You actually don’t want the guitar player knowing any theory. Otherwise they will be saying things like how their obviously minor pentatonic riff is actually Dorian and other silly things like that.
8 Likes
It’s like you were in the room @howard 
4 Likes
Check out guitar George, he knows all the chords…. Unfortunately George thinks he’s a Sultan, and he’ll only play swing music 
1 Like
Then they become like that mean Jazz dude on FB…
1 Like
But, he started playing on the 2…hang on… 
1 Like
Working on the playing in time myself. It helps you to realize that you need to tighten up your timing when you play with others (assuming they are in-time) versus sitting in a room playing by yourself (even with a metronome or drum track), IMO.
1 Like
Last jam, on one song, the guitarist and drummer were both playing in different times and I couldn’t bring them back, I despaired and gave up until they resolved it themselves.
I was also quite impressed in watching one of the bands at my son’s high school, clearly the band got lost but the bassist (14) kept playing in time and they found their way home. Told his dad he had done a good job there.
3 Likes
That’s an interesting scenario. I was wondering what happens, if a drummer gets lost and messes up, and how could the situation be saved.
I have never played with a band, but while practicing songs, I try to lock in with the drummer. It might be challenging for a bass player to save the situation. What you told is very inspiring.
2 Likes
Even pros make mistakes, but it is their ability to recover (without most people in the audience noticing) that sets them apart from most of us.
The ability to work around mistakes in a band is something that comes with experience. Of course, it helps having a certain confidence that one of us slipping will not bring down the entire band. It’s like a plane with four engines; if one stutters (or falls out), there are still three others working
During a recent gig, the guitar player skipped an entire verse (he was nervous), and that forced me to start a little bass solo earlier than anticipated, but it all worked out without really anyone noticing. It helped a lot that it was original music… 
2 Likes
In my band I was told I’m the glue. I assumed it be following the drummer but nope they are all following me. Which is weird because the drummer still keeps time but what it really means is you are more of a “shepherd of the groove”. I always try to lock in with my drummer but there are also songs where the guitarist and I are playing the same notes and it matters more to stay together. My guitarist kinda floats out there sometimes and there are some songs I just have to lock in with him and hope the drummer gets it. It’s a feel for sure. I’m just glad my drummer is pretty solid or I’d be in trouble.
4 Likes
An unanticipated bass solo! It sounds scary to me, because I’m a beginner and never played with others. But it is a good skill to be able to improvise when something happens without warning. 
1 Like
Sounds like it is a kind of symbiotic and adaptable interplay. It is good to have an experienced drummer who can make necessary changes when the rhythm varies because the guitarist is being creative or getting lost in the groove.
I suppose it’s good that this happens during rehearsals, because it is an opportunity to learn how to deal with it and guide things back to the right direction.
Not “unanticipated”, just earlier than anticipated (and agreed upon) 
Miles Davis and Frank Zappa would point at one of the band musicians seemingly randomly in the middle of a song and tell them “You - solo - now!” 
(I guess they got used to that and were expecting it).
1 Like
At our last show we were playing a song with really sparse bass. My guitarist’s guitar totally dropped out (he had a noise filter and fuzz at the same time oops)
So there I am…. We only have one guitarist so I was like, “do I keep playing or let the singer go acapella?’
I decided to just start throwing in 8th notes to fill it out. It wasn’t pretty but it was ok and he got back in and we finished out the song.
I think it’s good practicing tech problems like that. Swap a cable mid song, have one person stop playing randomly. It’ll happen on stage so practice for it.
4 Likes
I’ve seen this before, they’re near me in Edinburgh. Gonna order 5 of them for the whole band for Christmas (including the drummer 
)
1 Like