No more musicians among vapors? I know we have all sorts of people who play an instrument. Check in and tell us what you do. Let's discuss what's going on in the music world of today. Any bar bands still around?
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Musicians check in here. If you play, tell us about it!
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UGH!! 8-o That brings back bad memories..."Freebird! Play Freebird!" *Throws bottle of beer at requestor.*
DaveP...nice thing you are doing here on this thread! Especially helping explain the theory and practical parts. That post on the number system is something all musicians should study. I'm amazed at the level of understanding many of my past & present cohorts have without knowing how to name or play a major scale. I was there once, and I can always tell by the deer in the headlights gaze when I yell out "starts on the five!"
Scales are what melodies are made from. The sooner you learn 'em, the sooner you'll be be playing a good solo.
I'm 58 and have been playing music since 1959 when my Mom "forced" me into piano lessons. She and my sister were both accomplished players. I hated the theory part, but it served me well later on especially in school band (I learned alto saxophone). I taught myself guitar around 8 yrs old, and continued to play organ & guitar in a rock n roll band in high school. After I went to Willie's 1st 4 of July picnic, I got hooked on progressive country and honky tonk. I eventually taught myself to scratch on a fiddle in the 70's and have played in bands all over the place ever since. I'm currently playing with 4 bands. I also built myself a little studio in 2001 and have recorded 7 CD's (mine & other's) and enjoy it almost more than playing live. The whole recording/mixing audio process fascinates me.
Scales are what melodies are made from. The sooner you learn 'em, the sooner you'll be be playing a good solo.
I'm 58 and have been playing music since 1959 when my Mom "forced" me into piano lessons. She and my sister were both accomplished players. I hated the theory part, but it served me well later on especially in school band (I learned alto saxophone). I taught myself guitar around 8 yrs old, and continued to play organ & guitar in a rock n roll band in high school. After I went to Willie's 1st 4 of July picnic, I got hooked on progressive country and honky tonk. I eventually taught myself to scratch on a fiddle in the 70's and have played in bands all over the place ever since. I'm currently playing with 4 bands. I also built myself a little studio in 2001 and have recorded 7 CD's (mine & other's) and enjoy it almost more than playing live. The whole recording/mixing audio process fascinates me.
Ahhh, the venerable Nashville number system. Been there...done that. Great system.
Yes, he has been wonderfully patient with me and my endless questions.
I didn't realize until he said something to me that the major scale "shape" is movable. In other words once I learn my G major scale and I am able to use it and move around between the different postions of the G major scales, I can then appy that to the A major scales. It's almost like the CAGED system for scales, but it's not "CAGED". (that didn't make any sense)
Anyway I do appreciate how much he tries to help me.
I didn't realize until he said something to me that the major scale "shape" is movable. In other words once I learn my G major scale and I am able to use it and move around between the different postions of the G major scales, I can then appy that to the A major scales. It's almost like the CAGED system for scales, but it's not "CAGED". (that didn't make any sense)
Anyway I do appreciate how much he tries to help me.
CAGED is basically a system where you barre behind open chord shapes and move up and down the fingerboard to change keys. As we talked about previously, the E chord can be moved anywhere and the 6th string note is the chord root. Make it at the 5th (barred) position and you have an A chord with all the different variations (minor, 6th 7th, etc.). You can do that with C, A, G, E ,and D.
Any chord you can make in front a a barre can be moved. The open A shape is popular since it becomes the 4 chord just by laying the fingers across the 4th, 3rd, and 2nd strings two frets up from the bar. Instead of barring the whole 5th fret, just hold the root on the 5th fret, 5th string (D). The root moves to the 5th string and the 6th string becomes a 5th. Move that up two frets and you have the 5 chord (E). This lets you play a 3 chord turnover with little movement in any key.
This is an A barre chord at the 5th fret. Move up to the 7th and you have an E chord. The root note for the chord is always on the 5th string at the barred fret for an A chord shape such as this.
G, C, and D shapes are also moveable if you have the finger dexterity to do so. I hardly ever barre a G or a D, but use the C shape occasionally. I do use several chord shapes with a pedal tone (open string) for effect. Try playing a D chord shape, then move it up the neck to different positions while playing an open D string along with it. Experiment with other chord shapes while doing that.
Hope I didn't confuse you. Here's a good link for CAGED in a nutshell.
http://www.cagedguitarsystem.net/
Any chord you can make in front a a barre can be moved. The open A shape is popular since it becomes the 4 chord just by laying the fingers across the 4th, 3rd, and 2nd strings two frets up from the bar. Instead of barring the whole 5th fret, just hold the root on the 5th fret, 5th string (D). The root moves to the 5th string and the 6th string becomes a 5th. Move that up two frets and you have the 5 chord (E). This lets you play a 3 chord turnover with little movement in any key.
This is an A barre chord at the 5th fret. Move up to the 7th and you have an E chord. The root note for the chord is always on the 5th string at the barred fret for an A chord shape such as this.
G, C, and D shapes are also moveable if you have the finger dexterity to do so. I hardly ever barre a G or a D, but use the C shape occasionally. I do use several chord shapes with a pedal tone (open string) for effect. Try playing a D chord shape, then move it up the neck to different positions while playing an open D string along with it. Experiment with other chord shapes while doing that.
Hope I didn't confuse you. Here's a good link for CAGED in a nutshell.
http://www.cagedguitarsystem.net/
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The bands I played in were lucky enough not to have to play bar gigs, although we did several in our careers. We did a two week gig at a local Ramada Inn from 9 to 1, 6 nights a week. Ugh! I had a good day job from 8 to 5. I was a zombie at times working all day on 4 and 5 hours of sleep.
Most of what we played were private gigs for local clubs and organizations. They always had great snacks and sometimes a complete meal catered. These were in hotel ballrooms and such. We did our share of Air Force base clubs, Moose clubs, Shriners, and socialite parties. We even played several Saturday nights at a Jewish temple after playing a Bar Mitzvah party for a Doctor's son. They had a regular Saturday night potluck dinner gathering complete with a tended bar and a live band and dancing!
Yea, you're lucky then. We did more than our fair share of bars...including one total DIVE south of Houston that had skulls and human bones on the walls...and YES they were real. We got there just as the bouncer showed up. He got out of his truck with a sawed off 12 guage and put it under his coat.
The night that followed was...let's just say I'll never forget it.8-oWe played little places like that all the way up to huge concert arenas. I preferred the arenas myself.
Yea, you're lucky then. We did more than our fair share of bars...including one total DIVE south of Houston that had skulls and human bones on the walls...and YES they were real. We got there just as the bouncer showed up. He got out of his truck with a sawed off 12 guage and put it under his coat.
We played little places like that all the way up to huge concert arenas. I preferred the arenas myself.
The worst place was a VFW club where the club emptied out during the 2nd set break. Everyone went outside and a fight pursued. The manager came back in and got a 12 gauge out of his office because he couldn't break it up. The guys kept tearing into each other again after being pulled apart. Just as the bouncers got into it, he fired of one barrel. Deathly silence came over the crowd and about that time the Sheriff pulled up. I was glad when our stint at that place was through.
Other than that, it was a fun place to play. I later found out that one of the guys fighting was legally blind. He had a habit of starting trouble when he drank too much. Go figure.
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I've been playing in a bar, the same bar with the same trio and somewhat the same audience (many familiar faces) for the last 6 years.
We don't (or wont) play Free Bird but we will play Mustang Sally if somebody throws down enough $$ and I think we do a damn good job of it. No bass slapping either.
We're good for a bar band in SoCal and people come expecting something special. Sometimes the audience is drunk and rowdy and we're just the soundtrack to their inebriated theatrics and sometimes we're the main attraction and it sorta becomes a concert situation. Usually it's a combination of both.
We can play around 450 tunes of our own choosing that the audience may choose from but it usually boils down to their top 100 from that list we know ranging from a slew of originals to DJango Reinhardt, Animals, ZZ, Zep, Stones, Stray Cats, Free, Hendrix, Rory Gallagher, Jonny Lang, ACDC, SRV, Cream, Buddy Guy, J. Geils, Albert Collins, Jimmy Reed, Freddy King , Johnny Cash, Johnny Winters, Delbert McClinton, Muddy Waters, Allman Bros, Humble Pie, The Ventures, Eric Johnson, Tom Petty (for the ladies) etc. You get the drift....we're old!
I love all that stuff and I'm old enough now to not realize that I've played most of these songs more times than the original artist and not realize it. Already said that.....I don't care. I love to play. It's my favorite thing to do in life. I'm selfishly addicted to it. When they finally kick me off of the stage you'll find me jammin' on a porch somewhere.
Being in L.A. we sometimes get some high profile guest artist in from time to time sitting in and I swear they always have big grins on their faces when the play with us like their having the time of their life. In many ways (not financially) it beats playing arenas. Up-close and personal takes the prize.
..and I love to get paid for it. It's the most valuable money in the world and when I can afford to spend those particular $$ for someone else, it's doubly valuable....as an "artist" or "bass player" in my particular circumstance.
It can be a pretty s...ty lifestyle otherwise by itself. Pretty lonely if that's all you've got. It's important to get paid if even a little. A slap on the back with an "at-a-boy" encouragement from friends and family only goes so far. Even if the bulk of your income is by other means. Music money is different.
Whenever I go to la placita (the old plaza) here in Los Angeles for a Mexican meal, I make sure to generously tip the Mariachis for a song. They were here first.
We don't (or wont) play Free Bird but we will play Mustang Sally if somebody throws down enough $$ and I think we do a damn good job of it. No bass slapping either.
We're good for a bar band in SoCal and people come expecting something special. Sometimes the audience is drunk and rowdy and we're just the soundtrack to their inebriated theatrics and sometimes we're the main attraction and it sorta becomes a concert situation. Usually it's a combination of both.
We can play around 450 tunes of our own choosing that the audience may choose from but it usually boils down to their top 100 from that list we know ranging from a slew of originals to DJango Reinhardt, Animals, ZZ, Zep, Stones, Stray Cats, Free, Hendrix, Rory Gallagher, Jonny Lang, ACDC, SRV, Cream, Buddy Guy, J. Geils, Albert Collins, Jimmy Reed, Freddy King , Johnny Cash, Johnny Winters, Delbert McClinton, Muddy Waters, Allman Bros, Humble Pie, The Ventures, Eric Johnson, Tom Petty (for the ladies) etc. You get the drift....we're old!
I love all that stuff and I'm old enough now to not realize that I've played most of these songs more times than the original artist and not realize it. Already said that.....I don't care. I love to play. It's my favorite thing to do in life. I'm selfishly addicted to it. When they finally kick me off of the stage you'll find me jammin' on a porch somewhere.
Being in L.A. we sometimes get some high profile guest artist in from time to time sitting in and I swear they always have big grins on their faces when the play with us like their having the time of their life. In many ways (not financially) it beats playing arenas. Up-close and personal takes the prize.
..and I love to get paid for it. It's the most valuable money in the world and when I can afford to spend those particular $$ for someone else, it's doubly valuable....as an "artist" or "bass player" in my particular circumstance.
It can be a pretty s...ty lifestyle otherwise by itself. Pretty lonely if that's all you've got. It's important to get paid if even a little. A slap on the back with an "at-a-boy" encouragement from friends and family only goes so far. Even if the bulk of your income is by other means. Music money is different.
Whenever I go to la placita (the old plaza) here in Los Angeles for a Mexican meal, I make sure to generously tip the Mariachis for a song. They were here first.
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I know the feeling, Bassnut. We played all the old songs when they were new and kept most of them in our repertoire through the years. Our crowd varied from 20 somethings to retirees all mixed into clubs and corporate special occasion parties. Naturally, we had to play the new stuff along with the old stuff to satisfy the crowd and stay booked. Doing that makes you very versatile. I feel privileged to have been a part of a group with a wide range of talent.
There are a couple of popular party bands in our area who still do that. Both are large bands with several singers, horns, guitar, keyboard, bass and drums who book parties like we did. The going rate for that kind of gig is around $3000 a night. That's not a lot of money for 6 to 8 members, though, especially if it's your only gig.
The bright spot on all that is that these are grey hairs still making music! Our drummer was our booking agent and he was good at it. About a year ago, he formed a new band called the Boomers. I got a call from him to be the guitarist, but turned it down because I was in school for the next year. They are playing, but only 2 or 3 times a month.
The Boomer's at the Forsythia festival in Forsyth, Ga. It's a bad video that didn't capture the mix well, but this is the band formed by our old drummer. It sounded much better in person. Looks like they are having fun, though.
The one gig that I regret not doing was a cruise ship for the summer. We were offered a gig in the 70s that would have had us on a Carnival cruise for 3 months (Jun, July, August) playing every night. The pay was not bad and the naturally it left your days free to socialize and enjoy the cruise. We all had full time jobs and most had a family, but it would have been a great gig for a single guy, which I was at the time.
There are a couple of popular party bands in our area who still do that. Both are large bands with several singers, horns, guitar, keyboard, bass and drums who book parties like we did. The going rate for that kind of gig is around $3000 a night. That's not a lot of money for 6 to 8 members, though, especially if it's your only gig.
The bright spot on all that is that these are grey hairs still making music! Our drummer was our booking agent and he was good at it. About a year ago, he formed a new band called the Boomers. I got a call from him to be the guitarist, but turned it down because I was in school for the next year. They are playing, but only 2 or 3 times a month.
The Boomer's at the Forsythia festival in Forsyth, Ga. It's a bad video that didn't capture the mix well, but this is the band formed by our old drummer. It sounded much better in person. Looks like they are having fun, though.
The one gig that I regret not doing was a cruise ship for the summer. We were offered a gig in the 70s that would have had us on a Carnival cruise for 3 months (Jun, July, August) playing every night. The pay was not bad and the naturally it left your days free to socialize and enjoy the cruise. We all had full time jobs and most had a family, but it would have been a great gig for a single guy, which I was at the time.
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Love Shack!
Too new for me...
Kidding.
I'd learn to play it in heart beat if it meant the difference between the porch and the stage.
There's fun there....
One of my fantasies is to have an ECF jam session. I'd like that very much. I don't even care what the songs are or who plays or how "good" they are. I really like the sharing and comradeship of being in the "musicians club" where strangers can speak that "beyond the reach of words" language understood by all and make some kind of fun.
Too new for me...
Kidding.
I'd learn to play it in heart beat if it meant the difference between the porch and the stage.
There's fun there....
One of my fantasies is to have an ECF jam session. I'd like that very much. I don't even care what the songs are or who plays or how "good" they are. I really like the sharing and comradeship of being in the "musicians club" where strangers can speak that "beyond the reach of words" language understood by all and make some kind of fun.
Maybe it's different in LA, but the times I've tried to get musicians together for a Sunday afternoon jam, the response is low. I know when I was playing three nights a week and working full time, I reserved my Sunday afternoons for relaxing and bumming around.
I get you when you talk about an ECF jam. I found one worldwide jam site where an individual or several musicians could log in and record tracks. You can test drive for free, I think, and it costs $25 a year to join. I haven't looked at the method of hooking up. I suppose that you jack into your sound card and it uses a plugin to get you to the net.
Online Jam Sessions
EDIT: I joined the above link for a 30 day free trial. They use Winamp and Jetcast as the input software. The instructions say that to start with you can just use Winamp for simplicity, but Jetcast offers some more bells and whistles. These programs allow you to adjust all your parameters so that you get the right drive and streaming bit rate.
This is as far as I've gotten so far. They recommend that you log in to the site, choose a room, and leave it open in a browser window when you want to jam. When someone sees you and comes into the room, you will hear them and can go back to the room and jam.
All this is kind of fuzzy for me right now. I'm supposing that you are connected just like an online conference, which I've done a lot at work and in tech school. Maybe this will work out for an ECF jam.
I get you when you talk about an ECF jam. I found one worldwide jam site where an individual or several musicians could log in and record tracks. You can test drive for free, I think, and it costs $25 a year to join. I haven't looked at the method of hooking up. I suppose that you jack into your sound card and it uses a plugin to get you to the net.
Online Jam Sessions
EDIT: I joined the above link for a 30 day free trial. They use Winamp and Jetcast as the input software. The instructions say that to start with you can just use Winamp for simplicity, but Jetcast offers some more bells and whistles. These programs allow you to adjust all your parameters so that you get the right drive and streaming bit rate.
This is as far as I've gotten so far. They recommend that you log in to the site, choose a room, and leave it open in a browser window when you want to jam. When someone sees you and comes into the room, you will hear them and can go back to the room and jam.
All this is kind of fuzzy for me right now. I'm supposing that you are connected just like an online conference, which I've done a lot at work and in tech school. Maybe this will work out for an ECF jam.
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I come from small town roots where everybody knew everybody else.
I was warned by a friend who proceeded me, that I would find city people different.
Friendships are (were) more difficult because of the distance and travel time from X location to Y.
This was 1979. No cell phones.
One of the first gigs I did in Los Angeles, after just coming down from Monterey CA where we were a burning hot act, was at Doug Weston's famous Troubador where many famous artists got their start. (Do the Googles)
Total reality check: They don't know you. They don't care about you unless you're willing to deposit a 357 slug between their eyes while being totally naked with a live alligator around your neck.
THAT will get their attention. The rest you already know.
At that time "My Sharrona" but the Knack was the hotterst thing going. The industry was buzzing because of the "up- front" money that they got.
We all wanted that. The industry as paying it. We had the same attorneys representing us....
Yo Estoy Aqui.
I am still here.
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Here's a link to a forum where people are discussing setting up an online jam.
On Line Jam Session - Totally Guitars | Totally Guitars
They seem to think that Ejamming ( eJAMMING AUDiiO – The Collaborative Network for Musicians Creating Together Online in Real Time ) is a better solution since they use a peer-to-peer connection instead of a chat room type environment. I don't know the technology, but peer to peer means that you have a direct IP connection to the people you are jamming with, rather than running through a server that may be congested with a thousand other people doing many other things. The down side is that Ejamming is $100 a year.
They also said that Ejamming suggests a minimum 250kbps connection for two players with lowest quality. My Bellsouth connection is rated at 512kbps and usually maintains something close to that.
You can go to www.myspeed.visualware.com to check your upload and download speeds.
Here's a link that demos Ejamming and has two videos. One is a network interview with the CEO and the other is Def Leppard's guitar player jamming with two other players across the country using Ejamming.
http://www.ejamming.com/learn-more/
On Line Jam Session - Totally Guitars | Totally Guitars
They seem to think that Ejamming ( eJAMMING AUDiiO – The Collaborative Network for Musicians Creating Together Online in Real Time ) is a better solution since they use a peer-to-peer connection instead of a chat room type environment. I don't know the technology, but peer to peer means that you have a direct IP connection to the people you are jamming with, rather than running through a server that may be congested with a thousand other people doing many other things. The down side is that Ejamming is $100 a year.
They also said that Ejamming suggests a minimum 250kbps connection for two players with lowest quality. My Bellsouth connection is rated at 512kbps and usually maintains something close to that.
You can go to www.myspeed.visualware.com to check your upload and download speeds.
Here's a link that demos Ejamming and has two videos. One is a network interview with the CEO and the other is Def Leppard's guitar player jamming with two other players across the country using Ejamming.
http://www.ejamming.com/learn-more/
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Not today it won't.
Today's crowds would see that and say, "hey look they have a gun" while walking away to hear the newest justin beiber wannabe or lady kaka song...
Seriously though, I have found that crowds can be very specific that way. Knowledgeable crowds exist where they really seem to know how to appreciate live music...then there are the other crowds...
Not today it won't.
Seriously though, I have found that crowds can be very specific that way. Knowledgeable crowds exist where they really seem to know how to appreciate live music...then there are the other crowds...
It's the same today as it was when our parents were raising us. We didn't like their music and they didn't care for ours. I think every generation has to have their own style. My Dad liked Big Band, be bop, and country. My Mother liked to listen to Elvis Presley and church choirs. I'd go in my room and listen to Hendrix, Beatles, Santana, and the Doors.
To me, there's no creativity in the music of today, for the most part. I try to watch Palladia and sometimes find bands I like, but I still enjoy the old stuff more. Anything past the mid 90s and I'm not too impressed. It's all about chunking chords and jumping up and down.
BTW, carpedebass, being from Texas, are you an SRV fan?
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My musical tastes are extremely eclectic. I'll likely jump from post hardcore to jazz to classical within a few minutes of each other. I do like SRV, but I always key into his rythem section and bassist...imagine that. Pretty much the only music I can't stand is modern pop stuff like mentioned previously, country and rap. The rest is all fair game to me. I have an Underoath CD spinning in the car while I'm listening to Denver and the Mile High Orchestra here at work. Go figure...
Not today it won't.
Seriously though, I have found that crowds can be very specific that way. Knowledgeable crowds exist where they really seem to know how to appreciate live music...then there are the other crowds...
Actually our problem was that we still had a 60's performance mind-set where all you had to do was stand there and play while looking like your having some sort of groovy spiritual experience.
In Los Angeles of the early 80's that just looked like brain-dead to the audience.
You really had, and still do, sell yourself using a lot of body energy/movement.
Thus the 'head banger" cliche.
I heard a story about a young guy who got wind of that particular theatric just before going on to perform at the very same venue, The Troubadour, back in the early '90s. He head-banged through his entire performance and then had to spend the next 2 weeks wearing a neck brace. Apparently you have to train for it. I wouldn't know.
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