daryl1968


arse



that's ruined another thread - sorry Marcus

hey I am enjoying it. I love everyone's response. gets me to thinking

For me, being in a band used to mean - for the biggest part - getting to hear my songs w/ proper instrumentation, completed. Since I didn't own or play drums, or a bass, and didn't have any sophisticated set up to record the songs, there was no other way. I never cared much for live gigs after I had done that a few times.

What I dug when playing w/ musicians is that they could improve my basic ideas. Whereas I would think of a very simplistic/repetitive drum pattern or bass line, my fellow band members would take those ideas and breathe life into them.

What I didn't like half as much was the occasions when their creativity started to claim too much space. I'd always hear every ideas, but in the end, when you have a very clear idea of where you want a song to go, you sometimes have to say no, and I hated playing dictators.

Fortunately for me, according to a few people who used to hang out w/ us at rehearsals, I have a gift for non-verbal communication, even when I think I'm doing my best to keep a poker face while politely listening even to our drummer's most inane suggestions. It seems the temperature in the room just drops... 

Still, when it works, nothing beats a real band's chemistry. One example which always strikes me is the old Alice Cooper band vs Alice Cooper. There's no doubt that the solo albums benefited from the better players, but the music itself was way more exciting w/ the old band.

Even when listening to electronic music like the early NIN, the old The Cure albums or old Skinny Puppy - you can hear that it's not just another gun for hire in the back. Those guys have meticulously crafted their parts and contributed to the picture as a whole.

offnote


for me being in the band means ability to play together with other musicians which is the best learning experience any musician can get. You can hear whole harmony and interaction of many instruments not only your own. Nothing is better  for developing your hearing.

Just don't stand next to the drummer...;)


If I had to believe in miracles, the fact that my ears are still working properly - despite doing the hardcore thing and going in w/o earplugs - would be the first thing I'd consider.

The old beatniks I used to play w/ could get very loud. And cymbals can still kill your ears, no matter the genre. Plus, between them cymbals and the brass section, you're doomed.

My kind of scum...

I played in country bands for the most part.... and the drummer I played with in several of those bands rode his crash so heavily he broke the cymbals and had to replace them every few months.... 

He played with a heavy hand and was quite loud. He did, however, understand dynamics and when we played slow songs he would use side stick and played appropriate to the song's dynamic. 

Normally, when we rocked, he had developed a technique where he would smack the snare with his stick in such a way that the stick hit the head and the rim at the same time....every time. Rimshots..... extree loud!

I know what it WAS like for me....but now
I'm kind of curious about how it would be now or in my future.

I've often thought that I sure hope everything functions good
enough for me to enjoy music in my "golden" years.
So I wonder....when I'm retired with more time to enjoy things
if it might be a very good and very different trip.

I really imagine it would be a very enjoyable time.
I kind of think it's something like enjoying little kids more when
your older....like the grand kids...I've always loved the little ones
but now it just seems so much easier and relaxed to be around
them and....relate. Ya know...? Well if your old like me ya probably do.