Happy October 29! Someone is calling me and asking me to be a sub-bass player because they like something about the way I play my instrument.
They like my style of bass playing. I’ve already been in a situation where you had to behave in a way that was conducive to the … leader/conductor/musical coordinator/cult guru/secretly misogynistic/passive narcissist/… whatever, I think you get the point.
They don’t care about my politics, they don’t care about my cultural background, and they don’t care about my industry specific appearance. They might be glad to know that I can properly park a boat on a trailer.
Bass In This Place
Im here for a rehearsal. The regular bass player is out for the week. I will be reading sheet music to songs for the first time. There might be one or two I’m familiar with, but most the time it’s random and even the same songs are different arrangements or different key.
I would say it’s like the real battlefield or the real trenches and all that metaphorical stuff, but there’s no consequences. Accountability is low. They get what they pay for. They should be grateful for my ethical fortitude. They are polite, and my perseverance feels respected.
We are historians, but we are not rehearsing in a Greek/Roman building.
Same song, different band and different chart!
Lol, I guess I spoke too soon.
I just finished playing Evergreen for the other big band.
Let’s use this opportunity to see how they are different…
First the version i just discovered:
Compared to the version i just performed:
I’m not sure which one I like best. I guess if I didn’t know the song or anything related to it, I would want the new version i just found because it has specific notes. It’s probably closer to the original recording. Piano players are pretty good at listening to Bass parts and transposing them to sheet music.
If I wasn’t good at reading notes, I would… wait, let me rephrase that.. if I were horrible at reading notes, i would want the one that I’ve already used.
And then after I got through that phase. It wouldn’t matter. I would just do whatever it takes to make the entire song sound good and help tell the song’s story.
Look at the size of their music books!
The bass book is on the left. In the middle, we can see the bins they use to store all the sheet music. On the right, I circled one of the lead instruments books. It looks fat.
This band is older than me. I recognize the name on the front of the books. I played and performed with this band way back in 2009 or 2010… it’s blurry.
The Director of that band has died, and these guys have inherited his books. As it turns out, they were also in the band and they were close friends with the departed director. They were pleasantly surprised when I told them some of my non-musical experiences with the deceased director. Everybody liked him. He was a easy guy to like and had a boat next to somebody I know. I wish I could’ve tried one of his edibles.
They have their own bass amp.
If you’re gonna be a bunch of guys rehearsing with no money, you better make it easy for people. They have a bass amp. They have their own. I like that. Schlepping equipment is the stupidest part of playing any instrument.
I already have everything in the car, but I was relieved to see they had their own amplifier for Bass. When I first started playing, it sounded awful and that’s because the port on the back of the amplifier was pressed against the chair. Air needs to come out of that hole when the speaker moves. If it doesn’t, the speaker doesn’t move as well. All my low notes were nearly dead. They reminded me of those old days when I was forced to play through a small vocal PA. Just when you think you’re gonna do something beautiful, you make a thud/dud/dookie sound instead.
Reflecting
I probably should’ve recorded it. If they knew what songs they were gonna do for a gig, if there was a gig that paid, and if they expected accountability, I would do homework. I’m providing a crucial element to these 10 to 20 people who want to practice their craft. They probably expect the same desperation from me and that’s why they never pay for rehearsals. That’s probably why they don’t have a bass player. Without a bass player, they would have drums to keep them in place and maybe the guitar.
This collection of desperate musicians can’t even find a way to pull five dollars to pay for the opportunity to practice. These situations are cute and healthy until you find a similar situation that pays. Then you realize your time talent and accumulated sacrifices are worth much more.
I think it’s time to get bold at these free situations. I think it’s time to ask everyone for money in the middle of rehearsal. I simply say, “ anybody got a five dollar bill they don’t want? I need some gas money.”
Good signs!
1️⃣ The drummer asked for my contact info. He said he might want a bass player for something… not a gig, sounded jammy jam spammy… no money.
I liked his playing. Maybe I’ll call him if I have a gig.
2️⃣ One of the saxophone players asked me for my phone number. He said he has a 70s horn Band. He said they do songs like the ones I’ve been showing you in the videos, Chuck Mangione, Tower of Power, earth, wind, and fire, music containing some of my favorite bass players. I know the band he’s talking about. I’ve heard of them. I’ve been told bad things about them, but I also questioned the person the information was coming from. I’m looking forward to forming my own opinion.
Next!
Thanks for reading.
Make music.
Make people pay for music.
Pay for music.
Search for Tetrahedroseph on your favorite music platform. https://share.amuse.io/PTe4E7_4ji1Y
And
Sounds like things are looking good in your sphere.
!discovery 31
Thank you. I care and they noticed.
Hard to find a good drummer these days.
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I'm very happy for you because these are signs that you are on the right path. When people like what you do, and especially when later they harshly criticize what you do (because believe me that will happen, and I hope you are prepared to receive that criticism from whoever it comes to you), that is when you will have the great challenge, to maintain yourself in a "power situation" (that situation when you reach a certain musical level in which there is a reasonable difficulty to maintain yourself).
That is progress, it is progress, and I celebrate this achievement on your part brother!
May things continue to improve, and I'm already looking forward to seeing what the first challenge that comes your way will be, and also how you're going to solve it!
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Yes, reasonable difficulty is a nice way to say it. A gym.
Right now, my challenge will be to stay fresh and practice my 16th note patterns. 🙂
Thanks for the kind words. I appreciate your comment and your interaction.
Hard to say which I liked best: the music or the boat.
I can help. Boat is more likely to get you food.
😐
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Hey @manclar new post about Big Band. Probably gonna have video for the next one. This post here is just a big text Wall. ✌️
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