General Music Chat

Well Ive recently discovered that I dont have a lot in common with a lot of musicians socially. I feel its for 2 reasons, either 1, its becuase im a metal head who cares about tone quality and melody and difficulty of music, or 2 becuase Im still young.
There might be a third reason too, im kinda gear biased, as in i dont like low end equipment, and sorry to say I think that fender basses are very low end for their price.

I dont wanna end up like Dave mustaine and be the hardest person in music to work with, so I need some advice in to what I need to do MUSICALLY.
Is it that all people dont like to play extremely hard things and push themselves even on stage? Is it that I expect a lot out of people and their scared to fail (or worst case, to lazy to put forth effort)? Or is merely that Im gonna be Dave Mustaine Jr. and be a pain to work with outside people that see eye to eye with me?

AV,

There is a saying "You are what you eat". If you are in any way trying to emulate someone like Mustaine, to me you may be setting yourself up for failure. Its hard to believe that anyone could drink enough to get kicked out of Metallica. What Im getting at and I ve been guilty of doing this thru the years in my musical quest. Ive emulated the major influences in my life both the musical sides and their excesses also.

My only advice is to play what feels good to you and try to be you. Even if you wind up being a cover hack like me try to put yourself into your music. Alaska may be a hard place to find other folks that like what you like so you may have to compromise some to get out and play.

If i try to emulate anyone its Cliff Burton... well then again thats my playing style, personallity wise I think im like John Pettruci (spelling) mixed with James Heitfield. I like things to be democratic, until I understand whats best for the song. I like to make it difficult, not because I try to be like Yngwie Maelstorm, but becuase I enjoy playing stuff that others probably cant, and to some never will. But once I get set on what I like (especailly lyrics wise) I go down the reverse burden road and bring up something that THEY could improve. Ill take an honest shot if it sucks it sucks, it needs to be changed. But in music there is a thing called overperfection. Which can be just as damaging to a piece if it were to be written poorly. Finding the balance is important to me I guess. I know that music is all things to all people, I just need to learn how to apply it. Once I get our demo polished up ill post, warning: it is death metal, but I cut out all the "show." Our instruments do the performance for us we dont rely on stage acts or claiming to be "badass" like As I lay Dying or Slipknot. Thanks for post something bro.

I quit trying to analyze myself years ago. Try it. It's very liberating. Be like Popeye - "I yam what I yam!"

You are incorrect about one thing, though - Fender P-basses are excellent axes, even if their tone doesn't work in your genre.

I've been running into ppl who A) can't use their gear, B) can't tune their guitars, C) have real problems with attitude & D) are not very good at their craft. Yeah, it's frustrating as hell, but I won't dummy-down my material for ppl who are substandard, just to have someone to play with.

One thing you might try, is to experiment in other genres for awhile. You'll learn a bunch, & if you ever do get that band playing what your heartr seems to need, you'll have a whole new skill set to apply to it all.

Chin up!

wow cant even tune their own gear, ill tell ya, by comparison my head is way up now. Not good at their craft either... I guess not everyone can be the next Paul Gilburt or Alexi Laiho or John Pettruci.

I got 2 great bands Im in and some people cant even find 1 person to play with, I feel a lil spoiled now. Slaying of the Beast (my Metal band) has kinda been left to be my project for this album since everyone is in college (btw I grow up in Oregon and thats where that band is from.) I know that'll change when they can be much more involved, and Im willing for that. And Axis of Arrows (In alaska) Is an amazing progressive band. I cant wait to get back from the desert and start playing shows! Ill video them and post the links so you guys can watch and see just how bad i perform hahaha. Nah, I havent seen it from a crowds perspective before, but Im told we do good. However, I REALLY havent seen it from a musucal crowds perspective before, and I'd like you pros to help me out with what I need to work on. We always have time to learn and grow. Hopefully Im not the next Dave Mustainne. (Btw I love megadeth Im not flamming)

I personally think that everyone should MYOB concerning the equipment another person has. If the musician fits in and the sound quality overall is good than go with it. I joined a band in the 80's and did a ton of awesome cover tunes and was definitely an asset to the band but 2 of the guys couldn't handle the fact that I owned 2 awesome Les Pauls and didn't own anything with a whammy bar! They actually found someone else and that's when I ended up joining my very successful band, Spelbound! Those dumbasses didn't realize that when I did stuff like Halen I knew how to get very close to the dip and pull sound of the whammy by actually just turning the knob or bending the strings above the note I was playing... turns out that their band was a washout and we were playing all over the tristate area in colleges and clubs! They even had the ballz to ask me back.

Same with the present. A few former members of PanikAtack couldn't handle the fact that I liked amps with every freakin' effect already built in and I own 2 Bogner amps. They actually kept trying to convince me to sell them and get either a Marshall or Mesa. Fuk dat... What am I? Rockafella?
Suffice to say they left and soon after they were replaced, We started gigging weekly and my shows came off without a hitch. Sounds awesome through the PA and I don't hafta lug around a million pedals.

JUST WORRY ABOUT YOUR OWN EQUIPMENT AND KNOWLEDGE! Give the other guys a chance... you could be the best musician in the world but if you look like a prima donna and act like one, the only gigs you'll get are in your garage!

I have a Samik Saturn 5 that cost a chunk. I like it ok but the best Bass I've ever had was an Ibanez SR800 @ half the price. I literally beat the sh*t outa that guitar (Punk Band) for several years and never a glitch.
It's hard to get along with many musician's as we're pigheaded and often eccentric to say the least. Typically the greater the artist, the greater the eccentricity (or insanity, however ya wanna label it) and the harder socializing can be.
I find that when you find people with similar artistic approach's you tend to get along ok.

www.myspace.com/blunderingeye
www.myspace.com/445175001
http://ezfolk.com/audio/Hayden_King/
www.facebook.com/hayden.king.

"It is what it is"

They actually kept trying to convince me to sell them and get either a Marshall or Mesa.

Shoulda told 'em, "You buy it, I'll play it."
That'd shut 'em up.

Airviking, nothing wrong with trying to be a perfectionist about your music, especially Metal and Death Metal. That type of playing demands a tightness that lot's of other genres do not. Also nothing wrong with wanting people in the band who see it that way too. One sloppy player and it'll make the whole band sound bad. As far as you being hard to work with, some of the tightest bands got that way because at least one of the guys pushed everyone else to be that perfect and tight. Check this out. Read the bottom part where Buddy is giving the band a "pep" talk. Funny as hell.

http://www.cis.rit.edu/~ejipci/buddy_rich.htm

To thyself be true. Wisdom that.

I waz in the AF for a couple of years (yeh-I know it's a 4-year min. enlistment-long story-i dont wanna talk about it :\ honorable discharge tho..) ..and was in a few kickass bands even in the military (Illinois and minot, nd) lol.. what were we talking about..? Oh ,.. yeah getting along and eye-to-eye.. well that's a tough one.. youre young and I'm old but all I have to say is that if you jive with the other musicians (pardon th' old terminology) you gotta a good thing, if there's TOO much friction (a little is ok) then keep on looking- plenty o' fish in the sea.

I learned a long time ago...and I mean A LONG TIME AGO....that the price of the equipment doesn't mean it's the best. I've played the same guitar for over 10 years; I paid less than 300 bucks for it, but it has awesome sound and it suits me fine. Needless to say, I don't have a band and the only people I tend to play for are family and friends and the people who walk by my back yard while I'm playing on the back deck.

You can't help it that you are young...enjoy it cause it doesn't last long; one day you'll wake up and be 30 years old...then the next day you're 40...just don't be too uptight about your equipment issues and work with what you have. I say, don't sweat the small stuff because when you do get older, you'll need all your energy for the big stuff.

Well Ive recently discovered that I dont have a lot in common with a lot of musicians socially. I feel its for 2 reasons, either 1, its becuase im a metal head who cares about tone quality and melody and difficulty of music, or 2 becuase Im still young.
There might be a third reason too, im kinda gear biased, as in i dont like low end equipment, and sorry to say I think that fender basses are very low end for their price.

I dont wanna end up like Dave mustaine and be the hardest person in music to work with, so I need some advice in to what I need to do MUSICALLY.
Is it that all people dont like to play extremely hard things and push themselves even on stage? Is it that I expect a lot out of people and their scared to fail (or worst case, to lazy to put forth effort)? Or is merely that Im gonna be Dave Mustaine Jr. and be a pain to work with outside people that see eye to eye with me?

Real professional musicians have one thing in common. They can make any equipment they play through sound great. Doesn't matter whether it's "low end" or "high end." I saw Bill Blue many times years ago and one night his "high end" guitar amp stopped working in the middle of the first set. As they had no replacement for it they ran his guitar through the board. It sounded exactly the same. Don't judge any musician by the equipment he (or she) plays through. Only judge what they sound like. As far as your being too fussy, it's okay to be fussy. You want to sound a certain way and that's a good thing. BUT, and this is a big BUT, when you get together with PROFESSIONALS wait and listen to the outcome. Their vision may be a bit different than yours. Their vision may be BETTER than yours. LISTEN to what everything sounds like. You may have a preconceived vision for a particular song but the final outcome of that song may end up different than your vision. Be open minded, it may end up BETTER than what you had in mind. PROFESSIONALS nearly always take an idea and make it work. DON'T PREJUDGE ANYTHING IN THIS MUSIC BUSINESS. I've been surprised so many times in a pleasant way, I can't tell you how many times I pre-judged things WRONG. I've played with a lot of different people and all of them have interpreted my originals a little differently. I just go with the flow and don't force anything any more. Let the music go in its own direction. More often than not you'll like the outcome if you play with PROFESSIONALS. (By the way, I've played just about every make and model of bass guitars and there's nothing better than Fender basses in my opinion)....

Well Ive recently discovered that I dont have a lot in common with a lot of musicians socially. I feel its for 2 reasons, either 1, its becuase im a metal head who cares about tone quality and melody and difficulty of music, or 2 becuase Im still young.
There might be a third reason too, im kinda gear biased, as in i dont like low end equipment, and sorry to say I think that fender basses are very low end for their price.

I dont wanna end up like Dave mustaine and be the hardest person in music to work with, so I need some advice in to what I need to do MUSICALLY.
Is it that all people dont like to play extremely hard things and push themselves even on stage? Is it that I expect a lot out of people and their scared to fail (or worst case, to lazy to put forth effort)? Or is merely that Im gonna be Dave Mustaine Jr. and be a pain to work with outside people that see eye to eye with me?

Real professional musicians have one thing in common. They can make any equipment they play through sound great. Doesn't matter whether it's "low end" or "high end." I saw Bill Blue many times years ago and one night his "high end" guitar amp stopped working in the middle of the first set. As they had no replacement for it they ran his guitar through the board. It sounded exactly the same. Don't judge any musician by the equipment he (or she) plays through. Only judge what they sound like. As far as your being too fussy, it's okay to be fussy. You want to sound a certain way and that's a good thing. BUT, and this is a big BUT, when you get together with PROFESSIONALS wait and listen to the outcome. Their vision may be a bit different than yours. Their vision may be BETTER than yours. LISTEN to what everything sounds like. You may have a preconceived vision for a particular song but the final outcome of that song may end up different than your vision. Be open minded, it may end up BETTER than what you had in mind. PROFESSIONALS nearly always take an idea and make it work. DON'T PREJUDGE ANYTHING IN THIS MUSIC BUSINESS. I've been surprised so many times in a pleasant way, I can't tell you how many times I pre-judged things WRONG. I've played with a lot of different people and all of them have interpreted my originals a little differently. I just go with the flow and don't force anything any more. Let the music go in its own direction. More often than not you'll like the outcome if you play with PROFESSIONALS. (By the way, I've played just about every make and model of bass guitars and there's nothing better than Fender basses in my opinion)....

Yes Im on the right page I guess. What I had said later was I love a democratic enviroment for just these reasons, just because Im going for one thing doesnt mean its best or that the audiance can connect to it.
After hearing everyone's input I guess Im one of the better people to work with. Hahaha. I think this post has led me to another post.

Difficulty of music is not directly proportional to quality of music.

Difficulty of music is not directly proportional to quality of music.

...& quality of equipment does not automatically mean there will be QUALITY PERFORMANCE, either!