Are you playing the music you want to be playing with the people you want to be playing it with?  If no, why not?

Short answer for me is no...pretty much because I've reached a point in my life where it's just easier to play what I already know and am more familiar with.  I'd love to be out playing different tunes in different genres with different folks, but I simply just don't have the time and energy into learning new material at this point in time.

I am playing what I want with the people I want to play with but not nearly as often as I would like.This past year has been rough on all of us. We constantly bring in new material and rotate our old stuff. What we play depends on the venue. I would like to do more original material.

I'm playing with my best friends.  We typically play themed partys so we shoot for danceable music that is associated with the theme.  For example this years theme is "Back to the Future" so we are playing songs from the 50s and the first half of the 80s.  My preference is for guitar rock from the late 60s and 70s.  I'm a team player because when the folks are out dancing I'm having a good time.

Yes. 99%.



I'd like it to be in a lower tuning so I could sing it a bit better, but I'm ok with it being in standard.

If I'm playing, I'm playing what I want with who I want. I'm one of those musicians that is happy to play for the sake of playing. I already know I'm not going to get rich and famous, so I might as well enjoy the ride.
I get just as much enjoyment playing in front of a crowd as I do playing for my private lesson student or practicing at home by myself.

I drive truck, so I mostly play by myself. So mostly, I play what I want, and when I do play with others, their tastes are close enough that I have a good time.

The band I'm in now...no...maybe 50% of it is what I want/like.





It's all originals...some of the stuff is boring/lame...but you try telling that to a bullheaded guitarist that is 'in the top 5 on reverbnation.'  





It wouldn't be bad, but the more of his music I play, the more I see its plagiarized and he has only1 tempo. He can't play odd meter or anything that doesn't have but 4 counts per measure.





Why do I do it?


Because I am bored with playing death metal all the time with a bunch of intoxicated rejects.


Little by little I get some of my songs in the mix...he's a good guitar player and has some good songs...but most of mine challenge him and he gives up.





He's like a lot of guitarists I've tried to work with:


Can't Write his shit out....not even basic Tab


Can't tell you how many times a riff is played without singing it


Can't slow his playing down to show you the details


Changes picking rhythm up on the fly, without warning


If he can't learn your music.."I'll just solo over this part...or how about I just chug open E?" Or my favorite..."I don't like that song."

Thinks every song they wrote is the greatest.





But, I am back on stage playing out. I compliment his music better than he compliments mine. IJDAFA.


I'll use this as a stepping stone to better things.

 

No. Nerve damage in my left (fret) hand sees to that.

It's been 15 years since I've played in a band. I miss it too. Uncle Sam keeps me too occupied to have any way to really dedicate the time to start back up even as a side gig for fun.

I keep myself busy at home whittling away over old favorites and new stuff. Lately I have been just running a Tascam handheld stereo recorder every time I turn on my amp or pick up a guitar. I listen back at it every so often and enjoy listening to myself and I find it helps improve my techniques and my playing over all.

Besides often I will play a cool riff and forget it right away so recording myself helps me keep anything I come up with.

Brother I know a great guy that was..still is a good guitar player. He lost three fingers on his left hand in an industrial

 
accident..He still had his index finger and thumb. He taught himself to play left handed.

I haven't been in a band since High School.  Right now I'm playing in a wait for it...




Christian Biker Band.  LOL  They play Christianized(changed lyrics) classic rock songs and minister at biker rallys.  It's quite an experience most of these people were true 1%ers at one point in their lives before they found Jesus.

I'm just happy to be playing music.  No I'm not a biker, I stick out like a sore thumb.

Here is something so you can start to fit in! https://www.amazon.com/Efivs-Arts-Temporary-Tattoo-Sleeves/dp/B003RPYKLK

I'm 34 years old.  Did the L.A. thing.  Got out of the van when I was 26 or so.  Starting a real band in your 30s is ridiculously hard.  Sank to the point of auditioning for a cover band.  The guys couldn't remember arrangements.  Seems like the real players my age are either still touring or family men.  I respect both of those situations.  I'm just not in either one.

bolded: try it in your late 40's.  It's damn near impossible to find anything with players of any real capability without doing a ton of networking, hanging out and going to open jams.  All of that stuff I just simply don't have the time (or energy) for these days.  

as for the remembering arrangements part....i have that issue these days simply because I don't have the time or energy to put into practicing like I used to do...As a result I just bring an iPad with me to gigs and reference charts as needed.  I think some people get put off because I have a music stand on stage, but frankly I I don't give a fuck.  Wait till I start sitting down at gigs because it's more comfortable than standing. :)

In any case it is what it is.  Anymore I just try to make the most of it...

I've played in a few bands over the past 12 years.  I've only ever been in 1 band that would actually write music and it was my most successful by far.  I can't get myself to go out and play cover songs any more like I used to.  I would much rather sit home, write and record songs on my own, and hope that one day when I'm dead and gone, my kiddos will listen to them and think I finally did something pretty cool.  :)

Damn right and I feel so blessed! Oh there are jobs when I'm not able to do all the material I want, and maybe don't have every musician on stage that I'd like. But overall, life is good.

Last Saturday I was booked to play a wedding reception with some buddies and as I was dragging my equipment up on the "stage" on the porch of a house in central Texas, I notice a gentleman sitting behind his keyboard at the far end. Imagine my surprise when I realize that it's none other than the Grammy award winning pianist Floyd Domino! Man what a night! Holy CRAP what a musician and what a fun 3 hours that seemed like minutes!

I feel a musician should play what he wants, even if that means playing by themselves.

No.  I have gone where old rock guitar players go to die.  Bass in a country band.

Yes, trying to find a bass player that wants to do original music instead of covers is overly frustrating.

Our bass player found true love (lol) and moved to Cincinnati, and it seems all anyone wants to do is covers and country.  

So we're stuck playing in the basement () but we're about to say to hell with it and start booking without a bass player.

Where are you getting booked to play originals?

We were just offered a gig at some local club, going there this afternoon to check it out, we've played all over playing nothing but our originals.

We never had any problems booking shows, we take video and audio and book shows by talking with owners/managers of local clubs as well as networking with other bands.

Hell we headlined CBGB and rocked that place, they loved us! I just wish we would have had the money to pay for a recording, that sound guy really had us dialed in for that show.

Well, let’s see:

I play in an 80 piece concert band, three jazz bands of 12 to 17 pieces, a heavily-classical 35 piece concert band and with a motley bunch of trombones players who do pre-shows and play retirement home and Salvation Army gigs.

I dropped out of another band and an orchestra, because they were just awful and I couldn’t stand it.

So, yeah.  I play pretty much what I want and with whom I want.  
But I’m retired.  I have the time to rehearse or play dances or concerts 3 to 6 times a week.  When I was working, I didn’t play at all.  I didn’t even own a horn.

I relocated to Georgia last year and starting my search to find some people who want to jam much less play in an actual band.

I'd love to play originals...

Around here it's pretty much all covers, with an over emphasis on Grateful Dead cover bands..I shit you not there are at least a dozen of those within a 60 mile radius of me.

The one I was in seems to have gone the way of the dodo also.  Some of the other members seem to have moved on and formed/started gigging under another name without telling me or the lead guitar player.  Fucked up how that happened..rehearsals stopped getting scheduled, guitar player proposed gigs that people turned down, than all of a sudden the other guys started gigging and stopped responding to messages.



Probably for the best I guess...It was convenient since they rehearsed right down the road from me, but at the same time thought nothing of playing free gigs that were like two hours away...at least this will motivate me to seek out something fresh and new.

There is a very limited opportunity to play here.

This is Packers, beer and gorge yourself to an early death country, here.

I currently got picked up by a newly formed symphony. Perhaps not exactly my style, but I like the challenge of it and logistically, it makes sense to support it. I've always had to travel to do anything worthwhile. i can actually play the living shit out of this style of music. I just prefer something a little more upbeat.

Rock cover band #1 I am in just fired our singer/bassist,

He was a good singer and only a mediocre bass player.

Replaced him with a kick-ass bass player and a female singer.

Retooling our show now with plans to hit it hard in the Spring.

Band #2 (Blues/Rock/Jam) has been going through songs and rehearsing.

Will probably be ready to gig same time Band#1 does.

Getting there. I'm pretty much completely over the whole "band" thing. I think I can honestly say I have no desire to lug equipment around to a practice space or a gig and play at loud volumes.

I've decided I want to record music. Specifically, I'd like to record instrumental music that could be licensed for television, film, video games, etc.

A friend of mine has a serious set-up complete with Universal Audio equipment and KYMA. It's pretty sick. He also has a nice little collection of guitars and amps.

I have the quintessential Les Paul-Marshall combo and some decent effects pedals. I just got my first audio interface, and while I'm currently playing with GarageBand, Logic Pro is on my shopping list. It will probably be some time before I fund that purchase.

I began the first project of guitar based ambient music on my own rig, and I'm happier than I've been in all the time I was playing metal/rock with a group.

I'm having a good time playing  just starting up a crust punk band. We're having a tough time finding a bassist but a good friend is swearing he's moving back to GA from MD to play bass.

Yeah...things changed for me since I made this post and it's safe to say Im over the whole band thing as well.  One gig pretty much consumes an entire weekend anymore once you factor in recovery time, and I am not interested in having an entire weekend set aside for a gig anymore.  A few other things were involved, like band drama crap, but overall it's just the commitment required to be in a band that I can't deal with anymore.  Usually I'd commit to a gig or rehearsal, and than something else would come up that I'd want to do more than that.

Hell, Im not even sure if I am even interested in music anymore...Haven't touched my bass for a couple of months now.

If I do ever get back involved with playing, hopefully it won't be covers..Ideally I'd like to do some kind of improv based thing.