Question for Band Members

PunkRawkDuck77 · #1 09-08-2004, 10:05 PM

I've been playing bass for about 6 months now, and I'm playing for the Jazz band at my school. But because my school sucks balls, they can't fund jazz band, and so there is no more jazz band at all.
So my friends and I were thinking of starting a band, because I enjoy playing my bass with other people, and not being locked in my room

but see, one of my best friends, Grason, is learning bass, but he's a very slow bass player, he's never read music before and he can't play bass that well (no effense to him, he's learning) and if we start a band, he wants to be the only bass player, and so I have to play the keyboard because he thinks it'd be too stupid to have 2 bassists.

So I was wondering what you think.. do you think it'd be fine to have 2 bassists in one band? thanks for your opinion.

**IvanMike** · #2 09-08-2004, 11:17 PM

not really.........you'd be stepping on each others toes

DWBass · #3 09-09-2004, 05:28 AM

Well, how can he dictate his position in the band if he can't play? Granted he's learning but he's not ready to be in a band. I say, you are the bassist until he can at least play as well as you. I was in that type of situation many years ago where the bandleader (guitarist) decided I and another cat would switch back and forth between bass and keyboards. I did it for a while but as he continued to add more and more songs, I told him I wasn't learning anymore more songs on the keyboard as I am a bassist. That ended that.

tomthedude · #4 09-09-2004, 05:36 AM

I think it's an ace idea. If hes not that great give him basic riffs. Then you play higher up. If you play jazz, that would be ace. I do that with my friend, and since hes way better than me I play the basic riffs and he solos, sounds ace. But in the long run for all kinds of music its better to have one bass.
If I was you I'd just try it out and see what happens.

Peace

Tom

Ifrit84 · #5 09-09-2004, 08:05 AM

I've always been right out front in how I feel things and my postion in the band should be, you kinda have to, or things just get to messy. Tell him you are better, for the time being, and that you will only play bass in a band, because you are a bass player.

If he doesn't like it, their around 500,000,000,000 other guitarists and drummers in the world. Drop him and get on with what you want to do.

I remember the first time we had to kick a person out of a band. Since then i've become callused, I guess, but trust me, nipping it in the bud quick is better than getting in a situation that you hate for the long haul.