I'm actually getting another one (slightly modified circuit). It's good/interesting enough for me to use, way more than the EHX bass micro synth.
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Stoner/Doom Bassists Thread, Part 90: Maxed Out
- Thread starter Korladis
- Start date
Well, I didn't meet up with the band, after all. For reasons on my end that I'm not divulging right now. Just to be mysterious.
I assume some sort of urgent elephantiasis situation that prevented you from going out amongst "polite company". As opposed to the things of more concealable nature that many of us in the doom room manage to hide from such people.
Plot twist: the band name is Urgent Elephantitis.
I assume you were practicing your crowd work, and instead of throwing picks, you threw your fingers. Much like a 10mm socket, a couple of them disappeared.
Like Pieces from Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead?
That is a criminally underrated movie. Critical Bill is Treat Williams' finest performance. Great name drop!!
OK, I'm done being myswterious. I will open up about the new band tryout that I pulled the plug on before it happened.
So, a wee bit of background. I have some friends from college that I occasionally play with, Mark on guitar (whose basement is always set up with amps/drums/small PA/mics on guitar/vocals, Tim on vocals, me on bass, and AJ on drums/vocals. Collectively, we would probably be good enough to gig in bars, if we practiced a defined setlist on the regular. Trouble is, AJ lives about 2-2.5 hours away, so the jams are infrequent at best.
Well, he came up for a jam on Friday, and we got together. So I took a one-hit to get in the mood, and we started playing. And I realized I can't remeber a Goddamned song to save my life. Mark and I stand next to each other, and he has a lot of the songs ruimentally charted out on a stand. I have to constantly refer to the chart, even if it's a song I've played, literally (yeah, I know what it means), dozens of times, and we don't play difficult tunes at all.
So, I was feeling very down about it after the jam, as I realized (again) of my shortcomings as a bass player. I just ain't got it to be able to be in a band, and gig, because I just can't remeber the tunes.
So, I sent the guy a very apologetic note about pulling out of the audition, and that was that. I felt, and still feel, I'd be an impediment to any band I join simply because I can't cut the mustard. It got me very down for a few days, and it is still lingering as I type this.
I wasn't super out of it on Friday, or anything close to that, so I can't blame the shrubbery. Wish I could.
There you have it. My tale of woe and just suckage incarnate.
So, a wee bit of background. I have some friends from college that I occasionally play with, Mark on guitar (whose basement is always set up with amps/drums/small PA/mics on guitar/vocals, Tim on vocals, me on bass, and AJ on drums/vocals. Collectively, we would probably be good enough to gig in bars, if we practiced a defined setlist on the regular. Trouble is, AJ lives about 2-2.5 hours away, so the jams are infrequent at best.
Well, he came up for a jam on Friday, and we got together. So I took a one-hit to get in the mood, and we started playing. And I realized I can't remeber a Goddamned song to save my life. Mark and I stand next to each other, and he has a lot of the songs ruimentally charted out on a stand. I have to constantly refer to the chart, even if it's a song I've played, literally (yeah, I know what it means), dozens of times, and we don't play difficult tunes at all.
So, I was feeling very down about it after the jam, as I realized (again) of my shortcomings as a bass player. I just ain't got it to be able to be in a band, and gig, because I just can't remeber the tunes.
So, I sent the guy a very apologetic note about pulling out of the audition, and that was that. I felt, and still feel, I'd be an impediment to any band I join simply because I can't cut the mustard. It got me very down for a few days, and it is still lingering as I type this.
I wasn't super out of it on Friday, or anything close to that, so I can't blame the shrubbery. Wish I could.
There you have it. My tale of woe and just suckage incarnate.
My old band had a song called "Things to Do in John Denver When He's Dead"
I think you are being way too hard on yourself. If you had dedicated time to remembering the songs and practiced them ahead of time and still failed, that may be a different story. I can't remember half of the older songs and lines I wrote if I haven't played them in a while.
The real question is, how do you do in an actual jam situation, where you're not trying to play a curated song list? To me, that is much more important. I don't have enough time to learn other people's music. I just want to make my own with like minded people.
I have never been in a true jam without at least a list of things to play. A lot of the time, as is probably de rigeur with occasional bands, it's a "What do you want to play?" kind of thing. So we ask each other that, mill around for a bit, then someone picks a tune, we turn pages in binders for a while, then attempt the music.
I don't really try to be too hard on myself, but, I have to accept the reality of what it is, ya know? I should honestly be able to remember how to play "The Seeker" by The Who without fumbling my way through it after doing it for 15 years. (Sad lol.)
So, I have an actual question. For siome reason, I have a hard time hearing myself when I'm playing with the guys in the basement. Sometimes I can hearmyself fine, other times, barely. Nothing changes settings-wise for any of the amps we're using. All the guys say they can hear it fine. I was using some Hearos (the white silicone ones at adB reduction of something or other.
Might be an issue with the amp for the electronic drums is right under my bass amp. Might not be. I can hear the guitar just fine, and it's only a Vox AC-10 combo. Can hear the vocals, can hear the drums. Just can't hear me sometimes.
Any thoughts?
Might be an issue with the amp for the electronic drums is right under my bass amp. Might not be. I can hear the guitar just fine, and it's only a Vox AC-10 combo. Can hear the vocals, can hear the drums. Just can't hear me sometimes.
Any thoughts?
I wouldn't be so hard on yourself. Even though some people are just on another level with remembering without prompting or practice, the whole point of rehearsal is memorization through repetition. If you're practicing something regularly, over and over, and still can't recall it at all, then I'd be concerned tbh
I've been in bands where we rehearsed twice a week for years, and occasionally I'd get on stage, go absolutely blank, and only remember the song once the first note started. Just a little moment of panic, like forgetting the word spoon in casual conversation.
I'm going to add to the chorus of "you're being too hard on yourself". If I haven't practiced a song in the last seven days or so, it's a good bet that I'm going to flub part of it. Even if I have practiced it recently, I may scrawl some notes about how it goes (chord changes, etc.) on my set list.
Heck, when I played that tribute show a while back I was playing songs I used to play several times a week, thirty years ago. They were bone simple songs, and even then I had to refer back to the original recordings a few times to make sure I remembered them properly.
So... no awkward elephantiasis? Dang - I thought it was a sure thing...
I feel like "My Tale Of Woe And Just Suckage Incarnate" needs to be somebody's biography. What you described here is my big fear as a bassist - I can actually play pretty well (most of the time). But I don't get to play anywhere near as often as I'd like. It goes in fits and bursts - and as of right now, I don't think I've been able to play bass in around 2 months - maybe longer? When I grab it again - hopefully very soon - I'm going to struggle to play stuff I had down cold. And that's been my common struggle - I had a goal to learn a song a month this year. At the turn of the year, that was happening easily, as I was able to practice nearly daily. I learned a few songs, and kept others in rotation. When I get back to it, just to get my chops up again, I'm going to have to go back to my "old favorites" and get my bearings again, as even the new songs I've learned, while often much simpler than the "old favorites", will likely be mostly gone. Hopefully I can learn a few songs this summer!
In other words, don't take it too hard. I'd LOVE to have people to jam with. It's literally been since my son was born that I've jammed with anybody. And that's edging close to a decade. At this point, I'm still good friends with my previous bandmates, but all of our schedules are so incredibly different we just can't seem to make it work.
(On a related note, at least the inability to play has made my other goal of not acquiring more pedals this year much more easily attainable.)
You're just going to leave it at that? And not mention ANY of the things to do in him when he's dead? You tease, you.
So I've got a few questions and I'm not a noob to bass playing in the doom sludge scene, however I'm a bit dense in term's of effects pedals.
I've got these pedals over the last 3-4 years for recovery anniversaries. Maybe you all can help me out.
I realize bass and tone are all subjective to ones own ear, however I'm trying to find that early cannibal corpse thumping sound.
With what I have fx wise what else do I need or not need? If needing more pictures let me know.
I have a Rumble 350 combo 2x10s to an Epiphone Thunderbird bass.
I've got these pedals over the last 3-4 years for recovery anniversaries. Maybe you all can help me out.
I realize bass and tone are all subjective to ones own ear, however I'm trying to find that early cannibal corpse thumping sound.
With what I have fx wise what else do I need or not need? If needing more pictures let me know.
I have a Rumble 350 combo 2x10s to an Epiphone Thunderbird bass.
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I know early on he used a P-Bass. Not sure on pedals, but he's used darkglass overdrives/preamps later on.
