What things that guitar players do, really bugs you?

[scottboundy]

what are some of the things that guitar players do that makes you nuts. This includes bass players...

...my list is a mile long but will start with:

- putting TONS of effects on their sound so all the chords sound about the same. it's like one big "melodic" two-stroke engine shifting gears.

[Hammertowndrummer]

PLAYING TOO LOUD!!!!!!
Just because it goes to 11 doesn't mean that I or the audience wants to hear it.

[DWdrmr]

Hmmm...well, I had a guy carry my Humes and Berg hard cases by the strap that holds the top on for 6 months...finally he exclaimed one night.."hey, I never noticed this handle on the side before...did you put that on lately?"   :-X

[scottboundy]

Hmmm...well, I had a guy carry my Humes and Berg hard cases by the strap that holds the top on for 6 months...finally he exclaimed one night.."hey, I never noticed this handle on the side before...did you put that on lately?"   :-X

WOW you mean they actually help you carry your gear??

which brings up..


- guitar players that never help you carry your gear  >:(

[Eskil Sæter]

After finally finding a volume level where we can hear everyone, they continually go back to their amps and turn their own volume back up, little by little, until three songs later, they're overpowering the band in the next room.

Oh, and: Upping the tempo of the song and then blaming the drummer. This is especially easy for bass players.

[DWdrmr]

You know, I meant to give credit (not the point of this post..I know, I know)..to the guitar player who did the above mentioned thing. But yes, he/they did help carry my stuff, in fact, in my current band sitch, they all help. So, I really don't have alot to complain about with the players I've had over the last decade, or so..One did try to set a beer on my bass drum...did'nt take long to striaghten that out.

[PJSdrum]

Mostly the same things that sax players, pianists, trumpet players,violinists, etc. do. Guitarists just do it louder.

[wishihadapearl]

definately when they blast it with overdrive and distortion.....cant stand that....it seems like you have to play something different to know when a quitar effects sound good....i dunno.....or when they mess up just a little and start the whole song over, embarressing everyone in the band.

[Dave Heim]

I can't stand guys who constantly fiddle.  I've worked with one who is forever pushing his effects pedal switches, [plays power chord], switches cables, [plays power chord], turns some knobs, [plays power chord], then its back to the pedal switches and the process starts over again.  Although frustrating, its actually kind of entertaining to watch.  

Oh yes, tuning on the other hand, is something that gets dealt with if there's still time.

[James Walker]

A few years ago, I saw a singer/songwriter/guitarist as an opening act for another band.  He had a "tech" helping him out, as he'd switch from between two different guitars for a few of the songs.  So far, so good.

The tech had an electronic tuner, and would check each guitar before handing it to the performer on stage.  So far, so good.

The performer would then take the guitar, plug it in to a tuner, and adjust the tuning.  Meanwhile, the tech had taken the player's previous guitar, had plugged it into HIS tuner, and...he started fiddling with the tuning.

The same two guitars went back and forth between the tech and the player, maybe six or seven times during the course of the set, with each individual retuning their newly-acquired guitar on each exchange.

Perhaps it was some sort of A=440 vs A=442 disagreement between the two gentlemen?   ???

[rdmitch]

I hate it when they  waste time between songs, fiddling around with effects.  Dude, just set it and leave it alone until break time,  Ever hear of programming a chain so you hit the pedal one time and it goes to the next setting you need?

Even worse is when they play the opening line of the song before we start it..... Kind of like there giving themselves a warmup or a reminder before each song.  How would they like it if before each song I played a few bars of the tune?

[agogobil]

I can't stand guys who constantly fiddle.  I've worked with one who is forever pushing his effects pedal switches, [plays power chord], switches cables, [plays power chord], turns some knobs, [plays power chord], then its back to the pedal switches and the process starts over again.  Although frustrating, its actually kind of entertaining to watch.  
...

LOL!  The pedalboard tap dance.  Especially during the half hour before the gig.  Not quietly, either.  I'd rather go through Chinese water torture.

And don't forget the "dang, I knew should've picked up a 9-volt battery at QuikTrip but I had to get smokes" blues.

Bless their hearts though ... they do help with carrying my stuff afterwards.

[jokerjkny]

funny,

but i guess i do annoying myself sometimes...  :P ;D

[lilblakdak]

Tuning by ear ON STAGE! Nothing like hearing the old Gibson Doorbell between each song. Spend $20 and buy an inline tuner for Christ's sake!

[JamesC]

I'll just echo what everyone above says about fiddling.

They just all love to fiddle around and play junk between songs.  As a drummer, you just can't do that because you'll be too loud.

So how do I deal with it?

I ALWAYS have a real-feel pad with me.  When the fiddling starts, in 2 seconds I have my pad and I can at least get some drumming in on the pad while everyone fiddles and figures out their parts to the next song.

This seems to be an issue no matter who I'm rehearsing with - from rockers to people at church, etc.

I'm probably an overly non-fiddler since when I was younger I played in drum & bugle corps.  Simply put, when you have over 100 members, you simple can't have any fiddlers.  You just can't.  So I've always been used to just not hitting my instrument at all between "real practicing".

But you just can't stop others from doing it, so that's where the pad comes in!  They can't even here it over the guitar licks, singer's licks, piano scales, etc.

Now if I had a way to switch on some sort of bass drum / hi-hat pad, I'd really be in business.


Alright - the other thing I hate, "play a beat that goes like this..." followed by some random sounding wanna be drum-speak that nobody could understand.  Then I just play what sounds right and they go, "yeah, that's what I meant!".  Hey man, it's all about making the guitar, singer feel good in the end, isn't it!

[xXxBURYyourDEADxXx]

they never die.

its allways the drummer

and we never get pic's taken of us

[drummer1202]

DITTO DITTO AND DITTO...
My bass player is a 'fiddler', constantly dinking around on the bass... Not only is it annoying, but he starts one of our songs by himself.  He will be just hitting random notes then go into the song without any break.  It takes a few notes to realize what he's doing, then the rest of us have to scramble to catch up! >:(  Then I told him how annoying it is, he says it is to keep people entertained.  I wonder how often people are entertained by the random plucking of a not so great bass player... ???  
^{(that's not a dig at him, just that none of us are so great in our band)}

My other huge complaint is my band mates refuse to learn even the simplest things about musical structure.  Don't know the difference between a bar and a measure.  Can't define either.  What's a note value????? Keep dreaming.  So our communication sucks.  I'm trying to figure out what they intend to play when they keep playing the same phrase differently,  and they use their own made up terms for what they are doing!!!

Oh yeah- and complain about having to bring stuff to gigs.  WOW a guitar and a head.  OH NO and a cable too!!!!  As I carry a 5 piece kit and hardware + cymbals + throne etc...  Then "can I keep my head in you car?"  Whatever dude!

[Roger Beverage]

Tuning on stage and fiddling between tunes.
Not having a spare pick.

Roger

[Jon E]

The tuning on stage thing--especially AUDIBLY tuning--has to be my biggest peeve. (dee dee, Dee Dee, Ding ding-ing-ing-ing-iiinnngg-iiiiiiiiiiiiing)

Also:  Writing the set-list with no forethought about "settings", etc.  Nothing like having a packed dance floor and starting to count off the next song and the guitar player says "Wait, wait, wait!!"  Then resets 10 pedals and knobs--and retunes too!

[mapexdrummer1234]

Hmmm...well, I had a guy carry my Humes and Berg hard cases by the strap that holds the top on for 6 months...finally he exclaimed one night.."hey, I never noticed this handle on the side before...did you put that on lately?"   :-X

My guitarist for my band is also my best friend... basically lives at my house. so he can't play drums at all but he can pack them and carry them and he also can set up my set pretty @$%# good.

What bothers me is that they spend about 15 minutes tuning, and then they do it all over again.... once they are done with  that they start to mess around to make sure the tuning flows right.... and then get pissed when you say that you are ready to start.