Asked to dep in a rehearsal

[julietgreen]

Have you ever been asked to come along to a band's rehearsal because their bassist was not able to make it but they really needed some bass.

 

I find this an odd request. No gig. No fee. Just could you come and sit in for us.

[Lozz196]

Yes, happened twice with me, both a good few years back. Was originals in both cases as well, so I couldn’t practice in advance. In both cases I ended up joining the bands.

[JapanAxe]

Par for the course with big bands - it’s rare that all 20 members will be available on a given night. I’ve sometimes been paid expenses if the rehearsal room isn’t local to me.

 

I’ve also volunteered to stand in at other (non-big-band) rehearsals as a way of getting in as a dep and/or broadening my experience.

 

To the OP, entirely your decision whether it’s how you want to spend your time.

[fretmeister]

I've done a few and I've turned some down too.

 

If it's free then there has to be something else for me. Could be as simple as me fancying playing stuff I wouldn't normally, or playing with a drummer I've never played with before just for the experience. The reason doesn't have to be as important as maybe getting into the band. Just if I fancy the craic I suppose.

 

But then again if it's a Friday night and I want a curry then I won't!

[ezbass]

1 hour ago, julietgreen said:

really needed some bass.

If they need it that much, they should be willing to pay for it, especially if you have to put some work in to learn the tunes (maybe you don’t).
 

In answer to your actual question, no I haven’t.

[bassbiscuits]

No. I barely rehearse with any of my own bands let alone anyone else’s. 

[gjones]

Maybe they're unhappy with their bass player and want to try someone else out that might be a better fit than the usual guy.

 

Maybe he never turns up for rehearsals and they're getting cheesed off.

 

Maybe they want to make him aware he's walking on thin ice.

 

Girls always used to use me as the dude who made their boyfriend jealous and pay more attention to them, by dancing with me all night while their boyfriend was slumped by the bar (if their boyfriend punched me they knew they'd got his attention and their plan had been successful).

 

You're ME, The band is the GIRL, their normal bassist is the BOYFRIEND

[Huge Hands]

I've seen it happen with a few bands over the years - everyone is psyched up to rehearse and then someone pulls out at the last minute - do you all cancel (and potentially lose a rehearsal room booking deposit) or do you ask someone you know to sit in to save the time?    For those that say "I don't rehearse" - not everyone has constant gigs lined up all the time and the getting together is part of the fun.

 

In the cases I have seen this happen, it is usually because the rest of the band are disgruntled with an unreliable member, and hope the threat of this happening will get said member worried about their position in the band and sort themselves out, or as others have said, if they find someone gels while depping, they may just sack their current band member and go with the dep.

 

I seem to remember this happening with a drummer once, but the dep was not so good and the plan backfired as it gave the original drummer more leeway to take the p*ss once he knew he was the best they had so far.  Didn't take us much longer to find an even better one though....

 

[chris_b]

Many years ago we had a drummer who was about the join the band when he dropped a bomb-shell, he'd do the gigs but wanted to dep out the rehearsals!! 

 

He didn't join the band.

 

 

[meterman]

2 hours ago, julietgreen said:

Have you ever been asked to come along to a band's rehearsal because their bassist was not able to make it but they really needed some bass.

 

I find this an odd request. No gig. No fee. Just could you come and sit in for us.

I'd want paying for that.

 

Once, one of my mates got a gig playing drums with what you'd nowadays call a 'heritage' act. Big in the 1970's / 80's / 90's and pretty much a household name. Amazingly for me, he managed to wangle me in on percussion duties. We did two days of very weird-vibe rehearsals, minus the lead vocalist, and everyone was talking in hushed whispers to the guitarist who appeared to be MD'ing the rehearsals and shows.

 

At the end of the second day, me and the drummer were taken to one side by the guitarist who thanked us profusely for our time, but said that they were reverting to their usual drums and percussion team for the shows.

 

Basically, we were there under false pretences, thinking "Yay! Two well paid high profile gigs in decent venues!" but in reality we were just placeholders for the two musicians that couldn't make the first two rehearsals. Invoice after invoice to the artists management seemed to 'go missing' and in the end I gave up chasing it. 
 

It happens at all levels. And it stinks. It's your choice obviously, but I'd want some form of reimbursement for my time, and so should you. 👍

[Woodinblack]

I have. If you want to play with them, then do it, if you can't be bothered, don't. Seems like an easy choice. I did it because I wanted to.

[MacDaddy]

2 hours ago, meterman said:

I'd want paying for that.

 

Once, one of my mates got a gig playing drums with what you'd nowadays call a 'heritage' act. Big in the 1970's / 80's / 90's and pretty much a household name. Amazingly for me, he managed to wangle me in on percussion duties. We did two days of very weird-vibe rehearsals, minus the lead vocalist, and everyone was talking in hushed whispers to the guitarist who appeared to be MD'ing the rehearsals and shows.

 

At the end of the second day, me and the drummer were taken to one side by the guitarist who thanked us profusely for our time, but said that they were reverting to their usual drums and percussion team for the shows.

 

Basically, we were there under false pretences, thinking "Yay! Two well paid high profile gigs in decent venues!" but in reality we were just placeholders for the two musicians that couldn't make the first two rehearsals. Invoice after invoice to the artists management seemed to 'go missing' and in the end I gave up chasing it. 
 

It happens at all levels. And it stinks. It's your choice obviously, but I'd want some form of reimbursement for my time, and so should you. 👍

 

 

Name and shame!

[meterman]

1 minute ago, MacDaddy said:

 

 

Name and shame!

Fella's surname might possibly rhyme with "Sherry" ; )

 

Also, the rehearsals were boring AF. 

[bassace]

It’s called networking. Always a good investment whether you get paid or not. 

[meterman]

54 minutes ago, bassace said:

It’s called networking. Always a good investment whether you get paid or not. 

Definitely true, networking is essential, although sometimes (as I was) you'll be out of your league and it won't matter who you're playing for or with - sometimes you will never see those people again, except on TV on the Graham Norton show, or SNL, or with Robbie Williams on the main stage at Glastonbury or something. 
 

I wish I'd been a better networker. And a better musician. But it's okay. I've done the best I could whilst hogging the slow lane 👍

[tubbybloke68]

Yes, a drummer who i know asked if I could stand in for one rehearsal…. So i went for the craic. Not particularly impressed with the outfit but it meant they got a run through. 40 miles round trip and I never got offered petrol money 🤣.Driving back I did wonder why I’d agreed to do it… but there you go!! 🤣

[SumOne]

Yeah, I take it as a compliment for the Bass as an instrument. 

 

Generally, no Bass or Drums means we get a dep, if we can't then we cancel rehearsal. The consensus is we can carry on without other band members, must have a rhythm section though. 

 

Lots of non music jobs I've got have been from temping becoming permanent, seems similar with deps. 

[pete.young]

6 hours ago, julietgreen said:

 

 

I find this an odd request. No gig. No fee. Just could you come and sit in for us.

 

Look on the bright side, at least they didn't ask you to pay a share of the studio costs!

 

This is not unheard of in the brass band world, although you'd normally only bring someone to a rehearsal if they were depping a gig later on.