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Red Flags For Bass Players Looking for Work
- Thread starter bluewine
- Start date
My first big red flag on a band ad would be basic written language. Any ad that looks like it was written by kids, stoners or just plain dummies automatically gets skipped...or maybe reposted here for humor value.
^THIS, especially
Not all startups are a bad idea. Sometimes you get a group of seasoned guys who know each other from other involvements, and the game of musical chairs spawns a new performing entity that can charge hard out of the gate.
Tribute bands are a sign of the times, and ready testament to 1) the fact that rock has passed it's prime as a predominant musical style, and 2) most of what's on today's pop charts fails to translate in the live environment. The audiences want to see fiery performances of classic material, played by people who might look/sound/act like the original act in it's heyday.
- Sep 9, 2007
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Again, not really. Sure, they may send signals to some, but most of those to me (someone that gigs 200+ times a year) could easily be put under "We are looking for a specific individual. Those that don't fit the criteria exactly, save your time and ours."
Music is different things to different people. That's the beauty of it, in that it doesn't take much to have it speak to you on some level, whether you're performing in front of millions or just the dust bunnies in your closet.
Music is different things to different people. That's the beauty of it, in that it doesn't take much to have it speak to you on some level, whether you're performing in front of millions or just the dust bunnies in your closet.[/QUOTE]
That is deep
It speaks to me, when I am rehearsing alone (for a live performance)
It speaks to me when I'm at lessons (contributes to my live performance)
It speaks to me at band rehearsal ( prep for a live performance)
It speaks to me at a sound check, are you seeing a pattern here?
That is deep
It speaks to me, when I am rehearsing alone (for a live performance)
It speaks to me when I'm at lessons (contributes to my live performance)
It speaks to me at band rehearsal ( prep for a live performance)
It speaks to me at a sound check, are you seeing a pattern here?
I saw another one today that I'd like to add:
"Looking for 5 string bassist"
Why does it matter how many strings?
"Looking for 5 string bassist"
Why does it matter how many strings?
If you're covering songs that may have used keyboard bass the B string can cover parts originally done on keys without playing them up an octave.
Or they could be pretentious douchebags that just think 5 strings are somehow "cooler".
Randy
This one actually might be important. I used to play church stuff which REQUIRED the low B, because I was being asked to improv from keyboard music. Hell, at one point I detuned my B to G to hit some notes in a song we were doing.
It's also impossible, or at least unnecessarily difficult, to play some Dream Theater songs without 5 strings.
Why would that be a 'red flag'?
If the ad is asking for something specific, no matter HOW OUTRAGEOUS it seems to YOU, why would you try to 'interpret what they 'really' mean and answer (and expect different outcomes) anyways?
If the ad says "Looking for bass player, must also double on bagpipes, be single, willing to travel, and willing to play free gigs." ... why would you answer it and say you are interested with the internal mindset of " hmmmm..... f' the bagpipes, nobody should ever have music played on bagpipes, uh, I'm married, and only want to play locally, and I expect at least $150 from each gig!"
Red Flag? No! Reading Comprehension Problem!
OK, that's extreme, but even for the more subtle things, if you don't want to do or be what the person placing the request is asking for, why would you reply?
I've had many very specific ads placed (many eons ago...) and had to deal with the d-bags who did not read or care about what I was requesting as parameters for applicants.
(IE: type of material we are going to play, need someone who can sing, looking to play out 6-8x a month, etc...)
If a band/person is asking/requesting/needing someone who plays 5-string, there's prob a reason for it. Don't answer the ad, go to the audition and give them the "Jaco only needed 4!" BS ..... they prob wouldn't've hired Jaco either.
If you only want to play out a max of 2x a month, don't answer an ad of someone who is looking for a player to do 6-8 dates a month.
If you don't like playing modern music, don't think you're going to answer an ad for a band looking for someone to play that material and 'convert them' to doing the stuff YOU think is cool. And Vice/Versa.....
Red flag, whatever..... there are too many specific ads and instances to group them all into one 'stay-away!' handbook. If it sounds/looks like BS, then don't bother with it.
If the ad is asking for something specific, no matter HOW OUTRAGEOUS it seems to YOU, why would you try to 'interpret what they 'really' mean and answer (and expect different outcomes) anyways?
If the ad says "Looking for bass player, must also double on bagpipes, be single, willing to travel, and willing to play free gigs." ... why would you answer it and say you are interested with the internal mindset of " hmmmm..... f' the bagpipes, nobody should ever have music played on bagpipes, uh, I'm married, and only want to play locally, and I expect at least $150 from each gig!"
Red Flag? No! Reading Comprehension Problem!
OK, that's extreme, but even for the more subtle things, if you don't want to do or be what the person placing the request is asking for, why would you reply?
I've had many very specific ads placed (many eons ago...) and had to deal with the d-bags who did not read or care about what I was requesting as parameters for applicants.
(IE: type of material we are going to play, need someone who can sing, looking to play out 6-8x a month, etc...)
If a band/person is asking/requesting/needing someone who plays 5-string, there's prob a reason for it. Don't answer the ad, go to the audition and give them the "Jaco only needed 4!" BS ..... they prob wouldn't've hired Jaco either.
If you only want to play out a max of 2x a month, don't answer an ad of someone who is looking for a player to do 6-8 dates a month.
If you don't like playing modern music, don't think you're going to answer an ad for a band looking for someone to play that material and 'convert them' to doing the stuff YOU think is cool. And Vice/Versa.....
Red flag, whatever..... there are too many specific ads and instances to group them all into one 'stay-away!' handbook. If it sounds/looks like BS, then don't bother with it.
one would think that would be obvious.....if the song list is full of songs with notes below E open why would asking for a five be a red flag......if clear and concise means red flag these days i'd say we are in a heap o trouble.....
I don't think the discussion here was about responding to ads, it was the things that DO make different people avoid responding. E.G. in my case if they say they're wanting to play blues and list Led Zeppelin, The Yardbirds, and SRV as prime influences, it's not the kind of blues I'd be interested in so I'll stay away. That's the sense in which it's a red flag.
John
jive1
Commercial User
+1
And if it looks like it can work out, then you should check it out. There's no perfect people, so no perfect bands. Sometimes the positives outweigh the negatives, sometimes they don't. But, you'll never know until you see for yourself.
