question about gigs

Emigrate to Germany, you can play bars at 16 over here...
Only drawback - you need to be 18 to drive...


But seriously, you don't need to worry about gigs when you didn't even start your first band yet.
Learn to crawl, then walk before you run.
When you have a good repertoire (cover and/or original), and you're able to perform them, THEN you can worry about getting gigs. But it takes time and hard work.

 

well seeing as this isnt about bassists, its going to miscellaneous

 

I see loads of young kids with loads of enthusiasm and thats good i guess. But there is a trap, they become disheartened when they don't become famous after one rehearsal.

I weathered the fights in my younger brothers band, and now in my own band, we waited almost a year before we thought about gigs.

Being in a band is hard work. Yeah some people take it as a hobby, i don't. The band i put together is now a solid unit and doing respectable gigs and could be become a career. So it is hard work. Some days you don't want to go to the second rehearsal for the week because it means another 5 hours of standing and doing the same songs over and over. But when you get up on stage for the 30 mins or hour set in front of a packed pub, it makes it all worth it.

You also have to be very tolerant of other people, you have to consider 3 or 4 other people and their opinions that make your band tick over.

Don't get me wrong, i think its great you want to start a band, but don't rush it. You're only 13 or 14, you may have to be content playing talent shows and churches. but hey at least its a gig. So too, don't be disappointed if it doesn't work the way u want it. Many people throw music away because the band they were in fell apart. That is silly, music is personal and yet is reinforced by the gelling of 4 or 5 people to hammer it home.

Merls

I could yap all day!

 

Those places you mention and parties are what I'll bet will be your earliest gigs. It's been an awfully long time but I doubt things have changed all that much since I started out. When you're starting out, all gigs are valuable! You find out how badly you need to improve, you become more comfortable with playing in front of people (usually), and you get exposure. Also check out as many area bands around your age as you can. The earlier you meet the competition, the more you'll know about where you stand and what you need to do.

It pays to know people who are leaders in various youth organizations or a YMCA/YWCA because you can suggest they put on a battle of the bands.

As for smooth, slippery strings, check out www.bassplayer.com , click on Gear at the top of the page and scroll down on that page for a link to "All About Strings". Use that info to look at
bass strings at www.juststrings.com . If you see a couple of kinds that look interesting, you can always come back here and start a thread in "Strings" to see what others have to say about those you are considering.