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DO's and DONT's Please
- Thread starter bassman2020
- Start date
Amen! It seems that many people play the blues because it's "easy" but extremely few can do it well and keep it interesting. Shredders (yawn), poor bending, "white" sounding voices that lack soul (I'm white, by the way), oversimplification of chord progressions...man there are so many ways to ruin the blues; it's best left to guys who have been doing blues since they were 5 or 10 years old and grew up poor. Really. It's really a way of life more than a skill that can be learned. Sure, you can fake the bass and drums but the guitarist/vocalists... can't fake them. I imagine that one would likely drive oneself mad playing with immitation blues guitarists/vocalists every week. Best of luck finding the right guys.
Be patient, it may take time to find the right peeps. Be up front as a person and as a band on organization, expectations, roles, everything. Be adults and discuss. Be open to other things. You may find the blues are not what the guys you wind up with are not what you do best.
Okay, I stand corrected... apparently not even blues drumming can be faked! You are beginning an even more perilous journey than I had imagined!
Don't forget that blues is mainly, as country and singer/songwriter, a storytelling kind of music. The lyrics, the delivery of the vocals, story told, is what's important, everything else comes second. Not noodling for ages on end on harmonica, guitar, or any other instrument solos.
If you have 2 guitarists, or just have to, for some strange reason, make sure one of them is very well versed in slide guitar. If not, get rid of the 2nd guitarist. Period. Don't keep 2 "SRV" type of guitarists in the same band. Me for one, would love to see any blues band, that has no guitarist at all! 
That would provide a challenge, and make you stand out in the long run. I don't know if it would be a first though, but I think you even could flaunt it on flyers and ads. I think bar owners, and joint owners/bookers would make a mental note about it, regarding loudness during gigs.
That would provide a challenge, and make you stand out in the long run. I don't know if it would be a first though, but I think you even could flaunt it on flyers and ads. I think bar owners, and joint owners/bookers would make a mental note about it, regarding loudness during gigs.
Before he knew better.Really?
At least not cargo shorts.
This is correct. Blues drumming, is often a shuffle, and swing type of feel, at different tempos. I remember hard rock stalwart Ritchie Blackmore (of all genres) auditioning drummers, he JUST wanted them start out with playing a blues shuffle, even if his band and music was into a whole different bag. In Britain, he had to go through 10-15 of them, before one of them nailed the spot without struggling. And mind you, this was later on, when he was known, and just auditioned professional drummers, that had already made it on their own, in other bands. Ritchies take, was that if they cut the blues shuffle, they could cut the rest. And of course, he had no patience, time, with drummers trying to hone it. He thought that, if they haven't got that already, it's too late. They just don't hear it, and will never get the hang of it anyway. It should be stressed though, that this had to do with mostly British drummers.
Although there's much to say about mr Blackmore, and his endeavours, in this case, I actually agree with him in this case. This is my experience with most Scandinavian drummers too. As fast as they're into jazz though, they sort of "got it" but then, blues ain't the type of music they want to play anyway. I do think (I am not sure) that this problem is less so with any American drummer. It's all about perception of timing on the small micro world of things.
One hint of waryness, warning, is that you keep on looking for suitable guys at an open mic scene or something. Chances are that those people who are already good, and are playing the music they really like, sort of "bona fide"... are already booked up in a band. That the band likes, and that this individual likes to stay in. Chances or the risks are that you're not hiring the cream of the crop, but some kind of - not even second rate players - but players that doesn't really fit in in any band, and if they're not in any band by now already, you should ask yourself why they aren't. Some kind of drama, friction, or personality issues may come forth, but more often than not, they just are sort of musicians that are on the wrong side of cutting it, without struggle. Be aware of musicians, that just wants to play, any band, any kind of music, and just wants to... sorry for the truth... get laid. They're dime a dozen, and if it's blues, they just think it's easy as a piece of cake, and kids stuff, while it's really not.
Me myself is in a period right now, with the "won't suffer fools gladly" kind of mentality, because I've been through so much drama and !"#& during all years, so for now, I choose the musicians I'll play with. Not someone else. In hindsight, all of the bands I've been in, they've asked me to come on board in already existing and functioning bands, and in every band, there's always someone that - eventually - got on my nerves. So from now on, I will be the one asking for others to play with me. Not the other way around.
Me myself is in a period right now, with the "won't suffer fools gladly" kind of mentality, because I've been through so much drama and !"#& during all years, so for now, I choose the musicians I'll play with. Not someone else. In hindsight, all of the bands I've been in, they've asked me to come on board in already existing and functioning bands, and in every band, there's always someone that - eventually - got on my nerves. So from now on, I will be the one asking for others to play with me. Not the other way around.
So I can't sing the blues... Can I still play bass to it?
What if my computer is a no good, broke down wreck.?
With the meanest face in town?
Hound Dog Taylor, one of the greats with no bass player and Japanese guitars. His second guitar player smokes most bass players on an Esquire. I'm a bass player, good music is still just music. Anyway I love this guy! Best of luck
I think everyone's getting a little carried away here. We can let the OP decide what kind of blues he wants to play without jumping all over him insisting he be a purist, can't we? The blues can be a lot of things.
To the OP, I think the main issues to think about have to do with the dynamics of the group. Personalities are more important than chops. Everybody doesn't have to be best buddies, but avoid drama queens and look for people who are professional enough in attitude to learn their part and do their job and not tear things apart.
Talk goals and make sure you understand WHY each person wants to be in your band. Some may want gigs and some side money, others may be blues purists, others may just want to entertain, etc... Keeping the band going means making sure everyone's goals are compatible and everyone is getting enough of what they want to stay motivated.
Assuming you plan to gig, invest in the best PA you can afford. Invest in marketing - social media, a website, a banner, business cards, photos and video.
Set a timeline that you want to be out gigging by. Start looking for bookings as soon as you can. Don't spend a year in the basement trying to get everything perfect. The perfect is the enemy of the good. Nothing will motivate people to get off their butts and pull together than a gig on the calendar they need to be ready for (the right people, anyway).
Try to attend local blues jams to get a feel for the level of musicianship in the area. It is a good way to connect and find musicians you may want to play with. You may also find that a 4 piece band is easier to sell to a club than a 5 piece, so if possible keep the size of the band to a minimum. Good luck.
This. OP isn't starting a church, he's starting a bar band. Lighten up people.
If you play old, traditional blues for four hours straight anywhere other than a few major metro areas (Kansas City, Memphis, Chicago, etc.) prepare to stay at home most Friday and Saturday nights.
You absolutely can stir in some SRV, Delbert McClinton, Allman Brothers, etc. In fact, you would be wise to do so. It would take a very special audience to be mesmerized all night by the list of traditional blues artists that have been listed here. I love blues but couldn't sit through that all night, even if the players are great. Remember, you are asking musicians what they think here, not club owners or audience members.
Do yourself a favor. Watch this scene from Jod Dirt when you are not at work. It will clear up everything with regard to marketing....especially the last sentence.
Remember the two goals of any band.
1) Entertain the most people possible most of the time.
2) Make money for the person who hired you by drawing a crowd that buys tickets and/or keeping a crowd that buys food and drinks.
I doubt very seriously you could accomplish either in most towns by sticking to the hardcore list of "rules" you have been given here. The is bar band logistics, not rocket surgery.
Yes, the drummer can make or break this kind of act. Yes, guitar (or harp) wankery for ten minutes each song can make for a boring night for your audience. Yes, the front man/woman is the sun around which all other planets in the band revolve. But, honestly, these can be said of virtually any band.
Keep the goal in mind. Sell beer or tickets by entertaining the crap out of those who come to see you. THAT ALONE will keep you booked as much as you want to be. Sticking to traditional blues rules will not.
And,honestly, as neat as this is, it won't accomplish the goal. You will be stuck doing this in your basement.
Oh. I though he said he wanted to start a blues band.
If being a "bar band" and entertaining a room full of drunks is the be all end all of our existence as musicians, maybe it's time most of us go take some online or nightschool courses and find other part-time employment?
Seriously. I encounter more extreme versions of that "it's not that, it's just _____" everywhere. Zero dedication to the art and craft of anything. Just crank out the french fries and get your paycheck. The whole fast food approach to being a band.
Maybe that's the 'reality,' even though I'm not fully convinced. But in the absence of demands for quality music and playing, it behooves us to provide it in our own. Because if all we exist for is to fill a room with heavy drinkers, there's very little point to being a musician. Something more and more bar owners are starting to conclude as well.
Truth is, if selling beer and tickets is your primary goal, any halfway decent looking woman could draw five times better than bands doing that just by taking her clothes off and spinning on a pole. Something to think about.
There's room for quality, and respect for the music, and attention to your craft, even in a bar band playing for an unappreciative audience. You can have integrity and still "play the game" to get booked if you need to. Because if that's not important, you might as well see if you can get 20 hours a week at Walmart. You don't need to be in a band to get laid. At least I hope you don't. And you'll make more per hour on average than you will playing in most bands. And best of all, you won't have to practice or lug an amp.
So no…I hear what you're saying…but I think those rules you're proposing are just as limiting as the are those of the purists. It's not all about us. But it's not all about the so-called crowd or the bar owners either unless we choose to let it be.
Or so I think anyway.
Like the song says:
We may be fighting
A losing battle,
But we're having a wonderful time
Trying to win.
At least I hope we are.
Since anything is possible i'm sure it could be done. The only trick would be to keep it from sucking really badly.
Exactly! You do solos in R&R and classical music, in blues you testify. If the guitar man wants to testify and has sonething worth hearing, let him speak. And like any personal revalation, you can't put a preset limit on how long it is so rather than plan to give him a few bars at the same place in the same song every time, work out signals to be used on stage to communicate without having to yell at each other so when the guitar man, piano man, or harp/sax man is feeling it, they can throw the high sign and y'all follow them in and comp until you get the sign to come back to the song. The only way this works is if they truly have something to say besides "look at me". Noy always easy to find, but well worth the effort.Yes! Exactly! "Blues" solos! Don't get me started!
Communication on stage is key and is almost as important as band members who fully appreciate the importance of serving the song/music rather than their own ego. This is more important in blues than any other genre i've ever done. A good blus band has the ability to adapt to the whims of the front, and the front has the ability to express their true feelings in their vocals. If they are sad, a slow number might be especially sad, but if they are happy, not so much, but a jump number will really jump.
Last, the drumer and the Fender man can sing, but they don't testify. Their job is to start the snake dance and keep it going while the front tells the tale.
