3 piece band ??

[Donny Hinson]

Are drums even a musical instrument?

The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. ... Drums are the world's oldest and most ubiquitous musical instruments, and the basic design has remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years.

[Ian Rae]

I've been invited to form a band with an excellent girl singer, bass and drums, also excellent. Rhythm guitar would be nice but as Erv says, they don't seem to exist. Daunting, but I'll give it a go and report back.

So we made our debut on Saturday at a pub in the town, and we've already been invited back!
Our singer started out (she tells me) as a backing singer in a sizeable soul band, and she loves to freestyle - great percussionist too! So our set includes numbers by Aretha Franklin, Grace Jones, Amy Winehouse, Chaka Khan, Hall & Oates, Janet Kay, Gloria Jones.
From my point of view, the bass and drummer are tight and inventive without ever being messy, so I don't have to carry the whole thing. Also my Telonics rig has justified its expense. Apart from the fact that these guys are loud! (including her!) I need a different effects setting for each number, some of them quite extreme. Most severe I guess is for Superstition, a number I didn't particularly want to do as I couldn't see any way into it. But I set both channels of the Lexicon to pitch shift (a third and a seventh) to generate a dominant seventh from a single note; then I play a dominant seventh! The effect is weird and dense and emulates the brass.
If we have a trademark it is remodelling songs into other styles. For instance we do Call Me by Blondie as a smooth swing number, the Buzzcocks Ever Fallen In Love as a bossa nova, and I Feel For You a bit like Chaka Khan but as big band swing. The drummer grew up in Birmingham in the 70s and is forever on the verge of lapsing into reggae, which we are happy to do in the middle eight of a couple of numbers - the effect of this totally out of the blue is huge! On one number (Purple Rain) I actually get to play a bit of old-fashioned steel guitar!
The bass player is also an accomplished guitarist, so on a few numbers he goes on acoustic and I go on bass, which makes a great contrast of sound.
The punters were up and dancing well before the end of the night, so I'm glad I got involved. It's tough but worth it, and the answer to Paul Wade's original question is "Yes, and it's great!"

[Herb Steiner]

Steel and electric guitar occupy the same "sonic space" in terms of timbre, so when I do my own concerts/shows I opt for a keyboard as my rhythm/chordal instrument. Most of y'all who've seen me at SWSGA shows or the TSGA Jamboree know I usually have Roy Rosetta or Doug Livingston on keys and the house rhythm section.

My shows around Austin the past few years have been with Floyd Domino on keys, Steve Vague on tenor, Jimmy Shortell on trumpet, Charlie Irwin on bass, and Ron Erwin on drums. Ron and Charlie are the house rhythm section in the TSGA Jamboree Non-Pedal Room.

I've played in trios and don't like it. Too much work.

[Shorty Smith]

I played the Pastine Club in Seaside,Ca for a year with me playing rythum guitar and singing with Lead Guitar and Drums, had a good time and the crowd was very good.

[Ian Rae]

Herb, it is a lot of work but I don't mind!
I'm a newcomer and I want to pack as much steel into the next few years as I can

[Patrick Layher]

I play a 3 piece with Dave Munsick from time to time. I'll even throw in a sour note sometimes..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ts1N6gLSKXM

Pat

[Paul Wade]

Patrick

nice job on that song. good sounding Zum
what do you play thru setup???

p.w

[Patrick Layher]

Thanks, that was thru a hardwire delay to Webb amp with a pinch of on-board reverb and 57 mic.

[Joel Martin]

I LOVE leading a pedal steel-centric trio!

Had my band going for 2+ years in LA
https://youtu.be/265AIVUJjKY

[Tony Prior]

Well, I cut my teeth in 3 piece bands. Before I played Steel and after.

Those that have done this experience a different reference. There is nobody else filling or playing rhythm. Its a different thought process. You don't get to LAY OUT, there is no LAYING OUT ! You don't get to look over and say " You take it " There's nobody there !

[Paul Wade]

Well, I cut my teeth in 3 piece bands. Before I played Steel and after.

Those that have done this experience a different reference. There is nobody else filling or playing rhythm. Its a different thought process. You don't get to LAY OUT, there is no LAYING OUT ! You don't get to look over and say " You take it " There's nobody there !

your right "no one there"

[Donny Hinson]

Well, I cut my teeth in 3 piece bands. Before I played Steel and after.

Those that have done this experience a different reference. There is nobody else filling or playing rhythm. Its a different thought process. You don't get to LAY OUT, there is no LAYING OUT ! You don't get to look over and say " You take it " There's nobody there !

Isn't this where we're supposed to be glad there's "Wipe Out" and "Caravan"?

[Tony Prior]

Well, I cut my teeth in 3 piece bands. Before I played Steel and after.

Those that have done this experience a different reference. There is nobody else filling or playing rhythm. Its a different thought process. You don't get to LAY OUT, there is no LAYING OUT ! You don't get to look over and say " You take it " There's nobody there !

Isn't this where we're supposed to be glad there's "Wipe Out" and "Caravan"?

Yes !!! but all they requested was Sleepwalk !

I currently play in a band ( not my bi monthly Steel gig) with some good players, I prefer a 4 piece, the leader prefers a 5 piece, he says that as a Lead Player it's good for me to have some additional lead support, I try to tell him I don't need or want any support ! When I am not playing lead lines I am playing chord variations and chord fills, I don't think he understands that playing rhythm phrases and chord structures is just as important or maybe MORE important than lead lines. Sometimes there is just too many notes flying around ! But, it's just a band, my SS checks are not going to get cancelled

[Erv Niehaus]

I'm lucky if there ARE three pieces!
My guitar slinging buddy and myself furnished all the music for a wedding, just the two of us.
We started out with a bass player but he couldn't hack it so he chickened out.
Erv

[b0b]

My working theory is that any number of good musicians playing any instruments will make good music.

[Fred Treece]

3 cowbells, b0b...

[Tucker Jackson]

Yes, even a cowbell power trio... if the players are good.

[Erv Niehaus]

And the cowbells are in tune.
Erv

[Paul Wade]

keep it coming Guy's and gal's love to here all this

p.w

[Carmen Acciaioli]

I've played 3 piece for 30 years with these guys
so I'd thought I'd share.
Acoustic Guitar
Upright Bass
Pedal Steel/Fiddle

https://youtu.be/VIA72RYVmok

[Paul Wade]

I've played 3 piece for 30 years with these guys
so I'd thought I'd share.
Acoustic Guitar
Upright Bass
Pedal Steel/Fiddle

https://youtu.be/VIA72RYVmok

wow carmen great job that must have been fun gig
you sound great. are you playing with a different band
these days..

p.w

[Johnny Cox]

Country music doesn't really need a drummer. Here's a living room recording with me, a singing rhythm guitarist and a singing bass player. We could gig with this configuration if we wanted to, no problem.

https://b0blee.bandcamp.com/album/cowbo ... -revisited

I've also done a lot of duo gigs with just a guitarist.

Exactly and in the good old days drums quietly kept time. Unfortunately it seems to be the most important instrument in modern country music.

[Carmen Acciaioli]

Hey Paul, I do still play with Michael Hearne & South by Southwest.
We live in different cities now so giging is only 5 to 10 times a year.
Our hey day was playing 4 to 6 days a week from 1988 thru 2005 in Santa Fe,Taos & Red River NM.
The link below captures that era. “Live on Radio” was recorded over a 6 year period
on stage at the hundreds of dances we played.


https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=O ... ture=share

[Richard Sinkler]

I guess I am kind of playing in a 3 piece band now. It's me, an acoustic guitar player, and a drum machine. I don't like it near as much as playing with a 4 or more piece band. I have to cover guitar parts on steel that really don't sound that great on steel. I have to play too much. By the second set, even I am tired of hearing me. Hopefully I can snag some full band gigs now and then.

[Terry Miller]

The best 3 piece band I ever heard was back in the Philly area when George Edwards lived there, George on Steel Jim Lebak on bass and Billy Fender on drums.