Once again in a band

Well, 40 minutes until the Open jam starts. First, a band will be playing for an hour, aftrr that, it's free jamming. I went a bit earlier today and got a nice tour of the place, and I'd say the rehearsal rooms look pretty good. There's no gear in the one I saw (since they were all damaged from being flooded last year, and are now being fixed), but it looks pretty good anyway. They're also improving the waterproofing in the process, so hurray for that.

I'm going to ask someone tonight what the rehearsal rooms cost and if they're cheap enough, I'll suggest it to the Bassist and hope he's up for trying them out. Also, the place has free studio for recording demos and stuff, so that's only a plus.

For some reason, I've been walking around with a guitar all the time I had available today... I'm guessing it must be to calm the nerves and keep my fingers warmed up... Wish me luck (or don't, it's up to you :) )...

Just stumbled across this. According to my watch, you are about to start jamming!!!

Hope it went well!!

Originally Posted by: maggiorJust stumbled across this. According to my watch, you are about to start jamming!!!

Hope it went well!!

Well, to be honest, it actually didn't really go that well. I arrived just a few minutes ahead of time, and found a seat. The band who opened the jam went on-stage and played their set, and then the entire jam just died out after they were done. There was nobody other than me and the first band who were there to play, and they didn't want to play any of the stuff that I suggested so nobody got any actual jamming done... One of the listeners did come over and encourage me to go up on the stage and do a solo performance, even if whatever I could play wouldn't be anything actually impressive, but I let the nerves get in the way (in hindsight, I regret that)... The fact that the first band were way more skilled than I am probably only made the situation worse.

They did say that there's a jam every month or so, but if it's going to be like this every time, I doubt I'll even bother going every time...

I did, however, find out what the rehearsal spaces cost. 14-17$ a month for individuals, 4 times as much for a whole band. And that's assuming the band rehearses once a week only.

So for now, I'll just have to improve and try not to be as nervous next time. And maybe get to work on some of the riffs I've come up with recently...

Well that's disappointing! Sorry to hear that's what happened. It seems strange that they would have a "real band" open because no kidding it would intimidate those that have less experience. I don't blame you for feeling nervous.

Especially if people are encouraging you, definitely get up there. At those types of things, people are very understanding and supportive. Just having the experience of getting up in front of a crowd of strangers is amazing...no matter how well you play.

For us, we are paying $50(US) for 3 hours. So we are spending $200 per month for rehearsal space. Spread over 4 of us though, this is peanuts, especially when you consider that they have a nice Tama drum kit, 2 (yes 2!!) Marshall Tube half stacks (JCM 600, 900?? don't remember), and a 500W Hartke bass amp. Wow!!

Technically speaking, I'm not sure if it really qualifies as encouraging... In the beginning, they were just encouraging me to go up there, but after a while it turned into group-pressure, something I'm in no way a fan of... Too bad I couldn't get the nerves to calm down. Maybe next time...

50$ sounds incredibly cheap for a fully equipped practice space. Especially for a full band. If you're 5 people in the band, that's 10$ per member. That's roughly the same as what a new set of strings costs around here (if we're not talking expensive strings like Elixir or Martin Lifetime strings)... Anyone should be able to afford that!

I recall someone saying in another thread that most Open Mics are governed by a select few regular performers, and that seems to be the case here as well...

After the opening band had played, some of the non-musicians came over to me while I was sitting with my gig-bag, and actually tried to hep me build up the courage to go up on the tiny stage alone. One of them even sat down for an hour or so, and just talked about all kinds of things, mostly how the absense of "proper" music has nearly ruined the Open Jam nights. The audience wants to hear Classic Rock, but nobody plays that kind of stuff at the Open Jams anymore, because Classic Rock simply is too popular in this town, so the bands who used to play Classic Rock started to get a fanbase, started booking gigs, made money and stopped playing for free at Open Jam nights, leaving only a sorry excuse for a Thrash Metal cover-band who plays every single time despite nobody wanting to hear them.

In fact, it's been almost two years since last time anyone played Classic Rock at that venue's Open Jam nights, so the only ones who actually still come are either staff, optimists, the Thrash Metal cover-band or people who don't want to pay more than 2$ for a beer... And then there was me, completely new to it, didn't know anyone, but after I mentioned that I like and play Classic Rock, people started becoming all friendly and supportive... If I could redo one decision I've made in the last 72 hours, I would probably choose that one. But, as one of the supporters said, it's okay if I don't go up there the first time. I can try again next time, and maybe be a bit more prepared then, and when I'm ready to take the leap of faith, they won't judge me.

I know I shouldn't be losing sleep over this, but somehow, I still am... Maybe next time they have an Open Jam night, I can be a bit more mentally prepared. At least, now I have a better idea of how it works, so something good did come out of it, even if it's not much...

If your going to lose sleep over it, You might just want to get up and play a of improve..
Hope you get something happening with the Open Mic show..
Keep at it..

Yeah, I'm hoping that next time, I'll be able to get myself up there and play some of my favorite songs... On that note, I've still got a lengthy list of classic tunes I'd love to learn, but learning them all at the same time seems exhausting, and learning one at a time will take years to get me through the list, so how many songs is it recommended that I work on at a time? Like all other guitarists, or musicians in general, I want to expand my repertoire all the time, but I have no clue as to how many songs it would be ideal to learn at the same time.

I can't say for sure how long each song on the list will take to get down (not including the solos. They can be improvised until the actual solos are learned), but if I can get maybe 5 to 10 more songs down before the next Open Mic, I should be able to at least keep things going and people happy for some time, if I manage to get up there... I've already figured out which 5-10 songs I would start with, and hopefully have down well enough to feel confident enough to go on-stage next time.

Lots of people scope it out before getting up there. It pays to get an idea of how things work, what equipment they have, etc.

You learned one big thing...classic rock will go over REALLY big. So now you know what kind of songs will go over well.

So next time you can be better prepared to get up there.

Don't lose any sleep over it :).

I could definately feel your nerves as you wrote about your experience with the jam. I don't know how I am going to get up the courage to play/sing on stage. Right now I can't even play for my family. (I'm 58 years old!) I've wanted to play all my life my dad played my brother is touring, but my sister and I just didn't have the confidence growing up, nor did anyone encourage us. I am back into music again for the umpteenth time. Hopefully I can get over my enormous fear and just perform. Good luck!

Hey Bhaig6 -

If you have the desire to get in front of a crowd and perform, find a way to do it. It may be the most nerve wracking thing you ever do, but it is SO WORTH IT!! I was in a similar situation about this time last year. I signed up for an adult rock band program at a music store. As part of the program, we performed at 2 open mics. It was the biggest adrenalin rush ever...and one of the best things I ever did for myself.

If you find the right open mic, you'll be surprised at how supportive people can be. People understand and appreciate the tremendous amount of courage it takes to get up there.

Just be prepared that after doing it once, you'll want more :).

Good luck!!

Originally Posted by: maggiorIf you find the right open mic, you'll be surprised at how supportive people can be. People understand and appreciate the tremendous amount of courage it takes to get up there.

Indeed. At the one I went to, most of the people (including the Rhythm Guitarist in the band who opened) said that they were there for support. Heck, the rhythm guitarist said he would gladly have gone up with me, if he knew any Classic Rock songs, but he didn't know how to play any. Others also kept making it clear that they knew well enough how hard it is to go up on a stage for the first time, so they are actually very supportive. Probably because around here, they want to have someone who plays classic rock to attract a bigger audience :)

So, I've got a pretty good feeling that the next Open Jam night is going to go much better. I just tried out a bunch of gear, and found some awesome gear that really takes my motivation and inspiration to different levels :) I will be ordering the gear as soon as I get my pay... Although sadly, some of the pedals will have to wait a month. But since I have to get mentally ready for an Open Jam night, I think having the coolest, most inspiring tone I can get within my budget, is more important than just having some effects I like, but don't motivate me as much :) next month, though, I'll be ordering the rest, or at least some more of the pedals on my list. I can finally start to afford better gear, so I see no reason to not invest money in inspiring tone :)

I'm still going to bring someone along to record me if I do manage to get up on the stage next time :)

Any place you can get inspiration is worthwhile.

Try to keep it simple though. It can be pretty hectic getting setup for an open mic. Bring any cables you think you could possibly need...including an extension chord with multiple outlets if you pedals need AC power.

Good luck!!

If it's just like last time, I should be able to take some time and set my gear up. It's pretty much just one power-plug and my pedals are working. I'm thinking of getting a better Power Supply for my pedals, though, but I'm not sure which one to get... Well, that's what the personnel in guitar stores is there for, helping us clueless customers.

I'm really looking forward to receiving my box of awesome tone! I'll definitely make some space in my pedalboard for the pedals I'm going to order tomorrow... Even if it means saying goodbye to some of the other pedals already present (Distortion and Overdrive), it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make, since I don't use them that often... Maybe I should consider buying an actual pedalboard...

Well, judging from the pictures the Punk Rock band has shared on Facebook, it looks like their gig last night went pretty well. As far as I can tell, they were playing at some kind of "Battle Of The Bands" thing (mostly because the big curtain behind the stage clearly said "Battle Of The Bands"...), so they probably didn't play a whole lot of songs. I don't know if they have any more gigs coming up, though, so I kind of expect to hear from them soon. Or better yet, I can contact their singer tomorrow :)

And now I'm just waiting for my newly ordered gear to arrive by mail. I'm really looking forward to playing around with it :)

I've now had my first ever Tube Amp, a Jet City Amplification JCA22H with a JCA12S+ cabinet, for 24 hours, and I do not regret buying it! I've tried a lot of amplifiers, but nothing beats this one when it comes to value-to-price ratio. It lives up to my requirements and more. The fact that it sounds at least as good as a good old Marshall JCM800 or JCM900 only makes it even more amazing.

One thing that's a bit of a shame, though, is that it made my Overdrive and High-Gain Distortion pedals obsolete, since the amp's own gain sounds superior to both, and I needed some more space in my pedal-board anyway, so those two pedals went away, my TC Corona Chorus moved to the Effect Loop along with my new TC Flashback Delay and TC Ditto X2 Looper, and my Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi stayed right between my Wah and my Input-Jack. All my pedals fit in the suitcase-pedal-board now, until I add a Reverb next month... I'm considering buying a properly built pedals-board, though...

One of the improvements I really like, though, is that I can now actually hear my Chorus, unlike with the Mustang, where it went right in front of the Input-Jack, meaning that all the Chorus got distorted with the rest of the signal. That doesn't happen anymore, which I really like. This amp is the best thing that's happened to my tone since I switched pickups in the LP!

I also found out that the Oil City Pickups in my LP sound rediculously inspiring when run through this new amp... They were already pretty cool through the Mustang, but now... If they sounded lukewarm before, they sound like they're on fire now! I'm so glad I finally managed to find a good Tube-Amp that I could afford. I'm going to keep my Mustang around, though... I need a proper speaker for my computer while working on backing-tracks or jamming along to songs. And it's going to suck big time if I manage to burn the tubes before I get some spares, and I don't have a spare amp...

I'll try and see if I can figure out how to use the Looper to record stuff and play backing-tracks, and if I manage to find out how that works, I think it'll make recording stuff like improvised ideas and Riffs or Licks much easier... Maybe TC has some instructions on their website...

Congrats on the new amp!! Being able to put your effects in the proper place in the signal chain makes a huge difference. It's great that you can simplify your pedal setup since you can use the distortion from your amp.

Have fun!!!

Thanks, I will!

I've got so many awesome new things to try out, so many ideas to record, so much inspiration to unleash, and so much tone exploration to do! And still I also have a lot of songs to learn and techniques to master... It's gonna be fun :D

Well, the TC Ditto X2 Looper is certainly worth the money I threw at it! It's a pretty cool little practice/jam tool. So far, I've had plenty of fun with it, just recording simple things for it to play back at me (like the Chorus parts in "Peace Of Mind" and "Knockin' On Heaven's Door", for example) so I can practice improvising over those parts. For "Peace Of Mind", it also lets me practice the Lead Guitar-intro with a Rhythm Guitiar strumming the Chords, so it's definitely a lot more fun to learn covers now :) No offense to GT, of course. The lessons here are great, but I couldn't load a Backing Track for "Peace Of Mind", so the Looper came in handy. I'm not even sure if there are backing tracks for the Song-lessons here to begin with...

I haven't tried putting a MIDI-Backing Track into the Looper yet, but it's on my to-do list. If it works, I should be able to improvise something over it, and see whatever happens... Hopefully, it's possible to record guitar-parts this way and have them added directly onto the backing-track file. That could make recording stuff a lot easier... and more fun :)