62
votes
I play oboe and I'm in the top band, but I feel like a failure whenever my band director yells at me
If your band leader/conductor/teacher is yelling at you then there's only one failure in the room, and it's not you. Whether you're leading complete beginners or seasoned performers, yelling and ...
57
votes
Accepted
How to play songs that contain one guitar when we have two or more guitarists?
Some alternatives from the top of my head
Double the guitar part on both guitars
Double the bass part on one guitar
Split the roles inside the chord: guitar 1 plays power chords (root and fifth only),...
- 28.5k
44
votes
Why can't I play with a backing track or other musicians
From my experience, start really simple. I started with a metronome, and played a familiar piece at a variety of tempo's to get me used to listening to the beat and playing the notes in the right time ...
- 561
32
votes
Why can't we leave all mics on during a gig?
Well, every mic you toss into the mix also adds more ambience, a bit of feedback from PA and monitors, and will pick up sounds that aren't really supposed to be heard at all, like breathing. Now, this ...
- 35.6k
27
votes
I play oboe and I'm in the top band, but I feel like a failure whenever my band director yells at me
Oboe is a hard instrument. 1 year and in top band? You must be doing something right. I presume that you have had significant exposure to music (choir?) previous to starting on oboe or you would ...
- 271
23
votes
Why can't I play with a backing track or other musicians
Learning to play with others is a skill that needs to be learned just like any other thing that you need to learn to be able to play.
"I’ve practised a piece all week and have it pretty close to ...
- 7,110
15
votes
How to play songs that contain one guitar when we have two or more guitarists?
Generally I would have only one guitar play during the quieter parts and both guitars play the same thing during the loud parts. Often this means both guitars play during the chorus and only one ...
- 57.7k
15
votes
Writing songs on piano that are meant for a guitar-led band
What's happening at the moment is they're parroting your keyboard-based attempts to sound like the instrument that they play. They're not using their imagination nearly enough.
I'd suggest presenting ...
- 11.8k
14
votes
Agreeing on the key of a (cover) song as a band
Maybe not right and wrong - but impractical and stubborn come to mind.
As far as covers go - if the band wants to be entirely faithful, then they will need to play in the original key. And that ...
- 196k
14
votes
Why do musicians play too loud on social gatherings?
Restaurants are where most folk go to eat, and chat. Weddings are where a lot of folk are given an opportunity to catch up with old friends and acquaintances. Both situations really don't need any ...
- 196k
13
votes
Why can't we leave all mics on during a gig?
Never understood why any mic needs to be live when not in use. Every mic I use on a gig will be equipped with an on/off switch, and it's expected to be used. My own vox mic is only ever on when I sing....
- 196k
13
votes
Why do musicians play too loud on social gatherings?
Blame the booker, not the band.
A restaurant is a different kettle of raspberries - there what you want is a solo electronic keyboard player or a guitarist with a volume control, not a band with a ...
- 27.9k
12
votes
Writing songs on piano that are meant for a guitar-led band
The issue doesn't seem to be in the writing, it's in the translation.
I guess it's stating the obvious that if the guitarists can't get it from you saying "It's reggae, a bit like this" then ...
- 27.9k
10
votes
Is it common practice to audition new musicians one-on-one before rehearsing with the entire band?
Playing without the rest of the band? I'd walk away from it. It's a two way thing. While you want to know how the prospective player works, they also want to know how the rest of the band works. All ...
- 196k
10
votes
Should I use PA speakers for a full band all the time?
I went down a similar path to eventually starting a full band to accompany me on stage in paying gigs vs playing just for fun. My band has bass, two guitars, drums and vocal mics for all four ...
- 27.4k
9
votes
I play oboe and I'm in the top band, but I feel like a failure whenever my band director yells at me
Good musicians can be bad teachers: they have a tendency to demand incredibly high standards from themselves and from everyone else, and they sometimes have an "artistic temperament" that leads them ...
- 261
9
votes
Why can't I play with a backing track or other musicians
Backing tracks take no prisoners! They won't stop and wait while you work out what the next note is.
Don't worry about this. You're not alone. Can you get a copy of the backing track to practice ...
- 94.8k
9
votes
Is it common practice to audition new musicians one-on-one before rehearsing with the entire band?
You might be interested to know how auditions go for positions in symphony orchestras. In most, but not all, cases, applicants perform solo or with a piano accompanist for a couple rounds. If they ...
- 15k
9
votes
Accepted
What's the best way for guitar and piano to play together in a jazz quartet?
As a guitarist, if I'm playing with a pianist, I usually do a couple of things.
If I haven't played with them before, I'll usually lay off a bit in order to get a feel for how the pianist wants to ...
- 12.8k
8
votes
What’s a Soli and do I have to play it
'Solo' is a featured passage for one player. 'Soli' is a featured passage for more than one player or instrument.
It may mean the whole trombone section play it. Like 'Heads up, guys! You've got ...
- 94.8k
8
votes
Accepted
Guitarist and Bassist as only Bandmembers - Rhythmsection?
Bass players can be quite percussive in their playing, taking over some of a drummer's role.
However, keeping just as a duo, why not re-hash the numbers you want to play? You certainly won't make a ...
- 196k
8
votes
Any tips on writing the structure of a song for a band which does not read music?
Rather than AABA, why not write "Verse Verse Chorus Verse"? Or even more descriptive, you could write "Verse (16 bars) Verse (16 bars) Chorus (24 bars) ..."
Try that first. There ...
- 9,120
8
votes
Why do musicians play too loud on social gatherings?
IMO this is actually an important question to think about. The underlying conflict is this:
The musicians see it as their job to make the audience feel good by listening to good music (regardless of ...
- 35.6k
7
votes
I play oboe and I'm in the top band, but I feel like a failure whenever my band director yells at me
There is a good chance that the band director is trying to get the best performance they can out of you. They must have some confidence in your ability or you wouldn't be playing a solo in the top ...
- 434
7
votes
Accepted
Whats an easier instrument to play than trumpet, with mouth, but still a brass instrument?
This is just from my personal experience, but when I started band (about 7 years ago). I was put on the baritone/euphonium; I think I experienced a similar problem to you where reaching higher notes ...
- 427
7
votes
Accepted
How to "bring together the band" when playing tuba?
When your teacher says "bring the band together", he is basically just trying to remind you that the rest of the band is building up from your bass sound. One of my teachers told me that the tuba and ...
- 427
7
votes
How to efficiently jam as a guitarist with a drummer
There is no "best possible way" -
Sometimes you might want your drummer to lay down the intro beat (this is pretty common)
You might have some bars of intro on the guitar, usually the drummer will ...
- 36.9k
7
votes
How to play songs that contain one guitar when we have two or more guitarists?
Something to try:
I saw an (oldskool) R&B band play once. They weren't bad musically, but not great.
The setup: Drums in the middle, 2 x Les-Paul-&-Marshall amp guitars, bass and a singer in ...
- 5,387
7
votes
Accepted
Transposing bass clef instruments for Tuba, Bombardon, and Contrabass
Sibelius doesn't know about Bombardons, but the important thing is to look at what follows the instrument name, e.g. "in Es" or "in Bes", which mean respectively "in E flat&...
- 11.8k
7
votes
Have I been teaching rolls wrong?
I wonder if you're both teaching only part of rolls. I don't see anything in your question about grip or technique, and the thing that unlocked rolls for me was using a technique where I change my ...
- 57.7k
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