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How long is too long?

powmetalbassist

powmetalbassist

Supporting Member
Oct 16, 2010
1,206
327
44
Deep River, Ontario, Canada
#1
Alright! So I started this band in the summer of 2009 with the guitarist. took us a while and we eventually found (after 6 months a solid vocalist. Just recently (May 2011) we found a drummer and started getting tight. Still no luck finding a keyboardist or second guitarist.

Been stuck in neutral for quite a while now. Never played a show, "practiced" and wrote a bunch of stuff. Getting kinda frustrated with this, but the people we have are good musicians (some of us actually know music theory -Gasp!)

So is 2 1/2 year too long?
 
#2
Yes... and no. If the point is to have fun with friends, making music you enjoy... for fun... Then there's no hurry.
I suspect by your comments that the point was to get out and play lots of shows and make something of this band... and if so... then yes... it's probably way too long. Everyone has different experiences, and opinions... but the things that I've spent years on, hoping they would develop into something great.... never really did. The things that got thrown together with the right members went out almost immediately and played bigger, more fun shows... and playing live will make you tigther.. quick. It seems to me that when you get together month after month, (Years?), and nothing much happens.... someone is happy with things as they are. I spent 3 years waiting once... so I know the feeling. Great guys, top-notch players... but not the same motivation or goals... it was time to move on. Thats what you need to think about... your motivation and goals, and if this project is going to get you there.
Best wishes.
 
#3
You have a drummer and vocalist, that's probably the hard part. Can you start gigging with the people you have? Or at least without keyboards? I know metal bands tend to be hyper-specific about what they want to sound like, but you can always program some MIDI parts or try to find a violinist (most of them can also play at least some keys) or something.

On a practical level, it's a lot easier to talk people into joining your band when you can say "yeah, we've played here here and here and our next gig is in two weeks". You'll also build your network gigging, especially given your genre - you'll probably end up mostly on multi-band bills.
 
#4
In my experience, if you've found a bunch of guys/gals you enjoy playing with, and there are no slackers, stay with them. It is difficult enough to find players you gel with. Perhaps you all need to just become a bit more proactive in finding additional band members...
 
#5
Yes, that's a long time, but if I'm reading your post right you now have drums, bass, guitar, and vocals. Basically, you have U2. Sure, maybe 2nd guitar and keys would be nice, but then they might just be more ways to split gig money and more personalities to generate drama and frustration. So if the four of you are getting tight, I would say forget about recruiting anyone else, learn songs that work for the instruments you have (there are plenty), set a disciplined practice schedule to learn a full set's worth of material, and get out there.
 
#6
Yeah. I originally just wanted to jam out with someone, but over the last year or so I've felt the itch to play live. I'm not a starry eyed teenager so I understand the realism of the band in that we're not likely gonna be "stars" I just want to play shows once in a while at the least maybe do a recording or two. I have a good set of guys and gals so I'll stick it out for a bit longer, but I'm also the old guy in the band ( at 29 1/2) while the rest still have their twenties infront of them (21-25).
 
#7
Its hard to say without more information on what your initial goals were.

If it's a just for fun thing, you have all the time in the world.

If you're intention was to start a working band, I'd say it's time to rethink everything.


This us why I have no interest in forming my own band.
 
#9
In my search for a bass gig, I found myself playing guitar in a country band. Why? The singer is really good.

We have all the positions filled but still lack the solidity to do a complete show largely because somebody or another gets called away for (real) work for a week at a time or something.

I also noticed that the other guitar player and the bassist never practice the songs...always defaulting to their 'chord charts'. Thus, they never really learn the songs. I play the baselines when I transition between chords or phrases 'cause the bassist sure ain't gonna.

Thus in the basement we sit. I'd gladly switch to bass if we could ditch the one we have and score some good, dedicated guitar talent. This has been going on for about 6-7 months now.
 
#10
powmetalbassist said:
Yeah. I originally just wanted to jam out with someone, but over the last year or so I've felt the itch to play live. I'm not a starry eyed teenager so I understand the realism of the band in that we're not likely gonna be "stars" I just want to play shows once in a while at the least maybe do a recording or two. I have a good set of guys and gals so I'll stick it out for a bit longer, but I'm also the old guy in the band ( at 29 1/2) while the rest still have their twenties infront of them (21-25).
Click to expand...

OK then, it hasn't really been 2 1/2 years if you only started getting the itch to play live over the last year or so. Do the other guys actually want to play out? Have you set out any goals for what you need to be ready to do a show? Is the problem that there are goals and the other band members aren't doing their bit to meet them, or just that there haven't been any goals?

One of the things that can break up a band is when people's intentions change halfway along. Some guys get together to hang out, drink beer, and jam. Then a year later some of them decide they want to be a serious working band, while the others still want to just jam. People have to be clear about what they want to do, and if they change their mind, say so.
 
#12
hrodbert696 said:
OK then, it hasn't really been 2 1/2 years if you only started getting the itch to play live over the last year or so. Do the other guys actually want to play out? Have you set out any goals for what you need to be ready to do a show? Is the problem that there are goals and the other band members aren't doing their bit to meet them, or just that there haven't been any goals?

One of the things that can break up a band is when people's intentions change halfway along. Some guys get together to hang out, drink beer, and jam. Then a year later some of them decide they want to be a serious working band, while the others still want to just jam. People have to be clear about what they want to do, and if they change their mind, say so.
Click to expand...

At my age I'm serious about live performance. The days of making it went bye bye 40 years ago for me.

Even with that said, I want no part of beer drinking or any substance use by any people I am working with.
 
#18
My experience has been that if a band isn't gigging within 4 to 6 months of the first reheasal, its pretty much a doomed project. My most successful band to date formed in October and played their first gig the following February. The most accomplished band I played in had two rehearsals the week before our first gig, played a 4-hour cover show and nailed it. So yeah, 2.5 yrs is a long time in my world view, anyway.
 

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