El Lobo

+1. I see that I already posted twice in this zombie thread, 5 years ago then again 3 years ago. I'd sell my soul to the devil in exchange for playing like she does.

Exactly. Hearing out-of-tune is a learned thing. And the more you learn it, the more you can hear it.

Of course they do. Producers who work with Elton John and TOP horns didn't get there because they can't hear stuff. I've worked with some excellent sound engineers who really know what they're doing and can make the band sound better. Then there's the guy who has the gear and thinks he's a sound engineer ...

I worked with a sound engineer once who called my sax a trombone. He was getting a level on my mic. A sound guy ... sheesh.

Thank you for that. That's yet another example of the kinds of conversations I've had with people over the years. "... can't tell one note from another and ... can't tell a good player from a bad one ... these people exist." Exactly. Musicians need to understand this.

That was his point. I think his son and wife and whoever else said that not knowing the song was why they couldn't tell if something was out of tune can only be understood (by me) as a confusion of melody vs. tuning. I can't sing a song I don't know correctly because I don't know the tune. But I can hear if a string on the guitar is out of tune. If you know what out of tune means in the sense of a pitch being sharp or flat or not correct in relation to other pitches, that's one meaning. But if you hear the question as "is he singing the correct tune" then not knowing the song is a reasonable response to not knowing if you're in tune. I wonder how exactly Rick Beato posed the question and how it was understood by the people he was asking it to. People who are not musicians may not understand what being in or out of tune means. They may think it means singing the correct notes, in which case it makes sense to say I don't know if I'm in tune or not because I don't know the tune.

Live At Fillmore East changed my life – extended jams like jazz players did but on loud electric blues rock. Duane, Gregg, Berry, Butch, and now Dickey all gone. Damn, I'm old.

Musicians assume that other people hear and understand what the musicians hear. They don't. I've had many conversations over many years with many people. Some people don't hear music at all. They just don't hear it. I mean it's just random sounds to them. Some people have no concept of how music is played, how it is made, what it even is. They don't perceive the structure, the beat, a melody. So it's not surprising that some people don't even understand the concept of something being out of tune. They may feel that something's wrong or that something sounds bad, they may make a face, but they don't know why they don't like the sound. Hearing something being in tune or out of tune is learned. And, as Rick Beato has apparently learned, even some trained musicians can't hear when something is out of tune. One of my favorite stories is about a hairdresser friend who went to live music venues because that's where her friends went and that was her social life. She said she didn't like live music. She didn't understand it. To her it looked like the musicians weren't doing anything. She didn't see the point. In talking with her, it became evident that she had no concept of what music was, how it was made, what was involved in playing an instrument. It was just sounds to her and she didn't see what the deal was about live music. To her, it was the same thing as recorded music. It was just sounds.

Btw: Desktop App: https://ytmdesktop.app/ That link goes to a 404

For a 1-off gig on this 4/20, I was sent a set list. I created my own utoob playlist from that. We had 1 rehearsal and didn't get to all the songs on the set list so my utoob playlist will help. The ads are annoying. I may have to break down and pay for premium. It will save time and frustration.

I had a jazz-funk group. We added a soprano sax player, a woman. One by one, each of the other 4 guys slept with her. Eventually, they compared notes. 😁 I never slept with her because I had a solid relationship with a woman who was far more attractive and sexy. But women in a band with a bunch of men can create problems. Many years later, we had an excellent woman drummer in my main band. The other guys are all older and married life-long musicians who have been in many bands. No issues. I think the problems happen if you're younger and can't manage your sex drive. It's like learning to drink so you don't get drunk. I like having women in the band. It adds a certain other thing to the music which is hard to define.

My late wife understood and supported my desire to play live music in bands for the 44 years we were together. I feel I was lucky in that respect, and it was also key to why we were good partners for all that time. My first wife, when we were going together and before we married, kept what she called the "shit list" which was my gig calendar. Needless to say, that marriage ended in divorce. I'm 78, retired, and a widower. I'm playing in 2 regularly rehearsing and gigging bands. I've just been asked to play in a 3rd band. I first declined, then started to think about it and I may go to their next rehearsal, maybe play 1 gig and see how it goes. I'm hyper-aware that life is short and you can't know how much time you've got so I'm conflicted about how much I should try to do at what I call my advanced age. But when I think about it, I've been playing in bands for 60 years. Might as well continue as long as I can do it ...

"I don't know that one, but I'll play another one with a lot of the same notes."

+1. That's all you need to say. If more chatter happens from there, it's all good.

I share the concern about this being a requirement of the gig. If so, what does management want you to accomplish? What's their deal? If it's simply something that management encourages, you can make a minimal attempt. I always thank people for coming. "Hi. Nice to see you. I hope you're enjoying it. Which wine are you drinking? The merlot? Good choice. That's my favorite." It's what every server learns to do to maximize tips. "Requests? No, I don't do those. I can only play what's been planned." "Are you on vacation?" "Celebrating anything - birthday, anniversary?" Etc. And I share Reezekeys' concern: do people want to be approached? I think you have to use the stage hypnotist's technique of looking around the room to see who might actually be interested in talking to you. I've been in situations where I know the player(s) and want to talk to them. I've also been in situations where, if the musicians approached my table, I'd want to run screaming from the room. (Oh please, don't come towards my table. I'll look away and down at the floor.) You need to suss out the situation and the patrons to see who might be easy to talk to and welcoming of your attention. Edit: and always ALWAYS thank people for coming. Most of the time, that's all you need to say.