Hey folks, for those new to the diary, I am a middle aged musician enjoying a bit of a musical renaissance, including finally picking up the bass as a secondary instrument. I am learning *pretty* much on the fly, generally gigging either in a duo/trio, and am documenting my gigs with brief writeups. I have links to past entries (which started on Facebook) below!
I got the call to play May 15th around supper time. My poor car is waiting on some bodywork to fix a sagging gas tank, so I am trying to limit discretionary trips, but I needed a night out.
The host (guitarist/lead vocals) had a different drummer for tonight. Getting to play with a drummer again was a big draw for me, and boy was this guy *good*.
I found it harder to hear where I sat in the mix for some reason, and found my tone to be off all night. I am going into the board, and I found out from the drummer afterwards that he had trouble hearing me too, so we both kindof ended up locking in with the guitar. It didn't always work, but it was good enough to entertain a few bar patrons. I think a bass amp might be on the "to buy" list for later in the Summer.
As has become the norm, when it was good, it was *good*. There were moments of brilliance, but I had to fight for them on my end. There ended up being a steady stream of guest vocalists, including a bigger guy who was three sheets to the wind, and it threw me off a little honestly. I really didn't like my tone most of the time.
My playing was ok when I was concentrating and knew the song well enough, with the reggae songs being a standout again. The drummer was a pro at the reggae beat, so that was a real treat. I used my Bass Clone chorus pedal finally, and enjoyed it. I need to dial in some settings on it, but i'm super glad I have something just to mix things up. I think a drive pedal would have been a bit of fun, but I am not going nuts on effects.
Varied my attack a fair bit, switching back to the bridge area to get a more pronounced tone (I really like that tone in general, particularly with fingers), and used a pick for a few songs.
All in all, it was a fun time. We played for three hours straight, all off the cuff. Some songs worked, some didn't. No real backing vocals for me this time, as the guest singers occupied that spot. Not a big deal. I definitely feel my overall technique is improving, but honestly, this was only an ok gig for me in terms of my performance. I was definitely the weak link. Onwards and upwards!
1st entry: Bass Players | Played my first bass gig tonight
| Facebook
2nd entry: Bass Players | First off, Merry Christmas | Facebook
3rd entry: Bass Players | Third bass gig tonight | Facebook
4th entry: Bass Players | Another gig tonight | Facebook
5th entry: Bass Players | Another entry in my running gig diary | Facebook
6th entry: https://www.talkbass.com/threads/diary-of-a-bassist-6.1645734/#post-28323213
7th entry: https://www.talkbass.com/threads/diary-of-a-bassist-7-or-along-came-a-drummer.1646312/
8th entry: https://www.talkbass.com/threads/diary-of-a-bassist-8-there-goes-the-drummer.1649424/#post-28411461
I got the call to play May 15th around supper time. My poor car is waiting on some bodywork to fix a sagging gas tank, so I am trying to limit discretionary trips, but I needed a night out.
The host (guitarist/lead vocals) had a different drummer for tonight. Getting to play with a drummer again was a big draw for me, and boy was this guy *good*.
I found it harder to hear where I sat in the mix for some reason, and found my tone to be off all night. I am going into the board, and I found out from the drummer afterwards that he had trouble hearing me too, so we both kindof ended up locking in with the guitar. It didn't always work, but it was good enough to entertain a few bar patrons. I think a bass amp might be on the "to buy" list for later in the Summer.
As has become the norm, when it was good, it was *good*. There were moments of brilliance, but I had to fight for them on my end. There ended up being a steady stream of guest vocalists, including a bigger guy who was three sheets to the wind, and it threw me off a little honestly. I really didn't like my tone most of the time.
My playing was ok when I was concentrating and knew the song well enough, with the reggae songs being a standout again. The drummer was a pro at the reggae beat, so that was a real treat. I used my Bass Clone chorus pedal finally, and enjoyed it. I need to dial in some settings on it, but i'm super glad I have something just to mix things up. I think a drive pedal would have been a bit of fun, but I am not going nuts on effects.
Varied my attack a fair bit, switching back to the bridge area to get a more pronounced tone (I really like that tone in general, particularly with fingers), and used a pick for a few songs.
All in all, it was a fun time. We played for three hours straight, all off the cuff. Some songs worked, some didn't. No real backing vocals for me this time, as the guest singers occupied that spot. Not a big deal. I definitely feel my overall technique is improving, but honestly, this was only an ok gig for me in terms of my performance. I was definitely the weak link. Onwards and upwards!
1st entry: Bass Players | Played my first bass gig tonight
| Facebook2nd entry: Bass Players | First off, Merry Christmas | Facebook
3rd entry: Bass Players | Third bass gig tonight | Facebook
4th entry: Bass Players | Another gig tonight | Facebook
5th entry: Bass Players | Another entry in my running gig diary | Facebook
6th entry: https://www.talkbass.com/threads/diary-of-a-bassist-6.1645734/#post-28323213
7th entry: https://www.talkbass.com/threads/diary-of-a-bassist-7-or-along-came-a-drummer.1646312/
8th entry: https://www.talkbass.com/threads/diary-of-a-bassist-8-there-goes-the-drummer.1649424/#post-28411461