Dear Diary.

...It has been a year since I started playing with these guys.

The three piece thing is really feeling good. I have even started to sing a little harmony. We have about twenty songs that we can play with a reasonable degree of consistancy, some originals, others old obscure blues covers. I really had serious reservations as to weather we would be able to stay together after Paul left. None of us had much in us for the first few weeks, but as we moved on, we added some new three piece friendly songs, simplified the songs we already knew, and we became a lot tighter.

We may have a new lead singer. Our guitar player has played with this guy before, and they have run some open mike nights at a local coffee shop. We met him last week and he seems okay. He is going to jam with us this week.

Barry
 
...Last night we had a singer sit in with us.

The bass player is on vacation, so it was guitar, drums, and vocals. We noodled around, jammed, did a few of our tunes, a couple of his tunes. Now that we have more or less had our icebreaker practice, I think that this new guy will work himself in quite nicely.

Happy Canada Day to all of my frost bitten friends on this side of the fourty ninth.

Chilliwack tonight 9:30 at Festivus place.

Barry
 
...Last practice went amtrack on me.

No matter what I did, I could not get my shit together and play out of it. Years ago when I played old guy rec league hockey, I would have nights where I stood on my head and felt that I could stop every puck shot at me. Some nights, if the puck did not accidently hit me , or go wide, it was in the net. On those nights, I would always try to play through and build on the positives. Some nights, I just plain sucked. Last practice fell in the just plain sucked column.

Past experience has given me a lot to draw from when it comes to my playing. Over the years, I have learned that although the discipline may be different, (Family,work, photography, hockey, music, etc), the phsycology is very similar. In my case, my greatest ally is patience. If I can maintain my focus and keep the frustration in check, things generally work themselves out.

We interupt this self absorbed post to bring you this breaking news.

A couple of weeks ago I answered an ad from a bunch of grey pony tails looking for a drummer for their weekly jam. I got an e-mail and I am going to jam with them tonight. I am not looking to quit the group that I am in now, I just want more opportunity to play. I have never met these guys face to face, but I would bet money that I probably know them from somewhere. Once again, I am auditioning them as much as they are auditioning me, but I think I will probably end up as another drummer on the call list. That would be fine with me if it works out that way as I can not commit to two bands, especially seeing as I am going back to shift work in the fall.

This will also give me anopportunity to give my smaller classic kit a really good work out.

Have a great weekend all.

Barry
 
Still on of the best threads! What was the problem at practice, time keeping or mistakes etc.?
 
Still on of the best threads! What was the problem at practice, time keeping or mistakes etc.?

...Thank you TFITT.

It was mainly a lack of focus. I just could not lock and load. My time was okay, but there was no passion, or musicality. A wind up monkey had more groove than I. Normally when this happens I hold back, simplify untill I lock in, then work my way back. Wednesday night nothing seemed to work, and my frustration level rose to the point that I almost called it a night about half way through.

Thankfully, our last few weeks have been really good, so I am not too concerned about one bad night. If it persists it will probably shorten the life span of this thread.

Barry
 
...Thank you TFITT.

It was mainly a lack of focus. I just could not lock and load. My time was okay, but there was no passion, or musicality. A wind up monkey had more groove than I. Normally when this happens I hold back, simplify untill I lock in, then work my way back. Wednesday night nothing seemed to work, and my frustration level rose to the point that I almost called it a night about half way through.

Thankfully, our last few weeks have been really good, so I am not too concerned about one bad night. If it persists it will probably shorten the life span of this thread.

Barry

that doesn't sound so bad. a bad night for me is more like completely forgetting how a song goes or something like that. a couple of gigs ago we played a song that has a drum intro. i played a drum intro all right, but it was the intro for a completely different song! there was much confusion among the band, but somehow we recovered from that and kept going. now THAT'S what i call a bad night!
 
that doesn't sound so bad. a bad night for me is more like completely forgetting how a song goes or something like that. a couple of gigs ago we played a song that has a drum intro. i played a drum intro all right, but it was the intro for a completely different song! there was much confusion among the band, but somehow we recovered from that and kept going. now THAT'S what i call a bad night!

...aaaahhh, but you recovered.

I could not seem to get there. I think you need the odd train wreck to keep you on track(oxymoron intended).

Last practice is where it belongs, somewhere in the rearview mirror.

Thanks for the encouragement Dairyman.

Barry
 
you may not have been feeling good, but i'll bet you sounded good. at least it was just a practice, and it doesn't sound like you caused any problems for the band. they probably didn't even notice.
 
Barry, let us know how the jam went. Grey ponytails, that's a full on description right there. That's all you need to know. Just as all you need to know about my brother is that he irons his socks!
 
Barry, let us know how the jam went. Grey ponytails, that's a full on description right there. That's all you need to know. Just as all you need to know about my brother is that he irons his socks!

...It was not what I expected.

I was under the impression that there would be a bunch of guys taking turns playing, and that there would be more than one drummer. Turns out there were two guitars, bass and myself. These guys were pretty laid back so I felt welcomed right away.

The two guitar players have been playing together since they were embryos, and the bass player has been with them for a few months. Their previous drummer had played with them for over seven years, so I got a lot of "the song starts like this", or " You need to do the hits here, and we want you to accent here, end here", etc. I told them that untill I become more familiar with playing the songs, I can only play what I can play. They told me that was fine as long as I started here, accent here, end like this, etc, etc. One nice thing was they were very good at cueing me to the changes, tempo changes, dynamics, and endings. They also were a little more note for note when it came to the songs, but they definatley could play.

My playing was sub par, but they did not seem to mind. I guess having a shitty drummer is better than no drummer, just like as I was coming near the end of my Old Timers hockey playing days when a shitty goalie was better than no goalie. I hate being the weak link, but that was how I felt with these guys.

In spite of that, I am a lot more positive about what I took away from the evening as far as lessons learned. Some of the lessons were related to the advice that some of you have suggested earlier in this thread such as: Do your home work, learn as much of the material as posible. Knowing a song, and being able to play a song are two entirely different things, especially when you are somewhat technically challenged. Also, one mans jam is another mans practice. It helps to know the difference, and what is expected.

From now on, I will treat every jam as if it is an audition rather than the lazy "I will just show up and wing it" approach.

I do not know if I will be playing with these guys again. They gave me the impression that I will be welcomed back, but I am not sure that will happen. I told them to keep my phone number, but if they find a more suitable drummer it would not hurt my feelings. Although they are a good bunch, my spidey sense tells me that this is not a good fit.

C'est la vie.

Barry
 
...usually a bad practice leads to a good one.

Tonight was a really good jam. Our bass player is still away, so it was two guitars, with vocals, and myself. We ran through a bunch of new songs that our new singer brought into the mix. This guy is pretty good, and I think that he will add a new dimension to the band. I now have my Y'allternative ally, and we can finaly start doing a few songs from Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Bruce Cockburn, and others of that ilk. I hope that we don't run into a problem with conflicting styles, there is room for everything in my view.

It felt really good, especially after the negatives of the last two go arounds.

Barry
 
G'day Baz,
I have read all 93 posts on this thread, It has not been a busy day at work, anyway, I can understand your sometime problems, sometime joys being in a band, remember Led Zeppelin was a 3 piece band, with a singer, as is The Police, ZZ Top plus heaps of others
I have just finished playing in a 3 piece band, at Easter, it started out as a 4 piece band, then one of the guitar players left, that was in 2008, so we decided to go ahead 3 piece, immediately everything was tighter, according to our audiences, we even sounded better, because we all had to sing, & help with backing vocals, admittedly I have been playing in bands for over 40 years, but it is still a bit daunting to start with a new band & expect to fit in, as you did. So a bloody big well done to you Baz.
I like to go to jams, at local pubs & clubs, & because I have some experience, I usually get to play. I never have any idea what I'll be expected to play, or what gear I will get to use, I really get out of my comfort zone, but, it helps my drumming, no end, & I love it.
So keep up the good work Baz, & don't be afraid to make mistakes, I have been making them for 56 years, & I fully intend to go on making them, BUT, I try not to repeat them If I can help it.
That is how we learn, & progress.

Here we are, last show Easter 2010.

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...thank you Allan, I really appreciate the support.

I know that I get a little more discouraged than I really should, especially considering that we are really just a bunch of friends who get together every week to jam. It's not like I am holding us back from our shot at stardom, as our two gigs to date have been a parking lot and a private party.

Last night I had my share of mistakes, screw ups, and misfires. If I was able to replay last Wednesday and last night, both nights were probably pretty close as far as ooops are concerned. The difference was largely between my ears. I guess some nights all you focus on are the mistakes, other nights I focus on the fun.

Once again Allan, thank you for this reply, but if you read all 93 posts at work, how did you stay awake?

Barry
 
...thank you Allan, I really appreciate the support.

I know that I get a little more discouraged than I really should, especially considering that we are really just a bunch of friends who get together every week to jam. It's not like I am holding us back from our shot at stardom, as our two gigs to date have been a parking lot and a private party.

Last night I had my share of mistakes, screw ups, and misfires. If I was able to replay last Wednesday and last night, both nights were probably pretty close as far as ooops are concerned. The difference was largely between my ears. I guess some nights all you focus on are the mistakes, other nights I focus on the fun.

Once again Allan, thank you for this reply, but if you read all 93 posts at work, how did you stay awake?

Barry

G'day Baz,
It took a while, to read em all & there were distractions from time to time, you know, work stuff, but I was enjoying myself, reading about your progress, in your band & thinking about some of the rehearsals & gigs that I have played over the years, & relating to a lot of what you wrote, when it came to guitar players & others coming & going.

Quick question, Baz: When we play a gig, here in Australia, it is usually for 3 or 4 hours, & we generally play up to 36 to 48 songs, that's 3 or 4, 12 song sets, depending on length of gig. Is that common in your band/country.
 
Quick question, Baz: When we play a gig, here in Australia, it is usually for 3 or 4 hours, & we generally play up to 36 to 48 songs, that's 3 or 4, 12 song sets, depending on length of gig. Is that common in your band/country.
That's a lot of songs! 3-4 hours, phew! We normally play either 1 x 2 hour set or 2 x 1 hour sets. We're a classic rock band playing rock pubs, rallies & festivals. Rallies & festivals are always 1 x 11/2 or 2 hours straight through.

Great to hear you had a better jam Baz. It all goes round in one big circle. We gigged on Saturday night on the back of a superb gig a couple of weeks earlier. This Saturday's gig was poorly attended, maybe only 100 audience in a venue that usually pulls 400 when we play. Band didn't perform with the usual high energy & fun vibe. A few minor mistakes and a mix issue didn't help. It was the night before the World Cup final and there's currently 3 festivals on within a 20 mile radius, so we know why the numbers were down. Nevertheless, we should know better than to let that get us down. Previous gig was 800+ audience & we played out of our boots. One of those gigs were everything just clicked. It's all cycles Baz, & you're no different. Concentrate on the fun bits!
 
G'day Baz,
Quick question, Baz: When we play a gig, here in Australia, it is usually for 3 or 4 hours, & we generally play up to 36 to 48 songs, that's 3 or 4, 12 song sets, depending on length of gig. Is that common in your band/country.

...G'Day Allan.

I guess it all depends on the gig. I have never played at a wedding, club, or other structured event, but two to three hours with breaks seem to be fairly normal. Not sure of the song count, but you can subtract at least ten songs if Freebird is on the set list.

Also, thanks again for the kind words. I really do appreciate it.

Barry
 
.

Great to hear you had a better jam Baz. It all goes round in one big circle. We gigged on Saturday night on the back of a superb gig a couple of weeks earlier. This Saturday's gig was poorly attended, maybe only 100 audience in a venue that usually pulls 400 when we play. Band didn't perform with the usual high energy & fun vibe. A few minor mistakes and a mix issue didn't help. It was the night before the World Cup final and there's currently 3 festivals on within a 20 mile radius, so we know why the numbers were down. Nevertheless, we should know better than to let that get us down. Previous gig was 800+ audience & we played out of our boots. One of those gigs were everything just clicked. It's all cycles Baz, & you're no different. Concentrate on the fun bits!

...Thanks again KIS.

I will change my mindset to "Fun and two and three and fun and fun and two and three and fun and........"

Barry
 
...tonight was a very good night.

This was our first oficial go as a four piece, being our new singers first full on practice with us. I miked up again and threw in my quota of woo-hoos. I was in a great mood. I am going to visit my Daughter in Fernie, leaving with my Son early in the A.M. for another dad-n-lad adventure. I was so loose and relaxed, I hit those drums as if I was beating my Daughters boyfriend.

I hate to sound like a shill, but I have to acknowledge how some of the lessons that I took from the Rich Redmond clinic really did help with my attitude, preperation, and overall approach to our practice. I could go on, but better for you guys to go to one of his clinics, or check him out on u-tube. My biggest thing is that I am excited about playing again.

Back to our practice. We did some of our older songs with Bill singing lead, or lead harmony on Brent or James songs. I added my woo-ooos, and whatever other lyrics I could. I am working on becoming a singing drummer. I am no Tom Jones, but I can carry a tune. We had some pretty cool moments, when somebodey would start a riff, and we would jump in and steer it into a classic rock gem. It was an excersise in listening, going nutty, taking it almost off the rails, then recovering only to go through the cycle again and again. It was a great deal of fun for all of us.

As I said. It feels great to be excited about playing again.

Woooo-Hoooooo.........

Barry
 
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