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Rant:. Please learn the songs, darn it

#41
3Liter said:
Ug. We've been playing these new songs all summer. We have a gig on Saturday. Dontcha think it's time your remembered the arrangements? All summer. This song is 50 years old...any time you could have made a chart...or downloaded one off the internet.

Also, we play all the other ones the same way in the same keys every time. You don't need to flip through the book before we start. You should know them by now. Plus, they are all on YouTube...we didn't write them.

And drummer, don't play fills over the lyrics. We've already discussed this.

I put in my own prep time and always feel I play like crap because I'm too busy managing the madness when folks cant recall the key or arrangements.

OK. rant over. Nothing new here. :)
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Sounds like you are playing with some hacks
 
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#42
redwood said:
The charts for the music I agree with. But myself, and the guys I play with are in our 50's, we have stressful, professional day jobs, and this is a hobby for us (even though we do kick some serious buttocks for being AARP eligible). The guitarist/singer and myself (I sing as well) use tablets for "vocal reminders". Neither of us stare at them. But I would probably hack up a couple tunes if I didn't have them at my disposal. Which is worse, having a cheater or blowing lines (and possibly notes as you're trying desperately to remember what words come next?
Just about every pro in the business uses some form of help for all the lyrics, especially the guys/gals that play as well as sing. Maybe you have an amazing memory. Not so all the rest of us.
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I am also in my 50s and can relate but only to a point. Even though I have been playing for over 40 years and have toured, I have also had very stressful jobs including some time as a VP and Director in a billion dollar bank and as a bank auditor. I have never been in a band that had any members relying on charts or having the lyrics written out when playing gigs. We've used them at rehearsal but would never play a song at a gig if we needed some sort of reference to remember our parts. However, I did have a lead singer who would occasionally ask me for the next line in a song. I guess I was his cheat sheet.

I was in a bad car accident last December and am still recovering. It was recently discovered that I have 2 small tears in ligaments in my left wrist. I also have 4 bulging discs in my back, pain in my right hip, leg and foot. None of this has improved in several months. I also suffered a severe concussion which has resulted in short term memory loss, severe headaches and permanent tinnitus. I have recently found when learning new songs that I am having more difficulty remembering parts than I had before the accident. I can remember songs that I played before the accident but trying to learn new songs has been a challenge. As a result, I may have to resort to using cheat sheets at gigs.
 
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#43
My current situation I am in is a tribute band. The drummer, guitarist and I are typically ready at each rehearsal. The vocalist will read lyrics from his phone. We just played a private gig where we added a couple new songs and he used a music stand for the lyrics. Instead of losing the stand after the new songs he put his damn phone on there and would read the lyrics off it, even for songs that he knew. Plus he always screws up the timing on a couple of songs and it throws the rest of us off. Guy does not out any effort. He is going to get one opportunity to fix these issues or we are moving on with a new front man. B
 
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#44
Once had a singer who still wasn't off-book on Honky Tonk Woman after 10+ years, FFS!

JRA said:
take a deep breath...and lower your expectations: it's a hobby for everyone involved, right? :D
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It is indeed a hobby, and the usual excuse I hear when complaining about stuff like this is "I just want to have fun." Well, guess what? I want to have fun too. Getting up in front of a crowd and embarrassing myself with a sub-par performance is not my idea of fun. Putting on an amazing show is my idea of fun.

Just because I don't make a living at it, doesn't mean that it's not a professional endeavor. If you lower your expectations, some people will just lower their effort even further.
 
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#46
I've left a band or two over something like this.
  • We all agree to learn Song X and Song Y by next rehearsal
  • This is confirmed over email
  • I learn Song X and Song Y (staying up late, finding time here and there... whatever)
  • Come to rehearsal someone says "oh I didn't get a chance to learn that song"
  • Me: F***********************CK
I get it that people have lives... fine. But don't wait until we arrive at rehearsal to tell me you didn't learn it... it's completely disrespectful of MY (and other bandmates) time who did take it seriously and put the effort in. However, if you give me a day or ideally two days notice that you are having trouble getting to it and it's at risk, I'm fine with that, and will temper my effort accordingly.

Luckily I don't have this problem in the current band(s).
 
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#48
LBS-bass said:
I'm sure it is, though they'll tell you that audiences only respond to those 45 songs they learned in 1983.
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I'm in the process of looking for a new band, and someone contacted me that's in need of a bassist for his cover band. He said they play "Allman Brothers, Hendrix, Clapton, ZZ Top, etc." I took a hard pass. I can't imagine trying to get them to update their setlist.
 
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#50
red_rhino said:
It is indeed a hobby, and the usual excuse I hear when complaining about stuff like this is "I just want to have fun." Well, guess what? I want to have fun too. Getting up in front of a crowd and embarrassing myself with a sub-par performance is not my idea of fun. Putting on an amazing show is my idea of fun.

Just because I don't make a living at it, doesn't mean that it's not a professional endeavor. If you lower your expectations, some people will just lower their effort even further.
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#51
red_rhino said:
Once had a singer who still wasn't off-book on Honky Tonk Woman after 10+ years, FFS!


It is indeed a hobby, and the usual excuse I hear when complaining about stuff like this is "I just want to have fun." Well, guess what? I want to have fun too. Getting up in front of a crowd and embarrassing myself with a sub-par performance is not my idea of fun. Putting on an amazing show is my idea of fun.

Just because I don't make a living at it, doesn't mean that it's not a professional endeavor. If you lower your expectations, some people will just lower their effort even further.
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This. Halfassing your way through songs is fine for an informal jam, but when you are gigging for even meager money, you need to act like a pro. Nobody cares if it's just your hobby. That means preparing seriously and putting on a tight show.
 
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#52
two fingers said:
I DESPISE people who can't show up ready to go. I make that clear before joining/starting a band. I won't bother unless I get assurances from all involved that everyone shows up with music memorized BEFORE a rehearsal.
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^^^THIS!!! :thumbsup:

All too often, I run into so called "musicians" who fancy themselves as rock stars. But in reality, they are just posers. They envision themselves as being on stage with lots of crowd respect and admiration, but there is one pesky problem with bringing that vision to reality, and posers don't take this all-important step: to earn the respect and admiration of the audience, the band has to know their stuff (unless the crowd is just a bunch of drunks who don't know the difference). In order for a band to sound *really* good, each member needs to spend the time alone at home woodshedding with the material and learning it correctly *BEFORE* showing up for rehearsal. Rehearsal time should only be used to confirm that everything is sounding the way it's supposed to before the band performs in front of an audience.

Posers have themselves convinced that they don't need to take that all-important step. They just skip it and go straight to their fantasy land where they are rock stars with lots of crowd admiration.

I recall one time there was a guitarist who wanted to put a cover band together with me. I initially did not know if he was for real, or just a poser. So I took him up on his offer, and we both agreed to learn a particular song. It was a Led Zeppelin song and we both were Zep fans. I learned all of the bass, note for note (that's just the way I am). I called him a month later to see if he had learned the song. Nope, he didn't. But he still wanted to put a band together, and he kept e-mailing me month after month expressing interest. Each time, I would reply saying I will hook up with him once he has learned that song. He never learned it, even after a year. And he was still trying to get me to put a band together with him a year later (even though I knew after the first month that he was just a poser). I would have been fine if he would have told me in the beginning that he wasn't going to learn the song. But he kept saying he was going to learn it, but he never did what he said he was going to do. He was a TWP (time-wasting poser!!!)
 
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#53
TBPlayerOC said:
My current situation I am in is a tribute band. The drummer, guitarist and I are typically ready at each rehearsal. The vocalist will read lyrics from his phone. We just played a private gig where we added a couple new songs and he used a music stand for the lyrics. Instead of losing the stand after the new songs he put his damn phone on there and would read the lyrics off it, even for songs that he knew. Plus he always screws up the timing on a couple of songs and it throws the rest of us off. Guy does not out any effort. He is going to get one opportunity to fix these issues or we are moving on with a new front man. B
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I had a singer that used a music stand. Once as a prank I swapped a lyrics to a new song with a version with one verse from another song. It was funny gig ;)
Unfortunately, she didn't get the message :)
 
#55
I learned 25 songs in 2 weeks for a fill-in gig last weekend. I wrote some cheat notes on the set lists for about a total of 6 of them for quick reference. But no charts, no ipad, no music stand. This band leader is important in my local community, and has a steady bassist that rarely takes off, but I was not going to make it amateur hour. Turned out I nailed everything and that is what sticks in the minds of everyone. I will not take a gig with unprepared musicians, and since I have worked hard for my reputation, I don't have to. I would double down on what @twofingers advised, just dont waste your time. Your standards will attract you to others with similarly high standards. Good luck.
 
#56
two fingers said:
I DESPISE people who can't show up ready to go. I make that clear before joining/starting a band. I won't bother unless I get assurances from all involved that everyone shows up with music memorized BEFORE a rehearsal.

I have shut down rehearsals before when it became obvious that we weren't going to get anything done. One was at my house. I literally put my bass down, told the band what day I could do next week, and said "Lock up when you're done. I'm going inside to watch the Red Sox game."

The next rehearsal was more productive.

So walk out. You'll either be fired and won't have to worry about it anymore, or they'll get the ppoint. Either way, problem solved. ;)
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How did the Red Sox do?
 

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