General Music Chat

So I jammed with a 3 piece band yesterday on my endless search to find a suitable setup that won't drive me to mental breakdown. (cue sound of wind blowing across the wasteland)

Wow, these guys were not awesome by any definition. I had to laugh. It had a guy in it that I used to play with in High School. (You know when Dinosaurs still walked the earth.) I have to say I was mortified to discover that his style or lack thereof has not changed.

But I did have some fun with them. I played KEYS for them and they were really liking it although I heard the ever present, "that keyboard makes you sound better (than you are)". I retorted with, "too bad they don't have a model like this for guitar, hmm?" That kicked him in the yarbles.

We did 2 covers I really like, "Young Lust/Run Like Hell" and even broke out my PA effects setup. (I did have some trouble setting it up, the technical end was never my strength.) (I am merely a pilot, not a mechanic.)

And as the night went on it progressed, I played bass for a while and they loved that. (My rbx170ew was in rare form, I could see their bulging eyeballs about to pop out of their skulls.)

But the highlight was after the one guy HAD to play my bass setup. (I asked him if he thought that the bass setup makes me sound better than I am as well, causally. He winced. lol)

I picked up HIS guitar at HIS behest and I drove him and it like a 10 penny nail.

I gave him a very simple chord structure to follow and to my complete surprise, he did it with little to no resistance. We played/no WAILED for about 45 minutes when he abruptly shut it down, complaining of fatigue et cetera. (I could tell he was upset, so I didn't push him.)

So I get an email saying something to the effect of thanks for jamming with us, blah, blah, but you're playing so far above where you were previously that we feel like you're dominating what's being created. (!!!>>????!??!?)

There was some more fluff about bass and keys, but evidently the guitar session was too much for CHEESEY POOF and I think I kicked him where the soft stuff meets the bone. (Never ask me to "dumb it down", the answer is no.)

So I am uninvited to the next jam for whatever reasoning they are currently using. (I think they just practice 1x/week anyway.) But I have to laugh, at 9am the drummer called my cell and asked me if I am coming to the next rehearsal.

I asked him if he knew that I had been "cordially uninvited". He gasped and told me it was a "temporary lapse of judgement by Bill". He says to hang loose and plan on coming to next week's rehearsal and that he would smooth things over. ( I felt like asking him "in what capacity"? )

But I thanked him for being kind to me and that I am 'just another novice', but I am going to decline considering that I am making people angry again..

I have to say I am a little shocked, considering I thought people complained because it was bad, not good.

I am guessing it's a game of extremes now. One has to play as well as possible, but not too well or someone else will get upset and that's when you get the DEAR JOHN/SCOTT letters.

Have you ever had someone decide not to play with you because they thought you were too "good"?
That just boggles my mind. I thought we all play/practice whatever in order to be the best musician we can be. Now I am coming to think that to be good and adaptable makes others very nervous indeed.
Throw in a fairly reasonable accounting of "Musical Theory" and we might have a stampede.

"Would you like to see Britania rule again, my friend"?
"All you need to do is to follow the worms".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ysgG3zNUOg