Once again in a band

Well, my whole musical adventure seems to finally truly be taking off. Those of you who have been reading my posts lately should know that I've been talking with both a drummer and two bassists (one of whom has suddenly shown disinterest in joining after I told him he'd have to drive just about 15 miles for rehearsals), and the drummer might have a practice-room available for us to use for free. Well, guess what? The drummer just called me today and said that we have been granted that well-equipped music-room at a school, for use as rehearsal space! Sure, we can't leave amps, guitars and basses in there between rehearsals, since the school still needs to use it every day, and it's only intended as a temporary solution until we get our own space, PA and equipment, but it still beats not having a place to practice (or paying for one when we still can't legally call ourselves a band yet).

We have agreed to meet on this Wednesday evening, and have already managed to agree on a few songs to learn. The songs we have agreed on so far are: "Back In Black" (AC/DC), "Highway Star" (Deep Purple), "Summer Of 69" (Bryan Adams) and "Red Hot And Heavy" (Pretty Maids). I'd say that selection sounds pretty good for starters. There's some classic Arena-Rock, there's some radio-friendly rock, and there's a little bit of Heavy Metal. I'm not really that big on "Back In Black", really, but this is a band we're talking about, so I'm willing to just go with it.

Now, we'll be starting out without a bassist, but he'll be joining us soon enough. For now, I'll have to learn as much as I can of those songs for Wednesday evening. Luckily, I just went through "Summer Of 69" last night, and I still had it down almost perfectly, so I only reall need to worry about 3 songs (and I'm already in the process of learning "Red Hot And Heavy" by ear, since I can't find any tabs for it...).

I have a good feeling about this...

Good for you!!! Sounds like you've got things in place to start taking off. The bass player situation just took care of itself, so that's a bonus.

Unless you are the drummer (or bass player possibly), hauling your own gear isn't too terrible. It beats not having any space to use...and it's free!

Your songs to start off with sound good. Back in Black was one of the first songs I learned way back when. It's a classic...I'd still play it today.

Good luck and keep us posted!!

Originally Posted by: maggiorGood for you!!! Sounds like you've got things in place to start taking off. The bass player situation just took care of itself, so that's a bonus.

Unless you are the drummer (or bass player possibly), hauling your own gear isn't too terrible. It beats not having any space to use...and it's free!

Your songs to start off with sound good. Back in Black was one of the first songs I learned way back when. It's a classic...I'd still play it today.

Good luck and keep us posted!!

Thanks, Rich. What's even better is that the Bassist we're going with is the one I preferred all along. I agree that Back in Black is a classic. I feel that we've picked some great songs to start with. The songs we chose are some that most people should be able to sing along to (or at least the choruses). For now, I'm just gonna learn the main part of the songs and then improvise some solos. I can't learn the songs completely in just two days...

You'll have time to learn the solos, and improvising them for now is a good approach. When first rehearsing a song as a band, you have to get the groove down and then get the song form down. It's unlikely that you'll get both of those down in one rehearsal session. Even if each individual has it down on their own, it still takes time to get it down as a band, especially if you are just starting to play together.

Have fun and don't expect miracles at the first rehearsal.

Originally Posted by: maggiorYou'll have time to learn the solos, and improvising them for now is a good approach. When first rehearsing a song as a band, you have to get the groove down and then get the song form down. It's unlikely that you'll get both of those down in one rehearsal session. Even if each individual has it down on their own, it still takes time to get it down as a band, especially if you are just starting to play together.

Have fun and don't expect miracles at the first rehearsal.

Yeah, you're kind of an expert on that by now (compared to me, anyway). I've already got the guitar for the intro, verse and chorus parts of Highway Star down. Since we lack an organ or keyboard for this first rehearsal, I'll probably be playing both the organ and guitar solos on guitar... Or rather, I'll just improvise two guitar solos. So far, this is actually going a lot smoother than I had expected... There's still room for improvement on Ritchie's parts, though. But I suppose that comes once my speed improves... And after practicing it a lot more, of course.

I certainly don't expect miracles. Not yet, anyway. Maybe when we've been playing together for a while and things just come together perfectly. But for now, I agree that having fun is more important.

So, with the first rehearsal coming up tomorrow, I'm certainly starting to feel a bit anxious... I find that to be a good thing. Normally, whenever I feel this anxious about something, it goes better than I expect. I felt the same way prior to jamming with the Bassist back in May, where it actually got to the point where I considered locking myself up inside the practice space and not letting him in... Probably shouldn't tell him that...

I've practiced my parts as much as I could in this short amount of time. I prefer to have more time, but that's how life works. Sometimes you just don't get what you ask for. So I've learned the basics of how to play the riffs in Highway Star and I already knew Summer Of 69, so we'll take it from there.

One thing I like about this, however, is that I will be using my own gear, not some rental gear like when I jammed with the Bassist. That means it'll be easier for me to dial in the tone I want. As for guitars, I'll be bringing my Les Paul and my ES-345. Normally, I'd bring my SG instead of the ES, but my SG is in for repair, and since my ES is more used for bluesy stuff than rock, I think it'll be exciting to see how well it handles the SG's domain. It'll also be interesting to see if my amp can keep up with the drummer, to be honest. If not, I'll need to buy a tube amp for band practice.

I'd wish I had time to get the riffs in Back In Black down. For some reason the turnarounds just seem out of reach within the short time I had... Well, we'll work on that soon enough.

I'll let you guys know how this goes. Hopefully, we'll agree to meet up again with the Bassist and start calling ourselves a band.

Good luck! I agree with Rich - don't expect miracles. It will be a major step forward to play through just one song with another musician. You're only at the start of a great adventure. Let's face it, lots of us guitarists never get beyond the confines of our own bedrooms! I wish you well! Steve

Thanks Steve.

It seems that there's been a misunderstanding between the drummer and me. The rehearsal is Wednesday next week, not Wednesday this week. On the bright side, that gives us more time to learn our parts. On the not so bright side, it also gives the nerves time to build up even more... I guess that sort of thing can happen to anyone...

Hmm, too bad you have to wait an extra week. Definitely look at it as more time to have more of the material under your belt. It's hard, but try not too be nervous about it. Just keep reminding yourself that this is fun and it is a long term development; it's not all going to fall into place at the first jam!

Pretty Maids? Love the choice...but you and the drummer might be the only two that know the songs.... ;)

Yeah, I intend to put that week to good use. If I have the time to practice my guitar parts, even for a few minutes only, I might as well do just that. I'm getting closer to having Highway Star and Red Hot And Heavy down. I personally consider Red Hot And Heavy to be my biggest achievement on guitar in a very long time, since there are no tabs for it that I can use to learn it. All I have is my ears for that song. It's actually pretty fun to learn it by ear, even if I'm not gonna learn the solo just yet. I'm starting with the riffs, then everything else.

On another note, I found out today that my ES actually handles the SG's domain pretty well... Why the hell am I considering it a secondary guitar? It's amazing in almost every aspect! Great tone, love the Varitone system, great intonation, more comfortable neck and body-positioning than my LP... The Bigsby vibrato annoys me a little, since I generally don't use vibrato bars very much, but not enough to make up for the awesomeness... I should use it more often, really...

Originally Posted by: JeffS65Pretty Maids? Love the choice...but you and the drummer might be the only two that know the songs.... ;)

Actually, the Bassist knows them too, so we should be pretty good... If we choose to add more Deep Purple or Pretty Maids stuff to our repertoire, though, we'll need a keyboard player so we can have their awesome harmonies between guitar and keys (like in "Future World").

So, the rehearsal with the drummer is tomorrow evening, and the nerves are starting to come back, not yet as uncontrollable as last week, but they're there. I actually think having had this extra week to learn my parts helped. At least I now have the riffs in "Highway Star", "Summer Of 69" and "Red Hot And Heavy" down. That's 3 out of 4, which I consider to be pretty damn good in one week, even if there's still plenty of room for improvement. And I've found a way to play the main riff in "Back In Black" that doesn't put excessive strain on my hands. Actually, I just changed the turnarounds a bit, by moving some notes to different positions or using hammer-ons and pull-offs for the "fast" turnaround. It might not be 100% correct, but it's good enough for me, really.

On a slightly related note, I decided yesterday to listen to one of the bands that originally made me want to learn to play the guitar, way before I discovered GNR, Deep Purple, Dire Straits and most other bands I like today... And they still motivate me to go pick up my guitar and practice. It doesn't really matter who they are or where they're from in my opinion. There's just something about that band's style, tone and music that motivates me like crazy. And trust me. I really needed that added amount of motivation. It's the main reason I managed to get the "Back In Black" riff down as well... Because I wanted to get that riff down, even if I had to make changes here and there.

Let's see how things work out this time... I've already prepared most of my gear that I'll need tomorrow. Les Paul and ES-345 in separate bags, packed plenty of picks (as in all 250+, except for my "collector's picks" I've gotten from gigs in the past), Mustang Amp ready, stands for guitars, and the dusty old suitcase I turned into a functional pedal-board is as ready as it gets (it's a long story). I intend to make this rehearsal go as smoothly as possible, so I'd really rather be overly prepared than missing a thing or two when I get there.

You packin' this stuff in a van :-). Are you sure you don't need more picks? ;-)

Kidding aside, I like to over-prepare as well. I pack an extension chord, an extra guitar cord, extra batteries for my audio recorder. When somebody says "crap, I forgot my chord" I got 'em covered.

I've made plenty of riffs and solos "my own". In another forum, I posted a recording I made of "China Grove" by the Doobie Brothers. When I was learning this song for the band, I ran out of time to learn the entire solo, so I "faked" the last phrase. The rest I have down note for note. My faked part fits and it's easy for me to play. I challenged people listening to the recording to identify a part that I "made my own". Nobody did, so I say mission accomplished! I did the same thing with "Hard to Handle"...nobody can tell.

As long as you capture the spirit of the original part, nobody will even notice. Unless you want to learn it for your own personal satisfaction, there's no reason not to fake it if you find that easier to do.

Good luck tomorrow night...don't let the nerves get to you, it's all fun. Be chilled and relaxed and don't expect miracles.

Hey Kasperow - I'll fly over if you need a roadie! But seriously, best of luck with the practice tomorrow - sounds like you've got the start of a good setlist there. Yours, Steve

Originally Posted by: maggiorYou packin' this stuff in a van :-). Are you sure you don't need more picks? ;-)

Kidding aside, I like to over-prepare as well. I pack an extension chord, an extra guitar cord, extra batteries for my audio recorder. When somebody says "crap, I forgot my chord" I got 'em covered.

I've made plenty of riffs and solos "my own". In another forum, I posted a recording I made of "China Grove" by the Doobie Brothers. When I was learning this song for the band, I ran out of time to learn the entire solo, so I "faked" the last phrase. The rest I have down note for note. My faked part fits and it's easy for me to play. I challenged people listening to the recording to identify a part that I "made my own". Nobody did, so I say mission accomplished! I did the same thing with "Hard to Handle"...nobody can tell.

As long as you capture the spirit of the original part, nobody will even notice. Unless you want to learn it for your own personal satisfaction, there's no reason not to fake it if you find that easier to do.

Good luck tomorrow night...don't let the nerves get to you, it's all fun. Be chilled and relaxed and don't expect miracles.[/QUOTE]
Nah, I think I have enough picks. I couldn't be bothered to take a few out of my pick-bowl, so I just bring all of them. At least I won't run out, and even if that happens, I have a few old credit cards and other such plastic cards lying around, waiting to be turned into picks :)

Thanks, man. I'll try and relax. It's usually a lot easier when we get started. The problem is playing that first riff to get it started, which is why I've made it part of my start-up routine to actually noodle around with my amp on while warming up my fingers. Works well enough to break the nerves down and get some music going.

[QUOTE=Steve Barrow]Hey Kasperow - I'll fly over if you need a roadie! But seriously, best of luck with the practice tomorrow - sounds like you've got the start of a good setlist there. Yours, Steve

Is that an offer? If so, I'll try and keep it in mind once we go to the States :) Seriously, though, thank you for the encouragement. I think we have some great songs already, at least for starters. Eventually, they'll be replaced with original songs, but right now, we just need some songs to rehearse. We don't even know for sure if this is gonna be the start of the next huge thing or not. But, I'm pretty positive about this.

Originally Posted by: KasperowNah, I think I have enough picks. I couldn't be bothered to take a few out of my pick-bowl, so I just bring all of them. At least I won't run out, and even if that happens, I have a few old credit cards and other such plastic cards lying around, waiting to be turned into picks :)

Thanks, man. I'll try and relax. It's usually a lot easier when we get started. The problem is playing that first riff to get it started, which is why I've made it part of my start-up routine to actually noodle around with my amp on while warming up my fingers. Works well enough to break the nerves down and get some music going.


Is that an offer? If so, I'll try and keep it in mind once we go to the States :) Seriously, though, thank you for the encouragement. I think we have some great songs already, at least for starters. Eventually, they'll be replaced with original songs, but right now, we just need some songs to rehearse. We don't even know for sure if this is gonna be the start of the next huge thing or not. But, I'm pretty positive about this.

Actually, Steve is in the UK. He's already the president of my UK fan club being the charter member :-) I'll be your roadie when you come to the States Kasperow:-).

Originally Posted by: maggiorActually, Steve is in the UK. He's already the president of my UK fan club being the charter member :-) I'll be your roadie when you come to the States Kasperow:-).

Oh. Then I can have Steve as my roadie for Western Europe gigs and you for gigs in the US :) For a band that still isn't officially a band yet, I'd say things are going pretty smoothly. Got a few local fans already, despite never having met each other let alone played gigs, got roadies for tours in the future, possibly got international fans as well... I think that's pretty awesome.

Thanks Kasperow. I hope all these things come true for you, and that it all starts well at your practice later. And thanks Rich - I'm honoured at the official recognition. I've already asked my wife to call me Mr President from now onwards! Best wishes, Steve

Originally Posted by: Steve BarrowAnd thanks Rich - I'm honoured at the official recognition. I've already asked my wife to call me Mr President from now onwards! Best wishes, Steve

LOL!! Mr. President, sir!