So my drummer decided to challenge my band.

[Richi]

He suggested we do a cover of Press On by Robert Randolph. It's a college band so taking our playing to the next level is pretty much what we're supposed to be doing.

Point is, when I heard it I didn't think 'oh crap that's a really good line...aaah now he's slappin ridiculously fast yet still really clean at the same time!'. Na. With this I just thought man...I really can't wait to get this down so we can just jam it all day.

So yeah...basically I'm excited about this and thought I'd share:D

To give this a bit more meaning, post about times where you felt excited to play something pretty far out of your league:)

[fajitaben3]

Every White Stripes song... except I still can't play them :'[

[ebe9]

Playing a varsity songfest thing, after I had only been playing 6 months.

Shat myslef, but pulled it off.


Out of my league in terms of having never played in a band situation before and being thrown in at the deep end.

Was good though, forced me to learn.

I need that again.

[Richi]

One day, you'll get there.

You'll get there.

*sympathy stroke*

EDIT : Haha, gotta love the wording there:p Good job.

[fajitaben3]

Wha?

[Akira]

Trying to get up.
Stroke.

Clever.

[fajitaben3]

One time this guy said to my friend Austin "Hey Austin, what does bf stand for?" and Austin goes "I don't know, what?" and the guy says "Butt**** AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA"

He was cool.

[Richi]

Now that I'm thinking about it, challenging myself is the best way for me to learn. I started playing bass a couple years ago in college because there wasn't enough bassists and I just happened to get a bass off of a friend. So I basically had to get up to the same level as the rest of my band in a couple weeks.

Then last year, the whole class was challenged. We were all rockers at heart, playing everything fast, loud and hard. So our teacher put us into random bands, gave us a CD with a soul song on it(Dark End Of the Street?) and told us to have it ready by 11. That was a huge challenge but I'm seeing the benefits even now.

Now this year...not only do I have one of the most naturally talented drummers I've ever come across(the boy hasn't had a kit for 3 years and still grooves better than every other drummer in the college...) I have a flute player in my band. So coming up with harmonies and lines that would compliment the flute while still stayin in the pocket is providing quite a challenge.

Lot of fun though:)

[Squirellmeister]

Pushing yourself is the only way to break a stagnation in your playing. Which is why I really need to stop just playing well within my comfort zone.

[fajitaben3]

Yeah dude come on.

[sr800bkBassist]

there have been a couple times that i wrote great songs that i couldn't play. eventually i would get them down though.

[fajitaben3]

I learn fast by not being gay \m/

[bard2dbone]

When I was in high school, I was in my school's jazz band.

Most of the year we worked on musically uncompromising, fairly intense stuff, especially for high school kids, all aimed at getting ready for competitons.

But we had one mid day gig every year...for the Chamber of Commerce luncheon, where we would basically have ro be live elevator music,

Two weeks before the lucheon, the director took up our folders with all the difficult but worthwhile stuff in them, and passed out folders full of lightweight 'pop'-ish stuff. This was early '80's middle-of-the-road music. Chuck Mangione's Feels So Good was probably the most 'jazz'-y thing we got to do.

But worst of all, he needed several of us to sing.

I had always been told by all my family and several of my 'friends' that I was an awful singer and should not be inflicted on a helpless audience. I was made to audition with everybody else, and was one of the people chosen.

I had four days to learn to sing and play bass simultaneously, on Billy Joel's 'Just The Way You Are'.

I pulled it out. It was the first time people applauded for me in particular, ever in my life. It's not a hugely difficult song, but it was my first, so I remember it fondly.

[Richi]

Haha, I have one of those voices too! At a huge push, I can pull off backing vocals. But even then...

Good for you though, showed a lot of balls.

[bard2dbone]

I got better. I didn't actually SUCK. I just had no self-confidence.

In my last two bands I was always either the lead singer or one of the lead singers.

But back when I was a pup, my family and most of my 'friends' enjoyed busting my balls about nearly anything. My singing voice just happened to be one thing they were all utterly merciless about picking on me about. The surprise for me was when my sister heard me sing in a church musical that I got cast in when I wasn't there to defend myself. Most of the family came to see my son play one of the animals around Jesus' manger-crib thing. They didn't seem to realize that I was one of the two or three central characters.

It was a comedic Christmas musical called "Three Wise Men and a Baby" and it was supposed to be all children except the narrator, the angel that tells the shepherds about Jesus being born...and a talking bear that sort of pushes the narration forward.

I wasn't there when they were casting the play to say I didn't really see myself as a talking bear. So they said "Wayne's a big guy with a beard. We'll just find him a bear costume." and I was stuck.

I got a feature song though. After it was over, my sister asked "When did you learn to sing?" This was years after I had spent the better part of a decade as the lead singer of a moderately successful band.

Sheesh.

[Phalanx]

my band are currently covering Setting Fire to fire sleeping giants by Dillinger Escape Plan, it took us ages to nail the mathy breakdown verse after the chorus but now we play it so perfectly and it's great.

It's probably not as impressive as some of your guys songs but it's has really weird accents so getting it to work perfectly is awesome imo

[Richi]

Any song can be hard, even if it only has a handful of notes. As you mentioned, the accents can be what's really tricky. Best of luck with it!

[fajitaben3]

I was never a singer, and I had sung a couple of times really badly and people have told me how bad I was, and now I am the lead singer of a moderately successful band as well.

[Pluperfect_Arson]

TFA is not successful in the slightest.

Ain't no dolla billz, bitch.

[fajitaben3]

TFA is not successful in the slightest.

Ain't no dolla billz, bitch.

Wtf why don't we play live? :[

You and I have not talked for like 3 days... what is this??

[Pluperfect_Arson]

Wtf why don't we play live? :[

You and I have not talked for like 3 days... what is this??

idk u din call me or nuffin

[fajitaben3]

u cuda cald me mang u no i lyke wen u call u no?

[Pluperfect_Arson]

well, i wuz out prtyin n stuf

[fajitaben3]

i wuz 2 but cum on ily :[