Things Amateurs Don't Get

[Pocket Dave]

That guide is for improvisation and improvisers. Most of TB frown on improvisation. Licks are not really improvisation. amd I am quite sure the OP is not about improvisation. I have that printed out and tacked to my work desk,

Depends on what you define as improvisation - You say what it's not.

I disagree if it's playing fluidly with open ears & adapting quickly to dynamics. OTOH, I agree if it's non-song-supportive wanking off.

 

[namboy]

You are not a solo act when playing in a band. You can't expect the band to wait for you to tune before we start a song.

But I have had a band member walk off stage to have a smoke break IN FRONT of the stage cause they can't remember the chords to a song then get back on as soon as we finished said song

I know you need to learn how to be in a band but some things are just wrong

 

[Bruce Calin]

I have a high school-age DB student who is learning BG to play in her first actual band(not school orchestra). I've told her a few of these band etiquette rules and most of the time she just says " I already know that." It reminds me how much of this stuff is just common sense and decency. It would be great if all of us could be so sensible.

 

[pepj]

For me...
Listen to the song without playing.
Play it in the car...you should be able to hear the point of the song and other things you generally miss or play over
Learn the song and then play it beyond the original recording or reference.

If you are just going to play it as per the record, I may as well stay home and listen to the CD.

 

[DWBass]

I don't exactly understand this. I've made my living playing music for several decades. I've toured with name acts as well as playing with local people. Many of the locals are what I would consider total pros, while the behavior of some of the "national act" people, on stage and off, made me embarrassed for them as well as myself for being there. Being a professional is a way of acting, not a situation IMO.

I did say "playing and acting and conducting yourself like a professional." Take it as you will though. There are many PRO PROS out there. Let's not nit pick. You know what I mean.

 

[DWBass]

I will add some opinions regarding this topic from the point of a sound man. We would like to get our equipment out of the venue as soon as we can. Last night we did a show and a couple of the players left their equipment set up after the show ended while they were socializing somewhere at the venue, and that makes it difficult for us to get our equipment packed up. We have a trailer full of equipment and dozens of cords and mic stands in addition to the subs, and mains and stage boxes, lights, etc to tear down and haul out of the place.

There were two tablets in holders and drink holders left clamped on a couple of our mic stands. A nice bass on a stand and the bass amp. I had to find the owners of the tablets and drink holders because I did not want to just remove them and leave them laying around somewhere. We had to be careful so as to not knock the bass over while picking up all the cables that were in place before the guy put his instrument stand in the area where we had run the numerous XLRs and a stage box cable for the monitors.

Packing up XLR cables and stage snakes while there are guitar amps and instruments on stands means it takes more time because I don't have the space I need to do my job.

Please at least put your instrument in a case, and move your amp out of the way if you want to hang out for a while before you haul your equipment out of the venue.

Thanks for letting me vent.

I, for one, you would not have to worry about. As soon as the gig is done, I'm packed up and on the road immediately!! It's 1AM and I'm trying to get home to my bed!

 

[Pocket Dave]

I, for one, you would not have to worry about. As soon as the gig is done, I'm packed up and on the road immediately!! It's 1AM and I'm trying to get home to my bed!

First one out of the parking lot/away from the loading dock wins the race.

 

[31HZ]

I'll sound good no matter what I play, because I've listened to myself in live recordings and I know that I always lock in and swing.

 

[fdeck]

I have a high school-age DB student who is learning BG to play in her first actual band(not school orchestra). I've told her a few of these band etiquette rules and most of the time she just says " I already know that." It reminds me how much of this stuff is just common sense and decency. It would be great if all of us could be so sensible.

One of my sayings is: "Everything I know about how to conduct myself as a professional musician, I learned in middle school band."

First one out of the parking lot/away from the loading dock wins the race.

That reminds me of another rule: Up here in the North: Make sure nobody's stuck alone in case their car doesn't start.

 

[Bass Viking]

I don't exactly understand this. I've made my living playing music for several decades. I've toured with name acts as well as playing with local people. Many of the locals are what I would consider total pros, while the behavior of some of the "national act" people, on stage and off, made me embarrassed for them as well as myself for being there. Being a professional is a way of acting, not a situation IMO.

Yes, my thread is about amateurish behaviour.

 

[Kael]

Worst insult I can give a musician is that they do not listen.

 

[lermgalieu]

Worst insult I can give a musician is that they do not listen.

Lucky for them, they wouldn't hear you ;-)

 

[Pocket Dave]

Lucky for them, they wouldn't hear you ;-)

Being a shining beacon of complete self-unawareness can be lucky if you look at it that way.

 

[dougjwray]

Guitarists, you need to tune up *before* the soundcheck starts.
(Yelling into mic while strumming wildly out of tune guitar): "How does *this* sound?!"

Audience member to companion: "This band is going to suck. Let's leave."

 

[friskinator]

99.9% of musicians have an amateur mentality. The ones that don't are the true pros that we idolize and talk about.

 

[Faith Nicole]

There are issues I've noticed over the years when playing with others in band or jam situations. Here's a list of things that sadly a lot of players don't understand. There is some overlap between them. This is just a get-it-off-my-chest rant. Feel free to add your own pet peeves!

LISTEN TO THE OTHER PLAYERS: So many musicians are in their own world. They play stuff that doesn't fit into the context of the music.

WATCH WHAT'S GOING ON: Don't stare at your fingers or feet, a bandmate may be trying to get your attention.

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE SONG: What you play should serve the music, not show off your chops. Play what fits.

YOU ARE A TEAM PLAYER: Playing in a group is different from playing solo. e.g. Attention keyboardists! Ease up on that left hand!

LOUD DOES NOT EQUAL GOOD: It equals hearing damage.

DON'T BE AFRAID TO PLAY SOMETHING SIMPLE: This is great advice I got years ago. I often read about drummers who can't play a fill without losing the beat and throwing off the rest of the band. Leave out the fill and focus on a simple steady beat.

There, I feel better already!

I play minimalist, I am not fancy. Yes I throw in some extra on certain songs but only where there's a hole that calls for it along with the groove of the song.
I do the sound check, I walk out front and listen. Sound balance and volume is for the audience, not the stage.

I don’t really like jazz, but I am grateful I came up as a kid playing jazz with really good teachers and some really good peers, several of whom are all now legit pros. I am not a legit pro, but I have a solid foundation in many of these things, especially paying attention to everything happening around you.

I surprised a guitarist a little bit once when I said I demand very little, but I always insist my spot on stage be to the drummers’ left (assuming a righty drummer). I need to see two things clearly: 1.) The drummer’s eyes, and that’s the direction they tend to face, and 2.) the drummer’s right leg operating the kick, and that’s usually the most unobstructed view.

Of course plenty of great bass players stand stage right, but for me, that’s where I need to be to facilitate the musical conversation.

I stand to the right of the drummer. Guitar is left of the drummer, KB is on my right. I can see all three of them and my eyes work overtime every song as I shift my attention between them to lock or accent as needed. I do not count on habit to fit it in, it's live, things change. I don't need to see the drummers eyes and I can't see his kick (which hasn't been an issue for me) but I definitely need to see his hands. Guitar, I need to see his fretting hand, sometimes his strum pattern. KB I watch for hands. All three I watch for signals. along with all that I glance at my tablet time to time. Overall I watch the audience. I've seen bands that stare at fingers or tablets all the time, it's not conducive to audience engagement. I keep myself busy.

Here are a few...

1. Thinking cover songs need to be played just like the original (especially if you think you need the specific effects to play a song). Special Note: Keyboard players activating a clavinet patch seemingly for the first time just to play Superstition badly: I'm looking at you!

2. Not realizing you are performing the entire time you're at the gig (includes speaking to the crowd between songs, setting up/taking down, behavior onstage/offstage, before/after the set, etc)

3. Discussing things onstage with a hot mic.(extra credit though to one of my drummers for lamenting the quality of a backline kit with expressive profanity - that was pure gold!)

4. Tablature

5. Understanding stage volume and EQ vs PA (guilty!)

6. EQ'ing sound for one's own instrument (ie best bedroom sound) instead of band as a whole, and how the audience hears it.

7. Thinking people actually care about your TOAN!

8. Sticking to a setlist instead of reading the crowd

9. Disparaging the sound engineers publicly (see #2)

10. Sound engineers EQing everything for max volume without feedback, or EDM-type bass response regardless of vibe of the band.

stage volume vs house volume and eq. I manage it. Every venue is different. When it comes to adjusting between them, how it sounds on the dance floor takes precedence.

Our setlist is the primary fallback. It's where we go to be on the same page. Interspersed are songs that one of us may want to call out (typically our drummer who is also lead singer) and to insert a request that we know. We never do a request that we haven't tried before as a group or isn't passable.

I'm the 'sound engineer' of our group .. they better not disparage me!! ... hee

 

[Eli_Kyiv]

When starting a fill, know how to end it.
Applies to drummers as well, if not more.

 

[el murdoque]

From a FOH point of view, I can say that usually the more pro a player is, the easier it is to work with them.

An amateur drummer will throw a temper tantrum if you use the wrong mic on his snare drum
"BecAUse THe stAGe RiDer cLEArly deFIned thAt a <obscure microphone description> is MANDATORY".

A pro will work with what is there.

 

[Bass Viking]

From a FOH point of view, I can say that usually the more pro a player is, the easier it is to work with them.

An amateur drummer will throw a temper tantrum if you use the wrong mic on his snare drum
"BecAUse THe stAGe RiDer cLEArly deFIned thAt a <obscure microphone description> is MANDATORY".

A pro will work with what is there.

A pro knows how to get more out of less.

 

[E2942]

We need a "how not to be a blankety-blank to amateurs who are just trying to find their way, & not discourage them".