At what point did you join your first band?

Ibanezzer · #1 12-25-2004, 03:33 PM

hey guys, hows everyone doing this fine day...

I've learning bass steadily with the assistance of a teacher for about three months now and all along he's been saying "now you just need someone to play with." I never really thought about it seriously much because well i always had the impression that you have to be pretty good to be in a band.... am i under the wrong impression on that one? But my question is at what point/skill level would qualify to actually begin my search and still be worthwhile in the time involved. I know i have progressed greatly over the past few months but i never really thought that i have actually reached a moderate goal of "somewhat good." Also how do you actually go about joining a band, (i'm 19now and not really looking to make it a full time job or anything like that, just want to find others aroudn the same age that have the same interests in music). I'm just in need of a little guidance and wisdom from my fell TB'ers.

Thanks guys,
- David.

bass element · #2 12-25-2004, 04:10 PM

u just gotta get out to sum local guitar shops (maybe where u take lessons at), and go to sum local shows to find people who wanna play.
once u found those places, type up sum posts with your name, age and gear and name sum bands that youre interested in. thats wut i did and ive gotten a good amount of hits.
the key in putting your age is that so u dont have some old guys wanting to play their 80's hair-metal junk with u... i learned this from experience...
ask your teacher who gives u lessons. (s)he may have sum advice.

as for level of skill.. u have to be able to hold your own i guess. learn the major and minor chord patterns and the notes of each fret on your bassand u should b basically set.
just b creative and dont b nervous or anything. i was so freakin nervous when i had my first jam session and it turned out that i was better than both the guitarists there.

Ibanezzer · #3 12-25-2004, 04:25 PM

thanks for the advice element.

Loren · #4 12-25-2004, 10:59 PM

i was playing in garage bands after a few months on bass. as long as you aren't joining a band that has a collective skill level way above yours, i would worry about it at all.
the rhythm guitarist in my current band basically bought his first guitar when he decided he wanted to be in the band. we taught him as we went along. first few months were tough, but two years later... it was worth our investment.

**IvanMike** · #5 12-26-2004, 10:37 AM

i started playing in bands after a few months or so. did my 1st club gig not too long after. It's kinda like learning to swim, you cant do it by putting one leg in the water, ya have to just jump in.

James Hart · #6 12-26-2004, 11:01 AM

4 months after starting bass... about 2 months after lessons started.

It was a year before my first semi real "gig". But lots of garage jams with guests hanging before that.

**IvanMike** · #7 12-26-2004, 11:09 AM

the great thing about being a bass player is you can really start jamming and playing with others a lot sooner than other musicians. let's face it, beginning bass is easy compared to beginning guitar or drums. i dove right in with musicians that were way above my level and fought like heck to keep up. a great education.

James Hart · #8 12-26-2004, 11:14 AM

soooo true, I constantly jumped into jams with good musicians to better myself. Sometimes I just train wrecked the jam, other times I slid in without much of a slip up.

IMHO the ONLY way to get real growth in playing. Even music colleges besides the study, you have "group" playing too

Mixmasta J · #9 12-26-2004, 01:42 PM

I started really early, and it was benificial. The things you can learn from others at the band practices will truly make you a better player.

Ibanezzer · #10 12-26-2004, 01:56 PM

thanks for the all the replies guys, this thread has definitly helped with the "self-doubt" part of it. i just had the feeling that i would be wasting the time of others since i am not exactly a pro or anything like that yet. but i didn't think about the different skill levels and such so it may just be a good thing to look into. Also of those who are in like "garage" bands now about how much time is usually involved? I'm trying to see if i can do this anytime soon since i'm a full time college student plus working about 25hrs a week right now.

Thanks everyone and peace.

- David.

**IvanMike** · #11 12-26-2004, 03:11 PM

it depends on the band and what's being played. if the members are good about getting material to each other you can usually practice the tunes at home, write yourself soem cheat sheets, and then go practice. practice can be long and unproductive, or a more reasonable length and productive depending upon how much screwing around you all do. One or two practices a week is pretty normal.

Joe P · #12 12-27-2004, 12:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ibanezzer

...i always had the impression that you have to be pretty good to be in a band.... am i under the wrong impression on that one? But my question is at what point/skill level would qualify to actually begin my search and still be worthwhile in the time involved. I know i have progressed greatly over the past few months but i never really thought that i have actually reached a moderate goal of "somewhat good."...
...I'm just in need of a little guidance and wisdom from my fell TB'ers.

Well, if you've been hanging around on TB, then it's easier to feel humble about your playing skills, I'd think.

You're probably doing allright - most of the truly worst bass players probably think they're pretty hot snot by the time they've been playing for three months.

I started playing in a band when I was 17yrs (1978), after about two months of playing along to alot of uh.. KISS records, I guess... if I remember correctly... Yah.

I'm very glad I took a some lessons right away. My teacher pounded into me the importance of proper left hand positioning, solid and authorative right hand work (with a pick, at the time), learning scales and positions, and that it's just as important when you STOP a note as when you start it (do you have any idea how many young bass players don't know that??)!

Joe

Ibanezzer · #13 12-27-2004, 07:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe P

....and that it's just as important when you STOP a note as when you start it (do you have any idea how many young bass players don't know that??)!

Joe

actually i've never heard about this, could you elaborate a little more please? Thanks.

buzzbass · #14 12-27-2004, 07:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ibanezzer

actually i've never heard about this, could you elaborate a little more please? Thanks.

Well, sometimes it's not about the notes that you play. It's more about the space you leave in-between them.

Joe Nerve · #15 12-27-2004, 08:18 AM

I was playing in a band when I was about 6 years old. There were a bunch of older guys on my block who had a REAL band and I was awestruck and inspired. My brother and I got toy drums and a toy guitar one christmas, we had a little toy piano in our basement, and a 5 year old girl on our block was great at banging those keys. we practiced every day and i'd give a million bucks (if i had it) to hear a tape of what we sounded like. greatest thing is i distinctly remember thinking - "we're starting to really sound good."

i got out of the music business for about 9 years after that, and put my next band together just about when i learned what an actual bar chord was on guitar.

i believe that musicians should play in bands as soon as they can find people willing to play with them. knowing how to play an instrument is secondary - and I feel pretty strongly about that.

Sane · #16 12-27-2004, 08:23 AM

Jump right in like everyone has said, First time I ever touched a bass was my first jam session, ha. They said watch our fingers and play the top number we do. Needless to say these songs had some .... interesting low end. Around 6 to 7 months and 2 to 3 new band members later we were jammin out pretty hard. Just be carefull not to pickup any bad habbits of the guitarists.... I did. Thank god musicians comin up now in the late 90's to now have the internet. If I didnt id still have some pretty poor technique, well worse then I do now, and still ask if that was a 3 on the top string or 3 on the second.

... Btw First post finally got brave enough to step from behind the curtain and post.

Joe Nerve · #17 12-27-2004, 08:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sane

Btw First post finally got brave enough to step from behind the curtain and post.

Congratulations. You're in real trouble now.

Mike N · #18 12-27-2004, 08:54 AM

I joined a band as Bass player within a month of starting Bass, and we gigged within two months.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bass element

the key in putting your age is that so u dont have some old guys wanting to play their 80's hair-metal junk with u....

Butthead on...

Whoa, I'm like old or something......that rules.

/Butthead

scorpionldr · #19 12-27-2004, 09:09 AM

wow, you guys really jumped into bands! I played in private for about 2 years before i had the nerve to piece together a band. I pieced that together, started playing black sabbath esque music, became a cocky @$$hole, and got kicked out. later on I joined with a friend who ironically was in a band with the guitarist that didn't like me (the only one) and got abandoned because the other member (another bass player) left. put together a new band, wrote better music, and learned that the guys i used to work with that i thought were good turned into COMPLETE @$$HOLES

Sundogue · #20 12-27-2004, 11:07 AM

Join a band as soon as you feel the need to play bass with other musicians.

There are some important points to be made here.

1). Learn to play your instrument to the best of your ability and continue on learning to play beyond your current ability. Just one on one, you and your bass. Be the best you can be, so that you can truly express yourself musically with your bass.

2.) When you feel that you are competent enough to play in a group setting, and you have the desire to do that...find others who have similar tastes in music. Also, find people who have similar work ethics and desires. There is nothing worse than being in a band where you might all like the same kind of music, but not everyone wants to practice, or some have different ideas about what the band is all about.

3.) Playing with other musicians is where it's at for a bass player. Not that you can't play alone by yourself, but being a part of the rhythm section that drives the music is really only satisfying in a group environment. Playing with other musicians and other types of music helps you to grow as a musician in a way that playing by yourself can't do.