Hey all - just to respond to the people complaining about the sound quality on this video... This was uploaded in April 2021 when I think I had less than 100 subscribers and was still just learning the ropes. It has since got a massive amount of views - but of course the sound quality etc is pretty basic. These days I use a proper set up, but back then I just had a basic camera and used the built in mic. Never knew it would get so many views when I made it... and so that's why the audio quality is a bit limited. JH
Share place with the Mota Boy. Smokes weed before the concert, and then forget how to play a Dmajor on the guitar (of course out of tune the whole show).
"I'm a uniter, not a divider." "If you're not with us, you're against us." - G.W. Bush IOW, Fteddie seemed to fit "The Perfectionist" archetype from the end part of this video... def the band leader, for sure.
Being a band leader, my duties are: 1. Book all the shows 2. Schedule and host practices 3. Find Venues 4. Establish a social media presence. 5. Update, design and pay for the website. 6. Promote and advertise shows. 7. Create band videos 8. Design an entertaining show 9. Contact venues by phone, email or in person 10. Provide insurance 11. Constantly learning about improving the band 12. Direct music 13. Direct vocals 14. Learn how to build a following 15. Create a database of fans 16. Market the band 17. Create promotional materials All I ask of my players is to do three things: 1. Learn the material both musically and vocally, 2. Show up to practice 3. Show up to the gigs and help load in and unload. It's amazing how so few people will put even this little effort to be in a good band...
I'm in a band where we have one person who does all that, too. It's hard work and we'd never manage without her. I'd also add to the list 18. Making sure that all members have transport to get to the gigs. We probably need to show her more appreciation, but until seeing your list, I don't thinks it's really hit home.
"to be in a good band"? Who says your idea of a "good band" is good? Maybe your idea of a good band is pretty boring and lame, lacking inspiration or only chasing a payday.
I'm a music instructor and I run a small music program at a nonprofit music school as well as many private students. My friends and family would always tell me that I should open up my own music school. My answer is: I'm a musician who loves to teach. If I do that then I'd just be a businessman and the last people, I wanna to rely on for my business are a bunch of musicians. I used managed bars and restaurants in the past I thought waiters and waitresses were a bunch of whiners, they got nothing on musicians.
7 years before Covid hit, I formed a guitar duo with a guy I didn’t really know well, at the time. That turned out to be THE most fun time I’ve had, in my 45 years of playing music. We jelled perfectly together, and had a wide open accepting attitude of playing whatever song that either desired. We wound up being like a jukebox, lol, as our songlist kept expanding, and we played gigs all over our area. We were together until Covid, and everything shutdown, and meanwhile, grandkids and such came into the picture, so we’re inactive right now, but still great friends and still record original songs together. What a fun time it was, after putting up with that ONE guy or girl, in a full blown band, who ruined everything, eventually.
Being in a band w/4+ personalities, different levels of skill, and commitment, is not for the faint of heart. My best bands have been avg. musicians that enjoyed each others company and "jelled" on a personal level. THEN you have a chance to become better than the sum of your parts, and that's Magic!
Agreed. The busiest band I’ve been in was also the biggest headache. The leader and lead guitar was a jazz prodigy and a control freak. His brother the drummer was also a prodigy who just followed his brother’s lead for the most part. The singer was a theater-trained veteran who constantly clashed with the band leader. The rhythm guitar was the most normal dude of the bunch and was regularly the one who had to resolve fights between the two. I was the least experienced, and self-taught so I was just regularly caught in the crossfire whenever the singer and leader had a row. The band lasted for five years but felt like ten.
These are spot on. I've had to deal with ALL of these personalities. I would get so mad when I would go to practice straight from work and tired, and a guy with NO job would always be late and unprepared. Very frustrating.
This is so beyond relatable. I'm in the damn navy, married working 60 hour weeks, standing duty every 4 days and going out to sea every couple months for several weeks and I still have never showed up a minute past the time we set to rehearse while we have a guy who has no job and shows up late half the time or simply just can't make it. I understand life is life but it's very frustrating as I put my all into this even with so many other commitments
@Halliday7895 I can only speak from my experience. We collectively spoke to this person and told him how important it is to be on time and prepared. Everyone has an issue at some point, but my comment was based on repeatedly being late. He was usually prepared. Him and I have always gelled musically.....still to this day(35 years later) when we get together, it just sounds better than most. His own addiction demons have caused many of, if not all, of his issues......still to this day, I pick up the phone when he calls. I just couldn't play music with him as a committed band because he always had issues going on. He lived a rock star life without being a Rockstar...its probably because his dad was a touring musician with a hit song. Who knows??? CHEERS to ALL.
I was invited to join my first band by a showboater who was also the self appointed leader. The band was newly formed when I joined but the leader was a bloke with a massive ego who just wanted to play his guitar at full volume and not listen to anyone else. I was the bass player but just couldn’t hear myself as he was playing so loud in the practice studio, so I asked him to turn his amp down. He laughed and told me to man up, as “this is a rock and roll band and we play loud”. I was fired by text message after the first session, and I see they are still looking for a bass player 6 months later. Karma. Edit: I’ve now heard that his band fell apart and now playing in someone else’s band. I hope he’s learned but I doubt it. Thank you Karma! 🙏
That bloke sounds like a poser. A real musician plays for the song, and actually wants to be able to hear all the instruments, not just their own. Could your drummer at least hear your bass playing? Tbh your drummer should have stuck up for you and told the guitarist to piss off.
Bassists are obsessed with acoustics and modern amplification affords them an audible place in most mixes. If the guitars were playing in your range then you’d have a problem, as the role of bass would be obviated already and they don’t need it to sound full. A bassist has to learn how to find his frequency range and maximalize it with his gear tuned to the acoustics of the space. Guitarists don’t have to do this as their instrument plays in the vocal range not as vulnerable to room acoustics. So if you couldn’t hear yourself, it was essentially your fault.
@claesvanoldenphatt9972 Guitarists have easily as many problems trying to EQ to the venue or the space they're in. The ultimate decision maker on sound levels is the sound man, not individuals in the band. If you don't have a sound man, get one. If you don't have a fully functional PA setup with foldback monitors or IEMs and EVERYTHING DI'd through the desk, get one. Otherwise, it's like trying to herd cats to agree on sound.
This one of the BEST videos I’ve found for musicians of every level. Clear, simple advice to navigate through your music world; no matter how big or small…. Well done!
I was 1. I could play a decent bass but wasn't nearly as good as I wanted to be. I cringe at the things I did. O well. Early twenties. At least I quit music all toghetter.
@@mountkarate-nunchuckaMost musicians will tick at least 1 or 2 of these (especially guitarists like me). It’s a silly video. I suspect when this fellow earnestly says “every band needs a leader”, he sort of means himself.
#6 The Narcissist. Everything they forget, mess up, play wrong etc, is EVERYBODY ELSE'S FAULT. They will also QUIT the band, and not speak to you for 3-4 weeks, and then call you up and lecture you for an hour or two, about why YOU made them mad, and that YOU should be apologizing for what THEY did wrong.
I m dealing with someone like this,but he s funnt you know? He goes around saying that he is a professional musician but he s not able to understand the basic concept of dynamic in a song
@alessandroguglielmo719 Make up your mind as to whether you want to continue with them or not. You've got some insight happening here. If you challenge them and they start to really attack you, then you've got yourself a narcissist in your band. Cut all ties immediately.
Yep.....somehow their wallet and authority has transmuted the way the song is actually played😅 Beware the amateur how tries to "buy" musicians he has no business playing with.
Or the one that refuses to play the right chords just because he learned it that way and doesn't want to try to do it right. Like on the song, Sweet Caroline, (In C) where the begging bass line is a G, he always played an A. The bass is supposed to hold us the G root while the rest of us are free to color that with an F. But he hears the mix of the two as an A. when I asked him for the G, he flat out got mad at me. Well, so much for fine tuning one of our best songs to professional level!
I was once in a band as the sole horn player. I was accused of being a showboater, and was often told "Less is more." So I did less. And less. And less. You know what they finally decided was "less" enough? Nothing. That's right. Nothing. They didn't tell me they didn't want me in the band. They just whittled my part down to total silence. And then bitched at me when I left.
Less is more doesn't necessarily mean you are supposed to play less, though. It's just an open ended statement to summon common sense into a conversation revolving around "I can play so much more complex stuff though, why simplify my part?" Yours sound like exactly what you said. If your musical approach doesn't match, you shouldn't be there anyway. A good band compliments each others' playing.
I worked with a showboater who had zero technical skill and actually thought up relentless arguments against practicing in general. His stance “actually the more you practice , you lose your creativity “ “the more you practice scales the more your strings will break” “I don’t want to practice because I don’t want to sacrifice my style” and the list went on and on….he currently plays in his room by himself begging to come back yet everything is OUR fault
The strings breaking is crazy. Like dude they’re gonna break eventually it has nothing to do with what you play on them😭😭 And ughhh the technique kills creativity argument is stupid. Technique and theory are roadmaps and tools
@@Ell_lovell oh man, you know it. And it was the worst because he was a bass player but if any of the guitar players went in for a lead he would abandon his post as a rhythm keeper and start ailing over us but he has NO concept of scales or melody . I dealt with this for years…
@@andrepereira744 hahaha he did. But unfortunately , we were an unwitting stage production crew for a talk show host with NO material. We might as well have been the camera crew for the Chevy chase show but with less interesting monologues
Had a tantrum-thrower in a community marching band. She threatened to storm off right before we were due to begin leading the town parade because her dance troupe wasn't positioned immediately in front of us. She was the only tubist, so without her, there was no bassline. Never forgot, and while I sometimes had to work with her after that, I ensured that she was never relied on for anything again. Eventually she chucked a tantrum (again) and stormed out after her best friend was removed as director by the remainder of the band. Literally no one ever contacted her about coming back, and I promptly replaced her with another tubist I knew.
I was once in a band where the bass player arrived with a keyboard one day. We already had a keyboard player. He said he was going to play "2nd keyboards" and have the original keyboard player play basslines. We didn't let him stay in the band.
@@UranusMcVitieFish-yd7oq yeah but suddenly showing up with a keyboard when you're the bass player without informing the other members beforehand of your plan and then telling the original keyboard player to play what you usually are supposed to be playing is something to be fired over
As a keys guy, I have occasionally played left hand bass on trio gigs. It’s a bit of work. You could have told the (ex)bass player that then keyboard player #1 was going to be paid two shares of the earnings, since he would be doing the job of two people. Depending on what your repertoire was, there might have been an opportunity to capitalize on the expanded instrumentation. I wonder if you could have worked out an arrangement where the bass player played synth bass on some songs, bass on some songs, and keyboard parts where needed while keys person #1 did bass parts with one hand. Personally, as a keys guy I would welcome that instead of being asked to cover cheesy horn parts myself while also singing and playing all of the other keys parts. (No, your keys player cannot sound like Tower of Power while covering Hammond parts.)
I don't know, depends on the personality of it more than bringing an instrument. Depends on if he insisted to be more keys than bass. I love musicians that play more than one instrument and always try to give them time on stage with it, if they're proficient, the audience loves that showmanship. If they're not trying to take over someone else's job, 3 or so songs a night is wonderful.
Whilst I agree wholeheartedly with all of this, it’s very difficult to get 4/5 musicians in a room without at least one of these being present. Musicians as a rule, particularly songwriters, have a touch of ego. Which brings out the perfectionist, and the power trip. Noel is a perfect example. Granted, NG made it work. But that’s a rare occurrence.
I think you just have to slowly weed out everyone who isnt cutting it, trying to make any team without contractually obliged commitments is a pain, just try starting a five aside team or anything similar
Yeah it's mad isnt it hahaha so many musicians tend towards one of these 5. I know I used to be an insufferable showboater as a teenager. I look back and cringe.
It's kind of incredible how easily a small group of musically inclined people can devolve into the basic, eternal examples of political and psychological dysfunction.
I have a sixth one, The Wheelbarrow. That guy who despite being super talented and easy to get along with, both of those things are greatly eclipsed by his lack of motivation. So you have to keep blowing time and energy picking him up to move forward, but once gaining momentum, if you let go, thinking he'll roll with that momentum... he'll drop and dig his heels in. I spent over a year dealing with that guy and to say that the band went "nowhere" is an utterly generous overstatement.
Honestly this is the main thing I struggle with, I'm pretty damn good at my instrument but my motivation is dropping every day, I've been forcing myself to play, practice, and learn but it's hard to get much done
@Corner-for-Assorted-Oats It's not even that. I dont know, maybe... point is, the guy would never come around, but then when you ask "Hey, are we still doing this?" The response is "Yea yea, I'm totally in, man." Yet then, not alter his trajectory. Where it'd be like "Hey, we got shirts made" or "The website is up" and he'd get super excited and very enthusiastic, like "Ok, he's finally going" and he'll be more open to communication and such. However, when asking "So are we getting together in a few days to bang some stuff out?" All of a sudden it's "Man, work's crazy" or some other thing. Then call me up about some date he's going on or heading off to South America for two weeks, things like that. Having had enough, I finally called him on it and admittedly, I was between jobs at the moment, which was his go to, that "I feel like if you had a job, you'd understand." The guy worked 5, 8 hour days and worked out two hours a day. Yet totally glossed over the aspect that when I worked 6, 9 hour days and also went to school full time, I was still on him about it.
@@AnthonySforza you can lead a horse to rehearsal but you can't make him shred. honestly I think I'm the 'wheelbarrow', I should look into getting some casters installed so I can roll with it more. Appreciate your comment!
I have that trouble. In my county there's no city bigger than a few thousand so the musicians here have no ambition whatsoever. It's almost impossible to put a band together that isn't more than mediocre. I can't get them motivated to care about the music, it's all covers and they barely play them with the right chord structures. I always tell musicians, FIRST you learn to play it the right way, THEN you can riff off of that and be creative, but first put in the work to be as good as the original when possible. Tough to do that when they're only there for girls or beer and attention. (Which they'd get a lot more of if they spent any time on their talent.) Most bands I used to play with would hand you a CD every week with 5 or so top 10 songs on it and expect you to know them for stage the following week, with one practice beforehand. I can't get people like that where I live.
Uhm... well not to call myself super talented but that does sound familiar. I actually quit myself after a month the main reason being that I couldn't realistically see myself having the energy and motivation to adequatly fulfill my duties and they have a year to the next gig so I quit. I was motivated but then a lot of crap happened and now I just want to go home after work and watch TV or jam, not learn 50 songs... besides I got another band who are total beginners and we have two half finished songs. So my guitar parts are whatever I say they are haha. Not much to practise I mostly show up they hand me lyrics and melody and I get the enviable job of turning a singers composition into a song. (What key is that - D! - that's not D... It's Dorian, why did you write the first song in Dorian - what's that?)... I feel like a looser but oh well. Didn't want to drag down the other band. When I joined I was motivated and made lots of recordings for new material but then my life went downhill and I lost motivation. Plus the other guitarist, also bandleader kinda was a showboater, I saw them play one gig and he's a fine rythm guitarist but I can see why they wanted a lead... Didn't bend in tune and super sloppy. I'm no genius but I can play Far Beyond the Sun at 80-90% speed so I didn't particularily enjoy getting lectured on technique. It was my fault I didn't practise much but he seemed to assume I had practised but failed. Minor annoyances but I felt it was too much conflict for a month in and yeah I had to focus on my real life job, almost lost it. And then having to sit down and learn a song after an aweful day... took all the fun out of it and that band was all for fun.
I could literally write a book about problem musicians...here are a few. The "False Promiser." I recently let go of a drummer who promised everything, and delivered nothing. He told me he could sing backups, learn the material, show up to all but a couple of gigs where he had conflicts with his tribute band, promised to buy a monitor, mic stand and microphone, gig shirts, and a bass drum head logo. He did NONE of this. Of course, the first week after being hired, cancelled a gig because his daughter had came in from out of town, then the next week, cancelled because his tribute band picked up another gig, and did it again a couple of weeks later, and again a month later. He refused to practice backup vocals in practice, and I brought a mic stand, cord and mic for him to a couple of gigs. which he didn't practice the vocals for. He then asked me to bring a monitor, and mic the guitars so he could hear us. As the band leader, I have to not only bring the PA system, plus I play guitar and keyboards and have to bring all that stuff too. This drummer was a multi-millionaire, but was too cheap to buy a $150 monitor, and wanted me to provide it. Every time he came to practice, he forgot the songs we worked on the week before, then before a two gig weekend, he cancelled a Friday gig on the previous Monday because his niece was coming into town. He didn't offer to play if I could not find anybody else, either which would have screwed me if I didn't have one guy able to play. I would have had to put an emergency ad up and scramble to set up a last minute practice to get ready for the gig. At the last gig he did, he set his drums up in front of the stage ahead of the amps so he could hear the guitars, but he blocked my access across the stage. He also forgot the special ending we worked out for a certain song, and also screwed up another song which he never learned correctly after playing it at EVERY gig for over three months... Never hire musicians who don't tell you the truth...look at what they do, not what they say.
I had a depressed, alcoholic bass player. He fired four drummers from my band, and then then me. He could only just play, could not sing, but oh boy could he sulk. Even on stage.
I'm in a band where we're all really successful and senior in our day jobs, and two of the band are former army officers, so we're no strangers to leadership. Conversely, it means that we're ultra-careful when we do need to offer constructive criticism or need to take the lead. The band is our chance to *NOT* be in charge for once 😂😂😂
@@brisktea123You either have the experience or you have not. I can think of nothing more disruptive to a band. I thought that at 18 ...unfortunately I still think the exact same a couple decades later. Difference being ...these days I understand the feminine psyche much better than I did as a teenager.
I was in a duo with a woman who had great vocal talent but was a huge drama queen. We’d written 3 songs and were learning 3 covers and she booked us for a major show. I was actually confident that with our onstage chemistry and the way that we played off each other that we could easily play a half hr set, but she was concerned that the 2 of us wasn’t enough. She hired a backup band from out of town. I agreed, because with how she was worrying, I was afraid she’d get cold feet and we would end up not playing at all. Anyways, the band didn’t bother to learn the songs we had written, even though I transcribed them. We went on without a sound check. It was a huge disaster and major embarrassment. The band didn’t want me playing with them because their guitarist was a showboater and didn’t think I could keep up. I was essentially knocked down to a stage hand and the show fell apart 2 songs in. She walked off the stage when the showboater started noodling while she was singing and completely destroyed the vibe. She ended up paying them 500 for only playing 1 and a half songs. I loved how her and I were together when we played, but felt betrayed when she felt we couldn’t handle a show on our own. We were never the same again. We split ways and she ended up reinventing herself and starred for one season on a trash tv reality show on basic cable.
as far as technical ability for professional drummers he's very low on the scale. THAT SAID he was perfect for the music and his time and feel was good.
I think I've done all these things at one point...After all these years the hardest things for me are still just being prepared enough and being a nice guy.
I'm older (63) and have been playing guitar for a very long time. I have always had a sweet spot for two guitar bands. It adds a lot of texture to the music, but requires so much more work to coordinate parts. I was with a core group (me, 2 singers, and a bass player). We played to a click track for a dozen or so rehearsals and had gotten tight on about 18 songs. This was all while looking for a drummer. My new neighbor is a medical doctor and had taken notice. He asked if he could sit in as the second guitar after showing me his dedicated rehearsal space. It was large and set up (PA, Drums, stand, etc). I listened to him play and wow! great chops! Red Flag Alert- At introductions with the others, someone asked where he was from. He responded, "Why does that matter?" A few short minutes into first group rehearsal, he stops us and advised that he did not have time to learn the first 5 songs (his picks from our set list). He then proceeded to look up the first song on his laptop and play it through the PA while picked through it from start to finish. He did this with each song. The first 2 rehearsals, he never made it through an entire song without stopping the band so that we could show him his parts or with him playing the original on the PA. Midway through rehearsal #3, once again, he once again stopped playing in the middle of a song, walked into another room and cooked his dinner. He then calmly sat down and ate at his guitar chair, while we rehearsed without him. NOT KIDDING! Before rehearsal #4, he forwarded his DEMANDS to go forward: 1) He wanted us to throw away our set list and replace with his songs. 2) Change rehearsal from Thursday nights 6-9pm to Sunday afternoons noon-3pm 3) Make him the music director with final say on everything 4) He thought that our humor was inappropriate and needed to be less "caustic," so as not to hurt someone's feelings. Quick Bios - Me- Retired high ranking police investigative supervisor. Bass- retired construction superintendent for one of the largest govt agencies in Chicago. Singer #1 - Retired Sr VP of an international corporation. Singer #2 retired Sr Fire superintendent from a large NE city. We were not teens, and all have a great deal of experience. We all concurred that he was the worst bandmate that any of us have ever had. I informed him that it was not working out. We did not agree with his demands and that we ALL had an issue with his lack of commitment. His ego would did not hear a blunt, but polite "fired." - He responded, "this is not working out, so I quit." Oh, and the caustic joke? First rehearsal, the bass player (not a singer) sang on one at first run through of a new song until the singers decided who would take the song permanently. When done, the bass player says on the mic, " I won't do that again." To which I responded, "Thank you." EVERYONE laughed except for the doc.
the thing is, are any musicians actually outside those categories? if they are I bet they're even worse than that. Maybe it's not the defining trait of the person the problem but how intensely it shows on him and if it's something that ends up screwing the band on the long run, and it's imposed on the other members in a harming way.
@@dblck9 There is a dynamic that has to exist. The problem is having 4+ adults committed on a creative level, and as a business partnership long term. It's more complicated than a marriage, especially if everyone is going different directions.
@@qua7771 hard to imagine something could be more complicated than a marriage :p Jokes aside, I get what you're saying. I've seen a lot of people having issue with forming an enterprise with just 1 partner. Add to that the fact it's people who deal with music we're talking about, and not numbers, and yeah, not hard to imagine there's some serious headache potential there.
Saw the title and came looking for a load of anecdotes about well-known musical journeymen who joined famous bands and derailled them.... but instead got some great advice about bands. Great video!
Me too. Plus why waste your time when the average person can't even at what I. Gonna do on a looper n with superior drummer.. way more talent than any person im gonna have around.. 😂
This is so true. Personalities don't change and the things you said apply to every working space. I always choose the people I work with based on their personality because I cannot afford to have a disregulated and toxic work environment - in any way.
Excellent - check out joinmyband.co.uk if you want to connect with other musicians looking for bands / collaborators. There has been an INSANE boom in guitar & bass sales since lockdown, so there should be a few guys and girls out there looking to jam 👍👍👍
It’s best to be in bands with your friends who you know intimately. You know their strengths and weaknesses as a person and have mutual respect and admiration for each other.
And when you drift apart personally because you grown older and have more differences, with just the band keeping you together...that don't last much longer. Hello Beatles.
Had formed a Duo with a good friend, had been together for 15 odd years. When started we where full of ideas. Somehow along the way I just mentioned his overplay (we're a Blues-Band) and asked him to keep it simple. Then he got a new girlfriend... missed out our practice evenings, claims that he wasn't envolved enough in new songs... All my requests for having a real conversation about it instead of Whatsapp lead to.... that he left the project. And friendship is washed down the drain...
Best example, Rush. Their friendship starting from Alex Lifeson meeting Geddy Lee in school, then with the 2nd album with Neil Peart joining after John Rutsey's diabetics prevented him touring, then until sadly when Neil passed, showed you can make it as a band but still maintain that integrity and with no egos getting their way!
Great video James! I've had an unpleasant experience with a sort of Showboater/Pretender hybrid. Steadfastly REFUSED to turn down his amp and wasn't happy with how the band was being run. Before long this guy started making phone calls to each member to get the lads onside, "let's keep this between us", started criticising the setlist, and even the order of the setlist. Started taking bookings with a separate diary, and tried to look for extra money for taking bookings. Eventually he floated the idea of him being our " Musical Director". As you'd expect, the band folded completely in the end, but most of the lads have gigged together since, minus the guy in question.
Sounds like an absolute pillock! You've really got to watch out for a divisive person like that. Steer clear, they're nothing but trouble. There's just no point trying to force it to work if a band is disunified - you've got to kick the bugger out hahaha
Add to the list: The angry guy/girl who doesn't know what he/she is angry about, but carries a cloud and has a resentment towards the idea of success... They go nowhere, and you will go nowhere with them.
I have to add a personality type to your 5. The jealous guy. I played with a singer/guitar player who was always worried that I was trying to take his spot. Yes, I've lead bands for years, play many instruments, but I would never try to take a leaders spot. All I did was do my best to help the band by being my best "stage" actor, back him up in anyway I could find. Well, that lead to him thinking I was trying to out shine him, he even accused me of trying to take his place as the person who deals with the club owners. No matter how good I was playing, he thought I was shaming him in some way. He was used to Nashville Tennessee where, I guess, there's so much competition that every musician had to watch their back. But he came to Tucson, AZ and we're more laid back and not trying to get a recording contract and become a star necessarily. This kind of personality is poison for a good team that's trying to gel and get really tight.
The past few years I've been playing in a great cover band. I came from a different band in which I was the leader. I was looking forward to not have to deal with everything i used to and just being a good player who added to the fray and enjoy playing. When I got there I saw that the leader of this band was struggling with a lot of stress. He did all the booking, paid the band, scheduled rehearsal and did the social media marketing. The whole time he had to fight with personalities within the band, nothing out of the ordinary, but some were somewhat lacking in the professionalism that might make them a bit more money. Knowing that this could not be sustained I offered my help to him and now we split duties. He concentrates on the venues and the money and I concentrate on getting the guys to be more into what they're playing, know how to pick a better song, and knowing when to play and not to play. That is a big thing! So, some think it's an easy job to be the band leader but it's not. Sometimes it's even completely thankless. That being said, we're now kicking ass and taking names! Survivors! 🤘😎
how can a cover band be great? You're just a bunch of uncreative losers and musical illiterates without any sort of self esteem. The worst band there ever was, probably. Hahaha
Very VERY good video! I am both a musician guitar player ( 43 + years playing) and also an A list guitar tech ( retired) who has worked for everyone who's anyone in metal in the states. You nailed it bro. On every personality type. Well done mate!
To quote a friend of mine, "somebody's gotta be Spock". That has served me very well in my ongoing 20+ year collaboration with a brilliant singer/songwriter, someone who values my opinion and vision as much as his own.
First clue to immediately dismiss someone: when they begin their first sentence with "I get my license back in..." (insert time frame - weeks, months, etc. - here).
the previous singer for a band I was in was a total stoner and only ever showed up to practice once, we never even played a show, I'm pretty sure he still thinks that he's the singer for the band
@@mrsherwood2599 You forgot the part, where Paul McCartney is a workaholic. This has been mentioned by Ringo, without Sir Paul, they would have done just two albums. The Get Back documentary shows clearly what Macca was doing, he was a workaholic who loves writing music. He was the leader of the band..
I'd like to add one more to your list. The know it all. The one who tries to convince you that you don't know what you know and that they know better about everything.
This is true. And what they don't realize is that it's just best to "be happy, patient and not overly serious" all the time than wanting or proving to be right all the time.
They cannot agree to disagree. And they'll state state opinions of other bands like 'oh , that band? Yeah they're shit' as if they're opinion is absolute. It's never 'they're not really my thing' or 'they're not for me'.
Great video, can’t stop sniggering at the 20 minute set up at the garrison. I had a similar experience whilst supporting a famous band, who took so long sound checking that we literally had to throw our gear onto the stage and start playing instantly. It’s was truly awful, stressful and the worst gig I’ve ever taken part in. Weirdly, the people who came to see us reckoned it was the best they’d ever seen us play, which made me wonder what the hell people are actually focussing on when they watch bands 😆😆😆
I agree. It happened to my old band once: we were playing up in the hills and got caught in snow. Arrived at the gig about ten minutes before we were due to play, managed to get everything out of the van, park the van, set up backline and P.A., play one song for a soundcheck, get changed and actually start the gig about ten minutes late. Luckily the audience had seen everything and were well up for it, so with that and the nervous energy we were feeling, we actually had one of our best gigs ever!
James being in a band is like creating that five a side football team. Someone has to man up to be captain of the ship and then say to one of the other four "Sorry mate your goalie for us tonight. Always have that feeling that goalkeepers are treated the same as drummers. You always felt that with John Squire in his Seahorses time it was all about him and his guitar on the stage. I'm sure his blood must of boiled a lot if Chris got more camera shot than him on the tele. I think the last bands I remember hit a lot with what you talked about in this video was Liberties and Babyshambles with Pete Doherty. A lot of the time they would just turn up late. Pretty much taking their fans for a ride at the time and great video once again.
Cheers TC. Yeah you have to get that personality balance right in a team of any kind - band or footy. These days the time of the temperamental artiste is well and truly over, it's the age of the professional musician now - don't know if that's a good thing or a band thing... but it does seem to be true. So most of these 5 types I'm talking about don't stand a chance in hell of getting anywhere in the music industry anymore
Yeah James when you look at the world of football, films and movies it ain't what it once was. I think the world has ran out of Kit Kats, no one wants to take a wee tea break nowadays. They're all to serious about their 24/7 social media brand of themselves.
I think it’s more because promoters, and audiences, got fed up of prima donnas. I was a professional musician for nine years - always the same band - and we could make a living from it because a) we were in the right place at the right time b) we were pretty good but mostly c) we were extremely reliable. In nine years I think we cancelled about ten gigs, mostly because of illness but once because we had already played in the place and didn’t want to go back there (and didn’t need the money). But everywhere else we turned up, drank one or two beers (and paid for them when not part of the agreement!), played when we were supposed to play and stopped when we had to. Word got around, believe me! And bar owners and promotors regularly told me nightmare stories of other bands behaving like spoilt kids who were NOT given repeat bookings!
Have a oasis/ stone roses cover band on the go and my uncle was in it, but he was one of them who jumped about the place then ran through the audience accidentally bumping into people and playing wrong notes. Whenever you tried saying “could you maybe not do that” he would instantly reply saying “why” and challenge us. And if anything went wrong he’d always blame me so yea gave him the boot and so the rest of the band had a celebration party 😂
Some more that might be included: 1) The Substance abuse guy who starts practices/gigs fine but then gets too fucked up to play well and/or makes scenes, 2) the Heartbreaker (usually female) with a history of breaking up bands and marriages after torrid affairs with other band members, 3) the otherwise great but Too Busy guy-not available for practice or gigs due to all their other commitments. For example, find out if the person travels frequently for work or pleasure such that practices and gig would be missed.
Guitarist has to practice every day . Tiny strings . Much finger work. When the guitar only has one or two day’s week to pick up his instrument? Fire them
I'd say the substance abuse guy is a subtype of the man child. Unreliable, but also deluded, so critiques the best musicians in the band.. when (s)he's a mediocre musician at best. Selfish and antisocial, and a thrillseeker. May thus get bored and and start to play games, try to undermine other members' confidence, or playing them out against each other, just for the hell of it. Such a person may be amusing at first, but it'll end with him/her refusing to pay the rent for the rehearsal space, borrowing an instrument and then disappearing etc etc.
1) Waylon Jennings, 2) Taylor Swift, 3) Joe Satriani, John 5, etc. Are you sure you know what you're doing? lol You just fired 3 or 4 legends without even giving them a chance.
@@Destin65 If you want, for example, a drummer or bassist that creates scenes and loses you gigs, good luck to you. If your comment reflects a personal struggle with addiction, please understand that I wish you well … and please know getting fucked up does not make you better and success in music/life will eventually require you seek sobriety.
@@mhillaxeman why would you automatically assume that all of us disabled veterans are drug addicts? Better question, why would you be dumbass enough to assume that every musician is a drug addict? You have a very poisoned world view going on. You automatically think the worst in everyone. No wonder you weren't able to hire people like Waylon Jennings, or Taylor Swift, or any other music legend you described in your political rant. You called them all deadbeats and whores. No wonder they are superstars and you're a nobody.
How about #6 , the guys who respond to your ads and act all excited and then ghost when you send them any of your stuff, like they're sitting on the next Hybrid Theory or something.
100%. They may even agree to meet up for a jam, and just never turn up and never respond to you again. Might even block you lol. It's like they had a nervous breakdown and chickened out of a casual jam.
Couldn't agree more with this video. My bands previous singer was pretty much all 5 of these personalities rolled into one. She'd usually sign us up to gigs no one would want to do except her, only to arrive at a crummy outdoor location while its bucketing down, just for her to say she wasn't interested in the gig anymore. When she moved away for uni in September this year, she would still try and run the band and take part. We would politely advise her against it and to come back after her course was over, to which she would have a tantrum. We finally had to exile her from the band to get us to move forward, which lead her friends and family harassing our Instagram account.
I once played in a covers band with a bass player who was admittedly technically brilliant but insisted on putting slap bass on Oasis songs! When we challenged him on it he insisted he was ‘making them better’! 🤦♂️
Good advice here. I think that it is important to talk about and define goals with the band members. Hopefully, everyone is honest and, if someone is the outlier, that they exit sooner than later, or don’t even begin in the first place. For a number of years I played in a band that did originals and rearranged covers. That experience set the standard for which I measure all other playing opportunities. Today, I can work for anyone under their vision if I am a hired gun, but if I am a full member, then my standard applies. Recently, a friend asked me to join his covers band with the stipulation that I would have to play the exact keyboard parts, nail the synth patches and not expect to take improvised solos. That is a definite no-go for me, but I appreciate that he stated the conditions up front so that I could respectfully decline the offer instead of putting everyone, including myself, through any agitation. I have been there and done that and now I would have found that experience to be soul sucking. It would be unfair to put anyone else that thought differently through that.
The guy who is a wolf in sheep’s clothing… one of the guitarist in a JAM band was reasonably pleasant for about 6 months. Then suddenly he flipped and falsely accused a couple of us with conspiracies. Destroying the mantra all we want to do is have fun. We were Shocked, then pissed, then we banned him from ever showing up.
A couple bands back, it was the rest of them that only listened to hard, right wing talk shows on a phone. They seemed alright for a while, and I told them I did NOT want to talk about politics or religion AT ALL. That went great for about 4 months, but every time we'd take a break they smoked so much weed that philosophical ideas were always brought up, eventually I realized one was very conspiracy minded, the other one smoked too much meth and was prone to anger fits, but nice the rest of the time. It devolved, as you know it would, until the meth guy had a meltdown and decided we were going back to originals only, and his originals. I said fine, his stuff was pretty great, but he thought I would quit and when I didn't, he told me he didn't want a liberal Marxist in the band, yelling and screaming. I never went back. The other guy, got so mad at me when I pointed out (in response to his hating Muslims) that Muslims and Christians worship the same God. Of course, he got so mad at me and wouldn't believe it. I guess that's not what he was taught. LOL So much for keeping religion and politics out of music.
@@lukegoffkat To be fair to the Christian. Muslims also say similar beliefs. "There is no 'God' only Allah" yet it's clearly based off the Abrahamic God that Jews and Christians both worship. Personally I wouldn't really argue with that stuff.
@@lukegoffkat Sadly, this can also be true when more liberal-minded folks refuse to tolerate what I would call a "quiet Christian", who never speaks about God or his conservative beliefs. I wasn't that person, but I've witnessed it. The band called him a "right wing white supremacist" behind his back even though his girlfriend was black. They were really sh*tty to him.
CDs are now printed and being posted to me tomorrow... so I'll have them next week. Takes 2 weeks to register once you've got them... so I THINK (no definite 100% promises) its going to be mid to late May... watch this space for definite info tho!
One of the big splits we had in a Irish/Scottish Trad band for 18 years, came from a member who vehemently started going on about the need for nore slow ballads. We were a pub band first and foremost. The patrons enjoyed the fast and funny, not the ballad after ballad. For every ballad we would do, we needed 4 to 5 upbeat tunes to compensate, otherwise, patrons start walking out. That particular player took our 6 piece group down to a 4 piece as another member followed her out the door. While it meant considerable effort revoicing, rearranging, and revision of our set lists, musically, I think we improved musically with the 2 members. Had we been performing in Concert venues, I might have agreed with her, but her ability to judge our audience was based solely on her friends that wanted to hear her "ballads." The rest of the pub however, didn't want to hear it. Our prime fiddler, was our leader for the most part, and he did a good job of democratically listening to the two of us, who along with him, were the core of the group.
What a brilliant video! James gives a fair shakedown of exactly what goes on in bands..I have been ALL of these terrible band members LOL!! ..And I have been the wise bandleader listening to the band members and putting up with these 5 types.... But only for money. My first bandleader told me that If you weren't working as hard as a musician as you would in a day job, then you aint' doing it correctly. Working with musicians is like herding cats...And drummers are even worse! Good luck to all the bands out there.
One of the most entertaining examples of "The Showboater" is in the video of Alcatrazz's 1984 concert in Japan. The band's guitar player some guy called Yngwie, takes over the whole concert in a way that later gets him fired. The whole thing was fun to watch but was probably a complete nightmare for everybody involved whose name wasn't Yngwie.
I believe he was fired for shoving/choking the band leader Graham Bonnett for stepping in front of him while he was soloing on stage? good story either way. The Alcatrazz album with Yngwie is a nice additional Rainbow album.
Very solid advice, well delivered! I'm not even in a band. I haven't been for years, and I'm not look for one or expecting to join or form one any time soon, but I watched the whole thing. A lot of people who need to hear talks like this won't sit and listen, so to have kept me from clicking Next or walk away from my PC, you did a great job.
This is a great video. As the leader of a band trying to make it, I have definitely experienced most, if not all of these musicians in just the past five years alone. It’s tough out there, so we need to stay together and help one another when we can. Cheers!
This is why I use drum machines. Drum machines don't use drugs, they don't have girlfriends, they're never late for practice, they don't need rides to gigs, and they never make mistakes.
My pet peeve are the guys who take three days to respond to a text. I had a drummer who was a friend, great musician and a great guy, but I couldn't book gigs with him in the band. Booking one gig can be many numerous texts, calls or emails. You need your band mates to get back to you asap or at least the same day; and nothing will infuriate you more than the guy who takes three days to get back to you, only to say no. If your band mate asks you if you're available on a certain day and you don't know yet, then respond promptly saying: I have to check, I can let you know by such and such time? Other than that, look out for older guys who have been jaded by all the years gigging. I live in Chicago, and you see that all the time in the Blues scene.
I know a similar drummer, half the time he didn't respond at all and was late to every practice. Day of our first gig he said he was going to a metal show an hour away instead. We barely got him to stay, he proceeded the get hammered and live stream himself on instagram for most of the show. Luckily, his skill is all muscle memory and it didn't sound that bad, but he is no longer in the band
Great video - it made me chuckle a bit to think back over some of the people I've been bands with - I've encountered all those types over my years of playing. Thankfully I find myself now in a band where everyone is pretty easy going. A type you didn't mention is the musician who's in more than one band and the problems that can arise from that when gig dates clash etc.
Gotta agree with you and over 20yrs you get an idea within a short time what type of person they are and i think you have to go through a number of members before you pick up the good ones over time. Great video amd bang on advise.
You just gave me a Coaching lesson. It's the third time I watch this video, in months, and I took notes of everything you said. I'm not a musician (would love to!). I used to be a Coach, for an IT company. I see these types of people everywhere I go, in every team that needed my help. These 5 types screw up the entire work and the project's direction. To be honest, I just replaced the words musician or guitar player by "coder" or "programmer" and it worked! LOL Bands are the same as teams. They have to be synchronised. I also used to be the Rebel Without A Cause. I truly believe the solution to this is to embrace your own project. "Get your own band!" or "Do your own solo career" might be the solution. It is still working for me now as a Team Manager. Thank you so much for this. We do find solutions everywhere.
I have no idea of music whatsoever and I'm as far as you can possibly be from playing any instrument, but this video almost makes me want to join a band Well, this and seeing how biblical Noel and Liam looked in Oasis, on and off-stage
@@cornsae4 Well, just reading the comments all the way through pretty much qualifies you. (…I can’t even remember if I listened to the video, myself - - too much sex, mice, and rock & roll). If I were you, I would just form a band and worry about the instruments, _later_. That’s pretty much how most of us did it, …right? Forming the band is the hard part, and then, live performance is pretty much dead, anyway.
Great video . Very insightful . I will take this as a list of people not to be for myself . My mates are all very welcome for what they bring to the situation as people , and musicians .
Totally agree on the ability to talk openly and very frankly. Rebel Death was a school band, we split up when we all went our separate ways to universities, we got back together later in life for the shits and giggles. Having such long-standing friendships means we can be obnoxious to each other and it's water off a duck's back. It means we get stuff done faster, and with a lot more laughs along the way. It's tricky to emulate that closeness in new bands.
I'd been playing with the same couple of guys, on and off and in various permutations, since high school. 30 years ago we got together as a cover band for the same shits and giggles. Great fun for at least the first ten years, we'd try anything for a laugh...until the guitarist went into academia, and now lectures in music and composition at university. Since then, everything became VERY serious...he's not a showboater in the classic sense, but gigs became less about having a laugh and all about showing off how musically accomplished we were. At the same time, he became the 'easily offended' guy, and the shit we were used to throwing at each other suddenly became mortally offensive to him. Needless to say, we've now called it a day. Goes to show personality changes DO sometimes happen...just not when (or in the way that) you want them to.
People who are always late, need to go early, and say - "that wont go down well" - without ever saying why, and without offering any kind of alternative. I often think why do they join a band? Is it so they can say, - "I'll learn it properly for next time" at every rehearsal. My favourite is when they refuse gigs (with no prior notice of unavailabilty at that time) without EVER trying to find any.
Perfectionist: “I want you to play the multiple clavinet parts on ‘Superstition’, the horn parts exactly and sing harmonies. Oh, and we play the song in E, not the original E flat AND the guitar player is going to do all of the soloing really, really loud, because he only learned the Stevie Ray Vaughan version.” Me: Goodbye.
I had "one of those". He expected me to cover several guitar parts all at once, by myself. I had to frantically scramble all over the neck and struggled to get to the notes in time, even fingerpicking and pre-selecting the optimum neck positions. You shouldn't have to do that on simple rock and pop songs.
@@StephenGangi While I can appreciate a challenge, that kind of anal attention to nuances that even a lot of musicians don't pick up often has diminishing returns for the effort. Here's a variation: You spend hours learning detailed parts like that and then then when you get to the rehesrsal the band decides to not put the tune into the repertoire.
@@matturner6890 That may be so, but other than fingering issues or muscle memory, I am not too sensitive to issues related to changing a song’s key. I figure that it most important to choose the right key for the singer. I also am more partial to hearing bands play their own, thoughtful versions/arrangements of well known songs. If I want to hear an exact reproduction, I might as well stay home and listen to the original recording.
this is the best video i've seen from you yet. i really REALLY enjoy your artist focus videos, but this is gold. even as a dj who ran club nights, i can confirm everyone of these. there are 2 ways to do things. the right way & the wrong way. this is 5 steps towards the right way. great stuff
I as a bass player have met multiple musicians. One thing i can say is you do not want a person who undermines the role of a part of the band (ive been looked down a lot for bass being "easy" and mocked so my ideas were usually thrown out.)
Bloody idiots. Bass is the heart of the song, the heart of the band. I know bass players who can do more with 4 strings then most top guitarists can do with 7 strings and an effects board. Bootsy, John Paul Jones, Geddy Lee, Marcus Miller, Les Claypool, Flea, Billy Cox, etc.
Every band needs a guy like you who can identify the problems well enough to keep the band on course. Wisdom and judgment like yours is not common, especially in an artistic pursuit like music, that is no doubt a magnet for very talented flakes of all kinds.
Thank you for this - it's really helpful. I was in a band once with a Rebel Without A Cause. Utterly, utterly EXHAUSTING. BTW - nice Silverline in the background!
So basically, I'm the lead guitarist and main song writer (music and lyrics) in a 5-piece indie pop/rock band based in Glasgow. We've been together for over 3 years now, and except for a few bumps along the road (had to change one or two members) we were doing pretty well for ourselves before the covid pandemic hit the UK in March last year. We had regular gigs around Glasgow, playing some of the best venues in Scotland (headlined King Tuts where Oasis was signed and we were due to headline it a second time before lockdown was announced). Before covid we all genuinely thought we were going places with it as each gig was getting a bigger and better audience. When the pandemic started I moved back home and over this period I started working on more songs on my own, making demos. We've got a virtual type gig coming up next month, and although I'm looking forward to it, I think I want to leave the band after this gig to start a new group elsewhere. My issue is with the bassist and singer - they are both showboaters and both make the important decisions in the group without discussing anything with the rest of us. Also, the bassist cannot bear to play quietly or leave space in the music, and worse than this he bosses all of us around when we all know he is the weakest musician in the group. And he has never made an effort to improve or learn something new about the instrument. The singer has a decent voice and is very at ease on stage but writes unimaginative songs and lyrics (his heroes are Ed Sheeran and McFly). And the pair of them back each other up on every decision and have little patience for my suggestions or suggestions from the other lads. But despite the group going down very well with crowds over the past couple years (with my tunes getting the better reaction), my instincts tell me there is a more suitable band for me and more talented people in the UK to collaborate with. This band definitely feels like two opposing teams now. Am I just being an egotistical arse or should I listen to my instincts on this?
Hi Thomas. Mate, if it's in you to lead, if you have a vision, go set up your own thing. You can be in both bands - no law against that! Or, if you feel your current band is not unified, but split into opposing camps as you say, then it simply cannot succeed - at least not in that state. It will collapse - and by the sounds of what you are saying, is already about to. And most importantly, if you're not happy and if you don't feel you fit quite right there, you should feel no pressure to have to stay in a hostile environment. If you set your own thing up, invite easy going people into the band - people who will follow your lead if you're writing the material and leading the group. Look for quality of character FIRST - someone who is chilled out, someone who is happy to follow your lead, and someone up for learning and growing on their instrument. They don't have to be spectacular (see Bonehead, Guigsy, Tony Mc from Oasis) but if they can play to a reasonable standard and follow your lead, you've got a band. It's not being an egotistical arse to recognise it if you have it in you to lead - if it's true, it's just true, plain and simple. Band unity really really really bloody matters. You won't be happy if you're in a band where you don't really like or respect the other members in my experience. Do what you feel is right for you and your own dream man.
@@JamesHargreavesGuitar Hi James, Really appreciate you taking the time to respond with this advice. Aye, it's a tricky dilemma I'm in because the singer and bassist are both natural extroverts, they both seem to crave the leader role. But they simply aren't very talented and they aren't very open minded to the ambitious songs/music I'm trying to produce. I'm the only one in the band that's got a degree in music composition and so I want to incorporate classical instruments and other unconventional instruments in to the context of british indie pop/rock, much like in Britpop, The Beatles, Bowie, The Smiths, Echo and the Bunnymen. These two individuals don't have much patience for anything inventive or unconventional like this, and this is why I think I need to meet other people to collaborate with, musicians that will embrace my vision. It's tricky too because I'm very much an introverted lad in social situations - the quiet guy. But I definitely have this leader quality in me that is waiting to come out, I just don't think I can lead these lads due to their overbearing stubbornness haha Also, please keep these kind of vids coming because they're keeping me going at the minute through these strange times we're living in 👍
No worries Thomas - more vids coming! I guess if I were in your situation I'd talk to them first and lay your cards on the table, and see how they respond. But that being said, you know them and I don't. You might already know whether or not they are going to be receptive. Let me know if you end up recording anything, and feel free to shoot me a link / mp3 at jameshargreavesguitar@outlook.com 👍👍👍
Perfectionists have killed it for me. I played with some guys for a year until we found a drummer. Problem was, the drummer was a perfectionist. It was another year until we got a gig, and our drummer was upset that I booked the gig, too. We only had 45 minutes of music because we couldn’t add songs until it sounded perfect.
#5 sounds very familiar. I was in a band with someone who was a perfectionist. It used to be immensely frustrating because everything had to be perfect before we even had a micro thought about approaching a stage. Many times I argued that doing some shows would strengthen the band and provide some direction. We had a handful of songs and had done some covers, so we easily had enough material for a 6 song first band on type slot. But it was always no, no we have to be perfect. It was a far cry from a band I had willingly left to devote full attention to this band. The previous band were a britpop type outfit, though I liked to throw in some heavier guitars when it called for it because I liked metal too. I do regret leaving, i didn't think I could do both at the time. Myself and the other guitarist/singer were the main songwriters of that band and we had a pretty good chemistry and my leaving efffefticely killed the band, sadly (not tyring to sound egotistical, It's just the way it played out).
I remember our first drummer who kept looking at his biceps in the mirror when we were trying to work on a section of a song. There were times when I dropped my guitar on the floor and took a break. When we fucked him off, the other guitarist took over the drums, barely knowing how to groove. Half a year later, he grooves just fine and sees it from a guitar player's perspective, which is ideal for me. Just sharing my experience because I liked what James has to say about this, so yeah... No matter how talented some musicians are, they just can't zoom out and see the bigger picture. "Let's not talk about you being a hard man" kinda stuff, but come on, you're not Liam mate, you're a mediocre drummer. If the chances of doing anything are slim, he made sure they were zero.
Re number 1 "The hardest thing with musicians is getting them not to play." Prince. These reasons and many more are why I'm a one man band...art is not best served by committee. It's one of the best feelings playing with musicians, but when time is a premium, being a one man band is a great way to get shit done :)
This is brilliant! Great advice, I’ve experienced all of this, and still sometimes experience it. It’s unbelievable but happens... 😂😂😂 Nice to know I’m not alone !
Hahahahaha yeah all 5 are very common tales - there's alot of them about. Yeah I know what you're saying about players with character - expression does count for alot
4:29 In my case, a bass player slapped the song "Like the Way I Do" all the way through. I mean, from the very first secong to the last. After the set I confronted him and he says: "why don't you just let me have my fun?". My answer: "then don't ruin my fun in the first place!". All was good afterwards. Never happened again.
I was in a couple of bands, but gave up on it because it never works, had bad luck with band members over and over. Last nail in the coffin was my own lazy brother who never practiced even though I did all work with tabs, structures for his part too (and always showed him how to play at the rehearsals, AND he ALWAYS forgot) and I did a lot of keyboard player's stuff too. In one band it was impossible to critique the other guitar player, he broke down completely, mental issues deluxe and super spoiled from his family. In another band with him stuff worked out better. He was the material writer, and the genre was much more compatible with his style. Really liked lot of the chord and melody progressions. But there were still a couple of problems. He spat out lyrics all the time. Really quantity over quality and he was not very good at english. And still hard to critique his work. He had a great voice, but he didn't take care of it, he always partied way too heavy, had sleeping peoblems and so on. Also a drummer who was sloppy and never could hold a steady tempo. We never had a structured plan, too much chaos. Some of our gigs were pretty great though. Also had three more dysfunctional bands with various problems. I both miss having a band and don't. I really don't know how to make one work.
It really is all about having the right people in the band. Often the only musicians we know are just mates from school / college / work. In reality however there are TONS of musicians out there, you just don't know them yet. I recommend joinmyband.co.uk - pretty cool resource
This list is more about leadership/subordination than anything else, with the exception of #5, which nonetheless is about leadership too. I'll add: - Band members who start romantic relationships with other band members. When it goes south so does the band. - Band members who can't play their instruments well enough for the level required. It's mostly people who are hard to find, like drummers and they were brought in because otherwise the band wouldn't be. But in the end it will stifle the band. Remember Nirvana and their adventure with Channing. - Band members who are addicts to anything. - Band members who don't study their material and come unprepared to the rehearsals, expecting to learn everything there. - Band members who become parents and can't handle parenthood and musicianship at the same time. - Autocratic band leaders who think "my way or the highway".
My least favourite musician type is one with a fragile ego when it comes to learning theory/technique. There were so many guys and girls I jammed with who just needed to tune a few things up to be great players, but there is just NO RIGHT WAY to broach telling them how to improve. They instantly get defensive and sad-sack on you instead of just being willing to learn. I knew a guitarist who had very good rhythm-hand chops and played pentatonic solos tastefully, but ONLY pentatonic and would solo the same (usually wrong) scale over any song. I tried to point out he sounded great, just in the wrong key, and it was like letting the air out of a balloon, as if I'd said "YOU SUCK, PLAY IT RIGHT!!" Very frustrating. I do everything on my own in a DAW now and it's honestly more fun.
I had the same issue, if somebody can't admit that you are better than them at something don't even bother working with them. They are unhumble and just want to steal your glory they are jealous of.
@@matturner6890 yeah I actually learned it by being humbled by working in the trade I'm in for my "career". Structured environment with helpers/leads/foreman and you 100% have to respect and learn from those with more experience. If you can't then you are fired and that's the way it should be. I've had a band situation where I tried bringing in another guitarist and he tried so hard to bend it to his style even though he had so much less experience with technique/theory/songwriting.
@@zacksguitarhacks6390 yea I should've got into that kind of work early, I had some regrettable diva moments of my own if I'm honest. Probably could've avoided that if I did something humbling instead of what I was naturally good at.
@@zacksguitarhacks6390 Man, I wish people treated bands like trade work. Some do, but they're hard to come by. Best of luck to you and your musical future.
Very true! I ended up playing guitar duets with good competent friends. No problems, good money, good music, no ego. That's so relaxing. O,n the ither hand I have a be of a showboater and a perfectionist in me but I try to keep these down! Thanks for the wisdom mate!
True Gospel! I hate "show boaters" who overplay or adlib stuff that don't belong in the performance as if they're trying to earn an extra dollar a note or an extra beat which you're not supposed to do in a cover band. Your adlibbing will not improve what's already a hit. You gotta save your own original ideas and perfection for your own album. You also have to leave your ego at home. Don't worry. It'll still be there when you get back. And always give yourself arrival time and margin before the gig because others are depending on you to be there. Bandleaders, bosses and managers always fear the headache of running a business with unreliable employees. Even robbing a bank takes careful planning, synchronization and "all for one and one for all" execution and never any adlibbing or improvisation.
I found your Video by coincidence and I am glad to see that I am not the only one struggling with this topic. I had a band where all the musicians where not really reliable but it only showed very slow. It ended with big drama and even my lawyer had to get our music down because of copyright issues. We had a very narcissistic member that would upload our music on a channel that he maded by himself without any consent. Also had some storys where some guys wanted me as a singer but as soon as some of these guys opened their mouth I knew that they just wanted a puppet that would sing for them. And especially one of them wanted to determine everything. He also told everyone very proud that he has „connections“ in the industry. Let me tell you one thing: when someone does tell you that he has some sort of „connections“, this is the last one that is a real guy that knows his business. After some years in bands I am starting to lose my faith in this whole band thing. Not only because of the interpersonal difficulties but also because many people give up very quickly and some of them are very fake. Stay away from people that don‘t know how to work in a team. I believe the best bands start as a „project of friends“ and I wish I had this opportunity but in reality most of us start working with strangers.
Hey all - just to respond to the people complaining about the sound quality on this video...
This was uploaded in April 2021 when I think I had less than 100 subscribers and was still just learning the ropes.
It has since got a massive amount of views - but of course the sound quality etc is pretty basic.
These days I use a proper set up, but back then I just had a basic camera and used the built in mic.
Never knew it would get so many views when I made it... and so that's why the audio quality is a bit limited.
JH
I can clean up the audio for you if you want. No charge. App I use is called Brusfri. There are others.
Fuck em. Those people probably think they started their band and get to call the shots
@@JohnnyAllan-vj7sj These people sound like #5: The Perfectionist 😂
One of my old bassists said: 'if you're not playing with the rest of the band, you're playing with yourself'.
heyooooooo
*playing with yourself*
😆 I'm stealing that!
I use a looper pedal so I can play with myself in public.
@@UncleBillyBob732 Doh!
The Drinker: Proceeds to get pissed before and during the gig, most often leading to sloppy playing.
Share place with the Mota Boy. Smokes weed before the concert, and then forget how to play a Dmajor on the guitar (of course out of tune the whole show).
With the former: despite his sloppy playing thinks it's the best gig ever! And his excuse: it's ROCK'N'ROLL maaaaan!!
And the drug addict..
And if they are the drummer, you can't really turn down their volume in the mix.
Hard to do anything well when you hang around John barleycorn too much or Mr. brownstone and his pals too much.
Freddy Mercury in an interview:
- I am not the leader, I am just the singer.
"I'm a uniter, not a divider."
"If you're not with us, you're against us."
- G.W. Bush
IOW, Fteddie seemed to fit "The Perfectionist" archetype from the end part of this video... def the band leader, for sure.
@@GizzyDillespee Yes, of course he wanted to lead many times, but he learned to be humble. Like many of us.
@@GizzyDillespee Perfection is what Queen is all about.
“I’m the decider.” -also G.W. Bush 😂
@@GizzyDillespeehe certainly was a uniter, He United most of the Arab world against America and the west
You forgot about the person who wants to party more than work at the band
Man child
And let’s not forget the “ my girlfriend is making my decisions “ guy. The guy who lets his Star Chasing , Groupie Girlfriend manage him.
@@VIRGONOMICS Like Jeanine from Spinal Tap
They're less of an issue 'çause you can replace them without them knowing
@@danstone8783LOL! Was just about to say. :)
Being a band leader, my duties are:
1. Book all the shows
2. Schedule and host practices
3. Find Venues
4. Establish a social media presence.
5. Update, design and pay for the website.
6. Promote and advertise shows.
7. Create band videos
8. Design an entertaining show
9. Contact venues by phone, email or in person
10. Provide insurance
11. Constantly learning about improving the band
12. Direct music
13. Direct vocals
14. Learn how to build a following
15. Create a database of fans
16. Market the band
17. Create promotional materials
All I ask of my players is to do three things:
1. Learn the material both musically and vocally,
2. Show up to practice
3. Show up to the gigs and help load in and unload.
It's amazing how so few people will put even this little effort to be in a good band...
I'm in a band where we have one person who does all that, too. It's hard work and we'd never manage without her. I'd also add to the list 18. Making sure that all members have transport to get to the gigs.
We probably need to show her more appreciation, but until seeing your list, I don't thinks it's really hit home.
You need a manager !
Go cry in your car, tf.
"to be in a good band"? Who says your idea of a "good band" is good? Maybe your idea of a good band is pretty boring and lame, lacking inspiration or only chasing a payday.
I'm a music instructor and I run a small music program at a nonprofit music school as well as many private students. My friends and family would always tell me that I should open up my own music school. My answer is: I'm a musician who loves to teach. If I do that then I'd just be a businessman and the last people, I wanna to rely on for my business are a bunch of musicians. I used managed bars and restaurants in the past I thought waiters and waitresses were a bunch of whiners, they got nothing on musicians.
Nothing ruins music like musicians.
[ Grin! ]
Q- how do you get a musician to complain?
A- give them a gig
@@maudeeb3502 I have a tough time being around musicians, because they’re such dicks. I can be, too. But that is beside the point
Truer words were never spoken
😂
7 years before Covid hit, I formed a guitar duo with a guy I didn’t really know well, at the time. That turned out to be THE most fun time I’ve had, in my 45 years of playing music. We jelled perfectly together, and had a wide open accepting attitude of playing whatever song that either desired. We wound up being like a jukebox, lol, as our songlist kept expanding, and we played gigs all over our area. We were together until Covid, and everything shutdown, and meanwhile, grandkids and such came into the picture, so we’re inactive right now, but still great friends and still record original songs together. What a fun time it was, after putting up with that ONE guy or girl, in a full blown band, who ruined everything, eventually.
Post some of those songs. Please and thank you.
Are you from the future?
@@alfredosauce9163 If you want me to be…
During Covid we got a new guitar player who looked like he was going to really work out, but he got Covid and died in the hospital.
@@danstone8783 😨
Being in a band w/4+ personalities, different levels of skill, and commitment, is not for the faint of heart. My best bands have been avg. musicians that enjoyed each others company and "jelled" on a personal level. THEN you have a chance to become better than the sum of your parts, and that's Magic!
Agreed. The busiest band I’ve been in was also the biggest headache. The leader and lead guitar was a jazz prodigy and a control freak. His brother the drummer was also a prodigy who just followed his brother’s lead for the most part.
The singer was a theater-trained veteran who constantly clashed with the band leader. The rhythm guitar was the most normal dude of the bunch and was regularly the one who had to resolve fights between the two.
I was the least experienced, and self-taught so I was just regularly caught in the crossfire whenever the singer and leader had a row.
The band lasted for five years but felt like ten.
These are spot on. I've had to deal with ALL of these personalities. I would get so mad when I would go to practice straight from work and tired, and a guy with NO job would always be late and unprepared.
Very frustrating.
Showing up late, is a good indicator of WHY he didn't have a job lol
This is so beyond relatable. I'm in the damn navy, married working 60 hour weeks, standing duty every 4 days and going out to sea every couple months for several weeks and I still have never showed up a minute past the time we set to rehearse while we have a guy who has no job and shows up late half the time or simply just can't make it. I understand life is life but it's very frustrating as I put my all into this even with so many other commitments
@Halliday7895
I can only speak from my experience.
We collectively spoke to this person and told him how important it is to be on time and prepared. Everyone has an issue at some point, but my comment was based on repeatedly being late. He was usually prepared. Him and I have always gelled musically.....still to this day(35 years later) when we get together, it just sounds better than most. His own addiction demons have caused many of, if not all, of his issues......still to this day, I pick up the phone when he calls. I just couldn't play music with him as a committed band because he always had issues going on. He lived a rock star life without being a Rockstar...its probably because his dad was a touring musician with a hit song. Who knows???
CHEERS to ALL.
He will not find a decent job with his unfavorable behavior of constant tardiness.
@thefrates23 ok so you've got a strict time management mind and he doesn't..is there a musical chemist? If so, don't stress. If not, replace them ;)
I was invited to join my first band by a showboater who was also the self appointed leader. The band was newly formed when I joined but the leader was a bloke with a massive ego who just wanted to play his guitar at full volume and not listen to anyone else. I was the bass player but just couldn’t hear myself as he was playing so loud in the practice studio, so I asked him to turn his amp down. He laughed and told me to man up, as “this is a rock and roll band and we play loud”. I was fired by text message after the first session, and I see they are still looking for a bass player 6 months later. Karma.
Edit: I’ve now heard that his band fell apart and now playing in someone else’s band. I hope he’s learned but I doubt it. Thank you Karma! 🙏
Sounds like you dodged a bullet!
@@PressuredSpeechBand exactly. I’ve since found a group of like minded people to play with and it’s so much better.
That bloke sounds like a poser. A real musician plays for the song, and actually wants to be able to hear all the instruments, not just their own.
Could your drummer at least hear your bass playing? Tbh your drummer should have stuck up for you and told the guitarist to piss off.
Bassists are obsessed with acoustics and modern amplification affords them an audible place in most mixes. If the guitars were playing in your range then you’d have a problem, as the role of bass would be obviated already and they don’t need it to sound full. A bassist has to learn how to find his frequency range and maximalize it with his gear tuned to the acoustics of the space. Guitarists don’t have to do this as their instrument plays in the vocal range not as vulnerable to room acoustics. So if you couldn’t hear yourself, it was essentially your fault.
@claesvanoldenphatt9972 Guitarists have easily as many problems trying to EQ to the venue or the space they're in. The ultimate decision maker on sound levels is the sound man, not individuals in the band.
If you don't have a sound man, get one.
If you don't have a fully functional PA setup with foldback monitors or IEMs and EVERYTHING DI'd through the desk, get one.
Otherwise, it's like trying to herd cats to agree on sound.
This one of the BEST videos I’ve found for musicians of every level.
Clear, simple advice to navigate through your music world; no matter how big or small….
Well done!
I clicked on the video to see how I crashed all the bands I've been in.
Me too!
Yep. I got 5 out of 5
Turns out I did too
I was 1. I could play a decent bass but wasn't nearly as good as I wanted to be. I cringe at the things I did. O well. Early twenties. At least I quit music all toghetter.
@@mountkarate-nunchuckaMost musicians will tick at least 1 or 2 of these (especially guitarists like me).
It’s a silly video. I suspect when this fellow earnestly says “every band needs a leader”, he sort of means himself.
#6 The Narcissist. Everything they forget, mess up, play wrong etc, is EVERYBODY ELSE'S FAULT. They will also QUIT the band, and not speak to you for 3-4 weeks, and then call you up and lecture you for an hour or two, about why YOU made them mad, and that YOU should be apologizing for what THEY did wrong.
Well, Narcissists should be avoided at all costs in life full stop. But you've perfectly described narcissistic behaviour right there.
I will NOT work with a narcissist! I wouldn't even let David Lee Roth on my stage if he asked.
I m dealing with someone like this,but he s funnt you know?
He goes around saying that he is a professional musician but he s not able to understand the basic concept of dynamic in a song
@alessandroguglielmo719 Make up your mind as to whether you want to continue with them or not. You've got some insight happening here. If you challenge them and they start to really attack you, then you've got yourself a narcissist in your band. Cut all ties immediately.
All of the types described are narcissistic. They are just different flavors.
A twist on #5, the control freak, the band leader who demands you play wrong chords, because they worked it out wrong
Yep.....somehow their wallet and authority has transmuted the way the song is actually played😅 Beware the amateur how tries to "buy" musicians he has no business playing with.
Or the one that refuses to play the right chords just because he learned it that way and doesn't want to try to do it right.
Like on the song, Sweet Caroline, (In C) where the begging bass line is a G, he always played an A. The bass is supposed to hold us the G root while the rest of us are free to color that with an F. But he hears the mix of the two as an A. when I asked him for the G, he flat out got mad at me.
Well, so much for fine tuning one of our best songs to professional level!
I was one of those dudes well.just play it wrong...😮
@@lukegoffkat i was that guy on my last band because i learned the song wrong 😭😭😭 but the song was Deathhammer by Asphyx
I was once in a band as the sole horn player. I was accused of being a showboater, and was often told "Less is more." So I did less. And less. And less. You know what they finally decided was "less" enough? Nothing.
That's right. Nothing.
They didn't tell me they didn't want me in the band. They just whittled my part down to total silence. And then bitched at me when I left.
That's odd.. did they expect you to just stand there and hold the horn on stage while you played??
Less is more doesn't necessarily mean you are supposed to play less, though. It's just an open ended statement to summon common sense into a conversation revolving around "I can play so much more complex stuff though, why simplify my part?" Yours sound like exactly what you said. If your musical approach doesn't match, you shouldn't be there anyway. A good band compliments each others' playing.
That happened to me in a blues band. I ended up wondering why they thought they even needed a bassoonist in the first place.
Their loss
Takes one to think they know one ;) Good on you man.
I worked with a showboater who had zero technical skill and actually thought up relentless arguments against practicing in general. His stance “actually the more you practice , you lose your creativity “ “the more you practice scales the more your strings will break” “I don’t want to practice because I don’t want to sacrifice my style” and the list went on and on….he currently plays in his room by himself begging to come back yet everything is OUR fault
The strings breaking is crazy. Like dude they’re gonna break eventually it has nothing to do with what you play on them😭😭
And ughhh the technique kills creativity argument is stupid. Technique and theory are roadmaps and tools
@@Ell_lovell oh man, you know it. And it was the worst because he was a bass player but if any of the guitar players went in for a lead he would abandon his post as a rhythm keeper and start ailing over us but he has NO concept of scales or melody . I dealt with this for years…
@@alexgoenne1689 GAAAAH I can hardly imagine. I mean how do you even get that confident in hen you don’t even know what you’re doinf
That guy have a vision. Bring him back!
@@andrepereira744 hahaha he did. But unfortunately , we were an unwitting stage production crew for a talk show host with NO material. We might as well have been the camera crew for the Chevy chase show but with less interesting monologues
Had a tantrum-thrower in a community marching band. She threatened to storm off right before we were due to begin leading the town parade because her dance troupe wasn't positioned immediately in front of us. She was the only tubist, so without her, there was no bassline. Never forgot, and while I sometimes had to work with her after that, I ensured that she was never relied on for anything again.
Eventually she chucked a tantrum (again) and stormed out after her best friend was removed as director by the remainder of the band. Literally no one ever contacted her about coming back, and I promptly replaced her with another tubist I knew.
That's just like Metallica and Dave Mustaine...if you replace the tubas with guitars 😂
Axl Rose just raised an eyebrow at “Unreliable man-child”
In the movie "Bohemian Rhapsody", Freddy Mercury was too, but they slapped it out of him.
Welcome to the Jungle. We got fun and games.
Nah, that one went right past him, unnoticed!
I used to be in Guns and Roses too.
After all the Botox, I'm not sure Axl can raise his eyebrow 😂
I was once in a band where the bass player arrived with a keyboard one day. We already had a keyboard player. He said he was going to play "2nd keyboards" and have the original keyboard player play basslines. We didn't let him stay in the band.
Because who's ever heard of a band with two keyboard players...
@@UranusMcVitieFish-yd7oq yeah but suddenly showing up with a keyboard when you're the bass player without informing the other members beforehand of your plan and then telling the original keyboard player to play what you usually are supposed to be playing is something to be fired over
As a keys guy, I have occasionally played left hand bass on trio gigs. It’s a bit of work. You could have told the (ex)bass player that then keyboard player #1 was going to be paid two shares of the earnings, since he would be doing the job of two people.
Depending on what your repertoire was, there might have been an opportunity to capitalize on the expanded instrumentation. I wonder if you could have worked out an arrangement where the bass player played synth bass on some songs, bass on some songs, and keyboard parts where needed while keys person #1 did bass parts with one hand. Personally, as a keys guy I would welcome that instead of being asked to cover cheesy horn parts myself while also singing and playing all of the other keys parts. (No, your keys player cannot sound like Tower of Power while covering Hammond parts.)
Whuuuuuut???
I don't know, depends on the personality of it more than bringing an instrument. Depends on if he insisted to be more keys than bass.
I love musicians that play more than one instrument and always try to give them time on stage with it, if they're proficient, the audience loves that showmanship. If they're not trying to take over someone else's job, 3 or so songs a night is wonderful.
Whilst I agree wholeheartedly with all of this, it’s very difficult to get 4/5 musicians in a room without at least one of these being present. Musicians as a rule, particularly songwriters, have a touch of ego. Which brings out the perfectionist, and the power trip. Noel is a perfect example. Granted, NG made it work. But that’s a rare occurrence.
I don’t think Noel was like that at first but once he started getting famous he really shot up his ego.
But he was also really good at songwriting so it didn’t matter
I think you just have to slowly weed out everyone who isnt cutting it, trying to make any team without contractually obliged commitments is a pain, just try starting a five aside team or anything similar
Yeah it's mad isnt it hahaha so many musicians tend towards one of these 5. I know I used to be an insufferable showboater as a teenager. I look back and cringe.
It's kind of incredible how easily a small group of musically inclined people can devolve into the basic, eternal examples of political and psychological dysfunction.
I have a sixth one, The Wheelbarrow. That guy who despite being super talented and easy to get along with, both of those things are greatly eclipsed by his lack of motivation. So you have to keep blowing time and energy picking him up to move forward, but once gaining momentum, if you let go, thinking he'll roll with that momentum... he'll drop and dig his heels in.
I spent over a year dealing with that guy and to say that the band went "nowhere" is an utterly generous overstatement.
Honestly this is the main thing I struggle with, I'm pretty damn good at my instrument but my motivation is dropping every day, I've been forcing myself to play, practice, and learn but it's hard to get much done
@Corner-for-Assorted-Oats
It's not even that. I dont know, maybe... point is, the guy would never come around, but then when you ask "Hey, are we still doing this?" The response is "Yea yea, I'm totally in, man." Yet then, not alter his trajectory.
Where it'd be like "Hey, we got shirts made" or "The website is up" and he'd get super excited and very enthusiastic, like "Ok, he's finally going" and he'll be more open to communication and such. However, when asking "So are we getting together in a few days to bang some stuff out?" All of a sudden it's "Man, work's crazy" or some other thing.
Then call me up about some date he's going on or heading off to South America for two weeks, things like that. Having had enough, I finally called him on it and admittedly, I was between jobs at the moment, which was his go to, that "I feel like if you had a job, you'd understand." The guy worked 5, 8 hour days and worked out two hours a day. Yet totally glossed over the aspect that when I worked 6, 9 hour days and also went to school full time, I was still on him about it.
@@AnthonySforza you can lead a horse to rehearsal but you can't make him shred. honestly I think I'm the 'wheelbarrow', I should look into getting some casters installed so I can roll with it more. Appreciate your comment!
I have that trouble. In my county there's no city bigger than a few thousand so the musicians here have no ambition whatsoever. It's almost impossible to put a band together that isn't more than mediocre. I can't get them motivated to care about the music, it's all covers and they barely play them with the right chord structures.
I always tell musicians, FIRST you learn to play it the right way, THEN you can riff off of that and be creative, but first put in the work to be as good as the original when possible.
Tough to do that when they're only there for girls or beer and attention. (Which they'd get a lot more of if they spent any time on their talent.)
Most bands I used to play with would hand you a CD every week with 5 or so top 10 songs on it and expect you to know them for stage the following week, with one practice beforehand. I can't get people like that where I live.
Uhm... well not to call myself super talented but that does sound familiar. I actually quit myself after a month the main reason being that I couldn't realistically see myself having the energy and motivation to adequatly fulfill my duties and they have a year to the next gig so I quit. I was motivated but then a lot of crap happened and now I just want to go home after work and watch TV or jam, not learn 50 songs... besides I got another band who are total beginners and we have two half finished songs. So my guitar parts are whatever I say they are haha. Not much to practise I mostly show up they hand me lyrics and melody and I get the enviable job of turning a singers composition into a song. (What key is that - D! - that's not D... It's Dorian, why did you write the first song in Dorian - what's that?)... I feel like a looser but oh well. Didn't want to drag down the other band. When I joined I was motivated and made lots of recordings for new material but then my life went downhill and I lost motivation. Plus the other guitarist, also bandleader kinda was a showboater, I saw them play one gig and he's a fine rythm guitarist but I can see why they wanted a lead... Didn't bend in tune and super sloppy. I'm no genius but I can play Far Beyond the Sun at 80-90% speed so I didn't particularily enjoy getting lectured on technique. It was my fault I didn't practise much but he seemed to assume I had practised but failed. Minor annoyances but I felt it was too much conflict for a month in and yeah I had to focus on my real life job, almost lost it. And then having to sit down and learn a song after an aweful day... took all the fun out of it and that band was all for fun.
I could literally write a book about problem musicians...here are a few.
The "False Promiser." I recently let go of a drummer who promised everything, and delivered nothing. He told me he could sing backups, learn the material, show up to all but a couple of gigs where he had conflicts with his tribute band, promised to buy a monitor, mic stand and microphone, gig shirts, and a bass drum head logo. He did NONE of this.
Of course, the first week after being hired, cancelled a gig because his daughter had came in from out of town, then the next week, cancelled because his tribute band picked up another gig, and did it again a couple of weeks later, and again a month later.
He refused to practice backup vocals in practice, and I brought a mic stand, cord and mic for him to a couple of gigs. which he didn't practice the vocals for. He then asked me to bring a monitor, and mic the guitars so he could hear us. As the band leader, I have to not only bring the PA system, plus I play guitar and keyboards and have to bring all that stuff too. This drummer was a multi-millionaire, but was too cheap to buy a $150 monitor, and wanted me to provide it.
Every time he came to practice, he forgot the songs we worked on the week before, then before a two gig weekend, he cancelled a Friday gig on the previous Monday because his niece was coming into town. He didn't offer to play if I could not find anybody else, either which would have screwed me if I didn't have one guy able to play. I would have had to put an emergency ad up and scramble to set up a last minute practice to get ready for the gig.
At the last gig he did, he set his drums up in front of the stage ahead of the amps so he could hear the guitars, but he blocked my access across the stage.
He also forgot the special ending we worked out for a certain song, and also screwed up another song which he never learned correctly after playing it at EVERY gig for over three months...
Never hire musicians who don't tell you the truth...look at what they do, not what they say.
In my experience, millionaires are freeloaders. They're really tightfisted, there's a reason they got to hoard all that money.
best advice right here on the last line; hard to learn though...
The bass player story killed me🤣 Brilliant video!
Hahahahaha cheers Jordi
@@JamesHargreavesGuitar heading to Manchester tomorrow to get all the demos and the 2 singles recorded so will keep you updated!
I had a depressed, alcoholic bass player. He fired four drummers from my band, and then then me. He could only just play, could not sing, but oh boy could he sulk. Even on stage.
On stage sulkers needs a category, it’s awful!
The bass was probably his favourite drinking buddy.
He should have gone solo. Always a big demand for non-singing solo bass acts...😁
I'm in a band where we're all really successful and senior in our day jobs, and two of the band are former army officers, so we're no strangers to leadership. Conversely, it means that we're ultra-careful when we do need to offer constructive criticism or need to take the lead. The band is our chance to *NOT* be in charge for once 😂😂😂
The benefit of experience and wisdom.
"The guy who consistently brings Gf(s) to rehearsals "
YOKO!
@@planetmullins don't diss her, she's realest Beatle
@@theodderotter6635 does she have a gun to your head? 😂😂
If she's for share then it's ok.
@@brisktea123You either have the experience or you have not.
I can think of nothing more disruptive to a band. I thought that at 18 ...unfortunately I still think the exact same a couple decades later. Difference being ...these days I understand the feminine psyche much better than I did as a teenager.
I was in a duo with a woman who had great vocal talent but was a huge drama queen. We’d written 3 songs and were learning 3 covers and she booked us for a major show. I was actually confident that with our onstage chemistry and the way that we played off each other that we could easily play a half hr set, but she was concerned that the 2 of us wasn’t enough. She hired a backup band from out of town. I agreed, because with how she was worrying, I was afraid she’d get cold feet and we would end up not playing at all. Anyways, the band didn’t bother to learn the songs we had written, even though I transcribed them. We went on without a sound check. It was a huge disaster and major embarrassment. The band didn’t want me playing with them because their guitarist was a showboater and didn’t think I could keep up. I was essentially knocked down to a stage hand and the show fell apart 2 songs in. She walked off the stage when the showboater started noodling while she was singing and completely destroyed the vibe. She ended up paying them 500 for only playing 1 and a half songs. I loved how her and I were together when we played, but felt betrayed when she felt we couldn’t handle a show on our own. We were never the same again. We split ways and she ended up reinventing herself and starred for one season on a trash tv reality show on basic cable.
need her name and show now. you can't leave it like that dude.
Name and show bro plz
That's vision right threre
Ringo was more than an average musician. How dare you.
Excellent video.
as far as technical ability for professional drummers he's very low on the scale. THAT SAID he was perfect for the music and his time and feel was good.
I mean none of the Beatles were super technically skilled but that wasn't what their strength was anyway.
Yeah I'd rate him as right in there with the rest of the band in terms of skill level. All great for what that band did.
@@andrepereira744 i said "professional drummer" yes it might be hard for your average hobbyist
@@andrepereira744 are you slow? maybe you dont understand english. yes he was a pro. but compared to what other pros play his drumming is easy.
I think I've done all these things at one point...After all these years the hardest things for me are still just being prepared enough and being a nice guy.
We all have bad days. The fact you can see this in yourself tells me you're probably none of them.
I'm older (63) and have been playing guitar for a very long time. I have always had a sweet spot for two guitar bands. It adds a lot of texture to the music, but requires so much more work to coordinate parts. I was with a core group (me, 2 singers, and a bass player). We played to a click track for a dozen or so rehearsals and had gotten tight on about 18 songs. This was all while looking for a drummer. My new neighbor is a medical doctor and had taken notice. He asked if he could sit in as the second guitar after showing me his dedicated rehearsal space. It was large and set up (PA, Drums, stand, etc). I listened to him play and wow! great chops! Red Flag Alert- At introductions with the others, someone asked where he was from. He responded, "Why does that matter?" A few short minutes into first group rehearsal, he stops us and advised that he did not have time to learn the first 5 songs (his picks from our set list). He then proceeded to look up the first song on his laptop and play it through the PA while picked through it from start to finish. He did this with each song. The first 2 rehearsals, he never made it through an entire song without stopping the band so that we could show him his parts or with him playing the original on the PA. Midway through rehearsal #3, once again, he once again stopped playing in the middle of a song, walked into another room and cooked his dinner. He then calmly sat down and ate at his guitar chair, while we rehearsed without him. NOT KIDDING! Before rehearsal #4, he forwarded his DEMANDS to go forward: 1) He wanted us to throw away our set list and replace with his songs. 2) Change rehearsal from Thursday nights 6-9pm to Sunday afternoons noon-3pm 3) Make him the music director with final say on everything 4) He thought that our humor was inappropriate and needed to be less "caustic," so as not to hurt someone's feelings.
Quick Bios - Me- Retired high ranking police investigative supervisor. Bass- retired construction superintendent for one of the largest govt agencies in Chicago. Singer #1 - Retired Sr VP of an international corporation. Singer #2 retired Sr Fire superintendent from a large NE city.
We were not teens, and all have a great deal of experience. We all concurred that he was the worst bandmate that any of us have ever had. I informed him that it was not working out. We did not agree with his demands and that we ALL had an issue with his lack of commitment. His ego would did not hear a blunt, but polite "fired." - He responded, "this is not working out, so I quit."
Oh, and the caustic joke? First rehearsal, the bass player (not a singer) sang on one at first run through of a new song until the singers decided who would take the song permanently. When done, the bass player says on the mic, " I won't do that again." To which I responded, "Thank you." EVERYONE laughed except for the doc.
I’ve been a musician for 43 years. I hate musicians. 😂
Me to. I'd rather have a shit job than deal with band politics. I had a band just for fun where nothing mattered. That was actually enjoyable.
We're the worst 😂
the thing is, are any musicians actually outside those categories? if they are I bet they're even worse than that. Maybe it's not the defining trait of the person the problem but how intensely it shows on him and if it's something that ends up screwing the band on the long run, and it's imposed on the other members in a harming way.
@@dblck9 There is a dynamic that has to exist. The problem is having 4+ adults committed on a creative level, and as a business partnership long term. It's more complicated than a marriage, especially if everyone is going different directions.
@@qua7771 hard to imagine something could be more complicated than a marriage :p
Jokes aside, I get what you're saying. I've seen a lot of people having issue with forming an enterprise with just 1 partner. Add to that the fact it's people who deal with music we're talking about, and not numbers, and yeah, not hard to imagine there's some serious headache potential there.
Saw the title and came looking for a load of anecdotes about well-known musical journeymen who joined famous bands and derailled them.... but instead got some great advice about bands. Great video!
Like you, I was expecting that...and wondering whether I was one of them!
I'm all five rolled into one, which is why I just stick to recording at home with my DAW where I can do no harm!
Hahahahaaaa....at least you are honest!! 😂
Me too. Plus why waste your time when the average person can't even at what I. Gonna do on a looper n with superior drummer.. way more talent than any person im gonna have around.. 😂
This is so true. Personalities don't change and the things you said apply to every working space. I always choose the people I work with based on their personality because I cannot afford to have a disregulated and toxic work environment - in any way.
I'm 25. Recently started writing music. I'd love to be in a band!
Go and form one then mate
@@AK-pr2nk seriously easier said then done
@@skagslag1156 why?
@@AK-pr2nk drumming and bassists are so hard to come by, it’s a dying trade these days not like it was back in the day.
Excellent - check out joinmyband.co.uk if you want to connect with other musicians looking for bands / collaborators. There has been an INSANE boom in guitar & bass sales since lockdown, so there should be a few guys and girls out there looking to jam 👍👍👍
It’s best to be in bands with your friends who you know intimately. You know their strengths and weaknesses as a person and have mutual respect and admiration for each other.
Until it goes haywire and you don't have friends anymore 🙃
@@matturner6890 could not agree more.!
And when you drift apart personally because you grown older and have more differences, with just the band keeping you together...that don't last much longer. Hello Beatles.
Had formed a Duo with a good friend, had been together for 15 odd years. When started we where full of ideas. Somehow along the way I just mentioned his overplay (we're a Blues-Band) and asked him to keep it simple. Then he got a new girlfriend... missed out our practice evenings, claims that he wasn't envolved enough in new songs... All my requests for having a real conversation about it instead of Whatsapp lead to.... that he left the project. And friendship is washed down the drain...
Best example, Rush. Their friendship starting from Alex Lifeson meeting Geddy Lee in school, then with the 2nd album with Neil Peart joining after John Rutsey's diabetics prevented him touring, then until sadly when Neil passed, showed you can make it as a band but still maintain that integrity and with no egos getting their way!
Great video James! I've had an unpleasant experience with a sort of Showboater/Pretender hybrid. Steadfastly REFUSED to turn down his amp and wasn't happy with how the band was being run. Before long this guy started making phone calls to each member to get the lads onside, "let's keep this between us", started criticising the setlist, and even the order of the setlist. Started taking bookings with a separate diary, and tried to look for extra money for taking bookings. Eventually he floated the idea of him being our " Musical Director".
As you'd expect, the band folded completely in the end, but most of the lads have gigged together since, minus the guy in question.
Sounds like an absolute pillock! You've really got to watch out for a divisive person like that. Steer clear, they're nothing but trouble. There's just no point trying to force it to work if a band is disunified - you've got to kick the bugger out hahaha
Add to the list: The angry guy/girl who doesn't know what he/she is angry about, but carries a cloud and has a resentment towards the idea of success... They go nowhere, and you will go nowhere with them.
I have to add a personality type to your 5. The jealous guy.
I played with a singer/guitar player who was always worried that I was trying to take his spot.
Yes, I've lead bands for years, play many instruments, but I would never try to take a leaders spot.
All I did was do my best to help the band by being my best "stage" actor, back him up in anyway I could find.
Well, that lead to him thinking I was trying to out shine him, he even accused me of trying to take his place as the person who deals with the club owners. No matter how good I was playing, he thought I was shaming him in some way.
He was used to Nashville Tennessee where, I guess, there's so much competition that every musician had to watch their back.
But he came to Tucson, AZ and we're more laid back and not trying to get a recording contract and become a star necessarily.
This kind of personality is poison for a good team that's trying to gel and get really tight.
The past few years I've been playing in a great cover band. I came from a different band in which I was the leader. I was looking forward to not have to deal with everything i used to and just being a good player who added to the fray and enjoy playing. When I got there I saw that the leader of this band was struggling with a lot of stress. He did all the booking, paid the band, scheduled rehearsal and did the social media marketing. The whole time he had to fight with personalities within the band, nothing out of the ordinary, but some were somewhat lacking in the professionalism that might make them a bit more money. Knowing that this could not be sustained I offered my help to him and now we split duties. He concentrates on the venues and the money and I concentrate on getting the guys to be more into what they're playing, know how to pick a better song, and knowing when to play and not to play. That is a big thing! So, some think it's an easy job to be the band leader but it's not. Sometimes it's even completely thankless. That being said, we're now kicking ass and taking names! Survivors! 🤘😎
how can a cover band be great? You're just a bunch of uncreative losers and musical illiterates without any sort of self esteem. The worst band there ever was, probably. Hahaha
Very VERY good video! I am both a musician guitar player ( 43 + years playing) and also an A list guitar tech ( retired) who has worked for everyone who's anyone in metal in the states. You nailed it bro. On every personality type. Well done mate!
This is a great commentary on all kinds of teams: musician, software engineers, etc.
To quote a friend of mine, "somebody's gotta be Spock". That has served me very well in my ongoing 20+ year collaboration with a brilliant singer/songwriter, someone who values my opinion and vision as much as his own.
Dont bite the hand that feeds you. But dont fight the band that heeds you.
Good One. I don’t get it.
what
First clue to immediately dismiss someone: when they begin their first sentence with "I get my license back in..." (insert time frame - weeks, months, etc. - here).
lol. Truth!😉
You forgot the drunk or stoner? Turns up so ripped that they can’t string a sentence together let alone play a instrument.
The drinking yes. I digress on the stoner one. They can be very creative and even more reliable than the sober ones.
I think it comes under the Man-Child category
the previous singer for a band I was in was a total stoner and only ever showed up to practice once, we never even played a show, I'm pretty sure he still thinks that he's the singer for the band
The gods of rock are going to take a little issue with this one. Are we really going to fire Paul McCartney, Bob Marley, etc. etc.?
@@mrsherwood2599 You forgot the part, where Paul McCartney is a workaholic. This has been mentioned by Ringo, without Sir Paul, they would have done just two albums. The Get Back documentary shows clearly what Macca was doing, he was a workaholic who loves writing music. He was the leader of the band..
I'd like to add one more to your list. The know it all. The one who tries to convince you that you don't know what you know and that they know better about everything.
This is true. And what they don't realize is that it's just best to "be happy, patient and not overly serious" all the time than wanting or proving to be right all the time.
They cannot agree to disagree. And they'll state state opinions of other bands like 'oh , that band? Yeah they're shit' as if they're opinion is absolute. It's never 'they're not really my thing' or 'they're not for me'.
Great video, can’t stop sniggering at the 20 minute set up at the garrison. I had a similar experience whilst supporting a famous band, who took so long sound checking that we literally had to throw our gear onto the stage and start playing instantly.
It’s was truly awful, stressful and the worst gig I’ve ever taken part in.
Weirdly, the people who came to see us reckoned it was the best they’d ever seen us play, which made me wonder what the hell people are actually focussing on when they watch bands 😆😆😆
Probably channeling all that frustration and stress into the music so it had edge and intensity. Always look for the silver lining in good stories.
I agree. It happened to my old band once: we were playing up in the hills and got caught in snow. Arrived at the gig about ten minutes before we were due to play, managed to get everything out of the van, park the van, set up backline and P.A., play one song for a soundcheck, get changed and actually start the gig about ten minutes late. Luckily the audience had seen everything and were well up for it, so with that and the nervous energy we were feeling, we actually had one of our best gigs ever!
Great video mate, so many Spinal Tap-esque things mentioned, and without mentioning the movie!
Very well thought out and articulated 👏
Hey, Ringo was pretty amazing in reality, he just didn’t showboat.
So true!! Ringo always served the song!! And still does with his own band now!!
Octopus garden is my favorite Beatles song
James being in a band is like creating that five a side football team. Someone has to man up to be captain of the ship and then say to one of the other four "Sorry mate your goalie for us tonight. Always have that feeling that goalkeepers are treated the same as drummers. You always felt that with John Squire in his Seahorses time it was all about him and his guitar on the stage. I'm sure his blood must of boiled a lot if Chris got more camera shot than him on the tele. I think the last bands I remember hit a lot with what you talked about in this video was Liberties and Babyshambles with Pete Doherty. A lot of the time they would just turn up late. Pretty much taking their fans for a ride at the time and great video once again.
Cheers TC. Yeah you have to get that personality balance right in a team of any kind - band or footy.
These days the time of the temperamental artiste is well and truly over, it's the age of the professional musician now - don't know if that's a good thing or a band thing... but it does seem to be true. So most of these 5 types I'm talking about don't stand a chance in hell of getting anywhere in the music industry anymore
Yeah James when you look at the world of football, films and movies it ain't what it once was. I think the world has ran out of Kit Kats, no one wants to take a wee tea break nowadays. They're all to serious about their 24/7 social media brand of themselves.
I think it’s more because promoters, and audiences, got fed up of prima donnas. I was a professional musician for nine years - always the same band - and we could make a living from it because a) we were in the right place at the right time b) we were pretty good but mostly c) we were extremely reliable. In nine years I think we cancelled about ten gigs, mostly because of illness but once because we had already played in the place and didn’t want to go back there (and didn’t need the money). But everywhere else we turned up, drank one or two beers (and paid for them when not part of the agreement!), played when we were supposed to play and stopped when we had to. Word got around, believe me! And bar owners and promotors regularly told me nightmare stories of other bands behaving like spoilt kids who were NOT given repeat bookings!
Have a oasis/ stone roses cover band on the go and my uncle was in it, but he was one of them who jumped about the place then ran through the audience accidentally bumping into people and playing wrong notes. Whenever you tried saying “could you maybe not do that” he would instantly reply saying “why” and challenge us. And if anything went wrong he’d always blame me so yea gave him the boot and so the rest of the band had a celebration party 😂
asking why is a great thing though. You should WANT them to understand why and elucidate to them perfectly.
Some more that might be included: 1) The Substance abuse guy who starts practices/gigs fine but then gets too fucked up to play well and/or makes scenes, 2) the Heartbreaker (usually female) with a history of breaking up bands and marriages after torrid affairs with other band members, 3) the otherwise great but Too Busy guy-not available for practice or gigs due to all their other commitments. For example, find out if the person travels frequently for work or pleasure such that practices and gig would be missed.
Guitarist has to practice every day . Tiny strings . Much finger work. When the guitar only has one or two day’s week to pick up his instrument? Fire them
I'd say the substance abuse guy is a subtype of the man child. Unreliable, but also deluded, so critiques the best musicians in the band.. when (s)he's a mediocre musician at best. Selfish and antisocial, and a thrillseeker. May thus get bored and and start to play games, try to undermine other members' confidence, or playing them out against each other, just for the hell of it. Such a person may be amusing at first, but it'll end with him/her refusing to pay the rent for the rehearsal space, borrowing an instrument and then disappearing etc etc.
1) Waylon Jennings, 2) Taylor Swift, 3) Joe Satriani, John 5, etc.
Are you sure you know what you're doing? lol You just fired 3 or 4 legends without even giving them a chance.
@@Destin65 If you want, for example, a drummer or bassist that creates scenes and loses you gigs, good luck to you. If your comment reflects a personal struggle with addiction, please understand that I wish you well … and please know getting fucked up does not make you better and success in music/life will eventually require you seek sobriety.
@@mhillaxeman why would you automatically assume that all of us disabled veterans are drug addicts? Better question, why would you be dumbass enough to assume that every musician is a drug addict? You have a very poisoned world view going on. You automatically think the worst in everyone. No wonder you weren't able to hire people like Waylon Jennings, or Taylor Swift, or any other music legend you described in your political rant. You called them all deadbeats and whores. No wonder they are superstars and you're a nobody.
How about #6 , the guys who respond to your ads and act all excited and then ghost when you send them any of your stuff, like they're sitting on the next Hybrid Theory or something.
I get maybe not vibing with the music, but grow a pair and say something, just vanishing is immature.
100%. They may even agree to meet up for a jam, and just never turn up and never respond to you again. Might even block you lol.
It's like they had a nervous breakdown and chickened out of a casual jam.
Couldn't agree more with this video. My bands previous singer was pretty much all 5 of these personalities rolled into one. She'd usually sign us up to gigs no one would want to do except her, only to arrive at a crummy outdoor location while its bucketing down, just for her to say she wasn't interested in the gig anymore. When she moved away for uni in September this year, she would still try and run the band and take part. We would politely advise her against it and to come back after her course was over, to which she would have a tantrum. We finally had to exile her from the band to get us to move forward, which lead her friends and family harassing our Instagram account.
"But it's MY band!!!". 😉
I once played in a covers band with a bass player who was admittedly technically brilliant but insisted on putting slap bass on Oasis songs! When we challenged him on it he insisted he was ‘making them better’! 🤦♂️
Sounds like a nightmare scenario. He wouldn't last 10 minutes in a band with me hahahahaha. FIRED
that is bloody hilarious 😂😂 can you imagine the look noel would give guigsy if he insisted that
Don’t look back in anger BOOGEDY BOO I heard you say BAP BAP BWOONG
Good advice here. I think that it is important to talk about and define goals with the band members. Hopefully, everyone is honest and, if someone is the outlier, that they exit sooner than later, or don’t even begin in the first place. For a number of years I played in a band that did originals and rearranged covers. That experience set the standard for which I measure all other playing opportunities. Today, I can work for anyone under their vision if I am a hired gun, but if I am a full member, then my standard applies. Recently, a friend asked me to join his covers band with the stipulation that I would have to play the exact keyboard parts, nail the synth patches and not expect to take improvised solos. That is a definite no-go for me, but I appreciate that he stated the conditions up front so that I could respectfully decline the offer instead of putting everyone, including myself, through any agitation. I have been there and done that and now I would have found that experience to be soul sucking. It would be unfair to put anyone else that thought differently through that.
The guy who is a wolf in sheep’s clothing… one of the guitarist in a JAM band was reasonably pleasant for about 6 months. Then suddenly he flipped and falsely accused a couple of us with conspiracies. Destroying the mantra all we want to do is have fun. We were Shocked, then pissed, then we banned him from ever showing up.
A couple bands back, it was the rest of them that only listened to hard, right wing talk shows on a phone. They seemed alright for a while, and I told them I did NOT want to talk about politics or religion AT ALL. That went great for about 4 months, but every time we'd take a break they smoked so much weed that philosophical ideas were always brought up, eventually I realized one was very conspiracy minded, the other one smoked too much meth and was prone to anger fits, but nice the rest of the time.
It devolved, as you know it would, until the meth guy had a meltdown and decided we were going back to originals only, and his originals. I said fine, his stuff was pretty great, but he thought I would quit and when I didn't, he told me he didn't want a liberal Marxist in the band, yelling and screaming. I never went back.
The other guy, got so mad at me when I pointed out (in response to his hating Muslims) that Muslims and Christians worship the same God. Of course, he got so mad at me and wouldn't believe it. I guess that's not what he was taught. LOL So much for keeping religion and politics out of music.
@@lukegoffkat
To be fair to the Christian. Muslims also say similar beliefs.
"There is no 'God' only Allah" yet it's clearly based off the Abrahamic God that Jews and Christians both worship.
Personally I wouldn't really argue with that stuff.
@@lukegoffkat Sadly, this can also be true when more liberal-minded folks refuse to tolerate what I would call a "quiet Christian", who never speaks about God or his conservative beliefs. I wasn't that person, but I've witnessed it. The band called him a "right wing white supremacist" behind his back even though his girlfriend was black. They were really sh*tty to him.
Ep release date? #takebackthecharts
CDs are now printed and being posted to me tomorrow... so I'll have them next week. Takes 2 weeks to register once you've got them... so I THINK (no definite 100% promises) its going to be mid to late May... watch this space for definite info tho!
@@JamesHargreavesGuitar Thanks mate. All the Best
One of the big splits we had in a Irish/Scottish Trad band for 18 years, came from a member who vehemently started going on about the need for nore slow ballads. We were a pub band first and foremost. The patrons enjoyed the fast and funny, not the ballad after ballad. For every ballad we would do, we needed 4 to 5 upbeat tunes to compensate, otherwise, patrons start walking out.
That particular player took our 6 piece group down to a 4 piece as another member followed her out the door. While it meant considerable effort revoicing, rearranging, and revision of our set lists, musically, I think we improved musically with the 2 members.
Had we been performing in Concert venues, I might have agreed with her, but her ability to judge our audience was based solely on her friends that wanted to hear her "ballads." The rest of the pub however, didn't want to hear it.
Our prime fiddler, was our leader for the most part, and he did a good job of democratically listening to the two of us, who along with him, were the core of the group.
What a brilliant video! James gives a fair shakedown of exactly what goes on in bands..I have been ALL of these terrible band members LOL!! ..And I have been the wise bandleader listening to the band members and putting up with these 5 types.... But only for money.
My first bandleader told me that If you weren't working as hard as a musician as you would in a day job, then you aint' doing it correctly.
Working with musicians is like herding cats...And drummers are even worse! Good luck to all the bands out there.
Your opinion about drummers.
@@paradiddlediddle8630 Pardon my humour...Some of my best friends are drummers..Honest guv!
One of the most entertaining examples of "The Showboater" is in the video of Alcatrazz's 1984 concert in Japan. The band's guitar player some guy called Yngwie, takes over the whole concert in a way that later gets him fired. The whole thing was fun to watch but was probably a complete nightmare for everybody involved whose name wasn't Yngwie.
I'm sure he's all broken up over it.
Mr Malmsteen. His performance in the G3 jam was epic, soloing over Joe Satriani and Steve Vai! Utter knob.
Damn I have to find that video, sounds amazing!
I believe he was fired for shoving/choking the band leader Graham Bonnett for stepping in front of him while he was soloing on stage? good story either way. The Alcatrazz album with Yngwie is a nice additional Rainbow album.
@@thereagauze That just showed that the whole thing was on its way to critical mass.
Very solid advice, well delivered! I'm not even in a band. I haven't been for years, and I'm not look for one or expecting to join or form one any time soon, but I watched the whole thing. A lot of people who need to hear talks like this won't sit and listen, so to have kept me from clicking Next or walk away from my PC, you did a great job.
If you are not half an hour early... you're late
It's amazing how many people get p*ssed off from this modest requirement of adulthood.
This is a great video. As the leader of a band trying to make it, I have definitely experienced most, if not all of these musicians in just the past five years alone. It’s tough out there, so we need to stay together and help one another when we can. Cheers!
There are some people who have all those 5 traits in a single package.
This is why I use drum machines. Drum machines don't use drugs, they don't have girlfriends, they're never late for practice, they don't need rides to gigs, and they never make mistakes.
thats why i use programed guitar tracks. they aren't late to gigs, out of time, narcissistic, they dont argue and they dont need to be paid
o_O you found a drum machine with wheels that drives itself to gigs?!? Where can I get one?
@@efafe4972 lmao found the drummer
My pet peeve are the guys who take three days to respond to a text. I had a drummer who was a friend, great musician and a great guy, but I couldn't book gigs with him in the band. Booking one gig can be many numerous texts, calls or emails. You need your band mates to get back to you asap or at least the same day; and nothing will infuriate you more than the guy who takes three days to get back to you, only to say no. If your band mate asks you if you're available on a certain day and you don't know yet, then respond promptly saying: I have to check, I can let you know by such and such time? Other than that, look out for older guys who have been jaded by all the years gigging. I live in Chicago, and you see that all the time in the Blues scene.
I know a similar drummer, half the time he didn't respond at all and was late to every practice. Day of our first gig he said he was going to a metal show an hour away instead. We barely got him to stay, he proceeded the get hammered and live stream himself on instagram for most of the show.
Luckily, his skill is all muscle memory and it didn't sound that bad, but he is no longer in the band
Clear and open communication is key to any kind of relationship. Be it musical, business and/or personal.
Great video - it made me chuckle a bit to think back over some of the people I've been bands with - I've encountered all those types over my years of playing. Thankfully I find myself now in a band where everyone is pretty easy going. A type you didn't mention is the musician who's in more than one band and the problems that can arise from that when gig dates clash etc.
Gotta agree with you and over 20yrs you get an idea within a short time what type of person they are and i think you have to go through a number of members before you pick up the good ones over time.
Great video amd bang on advise.
You just gave me a Coaching lesson. It's the third time I watch this video, in months, and I took notes of everything you said. I'm not a musician (would love to!). I used to be a Coach, for an IT company. I see these types of people everywhere I go, in every team that needed my help. These 5 types screw up the entire work and the project's direction. To be honest, I just replaced the words musician or guitar player by "coder" or "programmer" and it worked! LOL Bands are the same as teams. They have to be synchronised.
I also used to be the Rebel Without A Cause. I truly believe the solution to this is to embrace your own project. "Get your own band!" or "Do your own solo career" might be the solution. It is still working for me now as a Team Manager. Thank you so much for this. We do find solutions everywhere.
I have no idea of music whatsoever and I'm as far as you can possibly be from playing any instrument, but this video almost makes me want to join a band
Well, this and seeing how biblical Noel and Liam looked in Oasis, on and off-stage
pick up a guitar! oasis inspired me to and i’m loving it
Excellent! Make it happen!
@@cornsae4 Well, just reading the comments all the way through pretty much qualifies you. (…I can’t even remember if I listened to the video, myself - - too much sex, mice, and rock & roll). If I were you, I would just form a band and worry about the instruments, _later_. That’s pretty much how most of us did it, …right? Forming the band is the hard part, and then, live performance is pretty much dead, anyway.
Great video . Very insightful . I will take this as a list of people not to be for myself . My mates are all very welcome for what they bring to the situation as people , and musicians .
Totally agree on the ability to talk openly and very frankly. Rebel Death was a school band, we split up when we all went our separate ways to universities, we got back together later in life for the shits and giggles. Having such long-standing friendships means we can be obnoxious to each other and it's water off a duck's back. It means we get stuff done faster, and with a lot more laughs along the way. It's tricky to emulate that closeness in new bands.
I'd been playing with the same couple of guys, on and off and in various permutations, since high school. 30 years ago we got together as a cover band for the same shits and giggles. Great fun for at least the first ten years, we'd try anything for a laugh...until the guitarist went into academia, and now lectures in music and composition at university. Since then, everything became VERY serious...he's not a showboater in the classic sense, but gigs became less about having a laugh and all about showing off how musically accomplished we were. At the same time, he became the 'easily offended' guy, and the shit we were used to throwing at each other suddenly became mortally offensive to him.
Needless to say, we've now called it a day. Goes to show personality changes DO sometimes happen...just not when (or in the way that) you want them to.
@@BillyBeethoven Sorry to hear that mate.
People who are always late, need to go early, and say - "that wont go down well" - without ever saying why, and without offering any kind of alternative.
I often think why do they join a band?
Is it so they can say, - "I'll learn it properly for next time" at every rehearsal. My favourite is when they refuse gigs (with no prior notice of unavailabilty at that time) without EVER trying to find any.
Perfectionist: “I want you to play the multiple clavinet parts on ‘Superstition’, the horn parts exactly and sing harmonies. Oh, and we play the song in E, not the original E flat AND the guitar player is going to do all of the soloing really, really loud, because he only learned the Stevie Ray Vaughan version.”
Me: Goodbye.
I had "one of those". He expected me to cover several guitar parts all at once, by myself. I had to frantically scramble all over the neck and struggled to get to the notes in time, even fingerpicking and pre-selecting the optimum neck positions. You shouldn't have to do that on simple rock and pop songs.
@@StephenGangi While I can appreciate a challenge, that kind of anal attention to nuances that even a lot of musicians don't pick up often has diminishing returns for the effort.
Here's a variation: You spend hours learning detailed parts like that and then then when you get to the rehesrsal the band decides to not put the tune into the repertoire.
The idea of not playing Superstition in E Flat hurts me. That'd be like making EVH tune up to E! Just sounds wrong somehow.
@@matturner6890 That may be so, but other than fingering issues or muscle memory, I am not too sensitive to issues related to changing a song’s key. I figure that it most important to choose the right key for the singer. I also am more partial to hearing bands play their own, thoughtful versions/arrangements of well known songs. If I want to hear an exact reproduction, I might as well stay home and listen to the original recording.
@@piktormusic2538 Bingo.
this is the best video i've seen from you yet. i really REALLY enjoy your artist focus videos, but this is gold. even as a dj who ran club nights, i can confirm everyone of these. there are 2 ways to do things. the right way & the wrong way. this is 5 steps towards the right way.
great stuff
I as a bass player have met multiple musicians. One thing i can say is you do not want a person who undermines the role of a part of the band (ive been looked down a lot for bass being "easy" and mocked so my ideas were usually thrown out.)
I’m a guitarist, and I feed off of the bassist. There’s nothing worse than playing with a bad bassist.
Quit those immediately. Many bands will respect their bassist because they know it's a huge parts. Drums and bass and then comes guitar.
Bloody idiots. Bass is the heart of the song, the heart of the band. I know bass players who can do more with 4 strings then most top guitarists can do with 7 strings and an effects board. Bootsy, John Paul Jones, Geddy Lee, Marcus Miller, Les Claypool, Flea, Billy Cox, etc.
Every band needs a guy like you who can identify the problems well enough to keep the band on course. Wisdom and judgment like yours is not common, especially in an artistic pursuit like music, that is no doubt a magnet for very talented flakes of all kinds.
Rehearse, Rehearse, Rehearse, - every Thursday - but do no gigs - I left.
Thank you for this - it's really helpful. I was in a band once with a Rebel Without A Cause. Utterly, utterly EXHAUSTING. BTW - nice Silverline in the background!
So basically, I'm the lead guitarist and main song writer (music and lyrics) in a 5-piece indie pop/rock band based in Glasgow. We've been together for over 3 years now, and except for a few bumps along the road (had to change one or two members) we were doing pretty well for ourselves before the covid pandemic hit the UK in March last year. We had regular gigs around Glasgow, playing some of the best venues in Scotland (headlined King Tuts where Oasis was signed and we were due to headline it a second time before lockdown was announced). Before covid we all genuinely thought we were going places with it as each gig was getting a bigger and better audience. When the pandemic started I moved back home and over this period I started working on more songs on my own, making demos. We've got a virtual type gig coming up next month, and although I'm looking forward to it, I think I want to leave the band after this gig to start a new group elsewhere. My issue is with the bassist and singer - they are both showboaters and both make the important decisions in the group without discussing anything with the rest of us. Also, the bassist cannot bear to play quietly or leave space in the music, and worse than this he bosses all of us around when we all know he is the weakest musician in the group. And he has never made an effort to improve or learn something new about the instrument. The singer has a decent voice and is very at ease on stage but writes unimaginative songs and lyrics (his heroes are Ed Sheeran and McFly). And the pair of them back each other up on every decision and have little patience for my suggestions or suggestions from the other lads. But despite the group going down very well with crowds over the past couple years (with my tunes getting the better reaction), my instincts tell me there is a more suitable band for me and more talented people in the UK to collaborate with. This band definitely feels like two opposing teams now. Am I just being an egotistical arse or should I listen to my instincts on this?
Hi Thomas.
Mate, if it's in you to lead, if you have a vision, go set up your own thing.
You can be in both bands - no law against that! Or, if you feel your current band is not unified, but split into opposing camps as you say, then it simply cannot succeed - at least not in that state. It will collapse - and by the sounds of what you are saying, is already about to. And most importantly, if you're not happy and if you don't feel you fit quite right there, you should feel no pressure to have to stay in a hostile environment.
If you set your own thing up, invite easy going people into the band - people who will follow your lead if you're writing the material and leading the group. Look for quality of character FIRST - someone who is chilled out, someone who is happy to follow your lead, and someone up for learning and growing on their instrument. They don't have to be spectacular (see Bonehead, Guigsy, Tony Mc from Oasis) but if they can play to a reasonable standard and follow your lead, you've got a band. It's not being an egotistical arse to recognise it if you have it in you to lead - if it's true, it's just true, plain and simple.
Band unity really really really bloody matters. You won't be happy if you're in a band where you don't really like or respect the other members in my experience. Do what you feel is right for you and your own dream man.
@@JamesHargreavesGuitar Hi James,
Really appreciate you taking the time to respond with this advice. Aye, it's a tricky dilemma I'm in because the singer and bassist are both natural extroverts, they both seem to crave the leader role. But they simply aren't very talented and they aren't very open minded to the ambitious songs/music I'm trying to produce. I'm the only one in the band that's got a degree in music composition and so I want to incorporate classical instruments and other unconventional instruments in to the context of british indie pop/rock, much like in Britpop, The Beatles, Bowie, The Smiths, Echo and the Bunnymen. These two individuals don't have much patience for anything inventive or unconventional like this, and this is why I think I need to meet other people to collaborate with, musicians that will embrace my vision. It's tricky too because I'm very much an introverted lad in social situations - the quiet guy. But I definitely have this leader quality in me that is waiting to come out, I just don't think I can lead these lads due to their overbearing stubbornness haha
Also, please keep these kind of vids coming because they're keeping me going at the minute through these strange times we're living in 👍
No worries Thomas - more vids coming!
I guess if I were in your situation I'd talk to them first and lay your cards on the table, and see how they respond. But that being said, you know them and I don't. You might already know whether or not they are going to be receptive.
Let me know if you end up recording anything, and feel free to shoot me a link / mp3 at jameshargreavesguitar@outlook.com 👍👍👍
It's a year later - what happened with yr band?
@@thomasdonnelly3263 Did you start up something new?
This is a very precious video for everyone who wishes to join or to start a band
Another great video James. How many guitars do you have btw? Mayybbbeeee a guitar gear vid soon?
Interesting idea - you mean just talking through the stuff I use?
Yes mate, that would be cool.
Perfectionists have killed it for me. I played with some guys for a year until we found a drummer. Problem was, the drummer was a perfectionist. It was another year until we got a gig, and our drummer was upset that I booked the gig, too. We only had 45 minutes of music because we couldn’t add songs until it sounded perfect.
#5 sounds very familiar. I was in a band with someone who was a perfectionist. It used to be immensely frustrating because everything had to be perfect before we even had a micro thought about approaching a stage. Many times I argued that doing some shows would strengthen the band and provide some direction. We had a handful of songs and had done some covers, so we easily had enough material for a 6 song first band on type slot. But it was always no, no we have to be perfect. It was a far cry from a band I had willingly left to devote full attention to this band. The previous band were a britpop type outfit, though I liked to throw in some heavier guitars when it called for it because I liked metal too. I do regret leaving, i didn't think I could do both at the time. Myself and the other guitarist/singer were the main songwriters of that band and we had a pretty good chemistry and my leaving efffefticely killed the band, sadly (not tyring to sound egotistical, It's just the way it played out).
Now. I wanna believe you know what you’re talking about…but that hi end whistle is KILLING me bro!!
I remember our first drummer who kept looking at his biceps in the mirror when we were trying to work on a section of a song. There were times when I dropped my guitar on the floor and took a break.
When we fucked him off, the other guitarist took over the drums, barely knowing how to groove. Half a year later, he grooves just fine and sees it from a guitar player's perspective, which is ideal for me. Just sharing my experience because I liked what James has to say about this, so yeah... No matter how talented some musicians are, they just can't zoom out and see the bigger picture. "Let's not talk about you being a hard man" kinda stuff, but come on, you're not Liam mate, you're a mediocre drummer. If the chances of doing anything are slim, he made sure they were zero.
Re number 1 "The hardest thing with musicians is getting them not to play." Prince. These reasons and many more are why I'm a one man band...art is not best served by committee. It's one of the best feelings playing with musicians, but when time is a premium, being a one man band is a great way to get shit done :)
This is brilliant! Great advice, I’ve experienced all of this, and still sometimes experience it. It’s unbelievable but happens... 😂😂😂
Nice to know I’m not alone !
PS I’m probably the ‘perfectionist’ however I not really into session players, I do love players with character, if that makes sense?!
Hahahahaha yeah all 5 are very common tales - there's alot of them about. Yeah I know what you're saying about players with character - expression does count for alot
4:29 In my case, a bass player slapped the song "Like the Way I Do" all the way through. I mean, from the very first secong to the last. After the set I confronted him and he says: "why don't you just let me have my fun?". My answer: "then don't ruin my fun in the first place!". All was good afterwards. Never happened again.
I was in a couple of bands, but gave up on it because it never works, had bad luck with band members over and over. Last nail in the coffin was my own lazy brother who never practiced even though I did all work with tabs, structures for his part too (and always showed him how to play at the rehearsals, AND he ALWAYS forgot) and I did a lot of keyboard player's stuff too. In one band it was impossible to critique the other guitar player, he broke down completely, mental issues deluxe and super spoiled from his family. In another band with him stuff worked out better. He was the material writer, and the genre was much more compatible with his style. Really liked lot of the chord and melody progressions. But there were still a couple of problems. He spat out lyrics all the time. Really quantity over quality and he was not very good at english. And still hard to critique his work. He had a great voice, but he didn't take care of it, he always partied way too heavy, had sleeping peoblems and so on. Also a drummer who was sloppy and never could hold a steady tempo. We never had a structured plan, too much chaos. Some of our gigs were pretty great though. Also had three more dysfunctional bands with various problems. I both miss having a band and don't. I really don't know how to make one work.
It really is all about having the right people in the band. Often the only musicians we know are just mates from school / college / work. In reality however there are TONS of musicians out there, you just don't know them yet. I recommend joinmyband.co.uk - pretty cool resource
This list is more about leadership/subordination than anything else, with the exception of #5, which nonetheless is about leadership too. I'll add:
- Band members who start romantic relationships with other band members. When it goes south so does the band.
- Band members who can't play their instruments well enough for the level required. It's mostly people who are hard to find, like drummers and they were brought in because otherwise the band wouldn't be. But in the end it will stifle the band. Remember Nirvana and their adventure with Channing.
- Band members who are addicts to anything.
- Band members who don't study their material and come unprepared to the rehearsals, expecting to learn everything there.
- Band members who become parents and can't handle parenthood and musicianship at the same time.
- Autocratic band leaders who think "my way or the highway".
My least favourite musician type is one with a fragile ego when it comes to learning theory/technique. There were so many guys and girls I jammed with who just needed to tune a few things up to be great players, but there is just NO RIGHT WAY to broach telling them how to improve. They instantly get defensive and sad-sack on you instead of just being willing to learn.
I knew a guitarist who had very good rhythm-hand chops and played pentatonic solos tastefully, but ONLY pentatonic and would solo the same (usually wrong) scale over any song. I tried to point out he sounded great, just in the wrong key, and it was like letting the air out of a balloon, as if I'd said "YOU SUCK, PLAY IT RIGHT!!"
Very frustrating. I do everything on my own in a DAW now and it's honestly more fun.
I had the same issue, if somebody can't admit that you are better than them at something don't even bother working with them. They are unhumble and just want to steal your glory they are jealous of.
@@zacksguitarhacks6390 wish I'd read this comment ten years ago 😂 I wasted a lot of time
@@matturner6890 yeah I actually learned it by being humbled by working in the trade I'm in for my "career". Structured environment with helpers/leads/foreman and you 100% have to respect and learn from those with more experience. If you can't then you are fired and that's the way it should be.
I've had a band situation where I tried bringing in another guitarist and he tried so hard to bend it to his style even though he had so much less experience with technique/theory/songwriting.
@@zacksguitarhacks6390 yea I should've got into that kind of work early, I had some regrettable diva moments of my own if I'm honest. Probably could've avoided that if I did something humbling instead of what I was naturally good at.
@@zacksguitarhacks6390 Man, I wish people treated bands like trade work. Some do, but they're hard to come by.
Best of luck to you and your musical future.
Very true! I ended up playing guitar duets with good competent friends. No problems, good money, good music, no ego. That's so relaxing. O,n the ither hand I have a be of a showboater and a perfectionist in me but I try to keep these down! Thanks for the wisdom mate!
True Gospel! I hate "show boaters" who overplay or adlib stuff that don't belong in the performance as if they're trying to earn an extra dollar a note or an extra beat which you're not supposed to do in a cover band. Your adlibbing will not improve what's already a hit. You gotta save your own original ideas and perfection for your own album. You also have to leave your ego at home. Don't worry. It'll still be there when you get back. And always give yourself arrival time and margin before the gig because others are depending on you to be there. Bandleaders, bosses and managers always fear the headache of running a business with unreliable employees. Even robbing a bank takes careful planning, synchronization and "all for one and one for all" execution and never any adlibbing or improvisation.
loving the channel mate
You got a nice head of hair mate. I’m as bald as bonehead
Ha thanks loads of people on here have actually told me I look like Bonehead....
@@JamesHargreavesGuitar yeah I can see a bit of boneheaded with hair in you 😂
I found your Video by coincidence and I am glad to see that I am not the only one struggling with this topic. I had a band where all the musicians where not really reliable but it only showed very slow. It ended with big drama and even my lawyer had to get our music down because of copyright issues. We had a very narcissistic member that would upload our music on a channel that he maded by himself without any consent. Also had some storys where some guys wanted me as a singer but as soon as some of these guys opened their mouth I knew that they just wanted a puppet that would sing for them. And especially one of them wanted to determine everything. He also told everyone very proud that he has „connections“ in the industry.
Let me tell you one thing: when someone does tell you that he has some sort of „connections“, this is the last one that is a real guy that knows his business. After some years in bands I am starting to lose my faith in this whole band thing. Not only because of the interpersonal difficulties but also because many people give up very quickly and some of them are very fake. Stay away from people that don‘t know how to work in a team. I believe the best bands start as a „project of friends“ and I wish I had this opportunity but in reality most of us start working with strangers.