At what point...

[norvegicusbass]

...were you confident enough to proclaim you were a bassist? Is it after mastering a particularly dificult song or is it when you join a band? Or maybe when you begin to earn money via your playing? I am still at the level where I say to people I play a little bit of bass as a hobby because I dont feel I could play with enough skill to have them think I am a musician. I have though learned a few tricky numbers (for me anyhow ) that make me feel as though I could make a fist of playing live in a not very good never called back pub band. Songs like Nantucket Sleighride, Goodbye Toulouse, Last Train To London songs of that level.

Edited March 17, 2013 by norvegicusbass

[Truckstop]

Musician, Bassplayer and Bassist are three different things.

I wouldn't call myself a musician because to me that means you have music as a career. Like, you're a pro or you write music and teach instruments as a way of life.

A bassplayer is someone who is particularly dedicated to their instrument and is proficient at all disciplines of bassplaying. So you have years of experience, you can play URB, fretless, 4's, 5's etc; you have complete mastery over the instrument.

A bassist is someone who plays bass in any sort of capacity. I tell people I'm a bassist because I know how to play some songs on the bass guitar and not much else!

Truckstop

[BILL POSTERS]

If you drive a car, your a driver, ride a pushbike, your a cyclist. play Bass - actually play it - your a Bass Player. There are good ones, and great ones, and not very good ones, but no bad ones, who's to judge whats good or bad ?

I'm a Bass Player. I only really play Bass. I been a Bass Player since I joined my first gigging band a hundred years ago..I also only play R&B or Rock n Roll these days. Never bothered with 5 strings, slapping or anything flash. Wouldnt make me a better oneif I did, It would just make me a different one.

I dislike the terms Bassist, or Bass Guitarist.

[Coilte]

Once you are enjoying what you do and are having fun, do labels really matter ?

[Clarebear68]

[quote name='Coilte' timestamp='1363529463' post='2013659']
Once you are enjoying what you do and are having fun, do labels really matter ?
[/quote]
+1

[arthurhenry]

[quote name='BILL POSTERS' timestamp='1363528094' post='2013641']
If you drive a car, your a driver, ride a pushbike, your a cyclist. play Bass - actually play it - your a Bass Player. There are good ones, and great ones, and not very good ones, but no bad ones, who's to judge whats good or bad ?

I'm a Bass Player. I only really play Bass. I been a Bass Player since I joined my first gigging band a hundred years ago..I also only play R&B or Rock n Roll these days. Never bothered with 5 strings, slapping or anything flash. Wouldnt make me a better oneif I did, It would just make me a different one.

I dislike the terms Bassist, or Bass Guitarist.
[/quote]
No offence intended in any way, but "You're" means "you are" and "Your" means something which belongs to you. "[u]You're[/u] a bass player and you play [u]your[/u] bass."

[Roger2611]

I quite honestly never really considered myself a Bassist / Bass player until a guitarist who I had the upmost respect for asked me to play bass on some recordings ahead of the usual session bassist he normally worked with. (I still think he was daft, but it did wonders for my self belief at the time and has stayed with me throughout my playing career)

[BILL POSTERS]

[quote name='arthurhenry' timestamp='1363532853' post='2013705']
No offence intended in any way, but "You're" means "you are" and "Your" means something which belongs to you. "[u]You're[/u] a bass player and you play [u]your[/u] bass."
[/quote]

Its my lack of educatiun that does it.
I learnt to tell my teachers to f*** off at an very early age.

[Lozz196]

Ever since I picked one up - and in my head I was a bassist before that anyway. I knew I would learn enough to play the music I was into - The Sex Pistols, so not too hard - but by proclaiming "I am a bassist" it was yet another incentive to actually get on and learn. The arrogance of youth. I`d never be so bold nowadays if starting out on a new instrument, and still won`t say I`m a guitarist, I can just play a bit of guitar (for the last 31 years).