It is a vibe that comes from the musicians in the band playing together as one; meaning that the musicians are having musical conversations with each other through their instruments. For me I have been fortunate to have played with two fellow musicians (bass player and drummer) since we were kids and then traveled the world touring (over 30 countries) together playing music in our 20’s. Being able to have these musical conversations of playing together is a result of many years playing together and understanding how to play together musically. You can not just put together great players in a band and expect that universal vibe to happen. It just does not work that way. This is the most overlook part of playing or performing music; being able to play musically together and having conversations musically with each other in the band. For me I did not really understand this until I started touring; and it makes sense because I was 24/7 with the guys in the band. We did everything together. Rehearsing 12-16 hrs 5-6 days a week for two months before going on tour was the norm for us. I began to gradually understand how to play musically together in a band. This universal vibe come from musicians who understood how to play musically together and have been playing with the same fellow musicians for a very long time and maybe at one point 24/7. When you look at the the most successful bands it is quite apparent that they have being playing together for quite a while before they even became famous. Other examples would be the Funk Brothers from Motown, The Wrecking Crew, and top Studio session players. All these musicians have one thing in common; they have played with the same fellow musicians for a long time and at one point 24/7; but most important the chemistry between them personally and musically together and enjoying having the musical conversations with each other in a band through their instruments is what that universal vibe is.
Some examples:
Funk Brothers
Wrecking Crew: making of Good Vibrations
Dave Matthews Band
The Beatles
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qyclqo_AV2M&list=PLmo4pBukfRoN8SB5RKvfiY9CTl9pI_IFc
I concur
LikeLike