Sporting a two-piece...

[Barfly]

I did my first 2 piece show last night (acoustic bass, 12 string guitar threw a small vocal PA, moderate amplification on the instruments) and I really, really enjoyed it.

I've only ever known full band settings playing out for the last 13+ years. Last night was so refreshing!

Such a nice harmony workout as well as a playing-dynamics workout.

I'll be doing more of these for sure.

Anyone else done or doing these type of gigs?

[Blueszilla]

I've been drummer-less for about a month now. Standing gig every Fri & Sat at a small cafe since Oct of last year, intimate setting, quiet wine bar, jazz, standards, some blues, etc... I've had occasion to do this quite a bit with a few combos, and while I agree it can be fun, I would personally prefer having the drummer, especially if I can pick who it is.

It has improved my timing, and simplified my playing to a degree. I've had to use charts for all the standards I'm not used to, so quite beneficial. I can pull it off when necessary.

Still, I would prefer percussion of some kind.

[agreatheight]

My favorite two piece combo is bass and drums. Fun way to expand your role and play some chords / melodies on the bass! Plus, it's a big, warm mellow vibe - lots of people really dig it. Someone at a gig said it was like taking a bath, lol.

I also kicked around the idea of a power duo with a drummer - I'd play guitars / bass on foot pedals / sing and he'd play drums / hit triggers / sing. We started to work up some tunes but he got chicken. I will admit that it was really, really hard so there were no hard feelings, lol.