Making a living by playing bass

[jakenewmanbass]

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='206705' date='May 26 2008, 06:09 PM']Assuming 'a few guys' includes me - with respect, you couldn't be further from the truth. I know a lot of 'full time' musicians, but there are very few full-time bass players up here. Many of those have to play holiday camps and social clubs. That's fine if they want to do that, but... I'd rather hang my bass up.[/quote]

As it happens WoT I hadn't considered your post when I made my comments, as yours told how it was for you. Which is totally fine in my estimation, as personal decisions are just that.

I made that comment as I felt the lack of detail in a couple of posts (specifcally chris b and warickhunt) could be read as discouraging. I felt that was maybe not their intention so I attempted to widen the discussion with a slightly ascerbic point and WH responded very nicely which can be seen above.

[jakenewmanbass]

[quote name='Josh' post='206388' date='May 26 2008, 10:19 AM']Would you say that that is where some sight reading players fall short? By that I mean, they are almost too "Robotic", they can play whats in front of them exactly, but lack a great amount of feeling which we all well know is crucial in being an established player and can be the selling point for most music-related employers.[/quote]
There is a case in part for what you are saying, but I very much want to stress that we are on ground that is subjective, [i]being a good reader is not a feel bypass[/i] far from it. Feel is a very personal thing and I know plenty of great readers who can play with tremendous feeling. There are slightly different attributes between those that have learned instruments aurally (thats me) and people who read from early on, but I would shy away from saying one is better, they just are more appropriate in their respective areas of strength. Being a good reader is a huge benefit in time saving on rehearsal and recording which lends benefit to that type of work for those people, but the fact that there are plenty of aural tradition players that do very well means that it's a valid method of learning and reproducing music, not to be rubbished, and older as a tradition than dots.

[carlosfandango]

[quote name='jakesbass' post='206816' date='May 26 2008, 08:49 PM']There is a case in part for what you are saying, but I very much want to stress that we are on ground that is subjective, [i]being a good reader is not a feel bypass[/i] far from it. Feel is a very personal thing and I know plenty of great readers who can play with tremendous feeling. There are slightly different attributes between those that have learned instruments aurally (thats me) and people who read from early on, but I would shy away from saying one is better, they just are more appropriate in their respective areas of strength. Being a good reader is a huge benefit in time saving on rehearsal and recording which lends benefit to that type of work for those people, but the fact that there are plenty of aural tradition players that do very well means that it's a valid method of learning and reproducing music, not to be rubbished, and older as a tradition than dots.[/quote]

+1

I just to work at an opera house and some of the musos there was awesome readers AND performers with a great "feel", passion and energy. They were also really good at improvising (well, maybe not the third violins...

[LukeFRC]

[quote name='BassBod' post='206208' date='May 25 2008, 09:39 PM']Worth mentioning that the "highest profile" job I've auditioned for didn't involved any reading - not even chord charts. [i] You just get a phone call, a time and place, and a CD posted to you by the management.[/i] Then you don't so much get judged on your playing, but everything else (sound, gear, looking for cues, coping with key changes..) as well as looking the part, getting on with people etc.


BB[/quote]

and then you are wondering, what is the matrix...? It's all simulation, to look, sound and feel real, but its all a lie Neo....

[wateroftyne]

[quote name='jakesbass' post='206807' date='May 26 2008, 08:39 PM']As it happens WoT I hadn't considered your post when I made my comments, as yours told how it was for you. Which is totally fine in my estimation, as personal decisions are just that.

I made that comment as I felt the lack of detail in a couple of posts (specifcally chris b and warickhunt) could be read as discouraging. I felt that was maybe not their intention so I attempted to widen the discussion with a slightly ascerbic point and WH responded very nicely which can be seen above.[/quote]

Understood. Ta for clarifying.