• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Early, on time or late?

Are you habitually Early, On Time Or Late

  • Early

    Votes: 331 72.6%

  • On Time

    Votes: 82 18.0%

  • Late

    Votes: 17 3.7%

  • Carrots Always Arrive Precisiely When They Mean to

    Votes: 26 5.7%
  • Total voters
    456
#122
Bonafide said:
As a musician, appointment keeper, friend, husband, wife, etc.. are you habitually early, on time or late?

Myself - habitually early. Which also means I am always on time…or never late. Which means I get the benefits (whatever they may be) of being early but also the challenges of waiting for someone who is not even an ‘on timer’.

In a band environment I can check out the gig, meet the club owner, talk to the sound guy, check out the stage, make human connections, prepare.

In all my years on the planet where I had control of my own movement, I have never been late to anything, anywhere, ever. Not to a gig, a doctors appt., business meeting, dinner or coffee with friends, production deadline, session etc …not anything. Not once, not ever. It doesn't matter whether I am traveling for it or local.

It used to frustrate me dealing with the ‘late arrivals’… as it felt like such a disrespect of my time. Now at this stage in life, I let folks do what they will. It's revealing and useful.

The excuses for being late are endless, predictable, boring and rarely valid...but I have noticed that those who are late are generally always late and have years of excuses to pull from.
Click to expand...
You can be my friend:). I am always on time or early, so went with on time. People that are chronically late have control issues and are self-absorbed, all of which can be found in any psychology 101 book. We all have our problems, but this is one that I cannot handle when in any sort of team or collaborative effort (band, work, etc...). We all have our issues, but this is one that rubs me wrong, so I stay clear of musicians that fall into this category, unless absolutely desperate to get a fill-in for something temporarily. However, the couple instances I have had like this, I talked to the person first from a friendly standpoint, and just let them know that it is hard for me to work with chronically late people. In one case the guy stopped the behavior, and in the other he did not, so was not invited back to the band.

Best wishes
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: LBS-bass
#123
john_g said:
Funny timing for this thread...we just had the "lateness" talk with our drummer at practice yesterday. He is late for EVERYTHING. The rest of us are, at worst, on time but usually early. Its getting to the point where....drumroll...we might need to fire the drummer! lol (funny but, its true)
Click to expand...
My drummer is always late, to everything we plan, and then laughs about it ....if he wasn’t the best drummer I know and my best friend I prob wouldn’t put up with that crap
 
#125
I plan to leave early so that when something goes wrong (happens most of the time) I'm still on time.

Actually this isn't just a music thing, it happened when I played sport too. Anticipating the game I was just amped up hours before anyway so might as well go as I'd struggle to concentrate on anything else. It's the same with music.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Dabndug and LBS-bass
#126
Oh man, not a good area for me. I am often running late, a lot comes with the job, there's physical issues in there, and the mental side. I've found for me a lot comes from being ingrained to not be a quitter. Way too much to get into. LA traffic does not help matters at all.

But I do my best to manage things, call ahead if I see I'll be late, check traffic if I can before leaving, and assign priorities. Gigs, can't be late, and they are more often on the weekends so works much better. Rehearsals, often on week nights, so they sometimes suffer a little unfortunately. Everyone's shoes are different.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Cowboy in Latvia
#127
On time and – here’s the key – ready to go immediately...or just a little early. Rarely late, but if I will be more than 5–8 minutes late, I call.

If I show up 15 minutes or more early, I sit in place until 10 minutes early, then make my presence known – not before. There are few things more annoying for the receiver than an excessively early person. It’s far more annoying than being a little late. It creates pressure and an inverted power dynamic. It’s a warning sign that you’re dealing with an aggressive control freak.

Bottom line, if someone says to show up at a time, the best thing you can do is to show up at that time. It’s the most respectful way to do it.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Remoman
#132
friskinator said:
Habitually late people never change unless they suffer memorable consequences for being late. And even then, they still may not change.
Click to expand...

At my day job I managed a guy who was 1/2 hour late everyday...he said his trip was difficult during the AM rush...
I switched shifts with him to make it less stressful..and he continued to be 1/2 hour late.
I did everything I could to save this guys job..but we had to fire him..he was killing us by not being there.
We had bagel Friday in the office every week and he would call me on this day to tell me he was running late and asked if I could set aside a salt bagel with veggie cream cheese..no joke.
 
#133
Slater said:
Words to live by. :thumbsup:
Click to expand...
Can someone explain to me why we have words, then? Because if the words you say don't mean what they mean then why do we say them?

Being on time means you are there at a time that's designated as being enough time to get the job done before downbeat. There's no reason to be early for "on time." You get there when you are supposed to be there. That's what adults do.
 
#135
I joined a band that has ex military musicians in it. When they said 7:00 rehearsal, they meant in your seat, tunes up, music prepared and ready, and downbeat at 7:00. Not only did this relieve a lot of stress, we all came in focused and ready to play.

OTOH, I was in a group that had a keys player that would be late for his own funeral. He was buddies with the guitar player. Suddenly, keys guy started showing up on time for practice. WTH? I got the guitar player aside and asked him - he said, " I just tell him practice starts 30 minutes earlier than when it actually is.." Now ponder that for a moment..
 
#139
Slater said:
So you take every word you have ever heard or read literally?

Showing up early is a display of dedication and responsibility. That’s what successful adults do.
Click to expand...

Words have meaning. Being early means I'm there long before I'm needed. That's not necessary.

Showing up on time means giving yourself plenty of time to do the job you're supposed to do, plus allowing for unforeseen circumstances. It also means getting there at a point that no one is ever going to be sitting there wondering where you are. That's what I do.

I think that my personal definition of "on time" probably equates to a lot of people's definition of "early." Because if you're actually early, you're wasting your own time.
 
  • Like
Reactions: fdeck and Shalto

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back