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Should I join my colleges big band or avoid embarrassing myself?

#21
Club. Don’t have to audition or be excessively responsible for making it work. 100% you should go. If you hate it you can leave guilt free. But I bet you make lasting relationships and have fun and get pushed just a little out of your comfort zone.
You will never reach your potential playing alone or with inexperienced players. You improve by trying to keep up.
 
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#22
salmon256 said:
Hello all TB peeps,

I have a little dilemma I guess I'm looking for similar stories or some thoughts on it.

My College has a Big Band Club. It is not a class, it does not have auditions, it welcomes all and they said of all skill levels (so they claim so far though). I'm gonna email them soon and get some honest thoughts. I am getting slowly but almost there of getting over my solo driving anxiety so I'm hoping for my last year to have fun in a music club (or do some ballroom dancing! :D)

I been playing bass roughly for 2 ish years, but let me start by saying I have put it on and off and gain some rust especially with timing which I been practicing a lot recently. I can sight read but it is still very rusty and because of anxiety I'll fumble, I've taken lessons and I really study up theory and chord shapes. But I can take my time and focus very well on sheet music if given. I'm still learning I guess we are all still learning though truthfully. I only played really in two groups that were Blues and honestly they weren't serious. The music the club plays is jazz but mostly easy standards (to me at least) and some pop-funk jazz fusion type songs. Nothing seems complex for bass at least. Though some of the sheet music still kind of scared me but it seems the BL section leaders would never overload they share on public groups and in theory I can play 2 or 3 songs of the 12 on a setlist for example or even none and just rehearse purely for fun.

So my point is, I am not the best sight-reader, I am gonna be upfront to them about that, it seems some people joined the band on guitar or drums with no experience or sight reading abilities even playing abilities so it makes me feel a bit better. I am nervous that it can be a giant embarrassment to myself if I join struggle to sight read, struggle with timing and mess up and fall pressure to playing in a real band for the first time. I am thinking maybe to just keep playing but I feel it is an a chance to play with others in a welcoming environment...

If they are welcoming to new players of my nooby skill should I join or save myself embarrassment? Any similar stories?

I'm sorry if this is a dumb question I'm just kind of nervous about it but don't want to let aniexties ruin fun experience just like my driving one has.

Have an amazing day all, please don't be too hard one me
Click to expand...

I was in your position when I went to junior college waaaaay back when. I had started playing bass the summer before my senior year in high school, and I knew a decent amount of theory, but my sightreading was novice level.

I joined the jazz band in my first semester at JC and it kicked my butt. Every rehearsal just killed me trying to keep up, and to learn how to play all of the styles of jazz (we were doing everything from trad jazz, modern, R&B, funk, Latin, and swing). However, it motivated me each time when I got home to learn the charts, study more, and get my sightreading skills polished. I don't know where I would be today if it weren't for that class--I took jazz band the rest of my college years and loved it.

Do it. You might get embarrassed, but you'll learn a lot.
 
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#25
I play in a big band, and although I was already very good at sight reading, I was definitely not as good technique-wise as you are right now. So go for it! I certainly improved my tightness and plucking during my few months with the big band. And it was an excuse to get the beautiful fretless in my profile picture.
 
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#26
Don't worry about sight reading the bass line at first - but do get familiar with music notation and terminology and how to navigate a chart so you can understand what everyone is saying. Big Bands will be highly chart oriented. (I played trombone in jazz band at college.)
 
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#27
OP- why would you be embarrassed? Honest and serious question.

I've been playing for well over 40 years. I have a performance degree and was a professional session (stage and studio) player. My wife also plays as a hobbyist. After she finishes playing something she'll often say "of course I can't play as well as you". She's been playing for 4 years. I ask her why she's feels the need to say that as if I expect her to play at the same level. I've also said "if you could play like me after only 4 years, I'll quit".
 
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#29
Go for it!

If you're not a good sight-reader, either it'll make you much better at it by joining the band and sight-reading all the time, or you'll do it for a while and realize it's not for you and you can move on to something else with the knowledge that you've now had the experience of playing in a big band for a little bit.

And even if you try it and it doesn't work out because your sight-reading skills aren't up to snuff, but you still want to do it, you can quit the band for a bit and practice the skills you know are needed for the band, and then re-join the band when you're more comfortable with your performance.

I first-hand know what anxiety can feel like. And also, a great way to deal with anxiety is to do something and fail at it spectacularly, and then realize that you failed and nothing bad actually happened. Failing repeatedly are steps to success. Don't overthink it. Don't worry about missed notes and fumbling as you sight-read. Just keep going forward and practicing and playing and it'll improve. Might as well jump in now and go for it!
 
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#31
Absolutely do it. Playing with musicians who are better than you will help you improve at an astonishing rate.

How do I know? I never played in a band situation until I was 50 years old and for the first several years it was only in occasional basement jams just to get my feet wet. I didn’t join a gigging band until I was 55 but I’m turning 60 shortly and am blown away that I’m hanging in there with a group of such talented musicians. They can easily find guys who can out shred me, and I don’t even think I have enough playing years left to become a competent shredder at my age. But I give the keys player and guitarist a solid and reliable foundation to play on top of and I lock in well with our drummer. And, on top of that, I'm reliable, I come to rehearsals prepared, and I cause no drama. The best complement I got was a few months ago when our guitarist found out I was never in a band before. He didn't believe our LS/BL when she mentioned it.

You’re not going to grow unless you challenge yourself and this seems like an excellent opportunity to grow without excessive pressure. Take that step and good luck!
 
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#34
Two things:
1) You learn by diving into the deep end of the pool and getting out of your comfort zone. If you want it, get it!
2) You need to hold up your end of the bargain. You need to start working on sight reading and work on it every day.*

* when somebody says "I am not the best sight reader," that is usually short hand for "I don't read." There are many places on the new where you can find transcriptions (those are the charts with notation, not tabs). Reading is primarily pattern recognition. When you see a rhythm written enough times, you know what it sounds like with having to stop and sound it out. That frees you brain to look at what the note value is.

dive in.. Free Bass Transcriptions: Standard notation for over 200 songs
 
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#36
YES! Absolutely! You will learn so much, and *all* of it will be applicable to any bass playing and likely also any arranging, producing, playing other instruments you do for the rest of your life. I’ll even say please - please join big band.
 
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#37
You should absolutely do it!

Two things-
1. It's only sight reading the first time. After that you'll be able to study the chart and mark it up however you need to.

2. Don't sweat soloing. I'm guessing there will be lots of stage band style charts in the beginning, which are a little easier to read and seldom have a bass solo. If there is a bass solo, it is super short. Also, a good walking bassline can be a perfectly acceptable big band solo. Just play it with slightly more conviction that you were previously and they'll think you invented sliced bread!

Just go and have fun with it.
 
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#40
Do it. It sounds welcoming, and fun. Music is meant to be played with others, and shared. You'll meet people with similar interests. You'll improve your playing with others, which is a VERY different thing than practicing alone. It sounds like you have all the background you need to get started. If the band welcomes all, then it's not going to be a high pressure environment.

You might even make a few friends.
 
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