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And for the record, I'd love to jam with you! I think it would be great! (For me, that is. You'd probably utter more than one "What the...."
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I Think I’m At The Point Where...
- Thread starter sergiodeblanc
- Start date
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In a complimentary way....You'd probably utter more than one "What the...."
That would, indeed, rock.
Steve's addiction
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This thread reads like a jazz song. Starts out everyone playing together then we take off on the tangents, then (the bass player story) brings us back on track and the song gets back to where it started. See as musicians we're always playing, whether its in a band or in a forum
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Steve's addiction
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Yeah, it’s sorta like a conversation amongst friends, isn’t it?
Exactly!
veinbuster
Zombie Three, DFZ
That's exactly what it is.Yeah, it’s sorta like a conversation amongst friends, isn’t it?
You’ve inspired me, Vaughn.
This was posted in another private forum to protect people’s privacy, so I’ll sanitize it enough to share.
———
Last month, my band had had a long period of quiet; so much so that Mike the Drummer and I needed to get something together to keep the musical muscles in shape. Mike went after a bassist that we both know and figure we could do the power trio thing during our band hiatus. Very cool!
The monster bassist wasn't available, so Mike made a visit down the street from his house to a childhood friend of his, Chris, who apparently also plays bass. "Why didn't you mention him before?" instantly came out of my mouth. Mike proceeded to explain that Chris had a hard time with keeping time - kind of essential for a bassist - but could keep up for just jamming. So we invited him over.
Before the jam day, Mike called and explained Chris' back story because he wanted me to know what to expect and allow me to gracefully back out, if I wanted. Chris had been the victim of a mugging when he was about 18. He was beaten severely, nearly killed him. It took him months to physically recover, which he did, but mentally, he still carried scars. He suffered severe brain injuries that impact much of his life. He's slow to communicate and to process normal things that we take for granted. Before the incident, he loved playing bass. After, it remained one of the few pieces of his previously normal life that he can cling to. Once I heard the story, there was no way we couldn't meet! Music is the element that brings everyone together.
We played the first time for about 2 hours and Chris was pretty nervous. Talking and joking and playing was the best way to break the ice and get him comfortable to play to his potential. So we got together the next weekend. I learned how to set the pace, give him lots of lead-in to a progression, let him follow my hands and listen to how Mike and I interacted. At first, he's a little lost at every new song, but when you listen to the recordings, he gels with us then starts to let go and do his own thing. While playing, I noticed this to a degree and had a blast, as did both of the others, but it was listening to one particular song that put a lump in my throat. This particular track is NOT about me, so try to block out my playing (trust me, it’s forgettable)...pay attention to the bass. In the beginning, it's all over the place. We quickly reviewed the progression before the recording starts, but it was maybe 60 seconds of showing him the chords and basically the rhythm. I kept it to 2 chords to make is simple and worked with a practice progression I've noodled with for a a few months. I had never played anything but the basic chords, rhythm and 2 riffs before and never with anyone else, the rest spawned from the jam.
The FULL Order Please
You can almost hear when his damaged line of thought syncs with us. He struggles with staying consistent, causing a big struggle for both Mike and myself, which is evident by the numerous rhythmic F-ups on my part. We'd lock eyes and reestablish a solid lock on 1 a few times, which is also apparent. At the time, I was pleased with everyones' teamwork but we had no idea that Chris was working so hard to play his part until we listened to the results.
The music we played aligned something between us that I never realized was possible. Earlier in my life, I worked on product research involving sound therapy for many brain-related issues, but I hadn't experienced something as complex and definitive as this. I'm stunned and amazed.
Great post Boogie!! Not to mention the tack! Like a few of our other " vintage" brethren... I had some serious flash backs for a few minutes...then Sergio's description of the "mound" snapped me back to reality...it was an adventure in more than one way back in the day! Thanks for the post and the trip back in time! Good stuff!
jxe
babe en der wood
taking all my energy not to make a tasteless anti-bass player joke, but know that if i thought it it was thought out of love. bow down to the BASS, babies, and best to your friend.
jxe
babe en der wood
veinbuster
Zombie Three, DFZ
Drummers first, guitarists not playing PRS second, then bassists.hmm, I thought it was drummers that we were supposed to make fun of.
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Alnus Rubra
Loving nature’s wonders
Where do we stand on singers?’
Without them we’d probably have to learn to play better.
dmatthews
Dave's not here
They're OK if they bring their own mic.
If not, then they're... um... not very nice.
alantig
Zombie Four, DFZ
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On their necks.
Tucson Thump
Mint Heavy Relic
Depends if you're dating or married.
Alnus Rubra
Loving nature’s wonders
Alnus Rubra
Loving nature’s wonders
It’s funny how you guys had this flashback! Didn’t realize that growing up in the 70s would define me stylistically, so much. Very interesting. The black light posters, the music (and in the day, the girls were all about disco), the making out...man, that takes me back. Ironically, I used my least expensive (before spending $$$ on pickups) guitar - SE245 - and the Kemper. Mike took it a cool direction and probably set the real vibe. Oh, and no girl used a razor on anything but arm pits and legs.
Tonart
Tone of the Art......or is that backwards?
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10 years in a band and I’ve never experienced that once. That’s also why the 10 will not become an 11. Infinitely better to spend the time creating my own music alone, rather than smoking the water or backing the black to death (aka glorified jukebox on stage).
