Once again in a band

So, I know it's not really a lot, but I've managed to build up a small repertoire of 5 hopefully well-known classics, with more to come. Sadly, the audience at the Open Jam nights are young people like myself, so chances are they won't know all the songs I can play. I'm trying to learn to sing them at the same time, but that's not going too well... Anyway, two of the songs should be easy enough to guess which ones are, if you know me just a little :) The rest are: "Last Child" off of Aerosmith's possibly best album ever (Rocks), "Satisfaction" by the Stones (thank you, Mike Olekshy for teaching that song!), and "La Grange" by ZZ TOP. It's a bit of a mix, really.

I'm thinking of adding one of the songs written by the Punk Rock band I played with one time and am still awaiting a response from, as well as a few more classics, such as The Doobie Brothers' "China Grove", The Black Crowes' "Hard to Handle" (big thanks to maggior and Radio Gap for introducing me to those great tunes!), Pink Floyd's "Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2)", Boston's "Peace Of Mind" which I'm already working on anyway, and maybe something from the 80's, like RATT's "Round And Round" or GNR's "Nightrain". I already have the Nightrain Intro Riff down, and Round And Round uses some of the same techniques for the Chorus Riff (that is, it uses Inversions and Double-stops). Kiss's "Rock'n'Roll All Night" could be fun to add as well!

I don't know when the venue will have their next Open Jam night, or if the songs I have a will have learned by then will go over very well with the audience, but like they said last time. Some music is better than no music, and they want something that's not half-done Metal covers. So my little "setlist" shouldn't be a problem. Until I know when it'll be, I'll just have to get my repertoire tighter and add just a few more tunes, and get them down well enough that I'm confident enough to take the leap of faith next time!

...And this little stint with the Punk Rock band is now officially over... Their last few gigs as a trio turned out so well that they simply decided to continue as a trio. Well, that's one less thing to worry about, and it did end on good terms, so nobody holds any grudges.

So I'm back on the "looking for band" market now... At this rate, I wonder if I'll ever manage to get anywhere... Maybe I should just focus on my technique and speed, learning a bunch of songs, and my songwriting, and then once I'm a better guitarist, go to open mics and play some stuff. There's lots of room for improvement in my playing after all, so I'm gonna keep to myself, practice as much and as efficiently as possible, and take it from there.

On the bright side, I no longer need to keep their 3 songs ready... That frees up at least 15 minutes each day, that could be spent on other things, like technique or theory...

Originally Posted by: Kasperowas well as a few more classics, such as The Doobie Brothers' "China Grove", The Black Crowes' "Hard to Handle" (big thanks to maggior and Radio Gap for introducing me to those great tunes!)

:)

Those songs are relatively easy to play and do go over well with a crowd!! Glad I could introduce you to them. The lessons for those tunes here are top notch.

Originally Posted by: Kasperow...And this little stint with the Punk Rock band is now officially over... Their last few gigs as a trio turned out so well that they simply decided to continue as a trio. Well, that's one less thing to worry about, and it did end on good terms, so nobody holds any grudges.

So I'm back on the "looking for band" market now... At this rate, I wonder if I'll ever manage to get anywhere... Maybe I should just focus on my technique and speed, learning a bunch of songs, and my songwriting, and then once I'm a better guitarist, go to open mics and play some stuff. There's lots of room for improvement in my playing after all, so I'm gonna keep to myself, practice as much and as efficiently as possible, and take it from there.

On the bright side, I no longer need to keep their 3 songs ready... That frees up at least 15 minutes each day, that could be spent on other things, like technique or theory...

Too bad that fell through. You've got a great idea though...just keep plugging away learning more tunes and honing your skills. Open mics is a great idea too.

I'm in the opposite situation...I had to leave my band. I should have done this when I was your age :). With a family, time became too short and working on stuff for the band started to feel like work. You'll find out soon enough...being in a band that is trying to get gig worthy is a LOT of work and takes a lot of time. Perhaps circumstances will change at some point and I'll join a band again. It's all good...I actually feel relieved at this point. In the meantime, I really have a lot of fun recording covers over backing tracks.

Originally Posted by: maggior:)

Those songs are relatively easy to play and do go over well with a crowd!! Glad I could introduce you to them. The lessons for those tunes here are top notch.

You're welcome. I honestly didn't know those two songs until I heard your band's covers of them. But a cover band I saw last month did play "Hard To Handle", and it was received pretty well by the audience. Granted, the audience was generally older than at the open mic, but I still think it'll be worth learning it.

But for now, I'll just continue improving on my own, learning some songs and mastering the techniques I want to learn, and go to a few open mics. Maybe, in a couple of years, I'll actually get a band up and running. But right now, I'll have to improve!

Originally Posted by: maggiorI'm in the opposite situation...I had to leave my band. I should have done this when I was your age :). With a family, time became too short and working on stuff for the band started to feel like work. You'll find out soon enough...being in a band that is trying to get gig worthy is a LOT of work and takes a lot of time. Perhaps circumstances will change at some point and I'll join a band again. It's all good...I actually feel relieved at this point. In the meantime, I really have a lot of fun recording covers over backing tracks.

Hey Rich, I was sorry to hear about you leaving Radio Gap - it was inspiring following your story. I hope you find some arrangement in the future which fits in with the demands of your family - 'cos you're an excellent guitarist! All the best, Steve

Originally Posted by: Steve BarrowHey Rich, I was sorry to hear about you leaving Radio Gap - it was inspiring following your story. I hope you find some arrangement in the future which fits in with the demands of your family - 'cos you're an excellent guitarist! All the best, Steve

Thanks so much for saying that Steve! It wasn't an easy decision to make but with a few days behind me after making it, I know it was the right one. I feel a sense of relief and freedom.

None of this means I'm stopping my guitar playing :). I've found some people to collaborate with online and am building up a library of covers on soundcloud made with backing tracks.

I can see myself getting in a band again in the future...it's too much of a rush performing for a crowd :). If an opporutnity presents itself in a couple of years or so, I'll have the confidence I can do it.

Just another leg of the journey...

Originally Posted by: maggiorJust another leg of the journey...

Indeed it is. For both of us, in fact :)

I'll keep my eyes and ears open for any opportunities that might present themselves. Open mics, bands in need of a new guitarist, other people who need a guitarist for their song, clinics, masterclasses and expos, anything goes, really. But I'm not gonna sit by idly. I'll try and get as much practicing done as possible in the mean time. I still have much stuff to learn and master, but the most important thing is to remember to be able to have fun just jamming every now and then :)

Damn, this weekend has been busy... Just went to see two of my favorite bands, not at the same time, mind you, but it was pretty awesome. As always, Electric Guitars were truly inspiring (Electric Guitars is a band featuring two great Danish guitarists, Soren Andersen and Mika Vandborg), both during their show and afterwards when I went out to get my copy of their newest album, which I had just bought before the show, signed. Got a nice little 30 minutes long chat with them, and got a free signed poster to hang up specifically in my guitar-room. Saturday, I pretty much just practiced all the time, and tonight, I got to see Queen perform in Denmark for the first time since Freddie Mercury's untimely death, and damn... They kicked ass. I'm not sure who Adam Lambert is, but he sang the songs perfectly, so I'm happy. Great to finally get to see my first guitar-god, Brian May, in real life.

And, I already have plans for May. I'm gonna continue my little attempt to become friends with Soren and Mika, since they'll be playing nearby in three months. They're starting to recognize me by now, so I'm definitely making progress! Maybe next time, I should ask how much they charge for private guitar lessons over Skype? They're both experienced guitar teachers after all, and they're the only ones I know who can inspire me to improve every single time I see them.

For now, I need some sleep. Tomorrow, I'll probably end up practicing guitar all day... Again...