julietgreen Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 My band is adding to our repertoire again and although I'm slightly peevish - why does it always seem that what I want to play isn't 'quite right' or 'a bit lame' or... well yeah. I'm not that attached, though, so I'm happy to have a go at whatever numbers they want to play, but lately they seem to be picking numbers that are really beyond my playing ability - just too damned fast etc. I'm doing my best, but bass is a late discovery for me. Anyone else had that? Do I suggest they get a better bassist? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 They are just being ambitious Never give up. Never. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Sounds to me like you've inadvertently found the ideal band. It's very easy to just 'plod along' doing what you can already do, but it's so much more valuable to be stretched. You learn more that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leschirons Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 [quote name='julietgreen' timestamp='1427822478' post='2734713'] My band is adding to our repertoire again and although I'm slightly peevish - why does it always seem that what I want to play isn't 'quite right' or 'a bit lame' or... well yeah. I'm not that attached, though, so I'm happy to have a go at whatever numbers they want to play, but lately they seem to be picking numbers that are really beyond my playing ability - just too damned fast etc. I'm doing my best, but bass is a late discovery for me. Anyone else had that? Do I suggest they get a better bassist? [/quote] In an ideal world, no, just nail the bass parts and shut them all up. However, your post sort of suggests that you feel they are deliberately criticising your bass lines and making life hard for you by choosing difficult numbers. I'd have a word. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary mac Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Agree with Mr Icastle A couple of months down the line and those tracks that seem difficult/too fast etc. will be a breeze. Rise to the challenge bass sister Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil.c60 Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 (edited) It may well be that the stuff that "isn't quite right" simply means that someone else in the band can't play it! Unless the bass part is a real hook, you may be able to play a simpler version and most people listening would never know (there's been many threads on this subject before!). If it's something that you just can't play at the moment, then the band have to live with that and move on and find some stuff you all can play, while you practice like mad until eventually you can play stuff like that (don't worry, that [i]will [/i]happen), or tell you they don't think your good enough for the band which is most unlikely: there will be songs with guitar parts the guitarist can't play, songs the singer can't sing, and drum patterns the drummer can't get. That's just how it is in most amateur bands. Unless they're all seasoned 1st class pros and you're not, in which case you're screwed. (joke).The guitarist is never going to suggest things [i]t[/i][i]hey[/i] cant play, likewise the singer won't suggest things[i] they[/i] can't sing, and the drummer is unlikely to have any sensible suggestions anyway (also a joke). So perhaps your suggestions are a bit tough for them, and perhaps they're not as honest about their abilities as you are about yours! And Icastle and gary mac are right: in a while you can revisit some of the songs you can't seem to play a the moment and you will surprise yourself. Edited March 31, 2015 by phil.c60 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JapanAxe Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 It's a great feeling to crack something you previously 'couldn't play', bu for now if the material is way beyond your current ability, why not play a simplified version with your band. 95% chance they won't even notice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lojo Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 I guess you could take each song requested and apply one of the following if you cant do it correctly straight away .... 1. If it can be simplified without ruining the song (I often here bands omit bass parts in songs like Rio, Town called malice etc. It gives me the hump, but not sure many other people care or notice). Then do it 2. If you think you need time, say OK I can nail this, but I need time before trying it out with the band 3. If you think its something you cant do in the near future then reject it, saying you cant do it justice right now, its good to try hard, but you must have standards for gigs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulWarning Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 yeah cheat, nobody will know, there's some bass lines I cheated on for years, then learnt the 'proper' bass line eventually, did anybody notice? did they f*** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lojo Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 [quote name='PaulWarning' timestamp='1427825525' post='2734774'] then learnt the 'proper' bass line eventually, did anybody notice? did they f*** [/quote] Makes you feel good though doesn't it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulWarning Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 [quote name='lojo' timestamp='1427826510' post='2734799'] Makes you feel good though doesn't it [/quote]certainly does Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvin Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 [quote name='lojo' timestamp='1427825213' post='2734770'] I guess you could take each song requested and apply one of the following if you cant do it correctly straight away .... 1. If it can be simplified without ruining the song (I often here bands omit bass parts in songs like Rio, Town called malice etc. It gives me the hump, but not sure many other people care or notice). Then do it 2. If you think you need time, say OK I can nail this, but I need time before trying it out with the band 3. If you think its something you cant do in the near future then reject it, saying you cant do it justice right now, its good to try hard, but you must have standards for gigs [/quote] I'd go with this. Lots of people simplify parts and most if not all of the rest of your band won't know how the bass line is supposed to be played anyway. There's stuff I've said no to because I can't play it. It's too fast usually. Sometimes other band members get a bee in their undercrackers because it's a personal favourite and they really want to do it but... TOUGH!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RhysP Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 [quote name='julietgreen' timestamp='1427822478' post='2734713'] My band is adding to our repertoire again and although I'm slightly peevish - why does it always seem that what I want to play isn't 'quite right' or 'a bit lame' or... well yeah. I'm not that attached, though, so I'm happy to have a go at whatever numbers they want to play, but lately they seem to be picking numbers that are really beyond my playing ability - just too damned fast etc. I'm doing my best, but bass is a late discovery for me. Anyone else had that? Do I suggest they get a better bassist? [/quote] There's stretching youself & there's having the piss taken out of you. I'd go with a more aggressive approach & ask them what their f***ing problem is. Why are they doing this? Do they want to get rid of you but just don't have the balls to do it? I'd want answers to these questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmo Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 (edited) [quote name='julietgreen' timestamp='1427822478' post='2734713'] My band is adding to our repertoire again and although I'm slightly peevish - why does it always seem that what I want to play isn't 'quite right' or 'a bit lame' or... well yeah. I'm not that attached, though, so I'm happy to have a go at whatever numbers they want to play, but lately they seem to be picking numbers that are really beyond my playing ability - just too damned fast etc. I'm doing my best, but bass is a late discovery for me. Anyone else had that? Do I suggest they get a better bassist? [/quote]Perhaps they have every confidence that you will be able to play it. Nothing like testing yourself. I am still very much a beginner, and the feeling i get when i get it right is what keeps me practising. Incidentally, what numbers are they trying to get you to learn. Perhaps if you name a couple of songs, someone may be able to help you break it down. I wouldn`t have a clue though Edited March 31, 2015 by timmo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambient Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Nothing is 'too difficult', you just haven't learned it yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebrig Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 [quote name='phil.c60' timestamp='1427824438' post='2734750'] It may well be that the stuff that "isn't quite right" simply means that someone else in the band can't play it! Unless the bass part is a real hook, you may be able to play a simpler version and most people listening would never know (there's been many threads on this subject before!). If it's something that you just can't play at the moment, then the band have to live with that and move on and find some stuff you all can play, while you practice like mad until eventually you can play stuff like that (don't worry, that [i]will [/i]happen), or tell you they don't think your good enough for the band which is most unlikely: there will be songs with guitar parts the guitarist can't play, songs the singer can't sing, and drum patterns the drummer can't get. That's just how it is in most amateur bands. Unless they're all seasoned 1st class pros and you're not, in which case you're screwed. (joke).The guitarist is never going to suggest things [i]t[/i][i]hey[/i] cant play, likewise the singer won't suggest things[i] they[/i] can't sing, and the drummer is unlikely to have any sensible suggestions anyway (also a joke). So perhaps your suggestions are a bit tough for them, and perhaps they're not as honest about their abilities as you are about yours! And Icastle and gary mac are right: in a while you can revisit some of the songs you can't seem to play a the moment and you will surprise yourself. [/quote]Totally agree with this. unless you are all top notch muso's. we all have certain songs that we can't seem to nail, whether we are bassists, guitarists, drummers, keys, or whatever, most wont own up to the fact they are struggling with it, and will just say they don't like the song. When I look back to when I first started playing which was about seven years ago, I was exactly the same as the OP and thought the band was suggesting songs with difficult bass lines on purpose, but a lot of the songs I struggled on then, I can now play note for note as per the original, and I now tend to play what I think works best with the way the other band members play the song. Remember, there are millions of songs out there to be played, why beat yourself up trying to play something you just can't do at this moment in time, move on to another song, and continue practicing the one you can't play until you nail it, and then go back to them and suggest it at a later date. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spinynorman Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 I agree with a lot of what's been said. Amongst other things, there were songs I knew the correct line to, and could play, but with the band I couldn't make it work, probably because the guitarist was not exactly on the original. Also recently I came back to "Gimme Some Loving", which I hadn't played for a while and realised I'd been playing it wrong for years. It's not like it's hard either. Generally song choices were made by the singer and/or guitarist, because if they can't/don't want to, it won't work. Drummers can usually do something with any song, even if it's not strictly right, and nobody listens to the bass anyway. Provided what you play fits with the tempo and is in the right key, you'll probably get away with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gelfin Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 As long as you like and get on with the members of the band stick in there. You will get better in this type of band. We all need to be pushed rather than sit in a comfort zone. Having said that I still can't play My Sharrona. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julietgreen Posted March 31, 2015 Author Share Posted March 31, 2015 Top responses, folks! Thanks. Of course I agree that I need to keep going till I 'nail' stuff. Sometimes that seems a bit far off. I don't suspect foul play. It's more likely that the choices are indifferent to the demands on the bass player! The latest is 'stricken' by disturbed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigjohn Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Aye, as people have said, depends on the other members. If you're in, then keep at it, if they're trying to bust you out, don't bother. Every band I've been in, I've always felt like I couldn't quite nail some of the bass parts. It's part and parcel of being in a good band I think. You start nailing the parts you thought were hard, then something else crops up! ha ha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHW Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 I suggested "The Trooper" a while back- it caused one of the guitarists to have a bit of a dizzy spell. I think he had to go for a bit of a lie down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebrig Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Keep plugging away Juliet, you will get there sooner than you think, whatever the reasons/motives for the song suggestions, you will become a better bass player by being pushed a little, that's for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 [quote name='julietgreen' timestamp='1427838364' post='2734998'] Top responses, folks! Thanks. Of course I agree that I need to keep going till I 'nail' stuff. Sometimes that seems a bit far off. I don't suspect foul play. It's more likely that the choices are indifferent to the demands on the bass player! The latest is 'stricken' by disturbed. [/quote] I had to go find it on YouTube as I'd never heard of it. As far as bass lines go, it's pretty much buried behind everything else. I reckon you could cut it down, lock in with the drummer, and get away with it. The track also highlights something else, the guitar is doing only a fraction of the work - which is possibly why it sounds 'easy' to the guitarist, they're judging the difficulty of their part and nobody elses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmo Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 (edited) [quote name='icastle' timestamp='1427839340' post='2735018'] I had to go find it on YouTube as I'd never heard of it. As far as bass lines go, it's pretty much buried behind everything else. I reckon you could cut it down, lock in with the drummer, and get away with it. The track also highlights something else, the guitar is doing only a fraction of the work - which is possibly why it sounds 'easy' to the guitarist, they're judging the difficulty of their part and nobody elses. [/quote]I had to look it up as i had never heard of it either. Some pretty good bass covers on youtube Edited March 31, 2015 by timmo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigjohn Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 (edited) [quote name='icastle' timestamp='1427839340' post='2735018'] lock in with the drummer, and get away with it. [/quote] Edited March 31, 2015 by bigjohn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.