3 piece bands

ROWDYBEER · February 06, 2011, 11:27:36 AM

Just thought I would throw it out there for those of you starting a band.
3 piece bands are awesome. It is so much easier than a 4 piece. or a 5 piece. I highly suggest it.

eddiefive10 · February 06, 2011, 11:30:56 AM

less people = less bullshit

VOLVO))) · February 06, 2011, 11:38:11 AM

This is my philosophy.

ROWDYBEER · February 06, 2011, 11:51:28 AM

Drummer drums. Guitarist guitars. And of course the unlucky bassist who has to sing and play bass. I dont even care about the lyrics as long as every few seconds I hear a badass word like battle or bleeding or pain, demon, earth, mountain, storm, hated, revenge, die, lies, shifty eyes, crooked smile, hell, violent, all the good ones.
you know Im like cool the rest of the lyrics must be just as awesome.

ROWDYBEER · February 06, 2011, 11:53:18 AM

We tried adding another guitarist recently. Great player, great gear, chill dude. Still made everything way to complicated. Lesson learned. Dont fix it if it aint broke.

Instant Dan · February 06, 2011, 01:17:25 PM

I always liked having a second guitarist just so you could feed off his ideas and possibly do the harmonizing licks when you felt like it.

nonoman · February 06, 2011, 06:00:41 PM

My current band is a three piece and its working me to death, lol. With my previous band, I played rhythm guitar, then lead also when our lead player left. I was only writing @ 50% of the music and no lyrics.

Now I'm singing, playing rhythm and lead guitar, writing 80% of the music and all the lyrics, but its worth it.

eddiefive10 called it when he said less people = less bullshit.

Ranbat · February 06, 2011, 06:26:03 PM

3 piece bands rock. I've done 5, 4 and 3 piece bands and the 3 piece has been the best so far. It seems the less people you have the tighter it sounds. Although I have to disagree with the less people = less bullshit. My previous 4 piece had almost zero bullshit, but the last 3 piece had alot bullshit personality wise.

mortlock · February 06, 2011, 08:05:23 PM

power trios are awesome..hendrix comes to mind..

clockwork green · February 06, 2011, 08:12:58 PM

We're a 3 plus a singer...there are times when I miss the complex melodies that having a second guitarist would offer especially since I think two guitarists should almost never play the same thing.

mawso · February 06, 2011, 08:33:18 PM

I love how easy it is to organise a 3 piece. I went from playing in a 5 piece and it was amazing just how much easier it was to get everyone in a room together.

I do miss having a second guitarist sometimes. I love being able to swap leads on a jammed outro. I also love rhythm parts where one guitarists lets a chord ring out, while the other one does something palm muted, or with gaps in it. Or one plays the same power chord an octave up at a certain point. Really simple shit that can be so effective.

I think the format should be dictated by the songs you're doing. In past bands we played songs where both guitarists played the same rhythm part 95% of the time, which is kinda lame. If your bass player is good and has a nice tone you really don't need a rhythm player there for the lead breaks.

eddiefive10 · February 06, 2011, 10:06:58 PM

In my last project, Acipenser (www.myspace.com/acipenser315) we recorded all of the material we had with a 2nd guitar player, great guy, killer player totally knows his shit, then the day after we recorded the bulk of the material he quit, our original plan was he was going to be a 2nd guitar player, along with him and I splitting vocal duties (he was the singer for Tides before they went on to be the instramental band that everyone knows today). We threw the idea of adding this person or that person, but only added a 4th member at the very end in the form of a singer. When we started I was forced into singing and playing bass, it was a cool challenge, overall Acipenser made me step up to the plate as a musician, I wrote 90% of the music, 99% of the lyrics and overall tyranical dictator (my theory in a band is either we are going to all work together and do this or Im going to take the bull by the horns and you better be ready for the ride!!!!). Now that the profect has disolved, my idea is a 2 bass player 1 drummer band or me bass and 2 drummers.

eyeprod · February 06, 2011, 11:43:33 PM

Trios rule if you can pull it off. It's always easy to get together and learn tunes. Even doing shows is easier, in my experience.

In my semi-current band (I moved but we're still doing shows and recording) I write all the songs and was originally going for a two guitar hard rock vibe. I have to do all the soloing and rhythm playing so it's tough at times to make it work when there ideally would be one guitar to rip leads while the other holds down stuff. I'm not that good at leads, but I can do the job well enough for what we do. I also sing about half of the songs. Some are pretty hard to do sober. Tried to get other guitarists in there, but there was too much trouble finding the right guy. It made things more difficult. Eventually I had to start writing for the trio, but I still have so many ideas for a two guitar band that I keep trying to pull em off. I wish there were two of me, and one could play ripping solos. It's just a bitch to find someone who will do what you need them to do without having to explain what is necessary, what kind of gear they should be using, or how to play fuckin guitar. Ya know?

black_out · February 06, 2011, 11:49:47 PM

It's tough to reconcile the egos/creative drive of two guitar players, but when you do, you can pull off some really cool shit. Then again, if we could suck our own dicks, we would never leave the house.

zachoff · February 07, 2011, 12:34:33 AM

"creative" is a weird word. When a couple or a few creative people get together something amazing can happen. Who's to say that those creative people have to be two guitar players or a singer and two guitar players or a guitar player and a bass player or a drummer and singer? Who's to say it's two people when it could be three or four or five? Point is, it doesn't really matter who the creative force(s) are in a band. Sometimes bands just "work" because two or three or even four or five of the members have something to contribute and it works.

Anyway, be happy with the music you're making. If you're not happy then say something, make suggestions, or quit. Not much else you can do, I guess. Just because one person says or assumes they're the songwriter doesn't mean they are the be all, end all. If you have suggestions then speak up! I'd hate to be in a band where I had full control over the music and I relish in the fact that we all have creative input. Makes me happy.

ROWDYBEER · February 07, 2011, 08:29:26 AM

What Zachoff said. ^^^^^^^

Discö Rice · February 07, 2011, 01:11:24 PM

Trios are fun for sure. I'm for 'em.

RacerX · February 07, 2011, 01:32:48 PM

Well, trios can be simpler in some ways, but as the guitarist/vocalist in a trio, I can tell you it is a far more complicated task to play while singing. Add to that the endless pedalboard tapdance, and there are definitely times I wish I could concentrate on one or the other.

L. Ron · February 07, 2011, 01:36:39 PM

My band was a trio then added a 4th member last year. It's been good in some ways, but has made other things more complicated(mostly personality and logistics-wise).