Hey folks, for those new to the diary, I am a middle aged musician enjoying a bit of a musical renaissance, including finally picking up the bass as a secondary instrument. I am learning *pretty* much on the fly gigging in a duo, and am documenting my gigs with brief writeups. I have links to past entries (which started on Facebook) below!
So tonight I played at our primary bar jam, but this time, we had a drummer, and a quite capable one too! Similar to the issues I have had with the band leader, I think the drummer assumed I was a *lot* more capable than I am!
Like every other gig with this bandleader, we are following him. No setlist, no warning, no quarter! (I'm kidding on that last one, he's super positive and supportive!). This worked a *lot* better as a duo, when he would just tell me the chords, and we would dive in.
With a drummer involved, I quickly discovered that I have a *lot* of practice to do! When we locked it, there were moments of magic, but I must admit, we had to fight to get there, and to stay there.
Oddly enough, like all of my best moments on bass, things seem to start happening when I *relax* and stop thinking about things. I found myself using more slides into and out of notes to help make up for some of my technical inadequacies.
I had a *much* stronger performance on backing vocals than I expected, and I think better than any previous gig. This surprised me, given the added stress.
I have hearing damage in one ear, and was apprehensive about whether or not I could handle being on stage with a drummer, but the earplugs seemed to more than do their job. After we finished, the drummer confided in me that he had a similar issue, and had custom earplugs molded for about $120. Definitely a "piece of gear" that's high on my list to acquire!
I had more success with the active EQ and finding my tone in general. I was plugged into a Katana bass amp instead of directly into the PA, which might have helped. I experimented with the blend between the P and J pickups, with dramatic results.
Lastly, when it was time for me to go, the drummer ran to the washroom, and the guitarist continued alone. So I jumped on the drums for a hoot. Turns out the drummer is left handed, which made drumming for the first time in a decade tricky! I was never much of a drummer, but we got through a few songs, with the drummer jumping on bass. I think he was a *much* better bassist than I was, though he disagreed! Imposter syndrome or politeness? Hard to say!
That's it for this tonight, see you next time!
1st entry: Bass Players | Played my first bass gig tonight :) | Facebook
2nd entry: Bass Players | First off, Merry Christmas | Facebook
3rd entry: Bass Players | Third bass gig tonight | Facebook
4th entry: Bass Players | Another gig tonight | Facebook
5th entry: Bass Players | Another entry in my running gig diary | Facebook
6th entry: https://www.talkbass.com/threads/diary-of-a-bassist-6.1645734/#post-28323213
So tonight I played at our primary bar jam, but this time, we had a drummer, and a quite capable one too! Similar to the issues I have had with the band leader, I think the drummer assumed I was a *lot* more capable than I am!
Like every other gig with this bandleader, we are following him. No setlist, no warning, no quarter! (I'm kidding on that last one, he's super positive and supportive!). This worked a *lot* better as a duo, when he would just tell me the chords, and we would dive in.
With a drummer involved, I quickly discovered that I have a *lot* of practice to do! When we locked it, there were moments of magic, but I must admit, we had to fight to get there, and to stay there.
Oddly enough, like all of my best moments on bass, things seem to start happening when I *relax* and stop thinking about things. I found myself using more slides into and out of notes to help make up for some of my technical inadequacies.
I had a *much* stronger performance on backing vocals than I expected, and I think better than any previous gig. This surprised me, given the added stress.
I have hearing damage in one ear, and was apprehensive about whether or not I could handle being on stage with a drummer, but the earplugs seemed to more than do their job. After we finished, the drummer confided in me that he had a similar issue, and had custom earplugs molded for about $120. Definitely a "piece of gear" that's high on my list to acquire!
I had more success with the active EQ and finding my tone in general. I was plugged into a Katana bass amp instead of directly into the PA, which might have helped. I experimented with the blend between the P and J pickups, with dramatic results.
Lastly, when it was time for me to go, the drummer ran to the washroom, and the guitarist continued alone. So I jumped on the drums for a hoot. Turns out the drummer is left handed, which made drumming for the first time in a decade tricky! I was never much of a drummer, but we got through a few songs, with the drummer jumping on bass. I think he was a *much* better bassist than I was, though he disagreed! Imposter syndrome or politeness? Hard to say!
That's it for this tonight, see you next time!
1st entry: Bass Players | Played my first bass gig tonight :) | Facebook
2nd entry: Bass Players | First off, Merry Christmas | Facebook
3rd entry: Bass Players | Third bass gig tonight | Facebook
4th entry: Bass Players | Another gig tonight | Facebook
5th entry: Bass Players | Another entry in my running gig diary | Facebook
6th entry: https://www.talkbass.com/threads/diary-of-a-bassist-6.1645734/#post-28323213
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