First real "jam"

[zenbanshee]

I picked up my first bass about 7 years ago and I've been taking lessons for the past 4 years, but I've never been in a band and I've never really played with a group before.

I found a group of older guys on Craigslist (back in November) looking for a bass player for some low-key jams and sent them a note. I wasn't able to make their first get-together in November, but they sent me another note this week and I told them I'd be able to make it.

There were three guitarists and a drummer. The drummer and two of the guitarists are in their early fifties (they traded off vocal duties) and the other guitarist is probably mid to late thirties (I'm 33). Both older guitarists have played bass in bands before.

Basically I showed up, we did a quick intro, plugged in and off we went. I play enough guitar to recognize the chords and I just plugged away at root notes. We played some pretty easy chord progressions (two or three chords for the most part). Before I knew it, we'd been playing for two hours. Man, that felt great. Well, aside from my fingers and my shoulder . . .

We took a little break and one of the guitarists told me I should turn the bass up a bit (I thought that never happened?). A handful of songs later and we were all packing up. They told me I did a great job and they want me to come back again.

 

[Plectrum72]

That's great. Nothing is as fun for me as playing with other people. Keep at it and have fun.

 

[Stealth Fighter]

Sounds like a good gig. Playing with more experienced musicians is the best way to improve. Have fun.

 

[BassCliff]

Hi,

That's great! Keep up the good work. Like anything else, learning to play with a group takes practice. If you can, get a song list from them so you can review the original recordings, on Youtube if nothing else. I've learned a lot just being able to lift the licks off the records. Next time we want pictures and video!


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

 

[zenbanshee]

I guess I should clarify that is was just in a practice space, but it still felt like a great accomplishment on my part. I think even just an audio recording would be a great idea for next time. Then I can try to come up with some better bass lines.

It was all classic rock, so I knew every song we played, which helped a bunch. I'm really bummed that I'm traveling this week, I really want to practice now.

 

[BassCliff]

Hi,

I think even just an audio recording would be a great idea for next time. Then I can try to come up with some better bass lines.

It's always good practice to record rehearsals. I should do it more often. Listening to yourself will let you know where to tweak and make corrections, plus help you memorize the arrangements and vocal parts, etc. Good stuff!

Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

 

[MrYellow]

Surprised when you were told to turn the bass up? same here, I was pleasantly surprised when I was told to put up my already band-overpowering Music man on my first jam, playing and listening to metal for most of the time I played bass would probably be the reason why I thought that...

 

[zenbanshee]

Great news today -- the guy that put together this little practice jam has asked me if I want to play in some shows this summer! I'm pretty excited.

 

[swamp_bass]

That's awesome! They'll definitely notice when you start filling in the nuances of the songs they're playing, which will be even more exciting.

 

[Haji]

Playing live in front of people is a unique experience, and I'm sure you'll find that once you do it, you wanna keep doing it...until you get sick of dealing with guitarists and singers.

Keep at it, brother!

 

[hrodbert696]

Congratulations man!

 

[GKon]

ΗΕΥ, way to go!! What a great feeling!
Good work and keep having fun!

 

[Dave44]

That's what it's all about zen. Playing within a band situation really brings out the best in your self. Keep at it and you'll soon ask your self this is a blast what took me so long.

 

[fraublugher]

Right On!

 

[tangentmusic]

That's what it's all about zen. Playing within a band situation really brings out the best in your self. Keep at it and you'll soon ask your self this is a blast what took me so long.

+1. There's really nothing like the vibe playing music with good players. And the camaraderie. It's good for the soul (like chicken soup!)

 

[iriegnome]

Sounds like you are in a band now. Good for you. It is always fun to groove..

 

[zenbanshee]

I'm really looking forward to it. We are getting together tomorrow to go over the first 4-5 songs. I'll be recording this time.

 

[zenbanshee]

I recorded two songs tonight . . . and forgot to turn on the microphone. Doh. The band leader also made recordings, so I'll ask him for copies.

Things went well tonight. I really like these guys and they seem to appreciate having me around. That's a win - win right there.

 

[zenbanshee]

I remembered that I started this thread, so I figured that I'd put out an update. We've been working through some songs and have a pretty good set list which is going to come in handy when we play our first gig on the 24th of next month. I've got a lot of work to do to get ready, but I've come a long way in the past few months.

 

[hrodbert696]

Can't wait to hear a full gig report!