When some BCers say they're not much cop at bass.....

[OliverBlackman]

You mean bass buying right? We’re all top notch. Well ahead of Mr Wooten and co

[merello]

I am an accompanist on bass to nice pop songs.

period!

[jezzaboy]

I aim for mediocrity and hope to achieve it one day 

[AndyTravis]

1 minute ago, jezzaboy said:

I aim for mediocrity and hope to achieve it one day 

I aimed for the stars and got to the end of the street…

[Paul S]

I aim to get it mostly in pan.

[Roger2611]

I am told I can play but remain unconvinced!

[martin8708]

If I’m in a band where there’s lots of show -off guitarists /keyboards / singers , I’m generally safe , as I can chug around most songs in time with a ( decent ) drummer keeping the song together .   ( this has got me a suprising amount of gigs ) 

 

If they want solo’s  / Wootton / Jaco / Sheehan type stuff - I’m stuffed .

[Downunderwonder]

People are always telling me what a great bassist I am. They are wrong. I am the lint under a great bassist's toenail but I am here and they wouldn't be bothered with my gigs even if they were here too. Still, it's nice to be appreciated for holding down the low end.

 

The trick is to always play in time even if you have to ghost a note once in awhile to catch up.

[Downunderwonder]

5 hours ago, Happy Jack said:

On more than one occasion, I haven't even been the best bass player in the band ...

This is me at the moment! Our new guitarist is a fair to middling bassist and he is way better than me!

 

There have probably been others in the band over the years that were too kind to say anything.

[Steve Browning]

I always say that if you want a bass player who plays like me,  I'm the best. 

[chris_b]

I was once in a 4 piece band with 2 other bassists. They had switched to guitar.

[funkgod]

im good at funk, i know i am, cus i can play all the right notes, at the right time, but not necessarily in the right order

Edited October 25, 2023 by funkgod

[TimR]

Guitarist's view of what makes a good bass player - plays the roots.

Drummer's view of what makes a good bass player - locks in with the drums.

Singer's view of what makes a good bass player - plays the right notes.

 

Bass player's view of what makes a good bass player - owns a van, PA, lights, organises gigs and rehearsals, breaks up fights, designs websites and prints setlists... 

[neepheid]

4 hours ago, sandy_r said:

 

the last i heard, the 'Dunning Kruger Effect' has been debunked

 

 

Goddamn it! I put a lot of effort into that fake amp ad (sorry, Gallien Krueger).

[Alien]

6 hours ago, Dad3353 said:

There are serious scientific methods for determining the answers to questions like this. Here is one of the more accessible ones ...

 

The-Full-Study-Model-The-mediating-effect-of-the-authentic-self-in-the-relation-between attachment and emotional intelligence and fragmented cognitive concepts. Note: * p < .05; Choice = Choicefulness; FSC = Fragmented Self Concept; FRC = Fragmented Relationship Concept; all factor loadings on each correspondent latent variable were significant at ps < .001.

 

I don't even know what over half these words mean - I think I might have trouble with this!

 

[EssexBuccaneer]

I’m distinctly average. I’m technically poor and I make mistakes unless I’ve practiced a song a zillion times, but I can keep time and do the basics that I need.

 

One thing that being in a covers band has done, is taken me out of my comfort zone. In my originals band I wrote basslines to my own (low) ability. Playing ‘pro’ bass players lines has definitely improved my playing.

[TimR]

We should do a survey with areas and levels and see where everyone lies on a scale. 

 

I'd suggest anyone playing gigs is a 'good' player. At least other musicians are confident in your abilities and audiences aren't walking out.

 

 

[Thump]

Looking at and reading about, yes. I am incredibly competent at spending too many hours reading about other basses when i should be playing mine. Despite the research i still forget things and ask stupid questions partly due to a partied out short term memory. When it comes to playing, a polite person would say " bless, look at him have a go"

Mark me down for the bottom of that scale please

[Lozz196]

8 hours ago, TimR said:

Guitarist's view of what makes a good bass player - plays the roots.

Drummer's view of what makes a good bass player - locks in with the drums.

Singer's view of what makes a good bass player - plays the right notes.

 

Bass player's view of what makes a good bass player - owns a van, PA, lights, organises gigs and rehearsals, breaks up fights, designs websites and prints setlists... 

From the above I have deduced  that I’m actually a guitarist who plays drums and does lead vocals

Edited October 26, 2023 by Lozz196

[ossyrocks]

15 hours ago, fretmeister said:

I'm amazing.

 

If you want a great slap solo in in the middle of a Leonard Cohen tune, performed with an avant garde approach to so called traditional time keeping, then I'm the best!

I’m sure I’ve been in a band with you! 

[dclaassen]

I am not a flashy bassist. I stand in awe of you folks who can do some amazing 3 octave fill. I'm just too lazy at this point to work that hard on my scales and arpeggios...:)

 

 

[Franticsmurf]

I'm good enough to be in the bands I'm in, and almost always the best bassist on stage when they play. 😃

[sandy_r]

9 hours ago, neepheid said:

 

Goddamn it! I put a lot of effort into that fake amp ad (sorry, Gallien Krueger).

 

sorry to be the bearer of bad news - i'd offer to let you shoot the messenger, but i'm already shot

 

...wrt messrs Dunning&Kruger, they must feel a certain vindication now, when they see people still quoting and applying a debunked 'Effect' 😉

 

[Phil Starr]

On 25/10/2023 at 11:10, Barking Spiders said:

are they in fact pretty s*** hot  and are comparing themselves to Victor Wootten? Time to come clean 😁

Despite gigging more or less continuously at 20-30 gigs a year with a covers band I’d probably describe myself as barely adequate. Far too lacking in confidence to even try out gear if it means playing in front of other bassists. It can take me weeks to learn some songs and I rely heavily on tabs and chord charts. If it’s not in ultimate guitar I’m lost. I know my limitations and work within them. I’ve along list of skills I want to accomplish so s*** hot? I’m not. I’m sure bass playing is like every other human skill, normally distributed: 20% of us are truly skilled, 20% are awful and 60% of us are intermediate.

 

A little story, I came to bass via cricket. I have one skill, I can throw straight. I can’t catch and I definitely can’t bat. I’m not big or strong but at my best I can bowl accurate line and length and I’ll happily run round a boundary all day. I can do maths as well and realised we won more matches when I played than when I didn’t. Some of my team were in a band and they needed a bassist. However crap I was they would be better with me than without a bassist and I let myself be persuaded. I could hold a beat and hit a root and mostly that was enough. I’ve played in bands with people with genuine talent and skills but sometimes in life, music and cricket a good line and length, holding down an end is all you need.

Edited October 28, 2023 by Phil Starr

[Happy Jack]

9 hours ago, TimR said:

At least other musicians are confident in your abilities and audiences aren't walking out.

 

 

You've not been to one of my gigs then?