Critique your own band

jd0272

axisus said:

Basically we are rubbish. We don't play live. It would be difficult as I play guitar, bass, keyboards and drums for the band. I don't sing. We don't have a singer.

We're rubbish. But we gig, have a giggle, and get paid. And re-booked.

Hire some people.  

PolarityMan

8 minute songs aren't long enough

17/8 is tedious try to branch out into odd time more

2 songs which are non canonical with the story covered by the rest of our songs is 2 songs too many

We have too many choruses in songs, sometimes more than one occurrence in a single tune

We get to the vocals too quickly, really the audience needs at least 4 mins of instrumental to get the emotional context if what we have to say.

Metal doesn't need great lead vocals with rich harmonies we should really just shave our singers head and get him to grunt gutterally down the mic.

Playing originals has way too much artistic integrity, we should learn mustang Sally for the next gig.

 I may have had some port.

mike_l

digitalscream said:

mike_l said:

 

Question: why aren't you in a band yet? I'm curious

Anyway, #3's irrelevant when in a band, 'cos it doesn't need to be as perfect as you always think it does at home. #2 would come naturally after playing for a while. #1...can't help you there...

@digitalscream

In order.

The biggest reason I'm not is down to time available.

Depending on what shift I'm doing I'm either out the house at 5am for a 5-30 get home, or I get home at around 7.

Also, with having Crohn's I get chronic fatigue, basically, I'm shattered most of the time..

The Perfect thing, I'm very hard on myself as to getting things right, I don't like to think I'm not as good as the others around me (I'm probably wrong, as I've had other guitarists say "nice playing" when out at jam nights-yet I feel like I'm the least capable guitarist there).

 

I shall try this year to learn more songs, including solo's.

meltedbuzzbox

ahh therapy

Bass player : Stand up at practice, we are not a Jazz band. 

Other guitar : Turn it down, I know before I even flick my amp on you will be too loud. 

Drummer : Timing. Dont click in at one speed and start the song at another. 

Me : Be willing to make more mistakes singing. Its the only way to learn

digitalscream

mike_l said:

The Perfect thing, I'm very hard on myself as to getting things right, I don't like to think I'm not as good as the others around me (I'm probably wrong, as I've had other guitarists say "nice playing" when out at jam nights-yet I feel like I'm the least capable guitarist there).

To be perfectly honest, I feel exactly like that at jam nights; it's not a measure of ability, it's a measure of how comfortable you are blasting licks out on the fly. I, for example, am not. I hate jamming and improvising...I'd much rather plan what I'm playing in advance - the trouble is that my brain automatically does that when I'm improvising, so I'm always thinking about 10 seconds ahead and not concentrating on what I'm playing now.

The end result? Shit. I sound like I first picked a guitar up two weeks ago.

Roland

We had a band critique session in the summer. Results so far:

Singer: quit smoking [tick].  Audience repartee - improving

Backing vox: improve or leave [tick - she left last week]

Bass: stop buying gear - how unlikely is that, but at least he only brings one bass?

Sax: get a tenor - [tick].  Get that alto mended - has to happen because I've repossessed the alto he was borrowing

Guitar: learn the arrangements, and don't keep changing what you play because other people are cueing off it

mike_l

digitalscream said:

mike_l said:

The Perfect thing, I'm very hard on myself as to getting things right, I don't like to think I'm not as good as the others around me (I'm probably wrong, as I've had other guitarists say "nice playing" when out at jam nights-yet I feel like I'm the least capable guitarist there).

To be perfectly honest, I feel exactly like that at jam nights; it's not a measure of ability, it's a measure of how comfortable you are blasting licks out on the fly. I, for example, am not. I hate jamming and improvising...I'd much rather plan what I'm playing in advance - the trouble is that my brain automatically does that when I'm improvising, so I'm always thinking about 10 seconds ahead and not concentrating on what I'm playing now.

The end result? Shit. I sound like I first picked a guitar up two weeks ago.

You've hit the nail right on the head. When I've practised a part, and I know I know the part, then I'm fine, and happy, pulling a solo out unpractised, and I find it really uncomfortable. And despite knowing more than one pentatonic shape, I seem to find myself playing that one pentatonic shape.

digitalscream

mike_l said:

You've hit the nail right on the head. When I've practised a part, and I know I know the part, then I'm fine, and happy, pulling a solo out unpractised, and I find it really uncomfortable. And despite knowing more than one pentatonic shape, I seem to find myself playing that one pentatonic shape.

Don't let it get you down. I've been playing for 30 years (and on stage for 15 or 20), and I still can't stand playing like that. I used to think it made me a crap guitarist, but actually it's just a case of personal preference. In a band though, I have the luxury of deciding the context for all my playing, so I simply engineer it so I don't have to.

mike_l

Yeah, I know exactly what you're saying, and in a situation where I'm playing a part I've rehearsed, even in a jam situation (IE I've not rehearsed with the others playing) I'm fine. Getting told "it's a 12 bar in Am" always makes me reach for the 5th pos Am pentatonic. It seems to be more of a panic of "shit, I don't want to play a wrong note" thing than anything else.

Drew_TNBD

Can you play an encore? Ohh... your songs are too long. I guess you can't!

IanSavage

jd0272 said:

Singer- sing the correct fckn words, to the correct song,  at the correct times.

Singer- don't miss entire verses.

Singer- be aware when you come in.

Singer- be aware when not to come in ie; when there's two bstrd solo's not one.

.

How do you know when the singer's knocking on your front door?

It's out of time, they've got the wrong key and they don't know when to come in.