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From Playing with yourself to Playing with Others

I

Infrasonik B.

Inactive
Aug 4, 2010
156
0
Ottawa, On
#1
I’ve been playing music for about 6 years now (started on guitar, then drums only to find the perfect combination of the two – bass :D).

I’m somewhere in my 3rd year of playing bass (the last year getting more serious with 6-10hrs practice/week). I’m slowly teaching myself music theory but am far from being able to sight read.

I’ve jammed with some friends and played a handful of shows with a hip-hop group (2 MCs & a DJ) where I didn’t have to do much but play on time.

I’m probably much better geared than I am skilled lol (as I’m sure is the case with a lot of us - thanks to TB GAS!!).

My question is: When do you know you are ready to go out and play with people who aren’t friend of yours i.e. audition for bands?

As much as I want to get out there and play, I also don’t want to flop because I wasn’t ready and ruin my chances of jamming/playing with these musicians/bands in the future.

I know I should just grow a pair and take the plunge but my concern is the miniscule amount of musicians in this city that play the kind of music I’d like to play (Soul/Funk/R&B). If I screw it up with a few of them, I might not have anyone to go to when I come back from the extreme practice period that would ensue.

Any suggestions? How did you make the transition from playing with yourself (hehehe) to auditioning for bands?
 
#4
well since you are asking... it is time!!!! I have been playing with a group for about a year, before that it was all by myself. If you know your parts you can go it, believe me playing in a band is way better than by yourself, and playing with other WILL make you a better player, stop second guessing and do it!!!!
 
#5
Infrasonik B. said:
Any suggestions? How did you make the transition from playing with yourself (hehehe) to auditioning for bands?
Click to expand...

I don't know how helpful this will be, but you just have to do it. You won't be comfortable with auditions or working with others until you just do it.

Generally, most auditions I've been on I was given several songs a week or so ahead of time to bring. Either that or the band had several tunes I already knew. So if you're given songs ahead of time, that should give you a week (or at least a few days) to have them down. That should help you prevent the "falling on your face" scenario.

My first gig back in '81 was exactly a week after picking up the bass. Granted, it was Southern Gospel and relatively simple music. But the point is that you just have to do it at some point and have confidence in your abilities. The more you do this with others, the more confident you'll be.
 
#7
aztomr said:
Find some friends to jam with, you could put an ad on craigslist or your local music store bulletin board.:bassist:
Click to expand...

I jam with friends pretty regularly (banjo & guitars) but I don't think (a few have told me) that they would be serious enough to get a band going or even write some songs.

I've responded to a handful of wanted ads (craigslist style) for bassists but I'm never really sure how much/little info to put and have never gotten a response. I'm working on recording a few songs I wrote so I can send them along with my reply. Any suggestions on what to write?
 
#8
:cool:

Playing with other teaches you one thing fast.
You must listen.
It's all about time, and playing with others.
Not about yourself any more.
They more you play with others, the more you want it.
 
#9
If you haven’t already, maybe learn the bass lines to a few popular covers of the type of music you want to play. You can usually pick up on a style or pattern that’s common in that particular genre which could be helpful.

If you can do a decent job of that, you should be ready.

I’ve never had to formally audition, but I understand they typically give you songs they expect to hear, so at least that gives you some kind of a heads up.
 
#10
Hehe, this thread has 'playing with myself' in the title.
As far as actually contributing to the conversation, I'll second a lot of the advice here already. For me all I had to do was go out and do it, you know? Find some friends and just jam for fun, and from there it's not to hard to make the transition from jamming to gigging. Best of luck.
 
#12
First let me say I'm impressed at your thinking. Very strategic.

The way I did it might give you some more ideas for your strategy. I started out with a band I formed with friends. At the same time I went to gigs to see bands a couple of rungs up the ladder and got to know them. We scored some supports with them, and eventually I was invited to audition for one of those bands, and that was my first pro gig.

At the time it was all just fun, but I now realise that if I had set out to formulate a strategy I couldn't have done it better.

Firstly because there's a lot you only learn from playing live with a band that practice can't teach you.

Second because I was networking like crazy. I just didn't think of it like that. When I walked into that audition I already knew the guys and they already knew what I could do, so it was really just a case of whether the chemistry of the lineup worked.

The downside of a band with friends is I lost a couple because they weren't good enough musically and had to be let go. You have to consider that. When I look back I was more ruthless than I would be now on a few occasions, not that I saw it that way at the time.
 
#13
A lot of good advice here. I would like also to suggest to look for some open mic nights at the bars/clubs in your area. The first time you go you might just go yourself and leave the bass out in the car or at home. Listen to some of the songs to get an idea what type of music is played. Go home and learn two or three of those songs(if you don't know any of them) go back the next week or whenever and put yourself out there.
 
#15
I started out playing with others (not gigging though) BEFORE I played with myself...As above posters have mentioned..you just have to put yourself out there, not care if you flop and be confident even if you are not. Look for a band that is not all about getting on the circuit right away with stars in thier eyes and you'll be fine. Also don't limit yourself to specific genres..just play with whoever you can.
 
#16
practice with a metronome. more than anything, id say my problem when i play with other musicians is my timing.

other than that, theres just stuff you cant learn by reading or practicing on your own. gotta get out there and play. its so much fun too. good luck maaahhnnnnn.
 
#18
I started playing bass because me and some friends decided, on a spur, to start a band. 7 months later I auditioned for another band and got the gig. At that point I could barely play straight 8th root notes but I filled the bottom end. Learnt a great deal from that experience alone, because the drummer was really tight and both guitarists were very gifted.
 
#19
Infrasonik B. said:
As much as I want to get out there and play, I also don’t want to flop because I wasn’t ready and ruin my chances of jamming/playing with these musicians/bands in the future.
Click to expand...

Don't be afraid to flop. You can have the best bass skills around and still fail an audition. Likewise, you can barely be able to play anything at all and even an experienced band might take you in and work with you because of your attitude.

Any musicians who would judge you on one audition and forever hold it against you in future situations are not people you want to play with anyway.

So get out there and meet people. Be prepared to meet the best and worst out there. You will have good times and moments of embarrassment as well. It's unavoidable. It's life. But trust me, the good times are worth it.
 
#20
The way I see it it is almost impossible for the bass to the follow the music, and play off the vocals rhythmically and melodically right off the bat. You might be able to do the former easily, but the latter is what takes days of playing with the band to really pull it off well.

Listen to how well the bass sits in the mix on early Elton John albums. There just has to be time to really "hear" and "feel" the song, feel your own singers and band members emotions, and convey that feeling in the low end.
 

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