Frustrations of a lost guitarist

strat1990

Firstly, if I have posted this in the wrong section, apologies,

Right to it: I've been playing and learning the guitar for about 2 years now. Im ok, im not SRV or Buddy Guy, but what i play sounds good and I'm happy with that. 

My assumption (and indeed, aspiration) is to play in a band. However, I simply cannot find anywhere after over 6 months of searching. I recently moved to a village just outside Northampton town and it doesn't seem like there are any local bands hiring/at all. I cannot sing a note, so going solo just isn't an option. I've been in contact with a few people about starting something, but it always falls flat. 

Has anyone else experienced this problem? Or will I have to look further afield/ give up?? 

Any advice would be great. 

benmurray85

Are there any local jam nights in your area? These are how I started wth bands and gigging. They are a great starting point and will give you experience in playing live and build up contacts with players. 

Also dont be put off by time wasters when you’re looking to start a band. Unfortunately for every 1 serious potential bandmate there’s another 20 people who will talk the talk all day long but have absolutely zero intention of ever walking the walk. 

meltedbuzzbox

where abouts do you live in Northampton, it is surrounded by a lot of counties.
What sort of music are you looking at?

steamabacus

You just missed a FretBoard Jam in Northampton -

 http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/112143/northampton-jam-session-sunday-3rd-december-1-to-5pm/p1

I'd get in touch with some of those who attended this.

@mrkb

strat1990

meltedbuzzbox said:

where abouts do you live in Northampton, it is surrounded by a lot of counties.
What sort of music are you looking at?

Daventry area. I like 60s and 70s rock, country, blues. Not a huge metal head though

meltedbuzzbox

How old are you?

I am guessing by your profile you are born in 1990?

strat1990

Yup, assembled in 1990. Only started getting into guitar about 2 years ago when I was living in Oxford. 

strat1990

steamabacus said:

You just missed a FretBoard Jam in Northampton -

 http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/112143/northampton-jam-session-sunday-3rd-december-1-to-5pm/p1

I'd get in touch with some of those who attended this.

@mrkb

Great, many thanks 

strat1990

benmurray85 said:

Are there any local jam nights in your area? These are how I started wth bands and gigging. They are a great starting point and will give you experience in playing live and build up contacts with players. 

Also dont be put off by time wasters when you’re looking to start a band. Unfortunately for every 1 serious potential bandmate there’s another 20 people who will talk the talk all day long but have absolutely zero intention of ever walking the walk. 

I've always been apprehensive about jam nights (the idea of making myself look a fool in front of much more experienced guitarists fills me with dread), however it's a good idea. 

Thanks for the advice 

impmann

I used to live in Daventry and there's not a lot happening there other than inter-breeding and fighting. However, Rugby has a superb music scene. I used to play all around Rugby, Coventry and the surroundings - some good pubs and good people. It may be worth casting the net over in that direction - certainly Daventry is a bit of a cultural vacuum.

Northampton has a bit going on - but nowhere near what it was. There are some pretty big rehearsal rooms there so that could be a good starting point.

meltedbuzzbox

you have northantsbands.co.uk and joinmyband.co.uk

I know of a few people that play in Daventry but they are all in their 40s now.
Northampton generally has a heavier scene punk/metal variants and some indie, at least thats how its been for a fair few years.
There are a few covers bands about doing a wide range of material though scattered around the county. Corby used to have a lot of bands at one point.

There used to be a jam night in Daventry on a monday night... I think it was at the George Inn. Might be worth a look/phone call?

Phil_aka_Pip

hi! worth trying all the suggestions so far. here's another one. it is more expensive, time-consuming, and probably not wife-friendly but as I don't have one of those it isn't a problem.

I found that the people who were available to join in a band project wanted to do other things, weren't into my kind of music, or didn't have the skills. Also that the people who might have had the interest and the skills were earning good money working for other people and I couldn't afford them or guarantee the kind of work that would keep them employed. So ...

I decided that if I wanted to hear my music coming out of loudspeakers, I had better get some instruments, learn to operate them, learn to record them, and get some kit to do it with. I started in the late 1980s with 4-track cassette machines and now have a 16 track digital workstation. Most gear bought s/h, or end-of-line sales. The result:

http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb376/musophilr/CNV00023_zps92vzlwx5.jpg

Hope it inspires you, or if not, at least gives you food for thought.

Caveat: there's nothing like playing in a live band. Do go for it, even if your own music room ends up as your long-term goal.

strat1990

Thanks for all the advice, much appreciated 

meltedbuzzbox

strat1990 said:

benmurray85 said:

Are there any local jam nights in your area? These are how I started wth bands and gigging. They are a great starting point and will give you experience in playing live and build up contacts with players. 

Also dont be put off by time wasters when you’re looking to start a band. Unfortunately for every 1 serious potential bandmate there’s another 20 people who will talk the talk all day long but have absolutely zero intention of ever walking the walk. 

I've always been apprehensive about jam nights (the idea of making myself look a fool in front of much more experienced guitarists fills me with dread), however it's a good idea. 

Thanks for the advice 

getting up and having a go says a lot more than being an armchair critic mate. We all fuck up here and there, even when we play songs we have been playing for years.
You miss 100% of the shots you dont take and all that

Legionreturns

@Phil_aka_Pip ...I swiped through your (rather cool!) album of your studio setup, then this popped up and I spat my coffee. Thanks a bunch! 

EricTheWeary

The first problem with being a guitarist is that we tend to outnumber other musicians.
The second problem is that we tend to be stylistically narrow. 

There are two basic solutions:
- bring more to the party than just playing guitar.
- broaden your horizons

What else can you do? Backing vocals ( always say Yes, crappy shouty BVs are better than nothing at all)? Another instrument? Organisational skills? Prepared to do the legwork to get gigs? Easy to get on with? Just prepared to advertise rather than hoping something turns up?
Playing ability is very low down the list of strengths it takes to be in a gigging band.* 

Would you be musically fulfilled playing in an Adele tribute band or a metal oompah act?** Probably not but it would give you band experience, maybe paid gigs to get more gear and the confidence to start your own thing further down the line. So , take a broader approach when looking at JMB, etc. 

Good luck.


*Not that I'm gigging much at the moment but I am definitely proof of this.

** I've seen one, it's a real thing. You'd need your own leiderhosen though. 

Phil_aka_Pip

@Legionreturns IIRC it was @richardhomer who devised that, I thought it was so good I had to keep a copy. The Asian Stunners are my Yamahas

CarpeDiem

I'd agree with all of the suggestions above. I'd recommend going along to jam or open mic nights. People are generally friendly and supportive, and tolerant of mistakes! A lot of the audience are likely to be musicians, so it's a good way of making contacts. My experience is that there are a number of people around who want to play music with others and it's often the case of someone else taking the initiative to organise and get things moving.

sweepy

People who go out of their way to be snooty or “fastest gun” at jam nights soon become apparent, give it a go, we all started somewhere and you’ll soon find an expanding list of fellow nutters

meltedbuzzbox

Legionreturns said:

@Phil_aka_Pip ...I swiped through your (rather cool!) album of your studio setup, then this popped up and I spat my coffee. Thanks a bunch! 

Brilliant

richardhomer

Phil_aka_Pip said:

@Legionreturns IIRC it was @richardhomer who devised that, I thought it was so good I had to keep a copy. The Asian Stunners are my Yamahas

Sadly not me - but very amusing