Play the music you liked or not?

[M29]

Hello,

I was curious if any of you made it a necessity to get in bands that only played what you wanted to play or did you job around and play all kinds of music?
I played drums the better part of my life and now play guitar but I look back and I think about all the places I played and a lot of them were not necessarily the kind of music I wanted to play but they kept me working and kept money in my pocket. I always envied those that were hard nosed and played only what they wanted. Many times though I was working when they were looking for work.
Any thoughts?

M29

[marnold]

Well, this wasn't for pay, but when I was in college I played bass in a bluegrass band. I never listened to the stuff otherwise--it was all metal for me. I couldn't get a metal band together, but I wanted to play. A couple of friends who played banjo and another who played guitar were looking for a bass player and so the rest is history.

[hubberjub]

If anything, playing in a band other than your current favorite style of music will allow you to expand as a musician. I started out as a metal player, moved on to folk and bluegrass in my early college years, studied and played jazz later in my schooling, and now play in a very eclectic band. We run the gammut from rock and country to jazz and everything in between. As long as I'm playing I'm having fun. If I'm having fun playing the music I enjoy the music. That's all that matters to me. I also think it helps you expand as a player. If you like jazz you might be suprised what you can pick up from studying a great country player. It's also interesting to see how similar two very different styles can be.

[Spudman]

For the most part I've always tried to play in bands that were going to be doing music that I appreciated and felt was relevant. Sometimes that changed after the band got going.

In the case of one road band I was in our agent kept telling us to get more on the Top 40 charts as far as material went. I didn't think the band did that material very well but we did it to keep eating. The darker heavier music was what we excelled at. Something about it felt dangerous and being young we were all into that. The pop stuff just didn't have any cajones and it was odd for us to try to pretend we were enjoying it. That brought about the end of that band eventually although we did travel and play a lot.

I've also played material that was revolting just because I liked the guys that wanted to do it and wanted to support them. There was always a connection missing to the music when I did that. I never felt good after the gig and drank more when I did that but I made real good money.

When I do get to do what feels right to me I get a great sense of gratification but I've noticed the audience is usually unsure how to respond or react. Mostly they listen and I guess that is OK.

Lately I've been doing open mic shows and playing simple songs and genres that aren't too fulfilling. It's hard to get complex with inexperienced musicians. In this case I try to focus on that fact that my chops, timing and voice are improving with use and not dwell on the fact that I'm playing really cheesy music.

The last good traveling band I was in we only did what we wanted to play and mixed a few of 15 originals in every night. It was great. That band had some awesome energy and we were respected by our peers and we did work every weekend. Lots of power, certainty and great musical confidence came with playing that way.

The next band I put together will be one where we agree on playing better than average music and agree to be creative.

[Robert]

I've mostly played in bands where there's some parts I like, but many songs I think suck. Those 10% (where I get to play loud and wild) make up for the rest.

I probably learned some things anyway by having to learn stuff I wouldn't normally bother with myself.

[Plank_Spanker]

My previous band played a lot of material I didn't care for, but it kept me in beer money. I can't see a group of musicians playing covers with every member loving every tune.

[Brian Krashpad]

For the most part, at least for the last 20 years or so, in actual rock bands I've done mainly originals, and in most cases this was music (whether written by me or others) that I really liked. It certainly didn't pay well, if at all, so there was no sense in playing anything I couldn't stand.

I also played in church for 10 years, and though none of it was terrible there was some stuff that was just kinda meh. Playing different styles in church really helped me be a bit more diverse as well as continueing my "team player" approach to guitar rather than looking to be a virtuoso or chopsmeister. Also, though I don't sight read, the church gig got me back to being comfortable with using sheet music as lead sheets, which I hadn't done since I was a kid, and is a good skill. I need to start playing in church again.

[thearabianmage]

As long as you are having fun and learning, whatever style you are playing in is beneficial to some degree or another.

But learning styles of music you don't like is very good discipline, as well as morally upstanding as far as musicianship is concerned. I mean, many people here may think that metal or shred is for kids, but how many people here can play metal or shred?