Bandmate Issues

BluesBop Harry

Have you tried raising his amp and placing it right behind him at ear level? I'm betting he won't play as loud then...

AndrewUlle

BluesBop Harry wrote: »

Have you tried raising his amp and placing it right behind him at ear level? I'm betting he won't play as loud then...

I prefer to have my amp off the floor - that's even better than pointing the speaker up (my AC50 cabinet can be tipped up in its roll cage).

Jazzaferri

If you need to tip it up then you need a bigger amp. The Marshall stack rules ROFL

pdg

Try having "front of house" PA system that's in front of you, so that you don't have to hear it. Then have three little "near field personal monitors" that mount on mic stands at ear level -- one for each of you (e.g., Roland MC-30 or Galaxy HotSpot or Behringer something) -- plus a "monitor mixer" for them. Each person controls his own monitor volume.

Chiefbigeasy

Ok, sound balance issue is working out. We set upper levels before we start the gig—kind of a sound check. This has helped and pretty much kept the balance in check. In retrospect, it may have been a bad move to get used to dialing up our own sound levels—he with the knob on the Peche and me with a foot pedal—as opposed to balancing things with right hand dynamics. But the advantage can be worthwhile if we keep levels in check.

My other issue is also probably familiar: other guitarist unconsciously slows the tempo. The problem is most apparent in a tune with a tricky rhythm like a gypsy bossa, but it can happen on swing tunes too, especially if they start with a quick pace.

I practice rhythm a lot and have realized that the faster paced tempos benefit from a lighter touch/strum so as to maintain stamina. Also, switching from la pompe to fours with a little emphasis on the 2 & 4 helps with speed.

The problem is our bassist feels the need to be in sync with whomever is playing rhythm—makes sense. So I go to solo and I return to rhythm only to find that the tempo has slowed. My inclination is to try to lead us back into something close to the original tempo. This kind of works sometimes, but at other times it can be a lost cause.

Comments?

One more thing. We’re now a quartet— lucky to have found a good violinist. This presents us with a new challenge: the two guitarists playing rhythm together have to be in sync and subtle to lay out a nice background for the violin solo. I think a lot can be said about how to do this right, but some obvious ideas come to mind. I think each guitarist should be playing at about half volume or so, and with simpler, complimentary or straight in-sync comping. I think it can be trickier than it seems at first blush.

I’d appreciate any thoughts and comments on this topic too.

Thanks, y’all.

jonpowl

My advice, invite Molly Reeves for a jam. Pay her, if necessary. That lady can play rhythm, and more. An example:

Chiefbigeasy

Yeah you right. Would if I could. She’d be my first choice, although I did get the chance to be taught for a bit and play with Russell Welch.

Lango-Django

"Life is too short for drinking cheap wine, playing crappy guitars, or making music with annoying people..."

... and you can quote me on that...

Will

Buco

So, this bandmate of yours has never heard of djangobooks forum huh?

Chiefbigeasy

No, actually he has. I mention it all the time, but he’s a busy guy with a family. We’re talking about this stuff too, but I need to exchange ideas with experienced players. That’s the beauty of this forum and the whole internet idea at its best. I get advice from around the world.

If he were to read this, he already knows I respect his abilities; he’s a player with a lot of history, especially in classical music. But, I’ve got to solve these problems now. For me, like Lango-Django said, life is too short.