2 and a bit years and no band, is it too long?

I've seen and heard guys who didn't get into a band for years after starting, like in the Dozen plus range of years. Whenever you want, and whenever it becomes convient.

Me? I was in a band after only playing for about a month. I've been in about 8 bands (including the one I'm in now (long story)) since then. Then only being about 2 years ago. It's all just relative.

 

Just over two years without a band is better than two years with my band. We suck!

 

Cam - Don't measure yourself by our situations.

In the 8th grade, I only had my first electric instrument a few months before we were playing parties and battles of the bands. But few people had electrics then and growing up in a major US city is probably very much different than growing up in S. Australia today.

Have you put up ads at music stores and www.themode.com ? I've seen some ads from "seeking bassist" ads from Oz there.

 

I've been playing for nearly two and a half years now, and I joined a band after six months. The band in question were all excellent musicians and the addition of a bass player who barely knew his own fretboard created tension at first but for the next year or so my technique came on in leaps and bounds.

The problem I had with joining an established band was writing my parts when it came to new songs, because I pretty much can't. I'd have to say that being a reliable player is the most important thing, followed by creative ability and then technical ability.

 

I can't comment on whether 2 1/2 years is too long but what I can say is until you do get into a band, or any situation where your interacting with other musicians, you'll be limited as to how much you can improve as a bass player.

Maybe, since you asked the question, it's time you did get into a band.

 

Only you know the answer to that question.

I have always played with people in a performance situation. I learned to play drums by watching my brother in church, and when he left the church, without ever having played drums, I started playing in the ensemble.

I learned bass watching my best friend play bass in the same ensemble, and when he wasn't there one night, I picked up the bass and played it in his absence, and all I had done was mess around with root 5 stuff once in a rehearsal before that. When he quit coming a few months later, I made the permanent switch to bass.

At 15, me and 2 other friends started our own band, outside of the church ensemble. I had been playing bass for about 2 years at that point, but those 2 years were in a band like situation.

I know that practice is valuable, and I don't do it often enough, but I crave playing with other musicians in front of an audience. If I couldn't do that, I wouldn't still be playing after 20+ years.