That old problem of missing notes when playing

[Dad3353]

18 minutes ago, JoeEvans said:

Out of rhythm is much, much worse than wrong note. So I think the main thing in terms of approach to playing is to get in the groove, dance around a bit so that you're engaging with the rhythm with your whole body, and concentrate more on what the drummer's playing than on what you're playing. Then let your fingers take care of themselves.

 

And there's your drummer thinking 'I'll concentrate more on what the bassist's playing than on what I'm playing. Then my arms and feet will take care of themselves..!' 

[uk_lefty]

I love some of the comments in here like "perfection is boring". If people want perfect they wouldn't go to watch covers bands, they'd stay at home with a CD or they'd feed the jukebox. It's the mistakes and imperfections that make it a great live experience, the fact that it could all fall apart any second keeps us on our toes. A good band pulls through the mistakes, it happens so, so often... 

 

My most embarrassing one in the last three years is: having a complete mind blank while trying to start off "Seven Nation Army". The song I used to describe as Fisher Price 'my first bassline'. It took me well into the first verse to remember the riff!!!

[Stub Mandrel]

2 hours ago, Hellzero said:

Then there's the George Benson trick: repeat your mistakes, so they become a part of what you're playing.

 

 

 

Oh,  I have never done that.

 

Not once...

[JoeEvans]

1 hour ago, Dad3353 said:

 

And there's your drummer thinking 'I'll concentrate more on what the bassist's playing than on what I'm playing. Then my arms and feet will take care of themselves..!' 

Exactly - now both your immediate conscious minds are focusing on keeping your playing connected, and your unconscious minds can get on with the actual playing.

[SimonK]

Couldn't help think of this thread as we played this tonight!

 

Granted the bass line pretty much is the tune but loads more notes than I'm used to!!

 

[moley6knipe]

4 hours ago, Obrienp said:

This thread has landed at exactly the right moment for me. It’s reassuring to know others get it wrong. I had a band rehearsal yesterday and I couldn’t do anything right. I couldn’t keep up with the pace of some songs, I hit wrong notes (worse than missing a note), I forgot stuff,  I couldn’t get the bass to stay in tune; on it went. It came to a climax/anti-climax in “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” when I did the B flat major scale run down wrong (ended on A) and as for the two little three note chromatic run downs, I just couldn’t get the timing right. It threw me into a complete depression about my playing, fearing that age was causing a decline in my abilities and I was contemplating suggesting they get another bassist today (after 5 years in this band). Anyway this has cheered me up. I think I’ll postpone any self-destructive decisions until I’m absolutely sure I’m crap! 😀

Oh I wouldn’t worry about that. I’ve been left with my d*** hanging in the breeze playing CLTCL sooo many times. Audience + audience having consumed alcohol is always my friend here. Also, stand next to a s*** guitarist. That helps 😆

Edited December 6 by moley6knipe

[moley6knipe]

So let’s REALLY ‘fess up… how many of us have messed up The Chain. You know the bit. Me, for one!

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

10 hours ago, FretsOnFire said:

I've noticed that when I play I very rarely if ever can get through
songs (covers) with 100% of the notes hit.

 

I seem to be unable to play
a song without the odd mistake (not that anybody but me would notice
unless you played the song yourself)

I've read that even the pros have this issue but it's still in the
back of my mind that I've made the mistake and I'm sure I'm not the
only one here with the issue.

 

My question is.... How the heck do you get along with this problem? 😬😁

Mmm. How long have you been playing the material? If it's a long time, you're probably dwelling on it longer than you should be.

I go through phases where a I have 'nemesis' tunes. Songs I know I'm not going to get through unscathed. Thing is, it passes over time; for me anyway.

It used to be Footloose. I don't even think about it now. Then it was True. I used to be wracked with fear about the sax solo section. History now.

I remember I did a Bowie gig once and the audience wouldn't let us go. We did so many encores we were running out of songs.

Keys said let's do Five Years and I said I couldn't remember it, despite playing it hundreds of times, but I had been put on the spot to recall it and I couldn't.

Completely screwed it up, but nobody gave a stuff about it.

Then it was Somebody To Love. Boss that now. Then it was Save Me - do it my sleep now.

I'll have the same problems with Spread Your Wings and I Want It All next year when we do them.

The more pressure you put on yourself to perform a song with 100% accuracy, the worse it will be.

Where are you in Essex?

[Skinnyman]

2 hours ago, moley6knipe said:

So let’s REALLY ‘fess up… how many of us have messed up The Chain. You know the bit. Me, for one!

That’s one of the few i can reliably manage (these days, it wasn’t always so). My personal bete noir is All Right Now. I could play it perfectly when practising at home or at rehearsals. At a gig? I’d stumble on the part under the guitar solo every feckin’ time.

 

It got to the stage where we’d make a big thing of it and turn it into a joke. The one occasion i got through it without fluffing got a mammoth cheer.

 

 

[Norris]

My guitarist is pro and makes mistakes all the time. I don't often make mistakes, which is why he makes a big deal of it when I do - all good natured though. Anyone watching the band would know when someone has made a mistake because of the faces the others pull 😂

 

It happens. Try your best but don't beat yourself up if it's not perfect.

 

I managed to play a phrase on the wrong string tonight - it sounded like a car crash. Back in on the right note on the 1 of the next bar, and no-one noticed apart from me 🤷‍♂️

[ubit]

I used to get annoyed at my guitarist mate who would glare at me if I made a mistake.

 

I would say no one noticed until you drew everyones attention to it.

 

It was a bit rich too, because he used to sometimes sound like Les Dawson playing a solo!

[Velarian]

Here’s the great Chuck Rainey with a nice story about messing up. 
 

 

[Bassybert]

I'm a massive fan of Neil Young and Crazy Horse. A lot of the time they're on the edge, capable of falling apart at any moment but that's why it's so good. Live music is all about emotion and being in the moment.

 

The person that notices a mistake the most is the player, then band members as they'll be used to how you play the song. Lastly it's the audience, and in my experience most of them wouldn't even know it's happened - They're largely paying attention to everyone BUT the bass player 😂

 

Just remember you're playing because you love it, you're not a professional, so stop putting too much pressure on yourself and enjoy the ride - We're all human, and humans make mistakes. Some of us make a lot and are fine with it, some of us like to think we don't make many/any, but still make a lot!

[Franticsmurf]

If I make mistakes during a gig, it's usually a concentration thing and for me that means it's normally during a relatively simple piece. My bass 'upbringing' was in a trio where I had to be busy when the guitarist/singer went into solo mode. As a result, I tend to struggle more on the simpler lines as my mind tells me I can do this with my eyes closed while the rest of me does it's upmost to prove my mind wrong. 😀 I've missed the classic runs in Crazy Little Thing Called Love, played half a verse out of sync with the guitarist when I was singing 'How Long' (although the jury is still out on who actually instigated the half verse error), and dropped enough notes to fill an experimental jazz set. But as has also been pointed out, usually no one in the audience knows and most wouldn't care as long as the song carries on.

 

I agree with those who have said it's better to play nothing than to play the wrong notes - I've done this and will continue to do it if I have to. Also I have done the 'repeat the mistake' trick and as long as the original error isn't too horrendous, it does work quite well. I now play with a band of mixed live gigging experience and skills and one of the things I tell them (mainly as humour to diffuse last minute nerves) is that if they make a mistake, to immediately stare at someone else to make it look as if that person is at fault. 

 

In the world of bands that I play in, perfection is an admirable goal but not an absolute requirement.

[ordep]

last week I managed to play the first 9 songs of the set flawlessly. On the tenth and last song, the vocalist whispered, “we will be recording this last song for our promo video”

 

completely butchered it. 😁

[diskwave]

I was looking for that Chuck Rainey quote too, knew I'd heard it somewhere. But its interesting phenomena.

 

Couple years back I got a dep with a very good Beatles/60's outfit. They were all retired with wifey on keys, hubby on guitar and a very good singer/guitarist..plus drums, all singing harmonies. Dont think I've ever worked so hard... There were no charts or anything.  60 tricky tunes in 2 weeks  and I did drop a few clangers here and there.

 

They were tight as a wotsit and I dont think the singer was totally impressed.  Most of the time you can get away with it... but playing with them was def pushing the envelope so to speak, needless to say I didnt hear from them again.

[chris_b]

We were asked to learn a song for a posh party gig. The guitarist launched into it and after 4 bars the rest of the band came in. . . . in a different key! We'd all listened to one version on YT and he'd listened to a different version!!

 

We were busking Roy Orbison's Pretty Woman and I thought I knew it. Unfortunately I hit the wrong chord at the start of the middle section, after that I couldn't get it back on track. 5 years later and the band still rips the P out of me for that one.

 

Stuff happens.

[Stub Mandrel]

11 hours ago, Skinnyman said:

That’s one of the few i can reliably manage (these days, it wasn’t always so). My personal bete noir is All Right Now. I could play it perfectly when practising at home or at rehearsals. At a gig? I’d stumble on the part under the guitar solo every feckin’ time.

 

It got to the stage where we’d make a big thing of it and turn it into a joke. The one occasion i got through it without fluffing got a mammoth cheer.

 

 

 

Heard a 'classic' live version the othe day and to my ear Andy Fraser was playing a 'simplified version' 😁

[Stub Mandrel]

2 hours ago, Franticsmurf said:

Also I have done the 'repeat the mistake' trick and as long as the original error isn't too horrendous,

 

The cure is usually a 'Victor Wooten' semitone slide into the right note/key. The timing may sound odd but do it three times...

[NHM]

I hate it if I miss the string with my pleccy on the first beat of the bar - it sounds like the band has swallowed a fart. 

[ubit]

2 hours ago, chris_b said:

We were asked to learn a song for a posh party gig. The guitarist launched into it and after 4 bars the rest of the band came in. . . . in a different key! We'd all listened to one version on YT and he'd listened to a different version!!

 

We were busking Roy Orbison's Pretty Woman and I thought I knew it. Unfortunately I hit the wrong chord at the start of the middle section, after that I couldn't get it back on track. 5 years later and the band still rips the P out of me for that one.

 

Stuff happens.

 

 

Similar happened to me a few years ago. 

 

We used to play in two different tunings (we had an accordion player who jammed on certain songs who had to be in standard)

 

Rather than tune up and down we used two different guitars.

 

We started our set with Crazy Little Thing Called Love. After two or three bars, I realised I had the wrong guitar on.

 

As I am also the singer I had to try to play one fret out, which was a nightmare as I was trying to sing too, plus some of the song involved open strings.

 

I managed one verse and chorus and then we had to stop and apologise.

 

I wanted the floor to open up.

[ezbass]

I have been known to forget to reset my D tuner on occasion. 😖

[Woodinblack]

14 hours ago, Skinnyman said:

My personal bete noir is All Right Now. I could play it perfectly when practising at home or at rehearsals. At a gig? I’d stumble on the part under the guitar solo every feckin’ time.

 

I am fine with that but always mess up the verse

 

[Lozz196]

20 minutes ago, ezbass said:

I have been known to forget to reset my D tuner on occasion. 😖

Me too, fortunately I’ve never had one on a gigging bass, only on the one I use for my non-gigging classic rock band.

[Stub Mandrel]

24 minutes ago, ezbass said:

I have been known to forget to reset my D tuner on occasion. 😖

 

I once managed to returned myve string mid tune. Was well pleased with how close I got!