Re: A childish rant

"George" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in nmessage
ews:[EMAIL PROTECTED]

<snippage>

> So
> I'm with these other middle age weekend warriors. I'm the new guy so I
> know there's some fitting in I have to do but I have some worries.

<snippage>

> Then at our last practice, we stopped to retune the guitars a
> half-step down for a few songs "because that's how they are on the
> record". I voiced my reservations about this; about the break in
> momentum in a live setting to tune and retune back again. And so what
> if we have to learn them off the record at home this way, it doesn't
> have to carry over into a performance for paying customers. They won't
> care as long as we do it well. And turns out we didn't do it well - it
> really sucked.

Not that I actually know what I'm doing, at any given moment in time...but,
as a female bass player - and the leader of my all cover band, Chaindrive
(all male, except for me - all weekend warriors) - getting the women to
dance is the goal.  And whenever I can, I take to the dance floor with my
bass and get the women to dance with me while I'm playing.  This won't help
you unless you happen to have a female musician in your band, but you know
what I'm talking about, and sending your bass player (or you) down to the
dance floor always works - male or female member.

And, although I really dig alternative music, I've found that what you had
included in your CD that you submitted SHOULD BE PLAYED.  We can play the
harder stuff all day long, but in the end, someone always wants Mellencamp
or ZZ or Kravitz (or Grand Funk, or Skynyrd).  Always.  Ditch the Metallica
and the like or put it at the end in the "Drunk Set" where no one in the
audience cares what you're playing.

My spastic, anal guitar player has this to say about tune downs - woodshed
tuned down or up and play them in standard when you gig.  So that's what we
do.  Learn them with the originals in different tuning, and just don't touch
your tuning when you play out.  It makes life much easier - and you don't
have to waste valuable stage time by tuning.  The very few songs (2, I
think) that we drop D for are put at places where no time is lost on stage
(long a capella intro by the singer only, or something else happening) and
we can go up or down without anyone noticing.  And it goes without saying -
if yer gonna tune down or up on stage, use a stage tuner so the audience
doesn't hear it.

Rob and DT have the right idea, though.  Ethan has a good point, but if
you're in a tiny town like I am, it ain't that easy to find another
project - there just aren't a bunch of musicians to choose from that are
available.  Maybe Daniel is in your neck of the woods?

Anyway - that's my take on what's going on with your band.  For what it's
worth.  I just know that I've lived through what you're doing right now and
come to my own conclusions...

Good luck,

Kimmie
:)