someone else gets something wrong, it doesn't matter. It's all meant to be fun. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toneknob Posted February 9 Share Posted February 9 My monthly jam night has kicked my butt numerous times. If you go back and take your learnings with you - musical and otherwise, as you've pointed out - you'll end up a better player, someone other want to play with and get more out of the evening. I always make sure I take two or three new (to me) songs that will fit the evening to fit in with the general style. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted February 9 Share Posted February 9 (edited) @Geek99 If you are playing with guys who can't get it right then don't blame yourself. You did well to come away knowing where improvements should be made. So practice, practice, practice and, next time, if no one sensible is in control, you take charge. Edited February 9 by chris_b 3 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted February 9 Author Share Posted February 9 30 minutes ago, TheGreek said: I remember when I first started playing having a jam with someone who I thought was experienced only to find them playing 14 bars in a 12 bar blues tune. Blew my confidence for a while till I realised that they were blagging it - they weren't that good or experienced. These guys were, and very loud. They were very nice about it and I appreciated that. I ran into my drummer buddy on the way out along with his lovely wife; I told him I’d messed up and he said “I know you; you’ll bounce back” 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Edwards69 Posted February 9 Share Posted February 9 2 hours ago, Geek99 said: 2. I’ll never buy a dark wood f board for that reason It for this reason that all my basses have maple fretboards, and most of them have big black fretmarkers. I was caught out at a gig years ago with my old Warwick Thumb that only had small side dots to mark the frets. I had a light in my eye and started the bass intro solo to 'Sweet Child of Mine' out by one fret. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Edwards69 Posted February 9 Share Posted February 9 PS. Don't beat yourself up too much. It sounds like some of the other musicians have awareness issues. The drums and bass should set the tempo and the guitarist should listen, not lead. It may be helpful to memorise some standard chord progressions as well, such as 12 bar blues (which Johnny B Goode uses). If you use the Nashville numbering system (sounds complex, it's not) it takes the songs key out the equation. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted February 9 Author Share Posted February 9 Just now, Greg Edwards69 said: PS. Don't beat yourself up too much. It sounds like some of the other musicians have awareness issues. The drums and bass should set the tempo and the guitarist should listen, not lead. It may be helpful to memorise some standard chord progressions as well, such as 12 bar blues (which Johnny B Goode uses). If you use the Nashville numbering system (sounds complex, it's not) it takes the songs key out the equation. That’s good advice though I was ready to play it in either A or B this surprised me as I wasn’t phased and normally would have been 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_lefty Posted February 9 Share Posted February 9 Music, and jam nights especially, are not the Olympics/ Superbowl/ FA Cup Final. Nobody is paying to watch and there shouldn't be a competitive element. In my first ever gig I fluffed a song I knew inside out having practiced a whole year as a band before the gig, I played a three chord sequence on the A string rather than the E. I left the stage at the end in a huff with myself for messing up but it seems it was only me and the drummer who noticed, and he was laughing it off. The guitarist who was usually a bit of a taskmaster just said "I thought something was off but guessed it was me". Nobody watching noticed or cared because they were too busy enjoying it. Now when I make a mistake I can generally laugh it off with the rest of the band, and work on it later... unless it's a whopper like getting an iconic riff completely wrong, then I accept the bum kicking! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nekomatic Posted February 9 Share Posted February 9 2 hours ago, Geek99 said: Mine are 14 and 9 with sleep issues. Tried to do some practice on Monday and I had literally played one note (silent) and she came down 17 and 14, and it seems like about half an hour ago that the big hairy 17yo was a sweet little 9yo. 42 minutes ago, Greg Edwards69 said: the guitarist should listen Pause. Santa: 'What colour unicorn?' 2 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agent 00Soul Posted February 9 Share Posted February 9 Another good thing to remember is that the audiences are much more forgiving on jam nights or open mikes. They wouldn't be there otherwise. 6 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Franticsmurf Posted February 9 Share Posted February 9 4 hours ago, Geek99 said: I cannot see the position clearly if I’m not lit. The stage looked bright from out in the room but I realised it wasn’t when I got there. More than once I realised that I was a fret out I use stick on (and removable) fluorescent dots I picked up cheaply from Ebay after having experienced this a few times. I love dark fretboards so these really helped. I also find that stage lighting can dazzle and cause problems so I always check out any lighting before hand so I can adjust them or change where I stand. I remember once playing 'How Long' (The Eagles song) which I was also singing. Quite quickly I realised the guitarist was out and his backing vocals were off key, as were my vocals and the other guitarist. But at least my bass line was ...er... oops! I was two frets above where I thought I was. Big smile, nod to the rest of the band, carry on in the correct position, celebrate my jazz improvisation. 😂 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gasman Posted February 10 Share Posted February 10 Everyone messes up sometimes, (even our superb lead guitarist has been known to forget to put a capo on) so don’t worry. Part of the art of being a bass player is the ability to fumble around down the shiny end of the neck while you work out who to follow in what key! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
12stringbassist Posted February 10 Share Posted February 10 THE BASS PLAYER IS ALWAYS RIGHT. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted February 10 Author Share Posted February 10 3 minutes ago, Gasman said: Everyone messes up sometimes, (even our superb lead guitarist has been known to forget to put a capo on) so don’t worry. Part of the art of being a bass player is the ability to fumble around down the shiny end of the neck while you work out who to follow in what key! Thanks I’ve been thinking about the root causes of this. Inadequate preparation, edge of curfew so less willing to get up and felt pressured, loud band of people completely unknown to me, couldn’t hear drummer, not used to playing in a band they kept turning me up and I knew I had got lost and kept reducing my volume (not proud of that part) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted February 10 Share Posted February 10 If it's a blues jam night, most of the time it will be a variant of a twelve-bar for which a walking bass line will be the best fit [1]. Essential bits to know are the key and the order that I IV and V are played in (and if they're sticking in any odd ii or vi somewhere). It's useful to be able to read a guitarist's finger when they're playing chords, especially if they're so loud you can't make out what's going on. But these things will come. The first thing to do is build up your confidence - it sounds like they're quite an encouraging lot so stick at it. Would you be able to get there a bit early and run through something with the drummer and a guitarist before the evening starts? [1] Folsom Prison Blues doesn't count. That's root-5 all the way. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gasman Posted February 10 Share Posted February 10 Hey @Geek99, just interested to notice, a member since 2008, over 7000 posts but not used to playing in a band and a bit fazed by a 12 bar sequence? Are you a classical double bassist by any chance? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted February 10 Author Share Posted February 10 22 minutes ago, Gasman said: Hey @Geek99, just interested to notice, a member since 2008, over 7000 posts but not used to playing in a band and a bit fazed by a 12 bar sequence? Are you a classical double bassist by any chance? No, I have kids, a disabled partner and a ton of work to do on my house. My bass spent 7 years in a wardrobe when we moved in. im not phased by a 12 bar 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White Cloud Posted February 10 Share Posted February 10 Each mistake is a lesson and each lesson makes you better. Just never give up 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamIAm Posted February 10 Share Posted February 10 When everything goes perfectly ... I learn nothing. When I goof up, I blush and just try again ... then reflect on what I need to practice to try to ensure it does not happen next time. Playing bass ... a journey, not a destination Sam x 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmorris Posted February 10 Share Posted February 10 On 09/02/2024 at 12:49, Geek99 said: Mine are 14 and 9 with sleep issues. Tried to do some practice on Monday and I had literally played one note (silent) and she came down So it wasn't actually silent ? Or.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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