DeepBlue

Hello all, new to this forum, hoping to get some advice. I'm just now starting to put together a band after I gigged with a drummer playing a few As I Lay Dying tunes at a local bar, and I was really impressed by his drumwork. He told me he's interested in putting something together, so after talking to a few friends, we have 2 guitarists, and I, being a 3rd guitarist, drew the short straw and got placed on bass duty.
The other guitarists and myself are into really heavier stuff, like Whitechapel, Lamb of God, etc, but the drummer likes a lot lighter things, like Underoath and The Devil Wears Prada. I'm trying to find a decent balance between the 2 genres so that no one gets hurt, but I really am not looking for any clean singing at all. If anyone could give any suggestions, that would be amazingly helpful. Name suggestions are appreciated too =)

Also, if anyone could possibly suggest a decent bass amp, the little practice one I have right now will not cut it. Has to be able to hold pretty low tunings as well.

Thanks in advance!

Alfred

In terms of who is heavier, there really isn't much of a difference between these bands. I can't really see any difficulty in coming to a compromise. Why not branch out? There's no law that says you have to stick to the same style for every song you play.

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MAStudent

I Like HDIGTHOMA (How did I get this hicky on my ass)

I strongly suggest you specifically spell out how you are going to decide things from the beginning.

Just my humble opinion, but I like bass way more than guitar. I guess depends on what you like.

mr dave

this is excellent advice for a starting band. it eliminates drama further down the road. some people might say it makes one member seem like a pretentious dictator, but i always liked Dave Wyndorf's explanation on how he ran Monster Magnet - it's like a democratic dictatorship, the other guys are totally free to bring in their ideas, comment on the songs and the riffs, but ultimately, it's HIS band and he's got final say.

considering the way you (OP) describe the band as being yours and something 'you' started with another member. now is the time to establish your leadership, keep in mind you can't force others to do your will, but on the other hand there's no point for you to keep YOUR band going if it doesn't make you happy. there's nothing wrong with laying out a vision for a band in black and white, it makes it easier for the other members to know what the real intentions are. just make sure you afford them the freedom to pursue other interest independently of your band or they'll grow to resent you.

as for bass amps, i used a Warwick Sweet 15 for a few years with a fuzzed out 5 string fretless and the low B never got muddy so long as i paid a modicum of attention to the EQ knobs.

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Arya Stark

I don't like the idea of making a band a dictatorship.
I like everyone to have an opinion. I'd rather have drama and talk it out than the members feel they were being bossed around.
A band is supposed to be fun, and if some people like TDWP while others don't, and you can't compromise and play a little of both, then maybe you shouldn't be in a band together.
Drummers are really important, though, and usually hard to find- and if you get along with him, I'd suggest you do make a compromise.

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t3hplatyz0rz

I think that, in terms of leadership, you should pick whatever is best for your band for whatever song.

Make sure what you put down on the table is the best. That's what I try.

But I shouldn't be talking. My "band" is falling apart as we speak.

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mr dave

that's why i specified a democratic dictatorship. i don't see anything wrong with taking ownership of your vision. it only becomes an issue if you start trying to control your band members, you can have 'your' band 'your' way and still have input from all members. if some input strays too far from your vision then address it in the moment, afford them the freedom to pursue interests independently of your own but still welcome them back into your fold when they want to play your style.

my personal experience with the situation did ultimately fail, but not for lack of trying. i expressed my views on what i wanted to do with my music, my 3 friends all agreed and nodded along. then any time i'd start talking about some sort of public performance the issues that 2 claimed to not have would crop up again and again. i'd tell them flat out that there were 6 other nights in the week where they could follow other directions and play other styles. the only one who did that was the, technically speaking, 'bad' drummer. funny how he's the only one i'd consider playing music with now if we could only collaborate schedules and find a jam room.

the drama and underlying tensions of the situation soured two friendships and resulted in complete stagnation of our music. it would be super nice if everyone could just get everything going smoothly, but fact is, the world isn't fair and human life isn't infinite, so having a room of guys all biting their tongues because they'd rather say what they think the other guys want to hear rather than what's really going on is futile.

it's not to say the other way doesn't work, but i think it has to be established from the get go. if you've got a vision, lay it out in black and white for the other guys and let them make their choice to follow along. on the other hand if you want to make it a full on by the people, for the people collaborative effort express it that way as well and make sure everyone tosses their opinion to the mix.

ultimately, just like playing music, there's no right or wrong way to handle a band, but i do think that any musician getting involved in a band needs to take the time to do a little soul searching to figure out just what they think a band should be and what they want to get out of it. then it needs to be expressed openly and honestly with all other potential band members, and if everyone ends up on the same page from their own internal devices then hold on because you just started something seriously serious.

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Arya Stark

That was a long answer.
I know what you mean, I'm just not one for anything to do with a dictatorship in my band.
I gave respect to the people who were in the band before me, but when it came to something I wanted to take part in, I refused to let the choice be made for me.
I was the singer, so I needed a say in what songs we'd be doing due to my voice range and stuff.

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mr dave

sorry i was killing time before work hahaha

we're also describing very particular situations. in the examples i provided, with Monster Magnet, it is the singer/frontman who has final say; in my own band, there was no frontman so it wasn't a factor, i took ownership because i owned pretty much all the gear and organized the weekly jam.

there's a pretty huge difference in asking a guitar player to play a bluesy riff in A when they'd rather play a more metal riff in E as opposed to asking a baritone to sing like a tenor.

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Arya Stark

I lost you.

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