General Music Chat

Well thanks for all the feedback. Not all of it is as bad as i may have made it sound. I guess i just figured with a paid site i would weed out the flakes and find more serious/ mature players/people. I do realize there are exceptions to playing multiple instruments but for thd most part it is the way the site is set up. I do think a primary and secondary selection would help. I enter singers and drummers pop up. Also some of it is the way some set up their profile. I found a guy who list vocals as an ability but you read is profile and he states hes a horrible singer. IDK. Perhaps i just dont have the patience any more. Im 49byrs old and from the ages of 14 to 28 music was all i did. I was pkaying the roxy, troubadour etc when i was 15 yrs old, entering and winning guitar contest when i was 21. I spent much of my life chasing the dream. Auditioned for ozzy, MSG, Halford, to name a few. My band came close to signing twice. So recently i told myself, whubdid i start playing at thr age of 11??
Because it was fun, so now i just wanna recapture that feel. Not trying to suck my own dick but sometimes its tough cause i feel like im going backwards. I guess its like Barry Bonds playing coed softball. Not quote though but i think you get the idea. For what its worth thanks again for the input. And i will keep that in mind. I have found a really kool bass player though so i guesd i cant complain too much.

Well, that explains why you're such a jerk.

WTF??? Really? let's not make this personal. This is bandmix not FB. I've seen your page and heard your songs and I could bash you for day but that's not how I roll. God Bless You George. BTW if you got a problem with me then just scroll past my stuff. I don't need you calling me a jerk. You know nothing about me.

finally! this place gets interesting...

finally! this place gets interesting...

haha...popcorn just went into the microwave.

I realize I have asked some of these questions before, but it is harder to search for a member when you list too many instruments. Unless you could actually play all of them good enough to be in a band but there's a real good chance you can't play them all at once. So pick ONE.

One word: Looper

Not quite - you're still playing one instrument at a time, just swapping them out after laying doing a loop. Loopers are a gimmick (which some use quite successfully)

I suppose they could be used as a gimmick, but ideally, the fact that a Looper is in use shouldn't be noticed, while a gimmick is to intentionally draw attention, I think.

But, in the context of his question, a musician armed with a Looper and the ability to play multiple instruments not only has multiple instruments playing simultaneously, but he/she opens the door to numerous tunes a band may have wanted to play but didn't for lack of keys, sax, etc.

Why would a person not let that be known, I wonder.

I suppose they could be used as a gimmick, but ideally, the fact that a Looper is in use shouldn't be noticed, while a gimmick is to intentionally draw attention, I think.

But, in the context of his question, a musician armed with a Looper and the ability to play multiple instruments not only has multiple instruments playing simultaneously, but he/she opens the door to numerous tunes a band may have wanted to play but didn't for lack of keys, sax, etc.

Why would a person not let that be known, I wonder.

Not quite getting what you are saying. If a looper is being used - whether from live playing or from pre-recorded tracks, its noticeable - "where's that organ coming form? there's no one playing organ on stage!" or "he stopped playing the sax, but I can still hear it".
I'm not saying it can't be done, but I still consider it a gimmick. Want to see a good example - check out some Howie Day live videos. I think he uses 2 separate loopers that are synched, one for vocals, one for guitar. and on each he can loop various parts, so he can have a 'verse' loop and a 'chorus' loop. He does it well, and often has 2-3 other players on stage with him as well.
I've used a looper live for a few songs - typically so I can lay down a chord sequence to play a lead over. I have a friend who does solo shows (him singing and playing guitar) and he uses a looper with pre-recorded backing tracks that he has put together himself - drums, keys, sometimes backing vocals, but only on about 1/4 of his songs. But now he's gone one step further, and has the 'loops' on his tablet. It's become essentially 'sing/play-along karaoke' at that point.

early looping from Jaco.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6miAm2bYxw

Not quite getting what you are saying. If a looper is being used - whether from live playing or from pre-recorded tracks, its noticeable - "where's that organ coming form? there's no one playing organ on stage!" or "he stopped playing the sax, but I can still hear it".

I think you would be amazed at how oblivious most audience members are regarding such things. Musicians notice those kinds of things. Regular people don't.

Yes, I would expect it would be noticed by musicians, but "regular people" dont...it shouldn't be obvious. Unless it's a gimmick, I suppose. I consider it just another tool, and a useful one that can add keys to the maybe 1/4 of songs I do which need them without having someone who only plays keys, for example. Or, it allows a standard 3 guitar/drums band to credibly do a gig if a guitarist is missing.

Anyway, if a person can use a Looper and plays multiple instruments, it seems to me to make sense to list them if he is looking for a gig.

Not a stretch at all...although those multiple guitars are often for different tunings.

This is what I attempt to do. A good example is Girl Crush by little big town. The first verse and chorus are simple arpeggios which repeat exactly (ideal to loop) In the second verse/chorus there are woodblocks, a simple little guitar solo and it closes with organ. For a band to achieve that sound without a Looper takes three additional musicians, who would be doing practically nothing.

Anyway, to each his own. Works for me

I think you would be amazed at how oblivious most audience members are regarding such things. Musicians notice those kinds of things. Regular people don't.

Geez, you have a high disregard for 'regular' people, don't you? They certainly DO notice it, in my experience. The first time they hear multiple instruments or vocals coming from one person on stage, they look. They may not understand if its a live loop or pre-recorded tracks, though. And that the whole thing, in my book - to these people, it's just 'karaoke' at that point.
Now players like Howie Day will build up a whole 'wall of sound' one instrument/piece at a time, and the audience is well aware of the 'gimmick' (loopers) that he's doing it with, but appreciate how he is doing it (rather than using pre-recorded loops).
I've also seen a lead guitarist take a true 'solo' (no other band members playing for some time), and use a looper to build up multiple parts. Used once in a whole show, it's a good 'gimmick' that the audience appreciates. Used more than once .....

Back to the original thing about people who play multiple instruments (not at the same time) - yes, to some bands looking for members, it can be an important feature. I've seen many bands in the last few years where members swap instruments for different songs during shows. It can bring a refreshing change of sound. And different guitars these days aren't usually for different tunings, unless its a solo guitar player - it's for different sounds - LP vs Strat, 12 string vs 6, etc.

I took the wife to see Muse (band she likes, I don't really care for). they're a power trio but they play with an auxiliary player who did everything. 2nd guitar, percussion, keys. it really took their show to the next level. much more exciting than Rush, where Geddy Lee thinks pushing a button on the floor is just as good.

I think you would be amazed at how oblivious most audience members are regarding such things. Musicians notice those kinds of things. Regular people don't.

Geez, you have a high disregard for 'regular' people, don't you? They certainly DO notice it, in my experience. The first time they hear multiple instruments or vocals coming from one person on stage, they look.

I had a guy come to me at the bar between sets wanting me to explain how I was getting those noises out of a box because he had never seen a guitar played.

If I applied my personal anecdotes as generalities I might assume non-musicians are completely musically illiterate. But I don't.

In any case, maybe someone else (likely a musician) thinks it a gimmick, I consider it an economical alternative to provide a better musical experience for my audience. I've never gotten anything but positive response (regarding looping) from an audience, which is more important to me than peer criticism. I'm sure Les Paul was hated for destruction of guitar sound, too. That's just how technology rolls.

George

As a bass player I do switch to six string once in a while. One band I was in I had the worst voice (sigh) so I had to sing "Sweet Jane." Simple as the chords are for some reason I could not play bass and sing that song to save my life...

Talbot