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Bandmate pet peeves

#41
The very first post I agree wholeheartedly with. Why have a $2000 guitar and not use strap locks? Makes about much sense as having a $70,000 car and not parking it in the garage. Then not turning down while other band members are trying to discuss something, not cool.

Want to add one more thing, guitarist that are forever tweeking their sound from their pedal board but only ending up with the same sound/tone!
 
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#42
Been playing with guys (any instrument) that are adamant to play this or that cover, but when they plays, sings it, they suck big time, and has left out important parts, sluggish, and slouch their way through it, and then afterwards, when pointed out to by all other members in the band, they don't get it. They get the "these-ones-goes-to-eleven" face when asked "well, why do you suggest songs for us to play that you can't pull off yourself yet?" DK effect running amok. And when singing/play something else provided of the rest of the members, in spite of being able to pull it off with flying colors, they'll go something like "can't get behind it" or "too easy, not a challenge" or something similar.

I e members that are adamant to still play songs that are too hard for them to pull off, but yet persists.

The worst thing is that they're not even trying to hone it further, since they can't hear what's missing. However, these things occurs only as fast as it is about cover material, not original material. Original material can come off either way. Always rehearsing to better it.

With these people, I am the first to split, instead of telling them to shape up. Because I've found out the hard way, it has dawned on me slowly, that it doesn't help no matter how hard they try. It's similar to someone who can't tell if he's in tune or not, but yet persists he's got perfect pitch. Can't be "rehearsed" or "practiced" away with.
 
#43
I figured out early on that our guitarist often plays whichever chord progression appears first in a g**gle search but every now and then he will totally randomize the chord progressions. So I am stuck learning the song "the proper way" at home and then following whatever he plays once we start to practise it. I could mention it, but to be honest I don't really care. Whatever we are doing seems to be working so why try to fix it?

I disagree about the volume thing. If placed right, there is no need to crank an amp. If / when I leave a rehearsal with a splitting headache that lasts 3 days, the volume was too loud. Does that mean you need to turn down? No, if you want to find a different guitarist ...

On that subject, same guitarist as above, during soundcheck: "I need more guitar in my monitor". Had his amp already crancked to 11 and the drummer was getting deaf and desperate. We tell him it's plenty loud, so he replies: "No man, I'm gonna wear earplugs so it needs to be louder or I won't hear myself play." We tactfully suggested he don't wear earplugs and just turn down instead ...
 
#44
Reuben Hernandez said:
Want to add one more thing, guitarist that are forever tweeking their sound from their pedal board but only ending up with the same sound/tone!
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Oh yes, oh dear, these ones. I even jammed with one more senior gtrd who I thought was a bit too seasoned or too matured to come up with such stage antics. He even played through a ONE VOLUME KNOB amp (Epiphone tube amp) and started to look - in the middle of a tune - at the back panel of the amp to see if there were any more buttons to turn in order to get a sound of his... :facepalm: He sort of stopped playing completely, and we were a trio with bass,gtr, and drums...oh...dear. It wasn't his amp though.
 
#45
I've always found this very funny when rehearsing with any band, or this volume thing. When something/someone isn't heard, it's ALWAYS required for that person to TURN IT UP, instead of telling the rest of people to turn it down. Even from the audience. Even if that persons amp is on his max volume.

Beats me.
 
#49
We have one guitarist who noodles when we are talking. The drummer and I are usually waiting patiently to start the next song at rehearsal, but it's not a problem on a gig.

The other one steps on everyone's cords. This was a problem on our last gig, because the keyboardist had a faulty cord, resulting in a late start for the first set. At rehearsal, the discussion focus was on cord management (good idea), but no comprehension, none, on why you don't walk on cords, particularly the cheap ones the others buy.

Other than that, we all get along well, and have fun.
 
#50
I may be at odds with some but here you go...

I get frustrated at bands that are put together for fun...hobby projects...where there is a member that feels like we have to be 100% prepared when coming to rehearsal. I could understand if the same issues keep coming up but hobby projects are just that...fun things to do when we have a break from kids, work, life.

Feel free to bash me now ;-)
 
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#51
- guitarist noodling same (bad) riff between all songs at practice
- guitarist stumbling on MY cables and fx-pedals
- guitarists same bad old joke before rehearsal "which band are we in?"
- guitarist only way to adjust volume knob is "up"
- drummer with click metronome at gigs
- but the bass player (me) rulezzzzZZZ
 
#53
Duder said:
@guy n. cognito
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#54
Drummers when you try to tune, or discuss (well... anything) and they can't NOT play. Guitarist when they're too loud (on this one in my current group I'm very lucky). Bassists when their tone is boomy and undefined, usually as a result of being too loud and too many low mids and/or bass, not enough high mids and/or highs. Singers? Where to start.......
 
#55
Showing up unprepared!!!!!

I can tolerate a lot of the other stuff - noodling, gear, volume - but show up unprepared and you will hear it from me. You're not wasting a few minutes of my time by being late, you're wasting possibly hours of my time I spent learning the material so I could show up prepared. You're wasting the hours at rehearsal by not being prepared.

I'm in an Eagles tribute band - 6 members. Let's say each member practices a total of 4 hours during the week learning material, plus 4 hours at rehearsal. One member shows unprepared. That person has now wasted a cumulative total of 40 hours of work!

Not going to have it!
 
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#57
1) At the gig, guitar players noodling the riff to the next song in order to get their pedals/tone right. Can we please stop giving away the next song with riffs?

2) Drummer, after 8 years, cannot 100% of the time come in correctly to either "Rocky Mountain Way" or "Hold On Loosely." Fantastic guy and musician otherwise.

3) Keyboard player resting his left hand on bass notes if there's a bass riff going on. Or left hand bass in general if there's a bass player in the band.

4) Constant excessive volume. There's just no need. Yes, an aggressive band sound helps get the point across. There comes a point though.

5) Rehearsal at 7pm. Check the board, I can't hear myself, tuning, noodling, no try a different channel, until 7:40pm.

6) Singer taking too many vocal liberties with cover songs. People have known what that song is supposed to sound like for 40 years.

7) grumble/etc/...
 
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