Best Advice given.

[paulbass]

Hi BCer's
What's the best advice you've been given for playing bass or what advice would you give?
For me I was told 'It's not what you play, its what you don't play' and being a percussive type player I understand what was means now. If I was to give advice I would say work with the drummer and make the bass bounce.......whats yours?

[mr zed]

Best advice I was ever given was "if you can hum it, you can play it".

[gary mac]

I was once told, "now you've got that nice new, loud amp, you really must play the right notes"

[seashell]

Don't wait till you think you're good enough to join a band before you join a band.

[Cameronj279]

"Enjoy it."

[Twigman]

None of that lot out there will know you've f***ed up....

[Truckstop]

Spend money on lessons, not gear.

[dmccombe7]

"Play what the song needs and not what you want or can play" was a good piece of advice i got years ago.
"always look as though you know what you are doing"
"if you look confident when playing then even a mistake will pass unnoticed by an audience"

Dave

[Japhet]

If you mess up, tell people you play a lot of jazz.

[rogerstodge]

Don't give up me day job

[gjones]

[quote name='seashell' timestamp='1456011091' post='2984582']
Don't wait till you think you're good enough to join a band before you join a band.
[/quote]
[quote name='dmccombe7' timestamp='1456049484' post='2984734']
"Play what the song needs and not what you want or can play" was a good piece of advice i got years ago.
"always look as though you know what you are doing"
"if you look confident when playing then even a mistake will pass unnoticed by an audience"

Dave
[/quote]
[quote name='Japhet' timestamp='1456050841' post='2984756']
If you mess up, tell people you play a lot of jazz.
[/quote]

All very good advice.

[Hobbayne]

Play with as many people as you can, and as many different genres of music as you can. Dont limit yourself to just rock and nothing else.

[Lozz196]

[quote name='dmccombe7' timestamp='1456049484' post='2984734']
"Play what the song needs and not what you want or can play" was a good piece of advice i got years ago.
"always look as though you know what you are doing"
"if you look confident when playing then even a mistake will pass unnoticed by an audience"

Dave
[/quote]

I think this is it for me.

[bootleg]

[quote name='Japhet' timestamp='1456050841' post='2984756']
If you mess up, tell people you play a lot of jazz.
[/quote]

A variation on this goes: if you play the wrong note, play it again like you meant it.

[JapanAxe]

This one works for other instruments too: Watch the singer, listen to the drummer.

[MacDaddy]

[quote name='paulbass' timestamp='1456009209' post='2984562']
its what you don't play
[/quote]

I'm doing that right now without my bass [size=4] [/size]

[chris_b]

Listen to everyone and take it all in and use it.

If you only hear 2 notes you like you're still ahead.

[wateroftyne]

Play less notes.

[Bilbo]

Learn to read music - Iain Ballamy

[MacDaddy]

[Guest bassman7755]

[quote name='mr zed' timestamp='1456009711' post='2984565']
Best advice I was ever given was "if you can hum it, you can play it".
[/quote]

Indeed, its easy to forget that being a musician is primarily an auditory skill and not a physical one.

[Guest bassman7755]

Spend 2 minutes practicing for every one minute you spend reading basschat.

Follow you own advice (still working on the that one).

[Guest bassman7755]

Listen to lots of music - if you dont have your bass in hand , it doesn't count as listening.

[JoeEvans]

If you know how good you are, then the audience doesn't have to.

[SICbass]

[quote name='bassman7755' timestamp='1456055575' post='2984843']
Spend 2 minutes practicing for every one minute you spend reading basschat.

Follow you own advice (still working on the that one).
[/quote]

....never happen 😀😉