Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
At The Back => Time Out => Topic started by: Muso on August 16, 2006, 11:04:33 AM
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Yo guys here a little story about me
Basically I'm quite a competant guitar player and I've been living in Nottingham for 3 years. Since I have been here I have been trying to either get into a band or form a band with little or no success. All the local adverts are for drummers and only a few bands want guitar players who don't like the music I do. I mean is there a set formula for getting a rocking band together? I know lots of you guys are in or have been in bands, basically I would like your advice.
At the moment my formed band consists of me and a bass player who never wants to practise, i met him off the internet and hes a typical internet nerd (doesn't drink & doesn't rock out). I'm honestly at the point where I'm considering moving to a different city, I know up north places like Bradford, Hull, Leeds they have amazing band scenes and all the bands I know up there have wicked attitudes.
Anyway some advice would great thanks.
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:D I`m afraid band forming can be hit & miss. Find local rehersal studios & post ads there, drop the bass player if a descent drummer turns up & you guys can`t play a note together the drummer wont be interested. Check out the local music shops, bass players need strings etc, and look on the bright side if you think it`s difficult now wait untill you try to get a half descent singer, who`s prepared to do the work required then you`ll wish you could just play instrumentals !!! :lol: :lol:
:D 8)
EDIT Also look to put together a demo of your best 3 or so songs. It`ll show your commited & will help you widdle out the time wasters, & believe me there are plenty of them out there. Successfull musicians are also utterly ruthless don`t waste your time with anyone who isnt prepared to be as serious as you are about it !!
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I know up north places like Bradford, Hull, Leeds they have amazing band scenes and all the bands I know up there have wicked attitudes.
I think I would agree with that: My best mate's boyfriend lives in the land of Leeds, and he "runs" a venue up there that books bands on a regular basis. I've been up there a coupla times, and the bands all seem much more interested in the music than those round here...
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I hear you... 2 years, 5 failed attemps and 3 no starts and I gave up.
I just play in my back room now. I'm just getting my motivation back and am pushing in a slightly different direction.
I posted a thread a while back "my bass player dumped me :(" and since then I just hate looking at a guitar. I only got into modifying guitars as a way of trying to keep interested in my hobby. It worked.
I have no real advice other than to say..... Dont waste time on uncommited people. Months fly by and turn into a year or two and youve gotten nowhere.
Dont burn bridges, just politely move on or as I started to say "I'm starting a side project for something a little different" They dont need to know their the side project. Its mean but polite.
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I feel for you- it is a monumental task- just meeting like minded muso's if part of the battle.Do you have any on line places to check. I will see if I can find a link for you.
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I have the same problem trying to find people who are into good music round here. Most people are into indie kinda stuff, or "shite metal" (Slipknot etc).
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grr, I too am really struggling to find anyone to play with... :(
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try this
http://www.musofinder.com
& this
http://formingbands.com
worth a try
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Starting bands is totally hit & miss - definately no formula.
I was in/out of bands from 15 till 25 before I found a band with like-minded musicians and had a band that really clicked. That lasted four years and was a total riot, came together fairly easily - we had wrote songs and were gigging within four months. the band sounded great right from the get-go, you just know when it's right as you don't even 'need' to rehearse.
The current band I have is much harder work though admitedly its not so much a jamming band - it's metal and has more structure though I always try to take it off into jams (that's my thing).
:twisted:
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Cheers for the advice chaps
I've decided to buy a Bass guitar and keep my guitar playing just for myself. Always high demmand for bass players god knows why 8)
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Cheers for the advice chaps
I've decided to buy a Bass guitar and keep my guitar playing just for myself. Always high demmand for bass players god knows why 8)
My mate's brother learnt to play guitar, bass, drums and also learnt to sing - and his only reason was that then potential bands couldn't turn him down and say "nah you don't play the instruments we need"...but he always was a god of music :lol:
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What's all this talk about giving up and quitting?!! I don't get it.
If it's something you really want to do ... if it burns inside you, and keeps you up at night ... then you'll find a way to make it work. It may take months or years. Who cares!
Finding a band is tough. Forming one is harder still. Forming an all-originals band is even harder than that. And then keeping it together? It requires Herculean will power and dedication. I drag my ass to work every day because I'm "living the dream" at night. And I wouldn't have it any other way! I'm sure other forum bro's in a similar situation would advise the same. The expense is great, but the payback divine!! So stop being all emo about it!! :evil:
Then again ... if all of you quit, there's less competition for my band! PDT_008.
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start with a simple add.
Guitarist looking for musicians, to form a band to rock out and have fun.
when a drummer turns up.. slam the door saying i said MUSICIANS!!
jokes aside.. if it goes, it goes. start off at a common point and take it from there. dont waste time on slackers. if they dont hold up their end, kick em in the shin and find another one.
if it works great, you can start making originals, throw in some covers etc etc.
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when a drummer turns up.. slam the door saying i said MUSICIANS!!
you won't even need to open the door - drummers knock out of time so you'll know it's a non-musician :wink: :lol:
:twisted:
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when a drummer turns up.. slam the door saying i said MUSICIANS!!
you won't even need to open the door - drummers knock out of time so you'll know it's a non-musician :wink: :lol:
:twisted:
Or they'll sit on a little stool and kick your door repeatedly with alternating feet to demonstrate how metal they are :drink:
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It's harder than finding a job or a decent woman...err that sounds familiar...must have been another post!
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It's harder than finding a job or a decent woman...err that sounds familiar...
Heh, that's true. I'm employed and married -- and in a band, but while I'll keep the former two, I think I could use a different band! It's noticeably worse than the job and marriage .... ;)
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It's harder than finding a job or a decent woman...err that sounds familiar...
Heh, that's true. I'm employed and married -- and in a band, but while I'll keep the former two, I think I could use a different band! It's noticeably worse than the job and marriage .... ;)
Carlaz I'd love to be in a band! It's what keeps me up at nights i think!
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eh?? i always thought of bands as a way of leaving your jobs and getting women
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I hear you... 2 years, 5 failed attemps and 3 no starts and I gave up.
I've lost count of the number of musicains over the years who joined/left/didn't bother to turn up for rehearsals etc.
The last permanent bass player in the band I was in was a brilliant musician but had never stuck at a job for more than a month and used to spend most of his day in the pub scrounging drinks off anyone he could find who was gullible enough to buy them. After waiting in an icy cold rehearsal room for over an hour and a half for him to turn up we found him outside a pub. After screaming "Where the f**k have you been?" he calmly explained that he managed to "cadge eight pints of 6X (very strong beer for non-drinkers) during the day and had sh*t himself".
Needless to say I had no wish to check out the accuracy of his claim and decided it was time for me to hang my plectrum up for a while. I still love playing and occassionally 'sit in' with some bands but find it impossible to find any serious musicians in my (senior) age group with my taste in music who are willing to work at it.
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It's harder than finding a job or a decent woman...err that sounds familiar...
Heh, that's true. I'm employed and married -- and in a band, but while I'll keep the former two, I think I could use a different band! It's noticeably worse than the job and marriage .... ;)
Carlaz I'd love to be in a band! It's what keeps me up at nights i think!
Yeah, I really like playing in a band, playing with other people -- in the end, it's better than cutting guitar solos over your breakfast cereal ;). But it can get frustrating, sometimes -- too many people who play worse than I do (which is pretty bad) or have inflated "artistic temperments" or are just plain unreliable!
I guess it's getting greedy, though, to want to play in a good band! (Especially when I'm not about to win any prizes for musician of the year! ;)) For the past 15 years I've been sometimes in a band, sometimes not, and I guess it'll stay that way .... Still, ya gotta stick at it and hope to find the magic!
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I hear you... 2 years, 5 failed attemps and 3 no starts and I gave up.
I've lost count of the number of musicains over the years who joined/left/didn't bother to turn up for rehearsals etc.
The last permanent bass player in the band I was in was a brilliant musician but had never stuck at a job for more than a month and used to spend most of his day in the pub scrounging drinks off anyone he could find who was gullible enough to buy them. After waiting in an icy cold rehearsal room for over an hour and a half for him to turn up we found him outside a pub. After screaming "Where the f**k have you been?" he calmly explained that he managed to "cadge eight pints of 6X (very strong beer for non-drinkers) during the day and had sh*t himself".
Needless to say I had no wish to check out the accuracy of his claim and decided it was time for me to hang my plectrum up for a while. I still love playing and occassionally 'sit in' with some bands but find it impossible to find any serious musicians in my (senior) age group with my taste in music who are willing to work at it.
After 8 6x's? lightweight! :lol: He want's to be happy he wasn't on the ESB! :wink:
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I hear you... 2 years, 5 failed attemps and 3 no starts and I gave up.
I've lost count of the number of musicains over the years who joined/left/didn't bother to turn up for rehearsals etc.
The last permanent bass player in the band I was in was a brilliant musician but had never stuck at a job for more than a month and used to spend most of his day in the pub scrounging drinks off anyone he could find who was gullible enough to buy them. After waiting in an icy cold rehearsal room for over an hour and a half for him to turn up we found him outside a pub. After screaming "Where the f**k have you been?" he calmly explained that he managed to "cadge eight pints of 6X (very strong beer for non-drinkers) during the day and had sh*t himself".
Needless to say I had no wish to check out the accuracy of his claim and decided it was time for me to hang my plectrum up for a while. I still love playing and occassionally 'sit in' with some bands but find it impossible to find any serious musicians in my (senior) age group with my taste in music who are willing to work at it.
After 8 6x's? lightweight! :lol: He want's to be happy he wasn't on the ESB! :wink:
:lol: PMSL at both these posts!!! :lol:
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It's harder than finding a job or a decent woman...err that sounds familiar...
Heh, that's true. I'm employed and married -- and in a band, but while I'll keep the former two, I think I could use a different band! It's noticeably worse than the job and marriage .... ;)
Carlaz I'd love to be in a band! It's what keeps me up at nights i think!
Yeah, I really like playing in a band, playing with other people -- in the end, it's better than cutting guitar solos over your breakfast cereal ;). But it can get frustrating, sometimes -- too many people who play worse than I do (which is pretty bad) or have inflated "artistic temperments" or are just plain unreliable!
I guess it's getting greedy, though, to want to play in a good band! (Especially when I'm not about to win any prizes for musician of the year! ;)) For the past 15 years I've been sometimes in a band, sometimes not, and I guess it'll stay that way .... Still, ya gotta stick at it and hope to find the magic!
I know I'd be the same if I was in one. The little projects i did years ago involved my Bruv who didn't learn any of his parts until we had studio time. :roll: That used to grate on me but you have to make light of it and the end of the day. :D
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It is a real struggle. I am lucky to have been in bands for most of my life with varying degrees of contenment-at the moment I am in a band with a long time drummer mate who I think a lot of as a bloke and I forgive his drumming sins.I have a great co guitarist who is blessed with a professional discipline ( him being an actor and all) that has helped us sound as good as we are.He and I would claim only to be competent but he has a great stage presence and a great voice however he and the bass player are not the best of mates and things do, at times, break into battle.The sparks do fly but they also contribute to the energy-I suppose I am saying that it is never easy even when you are in a band. The tricjk is to find like minded guys in your area who can work together even if they don't actually like each other.
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^Our old singer and the drummer always used to get into fights just before gigs about setting up the equipment :lol: Pretty funny to watch but also quite annoying coz there wasnt a great atmosphere on stage the time when the singer walked out on us haha.. glad he's gone but now we're stuck without a singer, band practises are just cr@p now and I'll probably quit if we dont find someone good soon..
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can you sing Tom or maybe one of the others. I started when the band I was in had a singer that quit and we all tried and found we could do it and got better as we did with less mouths to feed, we got more cash at the end of the night.Never played with a front man since- they are dead weight unless they are supremely good and can set up a PA.
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Mr 38th! Cool words man!
What an asset!! 8)
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:D Yer but a really good singer is worth his weight in gold to `ya if he has one of those voices.
The problem is when you loose `em & Players are forced to sing you find you have to compromise material wise unless you play all the old cheese ie 50`s 60`s etc.
:D 8)
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Well our drummer can sing but he doesnt really like singing and playing at the same time, apparently theres a female singer who is apparently quite good, but I'm not sure about it, females in rock have always been a big no for me (to listen to, at least).. then again its only a cover band, and she might be something to look at whilst playing boring songs :P
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tbh, the main problem for me is getting time to even play at the moment. Working shifts and doing the whole parent thing just eats up all my spare time. Other than that i've gotta get mobile again too, attempting to move a half stack and pile of guitars on the back of a bike just ain't gonna really happen! :lol:
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oooh, i'd like to watch that
i'll bring a bungee chord and a crate of beer :D:D :lol: :lol:
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oooh, i'd like to watch that
i'll bring a bungee chord and a crate of beer :D:D :lol: :lol:
It'll be OK if I can bungee the 4x12 onto you and get my brother in to carry some of the guitars! :lol:
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you don't use a bungee to carry things
you use the bungee to drag the 4x12 behind the bike, and then get somebody to surf along on top of it (hence the crate of beer)
oh, and the corners and the best part
hee hee
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Caffeine - It's like where you get a guy on a bike to drag along a shopping trolley filled with drunk people using the bungee...:drink:
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actually i think we used a 'borrowed' double-decker bus at the time
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I've been in / formed numerous bands, all with little or no succes. it took me ten years to get the band I now have. It's important to find the right guys or gals. You need to have similar taste, at a similar level and a similar sence of humor. You have to be clear about the style of music you wanna play. Like defining a 'core business' for a company.
Don't ever get a singer with no musical abillties. A singer needs to know how music works. Most singers I played with never knew when to start. It helps if you get a singer that can play a musical instrument or had decent singing lessons. All of my former bands failed because of insecure singers with no serious musical background. (someone who once sang in a choir will not do)
Just keep trying.
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:D I have to say in all honesty that the biggest problem i`ve had with singers is they`ve got egos bigger than a small continent !! :P
And that is really saying something considering i`m on a guitar forum !
Because they don`t play they have Zero discipline. They never learn the words to anything & they think there far more important than any other band member.
:D 8)
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:D I have to say in all honesty that the biggest problem i`ve had with singers is they`ve got egos bigger than a small continent !! :P
And that is really saying something considering i`m on a guitar forum !
Because they don`t play they have Zero discipline. They never learn the words to anything & they think there far more important than any other band member.
:D 8)
...and they never seem able to see that it's their reponsibility to buy a decent microphone. I've spent at least tens of thousands of pounds on musical equipment, strings and so forth over the years but they seem to believe that paying out 70 quid on a mic is not their responsibility! :x :x :x :x
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:D I have to say in all honesty that the biggest problem i`ve had with singers is they`ve got egos bigger than a small continent !! :P
And that is really saying something considering i`m on a guitar forum !
Because they don`t play they have Zero discipline. They never learn the words to anything & they think there far more important than any other band member.
:D 8)
...and they never seem able to see that it's their reponsibility to buy a decent microphone. I've spent at least tens of thousands of pounds on musical equipment, strings and so forth over the years but they seem to believe that paying out 70 quid on a mic is not their responsibility! :x :x :x :x
That also sounds all to familiar to me.
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:D I have to say in all honesty that the biggest problem i`ve had with singers is they`ve got egos bigger than a small continent !! :P
...and they never seem able to see that it's their reponsibility to buy a decent microphone. I've spent at least tens of thousands of pounds on musical equipment, strings and so forth over the years but they seem to believe that paying out 70 quid on a mic is not their responsibility! :x :x :x :x
That also sounds all to familiar to me.
That sounds way too familiar! :?
If I could sing & play together at the same time well enough (heck, if I could do either on their own well enough!) then I wouldn't bother with lead singers. Besides, once you embark on the 20-minute improv jam section in the middle of the song, there's nothing for the singer to do anyway, so who needs 'em! :)