My ideas always seem to be bad ideas unless

[scuzzy]

LOL! My wife has a never married, childless 40 year old friend that she asks for parenting advice. She started seeing the folly in it after I pointed it out a few times.

I always felt the same about Oprah serving out parenting and marriage advice....

 

[Slough Feg Bass]

I just pound the idea in at practice until they either go along with it or get really upset that I keep bringing it up. This is for song ideas or business strategies.
And if my song ideas don't make it to the record, then I start doing them with my other band, and then they go, "Oh, that is a good song, how come we don't do that one?"

 

[BAG]

Try being in a band with your kids!

I've lost count of the amount of times that i've suggested songs to them that they've ignored completely and then 6 - 12 months down the track they see a friends band performing it, or learn it at band camp or similar, and suddenly they want to get it into the set list. It's because if Dad suggests it then it must be lame.

 

[catcauphonic]

I totally agree that the 2nd slot of 3 is definitely the sweet spot. That said, I'd go with this approach...

You're the new guy.

Keep throwing out ideas and if you're correct enough times they may catch on. Or not.

... and not start whining about how my new guy ideas aren't being taking seriously

 

[fhm555]

I was over doing some recording tonight, mostly sitting there while the principles went through virtually every sound in the keyboard looking for just the right one. They picked a few then picked a few more then started going over their picks trying to narrow it down. They asked me what I though and I said record them all then use what you want when you mix it later. We went almost another hour as they kept trying to decide which one would be best suited for the song. They finally decided to just record them all and use what worked best when they mixed it. We then began recording and I nailed my part on the first pass, then I sat there and listened to them record almost 20 different keyboard sounds to use later. They then congratulated each other for being so clever.

I think it's just something that happens to bass players,

 

[Metalbasspro]

You are gonna need to develop thicker skin if you're gonna stick with music business.

I posted out of curiosity not because I can't deal with it. When they did not like my play the middle spot Idea my attitude was fine, lets just keep making the same mistakes. No skin off my teeth. I don't get paid any more or less. It's really their band, I'll have to retire from it while they may have long careers in music.

 

[RoadRanger]

That's not the point. It's a re occurring thing. I'd like my ideas to be judged on their own merits not because of where they come from.

Switch to guitar - bass players get no respect .

 

[12BitSlab]

Having a good idea is one thing -- selling that idea is another.

Rule #1 - If you go into a meeting and expect to present an idea without having sold it to others beforehand and your idea is rejected, you are doing it wrong.

Rule #2 - If you want your idea to be accepted, make sure you couch your sales pitch as if you got the idea from the leader.

For example, before telling others at a general band meeting that the second slot is best, talk to other band members ahead of time and say something like, "Josh, I was talking to Ben (the band leader) and he was telling me that you see a 20% decrease in the audience for the third slot. The more I think about it, the more I think that Ben is onto something. We might be better off with the second slot. What do you think?"

Then, at the general meeting, say something like, "Ben pointed out to me that the third slot gets a 20% drop in attendance. We may be better off with the second slot. What do you think Josh?"

At the end of the day, it doesn't matter who gets the credit for a good idea. All that matters is that the band, as a whole, is making good decisions and becoming more successful.

 

[crguti]

Maybe you are not taken seriously because you don't express the idea clearly and they need to 'read' it in order to understand it.

 

[Metalbasspro]

Maybe you are not taken seriously because you don't express the idea clearly and they need to 'read' it in order to understand it.

Ya that's probably the entire problem right there!

 

[BigBasserino]

My ideas always seem to be bad ideas unless the idea is seen somewhere else.

Band I am in is doing a CD release gig soon. We are playing with two other bands and I tried to sell them on taking the middle spot. They listened to my reasoning and agreed with it but felt that the last spot is the headliner spot and as such we should play last even if it means a 20% reduction in audience as the hour grows late. I'm the new guy so I accepted that I would just be right once again and let it go.

Fast forward three weeks and the BL says he was reading this article on local bands and it had ten points of sort of do's and don't. In the article is said what I was saying. Take the Prime spot not the last spot. The Second spot is the NEW last spot. So with that we all then agreed to play second and not last.

I decided not to reference my suggestion from weeks before. Anyone else get this kinda thing?

Maybe it's a presentation/wording thing? I have the same sort of issues. On the other hand, as I've also learned, you can just be working with hard-headed people who refuse to acknowledge a good idea unless they feel like they themselves came up with it.

Or, like I'm prettymuch saying in almost any other thread, do something awesome (like record) on with your own equipment your own, let it get big and let the band flounder until they seek you out for ideas.

 

[Metalbasspro]

We played the gig. Lots of hype brought in people who previously did not want to give us a chance but as our set went on people started to leave. It only got worse for the last band. Over all it was a success, we drew 94 people. Made like 500 dollars from ticket sales and merch and even paid the other two bands we invited to the bill.