Being in my 70's, I understand the age discrimination. I don't agree with it, but I understand it. Luckily the places I play don't seem to care that 1/2 of us are old farts and the other 1/2 are in their 30's
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Age matters if you're a cheese
- Thread starter themickster
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Well, that's my entire goal in a band. Not hanging outside the music. I got other $hit to do.
If your 2 man band were 11 and 48 there'd likely be a lot of people concerned about the gap.
This is genre dependent. Jazz, classical, traditional country, age probably doesn’t matter. But pop/rock/metal/hiphop is different. That’s always been the case. If one of the Beatles was in their 50s they might not have gotten too far, in spite of the great songs.
A generation is about 20 years. Maybe you mean decades?
Or maybe your drummer is 122.
Yes, decades. Doh! I think our keyboard player is about 122 yo.
Yes, performed by 20 something’s. They have an image or a thing they want to present, or they want people to party with (like those 70s bands did).
Sure: folks who've been playing since the days when bands sported matching suits, haircuts, and Beatle boots might know a useful musical trick or twenty. And those folks bring something extra when a band is only about the musicianship. But in actively gigging bands those circumstances are somewhere between "rare" and "hardly universal."
Sometimes, a band is also aiming to bring an element of theater, geared to venues that cater to folks in their 20s.
Other times, the band's young/er members are looking for the kind of hang that's easier when everyone's still immortal and foolhardy.
Sometimes, a band is also aiming to bring an element of theater, geared to venues that cater to folks in their 20s.
Other times, the band's young/er members are looking for the kind of hang that's easier when everyone's still immortal and foolhardy.
I'm 69 and can play with one of our grandsons and we both enjoy it, but I doubt I'd fit in if he was starting a band with other youngsters. Teenagers need to develop along with others in their own age group. It doesn't automatically make it ageism, just horses for courses.
Mmm, cheese!
Age has always been irrelevant to me when it comes to music.
Exhibit A:
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Egads, my band is in their 60s-70s (disclaimer, drummer is in his 40s and on occasion we will hire Union horn players that can run anywhere from 21 to 80). As for being in a band with a with a 20 year olds, age for me wouldn’t matter half as much as the musical direction.
Fair enough, but if the 20 year old's were trying to be the new pop sensation, you really couldn't blame them if they didn't want a 60 or 70 year old standing there on bass.
Not quite the image for the tweens and teens in their audience demographic....
Not many old geezers in boy bands, or septuagenarian dancers waggling their butts behind Beyoncé.
Cliff Burton would have been too old for the rest of Metallica by their logic...
Depends on the genre and the target fan base. Some genres (Rap, Gospel, Metal, Jazz, Blues, Classical) seem to be pretty age agnostic. Pop and some other styles seem to prefer that everyone be in the same 3-5 year age bracket.
It’s the individual band’s call. I don’t have an issue with it.
It’s the individual band’s call. I don’t have an issue with it.
I try not to fault advertiments that rule me out right away. It saves a bunch of time and I'll spent effort.
Who wants to play with a bunch of know-nothing, incredibly self absorbed 20 year olds? I’ve already done my time, no thanks!
I've seen it go both ways. Good Musicianship is ageless; some kids have it, some old fogies have it, lots of folks at any age don't have it, so when you're surrounded by good players it's a gas regardless of any age gaps. otoh, certain aspects of Good Musicianship -- at least arguably -- require a degree of maturity before they can be attained.
I've been playing in a trio recently where one musician is within two or three years of my age, and the other is literally half our age. When we're playing I don't think any sort of age-related incompatibility [sic] comes across to the listener. It's when we're hanging out after the gig talking schidt that we sometimes get into trouble, the two old guys going on and on about bands we saw back when guy #3 wasn't even born.
Even 5-8 years difference matter. My last two bands falling apart because of that. Me, on my late 20s have a different objective with other's (teenager/early 20s). Yeah, so age matter
