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Playing in multiple bands

#141
A Strohman said:
As usual Blue, you see what you want to see....especially so you can make things fit into your very narrow world-view. Every band I play in (and have played in in the past) gets paid. Every band I play in (and have played in in the past) gigs. But no worries, I understand that since the bands I play in don't "gig every weekend" then they don't really gig, in the Bluewine definition of gigging bands.

Really Blue, please consider not posting in the multiple band threads....you don't do it, you have no experience doing it and you add nothing relevant to threads asking for advice about doing it.
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I think you have got me wrong, but I'm not going to argue.

I have never played in multiple bands and if I ever did I would throw away my life as being a member of a band and would go the route of sub, hired gun or freelance.

I think you are right about my posts, I don't have any relevant advice. Playing in multiple bands is not the band culture I grew up in.

Blue
 
#143
bluewine said:
I have never played in multiple bands and if I ever did I would throw away my life as being a member of a band and would go the route of sub, hired gun or freelance.
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A reasonable option, many of us have done just that.


Playing in multiple bands is not the band culture I grew up in.
Blue
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Which makes it wrong for you. We get it. But it isn't wrong (in any way) for many others of us. It's akin to my former work life (retired now, thank GOD!) where I might have have a dozen equally prioritized project teams, and each member of each team also has multiple projects. Efficiency, open communication, flexibility, and LOTS of work go a long way to making it possible.

Sometimes musicians think a band relationship is something other than a work relationship. If the band(s) is working, then your relationships and work ethic had better be professional. It ain't rocket science.
 
#144
Last night I played a Mardi Gras bash at a Cajun restaurant/bar with my acoustic duo. Friday I play a blues venue with the electric band and tues. I play with the original roots bluegrass band at a venue that caters to originals. How is this not a workable schedule and how does playing in multiple bands make me a member of none?

I really don't see how anyone can grow as a musician if they play the same music in the same band forever.
 
#147
For me, a big part of playing in a band is musical development. I strive to be as complete a musician as possible, and live performance is my real world, full speed training ground. If you're playing in only one band over time, it becomes easy to get stuck in a role. Playing in another band is a low-drama way to overcome that.

I really enjoy playing many styles of music and instruments, and it's real hard for me to find a single band to cover what I want from music. One thing I like about playing at church is that I get to play an acoustic fretless bass, which is something that wouldn't work for most of the cover gigs I do. My church doesn't play Gospel, so I relish a chance to sit in at elsewhere and 'do church'. If I do a sub gig, I rarely get a chance to sing lead, so I do acoustic shows to give me a chance to sing some more. I love getting called for a one-off Blues gig, because there's a chance for me to blow some harp and play guitar without having to commit too much time beforehand. I did a short theatre gig, and it gave me a chance to polish up on my reading. The things I want to do musically seem endless, so I love the endless possibilities from working with multiple projects.

Not only instruments or style, there's the role as well. I've been a bandleader, a band member, a hired hand, and a sub. I can certainly say that I learned something from each role that helped me to better understand the whole picture. I learned what I liked about each, and what I didn't. I learned how to be better in each role from seeing from another perspective. I honestly have to say that this didn't just improve me as a musician, but as a person in general. There's so many real life lesson learned from each role in a band.

And then there's the people. I'm a relatively extroverted guy, and I like playing with different people. I don't expect everyone to put the same priority towards music as I do, so I tend to be cool with the amount of effort that people put in because I can meet my musical needs elsewhere. No need for me to put people in a pressure cooker or drama situation. I can work around you, and still meet my musical needs. Aside from priorities, there's also personalities and styles. There's some people I just enjoy a chance to hang or jam with. Different musicians bring out different styles of playing in me, and I get a variety of cool synergies.

In short, doing the multiple band thing really improved my musical development.
 
#148
Some musicians don't want to grow. Some of these are very good musicians, and I play with a few of them, in different bands, with different styles. Myself, I'm always striving for something, by definition always something beyond my current capabilities. That's what makes it difficult and frustrating, but also what makes it exciting and ultimately worth doing.
 
#149
smeet said:
Some musicians don't want to grow. Some of these are very good musicians, and I play with a few of them, in different bands, with different styles. Myself, I'm always striving for something, by definition always something beyond my current capabilities. That's what makes it difficult and frustrating, but also what makes it exciting and ultimately worth doing.
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I'm a firm believer in moving outside of your comfort box challenging yourself and pushing your abilities and capabilities.

Playing in multiple bands is only one way to accomplish this. There are others.

Blue
 
#150
bluewine said:
I'm a firm believer in moving outside of your comfort box challenging yourself and pushing your abilities and capabilities.

Playing in multiple bands is only one way to accomplish this. There are others.

Blue
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I can see why you'd want to tell yourself that, but escaping boundaries and playing with some different musicians IS the only way.

If you clip your own wings and are unable to do this, I'd define you as floundering in stagnation. But that's okay, I'm not judging the stagnation of coloring inside the same lines for 45 years. That's all the growth that some are capable of, and that's fine for you.
 
#151
drpepper said:
I can see why you'd want to tell yourself that, but escaping boundaries and playing with some different musicians IS the only way.

If you clip your own wings and are unable to do this, I'd define you as floundering in stagnation. But that's okay, I'm not judging the stagnation of coloring inside the same lines for 45 years. That's all the growth that some are capable of, and that's fine for you.
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Hi Dr.Pepper,

I feel I'm growing all the time:

1.I still take bass lessons from one of the best guys in Milwaukee

2.My band stretches out into several genres

3.I'm often up for hours on end learning new riffs pushing my dexterity.

4. Performing live every weekend also serves as a platform for me to try out some if the new stuff I'm working on.

Matter of fact received this text from my bl Sunday morning.

"Hey! You did some very cool things last night in a number of songs:) good show musically-there will be more people at randy's waterline this weekend!"

My methodology might be different than yours, but I think were on the same page overall.

Respect

Blue
 
#152
drpepper said:
I can see why you'd want to tell yourself that, but escaping boundaries and playing with some different musicians IS the only way.

If you clip your own wings and are unable to do this, I'd define you as floundering in stagnation. But that's okay, I'm not judging the stagnation of coloring inside the same lines for 45 years. That's all the growth that some are capable of, and that's fine for you.
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HAHA I love the coloring book metaphor. Makes me think of this tune:

 
#157
bluewine said:
I don't have a horse.
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I think maybe you did sometime way back a long time ago!;)

beating-a-dead-horse_zpsf8c3649b.jpg
 

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