Playing in a band with people with other ideas thread

[eyeprod]

I agree with most of what has been said. I am generally the type A/Leader in my bands, and start projects by writing songs and making demos to get people interested. I understand and value the importance of the input that other players can give, but even then I still try to see my vision through as far as possible. You have to be assertive to a degree or else you're ideas are important to you, i.e. that's the music you want to be doing. I couldn't just sit around with a group of people and hope that something I think is cool happens. That's what jams are for. When working with other people with strong opinions, if they have skill to back it up then it makes it a whole lot easier to deal with. I agree that some great ideas are not always so evidently great on the first listen(s), and vice versa. It really does help to take a step back sometimes and let things happen naturally within a context. The cream will rise to the top, or not. No one person has it all figured out, which is why I rely on working with solid people to see my dreams through to reality, and to help me try things and realize what is working and what isn't.

Writing on bass is a great thing if you keep the drumbeat in mind. That's where to oomph is. Writing bass and drums first has helped me write tunes that make people move. Thinking about guitar riffs first usually creates more heady music, with doesn't necessarily lend itself to movement, other than headbanging and air guitar...which is fun, if not particularly interesting to anyone other than riff worshipers if the rhythm is not grounding your body.

[jibberish]

Writing on bass is a great thing if you keep the drumbeat in mind. That's where to oomph is. Writing bass and drums first has helped me write tunes that make people move. Thinking about guitar riffs first usually creates more heady music, with doesn't necessarily lend itself to movement, other than headbanging and air guitar...which is fun, if not particularly interesting to anyone other than riff worshipers if the rhythm is not grounding your body.

noted.......

heh, bolt would have told me to "give it a rest".

but seriously, this is a cool concept to ponder and try out.

I may be totally screwed. I usually compose from the chord progression and phrasing angle which leads to no one listening evidently.

[Chest Rockwell]

Danny and proponents of the 'rhythm section' idea... this is a pipedream for me! 

the Thorun band I play in, the bass pretty much follows the guitar lines constantly. If I come up with a riff, they'll play the same, so we pretty much always play the same. Every now and then I'll go off on a different riff, making sure that I'm in the same key and check that everyone thinks it sounds okay

...but when it comes to locking in with the bass drum... not going to happen. Our drummer is too busy doing his own thing that if I tried to play bass to his bass drum, my bass would sound like Primus and the music would be nothing like what it is. I can only hope that he hits the bass drum 'on the 1' or so, so at least we get that phat hit and keep a groove going. I suggested once that we should try and lock in sometimes and he looked at me like I'd asked for a free go on his mum.

However, we do do a lot of that Bootsy Collins on the 1 Funk thang. mang. and it's down tuned so basically all we ever play is B. B... B... (more fucking) B... 

[Pissy]

You should ask him for a free go on his mum, just to verify the look.

[Danny G]

I def make up for my lack of input as a bass player by being the benevolent dictator for Ocean of Stars

I wrote the music on all instruments on my own time. Assembled the players. Found an awesome sax player in lieu of second guitar.

Once I got the band together I then had to decide how strictly do I want to stick to the original arrangements.

Felt best to let the music take on a life of its own and use the original recordings as a framework. The drummer I have is better than I'll ever be, so got to let him shine haha. I usually give some direction, even suggest specific kick/snare patterns for specific parts. But let him breathe with it.

Bass as well, give direction for specific parts but let her find her own groove with others. She's still learning and open to any suggestions and tips, but she does a great job and I don't have to think about the bass when we're playing.

The sax player was the wild card. He's good about rolling with my constant revisions. Which is either from letting the songs take on a life of their own, or from working on arrangements and trying to figure out who's going to do what between him and I. Some songs we've switched parts back and forth a few times. But he also has lots of room for solos and using effects to make all kindsa weird space noises.

But at the end of the day it's pretty much my music and my band. And I feeling really fortunate to have assembled some real good players/people who dig the music a lot and trust my judgement haha

[mortlock]

I def make up for my lack of input as a bass player by being the benevolent dictator for Ocean of Stars

I wrote the music on all instruments on my own time. Assembled the players. Found an awesome sax player in lieu of second guitar.

Once I got the band together I then had to decide how strictly do I want to stick to the original arrangements.

Felt best to let the music take on a life of its own and use the original recordings as a framework. The drummer I have is better than I'll ever be, so got to let him shine haha. I usually give some direction, even suggest specific kick/snare patterns for specific parts. But let him breathe with it.

Bass as well, give direction for specific parts but let her find her own groove with others. She's still learning and open to any suggestions and tips, but she does a great job and I don't have to think about the bass when we're playing.

The sax player was the wild card. He's good about rolling with my constant revisions. Which is either from letting the songs take on a life of their own, or from working on arrangements and trying to figure out who's going to do what between him and I. Some songs we've switched parts back and forth a few times. But he also has lots of room for solos and using effects to make all kindsa weird space noises.

But at the end of the day it's pretty much my music and my band. And I feeling really fortunate to have assembled some real good players/people who dig the music a lot and trust my judgement haha

at some point you cross the line where they get to take some ownership of the music too. their contributions will creep into things the longer you guys stay together..eventually the scales tip..