Another band pet peeve

sevenyearsdown · #1 03-13-2008, 08:36 AM

Every band I've been in has always had this scenario. Either the drummer, or singer and I are discussing something song related during a practice....and if it doesn't directly involve the guitarist, they (meaning guitardist) go off in some ADD laden guitar fantasy world and start playing over the conversation as if they are the only one in the room. Then when I give him the look to cool it, he acts like he has no clue as to what is going on, or why I would be pissed. Do all guitarists have the same attention span as 3 year olds?

palm grease · #2 03-13-2008, 08:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sevenyearsdown

Do all guitarists have the same attention span as 3 year olds?

yes.... yes they do! all over the world! thanks for asking!

Lelander · #3 03-13-2008, 08:55 AM

Just wait until your lucky enough to be in a band where the drummer is the one with the musical diarrhea...

Bass Boy · #4 03-13-2008, 09:06 AM

Unfortunately this happens all the time. When I'm MD'ing for shows I let everyone know that during rehearsals-DO NOT PLAY- when the music is being discussed. I've actually had to let people go over this. I had hired a friend of mine on drums once for a pit gig. Everytime we would discuss form, repeats, changes to sections he would be %^$#ing around. Then we would run the chart down and he would miss all the changes. When I would call him on it he acted like the conversation we just had about the changes didn't take place.

Great drummer but I don't hire him for any of those types of gigs anymore.

Another thing I hate is when you are on your knees plugging cables in etc and you are close to the guit cab or the hi-hat. I ALWAYS inform the guit player or drummer that I am down there and to please not play so I don't get hearing damage or worse. Over half the time they just start wailing after a few seconds. You can imagine how I react to this!

mjolnir · #5 03-13-2008, 09:12 AM

(shrug) Fact of life, brother.

Oreomeister365 · #6 03-13-2008, 09:36 AM

I hold my hands up and just yell out for everyone to be quiet.
No on hears of course.

Seriously, band practice is not wanking time, why do they ALWAYS WANK DURING BAND PRACTICE WHEN WERE TRYING TO GET SOMETHING DONE?!?!?!?!? GRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!! it is such an utter huge waste of everyones time. WHY!!?!?!?

I'm going to make a rule, NO playing when people are talking unless you turn it down really low. I hate people....

...

Phalex · #7 03-13-2008, 09:49 AM

Every drummer I've ever played with thinks it a great time to start banging away whenever I try and check my tuning (or worse try to tune up) by ear. Especially when I'm trying to do a quick tune up between songs at a gig.

denhou1974 · #8 03-13-2008, 09:53 AM

It's even worse when it happens at a gig ... between songs!

Captain_Arrrg · #9 03-13-2008, 10:08 AM

I was at a Friends practice a couple of weeks ago and their bassist was doing stuff like that. It kind of surprised me and then I got to thinking about what it was, mental & attitude wise, that caused this. Do they just not care? Short attention span? Just plain simple???

I've also seen something similar with singers. When everybody else is working on a transition or something he'll wander around and to talk to random people, get a candy bar, etc. When I asked the drummer why that was, all he said was "we write the songs, he shows up and looks pretty."

varunkapahi · #10 03-13-2008, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lelander

Just wait until your lucky enough to be in a band where the drummer is the one with the musical diarrhea...

yeah and i often talk to other band members over the mic because i am too pissed to tell the guitard or dummer to stop or anyway he wont stop would he?

megadan · #11 03-13-2008, 10:40 AM

I hate it when people do this, it's pretty good in my band it still happens.
There's a couple reasons.
1. Impatient. Just wants to play music some more, the conversation doesn't pertain to them. Eg, explaining chord progressions and the drummer wanks.
2. Nervous/habit. I myself am guilty of this sometimes. I just hit my bass because it's there.
3. Tone worries. How's my tone? How's my volume? What does this lick sound like? This one seems like the most legitimate IMHO. Sometimes, being the bass player, I'll play small variations and changes over main riffs, and most of the rest of the band doesn't notice. When I do this, it's bringing this to the attention of the rest of the band. Also, sometimes I want to know what my distortion tone is sounding like or if it's loud enough. Also, sometimes you play a riff during a full band jam that sounds cool, but when you play it alone and listen carefully, it can actually be off key or not as effective as you thought.

bassmodder · #12 03-13-2008, 10:42 AM

Both the guitars in my last band would do that. Both of them would complain that the other one would do it all of the time.

That must have given the excuse.

QORC · #13 03-13-2008, 10:50 AM

every lead guitarist I've ever played with has done it. I hate it. It goes with being a guitard.

What really pisses me off is when they play a certain song repeatedly during practice, hoping the rest of us will just join in and adding it to the set list -- while at the same time not learning the songs we've AGREED to learn.

Mike Shevlin · #14 03-13-2008, 10:52 AM

I was told at a very young age (14) that all the 'playing between songs' crap in an indication of a player that does not practice very much. The real practice junkies (& therefore usually better players) don't do this because they have probably been practicing at home for a good chunk of the day. The non-practicers are high on the joy of having their instruments in their hands for the first time in a while & can't stop themselves.
Most amps & instruments have a mute switch or volume roll off - this solves the whole problem.............now all we need to do is buy all our drummers one of those fancy electronic drumsets (with a mute switch)

Bass Tees · #15 03-13-2008, 10:55 AM

This thread is hilarious. With my band, it's the drummer. And it doesn't get worse than that.

sevenyearsdown · #16 03-13-2008, 10:57 AM

I was in an original band once when the guitar player would start breaking out old humble pie, aerosmith, etc riffs while I was working with the singer (I was writing the lyrics at the time). The dumbass drummer would start jamming along to all this stuff under the impression that the two of them were writing new material. He would be like, cool stuff man can we work on that next?

sevenyearsdown · #17 03-13-2008, 10:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Shevlin

I was told at a very young age (14) that all the 'playing between songs' crap in an indication of a player that does not practice very much. The real practice junkies (& therefore usually better players) don't do this because they have probably been practicing at home for a good chunk of the day. The non-practicers are high on the joy of having their instruments in their hands for the first time in a while & can't stop themselves.

SOOOO much truth to that statement.

varunkapahi · #18 03-13-2008, 11:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sevenyearsdown

I was in an original band once when the guitar player would start breaking out old humble pie, aerosmith, etc riffs while I was working with the singer (I was writing the lyrics at the time). The dumbass drummer would start jamming along to all this stuff under the impression that the two of them were writing new material. He would be like, cool stuff man can we work on that next?

lol that reminds me of a similar incident with my band way back when i was in 9th grade
i was talking to the guitard over the mic cause the idiot drummer wont stop banging aimlessly around to nothing and then suddenly idiot drummer started playing some lame afro beat along because he "heard some one sing something like it"

nsmar4211 · #19 03-13-2008, 04:10 PM

I'm pretty guilty at tapping on my bass when the guitar and singer are talking or figuring something out....... figured out hey.... i can turn my volume off and it won't bother em. So I turn myself off and play away

.
May have something to do with being a drummer originally, I have a habit of beating/tapping on whatever is there. Most of the time I don't realize I'm doing it

My guitarist and singer figured out a while ago telling me to stop does no good since I don't notice I'm doin it.....now they just hand me something to play with (lighter or whatever) if it bothers em

.

Vanceman · #20 03-13-2008, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mike Shevlin

The non-practicers are high on the joy of having their instruments in their hands for the first time in a while & can't stop themselves.

Yup, gotta agree. Although I rarely noodle, I'm going to think about this next time it happens.