fretmeister Posted January 28, 2016 Share Posted January 28, 2016 Does anyone on here actually play bass for the academic study of music as their primary reason? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted January 28, 2016 Share Posted January 28, 2016 [quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1453991688' post='2965075'] Does anyone on here actually play bass for the academic study of music as their primary reason? [/quote] I think I'd have to reply 'Yes' to that. Although in a distant past, I've played bass on stage as a dance band dep and in a covers band, I'm principally a drummer, and play keys, guitar and bass primarily in a compositional role, when working through chords formation and sequences, de-composing jazz tunes or working out fugues and the like. I very much doubt that I'll ever play bass before a public ever again (who would want me..?), and my stage presence on drums is becoming ever more rare, too, for health reasons. No, gigging with bass has never been a major part of my striving to play the thing; my interests are far more academic than that, all the while remaining frustratingly modest as far as ability is concerned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted January 28, 2016 Share Posted January 28, 2016 I was wondering! For many on here playing bass seems almost a byproduct of the desire to be in a band. I enjoy playing live too, but I get just as much enjoyment playing just for me. Whether that be composing or simply finally being able to play a difficult piece doesn't matter. It's very different from my other gig - magic. Music can be very enjoyable even without an audience as the composition can be enjoyable. Magic requires an audience who doesn't know how the piece is performed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted January 28, 2016 Share Posted January 28, 2016 [quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1453994306' post='2965127']...Magic requires an audience who doesn't know how the piece is performed. [/quote] I'd say that this is also true of music..! I have a younger brother, a very competent guitarist, who is unable to simply enjoy listening, as he's mentally pulling the work apart, analysing how it's played an' all. He chills out more at classical, orchestral concerts where his skills are much less to the fore. Personally, I think that the best audiences are those of non-musos, in general. Some exceptions, probably, but ignorance is bliss, innit..? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Vader Posted January 28, 2016 Share Posted January 28, 2016 [quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1453991688' post='2965075'] Does anyone on here actually play bass for the academic study of music as their primary reason? [/quote] No, I've a Piano for that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odysseus Posted January 28, 2016 Share Posted January 28, 2016 [quote name='blue' timestamp='1453930732' post='2964454'] Guys, I'm not old, I'm merely older. I'll never be old. Blue [/quote] Hehe I like that one! I might have to steal it... but not yet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrammeFriday Posted January 28, 2016 Share Posted January 28, 2016 (edited) [quote name='Cosmo Valdemar' timestamp='1453987039' post='2964954'] There's the answer, surely. [i]Your[/i] band appeals to the over sixties and not to twenty-somethings. Doesn't mean they don't like rock, just that your band doesn't appeal to them for whatever reason. [/quote] This is indeed the answer. It is simply not true to say that the under 30s have no interest in rock music. They are just into [i]today’s[/i] rock music. And to get an idea of what this is, and how vibrant and varied it is, just check out the playlist from last Sunday evening’s Radio 1 Rock Show: [url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06yb73c"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...rammes/b06yb73c[/url] Note the absence of reggae and country music, by the way. These do not appear to be classified as subgenres of rock. Note also that this episode acknowledges the fact that last week was Independent Venue Week (gosh, what a coincidence!), and features interviews with various gigging rockers (most if not all of whom are under 30) talking about their favourite small venues, and how important this scene is to them. If you don’t have time to listen to the whole thing you could dip in at 39:30, where you can hear two guys from Bury Tomorrow talk about Joiners in Southampton. Edited January 28, 2016 by GrammeFriday Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrammeFriday Posted January 28, 2016 Share Posted January 28, 2016 (edited) [quote name='peteb' timestamp='1453932316' post='2964483'] To be frank, it seems more like that you are trolling someone by repeatedly accusing them of trolling! [/quote] Never been called that before! Ah well, first time for everything. Edited January 28, 2016 by GrammeFriday Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue Posted January 28, 2016 Author Share Posted January 28, 2016 [quote name='Tonteee' timestamp='1453967337' post='2964670'] Hi Blue, Your reggae fact is not true for the UK, which has enjoyed reggae high within its popular music melange consistently since at least 1967... Did you guys not get Trojan Records? [/quote] Well, I can't speak for the UK. My point was the popularity of reggae grew when Bob added blues based guitar to the band. Blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue Posted January 28, 2016 Author Share Posted January 28, 2016 (edited) [quote name='Tonteee' timestamp='1453967337' post='2964670'] Hi Blue, Your reggae fact is not true for the UK, which has enjoyed reggae high within its popular music melange consistently since at least 1967... Did you guys not get Trojan Records? [/quote] No, however I do believe Desmond had a hit record over here. I also remember a record called " My Boy Lollipop " (Millie Small) that had a sort of ska foundation. There was "I Can See Clearly Now" , by Johnny Nash that I guess was sort of POP reggae. I never considered Eric's "I Shot The Sheriff" Blue Edited January 29, 2016 by blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue Posted January 28, 2016 Author Share Posted January 28, 2016 (edited) [quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1453979811' post='2964829'] I doubt that's even true in the USA but for the UK it is total nonsense. And either way, reggae and other Jamaican genres are not 'rock'. In the UK, of course, Jamaican migrants were busy listening to Jamaican music and at the same time became a source for some white people who were listening to Jamaican music from 1964/65 (blue beat and ska had a massive mod and skinhead following, Prince Buster and later Desmond Dekkar, Max Romeo etc. - where I came from you were nobody if you didn't have a nice collection of Trojan label singles and better still if you'd laid hands on some real Jamaican releases). Jamaican music is a very important part of 1960s UK youth culture and it is seen by many as in total opposition to rock. Skinhead versus hippy. When [i]007[/i] and [i]Whiter Shade of Pale [/i]were both in the charts few people were buying both. I remember buying [i]007[/i] and dancing around the living room with it on my Dansette while my mother is asking 'why didn't you buy that one with the nice tune?'. Marley arrives on the scene at the end of that 1960s period specifically when the band was still called The Wailers and Peter Tosh and Bunny Livingston were involved. No Al Anderson. No 'Bob Marley and'.[/quote] Albert came after Peter and Bunny, however he has worked with both. Albert joined the band in 1974, That's Alberts blues based guitar solo on "No Woman No Cry" Albert is still touring and is the band leader for The Original Wailers. There are 2 Original Wailers bands. The other Original Wailers is run by Aston. I have been friends with Albert since grade school, he lived across the Street from me. His older brother Mel drummer for the original Twisted Sister line up, he was the older guy with all the cool records. He was very generous with them. Blue Edited January 29, 2016 by blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EssentialTension Posted January 28, 2016 Share Posted January 28, 2016 [quote name='blue' timestamp='1454005194' post='2965349'] Albert came after Peter and Bunny, however he has worked with both. Albert joined the band in 1974, That's Alberts blues based guitar solo on "No Woman No Cry" Albert is still touring and is the band leader for The Original Wailers. There are 2 Original Wailers bands. The other Original Wailers is run by Aston. Blue [/quote] Yes, we know the history of the band but it's still not rock. Using a blues based scale does not make something rock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteb Posted January 28, 2016 Share Posted January 28, 2016 [quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1454013115' post='2965511'] Yes, we know the history of the band but it's still not rock. Using a blues based scale does not make something rock. [/quote] You are of course quite right in everything you say, but you are kinda missing my original point. To a white teenage rock fan in a northern city in the late 70s, reggae was part of the alternative to mainstream pop and therefore was part of the wider alternative rock (of that time) culture. To this day I quite like hearing the odd reggae track but I know nothing about the genre or own any albums by any reggae artist except Bob Marley, although I did used to have a Steel Pulse album about 30 years ago (I wonder where that went). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue Posted January 28, 2016 Author Share Posted January 28, 2016 [quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1454013115' post='2965511'] Yes, we know the history of the band but it's still not rock. Using a blues based scale does not make something rock. [/quote] Not rock,but contains elements of blues. Blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EssentialTension Posted January 29, 2016 Share Posted January 29, 2016 [quote name='blue' timestamp='1454025179' post='2965682'] Not rock,but contains elements of blues. Blue [/quote] Good, so you agree ... not rock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EssentialTension Posted January 29, 2016 Share Posted January 29, 2016 [quote name='peteb' timestamp='1454019923' post='2965626'] You are of course quite right in everything you say, but you are kinda missing my original point. To a white teenage rock fan in a northern city in the late 70s, [b]reggae was part of the alternative to mainstream pop [/b]and [b]therefore was part of the wider alternative rock[/b] (of that time) culture. To this day I quite like hearing the odd reggae track but I know nothing about the genre or own any albums by any reggae artist except Bob Marley, although I did used to have a Steel Pulse album about 30 years ago (I wonder where that went). [/quote] I didn't miss your point, I agreed with it, but I didn't understand your 'rock' to mean other genres which I still maintain are not rock. By the late 1970s in the UK, reggae was one of the alternatives to mainstream pop (and, indeed, had been for some time). I agree, I have no dispute at all about that. Although it's worth remembering that reggae (or other Jamaican forms) sometimes had mainstream pop success e.g. Althea and Donna in 1977: [media]http://youtu.be/KVBmeWAsRAA[/media] But rock music, which, like reggae, as you imply, was often thought of as part of the alternative to mainstream pop (but also sometimes had mainstream pop success) was and is still not reggae and nor was reggae understood to be rock, by any normal standards. The standard you apply to make reggae into rock is to say they were both alternatives to mainstream pop and therefore both rock. [b]I agree with the 'alternatives to mainstream pop' point but that does not make reggae become subsumed into and reduced to rock.[/b] Anyway, let's have some music ... here's Steel Pulse: [media]http://youtu.be/7XXpQFyP7RA[/media] And here's The Congos: [media]http://youtu.be/dMHb62VqtN4[/media] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skol303 Posted January 29, 2016 Share Posted January 29, 2016 (edited) [quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1453994306' post='2965127'] I was wondering! For many on here playing bass seems almost a byproduct of the desire to be in a band. I enjoy playing live too, but I get just as much enjoyment playing just for me. Whether that be composing or simply finally being able to play a difficult piece doesn't matter.[/quote] I don't play in a band and haven't done so for [i]ages. [/i]A young family and busy work life preclude that sort of commitment, but it's something I'd like to do when the time is right. But just for fun. My main passion is writing and producing music - and playing bass is a means to an end in that respect. I have an 'audience' of sorts. My SoundCloud page has over 20,000 plays; I’ve had my music broadcast on the radio and played by DJs in some fairly large venues (the biggest being 2000+ clubbers at a gig in Paris). None of which is a substitute for playing live, of course. It's a very different 'buzz' entirely. But I'd guess that my music has reached a lot more people than that of most regular pub bands. That's the beauty of the internet. It can't provide a stage (yet...), but it can put you in touch with plenty of listeners Edited January 29, 2016 by Skol303 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RhysP Posted January 29, 2016 Share Posted January 29, 2016 [quote name='Skol303' timestamp='1454068505' post='2966001'] I don't play in a band and haven't done so for [i]ages. [/i]A young family and busy work life preclude that sort of commitment, but it's something I'd like to do when the time is right. But just for fun. My main passion is writing and producing music - and playing bass is a means to an end in that respect. I have an 'audience' of sorts. My SoundCloud page has over 20,000 plays; I’ve had my music broadcast on the radio and played by DJs in some fairly large venues (the biggest being 2000+ clubbers at a gig in Paris). None of which is a substitute for playing live, of course. It's a very different 'buzz' entirely. But I'd guess that my music has reached a lot more people than that of most regular pub bands. That's the beauty of the internet. It can't provide a stage (yet...), but it can put you in touch with plenty of listeners [/quote] Hearing something I'd written played on the radio was the most exciting thing that's ever happened to me musically. Incredible feeling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skol303 Posted January 29, 2016 Share Posted January 29, 2016 [quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1454069220' post='2966015'] Hearing something I'd written played on the radio was the most exciting thing that's ever happened to me musically. Incredible feeling. [/quote] Definitely. I found it quite surreal. My biggest goal since being a kid has always been to have something pressed to vinyl. I could of course just go and pay for this to happen myself… but I’m still holding out for some leftfield indie label [i](with no commercial sense or musical taste whatsoever)[/i] to do it for me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odysseus Posted January 29, 2016 Share Posted January 29, 2016 <p>[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1454069220' post='2966015'] Hearing something I'd written played on the radio was the most exciting thing that's ever happened to me musically. Incredible feeling. [/quote] That must feel really weird! Unfortunately, the nearest I've come to that is having 4 tracks I picked played back to back by Tommy Vance on the Friday Rock Show in 1987. I never did receive the £15 record token though. F*****r.... :-( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted January 29, 2016 Share Posted January 29, 2016 It just occurs to me that my very first band had made a record and had it played on Radio 1 long before we did a proper gig. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue Posted January 29, 2016 Author Share Posted January 29, 2016 (edited) [quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1454069220' post='2966015'] Hearing something I'd written played on the radio was the most exciting thing that's ever happened to me musically. Incredible feeling. [/quote] Interesting in what drives us. I know several talented musicians that don't connect with the stage. We've had some of our original stuff played on the radio. I never bothered to listen. I'm was probably thinking, " when's the next gig". Blue Edited January 30, 2016 by blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Passinwind Posted January 29, 2016 Share Posted January 29, 2016 [quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1454069220' post='2966015'] Hearing something I'd written played on the radio was the most exciting thing that's ever happened to me musically. Incredible feeling. [/quote] Yep, the first time that happened I had to pull my car over and just listen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martin8708 Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 What will take the place of gigging ? There has always been a small percentage of people ( musicians / actors / musicians /comedians ) who feel the need to perform in front of people . There has also been a large percentage of people who feel the need to be entertained . Since medieval times ,and even earlier , jesters , jugglers , minstrals and acrobats have entertained the crowds ,the very same thing goes on in Covent Garden today . Take football for example , few people actually play it , but millions watch it on TV . I don't think gigging will ever go away , good bands with good showmanship will always be in demand . As a frequent visitor to the Isle of Wight festival ( it's on my doorstep ) , the best gig I ever saw was Tom Jones , purely for the showmanship ,professionalism, interaction with audience , he just had the audience eating out of his hands . Tom is no spring chicken , but he knows how to put on a show , something the younger bands with their sulky sullen faces can learn from . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted January 30, 2016 Share Posted January 30, 2016 Yes, indeed; live music is here for ever, but it won't necessarily be rock. Opera and ballet still draws enough to keep going, pianos (joannas..?) were essential fittings in pre- and post-war pubs, and folk clubs have been around since... well, since folks, really. All this loud jangly stuff has had its fling, and will go the way of Morris dancing. Yes, indeed; some people continue to perpetuate Morris dancing. Rock musicians are the 'modern' equivalent, and just as quaint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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