Joined A Dance Band!

HiDesertHal

HiDesertHal

Senior Member
Location
Southern California's High Mojave Desert
Hi!

After 7 years of being musically inactive, I was notified by the manager of the Hi-Desert Dance Band that their Bass player had to resign for medical reasons, which left a spot for me. I accepted the position!

I attended their rehearsal last Thursday and played for their Sunday afternoon dance yesterday. It was great to get back in the groove with my "Walking Bass" style!

The band is a 7-piece unit with a lady vocalist. The Lead Guitar and Tenor Sax also double on vocals.

The Apple Valley Senior Citizens Club books 3 professional bands and 1 Karaoke event for Saturday nights.

Our Dance Band plays on the first Sunday of the month from 1 to 4 PM.

I'm including a picture of the OLD band, which I left in 2011. Only myself (on the Electric Bass) and Sara, the lady Drummer, are still around, as the others have passed away.

This picture was taken during the piano player's 99th birthday. He passed away a year later, after turning 100 at a big party in the Senior Citizens Hall.

Hal (I was 73 in the picture)
 

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Cool beans. I concur, we need a video. Slight off topic, my cousin sings in a Barbershop Quartet. Has for many years. I will have to see if he will send me a videoto share.
 

Marie5656 said:
Cool beans. I concur, we need a video. Slight off topic, my cousin sings in a Barbershop Quartet. Has for many years. I will have to see if he will send me a videoto share.
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I sang for awhile in a Barbershop Quartet and Chorus. I sang Bass.

I got tired of the tight 4-part harmony (Tenor, Lead, Baritone, and Bass) and went with a Glee Club instead, which incorporates 3-part harmony.
(Tenor, Lead, & Bass) Much more open and free-sounding, and the harmonic contrast is better.

Hal
 
Good photo of you Hal and nice electric bass guitar!
I had no clue as to what "walking bass style" was so I googled it and found this. Beautiful! I love it :applause2:

 
Lara said:
Good photo of you Hal and nice electric bass guitar!
I had no clue as to what "walking bass style" was so I googled it and found this. Beautiful! I love it :applause2:

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Yes, the guitarist was incorporating a walking bass line while going through the chord progression and the melodic line, but on a Bass instrument, all you play are the deep bass tones, with no melody or chords to get in the way!

Listen to a Ray Brown or a Charles Mingus or an Oscar Pettiford walk the upright acoustic bass, and you'll see what I mean!

Here's a shot of my Upright Bass and other strings: Some people prefer the traditional "woody" sound of the "Doghouse" to an amplified electric bass.

Hal
 

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I love dance bands when they include a saxophone.Most “bands” here at dances, are keyboards ..while they sound nice and easy to dance to there’s nothing like a “real” band
My hubby and I dance social ballroom dancing ( new vogue ) for a hobby to keep us fit in mind and body .
keep,up the good work Hal
 
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Kadee46 said:
I love dance bands when they include a saxophone.Most “bands” here at dances, are keyboards ..while they sound nice and easy to dance to there’s nothing like a “real” band
My hubby and I dance social ballroom dancing ( new vogue ) for a hobby to keep us fit in mind and body .
keep,up the good work Hal
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My wife and I took up ballroom dancing even before we were married in 1994!

At a dance, we never miss a Waltz!

HiDesertHal
 
Sounds like a great time! I am envious of anyone that can play a musical instrument, I shoulda kept going to those lessons my parents paid for way back when.....
 
Getyoung said:
Sounds like a great time! I am envious of anyone that can play a musical instrument, I shoulda kept going to those lessons my parents paid for way back when.....
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You are now envious because you didn't continue going to those lessons that your parents paid for.

It was your choice, and you chose not to.

But playing an instrument is not that important...you are probably successful with some other endeavor you applied yourself to!

Hal
 
Well done Hal, I always wished that I was musical,
I can't play and my mother used to say that I was
tone deaf, so I can't sing either.

Mike.
 
RadishRose said:
That's great! You'll have a blast. Have someone make a (short) video during the gig and post it for us, maybe?
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In the 19 years I've been a member of the Apple Valley Senior Citizens Club, I have never seen anyone make a video of any of our activities, whether Dance Bands, Line Dancing, Excercise Class, Horseshoes, Birthday Parties, or anything else. Nobody here does this, and I myself would consider it too much of a bother to fool with! It's a thoughtful idea, of course!

Hal
 
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