first gig ever =)

Ivs · #1 10-17-2008, 02:33 PM

I just came home from my first gig

. It wasn't anything big, we were just the warm-up band for a local band here in Norway, and there were about 100-120 people there. I think I was a bit stiff on stage, but I have two good reasons!

First of all, I've been playing bass for two months. I joined my band two weeks ago, and had four practice sessions before the gig. The band members have been playing together for a year, and the crowd and all three bands all knew each other (there were two warm-up bands), so I was the newcomer. I am comfortable with my bass, and the practice sessions went fine, but...

...I wasn't playing on my own bass. During the sound check, we got massive feedback. Found out that my bass that was the problem (I have a cort action bass)! So I borrowed this expensive-looking bass from the main band, which had a really thick and heavy neck compared to mine (although the bassist didn't seem too worried, I was afraid to damage it

). When we were done, one of the guitarists in my band and I got off the stage and she said "you should buy a better bass." I replied, "yeah, I'm buying an active fretless bass tomorrow." She immediately looked sceptical and said "No, don't buy a fretless just yet." I admit, it might be a bit early to go fretless, but coming from a guitarist who hasn't been playing all that long kinda annoyed me

.

I was having an awkward time playing on the thick neck; I ended up showing the finger to the crowd lots of times while playing certain melodies! Other than the fact that I knew no one and they all knew each other, and that I couldn't use my own bass, I enjoyed myself

. Hopefully I'll get to know people a bit more and play my own bass next time!

()smoke() · #2 10-17-2008, 02:37 PM

remember this one, you'll be in a position to help the new guy one day!

sounds like you're on your way to having a lot of fun

.:://ARIA\\::. · #3 10-17-2008, 02:38 PM

go fretless if you want to, the earlier the better. dont let someone tell you what you can and cant do.... but yano, take their opinion into account.

MatticusMania · #4 10-17-2008, 02:38 PM

If you've only been playing for 2 months I would also advise against getting a fretless. Theres a lot you can learn and knowing where your fingers are is going to be very valuable.

But all the same, enjoy your new bass, and keep jamming!

Fetusyolk · #5 10-17-2008, 02:41 PM

Why not get a fretless? If you want to do it do it, shes the guitarist, you're the bassist. More importantly, you're the one playing for yourself.

Congratulations on the gig =] My legs were shaking my first time.

BananaKing · #6 10-17-2008, 02:43 PM

Sounded like you had quite the time.

Just remember that you can buy or play whatever you want. Just because someone tells you you shouldn't, doesn't mean that you shouldn't, It just means that you'll have to do extra hard just to prove them wrong

Mike Shevlin · #7 10-17-2008, 02:45 PM

Buy & play any damn bass you want.

lowend219 · #8 10-17-2008, 02:46 PM

Your first gig sounds kinda like mine...

i'd been playing about the same amount of time when i had my first gig. I practiced with this band for about a week before the gig. Random situation, was visiting friends, had my bass with me and the next thing i new i was rehearsing with these guys.

The drummer was wasted and couldn't keep time.
The rhythm guitar player could not tune his guitar, we was also wasted i think.
the lead singer girl was having serious diva issues.

and there was me, 1st time ever on stage trying to hold everyone together....i'll never forget it.

Montsegour · #9 10-17-2008, 02:46 PM

I couldn't even look to the crowd the first time.. And the greatest embarrassment was the point that i was tuned to E and my band was playing in D.. As a newb, I didn't notice the whole time..
But what the hack, i had a great time =))

bassist4dalord · #10 10-17-2008, 02:53 PM

What fretless are you looking at? Does it have fret lines? Because if it does it's much easier to play, albeit not as cool-looking as a "blank plank", which could be worth it. And besides... Ever heard of a thing called an upright bass? Yep no frets. Sure they're helpful, but it is definitley possible to have a fretless even as your first instrument. Just focus on reading standard notation and you should be fine.

bassbrock · #11 10-17-2008, 03:00 PM

What did you mean by giving the crowd the finger?

Ivs · #12 10-17-2008, 03:08 PM

Haha wow, sounds like I wasn't too bad off compared to lowend219 and Montsegour xD! As for the fretless, I'm looking at a Cort B4FL. It's unlined, but it does have dots on the side of the neck. One reason I want a fretless is that I've been listening to this japanese composer who scores anime and movies in Japan, and more than half of the songs with bass are fretless. I also fell in love with fretless when I tried one at my local music shop. Requires far more precision than a fretted, but I had a great time with it.

Ivs · #13 10-17-2008, 03:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bassbrock

What did you mean by giving the crowd the finger?

All of my fingers were on the fingerboard except for my middle finger, which jutted straight out =S

SpectorBass308 · #14 10-17-2008, 03:13 PM

You'll definitely loosen up as you play more gigs. If you want to play a fretless then go for it just remember that it will take ALOT of practice to get down with the intonation and everything. I once heard a guy say that only about 1 in 10 fretless players where really worth their salt and knew what they where doing, other than that he would only hire fretted players. Besides the fact of whether you play fretless or not just remember to keep practicing every day.

thetawaves · #15 10-17-2008, 03:17 PM

briliiant stuff

first gigs are damn awesome. And if you want a fretless, go for it! It'll be a challenge worth surmounting.

Hope to see some stuff from your band up here!

dave64o · #16 10-17-2008, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ()smoke()

remember this one, you'll be in a position to help the new guy one day! ....

Agreed. The best way to repay the bass player from the headliner is simply to pay it forward when someday you get the opportunity to be the seasoned pro who can help out a new guy in trouble. Imagine if we all operated that way (jeez, I sound like an old hippie

).

Congratulations. Sounds like you had a good time and it went well. What more could you ask for?

Ivs · #17 10-17-2008, 07:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dave64o

Agreed. The best way to repay the bass player from the headliner is simply to pay it forward when someday you get the opportunity to be the seasoned pro who can help out a new guy in trouble. Imagine if we all operated that way (jeez, I sound like an old hippie

).

Congratulations. Sounds like you had a good time and it went well. What more could you ask for?

Yeah, I agree with what you and ()smoke() said. I usually try to be inclusive whenever there's a new guy in an old group of friends. So I think it's unfortunate that my band doesn't seem to think the same way =<. They're a good bunch, the dynamic in the band is great (as far as I've seen), but they're not exactly making an effort to include the new bass player.

An example is when I met the drummer and singer on our way to practice. We'd greet, start off with some small talk on the way, but then they would end up talking about school and people they know. Every now and then the drummer will explain to me what they're talking about, but I never saw an opportunity to jump into the conversation with a comment or two.

This happened on two of the band practices. The last time I was with a friend and met only the drummer on the way to practice. Since he was alone, I spent most of the walk talking to him instead of my friend (who had no trouble joining the conversation).

I've only been with them for two weeks, so I want to stick around and hope that I'll get to know my band better. I like to think that they didn't give it much thought because the gig was two weeks away and they have exams and stuff coming up soon. For what it's worth, they liked how fast I learned their music and how quickly I corrected my errors

.

tom once dead · #18 10-17-2008, 07:55 PM

For me its other other way around with gear. I recently did I gig with a touring band, and the band that we usually support. Both the touring band and the other bands bass players used my rig.

would have been a fun gig, If I didn't have tonselitus.

lowend219 · #19 10-17-2008, 07:58 PM

To post a quick addition to my gig story

needless to say I don't play with those guys anymore, they were a total joke. I joined up because it was a last minute thing and i figured i'd get some experience out of it. and that is EXACTLY what I got. I learned more in that 40 minutes onstage than I had in my previous 2 months of learning bass.

Just goes to show that when your starting out, there's no such thing as a bad gig if you treat everything as a learning experience.