Why must we "have"?

SG John said:
After rereading a few posts, I thought I’d comment on the “being in a band” posts. Personally, I think that is where you learn about your role, and how you you and your sound fit into what you’re trying to accomplish as a band.

My first post in this thread mentioned me having available colors/sounds on my palette. How I shape my sound in my basement is completely different than my regular band and the Alice Cooper cover band. I have to fit in sonically to what other people are doing.

Rob explained his sonic role with two other guitarists, and how they make it work. With my band, I’m the only guitarist, so I have to have a wide spectrum that I can fill, and know how to work dynamically.

With the Alice Cooper project, I just need to fit into the role of Michael Bruce and have a very good rhythm sound. With my upcoming Hawkwind project, I will need to fit sonically with several other people. I’ll be taking the role of both Huw Lloyd Langton and sometimes Dave Brock, so I will have to work out fitting with keys/Theremin/mayhem, bass, sax/flute, drums, second guitar, and maybe violin. I will definitely be more focused on how we sound as a unit, so we don’t sound like mush.

It’s funny, when it’s not about you but us, you actually end up sounding and playing better.
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Being the only guitarist...that is some big shoes to fill, Man...
 
Robert Herndon said:
Being the only guitarist...that is some big shoes to fill, Man...
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Except in Alice Highland, I haven't played with a second guitarist in over thirty years. Every time I mention adding a second guitarist or keys, it is usually met with opposition and comments such as "it will ruin the dynamics." I can't wait to actually be in a six to seven person band for once. I think it will be very interesting, and I know that at least three or four of us understand the concepts of scoring and playing in either orchestras, jazz bands, or other show type bands from high school and college. WHile that will go on, I can still do the dancing over a pedal board, my guitar's volume and tone controls, lead vocals, and the chaos of being in a three piece band.
 
SG John said:
Except in Alice Highland, I haven't played with a second guitarist in over thirty years. Every time I mention adding a second guitarist or keys, it is usually met with opposition and comments such as "it will ruin the dynamics." I can't wait to actually be in a six to seven person band for once. I think it will be very interesting, and I know that at least three or four of us understand the concepts of scoring and playing in either orchestras, jazz bands, or other show type bands from high school and college. WHile that will go on, I can still do the dancing over a pedal board, my guitar's volume and tone controls, lead vocals, and the chaos of being in a three piece band.
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have never played with a 2nd guitarist End up writing songs in a way to compensate for it. For a few years our band was a southern rcok-hard rock..man the 2 guitarist could counter harmony..1 had peavey the other marshall.. they knew thier space in the mix..it was mind blowing to play bass for that band. the dif stuff you can pull off,
 
BFT Gibson said:
have never played with a 2nd guitarist End up writing songs in a way to compensate for it. For a few years our band was a southern rcok-hard rock..man the 2 guitarist could counter harmony..1 had peavey the other marshall.. they knew thier space in the mix..it was mind blowing to play bass for that band. the dif stuff you can pull off.
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I thought that bass was harder than normal guitar playing.
 
SG John said:
Except in Alice Highland, I haven't played with a second guitarist in over thirty years. Every time I mention adding a second guitarist or keys, it is usually met with opposition and comments such as "it will ruin the dynamics." I can't wait to actually be in a six to seven person band for once. I think it will be very interesting, and I know that at least three or four of us understand the concepts of scoring and playing in either orchestras, jazz bands, or other show type bands from high school and college. WHile that will go on, I can still do the dancing over a pedal board, my guitar's volume and tone controls, lead vocals, and the chaos of being in a three piece band.
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I always felt kinda "naked" being the only guitarist. Although i have filled that role, i never felt truly comfortable.

Our current 6-piece band has 3 guitarists, all of whom play lead and rhythm, based on the dynamics of the song.

The bass player also plays keys, the #2 guitarist also plays keys and i play both keys and bass on certain songs, enabling the bassist to sing lead.

We have a female front/lead singer, but the drummer, the bassist, the #1 guitarist and me all sing varying lead and backing vocals, depending on the song.

Sometimes, i just roll off my guitar volume and concentrate on singing, which is nice. I can sing in several different voice characterizations and I'm the primary back up vocalist behind our female lead.

On most songs, the bandleader and #1 rhythm guitarist plays a conventional rhythm. Mike (#2) is the primary lead guitarist and is a wizard at "chicken pickin" and he has a memory catalog of over 300 songs.

I'm the #3 and I tend to play a high register rhythm on most songs, sometimes on only two strings. On certain songs, like Hotel California, i play all the leads by myself. We don't harmonize the leads.

The result is a very "big" sounding band with a very versatile setlist...

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I enjoy playing as the only guitar. It is more of a challenge for sure which makes it fun for me. My main 2 bands the originals Afterglow amd the covers Whiplash each have 2 guitars. My other sometimes projects I am the only one amd I prefer it myself.

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Thank you
He (Odin) is an Anatolian Shepherd aka Kengal Dog-- they are one of the oldest known "breeds" dating back thousands of years -- the FLUFFY one behind him is his Mate )(Willow) she is 1/2 Anatolian and Half Great Pyrenes. they are WONDERFUl very "in tune" with you dogs but not up your ARSE like say a lab or chihuahua ----(which we have as well)

We have 9 dogs and a make shift Rescue/farm of foul and pigs and cats and rabbits and squirrels and --- sometimes goats-- or -- who knows around here................occasionally a kid -- or grandkid wonders by for a bit......
 
content.......(spoiled as CRAP you mean) .........lol you aint seen him in his Puppy Bear Chair

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or here he is with his woman (and his daughter Athena) DESTROYING an AMAZON box .............
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HEre he is out on the farm with some of his "young ans" who have gone to new forever homes ...and yes that is a Bourbon Red Turkey
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Why must we have? Usually for me being a studio musician it’s because I’m trying to cover all my basis tonally, having done music on request. So I had the Jackson for when I needed a skinnier neck, the epiphone V for when I need a chunkier sound or if I plan on abusing the floyd rose. Got the seven string for when I needed a heavier tone but still want to have those soaring leads, of course I needed a 5 string bass (which would had been nice to have for this last song due to the active pickups...) I mean I was pretty content...

Then along comes Ramo with this effing vid posting “who wants a Jackson?” Which of course, catches my attention. “Oh Cory from Trivium? He’s a phenomenal guitarist but I’m not the biggest Trivium fa...OH MY GOD THAT GUITAR IS GORGEOUS!!!” Which then goes into me rationalizing “wait wait... I have a Jackson. Yes but it’s a three hundred dollar Jackson, this one is neck through.. ok but I have a seven string. Sure but you were looking thinking of getting an axe to downtune to C, with a seven string you can go further for that extra aggressiveness! And FLOYD ROSE!!!.. but... did we mention REVERSE HEADSTOCK?!?!... where’s my wallet?” Yea.. that’s what happens to me and Ramo will always be reminded of this because I never knew that guitar existed til he plopped the video on here..
 
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