• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Played my first show as a bassist. Question.

bassinplace

bassinplace

Dec 1, 2008
2,815
930
www.youtube.com
#1
Played last night at the Voodoo Lounge in the House Of Blues in Hollywood. Fun time! Only had two weeks to prepare so we rehearsed the crap out of it. It came off pretty well. I've played many shows as a drummer, but this was my first time as a bassist. The songs were simple it was just myself on electric and the girl who's music it is, Michelle Kasajian, on acoustic guitar and vocals. The songs are very simple, but I did manage to flub a few notes, at which I'm disappointed, but oh well, I'll try to make it better the next time, which is in 10 days from now.

Which brings me to a question. How often do any of you flub notes on gigs? Does it bother you? Does anyone have any good methods for staying focused while on stage?

If anyone's interested in hearing the music of Michelle Kasajian, you can hear some of it here to get an idea of what we were playing. Invalid Link Removed Thanks in advance for your input! :) :bassist:
 
#5
Ive never played out and didnt flub notes....I think anybody who plays for 4 hours and tells you they hit every note exactly in time on every tune probably has a nose longer than pinnochio....hopefully the more you play the same material the # of flubs gets down to a low #. Dont get wasted while you play or the flub factor starts to rise exponentially. ....keep up the good work
 
#7
bassinplace said:
Which brings me to a question. How often do any of you flub notes on gigs? Does it bother you? Does anyone have any good methods for staying focused while on stage?
Click to expand...

Sorry - those are three questions. :spit:

Seriously, yes, I flub notes occasionally. The better I know a song, the more times I have played it live, the less likely I am to flub anything. I have gone entire 4-hour bar gigs without making a mistake. I have played new songs where I make several mistakes in a single song. At my level, I realistically expect I will make no mistakes per gig, and I am disappointed when I do make any mistakes. But they still happen sometimes.

Staying focused: I guess my issue could be more appropriatley described as keeping from being distracted rather than staying focused. Pretty women on the dance floor, especially if they are flirting with the band, tend to distract me. But then they really up my overall enjoyment of the gig to the point that I don't remember small mistakes I may have made! :D

Also, keep in mind the adage about making mistakes while playing jazz. If you make a mistake, repeat it in the appropriate place the next time the verse or chorus comes around. That way people will think it's intentional and that's the way it was written!
 
#8
bassinplace said:
Which brings me to a question. How often do any of you flub notes on gigs? Does it bother you? Does anyone have any good methods for staying focused while on stage?
Click to expand...

1. Bassists NEVER make mistakes. It's always the guitarist. :D

2. "IF" I made a mistake, which no bassist ever has, no, it wouldn't bother me.

3. Focus? Nah, just know the material so you don't have to think. The less thinking I do, the better!

Congrats on your gig!
 
#9
Besides relaxing, being familiar and comfortable with the material minimizes flubs.
But, on the other end, being so used to playing with the same band and the same material for many years, my mind sometimes wanders and that's when it can happen. Not that I'm not still putting on a show and giving 100%. It's just sometimes I think of family, friends, that hottie that wouldn't go out with me, that hottie in the audience, etc.

Another key is quick recovery (again that comes with familiarity with the songs), and putting it out of your mind.
 
#10
jamminology101 said:
....I think anybody who plays for 4 hours and tells you they hit every note exactly in time on every tune probably has a nose longer than pinnochio....
Click to expand...

My nose is actually very short. I played with a classic rock cover band for about 10 years. We gigged 50 or more times per year. We played from the same 100-song playlist every night (obviously not the entire 100 songs every night!) These were songs that I, you and everybody already knew the bass lines to before I even joined the band. So yeah, by the end of the 10 years I could go an entire 4-hour gig playing this biker bar music without mistakes.

If there were no good-looking women shaking their butts at me...
 
#13
elgecko said:
Congrats! Yes, flubbing happens. The key is to not let the audience know you did by making a sour face or screaming expletives. The key to minimizing flubbage is to be as relaxed as possible.
Click to expand...

I agree that "screaming expletives" is a bad idea, but I think the sour-face thing depends on context. I mean, if you're in a six-piece band that is rockin their socks off, and people are dancing and singing along, nobody is going to notice your flub, so there's no point in calling attention to it. But if you're playing in a duo, with people sitting and listening, the flub is going to be obvious to everyone, and I don't see any harm in making a face that says "oops, sorry, my bad." Unless this happens repeatedly, I don't see why anyone would mind -- and it could even have a positive effect by coming across as endearing and "human."
 
#14
scottbass said:
My nose is actually very short. I played with a classic rock cover band for about 10 years. We gigged 50 or more times per year. We played from the same 100-song playlist every night (obviously not the entire 100 songs every night!) These were songs that I, you and everybody already knew the bass lines to before I even joined the band. So yeah, by the end of the 10 years I could go an entire 4-hour gig playing this biker bar music without mistakes.

If there were no good-looking women shaking their butts at me...
Click to expand...

Well, this set was only 40 minutes, which is part of the reason I'm a tad disappointed. We did sound good though and I think we put on a good show.

squirefan said:
BTW, I like the music you linked!
Click to expand...

Thanks! :)

Basshappi said:
Once is a mistake
Twice is Jazz.
Click to expand...

That's what I was thinking too. :hiding: ;)
 
#19
Count your mistakes. The first to 100 wins a prize.

The Charles Mingus attitude toward this was "if it sounds funny, play it three times and call it jazz." I just look at the drummer, and if she's laughing, it means I can blame her for playing in the wrong key.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back