On the Spot

Dave44 · #1 03-16-2010, 03:27 PM

Played a gig last weekend where all I had was the key of the song or a quick chord progression then 2-3-4 away we go. I loved it, made me think and react all at the same time. Anyone else have been lead to the fire and asked if they wanted to jump in?

Richland123 · #2 03-16-2010, 04:13 PM

Yes, I have many times. I call it flying by the seat of my pants but I like filling in with other bands. It keeps me on my toes playing with other musicians and doing songs in different keys with different arrangements or playing songs I either never played before or have not done in many years. You have to be very focused and pay attention to what is going on and somebody else is in control of cues, etc.

chaosMK · #3 03-16-2010, 04:38 PM

I don't play jazz standards, or anything standard- but I can relate. On my first show with my first band, they suddenly decided to open with Slayer - Rain (reign?) of Blood. I'd never even heard that song. Fortunately in metal like that, as a bassist you can get away with playing one note (in this case, C#).

These days to have a similar exhilirating experience, I might consume a few mushrooms while we are setting up. Usually towards the end of our slot it will start getting interesting.

aikakone · #4 03-16-2010, 06:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave44

Played a gig last weekend where all I had was the key of the song or a quick chord progression then 2-3-4 away we go. I loved it, made me think and react all at the same time. Anyone else have been lead to the fire and asked if they wanted to jump in?

This is my entire playing existence. It's both difficult and gratifying when it's successful.

tramp · #5 03-16-2010, 07:03 PM

I went help out a band one night. All they called out was the name of the song and the key and lets go. No cord progression. It was a great 4 hours.

jazzciggarette · #6 03-17-2010, 01:30 AM

I dig on this kind of gig. Especially whilst doing original music. Its fun when you can keep up, but if you cant its an awful crash and burn.

steveksux · #7 03-17-2010, 01:39 AM

Done it with rock/pop/blues, its a blast, you have to really get in the zone and concentrate. Can be a train wreck...

I'm not good enough to pull that off on standards... I can do fairly well folloing the bass player playing along with records, but not reliably enough to sound good doing it live, without a bass to follow.

Randy

Dekker · #8 03-17-2010, 05:22 AM

A few months ago I decided to bite the bullet and go play with other people for the first time. Problem was that I could not find an appropriate band, but I did get a reply from a group of musicians...

The best description I can give is that it was a "song circle". It's basically run like an acoustic open mike with 15 people in a room (as little as 5 people on slow nights) sitting in chairs in a circle. So that first night that I attend, I'm the only bass, and there is only one other electric guitar. I'm nervous as hell, and don't know what to expect. And there are 15 guitar players in the room, most with years and years of experience, and here I am with less than one year...

Basically, things work clockwise, where the guitar player would call out his tune (cover or original), and occasionally the key/chords. Most use a capo. Most call the wrong chords (they only know the names of the fingerings without the capo, such as "A minor with capo on 3" being actually C min).

Let me just say, the 5-10 sessions I sat in with them was the most terrifying but also the best learning experience. I knew NONE of the songs, but learned how to read a guitarist's fingerings (at least the root note), learned to synchronize myself with the lead, and generally got over my initial "playing in public" hurdle. At least I got to play around with some roots and arpeggios, and when I felt totally lost in the song, I'd turn down to nothing or just "thump" the beat to keep a rhythm.

MatticusMania · #9 03-17-2010, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave44

Played a gig last weekend where all I had was the key of the song or a quick chord progression then 2-3-4 away we go. I loved it, made me think and react all at the same time. Anyone else have been lead to the fire and asked if they wanted to jump in?

My band, every gig, starts a huge fire on stage and we all proceed to jump in. Playing Improv is great!

One of the things that got me down after my last band of 3 years broke up was that we had put SO much time into writing and perfecting our songs. After 3 years we had an awesome 22 or so original songs, then we broke up. It was discouraging to know that after all that time, all that work ultimately led to nothing. Sure we recorded 10 of those songs, but they were never released. So, with my next band I decided we were going to skip that whole writing process. All of our songs are made up as we go along.

Another great thing about this was that, seeing my friends bands every couple of weeks it was always the same songs. Now sure, everyone gets a favorite song and all that, but I want to hear something different, not the same set youve been playing for 3 years. Our set is NEVER the same.