Some people assume that a three-piece band can’t be as “good” as a four-piece band.  A five-piece band must be even better.  Hell, a 27-piece band must be top-notch.

I have played in many bands over the years, some big and some small, some awesome and some not-so-hot.  And I have concluded that the number of players does not determine the musical net worth of the band.

My first argument is this:  ZZ Top.  Rush.  The Police.  Nirvana.  Sublime.  Grank Funk.  The Cure.  Los Lonely Boys.  The Chipmunks.

Nobody every accused these bands of being weak or under-manned.  Especially the Chipmunks!

When I was a young guitar-slinger, I would never have dreamed of playing three piece.  I always thought I needed somebody playing chords behind me when I was playing a lead.  But time is a great teacher.  Having played in many configurations over the years, I have to say that playing three-piece has many advantages.

For one thing, when you put a bunch of guitar guys on stage, armed with big amplifiers, it is not at all uncommon to end up with a total band output of 742,000 decibles as everybody cranks up to make themselves “heard” over everybody else.  This doesn’t happen in a three-piece band.  It’s easy to control the volume, saving the hearing of patrons while keeping the musicians fulfilled.

And it’s not just volume.  I find sometimes that the more players that are in the mix, the “muddier” the sound gets.  To me, three pieces is crisp.  Crunchy.  No mud. You can distinctly hear and enjoy each instrument and player.

In fact, there is even something to be said for dead space.  Air.  It’s magical when the bass and drums get to just lay it down once in a while, naked and unafraid, in front of God and everybody.  Or even just drums.  Or just bass.  Strip it down and it’s sexy.

Fairly often in negotiations for a gig a club manager or owner will ask me how many pieces our band has.  He/she is calculating “x” dollars times “y” musicians equals “z” total cost.  I try to gently convince him/her that it’s quality, not quantity, that the audience is looking for.

I’m not putting down big bands.  I’m just saying that when you have a whole bunch of people playing at the same time, there has to be a significant amount of control and constraint to keep it clean, organized, and manageable.  Great bands do that, usually with a lot of practice and good charts.  Mediocre bands don’t.

At this stage of my musical journey, I’m diggin’ the uncomplicated three-piece life.  Especially playing with my son and daughter, who share my taste for simplicity and comfort.

So, you say three pieces is too thin for a rockin’ band?  All I have to say is:  LaGrange, baby.

Tom
Caution! Blind Driver