Heads or Tails?

[ThumpPlunkJunk]

(This may be in the wrong section, but it has to deal with bands, so)

So, I'm an upright bassist of six years, an electric bassist of (coming up on) one year and I'm looking for a band this year in my school, because I'm confident enough in my skill to put myself out there and because there's hardly any bassists in the school besides myself and two others. None of them except me play slap bass.

So, I poked around, put my nose in a few places and managed to get the strangest group ever to play with. Just a little session to hear what we all sound like.

After school, we met in a practice room and set up our equipment. Myself, a cellist, guitarist, pianist and a drummer just sat down and stared at each other for a few minutes until I said "Yeah, I've been playing for about a year now. Made up some stuff here and there. I don't have a job or anything so most of my spare time is just spent on the bass. Made this little lick up last week, it's not quite finished yet, but..." and proceeded to get into the groove and play.

It sounded pretty damn good in that room, considering the acoustics there are way better than my practice room here and I could turn the bass up all the way.

I didn't notice that the drummer was playing along with me until he started hitting the cymbals and doing fancy stuff in between the beginning and end of my riffs.

The guitarist seemed to pick up the vibe of the music incredibly quickly, considering the music I've made at home isn't really confined to a genre. The closest thing I could call it is "Percussion with funk-metal". It makes me smile to realize he created a decent complimenting melody so quickly, and our cellist managed didn't hesitate to flip the effects to a wonky slurring effect and play what could easily be mistaken for a saxophone part with vibrato.

The pianist got the hang of the chords pretty quickly and had almost a gospel sound to him on the keyboard and overall the ensuing sound makes me salivate still.

The only thing was, when we stopped, it was easily the strangest sound I have ever heard. Honestly, I can't find a genre for it. I'm wondering if it was too far off the deep end for me to realize it was just nutty jamming or if it was actually good music.

Help me make heads or tails of it? Should I continue to play with these folks or should I look elsewhere?

[stepswork4me]

Keep playing with them, record the jams, and see where it goes.

[walterw]

Originally Posted by ThumpPlunkJunk

Help me make heads or tails of it? Should I continue to play with these folks or should I look elsewhere?

the answer is "yes".

jam with them, jam with subsets of them (like say, just the drummer and guitar player), jam with other people entirely.

[dave64o]

I believe it's Duke Ellington who's credited with saying, "If it sounds good, it IS good.".

You might not make any money from this "project" but imagine what you can learn from a band situation where you have a diverse mix of instruments and influences that produces something so interesting. I say run with it, even if you just do it for yourselves.

[Mo'Phat]

That sounds like a pretty killer combo. Just the different sounds and textures would be inspirational. Add to that the fact that they all vibed off what YOU were doing...Add to that the fact that they were all passionate about their instruments (students)...

Yeah, keep playing with them.

[mboogiemanusa]

Keep playing as long as your having fun and improving your skills. Its good networking and if you ever get another project going that plays gigs, more then likely these folks will come to check it out.

[ThumpPlunkJunk]

It seems unanimous.

I'll try to set another session up with them.

Our Battle of the Bands is coming up in the Winter so it'll be interesting to see if we can get ourselves together in time for that.

Hopefully so. The bands here are pitiful. I have nothing against Nirvana or the Offspring--in fact, I like both--but that seems to be all anybody plays here. We had a keyboarding and turntable duo that played a Daft Punk, Lady Gaga, Ke$ha medley, but there really isn't much here. I think we could clean house and hopefully drive the Pop menace out of the spotlight.

If only for one year.

[taphappy]

Seriously, sounds perfect. Jam with these guys, definitely record it, see what it sounds like. Improv jamming doesn't have a particular direction, it's more of feeling out if you can gel with other players. Which, it sounds like you really got that.

Start working on writing something concrete with them. If you don't like it, tweak it a little bit. Find out if you guys are going in a similar direction. Very much worth giving it a chance to breathe.

Worked with some crazy guys like this once. We loved it, but it turned into a originals project that we had no idea if anyone but musicians would get into it, at all. To the point that I got freaking blitzed (oops) trying to calm my nerves before the first show. 25 friends showed up, so it was pretty barren. Halfway through the set, I looked up, and there were over twice as many people.

After we were done, the promoter told us that we cleared out the sports bar next door. People cleared their tabs, paid an $8 cover at the door, and came in to watch. Next time we played the place, it was packed.

So. Hey, you never know :)

[SMILEYSIXX]

My band's doing something like that now. I do walking basslines, slap and some funk riffs while my guitarist shreds out metal guitar and the drummer does a funk line with some blast beat fills. We switch between funky vocals and death growls. It sounds good, so why not?

[DanAleks]

I believe this is the title of an old vinyl my wife has from Hunter/Ronson Band

"Play, Don't Worry"

Sounds like you all kick butt. Run with it. Have fun.

[ThumpPlunkJunk]

Originally Posted by SMILEYSIXX

My band's doing something like that now. I do walking basslines, slap and some funk riffs while my guitarist shreds out metal guitar and the drummer does a funk line with some blast beat fills. We switch between funky vocals and death growls. It sounds good, so why not?

Only person who's into heavier metal would be the drummer.

Our guitarist likes Tool and Muse, which I suppose isn't a bad thing--it could be much, much worse.

Our cellist listens to a lot of alternative. Stuff like Mad World by Donnie Darko and Gary Jules, some Coldplay, Daft Punk, the Avalanches...He's generally the one I see myself being able to play with easiest. And he picked up the vibe of the riff I played so easily...

I listen to anything I find different and unique that's still good music. Primus, Les Claypool, Buckethead, The Dead Weather, Portishead, Amon Tobin, Oysterhead, Wolfmother, Them Crooked Vultures...

The last two aren't as out there, but they're almost resurrecting the old style of Rock on a new venue--one that's ripe for the sound these days.

Originally Posted by DanAleks

I believe this is the title of an old vinyl my wife has from Hunter/Ronson Band

"Play, Don't Worry"

Sounds like you all kick butt. Run with it. Have fun.

I believe we'll go with this philosophy.

The only thing is that we don't have a place to practice besides at the school--which now requires you to form a club and have teacher supervision if you're staying after school hours to do anything.

Honestly, that type of stuff makes my blood boil. We'll find a way though. A few of us have wheels, we'll make it happen one way or another.

[taphappy]

Teacher supervision as in - the teacher has to be there to babysit?

Maybe one of your guys knows an odd duck professor that's hanging around anyways, and see if they can come up with a solution. Worth a shot.

[ThumpPlunkJunk]

Originally Posted by taphappy

Teacher supervision as in - the teacher has to be there to babysit?

Maybe one of your guys knows an odd duck professor that's hanging around anyways, and see if they can come up with a solution. Worth a shot.

We used to have this crazy old buzzard who threatened to beat us with music stands if we played the wrong note.

Once, when the orchestra just didn't understand what he was trying to tell us, he took us out to our large auditorium, had us sit in the first few rows and played a clarinet solo for about twenty minutes.

At the end, he asked "Now do you get it?".

Next class we played the piece perfectly.

But he's been gone for a few years now. The marching band is always out after school, I believe their director would be alright with letting us practice then.

We've also arranged to practice during our lunch period, so.

[taphappy]

Heh. I like the sound of the old guy.

Seems like you have a direction to go in. Sweet :)

[behndy]

Originally Posted by ThumpPlunkJunk

The only thing was, when we stopped, it was easily the strangest sound I have ever heard. Honestly, I can't find a genre for it. I'm wondering if it was too far off the deep end for me to realize it was just nutty jamming or if it was actually good music.

sounds like an awesome combination, and clicking with people can be rare, so for sure stay with it. put up some clips so we can hear it too!

just a heads up tho... if you feel like it's "genre-defying" then make sure you're cool with people being close-minded to it. i don't think the stuff (there's a link in my sig) that me and my bandmate do is that odd, but we do cross over electro/heavier stuff/pop/light idm, and the area we play in is mostly either WAY lighter or WAY heavier. so we have a hard time finding the right crowds to play with.

but y'know........ **** 'em. every time it's a new thing you're gonna have to deal with haters. if you like it, stay with it.

but you probably WILL get some knuckleheads telling you what's wrong with your stuff.

kill it!

[ThumpPlunkJunk]

Originally Posted by taphappy

Heh. I like the sound of the old guy.

Seems like you have a direction to go in. Sweet

He refused to take off his hat in the school as well.

He'd take us on class field-trips to McDonalds and explain music theory while we ate and used food to illustrate it. Honestly, I learned more from him than any other teacher (perhaps besides my current one).

Originally Posted by behndy

sounds like an awesome combination, and clicking with people can be rare, so for sure stay with it. put up some clips so we can hear it too!

just a heads up tho... if you feel like it's "genre-defying" then make sure you're cool with people being close-minded to it. i don't think the stuff (there's a link in my sig) that me and my bandmate do is that odd, but we do cross over electro/heavier stuff/pop/light idm, and the area we play in is mostly either WAY lighter or WAY heavier. so we have a hard time finding the right crowds to play with.

but y'know........ **** 'em. every time it's a new thing you're gonna have to deal with haters. if you like it, stay with it.

but you probably WILL get some knuckleheads telling you what's wrong with your stuff.

kill it!

We met again today--we all agreed to skip lunch and just go play, though the guitarist and drummer couldn't make it--leaving myself, the cellist and pianist.

It was a great trio. We took a more classical-minded approach to it with one song our pianist has been composing for a few weeks now and said he needed other melodies and rhythms to pitch in on it. Our cellist manipulated a solo into the song that sounded something like the ending to "Baba O'Riley" and I played a fairly tame eighth note run for the majority of the time we practiced it, though I tried to work in some slaps wherever I could.

After that, we were messing around for a few minutes until I played another riff they seemed to enjoy. We expanded on that for the rest of our time there and it honestly was another instance where everything fell together. We were all having fun. I looked up in the middle of the playing and our pianist was bobbing his head, our cellist had his eyes closed the whole time and was really getting into the feel of the music.

With some polishing up, both will be amazing tunes before long, I think.

I think we've got a good mix. Not completely alien, but not completely tame combined with the complexity of classical music and the appeal and power of rock and other modern music. Honestly I don't think it matters if anybody doesn't like the sound of it--our little group does and at the moment that's all that matters. At first I wasn't sure on this, but now that I've played with them again, I'm sure of it.

[behndy]

sounds fun. congrats!

[taphappy]

Originally Posted by ThumpPlunkJunk

He'd take us on class field-trips to McDonalds and explain music theory while we ate and used food to illustrate it.

Hah! Hell yeah! Those guys are gold. Send him a fruit cake for christmas in a couple years, he may appreciate the irony.

I looked up in the middle of the playing and our pianist was bobbing his head, our cellist had his eyes closed the whole time and was really getting into the feel of the music.

At first I wasn't sure on this, but now that I've played with them again, I'm sure of it.

Sweet!! Congrats! Post stuff here when you got something recorded. Stoked to hear what you guys come up with, been kicking around the idea of whipping up a similar lineup recently, sounds like a blast :D

[NateS]

i miss high school for this very reason.

makes me feel very alone sitting in my apartment...alone.

live it up and jam as much as you can while you can.

[ThumpPlunkJunk]

Originally Posted by behndy

sounds fun. congrats!

Thanks.

Originally Posted by taphappy

Hah! Hell yeah! Those guys are gold. Send him a fruit cake for christmas in a couple years, he may appreciate the irony.


Sweet!! Congrats! Post stuff here when you got something recorded. Stoked to hear what you guys come up with, been kicking around the idea of whipping up a similar lineup recently, sounds like a blast

I'll bring in a camera or a recorder if I can. I could set up my iPod and record it that way, but it's got horrible sound quality.

Originally Posted by bassk81976

i miss high school for this very reason.

makes me feel very alone sitting in my apartment...alone.

live it up and jam as much as you can while you can.

I imagine I'll be missing High School when I'm gone.

That's exactly why I plan to become a teacher.