I might start playing in a working band!

Z3r0_G

Z3r0_G

Joined
Jan 7, 2007
Messages
533
Reaction score
1
after such a long time looking around for top40s working bands who need a bass player, i finally found one! top 40s is relatively easy to play, and i could never earn enough at ice cream shops or sandwich bars to fulfill my GAS.

so they're gonna audition me this thursday night. but i'm not sure if they'd really want me cos i'm still taking my diploma fulltime, and in about a year or so i'll have to serve National Service (like the swiss) for 2 years in the army.

i'm not sure if i can really afford the time and effort to play nights while studying. recently my lecturers sat down over a cuppa to talk about my attendance in school. :oops: crap.

so working bassists out there, do you think it's gonna be really tough?
 
Z3r0_G said:
after such a long time looking around for top40s working bands who need a bass player, i finally found one! top 40s is relatively easy to play, and i could never earn enough at ice cream shops or sandwich bars to fulfill my GAS.

so they're gonna audition me this thursday night. but i'm not sure if they'd really want me cos i'm still taking my diploma fulltime, and in about a year or so i'll have to serve National Service (like the swiss) for 2 years in the army.

i'm not sure if i can really afford the time and effort to play nights while studying. recently my lecturers sat down over a cuppa to talk about my attendance in school. :oops: crap.

so working bassists out there, do you think it's gonna be really tough?
Click to expand...

My band is doing on average now a show a week... ALong with practice 2 - 3 times a week ontop of that. I work in the mornings and nights also so my weeks are always pretty crazy. But if you have the energy to do it, Go for it :) Theres nothing like being busy with music... I have band practice tonight and yet another show this saturday... Should be fun :)
 
Z3r0_G said:
after such a long time looking around for top40s working bands who need a bass player, i finally found one! top 40s is relatively easy to play, and i could never earn enough at ice cream shops or sandwich bars to fulfill my GAS.

so they're gonna audition me this thursday night. but i'm not sure if they'd really want me cos i'm still taking my diploma fulltime, and in about a year or so i'll have to serve National Service (like the swiss) for 2 years in the army.

i'm not sure if i can really afford the time and effort to play nights while studying. recently my lecturers sat down over a cuppa to talk about my attendance in school. :oops: crap.

so working bassists out there, do you think it's gonna be really tough?
Click to expand...

Dude,you've put a lot of time & effort into your education,it's a major part of your future career.I would'nt blow all that hard work at this late stage for a gig that may or may not last.& if your lecturers are concerened with your attendance now,imagine what might happen if you get even bussier with music.
I really wish you the best in whatever you decide.
 
Greg said:
Z3r0_G said:
after such a long time looking around for top40s working bands who need a bass player, i finally found one! top 40s is relatively easy to play, and i could never earn enough at ice cream shops or sandwich bars to fulfill my GAS.

so they're gonna audition me this thursday night. but i'm not sure if they'd really want me cos i'm still taking my diploma fulltime, and in about a year or so i'll have to serve National Service (like the swiss) for 2 years in the army.

i'm not sure if i can really afford the time and effort to play nights while studying. recently my lecturers sat down over a cuppa to talk about my attendance in school. :oops: crap.

so working bassists out there, do you think it's gonna be really tough?
Click to expand...

Dude,you've put a lot of time & effort into your education,it's a major part of your future career.I would'nt blow all that hard work at this late stage for a gig that may or may not last.& if your lecturers are concerened with your attendance now,imagine what might happen if you get even bussier with music.
I really wish you the best in whatever you decide.
Click to expand...


It can get tough.

When I was really 'working' musically back home, I wasn't doing anything else during the day. Rehearsals, sound checks etc didn't seem that bad.

When I moved to New York I immediately got involved with a serious band who had nothing else to do but play and rehearse. Sounded great, but all of a sudden when you're doing 4 rehearsals a week and working full-time you suffer major burnout.

They weren't a band worth quitting my job for.

So - like Greg says, you need to weigh up the comittment to the band and what you will have to sacrifice in order to make it work... and what you'll get in return.

All the best mate!

LEx
 
I agree with Greg and Lex, bottom line is in the end you have to make a living. I'll bet most of the people on this forum have mundane jobs. But decent jobs that allow them to honestly buy these amazing basses.
 
Doog said:
I agree with Greg and Lex, bottom line is in the end you have to make a living. I'll bet most of the people on this forum have mundane jobs. But decent jobs that allow them to honestly buy these amazing basses.
Click to expand...

I problaby have the worst job here :P

Maintenance worker for low income housing... I clean up trash, sewage and fix toilets for a living... Pretty sucky...

The only upside to my days are having lunch, band practice and doing shows :P
 
well thanks for the advice guys, i know of a few friends who's playing at night while studying at the same time. but it's only for 2 nights per week.

the band is only starting to form and i don't know exactly all the details until i meet them on thursday.

i'm hoping we start off with a few nights for a while until next year, when it'll be my holidays. my next semester will also be very relaxed. so i'm quite confident i can handle it.

plus, top40s songs are really easy to follow for bass especially. unlike guitar/keyboards where the melody line/comping must be exactly the same.
 
Well I think it's all time management! For the past eight years I have been studying, working and playing in a band full time. It has been exhausting but it was worth wile. I managed to commit to my studies and band and still keep my job after I had an agreement with my boss and explained him my situation. I work a semi full time job (I can take free days whenever I need) in a theatre house as a light engineer(sometimes as a sound engineer too), I recorded an album a year ago with my band and have a new record deal and I'm about to graduate. I'm just finishing my graduation theses, which will be turned in within a week or so and I'll get my diploma on the Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management as a oecc of Hotel Management. And it wasn't an easy course, I had 45 exams!!!!!! And during that time I also had to go to the army for a year, during which I studied and worked by night!
Fortunately enough I have great parents and a really understanding girlfriend that gave me moral support and helped me out during that time.
 
Well, I have to say... go for it. It will be hard work, but you'll either love it or hate it, and if you hate it, at least you'll have got it out of your system and you can go back to earning pots of money!

Health warning: no-one ever got anywhere by following my advice, but what the hell!
 
i'm taking this like my part time job for now. hopefully it'll enable me to elieve some GAS. =D i would definitely love to do music full time. but heck it's not gonna be enough for what i want in life.

thanks for the help guys. i guess i'll see what they have to offer and where they're heading. like doomchild mentioned, it's all abt time managagment. which i seem to be pretty poor at.. :oops: but if it doesnt work out then at least i've tried ;)
 
It is a hard life dude. Its something Ive done for most of this year - trying to balance playing out in a working band, work and study - so an average 50-60+ hour weeks since Febuary before practice and uni work came in and it took its toll eventually. It was just the hours, early mornings for Uni and then late nights with work and gigs.. just kills you.

But it all depends on where your passion lies and what you want to do. I know my passion to go back to uni this year was killed when I found out what the course had become, plus the hours, it really didnt sit well. Plus I had already completed a 2 year course there, so I already have that as my base.
If I went back with a different course, I probably would of put all myself into it.. Im not someone who does things by half measures.
I do believe a good grounding in education is essential for some gigs and for later if you move into something slightly more difficult than Top40's. A good ear will be very very helpful but some gigs require a bit more than just that.

But my passion is as a performer. Its also the steepest learning curve Ive had this year playing in a new style, the players I play with (monsters) and because its a fun gig, you want to put the effort in to get the result.
Performing is a completely different way to learn than to sit in a classroom.. You pick up very different things, live is all about time/feel, groove and pocket that cant really be taught by sitting in a classroom..

Doomchild is right.. Time management is the key here.. big time. If you only do your diploma and gig or 2 a week, then its quite easy.. Its just fitting in that extra 20-30hours a week for a job that made it more difficult for me.
But if you lead a fit and healthy lifestyle, it wont impact as much as well and coffee will become your new best friend hah. Enjoy some sleep now hah.

But it does set you up for a life as a working muso.. Ive just come off a run of 20 gigs in 40days and that doesnt include 12/13 rehersals and a couple of studio sessions and it just puts it all into perspective on whether you really want to live this lifestyle or not.. Thankfully I do. All I have to do is remember what day of the week it is now hahah.

Try it out and see how you go and have fun with it all. For me, fun and passion are the two main things for music, if you dont have either, move on.
 
just came back from the audition last night. well, i think i screwed it up. wasnt feeling the best yesterday cosa my flu and cough. either that or i was nervous! cos the rest of them have like 20-30 years of experience playing nights!

they made me do a slap groove from my head. i usually can do it and groove without a problem. but i was having difficulty even keeping time! i didn't want to sound like a loser trying to find excuses for myself.

i still don't know yet though. the guy said he'll email me. but they havent finalised the lineup and probably have other kickass bassists waiting to audition.

thanks for your support guys! i'll let you all know what's gonna happen next. ;)
 
Z3r0_G... I think it's normal to come away from an audition feeling like you've screwed up, so don't feel bad about it! Even if they don't want you (and that's not certain yet) you've had an invaluable experience which will make you even better next time!

Bands aren't just looking for the most drop-dead excellent musicians, they're after someone they've got to spend a lot of time and experience with. Guy Pratt said (when he got the gig with Pink Floyd) - there were better bassists, but I made them laugh!

If you do get the gig, and you feel that they're all hugely experienced and you're not... you'll find that the "impossible" suddenly becomes merely "difficult"... and what you thought was "difficult" suddenly becomes easy (or at least easier)... just relax and enjoy it... trust me!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top