An Interesting Invitation

[TRGuitar]

I think if a band gigs regularly they keep sharp on their songs just by playing them at the gigs. It's the newer stuff that needs to be rehersed. When getting started, all the songs are new though.

[cnev]

Maybe, obviously you have to spend more time on the newer stuff to get the beginnings, endings whatever tight but at some point you have to run through the older stuff.

I guess if you were out once a week minimum you could probably just concentrate on the newer stuff which you have to keep adding otherwise no one is going to want to hear the same songs all the time.

I guess everyone has their own style and I know this is new to me but the guitar player we have has been in bands since the 70's and he's been doing it the way I described so it lest him and I are on the same page.

Guess it depends on how long the band has been together if it's a very long time then I'm sure they found what works for them.

[rparker]

Another thing to consider is that his band is in a transitional period. One guy moved to the mountains and they have his replacement already, but only played together I think one time or two. Maybe more? I don't know.

He did say that their new guitar player is adding some of his favorites to the mix and taking them in different directions, but it's all good so far.

..... but how do you think your head is going to hold up with the drums etc? I would imagine you'll be in a relatively small room and unless they are playing some really mellow tunes and the drummer is using brushes might get uncomfortable. Bring some good earplugs.

It will be murder on my head, even with good ear plugs. I will pay a hefty price for this. I only do something this stupid once every few months. It's more for my sanity than anything else. One night of major-league Migraine is a small price to pay for sanity. I would not want to do something like this 2-3 times a week, but once in a while, just to feel normal, it's all worth it.

[cnev]

well whatever works for them and maybe this is a looser practice so he thought it would be a good time to drop by. Anyway if they are working on new arrangements you probably can only do that effectively once you get together,

If you are just playing covers then you can do like we do and I think most bands you learn your parts before you get to practice not at practice, was a bit of a prob with our old bass player.

We've been able to get like 24 songs down an that's not counting the ones that we all know already by doing it this way. There are some we just come in and bam knock it and it's a take. But everyday is a different vibe so you never know.

Good luck with the head I hope it doesn't set you back to much I know what you mean about the sanity thing sometimes you just have to bite the bullet.

Enjoy. I'd like to see the setlist too if you get it.

[Chris C]

NoteBoat seems to have nailed the likely possibilities:

There's a chance they have doubts about the new guitarist. Bring your gear, but leave it in the car. That way you're covered under any of the three scenarios that are most likely:

1. the bass player wants some feedback about the band, and after the rehearsal you'll have a beer or two and he'll get your opinion

2. he's curious about your progress and wants to jam a bit after the rehearsal

3. they're thinking a member might have to go, and you'll audition after the rehearsal is over.

The elephant in the room though seems to be that you wouldn't be able to accept an invitation to join a regular band even if they were interested and some sort of audition thing happened. As you said:

It will be murder on my head, even with good ear plugs. I will pay a hefty price for this. I only do something this stupid once every few months. It's more for my sanity than anything else. One night of major-league Migraine is a small price to pay for sanity. I would not want to do something like this 2-3 times a week, but once in a while, just to feel normal, it's all worth it.

In your position I'd be very happy to keep a pleasant fantasy going that they might want me to join the band - or at least see me as a worthy candidate - but I'd still know that it wasn't going to happen. So it would come down to whether I might get asked to jam along or not. Given that you'll be dropped off by your wife, keeping a guitar and amp out of sight isn't an option. There's no way I'd turn up with a bunch of gear unless I had a clearer signal about what he had in mind.

If I was running a band practice, no matter how unstructured, I doubt that I'd want to unbalance things by adding an untried player on a one-off basis. But I might well be happy to have a jam with an old buddy later. So maybe that's a possible angle to take? Email and tell him you're looking forward to listening in on their practice and ask if he's expecting you to bring a guitar along for a jam afterwards? If he does have any ideas about having you participate in any way then he'll surely say something, and nobody is going to lose face or get embarrassed about saying no at the time, or disappointed if things don't pan out as imagined (on either side).

Either way, enjoy yourself Roy, you deserve some fun times out.

Chris

[rparker]

The elephant in the room though seems to be that you wouldn't be able to accept an invitation to join a regular band even if they were interested and some sort of audition thing happened.

Yup. That's very much on spot.

A funny thing just occurred to me. While in High School, there was a kid who was probably the third best basketball player in school, even as a Freshman. He got horrible Migraines due to the crowd noise and had to quit. I remember him telling me that he got some really massive headaches after the games that they could not figure out. Poor kid couldn't play HS basketball as a result. I can really understand was he was talking about, now.

[rparker]

This is long, but it's worth it.

Alrighty, so tonight was the big night. I did right by not showing up with gear, and for most of the reasons folks have mentioned before. This was just a night for me to come hang out with the guys. A very nice gesture by a friend. I hung out while watching guys 10 years my senior play their instruments with the decades of experience that they have. It showed. New riff? No problem. Give him 30 seconds. After all, it is a band original and he's never heard it.

These guys weeved in and out of songs, sequed there way into a few things I've never even heard of from other songs I've barely heard of. Songs I did "know" were just done at much higher a level that I've been able to play so far.

But, with every band practice that last 4 hours, breaks are needed. I guess.

The newest to the band guitarist asks me if I played any, and then hands me his Heritage LP which was attached to his Ampeg. I'm now a nervous wreck. I could not come up with something to play. Nothing.

This is where it gets good.

I started playing a song I've been working on for a few weeks around a chord progression that I asked about on another thread. The song in Amaj7. I'm tentatively hitting a few strings trying not to sound too strummy when the longer tenured guitar play pipes up and says something like, "That's a pretty nice chord progression. What are you doing?" So I show him from across the room the Amaj7 song I've been working on and I continue to play it.

Next thing I know, he's sitting down on the floor playing lead to my progression and watching where I'm going. How cool is that? Then my friend the bass player jumps in and then the drummer who's been sitting in front of his kit on the floor reaches somewhere for a set of bongos and plays them lightly and almost the same rhythm to what I programmed some virtual drums in MIDI to do at home.

By this time I had a whole band playing my song, and that included my verses, bridges and choruses. All 6 minutes of it. When we were done, everyone was quite upbeat about what they just played and were asking me what song that was or who does that song, it sounds great. Stuff like that. My head was spinning.

Well, I properly answered that it was my first ever original song and that I 've been working on it for a couple of weeks. I again heard a bunch of, "well, it was awesome" type comments. I handed back the guitar to my new friend and he's as equally positive with his statements. They got on with the rest of the practice, and I sat back and basked in the glow.

Folks, I'm gonna be able to dine on this for a long, long, long, long, LONG time. I don't get many moments, but I sure as heck know how to cherish them when one comes along.

So, allow me a WOOO WHOOOOOOOOO, and I'll be on my way. I need an ice pack like I've never needed one in my life.

(ps: BB, the E-F#m-G#m-C#m bridge to chorus transition seemed to get the most energy back from them when we played it. I did apoligize to them afterwards for doing a few different transitions on them. Didn't bother them a bit.)

[s1120]

Sounds like a better night then you could ask for!!!! Very cool, and you met a bunch more people to boot. Bet it also give you the drive to get working on some more songs also!!!

[cnev]

Most excellent Roy sounds like fun and it looks like it's time to write a few more songs. Do you have lyrics for it yet?

[TRGuitar]

Most cool Roy! I'm glad you had a good time. Sounds like they like your tune!

[cnev]

By the way how did the head hold up? Are you paying for it today? Hope not

[rparker]

Yes, I am very much inspired to continue my guitar learning processes and to finish this song.

I do have the lyrics, but I have not tried to sing them yet. I actually have not even re-visited them since I wrote them. I've been concentrating on the music end of it.

I learned quite a bit last night just watching them, especially when they were working out a new to them song.

Also interesting was the calm that they had in their hands and arms. They were even calm on passages that looked like they would be tough as heck. I have to admit to some, um, let's call it constructive jealousy.

Yeah, I am paying the price, but not as bad as I was afraid it would be. I've had worse. I'll do it again, given the opportunity.

[cnev]

Now you are inspring me to do the same. That's one of my many deficiancies with playing and that is being creative. I pretty much spend the only time I have learning songs but have never really spent any time trying to create much of anything on my own.

I have one riff I came up with recently but like you were with this song I got only so far and hit a dead end.

I did have a killer riff in my head a couple weeks ago that I could envision a whole song but didn't have a guitar and by the next day it was gone.

It's definitely something I should be doing more of.

The nice thing about playing your own songs is at least you know you aren't going to write something you can't play..

[boxboy]

Too cool, Roy. Congrats!

[Laz]

That is a fantastic story! Just magic!