Clueless On Stage

[Honch]

They, thanks for all the replies, folks.

I AM pretty new to playing bass, and this IS the first real gigging group I've played with. And I didn't mean to make the BL out to be some horrible guy or anything lol. He has his moments, but he's a decent guy. As I sad in the OP, everybody gets along well and we tend to play well together when it's all meshing.
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You should be able to nail it, after first verse/chorus... when it come around the second time, you should be able to do it. But the important thing here, with the BL, can he take his own medicine? He damm well knows that SOME of the band members knows what he yells out of the blue, but if not ANYONE in the band knows the tune at all, does he still carry on? I've encountered band leaders who yelled out song title, key, and that measures "2 4rs 8ths and middle 8 in C, 2 8 bars!!!" I can't even relate to that. Like an order at a table at a restaurant.... the main thing with ALL these BL's is that they themselves wouldn't hold a candle if faced with the same situation. If they were so proficient at it, they would know that it's nothing you yell out to the others.

I make one thing clear: I don't play for anyone IN the band. No one. Me and the audience first. The BL is the last thing I would play for.

 

[Bass Viking]

You should be able to nail it, after first verse/chorus... when it come around the second time, you should be able to do it. But the important thing here, with the BL, can he take his own medicine? He damm well knows that SOME of the band members knows what he yells out of the blue, but if not ANYONE in the band knows the tune at all, does he still carry on? I've encountered band leaders who yelled out song title, key, and that measures "2 4rs 8ths and middle 8 in C, 2 8 bars!!!" I can't even relate to that. Like an order at a table at a restaurant.... the main thing with ALL these BL's is that they themselves wouldn't hold a candle if faced with the same situation. If they were so proficient at it, they would know that it's nothing you yell out to the others.

I make one thing clear: I don't play for anyone IN the band. No one. Me and the audience first. The BL is the last thing I would play for.

You know what they say about the frontman: he`s someone who isn`t a good enough musician to be a sideman.

 

[jamro217]

Another way to avoid this situation is to play percussion on the tune, or clap your hands above your head and entice the audience to participate. This approach isn't very useful for ballads, though.

 

[Space Pickle]

Another way to avoid this situation is to play percussion on the tune, or clap your hands above your head and entice the audience to participate. This approach isn't very useful for ballads, though.

On a ballad you could get out a lighter!

 

[RoadRanger]

On a ballad you could get out a lighter!

...and light the BL on fire?

 

[craigie]

Ballads are the hardest to do this kind of thing on. every note is just so out there.

Sounds like you don't have any of the other band problems so often encountered so just roll with it. The guys guys who can do it really well learned this way. A bit painful at times but picture two years down the road when you can pull it off well.

When you flub a chord make a mental note so that you hit it next time it comes around. Take a notepad to make note of the song and learn it later and see what threw you. This is a great exercise in finding out where your ears are weak.
Sometimes you can slide up or down and find the note. One possible drawback of turning down or using a very muted tone is it's harder to hear if you're right.

I'm assuming you're not doing prog rock stiff where you would be F'd.

It helps immensely to think in there of I, I, V etc and I hate guitarists calling chords to me because G C B D E all sound the same and sometimes they have a capo on anyway.

And have fun with it! Lay down a big I or V pedal note for four or eight bars while they try and figure out what's going on. Then yell "bridge!" and hit the bridge . You don't know the song so fair game.

 

[mrcbass]

This is a great exercise in finding out where your ears are weak.

Agreed....in rehearsal or at home with the radio. I do this all the time.

In live setting? This is ridiculous.

Of course it's a good skill to be able to pick things out of the air, and yes it does become easier with time. But nobody should subject someone with this in a live performance if they are not ready for it yet. I'm lucky to have a pretty decent ear and find that when I'm working most pop/rock/country type songs cold, I have "a" part dialed in by the end - but the first 3/4 of the song probably sounded like I have no idea what I'm doing. Is that what we want to present to the audience?

I get the "adjust to the crowd" idea of adjusting set lists on the fly, but there should still be a master set list to prepare from. If I didn't prepare everything on the list: (assuming a reasonable amount of time) my bad. You just throw out a song I've never even heard at me on stage live, don't even give me a key or at least a basic structure: good luck with that - hope I don't embarrass you guys......

 

[jamro217]

On a ballad you could get out a lighter!

...and light the BL on fire?

Is "Light My Fire" a ballad?

 

[craigie]

Agreed....in rehearsal or at home with the radio. I do this all the time.

In live setting? This is ridiculous.

Of course it's a good skill to be able to pick things out of the air, and yes it does become easier with time. But nobody should subject someone with this in a live performance if they are not ready for it yet. I'm lucky to have a pretty decent ear and find that when I'm working most pop/rock/country type songs cold, I have "a" part dialed in by the end - but the first 3/4 of the song probably sounded like I have no idea what I'm doing. Is that what we want to present to the audience?

I get the "adjust to the crowd" idea of adjusting set lists on the fly, but there should still be a master set list to prepare from. If I didn't prepare everything on the list: (assuming a reasonable amount of time) my bad. You just throw out a song I've never even heard at me on stage live, don't even give me a key or at least a basic structure: good luck with that - hope I don't embarrass you guys......

True enough that certain songs are too unpredictable. La masque a Raymond saulnier by fayo has a bridge that repeats but the verse is always a different form so impossible to predict.