• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Red flags? Should I run?

#41
She's showing signs of poor judgment. She's treating you like she's in the band, and it sounds like she doesn't like your playing. I'd walk. The recordings are starting to get ridiculous and time consuming and you don't even know your status in the band.
 
#42
You are a hired gun. That’s all. If the BL is calling the shots and writing the music, it’s really not your place to “collaborate “. It also frees you from any financial or administrative commitment to the band. You should get paid, period. If she wants a writing partner or to be a member of a band, she going about it all wrong.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mili
#43
Either a high maintenance control freak, or has no idea how being in a band works. I wouldn't do anything further until I spoke with her, and determined:

1. Am I in the band or not?
2. In general, how does the creative process work, and who gets credit (including any financial) for what? If she wants to do this on every tune, it's not a band, she is a solo artist, and should be paying her contracted musicians.
3. What is the future of this "band"? Will there be gigs?

Unless I had a clear and satisfactory answer to each question, I would pass.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mili, Alik, Sixgunn and 3 others
#44
DoctorZee said:
Is it just me, or is this songwriter/BL showing me some red flags? Should I try to back out gracefully? This is a long story, but you might enjoy it.

BL is the female singer and songwriter.
Click to expand...
Sorry, I'm out right here. But continued to read anyway...

DoctorZee said:
She has a guitarist and drummer and is just seeking a bassist to round out the group. Because we are all busy adults, she's realistic about time commitments (something I like!) and suggests a "virtual audition." I can record over two of the band's rehearsal tracks and send them back. Works for me.

So, I take a pass at the tracks and send them along. She is appreciative and complimentary but says she has a few "changes." She sends me a handful of sound clips: either her plunking out a bassline on the keyboard, or clips of her old bassist playing on the tune. ("I really like what he did here.") Mostly she's asking me to play less, which is not such a big deal.

But I asked her, "just so I'm clear, is this still part of the 'audition,' or are we collaborating on the songs now?" She says I should still come in later for an in-person audition, but she'd love it if I could re-record the samples. Okay, sure, I guess.

So, I do that. And because she didn't say it needed to be note for note, and honestly, I don't have the time for this crap, I don't learn all of her old bassist's parts precisely, but I cop the vibe of it. I send it back.

Now, I am asked to go back and study it again and resubmit. And she sends me some weirdly nitpicky notes. Like, if I played three quarter notes and two eighth notes, she sends me four straight quarter notes. I'm thinking: this is still an "audition?" Can we not just work this out in rehearsal? And she says---which I think is telling---"Don't feel bad, all the previous musicians have had trouble with this song."

Am I being a jerk, or is this BL going to be really difficult to work with?
Click to expand...

Difficult to work with? Seems she already is. See above..
 
#46
There are 2 reasons to do an audition:

1) For the people in the band to see if they would like to work with you.
2) So you can meet the folks in the band and see if you would like to work with them.

The process you're struggling through (the "virtual audition") isn't meeting either of those objectives. You haven't met anyone yet, but you are are pen pals with one of them, who seems to be on a bit of a power trip. Unless you're going to be doing virtual performances, this seems like a silly process. Sure, everyone is busy, but if they can't even get together for auditions, how in the heck are you going to schedule gigs? An audition, as it can affect a lot of gigs, is far more important than any one gig, so it should be important enough to get everyone together. The fact that they aren't doing that is a bit of a red flag.

I don't have an issue with people suggesting different things for me to play - I play in churches, where we practice with tracks, get together on Sunday morning, and 2 hours later, we're up in front of a sizable audience - we can't afford to spend too much time hashing out subtleties of things. However, one of the reasons we succeed is that the worship leader trusts that the parts we come up with will be close enough that we won't have to change too much - they hold things loosely enough to hear what we've prepared, and if it works, they don't try to make it conform exactly to what they had in mind. There is respect going both ways, and we can (assuming things are going OK) suggest things that might improve the overall experience - many of us are better at some part of our craft than the worship leader, so ignoring our input is silly. A couple of weeks ago, one of the worship leaders liked one run I was doing enough that, although he realized his acoustic part didn't mesh with it, he decided he'd work out a different part for him, and the total experience was better than it would have been if I played the "stock" part. Do you think the bandleader in your situation would do that?
 
  • Like
Reactions: bassdrummer, Mr_Moo, Scottgun and 3 others
#49
3400386.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: bassdrummer and dogbrained
#50
DoctorZee said:
So, I take a pass at the tracks and send them along. She is appreciative and complimentary but says she has a few "changes." She sends me a handful of sound clips: either her plunking out a bassline on the keyboard, or clips of her old bassist playing on the tune. ("I really like what he did here.") Mostly she's asking me to play less, which is not such a big deal.
Click to expand...

Sounds like she can't read or play but wants to control everything. Bail.
 
#51
Ask her directly if you get to create your own basslines. if not, you have to decide if it's worth it. i would bail gracefully.
DoctorZee said:
Is it just me, or is this songwriter/BL showing me some red flags? Should I try to back out gracefully? This is a long story, but you might enjoy it.

BL is the female singer and songwriter. She has a guitarist and drummer and is just seeking a bassist to round out the group. Because we are all busy adults, she's realistic about time commitments (something I like!) and suggests a "virtual audition." I can record over two of the band's rehearsal tracks and send them back. Works for me.

So, I take a pass at the tracks and send them along. She is appreciative and complimentary but says she has a few "changes." She sends me a handful of sound clips: either her plunking out a bassline on the keyboard, or clips of her old bassist playing on the tune. ("I really like what he did here.") Mostly she's asking me to play less, which is not such a big deal.

But I asked her, "just so I'm clear, is this still part of the 'audition,' or are we collaborating on the songs now?" She says I should still come in later for an in-person audition, but she'd love it if I could re-record the samples. Okay, sure, I guess.

So, I do that. And because she didn't say it needed to be note for note, and honestly, I don't have the time for this crap, I don't learn all of her old bassist's parts precisely, but I cop the vibe of it. I send it back.

Now, I am asked to go back and study it again and resubmit. And she sends me some weirdly nitpicky notes. Like, if I played three quarter notes and two eighth notes, she sends me four straight quarter notes. I'm thinking: this is still an "audition?" Can we not just work this out in rehearsal? And she says---which I think is telling---"Don't feel bad, all the previous musicians have had trouble with this song."

Am I being a jerk, or is this BL going to be really difficult to work with?
Click to expand...
 
  • Like
Reactions: cchorney and Shlabotnik
#52
DoctorZee said:
Is it just me, or is this songwriter/BL showing me some red flags? Should I try to back out gracefully? This is a long story, but you might enjoy it.

BL is the female singer and songwriter. She has a guitarist and drummer and is just seeking a bassist to round out the group. Because we are all busy adults, she's realistic about time commitments (something I like!) and suggests a "virtual audition." I can record over two of the band's rehearsal tracks and send them back. Works for me.

So, I take a pass at the tracks and send them along. She is appreciative and complimentary but says she has a few "changes." She sends me a handful of sound clips: either her plunking out a bassline on the keyboard, or clips of her old bassist playing on the tune. ("I really like what he did here.") Mostly she's asking me to play less, which is not such a big deal.

But I asked her, "just so I'm clear, is this still part of the 'audition,' or are we collaborating on the songs now?" She says I should still come in later for an in-person audition, but she'd love it if I could re-record the samples. Okay, sure, I guess.

So, I do that. And because she didn't say it needed to be note for note, and honestly, I don't have the time for this crap, I don't learn all of her old bassist's parts precisely, but I cop the vibe of it. I send it back.

Now, I am asked to go back and study it again and resubmit. And she sends me some weirdly nitpicky notes. Like, if I played three quarter notes and two eighth notes, she sends me four straight quarter notes. I'm thinking: this is still an "audition?" Can we not just work this out in rehearsal? And she says---which I think is telling---"Don't feel bad, all the previous musicians have had trouble with this song."

Am I being a jerk, or is this BL going to be really difficult to work with?
Click to expand...

Ask her for a decision on whether or not you passed the audition, assuming you are still interested. Sounds to me like she weasels her way until stringing people along without making any kind of a commitment or decision. Bet you she disappears when she has some material she likes for her demo, submitted free of charge by some local bassist.
 
#54
DoctorZee said:
Is it just me, or is this songwriter/BL showing me some red flags? Should I try to back out gracefully? This is a long story, but you might enjoy it.

BL is the female singer and songwriter. She has a guitarist and drummer and is just seeking a bassist to round out the group. Because we are all busy adults, she's realistic about time commitments (something I like!) and suggests a "virtual audition." I can record over two of the band's rehearsal tracks and send them back. Works for me.

So, I take a pass at the tracks and send them along. She is appreciative and complimentary but says she has a few "changes." She sends me a handful of sound clips: either her plunking out a bassline on the keyboard, or clips of her old bassist playing on the tune. ("I really like what he did here.") Mostly she's asking me to play less, which is not such a big deal.

But I asked her, "just so I'm clear, is this still part of the 'audition,' or are we collaborating on the songs now?" She says I should still come in later for an in-person audition, but she'd love it if I could re-record the samples. Okay, sure, I guess.

So, I do that. And because she didn't say it needed to be note for note, and honestly, I don't have the time for this crap, I don't learn all of her old bassist's parts precisely, but I cop the vibe of it. I send it back.

Now, I am asked to go back and study it again and resubmit. And she sends me some weirdly nitpicky notes. Like, if I played three quarter notes and two eighth notes, she sends me four straight quarter notes. I'm thinking: this is still an "audition?" Can we not just work this out in rehearsal? And she says---which I think is telling---"Don't feel bad, all the previous musicians have had trouble with this song."

Am I being a jerk, or is this BL going to be really difficult to work with?
Click to expand...

Nitpicky? Depends.

What's the goal of this musical enterprise? Gigging, scoring, recording? Genre? Audience?
 
#55
RichSnyder said:
I’d want to meet in person before doing anything else. Even if it’s just for a beer or whatever. If there are no personality flags, then continue. But if she can’t get a handful of people together for an audition, I’d pass.
Click to expand...

I agree. In fact, I want to meet in person with no instruments first. There's no musical anything if we don't like each other as people. But I'm not a professional musician.

I'm playing with a ridiculously talented singer/songwriter right now and we're about to start looking for a drummer. It's scary but we won't be going about it the way the OP has experienced it. : )
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mr_Moo
#57
After reading this I keep hearing the words of Collins & Van Zant...

And I know you don't owe me
But I wish you'd let me
Ask one favor from you"
"Oh, won't you
Gimme three steps, gimme three steps, mister
Gimme three steps toward the door?
And you'll never see me no more"

But that's must me...let us know how it turns out...
We got your back...
 
  • Like
Reactions: EddiePlaysBass, Mr_Moo and Coolhandjjl
#58
Seems like there are a lot of negative comments on this. I wouldn’t read too far into it, but do set some boundaries. If she wants a bunch of perfectly copied bass lines it’d be nice to have some tabs or something to work off of. If it’s just this one song, then ya you should be able to give her pretty close to what she wants.
The virtual audition thing isn’t so bad so long as it’s one song and you both have decent recording abilities.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back