I had a good run as a founding member and have posted a few threads about this band before if you're interested in my backstory. Thread 1, Thread 2, Thread 3 The advice from this community has always been solid, and it’s helped me frame my experiences and move forward through the challenges.
The original lineup was casual, but over time, attrition led to recruiting stronger musicians, and my own playing with a bit more effort, reached a level where I wasn’t as intimidated by them. Though I still view myself as sort of an average player. One of them would still shout keys at me in the middle of a song as if I would adjust on the fly that easily. “Yeah thanks! F# maj, so does that mean the flat 7th is ok or not? I was a Suzuki kid so…” I also moved aside and gave up my mic to let new members shine but eventually missed being part of the front row and singing lead and interacting with the crowd when we played live. But such is the life of a bass player in an 8-piece band.
The last year was a good one. We played a big festival, getting our name on the poster and T-shirt! (It’s that band at the end in the smallest font, but we were thrilled nonetheless.) We got to hang with our biggest influences as peers and they seemed to appreciate what we were doing. We finished a recording project, tightened up our sound, had a successful run of shows in late summer/fall and even picked up an odd stalker fan or two which is the mark of true success, right?
I’ve had a lot of fun doing this. It’s been a huge part of my life, and while it’s not always been easy, I wasn’t planning on leaving yet, but as it turns out, I’m going to be moving out of state in about 6 months.
It’s been an odd feeling. I’m pretty good friends with these people, like a second family. We’ve been through a lot. They gave me a chance when I was just a new bass player with about a year of lessons under my belt, and after I leave only the founder/leader remains of the original lineup. Most of my time was spent frantically learning songs as we played a lot of different covers at first, varying our set quite a bit across different decades of the style, ska. As a result, I leaned pretty basic somewhat repetitive lines (which actually are common in ska) never much theory, no soloing, and kept to the lower 2/3rds of the neck. I’m not the kind of player who can sit in a key and improvise a lot of different walking bass parts at will during a song. I’m also more of a live player – but drift around a bit in the studio when the recording light comes on and the engineer starts comparing my wave to the drumbeats.
So on to my problem statement. I’m trying to figure out what’s next. I enjoy performing but am sure I can't make the cut in a true working band of veteran pros. I had considered taking a year, getting a teacher, and shoring up the holes in my technique and theory, but am worried that might be a drag. If I were super brave, I’d develop solo material and play an open mic, but really see myself as being better in a supporting role. I’ll know few people in the new town. Ska people like are close knit, but I’m not sure there’s any kind of scene in north Texas.
Looking for creative thoughts and appreciate any ideas. As always, thanks to this amazing community!
The original lineup was casual, but over time, attrition led to recruiting stronger musicians, and my own playing with a bit more effort, reached a level where I wasn’t as intimidated by them. Though I still view myself as sort of an average player. One of them would still shout keys at me in the middle of a song as if I would adjust on the fly that easily. “Yeah thanks! F# maj, so does that mean the flat 7th is ok or not? I was a Suzuki kid so…” I also moved aside and gave up my mic to let new members shine but eventually missed being part of the front row and singing lead and interacting with the crowd when we played live. But such is the life of a bass player in an 8-piece band.
The last year was a good one. We played a big festival, getting our name on the poster and T-shirt! (It’s that band at the end in the smallest font, but we were thrilled nonetheless.) We got to hang with our biggest influences as peers and they seemed to appreciate what we were doing. We finished a recording project, tightened up our sound, had a successful run of shows in late summer/fall and even picked up an odd stalker fan or two which is the mark of true success, right?
I’ve had a lot of fun doing this. It’s been a huge part of my life, and while it’s not always been easy, I wasn’t planning on leaving yet, but as it turns out, I’m going to be moving out of state in about 6 months.
It’s been an odd feeling. I’m pretty good friends with these people, like a second family. We’ve been through a lot. They gave me a chance when I was just a new bass player with about a year of lessons under my belt, and after I leave only the founder/leader remains of the original lineup. Most of my time was spent frantically learning songs as we played a lot of different covers at first, varying our set quite a bit across different decades of the style, ska. As a result, I leaned pretty basic somewhat repetitive lines (which actually are common in ska) never much theory, no soloing, and kept to the lower 2/3rds of the neck. I’m not the kind of player who can sit in a key and improvise a lot of different walking bass parts at will during a song. I’m also more of a live player – but drift around a bit in the studio when the recording light comes on and the engineer starts comparing my wave to the drumbeats.
So on to my problem statement. I’m trying to figure out what’s next. I enjoy performing but am sure I can't make the cut in a true working band of veteran pros. I had considered taking a year, getting a teacher, and shoring up the holes in my technique and theory, but am worried that might be a drag. If I were super brave, I’d develop solo material and play an open mic, but really see myself as being better in a supporting role. I’ll know few people in the new town. Ska people like are close knit, but I’m not sure there’s any kind of scene in north Texas.
Looking for creative thoughts and appreciate any ideas. As always, thanks to this amazing community!
. Good luck with your continued journey through the low-end.
