So we aren't very good. We only have 12-15 songs and we've been asked to play a fairly large gig. The crowd is expected to be about 3-4 thousand people, it's outside after dark with an expected temperature of 40 degrees. Are we nuts?
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Playing beyond our abilities.
- Thread starter StraffordMike
- Start date
Well the "singer" ( I think the quotation marks say it all. Ok in a nutshell, I'm the best musician in the band, which doesn't say much, the drummer never practices. The guitarists heart is in the right place but has limited skills. Really were just a garage band with a big opportunity to embarrass ourselves. We do mostly 70-80's hard rock, metal.
Just keep it simple. Do the best you can. I'll bet is goes much better than you expected it would. Rock that place!
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." - Wayne Gretzky
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
Sounds like it's time for a band meeting. You have an opportunity that probably 3/4th of the members here would kill to have. You have the chance to make a name for your band, good or bad. Unless it ain't paying, bring handwarmers, do the gig, practice and rehearse your #$%&$$es off until the gig.
Is it wrong for me to view this as an opportunity to be heard and to move on to something bigger and better? Speaking for myself and not the band as a whole.
I was in a classic rock band years ago with a so-so singer, decent guitarist and one tempo only drummer. I was the new guy and quickly found out these guys really just enjoyed cramming in a tiny practice spot to drink beer and get away form the wives.
A new club opened and I got us booked sight unseen. We had some songs, all cover and maybe two sets worth. I had to twist these lazy dudes arms to do it. Where we ready? heck no! But I was.
Long story short these guys did their homework and we rocked the gig. Do it ..you only get so many chances so shine..or suck.
A new club opened and I got us booked sight unseen. We had some songs, all cover and maybe two sets worth. I had to twist these lazy dudes arms to do it. Where we ready? heck no! But I was.
Long story short these guys did their homework and we rocked the gig. Do it ..you only get so many chances so shine..or suck.
How long are you being asked to play for? How long do you have to prepare for this gig? How old are you?
12-15 songs will cover you for an hour, if you're not being asked to play any longer than that. Drill them till they're the best you can possibly make them. Like The Chuck said, keep it simple, don't try to show off, just take songs you can handle and play them with spirit.
Considering the temperature - hydrate well, bundle up as best you can and still play, use glove warmers.
Best case scenario; the gig is a wake-up call to band members who aren't practicing or improving, they get a taste of being on stage and realize they need to up their game. The gig is a big success and you guys go on to more and more successes.
Worst case scenario; the gig is a train wreck. Band members who don't take it seriously continue not to take it seriously and foul up. The disaster gig reveals what people really want and what they're willing to do to get it, and opens up a rift between the real musicians and the fakers. The band breaks up and the real musicians go on, with valuable stage experience, to find other real musicians to form more serious projects with.
I guess the point being that, unless what you want is to be in a garage band indefinitely, play the gig. It will either turn your group into something more serious, or be the occasion to launch you from this into something better.
12-15 songs will cover you for an hour, if you're not being asked to play any longer than that. Drill them till they're the best you can possibly make them. Like The Chuck said, keep it simple, don't try to show off, just take songs you can handle and play them with spirit.
Considering the temperature - hydrate well, bundle up as best you can and still play, use glove warmers.
Best case scenario; the gig is a wake-up call to band members who aren't practicing or improving, they get a taste of being on stage and realize they need to up their game. The gig is a big success and you guys go on to more and more successes.
Worst case scenario; the gig is a train wreck. Band members who don't take it seriously continue not to take it seriously and foul up. The disaster gig reveals what people really want and what they're willing to do to get it, and opens up a rift between the real musicians and the fakers. The band breaks up and the real musicians go on, with valuable stage experience, to find other real musicians to form more serious projects with.
I guess the point being that, unless what you want is to be in a garage band indefinitely, play the gig. It will either turn your group into something more serious, or be the occasion to launch you from this into something better.
There is another current post by a guy who thought his throw together band was not very good and they played a gig. Then the club owner called them to book another show. Ya' never know. Spend all the time you can both individually and as a band working on the material you have until the gig. With 12-15 songs, you have enough material for about an hour and a half.
And, some pointers on playing in the cold. First thing, is to acclimate your instruments. They need to be set out where you will play for at least an hour. The temperature and humidity will change a lot of things. Then tune them up and do some warm up exercises for a few minutes. Your instruments will likely go flat because your fingers have warmed the strings up a bit, so tune again. Put some foot warmers in your boots and keep some hand warmers in your pockets for your hands. You can get them at any sporting goods store. Dress for the weather.
And have fun. Let us know how it turns out.
And, some pointers on playing in the cold. First thing, is to acclimate your instruments. They need to be set out where you will play for at least an hour. The temperature and humidity will change a lot of things. Then tune them up and do some warm up exercises for a few minutes. Your instruments will likely go flat because your fingers have warmed the strings up a bit, so tune again. Put some foot warmers in your boots and keep some hand warmers in your pockets for your hands. You can get them at any sporting goods store. Dress for the weather.
And have fun. Let us know how it turns out.
I would love to have an opportunity to play a giant show, but I'd be very wary of playing it with a band that I couldn't rely on.
What is the going rate for a band like the OP described?
What is the going rate for a band like the OP described?
No it isn't wrong. If you are moving beyond them in terms of ability, then sooner or later you will either leave for something better - or another band will try to poach you away. That happens all the time if you are very active in your local music scene.
The more you grow as a musician, the more likely you are to want to play with people on the same level or better.
not sure how it would be an opportunity if the rest of the band aren't willing to work on the songs more. most people won't hear a great bass player with a sucky band - they just hear a sucky band. after all, when you get to spots where someone's playing stuff wrong or playing off tempo, unless you're playing note for note covers, no one will know which player messed up.
By the way, one thought on your "singer" - some people are just tone deaf, but most just don't know how to sing correctly. It is a skill that can be learned if you study it. There are TB threads on singing for bassists that include lots of fundamental advice on singing in general.
One thing that training can NOT affect very much is a singer's range. A lot of people come across as bad singers simply because they're trying to sing way out of their range, usually way too high (especially in hard rock/metal world, where everyone tries to sound like Robert Plant and Steven Tyler, which is to say they're trying to sound like Janis Joplin). Depending on how much time you have, you may just have to make the best of the songs you've already learned. But if you have time, before the gig or after, take some time to figure out in what range the singer's voice actually sounds best, and pick songs that will enable him to sing in that range.
The first time I tried to sing lead (just in practice), I tried to do Jane's Addiction's song Been Caught Stealing, and it was one horrid screech from beginning to end. But, I found, give me a Doors tune, and I can do a pretty respectable Jim Morrison. That's a big mistake that young and new bands make starting out, they choose songs based on what they want to play, and don't ask if the singer can handle them. You have to take that seriously as a criterion for song selection.
One thing that training can NOT affect very much is a singer's range. A lot of people come across as bad singers simply because they're trying to sing way out of their range, usually way too high (especially in hard rock/metal world, where everyone tries to sound like Robert Plant and Steven Tyler, which is to say they're trying to sound like Janis Joplin). Depending on how much time you have, you may just have to make the best of the songs you've already learned. But if you have time, before the gig or after, take some time to figure out in what range the singer's voice actually sounds best, and pick songs that will enable him to sing in that range.
The first time I tried to sing lead (just in practice), I tried to do Jane's Addiction's song Been Caught Stealing, and it was one horrid screech from beginning to end. But, I found, give me a Doors tune, and I can do a pretty respectable Jim Morrison. That's a big mistake that young and new bands make starting out, they choose songs based on what they want to play, and don't ask if the singer can handle them. You have to take that seriously as a criterion for song selection.
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
I was talking more about the gig. I've heard lots of stories about "it's gonna be HUGE", and 10 people show up. For cover bands (which OP appears to be), the only freebie gig I have ever seen worth playing is a charity benefit.
Ric5
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- Jan 29, 2008
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If you want to sound and play better than you are then only do songs that your band does well. Musicians often fall into the trap of playing what they like to listen to and not what they play well.
The gig will be on pit lane at a very large racing venue in central New Hampshire. There will be 40 race teams there along with crew, families and fans.
The cold weather will allow the opportunity for outrageous stage costumes. If it's a Halloween gig, even better. It's a chance to provide a reason for people to remember you, even if the music is "not that great." Moving forward, future projects and whatnot, you could always be the dude that once dressed like a ________ in front of thousands of people. You know... Or, like, practice your @$$es off.
"One thing that training can NOT affect very much is a singer's range."
This. The most realistic thing I found when doing this stuff is that you really can't just play what the band wants to play if you are playing in front of people. I'm just a hobbyist so this realization was a little disappointing. However, if the singer isn't comfortable, he won't be able to sell it...even if he can hit the notes.
I agree with most that you should take the gig. If you are only talking about 12-15 songs you should be able to put something respectable together. I would highly recommend working on your set. That is, work on songs in blocks as you plan to play them and work on the transitions. This adds a real flow to the set that will make you look twice as professional as you are. Nothing kills a set for me more than bands that play the tuning song between every number or turn to each other to decide what to play after every song. Think of the whole set as having a cadence and try to keep the flow moving. And have fun. One thing...you will learn from this no matter how it turns out...both as a band and as individual players. I think you'll regret it if you pass it up...I know I would.
This. The most realistic thing I found when doing this stuff is that you really can't just play what the band wants to play if you are playing in front of people. I'm just a hobbyist so this realization was a little disappointing. However, if the singer isn't comfortable, he won't be able to sell it...even if he can hit the notes.
I agree with most that you should take the gig. If you are only talking about 12-15 songs you should be able to put something respectable together. I would highly recommend working on your set. That is, work on songs in blocks as you plan to play them and work on the transitions. This adds a real flow to the set that will make you look twice as professional as you are. Nothing kills a set for me more than bands that play the tuning song between every number or turn to each other to decide what to play after every song. Think of the whole set as having a cadence and try to keep the flow moving. And have fun. One thing...you will learn from this no matter how it turns out...both as a band and as individual players. I think you'll regret it if you pass it up...I know I would.
