Hobbayne Posted June 8, 2013 Share Posted June 8, 2013 I answered an ad for a bass player and went along to audition. There was a few numbers for me to learn including some Lenny Kravitz and Foo Fighters stuff. I noticed the guitarist was playing the wrong chords in one song and I made the mistake of correcting him telling him it was E minor not major he needed to play. After the end they said to me "Well done! you really know your stuff, - why are you only playing the bass?" ....................Speechless!............................. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JapanAxe Posted June 8, 2013 Share Posted June 8, 2013 (edited) Heh heh heh! But seriously folks... IMO playing bass well requires a [i]greater[/i] level of musicality than for guitar, so the guy didn't so much insult you as show up his own ignorance! Did you get the gig? Edited June 8, 2013 by JapanAxe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EssentialTension Posted June 8, 2013 Share Posted June 8, 2013 [quote name='Hobbayne' timestamp='1370697137' post='2104527'] I answered an ad for a bass player and went along to audition. There was a few numbers for me to learn including some Lenny Kravitz and Foo Fighters stuff. I noticed the guitarist was playing the wrong chords in one song and I made the mistake of correcting him telling him it was E minor not major he needed to play. After the end they said to me "Well done! you really know your stuff, - why are you only playing the bass?" ....................Speechless!............................. [/quote] Ha ha, You haven't been insulted, but you did insult him. This has happened to me twice at auditions in last couple of years. Onetime I merely said that, if I joined the band, we would need to come to an agreement about what the chords were. The other time time I straight out said that the chords were wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubinga5 Posted June 8, 2013 Share Posted June 8, 2013 i dont really like the negative views on other musicians regardless of what they play, but he sounds like an uniformed knob head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted June 8, 2013 Share Posted June 8, 2013 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EssentialTension Posted June 8, 2013 Share Posted June 8, 2013 PS I didn't get either job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted June 8, 2013 Share Posted June 8, 2013 I was playing keys & then guitar a few weeks back & one of the guitarists said "you're really good on other instruments, why do you play bass?", to which I replied "because someone needs to make the singer sound good". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpaceChick Posted June 8, 2013 Share Posted June 8, 2013 If its any consolation, I often get asked about keys and chords by my guitarist!!! In fact, only last night I had a message from him looking for help to one of our tracks. He's a mighty fine guitarist too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmo Posted June 8, 2013 Share Posted June 8, 2013 My teacher told me a couple of weeks ago that bass playing was easy if you just want to plonk it all day, but to play it well is harder than playing the guitar as a guitarist will only sound good if he has a good bassist to hold it together. Not sure if he was buttering me up, but I am happy to relate the story to the guitarists I know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4-string-thing Posted June 8, 2013 Share Posted June 8, 2013 [quote name='Hobbayne' timestamp='1370697137' post='2104527'] I answered an ad for a bass player and went along to audition. There was a few numbers for me to learn including some Lenny Kravitz and Foo Fighters stuff. I noticed the guitarist was playing the wrong chords in one song and I made the mistake of correcting him telling him it was E minor not major he needed to play. After the end they said to me "Well done! you really know your stuff, - why are you only playing the bass?" ....................Speechless!............................. [/quote] My answer would have been "It's BECAUSE I know my stuff that I play the bass" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrenochrome Posted June 8, 2013 Share Posted June 8, 2013 [quote name='timmo' timestamp='1370700181' post='2104580'] My teacher told me a couple of weeks ago that bass playing was easy if you just want to plonk it all day, but to play it well is harder than playing the guitar as a guitarist will only sound good if he has a good bassist to hold it together. Not sure if he was buttering me up, but I am happy to relate the story to the guitarists I know [/quote] I think there's an element of truth in that - bass is easy to get started on but not at all easy to master. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted June 8, 2013 Share Posted June 8, 2013 Quality - it`s amazing how many musicians still think playing bass is the lowly instrument and that we`re all hoping for promotion someday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
borisbrain Posted June 8, 2013 Share Posted June 8, 2013 I'm forever having to remind our guitarists what the chords are... BB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted June 8, 2013 Share Posted June 8, 2013 [quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1370697640' post='2104535'] PS I didn't get either job. [/quote] I would have thought you'd fail them if he couldn't tell the difference between majors and minors.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassTractor Posted June 8, 2013 Share Posted June 8, 2013 Yeah, amateur guitarist buddy of mine could not understand why I, a pro musician, would want to start playing bass. Explaining him will be expensive, as I can only keep him calm enough for long enough over a glass of Lagavulin. Sigh. best, bert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvin Posted June 8, 2013 Share Posted June 8, 2013 [quote name='Hobbayne' timestamp='1370697137' post='2104527'] I answered an ad for a bass player and went along to audition. There was a few numbers for me to learn including some Lenny Kravitz and Foo Fighters stuff. I noticed the guitarist was playing the wrong chords in one song and I made the mistake of correcting him telling him it was E minor not major he needed to play. After the end they said to me "Well done! you really know your stuff, - why are you only playing the bass?" ....................Speechless!............................. [/quote] You're lucky he acknowledged you were you right. Last practice I attended with a covers band the guitarist/singer dropped the key half a step. Hence one would expect to just shift position...but no, apparently the B I was playing was all wrong, I should be playing a G. Hmmmm, really...coming from the man still struggling with Molly's Chambers... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted June 8, 2013 Share Posted June 8, 2013 Get your feet under the table, [i]then[/i] start reorganising them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waynepunkdude Posted June 8, 2013 Share Posted June 8, 2013 You're a w***er, just for the avoidance of doubt, you have just been insulted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarah thomas Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 Rule 1: The bass player is right. Rule 2: When the bass player is wrong, see rule 1. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimbaby Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 [quote name='sarah thomas' timestamp='1370765172' post='2105156'] Rule 1: The bass player is right. Rule 2: When the bass player is wrong, see rule 1. [/quote] If only they played by the rules. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowdown Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 [quote name='Hobbayne' timestamp='1370697137' post='2104527'] " why are you only playing the bass?" [/quote] Well they had a point.... [URL=http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/825/bassonemanband.jpg/][IMG]http://img825.imageshack.us/img825/9977/bassonemanband.jpg[/IMG][/URL] Garry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
witterth Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 [quote name='sarah thomas' timestamp='1370765172' post='2105156'] Rule 1: The bass player is right. Rule 2: When the bass player is wrong, see rule 1. [/quote] Now this, I like. Bass players tend to have the "harmonic" ear that usually only Keyboard players have Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 But.... if you see local bands the bass is more than likely going to be the weakest... either from a technical point of view or they don't know what the EQ section does or even what the notes are on the bass and what constitutes a scale or chord. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 My experience is that bass players will work out what the number needs, whereas many guitarists will just try to bend numbers around their chops, even if it means playing the wrong chords. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
molan Posted June 9, 2013 Share Posted June 9, 2013 Not as bad as the mistake I once made. . . Had an audition with a band looking for both bass & drums. The drummer & I didn't know each other but locked in really well and immediately got on with each other. We nailed all the songs we'd been given to learn & picked up some others really quickly. Everything was going well, the band guitarist was talking about best nights to get together, which new songs to learn etc. As we were packing up I noticed he had a Spurs scarf in his bag. I asked him, in a very friendly way, if he was a Spurs fan. He immediately turned on me and asked why I wanted to know & if I was an Arsenal fan. I, laughingly said I was a season ticket holder. He then spun on the drummer and said he supposed he was a Gooner as well - the drummer smiled and said that actually he was a season ticket holder at Chelsea. The guitarist stomped off without another word and the pair of us got a very curt rejection the next day saying we weren't the sort of people he was looking for. . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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