After seeing some other posts suggesting one should be paid to play other people's music I thought I would post about my recent experience in a band I was in for about a year. The style of music was from a province in the home country of the other two members. All the songs were covers although they thought of them as originals because it was their "versions' of the songs - but that's a topic for another discussion.
I left the band mainly because I didn't enjoy a lot of the music, especially covers of middle-of-the-road music done in their style. I preferred the more authentic and rhythmic music we played.
The guitarist was normally a bass player back home so he taught me the lines to play. Much of it was root-fifth, which I quickly got bored with. They said they wanted me to put some of myself into it but at the same time they wanted me to do the same old thing.
Since I wasn't enjoying playing and had to play what I was told I felt like I was working, especially giving up every Saturday for a while for practice. And if it feels like work, and I'm not getting paid, I don't see the point. I did get paid for the handful of gigs I did with them.
The other reason I left... the band is based in a town 40 minutes drive away. This is fine because there isn't much happening music-wise in my small town. But the guitarist lives a further 1.5 hours away from there. Once or twice he had car trouble so we traveled to his place for practice, however things got heated when I voiced my displeasure at having to do this too often. Their view was that since the guitarist traveled that distance to every practice then I should be happy to as well. For me it was further though - over 2 hours drive each way. I wouldn't have joined if I had known I was expected to travel to the further town.
Anyway that all happened over a year ago but I feel better having had a rant about it!
What do you all think about this situation?
I left the band mainly because I didn't enjoy a lot of the music, especially covers of middle-of-the-road music done in their style. I preferred the more authentic and rhythmic music we played.
The guitarist was normally a bass player back home so he taught me the lines to play. Much of it was root-fifth, which I quickly got bored with. They said they wanted me to put some of myself into it but at the same time they wanted me to do the same old thing.
Since I wasn't enjoying playing and had to play what I was told I felt like I was working, especially giving up every Saturday for a while for practice. And if it feels like work, and I'm not getting paid, I don't see the point. I did get paid for the handful of gigs I did with them.
The other reason I left... the band is based in a town 40 minutes drive away. This is fine because there isn't much happening music-wise in my small town. But the guitarist lives a further 1.5 hours away from there. Once or twice he had car trouble so we traveled to his place for practice, however things got heated when I voiced my displeasure at having to do this too often. Their view was that since the guitarist traveled that distance to every practice then I should be happy to as well. For me it was further though - over 2 hours drive each way. I wouldn't have joined if I had known I was expected to travel to the further town.
Anyway that all happened over a year ago but I feel better having had a rant about it!
What do you all think about this situation?
