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2200v Dragon
Joined: 15 Jun 2007
Posts: 27
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 Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2007 3:54 pm Post subject: Off topic -- Want to start a band? |
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I posted a similar message in a South Korea forum -- now it is here for your reading pleasure!
I play drums and am interested in starting a band after this English teaching thing is finished. I'm not talented so I've put some effort into it; thus far during my time in South Korea I've practiced close to twenty hours a week for about six months. I intend to practice at least twenty hours a week for the next few years before going to India to study tabla or mridangam.
I am looking for another drummer or percussionist, a bass player, a guitar player or two, and a keyboard player. Songwriters are of interest as well.
Some of my favorite rock bands: The Grateful Dead, R.E.M., The Clash, Cornershop, Nirvana, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Phish.
Maybe less influential but worthy of mention: The Chemical Brothers, Fat Boy Slim, New Order, Zwan, Radiohead, The Beach Boys, and The Pet Shop Boys.
Other styles of music I like: reggae, dub, soukous, highlife, son, Hindustani, Balinese gamelan, and James Brown (a category unto himself).
I respect jazz and am actively trying to appreciate it more.
I am an easy-going 30 year old male from the U.S. who might be willing to relocate if a promising situation with band members from another nation arises. Also, I am more interested in a good attitude and a willingness to improvise and try new things regarding music than any sort of "proper" musical background, which I lack.
If you want to start a band and you think we might be compatible, or you just want to network, go ahead and write to me -- even if several years have passed since this message was posted. I am not a fan of the cult of incivility that seems to be popular with many of the foreign English teachers in South Korea, so if you do write to me please be nice. I will try to do the same. Keep in mind that my responses might be a bit slow as I am not often on-line during the week. |
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Shimmeringstar
Joined: 18 Mar 2007
Posts: 34
Location: Kagoshima, Japan
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| Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2007 1:25 am Post subject: Re: Off topic -- Want to start a band? |
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| 2200v Dragon wrote: |
I am looking for another drummer or percussionist, a bass player, a guitar player or two, and a keyboard player. Songwriters are of interest as well.
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Don't you need a singer, too? |
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Eva Pilot
Joined: 19 Mar 2006
Posts: 351
Location: Far West of the Far East
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| Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2007 3:23 am Post subject: |
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| I'm a Triangle player if you need one. |
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JonnyB61
Joined: 30 Oct 2006
Posts: 216
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2007 4:04 am Post subject: |
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A one, A two, A one two three!
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partialtone
Joined: 09 May 2007
Posts: 137
Location: CA
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| Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2007 9:24 am Post subject: |
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| It seems interesting but unrealistic. I'm a musician as well and it seems like you're trying to spread yourself way too thin with all of those instruments you want. I mean, you want to go to India but you'd be willing to relocate to Japan? It seems like your best bet would be to go wherever you want and find other musicians where you find yourself. |
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anne_o
Joined: 30 Nov 2005
Posts: 172
Location: Tokyo
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| Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2007 12:12 pm Post subject: |
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| Cool....I'm not a musician, but an artist of sorts....I could dress up, recite my poems and be 'avant garde'. I'm currently reading poems by Andre Breton and he inspires me........spoken word to a drum beat accompanied with a triangle....where will we begin? |
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fat_chris
Joined: 10 Sep 2003
Posts: 3198
Location: Beijing
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| Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2007 12:28 pm Post subject: A real band of Muppets |
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| WE'RE THE ELECTRIC MAYHEM! |
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2200v Dragon
Joined: 15 Jun 2007
Posts: 27
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| Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2007 4:34 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| It seems interesting but unrealistic. I'm a musician as well and it seems like you're trying to spread yourself way too thin with all of those instruments you want. |
Are you suggesting I would have better luck if, for example, I only tried to find a bass player? What if a guitar player read my "ad" and was interested but didn't contact me because I wrote I was only looking for a bass player? Wouldn't looking for fewer instruments than I am interested in be limiting?
| Quote: |
| I mean, you want to go to India but you'd be willing to relocate to Japan? |
Relocate to Japan? Probably not. I think Japan has some worthwhile music, but I'd really like to give India a try. Do you think a guitar player or bass player would be challenged by shamisen nearly as much as by sitar or sarod?
| Quote: |
| It seems like your best bet would be to go wherever you want and find other musicians where you find yourself. |
I am where I want to be for the time being -- however I am living the isolated life of a foreign English teacher. It is not a good way to meet people!
Looking for other Westerners while in India seems like a good idea but I doubt many people, perhaps aside from other former foreign English teachers, would have much money left after studying in India. Then what? Back home to unsatisfactory jobs and trying to find the time and money to get a band going. No thanks! I'd rather try to get something started while abroad and hit the ground running when I return home, with everyone in the band having a fair amount of money in the bank. It would be easier and maybe faster by a number of years. |
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partialtone
Joined: 09 May 2007
Posts: 137
Location: CA
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| Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2007 12:50 am Post subject: |
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I like your tenacity, I just thought it was strange that you are in Korea, going to India, but posted this in the Japan forum; You've cleared that up though. I guess it's good to put as many lines out there as possible, I know that I wouldn't want all those instruments in my band though, but then again I have my own ideas about the music I play.
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| Do you think a guitar player or bass player would be challenged by shamisen nearly as much as by sitar or sarod? |
Hm, that's a really good question. I've always thought that transitioning between stringed instruments wasn't that bad. A western guitar player might not be able to play like someone who started out learning on a sitar, but I bet they would be able to put something together that sounded good using what they already knew about the guitar. Heh, it makes me want to go buy a sitar, I think I would go crazy trying to tune it though  |
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2200v Dragon
Joined: 15 Jun 2007
Posts: 27
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| Posted: Fri Jun 29, 2007 6:36 pm Post subject: |
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I am under the impression there is a vast difference between Hindustani, Carnatic music and most other forms of music. Yes, people can reach a world-class level of guitar or shamisen playing, but the musical traditions those instruments come from are supposedly far more limited than classical Indian music. In other words, Indian classical music is generally regarded as the most sophisticated in the world for good reason.
Just because someone can play guitar does not mean that person has the ability to improvise on material according to specific rules for days on end as competent Indian classical musicians are supposedly able to do. |
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partialtone
Joined: 09 May 2007
Posts: 137
Location: CA
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| Posted: Fri Jun 29, 2007 9:01 pm Post subject: |
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Haha, nice post, and I agree with you but
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| A western guitar player might not be able to play like someone who started out learning on a sitar, but I bet they would be able to put something together that sounded good |
S'all I'm sayin
"I don't know any sitar players that are man enough to play a QUAD sitar"
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2200v Dragon
Joined: 15 Jun 2007
Posts: 27
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| Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2007 5:07 pm Post subject: |
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I still disagree. . .
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Although it is often thought of as related to the guitar, the sitar is
much more difficult to master.
"Just like the violin or cello, or any other Western classical instrument,
it takes a minimum of 8-10 years to get a good control on the sitar.
Becoming a master and all that depends on your luck and how much
talent you have," Shankar said. "It takes many, many years of
practice and learning and hard work." |
http://www.thedepaulia.com/story.asp?artid=2299§id=5
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SHANKAR: Of course I explained all this to him, making sure he
understood that before even a single note is played one must spend
years learning all the basics. |
http://members.tripod.com/Beatlefanatic_2/Shankar.html
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He said he wanted to learn [sitar] properly. I said it's not just learning
chords, like the guitar. Sitar takes at least one year to [learn to] sit
properly because the instrument is so difficult to hold. Then you cut
your fingers to this extent [shows tips of two fingers�purple, with
calluses]. |
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What did you think of "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)"?
To tell you the truth, I had to keep my mouth shut. It was introduced
to me by my nieces and nephews, who were just gaga over it. I
couldn't believe it, because to me, it sounded so terrible. |
http://home.nyc.rr.com/alweisel/rollingstoneravishankar.htm |
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partialtone
Joined: 09 May 2007
Posts: 137
Location: CA
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| Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2007 9:17 pm Post subject: |
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I never said I would play like a master. I know how good I am though, and I know that I could sit down play something that sounded good. Besides, your links don't really prove anything.
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Although it is often thought of as related to the guitar, the sitar is
much more difficult to master. |
I think a two year old could figure that one out. Just take a look at the instruments.
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"It takes many, many years of
practice and learning and hard work." |
Shocking!!! It takes years to get good at playing music?! I never would have thought...
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SHANKAR: Of course I explained all this to him, making sure he
understood that before even a single note is played one must spend
years learning all the basics. |
Wait ... so you have to learn basics before you play? Now THAT'S what I call a crazy eastern philosophy 
| Quote: |
He said he wanted to learn [sitar] properly. I said it's not just learning
chords, like the guitar. Sitar takes at least one year to [learn to] sit
properly because the instrument is so difficult to hold. Then you cut
your fingers to this extent [shows tips of two fingers�purple, with
calluses]. |
Of course it's not like the guitar, I bet it's not like the piano or violin either. There are principles that apply to stringed instruments though, including the sitar. A year to learn how to hold the thing it's laughable. He sounds very sanctimonious about his instrument. I imagine it would be hard to swallow when the Beatles come and make a song with his own instrument in a year while he continues to be a master and have a fraction of the popularity.
| Quote: |
| it sounded so terrible. |
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2200v Dragon
Joined: 15 Jun 2007
Posts: 27
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| Posted: Sat Jul 07, 2007 7:47 pm Post subject: |
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You wrote you could play something that sounded good (on sitar). Sound good to you, or sound good to someone with proper sitar training? If you meant sound good to you, fine. But why mention it? I might be able to play something on sitar that I like, but that is not relevant. If you mean you could play something that sounds good to a proper sitar player, you are suggesting you are a better player than George Harrison. If so, what are you doing with this ability? Are you a professional musician?
I never claimed the links would "prove" anything. I included them to show I wasn't making up the quotes I included.
| Quote: |
Quote:
"It takes many, many years of
practice and learning and hard work."
Shocking!!! It takes years to get good at playing music?! I never would have thought... |
And you boast:
| Quote: |
| I know how good I am though, and I know that I could sit down play something that sounded good. |
Just sit down and play? Really?! When someone as talented as Ravi Shankar requires many, many years of practice. Now that is shocking!
I think some of the Shankar quotes are overstated, but I hope they get the point across sooner or later. Also, it might help to consider that maybe he distinguishes between "playing" and "practicing".
Now, enough of your thread hijacking. I have tried to respond to you rather than ignore you, or perhaps worse, and you have repeatedly failed to stick to the subject of the thread. I put "off topic" in the title because the subject matter doesn't fit into other categories on Dave's, not as an invitation to try to steer this where you want it to go. Perhaps you will consider starting your own thread? Again, stop hijacking this thread. |
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partialtone
Joined: 09 May 2007
Posts: 137
Location: CA
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| Posted: Sat Jul 07, 2007 9:04 pm Post subject: |
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Skill isn't a subjective term, but anyway, at your request I'll stop picking your posts apart. Thanks for helping to build my confidence.
Good luck finding musicians on the Japan job discussion board. I know you're not looking to move to Japan, maybe you'll find people here willing to move where you are. Anyways, good luck. |
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