This geezer is finally getting out and playing

dave64o · #1 12-22-2010, 01:19 PM

I did play in a band when I was in college, but it was really as a lead singer. The deal was I'd sing and they'd teach me some guitar in return. It turned out to be a pretty decent band, it was a lot of fun, and I did learn a little bit of guitar.

That was 25 years ago and since I graduated I really hadn't done much musically other than mess around a little bit until I started taking bass lessons about two years ago. And it wasn't until I began working with a new instructor last spring that I really started getting more serious about it. Well, at my lesson last night my instructor announces that I won't have a lesson next week. No problem, I assume it's because he's taking some time off for the holidays. WRONG! He then tells me the second part, "No lesson, but we will have a warm up.". Huh? A warm up?

So he lays out his plan for me. We're going to use my lesson as a warm up session and then afterward we're going to a blues jam and I *will* get up and play. In the 25 years since I got out of college the only time I played in front of people was playing guitar in my friend's wedding about 12 years ago. But this is the first time I've ever walked into this kind of situation. First of all, it's as a bass player. Also, in the only other band experience I had we first practiced material before played out. But not this time. Open mic, I won't have any idea of what songs we'll play until I'm actually on stage, odds are good I won't know at least some of the songs, and according to my instructor there are some *really* good players that show up here. Yet somehow I gotta just jump in with them and make it work for at least a few songs.

Terrified? Hell yes! Looking forward to it? Hell yes! Seems crazy getting on stage for the first time at age 46, but better late than never, right?

shadowtippy · #2 12-22-2010, 01:41 PM

Enjoy and then come back and brag about it. You can do it.

thumpbass1 · #3 12-22-2010, 02:02 PM

Congrats! It's never too old to get out there and have fun playing an instrument. You just might get the bug, and make the connections
to do a band again. I still gig at age 54.

JB8 · #4 12-22-2010, 05:29 PM

I have started playing the bass 3 1/2 years ago and still take lessons and I could see that happening to me, I have played in Church before with the praise and worship team. I wonder if I will ever be done with lessons. I hope you have a good time.

thumpbass1 · #5 12-22-2010, 05:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JB8

I have started playing the bass 3 1/2 years ago and still take lessons and I could see that happening to me, I have played in Church before with the praise and worship team. I wonder if I will ever be done with lessons. I hope you have a good time.

I've been playing since I was 15, and you never really stop learning in the overall sense of things, even at my age. I do have a good time playing by the way, and feel blessed to still be doing it at the local and regional level as it stands at this point in my life. Like you, I also play for the worship team of my church, and I recommend such a gig to anyone who wants to learn how to work with other people in making music. Sounds like you are doing a good thing there, and I hope your experience playing out goes well for you. Good luck.

LongHairFreak · #6 12-23-2010, 10:28 PM

Cool!! That's what it's all about!
...and like shadowtippy said, come back and brag.

OmnitzGarima · #7 12-23-2010, 10:31 PM

Very cool. You'll have a blast! Just keep it in the pocket.

dave64o · #8 12-30-2010, 08:39 AM

What a bummer. Because of the snow storm the weekend before, the NFL moved the Eagles-Vikings game to Tuesday night. So in order to cash in on a big game where the Eagles were expected to keep alive their slim hopes for a #1 or 2 seed in the NFC, the bar owner decided to cancel the blues jam so customers could watch the Eagles game instead (the bar is just across the Delaware River from Philadelphia).

So not only did I not get to play that night, the Eagles decided they weren't going to show up to play either. Guess the owner should have kept his regular plans and had the jam instead of bringing people in to watch THAT debacle.

I talked to my instructor at this week's lesson and I have plans to go to another jam in about a month. I'll check back in then. On the bright side, the cramming I did in the last two weeks helped. I learned a lot of songs and also learned about different terms that might be called out. Hopefully that will help when I do get out there.

LongHairFreak · #9 12-30-2010, 10:38 AM

Yeah, that's a bummer alright. Keep pushing though.

BuffaloBass · #10 12-30-2010, 12:08 PM

Your instructor gets it man.... it's like this.... you can learn French from a book, and even from tapes, but until you actually speak the language, i.e., communicate with other souls in it, you havent completed anything. Bass is identical.

tangentmusic · #11 12-30-2010, 12:13 PM

Nerves? Yup. Slight horror? probably. Loads of fun? You bet!

aztomr · #12 12-30-2010, 01:29 PM

The first time I went on stage, the guitarist looked at me and asked if I was nervous. I said yes, very. He laughed and said" you're the f***ing bass palyer, if you screw up, noone will notice". I was sweating buckets for a song or two, and then I hit a bum note, stood out like a sore thumb to me, guitarist gives me a raised eyebrow. Not one person in the audience reacted to my mistake, if they noticed it at all. Relax, enjoy, remember bar audience are very forgiving. Trust me," What looks large from a distance, up close aint ever that big"

JimK · #13 12-30-2010, 02:42 PM

Dude!
...and how much longer before you're in that Kansas-tribute band?
Band name suggestion: We're Not In Kansas Anymore

...how 'bout them Eagles?

dave64o · #14 01-01-2011, 08:47 AM

Yo Jim! Leave it to you to rub salt in a wound (Eagles game).

I've actually been working on some old Kansas songs recently. Dave Hope was a hell of a bassist. Of course, he's not a "hell of" anything these days (he became an Anglican priest and has been serving at a parish in Florida for about 15 years!).

JimK · #15 01-03-2011, 04:49 AM

...finally remembered to get back to this thread.

Eagles still suckin' in Game 16. Didn't they lose to the Cowpies last year as they headed into the Playoffs?!?

rtslinger · #16 01-04-2011, 07:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dave64o

I did play in a band when I was in college, but it was really as a lead singer. The deal was I'd sing and they'd teach me some guitar in return. It turned out to be a pretty decent band, it was a lot of fun, and I did learn a little bit of guitar.

That was 25 years ago and since I graduated I really hadn't done much musically other than mess around a little bit until I started taking bass lessons about two years ago. And it wasn't until I began working with a new instructor last spring that I really started getting more serious about it. Well, at my lesson last night my instructor announces that I won't have a lesson next week. No problem, I assume it's because he's taking some time off for the holidays. WRONG! He then tells me the second part, "No lesson, but we will have a warm up.". Huh? A warm up?

So he lays out his plan for me. We're going to use my lesson as a warm up session and then afterward we're going to a blues jam and I *will* get up and play. In the 25 years since I got out of college the only time I played in front of people was playing guitar in my friend's wedding about 12 years ago. But this is the first time I've ever walked into this kind of situation. First of all, it's as a bass player. Also, in the only other band experience I had we first practiced material before played out. But not this time. Open mic, I won't have any idea of what songs we'll play until I'm actually on stage, odds are good I won't know at least some of the songs, and according to my instructor there are some *really* good players that show up here. Yet somehow I gotta just jump in with them and make it work for at least a few songs.

Terrified? Hell yes! Looking forward to it? Hell yes! Seems crazy getting on stage for the first time at age 46, but better late than never, right?

Dave, Welcome to the bottom! have fun, pay a attention to the drummer, work the pocket and never let them see you sweat! Good Luck RTS

rodsnhawgs · #17 01-04-2011, 07:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rtslinger

Dave, Welcome to the bottom! have fun, pay a attention to the drummer, work the pocket and never let them see you sweat! Good Luck RTS

+1

fearceol · #18 01-04-2011, 09:26 AM

You have a great instructor there. Trust him. He obviously thinks you are ready for this. It is natural to be nervous, but I'm sure that once you get up there, the nerves will go away. Enjoy it and let us know how you get on.

dave64o · #19 01-04-2011, 11:50 AM

He's an excellent instructor. That was easy to figure out right away.

It's tough for me to do these jams since it's the middle of the week and I "live in the real world"

, so late nights can be tough. But since I know I need to take a day off the first week in February for a different reason, I told him I'll plan to take off the day after the jam that week so I can stay out late that night. So right now I'm planning to do it on Feb. 1.

At last week's lesson we did an impromptu jam session with my instructor on guitar (knew he played but didn't know he was as good on guitar as he is on bass!) and one of the drum instructors who will probably also be at the jam. I'm still learning names for different tweaks to the basic 12-bar but it went pretty well and was a nice confidence builder. I'm still nervous but not as nervous as I was and I'm also looking forward to it even more than I was. I'm sure I'll make some mistakes but as long as I keep focus I'm thinking I should be able to recover if I get lost. I'm looking forward to it.

I'll check in afterward. Thanks for the pep talks!