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Noodling/Showing-off between songs

#41
Last time I "noodled" at a gig was more or less a bass and drum jam. Our guitarist got electrocuted by his amp and was looking for something else to play on... in the mean time, the drummer and I kept the people going.

Other than that... never. Noodling is a sign of unprofessionalism; a sign of "I wish was the spotlight!". Nay, not for me. :)
 
#42
easyvision said:
I can see what you mean but I disagree about your soundcheck comment. If you're going to be playing some mellow tunes, don't go slap-happy for your soundcheck. You don't have to play exactly what you'll be playing but at least play something similar.

The band I was in for college last year had a noodler. He was an older guy, in his 40s I think? He strictly played accoustic guitar, which was fine. But when he plugged himself into the PA during rehearsals and did not ever stop playing...we all got irritated. He just didn't shut up. In between songs while we were all trying to talk about how to get a good ending or how to improve a key change or something relevant to the music, he just played full volume. Any time we asked why he was doing that he says 'Oh I was just waiting for you guys to stop talking so we could play'...Seriously? You're part of the band...get involved!!!

Yeah he was very annoying...oddly enough, any time we had a rehearsal without him, we got so much more done! I wonder why...
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Yeah, I understand. I usually play something along the lines of what we are doing, for sound check...it might be in the set, it might not. But the feel's the same, you know?

But noodling is just...EWWWWW!!! Aggravating. The drummer in my previous band was forever banging around, playing little solos, between songs or when the guitarist broke a string or had trouble with a pedal or whatever. Now, if he'd start a groove with me, we could riff on that and provide actual music while the guitarist was fixing her stuff. But he didn't. He would never stick to a groove, a particular rhythm. Just messing around trying to be Buddy Rich or something. It was ANNOYING to EVERYONE!!!

This new band, there is no noodling allowed ever. I like that. The guitarist has three guitars strung and ready to go at every show, so we don't waste a lot of time with things like changing strings. So we don't have people noodling around trying to fill time. If we do have a string change or other tech difficulty, my drummer and I have a simple little blues groove we rely on to fill the space while the guitarist fixes the problem. No questions, no uncertainty, everyone knows what to do.

I wish every band would do like that!

Cherie :bassist:
 
#44
Paulie Jay said:
The only place for noodles is the local Chinese takeaway.

The one that grinds me the most is the guitarist who asks you a question, then starts noodling three words into your reply.
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Yeah, that's just plain rude. No better than asking someone a question, then walking away before they can answer. He needs to go home to mama and learn some more manners!

Cherie
 
#45
coreyfyfe said:
I don't know what it is, maybe some people feel the need to show that they're better than their songs make them appear, but this has to be the most annoying thing at shows. Typically, it's some guitarist, twittering away on some lick while people are sound checking or between songs, but tonight it was a bassist, and it was pretty damn annoying. Ok, I get it, you're a talented bass player, but really, there is no reason what so ever to start playing primus licks between every song. Even the bartender kept yelling "shut the hell up" every time this guy would play something.

Really, I just don't get it.

/Rant.

Sorry, had to let it out some where.
Click to expand...
+1 Thank you. We now have silent tuners w/visual feedback; mute switches, in ear monitors, etc. Technology has made noodling unncesessary. Show up early, do the soundcheck, put everything on standby and go eat before the show. It's very amaturish; I feel your pain.
 
#46
I have almost gotten into fist fights with bandmates about this stuff. Its so ****ing rude when you are trying to work on something and the idiot out cant wait a moment. One of the few things that make me snap, lol
 
#47
Oh crap, guilty as charged. :hiding:
I noodle. Quietly, subtly, only for myself, while knowing that anyone can hear it.

Is it really that bad?
C'mon, is anybody out there going to support me here?

I better be careful, or I'll be kicked out of TB.

Alright, I'll stop...
IF the guitard stops...
 
#48
i got the worst tonight at practice. our lead guitarist is terrible about this and his volume is usually 46x everyone else's.

well my wife had called during a song so at the end of the tune i call her to see what's going on, well she's trying to tell me that her dad just went in the hospital for congestive heart failure and i cant even hear her cause of this a** clown. so after hanging up, the rest of the band realizes something is obviously wrong as i have put down my bass getting ready to leave. i couldnt even tell them whats up because you know who is just making noise, not even playing anything. it took everything i had to not blow up on him. geesh. he doesnt even play anything in particular, he'll make noise for a few seconds, then you try talking thinking hes done, but within another few seconds hes at it again.

holy long post.
 
#49
A guitarist in my previous band used to love to noodle/riff between EVERY song. The problem was he only knew short hooks, riffs from well-known songs. Finally at a gig he ripped into a Hendrix riff (a song we didn't play) and the crowd loved it and started asking him to play/finish the song -- which he couldn't do. It happened 2x times during the night. Eventually several people came up and complained that we "didn't finish songs that we started". This made the guitard realize that he was promising what he couldn't deliver and making us all look bad. Lesson learned. Didn't happen again.
 
#50
Hubby noodled at jam last night!!! OMG!!! He must have been posessed or something.

Jam leader was telling me the chord progressions for a song none of us had ever heard of before. Hubby don't need no stinkin' chord progressions, so he wasn't paying attention, and was playing his drums while we were talking. We stopped, looked at him. He stopped. We start talking again. He starts.

"Honey? Honey!?! HONEY!!!"

"What?"

"CAN IT!!!"

"Oh! Sorry."

He was duly chastened.

Cherie :D
 
#51
ugh, band I'm playing with Saturday does this. During rehearsals they're pretty bad. Lead will play some random crap ass 80s-90s rock tune he learned badly while the rhythm is trying to figure out how to play the next song. In the mean time the singer, drummer and myself are either trying to talk, or just sitting and waiting.

I'm curious to see how saturday goes.
 
#52
txbasschik said:
Hubby noodled at jam last night!!! OMG!!! He must have been posessed or something.

Jam leader was telling me the chord progressions for a song none of us had ever heard of before. Hubby don't need no stinkin' chord progressions, so he wasn't paying attention, and was playing his drums while we were talking. We stopped, looked at him. He stopped. We start talking again. He starts.

"Honey? Honey!?! HONEY!!!"

"What?"

"CAN IT!!!"

"Oh! Sorry."

He was duly chastened.

Cherie :D
Click to expand...

Haha, least he knows who wears the pants! Guess that's the benefit of jamming with a spouse:p
 
#54
I'll go on record as another noodler... The guitarist has an issue with his rig every time we practice or gig (I don't know how its possible, his set-up is literally, guitar-cable-amp). So there's some free time while he sorts out his crap. If the drummer and I need a break we launch into an acapella version of 'Mr. Sandman', usually to a good reaction. Otherwise Its a bass and drums jam, which usually winds up with us competing for the best little lick or roll. It can take upwards of fifteen minutes.

I don't noodle while someones's talking, unless I do a sting (waw-WOW!). If I noodle between songs, its usually a riff that nobody knows anyway (like, say, a New Bomb Turks run). I still feel guilty after reading three pages of chastisement....
 
#55
Hi.

For me it's more like an embarassing reminder that we really should be playin', NOT drinking or doing something else. The tune is also the same every time "Yakety Sax" :).

Goes well with a biker band ;).

On last weekend I unfortunately had to play the tune several times, the guitarist was a bit "distracted". Drummer came in too, and even our hot singer did the "Benny Hill" steps.

Just my 0.02€
Sam
 
#57
i played in a swedish verision of Battle of the bands. And this band, King Louie, a really good rock band pláyed with us for a few shows.

And you have a predesignated time to follow. And everyone went of stage when they finished their set, except the singer/guitar player, who did a solo while alone on stage.

Seemed a bit "show-of-ish" to me
 
#58
Yeah, the groove band I'm in had a guitarist who when asked to stop noodling while the band would discuss the song... instead just turned down his volume- this is the real kicker- and silently noodled. Seemingly harmless until three minutes into the song he fails miserably the part just discussed and asks "what's going on there". He was fired. I thought I had seen it all. Beware the SILENT NOODLE.
He also earned the name "Intergalactic Spaghetti Factory" due to his heavy delay/noodlings.
 
#59
Here's the thing about noodling...most musicians can't help it, in pauses in the action. It happens in rehearsal after an abrupt end to whatever song the band is working on (*), it happens in recording after the take is waved dead (*), and it happens onstage (***).

Legend:
(*) - for two or three seconds, it's tolerable (i'm guilty...like i'm trying to work out the part I just ****ed up).
(***) - NEVER tolerable!!!

The band i'm in now i'm fortunate that the lead guitarist is passive as hell. In fact, it's the only band i've ever been in EVER where I have to tell the guitarist to turn up. I'm blessed.
 

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