EXACTLY!
If you are accepting money to perform, you are a 'professional' whether you like it or not. Now get off my lawn and go act professionally!
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Basic Rant re: keeping it simple.
- Thread starter Rayjay
- Start date
If you are accepting money to perform, you are a 'professional' whether you like it or not. Now get off my lawn and go act professionally!
True and it's easier to identify this who choose not to dive into the music.
BASSISTS WANTED
to double on other standard rock instruments for a professional band project.
Although you will not be playing bass, you will audition on one.
If you do not play bass, do not apply.
to double on other standard rock instruments for a professional band project.
Although you will not be playing bass, you will audition on one.
If you do not play bass, do not apply.
The purpose of rehearsal is to put together parts learned in individual practice.
Yup, that and "I just make it my own, man" is another common excuse from the lazy musicians who don't want to learn the song.
You are not alone. This is the song of the lazy musician, along with, "let's just have fun".
You are obviously more dedicated and conscientious.
Another one that used to get me was "wanna move on " ? when a song was just starting to come together and needed a little more fine tuning.
You will probably find that "good enough" is the general approach these types have to everything.
It's epidemic around here. Can't count the number of times I've sat in or auditioned and had to show a group how the song actually goes. That's a delicate dance for sure but I'm not going to unlearn the part I've put together just 'cause they're lazy. Nah-ga-dah.
EDIT: This is the song of the lazy musician, along with, "let's just have fun".
Really made me laugh. And then die a little inside.
That works if you are a "Hired Gun". You hire Joe Blow to learn the material. To him it's a "Job". If it's a member of your band, they are expected to fulfill their obligations and responsibilities. There are no levels of "Lazy". You are either Lazy or you are Not!
From the bandleader perspective, if you want professional musicians - are you treating them professionally as in getting good gigs that pay well? Musicians are weird, they want to do free gigs but are always looking for someone to do their website for free so the developer can expand their portfolio or a photographer / video to help them get the word out about their services. Professionalism is a two way street.
Perhaps that was originally geared toward someone more befitting of that moniker.
Yes. The last band I was in three out of four of us had day jobs. The one guy who pretty much made his living as a solo musician used to love making the "professional" overture.
When we would tune up to standard pitch, he would be out. When we would point it out, he would get mad and insist his guitar was in tune. Just not with the rest of the band.
He would never change his strings, get a setup, fix a crackling broken jack, or take the advice to thread his cord through his strap so it wouldn't pull out in the middle of a song. His intonation was out, his strings sounded like a ukelele and his trem wouldn't keep tune.
Oy. He was a great singer, and he didn't play his guitar loud and switched to a hardtail so we got by.
There are valid reasons to KISS, but not learning one's part isn't one of 'em. Quite a few bluegrass oriented bands play other Americana (eg, swing, jazz standards) and often the arrangements are quite simplified from the chord structure as written, but work in the genre. Even then every player needs to practice and know their parts.
It's a common problem. Bandmates who don't understand the difference between practice and rehearsal drive me batty. I also feel it's disrespectful of my time for them to show up unprepared.
I record every single rehearsal, post the MP3’s on Dropbox the next day so that the band members can listen and critique their own performance, and so that they won’t forget the arrangement when we next play the song. I also practice at least an hour a day. I insist on the same standard of rehearsal from my band mates. If they can’t keep up with me, I find a new band. There is no shortage of bands who need a singing bass player.
Aside from laziness, I have often suspected that some musicians use this as a way to influence song selection. In other words, they drag their feet on learning a song everyone else wants to do, in the hopes that everyone gets frustrated and gives up on the song. I have seen some very good musicians drag their feet on learning some very simple songs, and you know that the main reason is they just don't want to do the song.
Exactly and I'm not going to waste time and energy 'inventing' beginnings, endings or interludes at rehearsal because some one hasn't spent the time to just listen to the song.
Yeah let's do that. Then in your next band where they know the song correctly, you can argue that they are wrong.
I have heard bands come up with some high quality addenda that made their
version even better.
On the other hand, watered down just stands out and sucks lemons.
I have heard bands come up with some high quality addenda that made their
version even better.
On the other hand, watered down just stands out and sucks lemons.
That right up there with "Well we're going to do our own version" Translation, "It's to difficult to learn"
I play in several churches - as a volunteer. While none of us are perfect, we all (regardless of which church you're talking about) show up prepared. As the places I play have multiple bands worth of volunteers, I'm talking about at least 100 musicians that I know that play for free, and adhere to this level of professionalism. We may have a different arrangement to learn (ditch the second chorus, add a second bridge....) when we get to rehearsal, but we ALL know the basic song structure, chords, etc.
If you're someone who prepares for rehearsals, and others in your band don't, fire yourself from that band, and find other musicians who act like you do. There are others like you out there - trust me on this. You'll be head and shoulders above your competition in no time.
If you're someone who prepares for rehearsals, and others in your band don't, fire yourself from that band, and find other musicians who act like you do. There are others like you out there - trust me on this. You'll be head and shoulders above your competition in no time.
