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The worst thing about playing music is...
- Thread starter malicant
- Start date
Playing a gig the day after you played a gig that you reached what I call the musical "zone". Where there is no question as to whether your ego is affecting your playing, and you become the music, almost like you are not the same person an what comes out comes from some world that I would think mostly only musicians and artists tap into.
When that happens I absolutely crave reaching that zone every time I play, and that alone prevents me from reaching it.
When that happens I absolutely crave reaching that zone every time I play, and that alone prevents me from reaching it.
Yeah over the years there have been many things I can consider the worst I guess if I was to name it would have to be Club owners who try to screw you.
There are a few things that are rather annoying, if not frustrating about being a musician.
For instance: Collaborating with egos. During high school, I was the only person that had a thorough knowledge how to play bass, so for every school venue since my Sophomore year, I was the "go-to" bassist. This meant incorporating myself with the choir kids that sort of didn't really understand instrumentalists, and thus disrespected them. The director really didn't help matters either, being just as clueless, and, this being high school, the students that always felt superior to you and me. Hopefully, for most, it's beyond this point. Nevertheless, there is that guitarist, vocalist, keyboardist, that does retain a bit of cluelessness in them, either being a snob or a total stoner, that either wants to talk about their pedigree, or just things irrelevant to music, or nonsense concerning their "inspiration" towards music that usually involves a hallucinogenic trip or otherwise talking out their ass.
Jealousy: Going to gigs that my other friends are attending or/playing, always seems to make me feel bad that I can't find a band, and a burning sense of envy strikes to be up there playing and having a good time. Wishing for that big-break or one day. Not that that's the case anymore.
Of course, there are other's, being:
A love-hate relationship with your instrument-why I play more bass than trombone
A lack of financial support from music.-not really much of a solid source of income these days.
Missing the big Rush concert for a crappy gig-damn you State contests! I could have been on the Time Machine DVD!
Despite all of these bad things about playing music, I am still exponentially content with what I do, and am couldn't be happier doing anything other than playing bass and interacting with well-minded musicians.
For instance: Collaborating with egos. During high school, I was the only person that had a thorough knowledge how to play bass, so for every school venue since my Sophomore year, I was the "go-to" bassist. This meant incorporating myself with the choir kids that sort of didn't really understand instrumentalists, and thus disrespected them. The director really didn't help matters either, being just as clueless, and, this being high school, the students that always felt superior to you and me. Hopefully, for most, it's beyond this point. Nevertheless, there is that guitarist, vocalist, keyboardist, that does retain a bit of cluelessness in them, either being a snob or a total stoner, that either wants to talk about their pedigree, or just things irrelevant to music, or nonsense concerning their "inspiration" towards music that usually involves a hallucinogenic trip or otherwise talking out their ass.
Jealousy: Going to gigs that my other friends are attending or/playing, always seems to make me feel bad that I can't find a band, and a burning sense of envy strikes to be up there playing and having a good time. Wishing for that big-break or one day. Not that that's the case anymore.
Of course, there are other's, being:
A love-hate relationship with your instrument-why I play more bass than trombone
A lack of financial support from music.-not really much of a solid source of income these days.
Missing the big Rush concert for a crappy gig-damn you State contests! I could have been on the Time Machine DVD!
Despite all of these bad things about playing music, I am still exponentially content with what I do, and am couldn't be happier doing anything other than playing bass and interacting with well-minded musicians.
Someone is PULLING you PHYSICALLY, and there's some reason you can't "tell them to eff off?"
I can't imagine what that reason is.
I'm going to tell them, "touch me again, and you will be lucky to get out of here tonight," if I'm in a really good mood, or just hit them with a mic stand, tire iron, or whatever else is handy, most of the rest of the time.
Whatever has happened to rock and roll?
Done both of the above at least once. Only had to get physical twice; both times were with stupid drunks (one tried to pick up my bass and start playing it while I was breaking down, and the other was getting a little too friendly with my drummer's girl).
UK-US dictionary required here, let me translate...
UK: to pull - to have success with the opposite sex, e.g. "get your coat love, you've pulled" as very bad chat-up line.
Someone trying to pull the poster in this case meant trying to 'get off' with him, which sounds like an unattractive prospect. Maybe not quite worthy of a mic stand intervention though. (Okay, I guess it depends how ugly/persistent the offender is...)
He was warned.....
I don't see what happened as cruel or unwarranted (then again, I'm from Jersey
). There is a HUGE difference between playing a tune or two at an informal open jam and ignoring some very basic musical etiquette by asking to sit in with a headliner during a formal gigIf you're going to ask to sit in with the Big Boys during their set, you damned well better be able play at their level or higher. Your buddy Mike apparently did quite well when the band threw him a nice slow pitch right down the middle. That was a courteous and supportive thing for the band to do and speaks well for them
The best thing for Mike to do after his 'triumph' would've been to retake his seat at the table (out in the audience) and spend the rest of the night listening and learning. Instead, he got cocky, overstepped his bounds, and had his azz handed to him. Had he been able to transpose on the fly like every other player on the bandstand he would've been remembered as "the kid who could cut it" and maybe even gotten a little side work out of the experience
He showed a lack of both musical and cultural knowledge, and the point needed to be made in terms that he couldn't simply ignore
My drummer and I would do that kinda key change stuff all the time to our guitarist who had no clue when it was coming. Our favorite would be to switch songs at a break and segue into a song with similar keys ...but my all time favorite to do would be to modulate keys by semitones going up in "Smells like Teen Spirit". It would totally bend the drummers mind when he hears the riff nearly the same but not quite.
They never seemed to have the communication between them to try it on me tho
They never seemed to have the communication between them to try it on me tho
Both the sax player and the BL deserve some criticism. Regardling the sax player, it's lame and classless to ask to sit in. Regarding the BL, it was a douche move to instantly change the key on the beat right before the intro in an effort to eff with the sax player.
