So I have always wanted to do it and before I turn 30 this October thought bollocks lets do it. So I have been offered a place in a band only problem never done it before, so I was wondering what are the things I am going to struggle with going from playing in my spare room at home to playing with a guitarist and drummer? And what can I do to prepare for it?
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First band at 30ish
- Thread starter leehutch
- Start date
My first band was at 52, only picked up the instrument at 50 and have done nearly 60 gigs. My advice ... try to play with people who are better than you, it'll lift your game. A great drummer makes my life easy, if the drummer is inconsistent I find that I struggle. Listen to your drummer and practice practice practice. Being in a band is a lot more fun than playing alone, it's the best way to improve quickly I find.
Al Kraft
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- May 2, 2016
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First, have fun and congratulations! Remember that when you have a lot of instruments playing, it's not unusual to find that a song often benefits more from notes you leave out than those you put in. It's okay to let the music and audience take a breath now and then and not be overwhelmed with notes.
Pick songs that appeal to the audience you'll be playing for. If they came to hear originals, feel free to give them what you got. If they came to dance and sing along with stuff they know (from a particular era), be prepared to entertain them with what they expected. The night will always go better for everyone when you flex your set list to keep the audience entertained as opposed to playing your favorites and hoping for the best.
Playing in a band is more about listening to each other than trying to impress your band mates or the audience with your skills. Lock in with the drummer and get to know each others style - play off of each other, don't compete with or step on each other. Great music comes from folks who love playing together and work to complement what the band is doing, not stand out (except for your solo parts).
Finally, if you are having fun on stage and enjoying the groove, the audience will see and hear that and enjoy the show as well. Know each others moves and the music well enough that even an occasional mistake can be turned into a pleasant surprise that makes the music more interesting. Good Luck!!
Pick songs that appeal to the audience you'll be playing for. If they came to hear originals, feel free to give them what you got. If they came to dance and sing along with stuff they know (from a particular era), be prepared to entertain them with what they expected. The night will always go better for everyone when you flex your set list to keep the audience entertained as opposed to playing your favorites and hoping for the best.
Playing in a band is more about listening to each other than trying to impress your band mates or the audience with your skills. Lock in with the drummer and get to know each others style - play off of each other, don't compete with or step on each other. Great music comes from folks who love playing together and work to complement what the band is doing, not stand out (except for your solo parts).
Finally, if you are having fun on stage and enjoying the groove, the audience will see and hear that and enjoy the show as well. Know each others moves and the music well enough that even an occasional mistake can be turned into a pleasant surprise that makes the music more interesting. Good Luck!!
Al Kraft
Supporting Member
- May 2, 2016
- 10,771
- 40,450
- Disclosures
- Mesa Boogie beta product tester and player support
After thinking about your question, one more thought crossed my mind and while it's sort of included in the above, it's worth stating explicitly. Lots of us work hard at home to get that perfect bass tone we have in our heads. Unfortunately, that sound which is sheer bliss when you're playing at home alone, will frequently get you lost or buried in a band mix on stage. Be prepared to have folks "out front" ask you to make adjustments that may not sound right to you, but will actually place your bass perfectly in the mix for the audience.
Remember that when you're in a band environment and playing a venue where the acoustics aren't the same as "your home", the "perfect tone you've been working on for years" may be the worst possible way to slot nicely into a mix. This is a really tough thing to get used to, even for folks who have been playing for years. Often I feel like my bass is sounding too mid or treble focused or lacking lows on stage, and then folks from the audience come up and ask what rig I'm using because they thought the bass sounded incredible.
Remember that when you're in a band environment and playing a venue where the acoustics aren't the same as "your home", the "perfect tone you've been working on for years" may be the worst possible way to slot nicely into a mix. This is a really tough thing to get used to, even for folks who have been playing for years. Often I feel like my bass is sounding too mid or treble focused or lacking lows on stage, and then folks from the audience come up and ask what rig I'm using because they thought the bass sounded incredible.
Al Kraft makes an excellent point above. If you have any friends that are bass players - especially with a good ear - try to spot them in the audience for feed back on the sound. Take a small personal notebook and make notes on the amp and EQ settings that seem to work the best from out front.
Sometimes, I have had a friend sit in on one song so I could hear the bass from out front and refine the EQ so that sits better in the mix. It is guaranteed not to be the optimum "bedroom mix".
Another good thing to do is to get the set or performance recorded. You sometimes think you had a killer night, but then you sit down and listen to yourself and every little detail that you screwed up jumps out at you. Like: leading in too early, hesitating, dropping a string, missed changes, poor attack, lagging, lines that didn't approach well, (your drummer's attempt to make the ONE and a half turn into the new ONE), excessive finger clank, poor timing in changing pickup selections or EQ, and pretty much everything else that can humanly go wrong. Rather than get frustrated over this, it is a great tool to illuminate what you did wrong so you can fix it, and it also can illuminate the times the lines worked well and you were in the zone and locked into "Can't do no wrong and can't hit a bad note" land.
By doing this, you eliminate the bad, refine the good and get your parts simplified, effective, locked up and repeatable with good solid groove. Well worth the psychological pain and effort.
Sometimes, I have had a friend sit in on one song so I could hear the bass from out front and refine the EQ so that sits better in the mix. It is guaranteed not to be the optimum "bedroom mix".
Another good thing to do is to get the set or performance recorded. You sometimes think you had a killer night, but then you sit down and listen to yourself and every little detail that you screwed up jumps out at you. Like: leading in too early, hesitating, dropping a string, missed changes, poor attack, lagging, lines that didn't approach well, (your drummer's attempt to make the ONE and a half turn into the new ONE), excessive finger clank, poor timing in changing pickup selections or EQ, and pretty much everything else that can humanly go wrong. Rather than get frustrated over this, it is a great tool to illuminate what you did wrong so you can fix it, and it also can illuminate the times the lines worked well and you were in the zone and locked into "Can't do no wrong and can't hit a bad note" land.
By doing this, you eliminate the bad, refine the good and get your parts simplified, effective, locked up and repeatable with good solid groove. Well worth the psychological pain and effort.
Is this thread deliberately in "Live Sound" or should it be in "Band Management?"
As far as specific "Live Sound" issues go:
- remember that the volume knob on your amp goes down as well as up.
- Wear earplugs at gigs, especially if you have a guitarist who isn't aware of point 1.
- The mids on your EQ are your friend if you want anyone out there to hear notes rather than mud. You don't have to crank them, but don't cut them out either.
If you're talking band management - learn your own part. Listen to the drummer, lock in with his kick drum. Listen in general. Don't worry too much about mistakes, especially live. All that matters is the NEXT note. Keeping the groove is more important than impressing anyone. Don't cause drama. Don't waste your time on people who do, there are other bands in the world.
As far as specific "Live Sound" issues go:
- remember that the volume knob on your amp goes down as well as up.
- Wear earplugs at gigs, especially if you have a guitarist who isn't aware of point 1.
- The mids on your EQ are your friend if you want anyone out there to hear notes rather than mud. You don't have to crank them, but don't cut them out either.
If you're talking band management - learn your own part. Listen to the drummer, lock in with his kick drum. Listen in general. Don't worry too much about mistakes, especially live. All that matters is the NEXT note. Keeping the groove is more important than impressing anyone. Don't cause drama. Don't waste your time on people who do, there are other bands in the world.
I was massively unsure of where to put it and ended up here but I am totally open to suggestions for moving it if it is in the wrong place
As the bass player in a three piece, I constantly listen to the drums and guitar and think, "How can I make the band sound better?" This listening and adjusting what I play to make the drummer and guitar player sound better became a habit many years ago.
I listen for holes that need to be filled, busy sections that need just a simpler foundation, follow the other guys' cues, patterns, dynamics, signature riffs, accents, etc.
In our current band (we've been playing together over 5 years) we come off as tight, fun and better than we each actually are, because of how well we play together, and have fun doing it, which is obvious to the audience.
Our guitar player is the rhythm player in a 4 piece, but plays lead in ours. He always comments that it's easier playing with our 3 piece, because he can play what he wants without having to worry about filling "holes." I do that so he doesn't have to...and do it without coming off as "busy."
Have fun, and listen closely to what the others are doing, and strive to fit in in a manner that really supports the drums and guitar. The bass player has more "control" than most can imagine.
"With great power comes great responsibility."
I listen for holes that need to be filled, busy sections that need just a simpler foundation, follow the other guys' cues, patterns, dynamics, signature riffs, accents, etc.
In our current band (we've been playing together over 5 years) we come off as tight, fun and better than we each actually are, because of how well we play together, and have fun doing it, which is obvious to the audience.
Our guitar player is the rhythm player in a 4 piece, but plays lead in ours. He always comments that it's easier playing with our 3 piece, because he can play what he wants without having to worry about filling "holes." I do that so he doesn't have to...and do it without coming off as "busy."
Have fun, and listen closely to what the others are doing, and strive to fit in in a manner that really supports the drums and guitar. The bass player has more "control" than most can imagine.
"With great power comes great responsibility."
Things for everyone:
1 - Serve the song and the band.
2 - Focus on Time, Tone, Timbre and Taste, with taste being the biggie (e.g. note choice).
3 - Record your rehearsal and listen back and critique. Do a few takes when working on note choices for the stringed instruments and fills and grooves for the drummer.
4 - Adhere to the 2 golden rules of the rhythm section: 1 - Do not drop the beat, 2 - do not F up the groove. That most typically happens when people try to do something fancy that is uncalled for and would violate points 1 and 2 above.
5 - have fun.
I hope you have a great drummer, it makes everything else so much easier as a bass player. Enjoy it!
1 - Serve the song and the band.
2 - Focus on Time, Tone, Timbre and Taste, with taste being the biggie (e.g. note choice).
3 - Record your rehearsal and listen back and critique. Do a few takes when working on note choices for the stringed instruments and fills and grooves for the drummer.
4 - Adhere to the 2 golden rules of the rhythm section: 1 - Do not drop the beat, 2 - do not F up the groove. That most typically happens when people try to do something fancy that is uncalled for and would violate points 1 and 2 above.
5 - have fun.
I hope you have a great drummer, it makes everything else so much easier as a bass player. Enjoy it!
Actually practice setting up and taking down. Get it done quick! Of course, you need to practice the songs you're playing too. Get them down and know them inside and out.
VIDEO TAPE YOURSELF PRACTICING AS IF YOU'RE PLAYING A GIG. Seriously. Review the tape. What did you do that was cool? What did you do that wasn't cool? Could you look up more? Could you look more into it? This is up to you and what you feel comfortable with, but I swear most people have no clue how they look on stage, and it shows.
Good luck!!
