BFrench501
Senior Member
I am playing in a band that I could only describe as being country influenced. 1 acoustic, 2 electrics, bass, drums and occasional mandolin and harmonica played by the singer.
Been with them for over 10 weeks now rehearsing once a week for 2 hours, the singer has a catalogue of 10-12 songs. The band have only learned the 5 songs that are going to be gigged whereas Ive learned his whole catalogue on drums.
I got to the last practise and there were things that were irking me, but I dont know if I have 'the right' to be miffed. I genuinely don't know if my autism is driving me mad and I'm being irrational or not and thought I'd see how you fellow drummers think.
1) We are approaching our first gig, and in the rehearsal before the gig, the guitarists are still referring to chord/lyric sheets! There are errors in some of the chords, or lyrics missing etc, and the guitarists were complaining at the singer for not writing everything down for them properly.
2) Getting money out of them to contribute towards using my PA and my guitar amp, is like getting blood from a stone. I finally got £10 off each of them and they had the nerve to question why I was taking money off them. These people ain't kids - they are 35+!
3) A lot of the songs have silences in where the singer is playing his acoustic. The songs are lyrically driven and very good lyrics. The others can't follow his time so they are telling me to keep time on the hats or the ride! I nearly cried when they said I should be doing that as its my job to keep time.
So……my thoughts on the above;
1) Guitarists can play at virtually any time, any place without restriction. Yet they haven't learned 5 songs properly, yet I've been on far less time while learning 60-65 other songs for other bands, and learned the entire catalogue of material! I used my initiative and questioned any areas where I felt something was wrong, why can't a guitarist do that when a chord is missing that appears in the rest of the song? Its infuriating, I wanted to grab the guitar off them and play the stuff!
I feel bad for the singer - he has some very good music but the people he has entrusted with his band career are letting him down big time. I don't want to stick around but it has such potential with the right musicians, I don't know what to do.
2) They should be paying - simple as that. It's insulting that they think I'm on a scam, when I'm paying £140 a month for a room and charging them a month what it would cost them a week in a rehearsal room!
3) Maybe some of the songs arent suited live as the singer doesn’t have a following who will sit their keeping dead quiet, while he sings on his own. He isn't Springsteen or Dylan! That said, clicking hats over his lyrics distracts from the point of the music. And sounds very amateurish. I have said they should be better prepared and its everybodys job to keep time, not just mine.
I'm just sick of being in bands where I am not respected. I will only speak up if something is wrong. I don't say things in an overly critical style - but its like 95% of the musicians I work with don't appreciate nor care that I have perfect pitch, am sympathetic to the music as I have made effort to learn how guitar/bass etc works in the context of a band. It feels like I've put all this effort in and to be seen as a well rounded musician, instead of 'just a drummer' is proving to be just as hard as it would be to seduce Mila Kunis!
I'm sorry for this being super long but I am torn over whether to stick with it in the hope the singer sacks the others off, or whether to go swim elsewhere. But also, I don't know if I expect too much from other musicians. I just don’t see any excuse to not learn 5 songs properly on guitar after 10 weeks. We are not talking John Petrucci level stuff here, it's basic chords and rhythms. Structures are a bit odd, but it isn't rocket science.
Rant over I guess, if anyone can make something of this and help me out I would very very much appreciate it.
Thanks
Baz
Been with them for over 10 weeks now rehearsing once a week for 2 hours, the singer has a catalogue of 10-12 songs. The band have only learned the 5 songs that are going to be gigged whereas Ive learned his whole catalogue on drums.
I got to the last practise and there were things that were irking me, but I dont know if I have 'the right' to be miffed. I genuinely don't know if my autism is driving me mad and I'm being irrational or not and thought I'd see how you fellow drummers think.
1) We are approaching our first gig, and in the rehearsal before the gig, the guitarists are still referring to chord/lyric sheets! There are errors in some of the chords, or lyrics missing etc, and the guitarists were complaining at the singer for not writing everything down for them properly.
2) Getting money out of them to contribute towards using my PA and my guitar amp, is like getting blood from a stone. I finally got £10 off each of them and they had the nerve to question why I was taking money off them. These people ain't kids - they are 35+!
3) A lot of the songs have silences in where the singer is playing his acoustic. The songs are lyrically driven and very good lyrics. The others can't follow his time so they are telling me to keep time on the hats or the ride! I nearly cried when they said I should be doing that as its my job to keep time.
So……my thoughts on the above;
1) Guitarists can play at virtually any time, any place without restriction. Yet they haven't learned 5 songs properly, yet I've been on far less time while learning 60-65 other songs for other bands, and learned the entire catalogue of material! I used my initiative and questioned any areas where I felt something was wrong, why can't a guitarist do that when a chord is missing that appears in the rest of the song? Its infuriating, I wanted to grab the guitar off them and play the stuff!
I feel bad for the singer - he has some very good music but the people he has entrusted with his band career are letting him down big time. I don't want to stick around but it has such potential with the right musicians, I don't know what to do.
2) They should be paying - simple as that. It's insulting that they think I'm on a scam, when I'm paying £140 a month for a room and charging them a month what it would cost them a week in a rehearsal room!
3) Maybe some of the songs arent suited live as the singer doesn’t have a following who will sit their keeping dead quiet, while he sings on his own. He isn't Springsteen or Dylan! That said, clicking hats over his lyrics distracts from the point of the music. And sounds very amateurish. I have said they should be better prepared and its everybodys job to keep time, not just mine.
I'm just sick of being in bands where I am not respected. I will only speak up if something is wrong. I don't say things in an overly critical style - but its like 95% of the musicians I work with don't appreciate nor care that I have perfect pitch, am sympathetic to the music as I have made effort to learn how guitar/bass etc works in the context of a band. It feels like I've put all this effort in and to be seen as a well rounded musician, instead of 'just a drummer' is proving to be just as hard as it would be to seduce Mila Kunis!
I'm sorry for this being super long but I am torn over whether to stick with it in the hope the singer sacks the others off, or whether to go swim elsewhere. But also, I don't know if I expect too much from other musicians. I just don’t see any excuse to not learn 5 songs properly on guitar after 10 weeks. We are not talking John Petrucci level stuff here, it's basic chords and rhythms. Structures are a bit odd, but it isn't rocket science.
Rant over I guess, if anyone can make something of this and help me out I would very very much appreciate it.
Thanks
Baz