The Steel Guitar Forum

i've played in bands that were all jerks except for me, the tasteful one. then it's difficult.

A fundamental rule I learned a long time ago. The drummer sets the volume of the band.

Yeah, I know, others can be loud, too, and the damn guitar player is taking your head off. But the rule still holds true. Find out for yourself next time - listen to the volume level of the guy with the sticks.

Put another way, ever play with a drummer who uses brushes or who has a light touch?

With most of my bands,I always tried to make it a point,no instrument was to be any louder than the snare drum.

Eric Philippsen wrote:A fundamental rule I learned a long time ago. The drummer sets the volume of the band.

Yeah, I know, others can be loud, too, and the damn guitar player is taking your head off. But the rule still holds true. Find out for yourself next time - listen to the volume level of the guy with the sticks.

Put another way, ever play with a drummer who uses brushes or who has a light touch?

After a loud drummer follows a loud bass player - then it's time to kiss you butt goodbye - dynamics will be on 10 all night, musicality is gone, your hearing (if you don't wear earplugs) is shot, and future gigs at the place are most likely gone. Ever play without a drummer??

I'm a believer in listening as well as playing!

Good luck, Larry, I feel your pain…

I requested that this post be closed, but since it is not...

Sometimes I think we expect others to see it like we see it. We do not understand how they could not. Bow your head grasshopper and let others be and do as they wish. NOT. I never would have made it as a monk.

Common sense and logic at the gig, at work, on the freeway now and then takes a vacation.

Larry Behm

I Sympathize with and recognize the complaints here (although I've played some extremely loud music with some very good, sensitive players). Another big culprit is the monitor level. If you can get the soundman to keep this relatively low (over the dead bodies of your bandmates), the band is forced to keep the volume down a little to hear the monitors.

Larry: I feel your pain. Been there, done it, though I haven't walked out in the middle of a gig. I should have on occasion but. . .

These days I have a few rules: I don't do referrals with bands I don't know, or ones I don't know of. Period. Been burned doing that. Here in Austin we know who's good and the players I work with don't do repeat business with jerks. Next, I tend to avoid jam sessions, especially, "open jams."

Face it, we steel players usually have the loudest amp on stage--Session 400s, Webb amps, Fender Twins. It's pretty easy to step on the gas and use all that gain. OK so maybe we have the most musical taste and integrity and the drummer and lead player are boneheads. If they can't take a hint and turn down for the sake of the audience and/or the band, time to find a new gig.

I work a lot of nursing homes and small venues--often with no drummer. It's a joy to play at the low volume these folks insist on. On bigger stages I might add an extension speaker but can usually point the amp into my ear so I'm the loudest instrument I hear. If that doesn't work, then it really is time to move on.

A few years ago I was playing a fill in gig, and the guitar player was not only too loud, but was playing over everything...well, during the second set, I got my wire cutters out of my seat, leaned over and cut his guitar cord in half....got the point across in spades...

PS...I ended up being friends with the guitar player....

Dennis Graves wrote:Lot of good pickers in the world, but very few musicians.

Terry Bethel and I were saying the same thing last week! It doesn't matter if its a lead guitar player or a steel player for that matter:). My Dad always said about over playing " When in doubt, don't!"

I don't recall the the guitar player who was rumored to have a sign on the back of his guitar that read "just because you can, doesn't mean you should"