Fired Again

[dannobasso]

Relax, pick up your bass, play along with your favorite cds, go for a walk, read a book, listen to a book, be positive, go forward as the other learned gentlemen have said. Burn some eucolyptus leaves and rid your gear of the evil spirits. Or burn the other leaves you are fond of......

[flaxattack]

thanks danno and friend bill...
i got my answers from his reply
if it aint played like the original they dont capish...

[terryc]

Well I have just joined a classic rock band(not really my style but I need the money), anyway at the audition I played some fills to close up the sound, anyway they were well pleased and gave me some very positive comments, so it is not all that bad to expand the original when it is necessary.
Flax...time to move on now, it's nearly a week so it is all gone, I am sure you will get something more for your style and taste.

[cozmik_cowboy]

Can't Get Enough of Your Love? American Band??
BILLY JOEL?  Dude, you are SO much better off without them!  
And let me add, on the subject of note-for-note: about 25 years ago I was making a living doing sound for a cover band - 60s pop, Motown, a touch of Stax, the usual; not, however, the original arrangements.  I thought the way they did most songs was actually a little better, and it seemed to work for the audiences, too. We weren't playing stadia & getting rich, but we were filling bars & getting by. The keyboard player (the only one with a day job) started agitating to become a copy band - they practiced, then started playing, note-for-note - the crowds fell off, the gigs stopped coming, I went to work at Guitar Center.  
 
Peter

[eligilam]

Try starting a bass-centric band like Primus or RIM...then you can call all the shots and play the bass any way you want.  Finding submissive guitar players can be tough, though.  I recommend scouring the local subway stations.

[keith_h]

Well Flax I was playing with some folks last night and on one particular song with a very sparse bass part I was told by the keyboard player to play more notes. I've written that one down in my book of firsts. LOL ... Just goes to show there are folks out there that don't expect you to play the root all night long. Be patient and something will come along.  
 
Keith

[mike1762]

It seems the underlying theme of this post is what is an appropriate bass line.  The answer depends on the situation and everyones expectations.  Bass players are often relegated to the back line while the guitar player goes.... Weedely, weedely, weeee!!!.  It seems other instruments are often held to a different standard as far as improvisation goes and I think that reflects the importance of the bass and drums in holding a song together.  As long as those two guys are on the same page, venturing outside the box can work (check out footage of John Paul Jones and John Bonham working together).  I used to set-up extra practice sessions just with my drummer to be sure that we were locked in in both a musical and a spiritual context.  Over time we learned to anticipate each other's moves.  With your next band, I would spend time developing a relationship with the drummer and you will have an advocate the other guys can't shake.

[lbpesq]

I prefer bands where everyone does weedely!  lol
In my Dead band we have a bass player who had little previous experience playing Dead material.  We're always encouraging him to be more active, to think of the bass more as a lead instrument.  It's all about context.
 
Bill, tgo

[richbass939]

Flax, I'm sorry you are having so much trouble lately finding people who are not boneheads.  I guess I have been lucky.  Even the most controlling band leader I have ever worked for gave me some freedom.  The people I play with now are just there to try to make the music sound good and have some fun, even when preparing for a gig.  
I find that it's easier to get some feeling and personality coming across when I'm playing what I feel not copying someone's line note-for-note.  If your bands don't get that then you will have more fun without them.  Again, sorry you're having to go through all this.  
Rich

[benson_murrensun]

I am lucky because I am in a band with people who are my friends first and foremost, and co-musicians somewhere after that. We are 2 guitarists, drummer and me (bass). We tend to stretch tunes a bit and get outside now and then; in fact, I am the one who usually tries to keep the original thread of the tune close by while the others are cuttin' loose. I have had the experience of watching the guitarists go off into outer space while I hung with the simple bass part until I could stand it no longer, and to make a point, I would start playing lots more notes and syncopations and see if they would get the idea to get back to the tune. But it backfired! They loved it, and encourage me to play like that more often! Like Daffy Duck has been known to say, Ya' never know where you're goin' 'till ya' get there.

[ttwatts]

Hang in there Flax.  
 
I constantly have the same issue. Keep at it and I am sure you will find a group worthy of your talents.
 
(Prayers) ttwatts