play in a band only knowing tab

[machine454]

I"ve been playing for 3 years , 1 hour a day 4-5 days a week.
My music theroy is limited I would like to play in a band and play rock and heavy metal . How much music theroy should I learn, currently starting to learn I,IV,V,VIII major and II,III,VI,VII minor. I guess I should learn some basic scales for fill. I know about 25 songs by tab. I did my first gig a couple weeks ago and I found I would get lost in the song and its not fun .

 

[waleross]

I got lost on my first music gig, so you are not alone. Maybe taking theory lessons from a jazz/piano teacher could help . I used to do it with my bass and go through tunes on the bass, as a way to begin to play with others and not get lost . Also the guitar player and myself used to get the songs down for performances, that also helped. As far as tab goes, I can read it but I only use it for guitar parts. You might not be into jazz or commercial tunes but as a way of learning theory and scales it will help . . . . Good luck

 

[machine454]

thanks , maybe I should just jam with a drummer first?

 

[omnimutant]

My music theroy is limited I would like to play in a band and play rock and heavy metal

Don't stress, just get out there and Jam. You'd be surprised how many people don't know a stitch of musical theory, can't read music, or even know how to tune their instrument without some digital device attached to it. Many are in successful bands and play great music. All the Knowledge your gaining will definitely help you, but don't expect many people to know even half of what you may already know in a band situation. It's sad but that's the reality of it all.

My Lead guitar player can't even read tabs, (which boggles my mind) but writes some pretty incredible music.

 

[Bredian]

Try this. Download all those tunes into the IPOD, play it while singing the bass part (driving down the road, etc). Ultimately, you're training your fingers to play what your brain already hears a nano second ahead.

 

[Big Brother]

Depends on the expectations of the people you will be playing with, but you can find musicians that won't need you to know any more theory than what you've already said.

I had my first gig with a bass Saturday night after playing with a new band for about 6 weeks and the bass for about 4 months. I noodled with one in college 20 years ago so my hands had a good head start and I played bari sax and bass clarinet in school, I wasn't exactly raw to music, just this.

But really I still know no theory at all and can barely say the notes on the fretboard, yet according to everyone and my band I did just fine. I've had to learn about 40 songs so far and I still confuse them with each other, many I've never even heard but I am doing OK. Even though the guitar players throws out 7 songs to try a day before the rehearsal that he already knows and two are RHCP songs... THAT gets hard.

Don't stress too much about it. I got seriously lost onstage with some songs including losing the key entirely at the beginning of Lithium after just learning it and having to totally fake it but nobody seemed to notice but me, I stumbled around and found a couple of roots after a minute and just danced between them. I hear people say that nobody notices over and over and found out it is amazingly true.

The key is just do it. I got my hands to work again after practicing for a month and then found a band on CL who was tolerant of a new player and dove in headfirst. I've been cramming new songs since and it is stressful and difficult, but I know it is REALLY pushing me to learn new songs and play along in a band. The fear of public failure is a powerful motivator. Use it wisely.

If you've been playing that long you are very likely much better than I so just do it. Once you have a clear goal, such as learning a long song list, it will make your mind and ability adapt around it but sometimes you need a real reason or your mind won't see the point. I didn't know a single song on bass two months ago and to be honest, it would have been hard because there was no point in playing anything but riffs I liked.

Play along to music though, live or not. That helps.

 

[tjh]

it doesn't matter how you learn a song .. until it comes time to provide your own lines, or you cant find it anywhere to help you out, then if you relied only on tabs, you are dead in the water ... by all means, use all possible sources to find what you are after when learning a song, tabs, chord charts, youtube video, etc ... but realize that this is NOT the end all to your problems, and if you continue to pursue your musical interest to a more serious level, you WILL need to understand what you are playing, and WHY ... as you delve into the world of theory, go back over the songs, patterns, etc that you do know, and try to figure out how it fits in with the theory, scale, and fundamentals that you are learning (along with your songs) ... eventually it will trigger a light bulb on some little things, then it will happen more often, and on bigger things ... there is NOTHING like figuring out something by yourself, when you never thought it possible just a short time back to instill confidence, and show progress ... but, in the meantime, you may also need to learn to HAVE FUN with it .. it is as important as learning to play the right notes/parts ... learn to cover your backside by keeping it simple if you need to ... learn the chord changes, pedal roots if needed, but keep the song driving, and getting the songs engraved in your brain is one of the keys to worrying less about what you are doing and keeping the fun meter up ... good luck, and as always, this is JMHO

 

[Deathblade Eric]

How much music theroy should I learn, currently starting to learn I,IV,V,VIII major and II,III,VI,VII minor. I guess I should learn some basic scales for fill.

Major, Minor & Pentatonic (the "Blues" Scale) and you should be good to go. Add in the Harmonic Minor if you want to get into that Blackmore 'Snake Charmer' vibe.

I know about 25 songs by tab.

To be brutally honest, if you can't play them without using tab, you don't know them at all. Put the tab away & play along with them, that way you will learn them, and they'll stick.

I did my first gig a couple weeks ago and I found I would get lost in the song and its not fun .

If you were trying to get through the gig by relying on tab, I'm not in the least surprised. Most tabs are 'get out of jail cards' at best & are of little or no use in a live situation. It's tough enough trying it with lead sheets & chord charts, with tab I'd lose it altogether.

For a tune to be giggable, don't practice it until you get it right, practice it until you stop getting it wrong. You'll still get the occasional brainfart when you lunge for the chorus instead of going to the bridge - we all do that - the trick is being able to get back on track ASAP, & you won't do that unless you've really internalised the tune & its arrangement. This means knowing what key it's in and the names of the notes on the fretboard - if you're lost without that map, you're really lost.

Jamming with a drummer is a really good idea, as that's your first target - to lock in with the sticksman. Playing along to recordings helps to cushion the shock too.

As Bredian suggested, fill up your iPod with a whole host of tunes (stuff it full of Sabbath & AC/DC (downtune a semitone for both)), set it to shuffle & crack on.

Keep off the tab sites unless you're absolutely stuck on a section or specific fill - you don't need 'em, really, you don't; you don't need a crutch, you're not lame.

Pete.

 

[WarwickDavis]

I have had a lot of success playing in bands of various types without knowing much theory beyond some very basic stuff. I find it's more about your ear. You should be fine bro.

 

[omnimutant]

fill up your iPod with a whole host of tunes (stuff it full of Sabbath & AC/DC

Because of your interest in playing rock and heavy metal ^ this is the best statement in this thread. Sabbath is the Root of so much metal, it should be required learning material for all metal bassist. Don't be discouraged if you can't get the solo's down, because well, that could take a life time, but learning sabbath songs on bass, will get you very far in metal and expand greatly your appreciation for the Genre in way's you might not have otherwise known.