NO YOU CAN'T SIT IN!

[b_carville]

That's pretty funny,Harrison! I've got a couple of hilarious sit in tales.Since I've been long winded enough on this topic I should spill this one. Some years ago we landed a Bartenders Ball gig in Lancaster,PA.It was a pretty important gig,lots of people,local hype,blah,blah,blah.Our guitarist had an infected finger that swelled up like a sausage the day of the gig.With 6 hours to showtime,a one & a half hour drive to the gig,no other band available& me scrambling for a guitarist I get a call from our booking agent.Our agent is informing me that I should use a guitarist from a superstar band who really wants to help out.This was a very big band from that area at the time with one gold & two platinum cd's who were selling out stadiums nationally &got their start in the venue we were playing.By this time I grabbed a player I knew who was familiar with our stuff & was in the car with him on the way to the gig.Our agent was arguing "Look,this guy is a major star.I really want you to use him.He expects to play,he wants to help,& it'll really be good for you guys! At least call him & let him sit in!" So,I get his number & call.He's a real nice guy & he says he will be there if we need him. OK,cool! So we are doin' the gig & getting by OK with our sub.On the break I meet the rockstar(let's call him Brad.not his real name)& we try to find some common ground.I didn't get time to really go over stuff with him we had to do the 2nd set.Any way knockin' out the 2nd set the big moment arrives."Ladies & gentleman ,We got a special treat! Here's Brad from(band name NOT being revealed)to kick it out!"The crowd roars their approval! Well,what cha know Brad?.We discuss a few tunes quickly & settle on Sedated by the Ramones.At this moment the house sound guy pushes our sound guy off the board while exclaiming,''OH MY GOD! HE'S A NATIONAL!" OK Brad! We do in in G,& go up to A."No problem,boys.I toured with the Ramones!" 1-2-3-4 We start only to discover Brad can't navagate those difficult changes! Our keyboard guys next to him trying to tell him the changes & he looks like a deer caught in the headlights!Meanwhile the house sound guy has pushed Brad's level up drowning everyone else in the combo out & making it VERY apparent to the audience that Brad is doing a fabulous job of turning the tune into a sonic holocaust! Well we end & poor Brad slinks off(with his 3 pickup black Les Paul that's not a reissue) to complete silence from the audience! I had to be a smart ass & said "Thanks Brad! We'll call ya!"

 

[Altitude]

Dude...hit the enter key.

 

[Disraeli Gears]

It wasn't really at a gig, but me and the drummer were just doing some bass'n'bongo stuff on a street corner downtown recently, and (mind you, he wasn't asking for my bass), a guy came up and yelled "HEY! I play drums! Can I play your drum?" The drummer just let him play the bongo, and I jammed with the dude for a while, until he said he was too drunk to play. It was actually a pretty cool experience.

Anyway, JT, have you even played a 4 (or 5 or 6) stringer? XD anyway, if I ever go to one of your shows, I'll be sure to get smashed and ask to play one of those beasties.

 

[butchblack]

To the hammered guy the answer is "sorry, we don't let anyone sit in that we don't know" To those in their right mind we play it by ear. We'll usually let bar owners or staff sit in for a number or two as it's good politics. If the person plays in a band that we've heard of we'll usually let them sit in. A few weeks ago the brother of the car salesman I bought my car from asked to sit in. In talking with him he was a veteran from a lot of the blues jams and dropped a lot of names of musicians I knew, so I figured he was probably safe. He actually turned out to be a decent harp player and will probably bring people to the gig the next time we play there. Win/win situation.

Bottom line, a little forethought and common sense goes a long way.

 

[KsToaDangr]

The only time someone has asked to sit in with any of the bands I've played with, it was the singer for the headlining band, who wanted to do background vocals for a hardcore punk song that I had written a few weeks earlier. Me and him worked together, and I had played the song for him at work the day before, and he thought it was good enough that he wanted to buy it from me. I have been asked a couple of time to sit in with bands as both a bassist and vocalist, but most of those times I was playing in one of the other bands that was playing that night. As has been said already, being asked to sit in is one thing, but just assuming that it will be okay to sit in is a really s***ty thing to do when someone's trying to play.

 

[Bassic83]

I find that saying "OK, here's the sheet music for your song..." and handing him a sheet of standard notation (not a chord chart, not tabs), "we play it pretty much exactly as written..." works pretty well- they usually run in terror!

Not that I'm a sight-reader myself, or anything...

 

[Thunderthumbs73]

never had to deal with it, but i imagine i'd just hand 'em one of my basses.

So if I can get to one of your gigs and ask to sit in, you'll let me? Seeing those basses are NOT a disincentive for me.

In all seriousness I would NEVER ask to sit in with anyone, never have.

BTW, what is the black Fender Jazz-looking one on the left?

 

[Smallmouth_Bass]

Gotta love those kitties!

...and the basses aren't bad either.

 

[MazeMouse]

awesome! i love letting folks try my basses .

Somehow that smilyface indicates sarcasm to me.

But if it isn't.. I prolly wouldn't even take it if you offered me because I'd be WAY to scared to even slightly scratch them so it prolly wouldn't happen anyway

 

[Smallmouth_Bass]

I keep my basses in good condition. One of these days, I'll ding one really well and I'm not going to be happy when it happens but it won't be the end of the world. But, when it does happen, I want it to be me who does it!

It's just not good manners to ask or demand to sit in, no matter how good you are.

 

[john turner]

Somehow that smilyface indicates sarcasm to me.

But if it isn't.. I prolly wouldn't even take it if you offered me because I'd be WAY to scared to even slightly scratch them so it prolly wouldn't happen anyway

nope, no sarcasm. i love to let folks play my basses - only time i get to really see em in action .

 

[john turner]

So if I can get to one of your gigs and ask to sit in, you'll let me? Seeing those basses are NOT a disincentive for me.

In all seriousness I would NEVER ask to sit in with anyone, never have.

BTW, what is the black Fender Jazz-looking one on the left?

well, my gig (when i'm gigging) is an all originals gig, so you'd have a hard time following along, i think.

the black jazz is a lowend basses jazz bass ... [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]=

 

[john turner]

Anyway, JT, have you even played a 4 (or 5 or 6) stringer? XD anyway, if I ever go to one of your shows, I'll be sure to get smashed and ask to play one of those beasties.

i played 4's for about 8 or 9 years before i got my first 7 in '93. never did 5's or 6's, just went directly to unlined fretless 7 from 4.

 

[SERPENT865]

This "sit-in"crap is getting to be a real pet peeve of mine and it's happening more everywhere & not just at bars! I've been getting it at privates,country clubs and even concert/show situations! I don't know if it's because of karoke,guitar hero,American Idol or what but DAMN is it getting to be more common.I'm with txbasschik on this,It's just rude! It usually doesn't happen unless your band is good/popular or going over really well.Then everybody wants in on the act! Country clubs can really be a pain! The doctor/lawyer/orthodonist /yuppie who bought an expensive instrument at Guitar Depot then thinks he/she is ENTITLED to play.Just 1 or 2 tunes would be one thing but they get hard to get rid of once they get a couple of drinks in them & a pair of their friends egging them on.These people almost always suck out loud & it brings down your whole presentation because,outside of their buddies,it brings the whole room down.I do a Led Zeppelin/Aerosmith night once a month in a local bar with some really popular area musicians.It's become really popular & it's the bar's biggest night.Lately it's become a magnet for every music wanna be in the region! While we let some people that we know(& who are good!) play,we are also getting hackers who don't know what they are doing & are pretty goddamn aggressive about "jammin'with the band".The last bass"sit-in"on that gig not only was bad,he blamed me for not showing him how to play a certain part right.Then he expected free beer(one of the band's perks)because he played & considered himself "in the band"!I didn't mean for this to be a rant & I certainly don't consider myself to be the greatest bassist in the world & I'm sure there are better players in the audience,but I am a solid old school player/singer & really hate my important gigs turned into an open mike night! I don't do it to other bands & I don't like having it done to me.

Im with you on this , if these people want to play , get a group together and stop pretending and wasting our time.

 

[MazeMouse]

nope, no sarcasm. i love to let folks play my basses - only time i get to really see em in action .

Well, that's true I supposed. The only way to really hear them in action is standing in the audience yourself.

Still, I wouldn't dare touch one. Not even when offered

 

[buzzbass]

I played a blues gig at some dive downtown one night, and in between sets, we were out back having a smoke break, and some guy and his girlfriend came over and said he was the drummer from Kansas. I didnt know what the drummer from kansas looked like, or his name, but I remember him having chops, so when he asked to sit in, I said sure, why not.

Turns out he was a drummer 'from' Kansas. He got heckled.

Dude you jammed with Richard Christie, LOL

 

[The Lurker]

Anyone who comes up and just asks to sit in uninvited, just screams, "I'm a douche". I especially like the ones who say, "Dude, if you let me up on stage with you and play a few, I'm so getting laid."

Were I in your shoes, I would refer to that when introducing the guy... "This random dude wants to play with us just for the sake of getting some rumpy-pumpy tonight....and this song's for the ladies, in every sense possible...."

 

[professor_bills]

People are becoming more rude. They act as if they are *entitled* to get up with the band. I blame karaoke, an arrogant focus on self, and the fact that people do not seem to have had any training in manners as they grew up.

Cherie

I don't think Karaoke is to blame I think people have taken the freedom to do what I want thing too far. We had this discussion about how rude people were at our daughter's talent show....yacking it up while she was singing etc. I turned around and asked this women (not some kid) to let me know when her kid was singing so I could talk excessively loud durig their performance. My other kids laughed my wife cringed but the lady shut up...

 

[maxiegrant]

The singers guitar strap would only fit her

That would likely work for me, too. My basses are both set up with permanently affixed, non-adjustable straps, and I'm slightly below average size and I like my basses to sit up high on me. I also play much harder than most people, which has caused many would-be players of my instruments to do a double-take when they realize they are simply not getting the tone out of the bass that I was.

Plus, nobody plays my basses unless I invite them to. Period.

 

[Lemoore-on]

"You can play my bass if I can F*** your wife" they usually get the point.

Thanks for the laugh, that was funny.