Played my first show as a bassist. Question.

[groovyBoom]

I loved Victor Wooten's way of looking at 'right vs wrong' notes: (and I'm paraphrasing) "If you hit a wrong note, the right note is one fret away on either side". Also baring in mind that you have to keep the groove-- even if you drop a note, don't lose that groove.

 

[lfmn16]

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....

Don't trust anyone that says they don't make mistakes. If they lie about that, they will lie about anything.

 

[Salamenster]

When I make a mistake I blow at my fretting fingers, like as if it has been burned, and I make a cheecky smile while doing that, like saying "Oh, snap. I burnt my finger with that note "). If you make it part of the show no one really minds.

 

[HockeyDawg]

Once is a mistake
Twice is Jazz.

Or as my music teacher used say, once is jazz, more than once is a jazz solo.

 

[BawanaRik]

Everyone makes mistakes. But if no one knows it isn't an issue.

Remain calm and carry on as if as is well.

You never when you might find a mistake you like.

 

[JMacBass65]

I thought you were going to ask why no girls wanted to take you home after the gig....

 

[BassBuck62]

I've listened to recordings on the way home from gigs and couldn't hear what I thought or remembered as a mistake.

 

[SasquatchDude]

Flubs? Obviously you weren't using a P with flats and a tort guard.

But honestly, congrats on your first gig! Don't sweat the small stuff.

 

[M0ses]

There is no such thing as the perfect performance and there never will be. The trick is to literally (yes and I actually mean LITERALLY here) forget that a mistake ever happened the instant it does. When you're playing music, thinking about the past is suicide, so keep focusing on the next beat.

And then, of course, if you're REALLY good at this little mental trick, the mistakes won't come flooding back to you as soon as you're done, and you can walk off stage with some confidence.

 

[lpcarter]

I hit wrong notes all the time, and yep, I've deliberately repeated them to make them sound intentional - turn it into the leading note into the correct one. As soon as you make a mistake live, it's in the past, gone - no point worrying about it, just play the note you're on NOW.

+1

To expound on the idea, I try to make it sound/appear that I did it on purpose. That is, if anyone noticed. Don't grimace. Own it. And play the next few note right

 

[Mark_70]

Euh.. Passing my bass around the audience during a song, so the can all give it a try, does that count as flubbing??
Man - did I have fun that night..

Regards
Mark

 

[Gazman]

It is relative too, the better you get, the more pedantic you get about right and wrong.

 

[kcole4001]

It used to bug me somewhat, but eventually I realized that it's likely I'll never play an entire 4 hour gig without any mistakes, so don't worry about it and don't take it too seriously.
In the big scheme of things it means nothing.

It's usually down to lack of concentration, no matter how well you know the material.

 

[xvunixvx]

As a Bass player I believe strongly in that if I am a half step off, I am a half step to resolving where I meant to be (tri-tone step down). Otherwise, a good smile makes up for the fact that most people feel our notes rather than hear them. "If it is low, let it go!" is my philosophy.

As far as preventing them from happening:

Practice everything and anything.
Duh.

It seems that this isn't your primary area, and you had limited time to prepare.
The rest is in the "stars".

Sincerely,
F Clef

 

[ThatLowEnd]

How was the turnout? I spoke to Michelle a few months ago about playing bass for her, glad to see she got a solid line-up. As mentioned, it's not making mistakes that matters, it's how you play them off/cover them up that counts

 

[Big Rock Singer]

I am not a bassist. I am a lead singer but our bassist sent this link out to our band members to read. I felt compelled to respond to some of the postings. Virtually all are accurate!
I agree with many. If you don't do any flubs in a 4 hour show then 1) you are not challenging yourself enough or 2) you are lying!
It's obvious to the entire audience when the lead singer makes mistakes. But, you just have to keep going like nothing happened. I used to get flustered and embarrassed and that would really throw me off. Now, I just keep on going and don't even think about it. Most the time your audience didn't even notice it. They generally are not musicians and didn't hear it like you did.
I was playing one time to an audience of over 1,000 people at an outdoor show. A little boy about 3 came up by the stage and was dancing to our music. I got to dancing with him and doing steps, fooling around with him and forgot where I was with the song! I missed a couple of lyrics while I was trying to hear where we were in the song and then picked right back up on it. I don't think anyone noticed? Don't give yourself away and most the time they won't even notice!
Rock on!!!
By the way, my screen name is from a Dr. Hook song - "we've got golden fingers and we're loved everywhere we go"..........

 

[BayStateBass]

Mistakes are just part of live performance. It just happens. Don't stress, unless somehow you totally demolished a song. Chances are nobody noticed anyway, unless you made it really obvious in your actions or facial expressions. I make mistakes every time I play a gig.

I demolished a song once on stage, I was like "oh crap, what a mess". Everyone told us it sounded great. Go figure. Even the band laughed it off.

 

[sharkbait130]

Mistakes? MISTAKES????? You make mistakes?????? Unbelievable. I don't see how that could possibly happen. I personally never make mis BZZZZZZAAAAAPPPPPPP.
(announcement) Ladies and gentleman , Sharkbait will not be posting for a while. He was just struck by lightning.

 

[Salamenster]

Mistakes are just part of live performance. It just happens. Don't stress, unless somehow you totally demolished a song. Chances are nobody noticed anyway, unless you made it really obvious in your actions or facial expressions. I make mistakes every time I play a gig.

I demolished a song once on stage, I was like "oh crap, what a mess". Everyone told us it sounded great. Go figure. Even the band laughed it off.

I also once butchered a song completely, pulling the rest of the band with me.

One of the best and funniest moments of my life. No regrets.

 

[Kmonk]

In my opinion, there is a huge difference between making a mistake and realizing it and making the same mistake over and over again.

I honestly do not believe there has ever been a gig on any level where someone in the band didn't make a mistake. I saw Paul McCartney and members of his band make mistakes. He looked at the guy who flubbed and smiled. I read that he usually tries to make a joke out of it because he knows that mistakes are bound to happen. I've seen Aerosmith, KISS, Cheap Trick and many other bands make mistakes.

The key is to not let the audience know that a mistake was made and also knowing how to cover up mistakes. I have been gigging for 36 years and still make mistakes once in a while, but I know how to hide them. At a recent rehearsal, my mind drifted and I made a major mistake. The lead singer, who plays bass on a few songs while I play guitar, laughed and said the reason he noticed my mistake was because I rarely make them and that's what made it stand out. I make mistakes but they usually aren't very noticeable. Sometimes I hit a wrong note but I can transition to the correct one so quickly that the bad note is rarely heard. A mistake is not a big deal, not handling it properly can be.