General Music Chat

Twenty-one months ago I got an e-mail from a drummer on Bandmix. He was in my local area and wanted to jam. We got together and hit it off, and decided to try and put together a serious, working cover band. That drummer eventually left a few months ago, but we've pressed on. We've had a lot of lineup changes over the past twenty-one months, but we've stuck with it.

Last night we played our first show.

It was cool. It came together quickly; it was a total short-notice thing, so not a lot of people showed because hardly anyone knew there was going to be a live band. But it gave us a chance to pack our gear, go through the setup and tear down process, run our sound, and mostly importantly - play in front of people who were not our family or friends.

We fouled up a couple of songs, but overall it went really well. We got a lot of good feedback from the people who were there. The bar owner definitely wants us to come back and do proper promotion next time so we can pack the house.

Some other musicians who frequently play this venue were also there, and they thought we'd been playing out for a long time; they thought we sounded really tight. We surprised them when we told them this was our first official gig.

The music did went over well; it was a college town bar and it worked great. The older stuff we did mixed in just fine as well. At the end of the night an engaged couple asked us to play their wedding next weekend.

Twenty-one months is a long freaking time. But it was sure worth it to get out and play and know we've taken the first step. It's a process; we'll get better, we'll do better promotion, we'll fix our errors, word will get out and out we'll bring more people. It was exciting to take the first step.

That's great news. You got a wedding gig NEXT week? Plus you're going back to the same bar and gig later? Can't ask for much more than that.
I hope you played through your mistakes, stopping mid-tune is the worst thing you can do. If you DON'T stop and pretend that everything's okay nobody will be the wiser. Everyone will think you made cool changes in the tune. Actually sometimes the mistakes ARE cool changes, if you can remember what you did. We've got things incorporated in a few tunes that were mistakes to begin with and now they are standard procedure. Sounds crazy, but learn from the mistakes.
It is really great when all the practice comes together.

Good job brother!

And if the owner wants you back, then you know you were good.

.

great news! Congrats!

Wonderful news, CF. Seems like you did better than a lot of more experienced acts could have, from your feedback & future work.

Thats stellar bro!! Keep it up !!

Great Colors that is just awesome.

Its great to pull off a solo that youve played in the mirror for 2 years and nail it, thats the greatest feeling in the world.

I will ask if you got photos or video. If not, in the future enlist a friend wife or someone to take as many photos of your gigs as possible. A trick from years ago, even if you dont have a decent crowd go see a band that packs houses and take photos of thier audience. I did this with our early promo packs in the mid 80s. But having a documented photographic history of your band would be cool to have to look back on down the road.

I say this cause I was in many a shortlived bands and dont have anything to show from that, just memories.

Thanks for sharing and hopefully that was the first of many to come!

Rock On!!!

Wooohoooo, yea baby!!!

Feels good dont it?

21 months is a long time to commit to a project before playing out, I give you props for hanging in there. I have much less patience; if the group isn't playing out in a couple of months I'm done.

We did get some photos JW. Our bassist's wife came with us and helped us with the sound check and took some video on her camera and some still pictures on mine. I totally agree with documenting things. I have watched you do that and post those photos here and so I knew I had to take a camera.

I'm going to post those on our website sometime this week. The only problem I have with the pictures is I left the flash on the camera for her, so it looks like we're playing on a church stage in the middle of the day when it was actually midnight and pretty damn dark.

I was on/off on solos all night. Some stuff that I had played 200 times I fouled up on; I was just over-thinking it. I'd get close to the part where I'd do the solo and my brain froze and I'd be thinking too much. But a few of the songs I thought I did well on. I love playing the solos to the Alter Bridge songs, and I thought I did reasonably well on those.

And then we finished the night with Enter Sandman and I did well on that one. And it was funny, because our vocalist's son and his wife come up to us after the show, and he's a big Guitar Hero fan it seems, and he said his buddies are playing it all the time and none of them can hit the solo on Enter Sandman (in a video game!), so he was curious to see how I would play it on a real guitar. And he said I nailed it. And I was laughing, because Enter Sandman was one of the first songs I ever learned like 16+ years ago, but I could never play the solo even close to correctly. So the band decides a few weeks ago that they want to cover that song, and I was like, "Crap, now I have to learn that solo for real". But it wasn't as hard as I remember it being because (obviously) I've learned a lot since then. And so it was really rewarding to do that song and get it right.


And yes, we played through our mistakes. We had a couple big ones, but we just played through it and chuckled. Those will be learning points when we get back together tonight for our routine Monday practice.

Gratz on your performance, Colors. Looking forward to any pictures/video you're willing to post. Keep it up!

Chris

The kind of story I hope to be relaying once more at some point. It seemed to me that a lot our first gigs (New bands) were always like this at the start.

Much luck and Kudos Colors. Hope it just keeps getting better for you.

Chippy.

Colors my advice on solos would be to make them your own. Sandman, i never actually have analyzed that song but to the uniformed they think I nail it. I try to learn the style of a guitarist and emulate the feel and throw myself into the solos. If I play Heartbreaker or Whole Lotta Love those signature guitar solos I try to nail as close as possible, but even when I f**k up I cover really well. I know people love Hammet, but for me he is highly overrated and his style of soloing seems to suit me, so I really dont have to think about thier music much. Weve been doing Sandman cause people eat it up and then every now and then we still do Sad But True. I like Sad But True better myself, but I dont need to digress into arguments on guitarist, I would just encourage you to become your own guitar player. I never think of myself as a shredder cause I never mastered a lot of the techniques, but what I can do is pick cleanly and smoothly as fast as anyone I know and stay musical even when Im just running up and down the neck. The other night they gave me this weird break section that I dont ussually do, and I just went off for about 24 bars. The other guys dropped out and I basically just covered it with as many notes as I could pick. A guitarist friend said I didnt know you are into Malmsteen. Im not but I just said yea I been listened to some of his stuff lately.

For me personally when I play music everything seems to move in slow motion even the really fast songs, even when I miss a cue I can pull it back in so fast that unless you were me its unnoticeable. Its weird but keep working on your chops til you can jsut see what key a song is in and just nail solos.

Also I have one of the largest egos in the world and I think that goes a long way to be a above average guitarist. I think you have to have the confidence of a gun fighter to be a lead guitarist. Dont ever doubt yourself, just educate yourself musically so that you get into that zone and something else jsut takes over. Im not tooting my own horn, cause I know my problem areas playing and try to address them whenever I get the chance to woodshed.

Crip can pipe in here but I run thru songs that I play all the time and if I dont nail parts I repeat them over and over until I can do it blindfolded. Drives my kids crazy, but now my daughter is an aspiring pianist, singer songwriter and she has jsut transitioned into a whole other zone in her playing. When shes at my house she is constantly going to the piano. I would imagine in a typical evening she probably plays for and hr to 2 hrs. Ive asked her why she plays so much and she said dad youve always practiced over and over and you sound better when you do, so Im lucky that I am in a very musical environment. Now my son decided that he would sing and at this point its kinda painful to listen to but he has improved dramatically, so all I can do is encourage you or anyone to keep pushing forward and when you see a song giving you problems, work it til you own it.

Im glad that you guys are rolling. Any issues share it and I will share whatever I can think about. Cause whatever your going thru Ive probably done it 2 or 3 times and can relate.

Colors my advice on solos would be to make them your own.

Oh hell yeah. I mean, that's largely what I try and do. Because, honestly, I know exactly where I'm at as a guitar player. And I know I can't do some stuff note-for-note, so I don't even try. I just try and figure out what key it's in and do something that sounds in the spirit of the solo. Especially for guys who obviously improvise a lot (like the solo to Tonic's "Open Up Your Eyes - the guy never plays it the same way twice).

Sandman, i never actually have analyzed that song but to the uniformed they think I nail it. I try to learn the style of a guitarist and emulate the feel and throw myself into the solos.

Same here.

If I play Heartbreaker or Whole Lotta Love those signature guitar solos I try to nail as close as possible, but even when I f**k up I cover really well. I know people love Hammet, but for me he is highly overrated and his style of soloing seems to suit me,

Same. I've always thought Hammet was overrated, but his style isn't too far off from what I do. I don't consider him a "shredder" by any means. He's a lick guy; knows a lot of licks, repeats them throughout songs. He's not nearly as creative or melodic as some of his idols, like Satch and Vai.

Weve been doing Sandman cause people eat it up and then every now and then we still do Sad But True. I like Sad But True better myself, but I dont need to digress into arguments on guitarist,

Ahaha, Sad But True was the first song off that album that I ever "nailed". I still love that song. Do you tune down to Drop D then for it?

I bought fixed bridge guitars just so I could tune down to Drop D quickly between songs for stuff like that (Evenflow, Slither, Creed stuff, Tonic, etc).

I would just encourage you to become your own guitar player.

Yep. That's my path

I never think of myself as a shredder cause I never mastered a lot of the techniques,

Me either. I would love to have that ability though - I think having that ability can only make you a more complete player, and I think having more weapons in your cache makes you better. And I work to learn things, but I'm just not as naturally gifted as other players.

Its weird but keep working on your chops til you can jsut see what key a song is in and just nail solos.

That's what I'm doing. Like, when we do Sweet Emotion, I have yet to play the same solo twice. I just figure out where I'm comfortable on the fretboard and go. I try to get some sort of feel going on and make it last. The signature notes at the end; I try and hit those and then finish off the song.

Also I have one of the largest egos in the world and I think that goes a long way to be a above average guitarist. I think you have to have the confidence of a gun fighter to be a lead guitarist. Dont ever doubt yourself, just educate yourself musically so that you get into that zone and something else jsut takes over.

I think that's the key. I don't have a huge ego (I don't think) but I have a quiet confidence. I believe I can do well and I work hard at it, but I am also realistic and know I'm not a great player yet. I've a lot of work to do to get where I want to be.

Crip can pipe in here but I run thru songs that I play all the time and if I dont nail parts I repeat them over and over until I can do it blindfolded.

Yeah, I do this with Guitar Pro and Transcribe! Transcribe lets me slow down an actual MP4 without changing the pitch, so I can play along to the solo on an album and learn passages as they're supposed to be, and then speed it up over time. Great tool for learning, developing speed, and for dissecting solos when I can't find an accurate tab.

Guitar Pro is great when you can find an accurate tab. I love that tool. Also great for learning solos and licks and stuff.

Im glad that you guys are rolling. Any issues share it and I will share whatever I can think about. Cause whatever your going thru Ive probably done it 2 or 3 times and can relate.

Thanks man. Appreciate it. I've got some questions... Might start another thread for 'em.

Just what you wanted to hear Colors? I don't trust a single thing or comment, just judge myself (Constantly) among what I hear as regards that muso stuff.