I started learning bass guitar about 3 months ago. I'm really enjoying it. I'm still a newbie, but I want to play with other people. I have no rock star aspirations. I have other things going on in my life and only limited time to devote to a band.
Any suggestions on good ways to find other people to play music with?
Or if there's anyone around Columbus looking for a novice bass player, hit me up.
My wife found her band this year by posting to the local subreddit. They just played their 3rd show this weekend and they all seem to be on the same page and having a lot of fun. That was 1 of like 4 efforts to find the right group.
Looks like there are at least 2 jams a week in the area: https://www.columbusfolkmusicsociety.org/jam-sessions.html. Usually these types of jams are acoustic only. That could mean an acoustic bass, standup bass, or Uke bass.
There are also open mics all around. Since most open mics have guys playing your standard cowboy chords, many players are happy to have a bass player sit in and give some thumpiness to the sound.
In reply to Trent :
Weird that CL is actually still good for something.
Sent one group a message. Heard back, but it was a relatively terse, "Could you learn this list of songs in a reasonable amount of time?" 4 I'm confident on. The last two, not so much...
Slightly demoralizing, like I need to spend more time practicing on my own before putting myself out there. Although, wouldn't hurt to target after the holiday season to start looking.
What I usually do is Craigslist. From there I always insist everyone involved learn at least three of the same songs so there's a starting point.
So far, it's been not a great resource. The three guys I've actually connected with have either been too busy, too far away, or just lazy.
Usually, the folks I get along with that play and that I actually know are just too busy. Adulting is dumb.
That said, everyone is looking for a good bassist. by good, I mean solid. Know the songs, play the parts. Most bassists are guitarists that want to actually play guitar, and it shows. They want to sound good. For the most part, bass is a support role. More accurately, bass is a foundation. Play THAT role, and you'll make everyone sound good. And you'll be sought after. You'll be having fun.
You can always look into a performance-based school. School of Rock is a national chain with adult programs in your area. There also may be some more locally-operated ones as well. I used to play in a jazz-performance-based school here in the Boston area - our instructor was there to help us play as a band, not necessarily work on our individual instruments.
Do music stores still have a bulletin board by the front door where people post Bass Player Wanted notes?
edited to add: you didn't mention if there's a specific genre you want to play, but bass players can fit into many different styles and types of bands - rock, jazz, country, even community concert bands. You could also try churches - the musicians who play at services often aren't members.
In reply to barefootcyborg5000 :
I play bass. I’d like to play with others. :)
In reply to David S. Wallens :
Wish you were closer. I'd take a bassist or a drummer of any flavor to play with. I'd even host.
In reply to barefootcyborg5000 :
That would be cool. If not for the distance....
Had a win yesterday afternoon.
After several disheartening or "meh" interactions, got a response on a local FB group from a drummer who sounds like we'll be a good fit. Both middle aged with other stuff going on, so this will be a hobby that we both seem to care about. He played a lot in his 20's and is just coming back. Fair amount of overlap in our tastes in music.
We're going to pu together a list of 3-5 to have down and will meet up in a couple weeks. Do a little jamming, see if it's a fit, and take it from there. I figure if we've got a solid rhythm section, it'll be easy to recruit for other parts.
I think sharing my Bass Practice Spotify Playlist helped things out a lot. Made it easy for him to say what my music tastes are and general playing level. I've got it roughly organized in blocks of - songs I have down (to about "House of the Rising Sun"), songs in progress (to about "Feel Good Inc"), songs slated to practice.
barefootcyborg5000 said:
That said, everyone is looking for a good bassist. by good, I mean solid. Know the songs, play the parts. Most bassists are guitarists that want to actually play guitar, and it shows. They want to sound good. For the most part, bass is a support role. More accurately, bass is a foundation. Play THAT role, and you'll make everyone sound good. And you'll be sought after. You'll be having fun.
I think I am that. My playing skills are novice, but that is the role I'm attracted to. I'm coming into this as a long time dancer. I've got a great sense of rhythm and know how to connect with and play off of other people. I love grooves. I like doing simple patterns that I can insert subtle variation into.
nlevine said:You can always look into a performance-based school. School of Rock is a national chain with adult programs in your area.
I did lessons at a local SoR for a couple months. That's a lot of what inspired me to want to start playing with other people. Trouble is, I had to take the private lessons to do the adult band. I just couldn't justify the $250/month for that, plus another $80 for band.
I considered churches, but I have a D&D game I run on alternating Sunday mornings.
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