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

[peteb]

20 minutes ago, Chienmortbb said:

So many good, or at least very competent, bassists that seem to put fills in songs that really don't need them and in one case, the fill was actually too long and meant he was always late getting out of the chorus. Now, I get bored playing root and fifth occasionally, but does the song need a fill? Does it fit?

 

I would suggest that guy wasn't a good bass player at all - being good isn't just about technique (far from it)! 

 

Drummers tend to be far worse... 

 

[Woodinblack]

7 minutes ago, peteb said:

I would suggest that guy wasn't a good bass player at all - being good isn't just about technique (far from it)!

 

Clearly he wasn't. if you put a fill in and can't do it, you have messed the song up, ie, you couldn't do the fill. If you can't do something, dont do it.

[JoeEvans]

"If you know how good you are, nobody else has to."

Wise words from trumpeter Don Cherry.

[BigRedX]

At some point over the last 55 years I have reached the point where I am comfortably confident in being able to play most of what I want to play. 

 

In one of my bands, both the guitarists are technically better bass players than me (and I suspect the drummer might be too) However I'm the one who enjoys playing the bass. A lot of what I find easy or difficult has little to do with my overall ability but how closely it falls into my existing skill set. This was brought home to me during my short stint in a traditional covers band where the bass lines I found easy to learn and master were those that were very similar to what I would have come up with had this been an original songs that was being asked to write a bass part for. Conversely other songs that sounded easy turned out to be extremely difficult to play once I had actually worked out what was going on with the bass line. I've also discovered that a good drummer makes me sound much better.

[ezbass]

2 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

I've also discovered that a good drummer makes me sound much better.

Very true. The reverse is same I'm led to believe.

 

For the most part, I think bass players are quite self deprecating and are their own worst critics. I'm no different in this respect. Hence my complete surprise when I was ask to provide bass on an upcoming session, by a recording artist (more details to follow, if all goes well).

[Dan Dare]

1 hour ago, BigRedX said:

I've also discovered that a good drummer makes me sound much better.

 

A good drummer makes the whole band better and the reverse is equally true. Which is why the good ones are so busy/hard to get.

[SteveXFR]

I'm not much cop at bass. I'm just there as eye candy to be honest, something to keep the ladies entertained.

[Lord Sausage]

You'll never hear me say that 😆

[Jackroadkill]

38 minutes ago, SteveXFR said:

I'm not much cop at bass. I'm just there as eye candy to be honest, something to keep the ladies entertained.

 

When and where is your band playing next?  Asking for a friend...

[merello]

On 25/10/2023 at 20:19, jezzaboy said:

I aim for mediocrity and hope to achieve it one day 

Like the old quote, “Delusions of adequacy!” 😀

[songofthewind]

On 31/10/2023 at 19:47, Dad3353 said:

 

Hmm... It seems that, in France, there are exactly six practitioners. The nearest is Paris, 300 kms away. Hmm... 

 

France practitioners, centred on our cottage...

 

This is very disappointing. A friend of mine was running an AT training school in Paris, last I heard of her. I knew several French teachers, and ran workshops with them at Lamoura, in the Jura. This was back in the mid eighties, and we had a lot of interest from a big group of participants. Clearly things have changed since then. I had a quick look online, and can't find the folks I knew who were teaching in France. Soz.

[dmccombe7]

I think i'm ok at what i do. I get comments at gigs about being good but i tend to think that its more down to being fluent rather than fast or showing off.

Most bands i play in say my selling point is i learn songs note for note and they like that. They generally rely on me knowing the song inside out when we start rehearsing and i am usually asked how a certain part goes.

Our new-ish guitarist told me last year that in many yrs of playing a certain Xmas song in Glam covers bands i'm the first bassist to actually play it correctly and he hasn't had to explain how to play it. 

I'm not a flash slappy type bassist, i just play what i'm asked and can keep a steady pace thru songs. 

I do love picking songs out by Jeff Berlin and learning little bits of them just for my own benefit.

Not so much recently as i've backed off with my aggressive finger plucking but many bands liked the attack i managed to put into a rock song but the blisters were getting too much for me and i struggled doing 2 gigs in a row over a weekend. Now i play lighter in the Glam band but still like a bit of aggression in the punk band.

I do have to watch what i'm doing when i have 2 gigs in a weekend 

I've been to bass bashes and watched some amazingly talented players way better than i'll ever be. I just don't do solos and get embarrassed doing them even in bass shops when trying out a new bass. I'll just play basic stuff in shops with a very occasional fasty bit. I guess i'm your typical shy bass player.

Dave

 

Edited November 4, 2023 by dmccombe7

[SH73]

I have never practiced per se. What I mean scales, arpeggios etc. and have no intention, boring and tedious! I play/ learn by ear. For what I do, having fun, suits me, record music for myself , no longer gig. Think I do ok. 

[Linus27]

I'm a terrible bassist and person if truth be known, I mean, I've been playing for 37 years and all my basses started with frets and these days, they've either all fallen out or simply worn away 😂

 

On a good note mind, when I started out as a mere teenager, I really struggled to carry my Carlsbro or Trace Elliot speakers. These days, I can easily carry my Barefaced cab, in either hand and one handed so all this playing has made me so much stronger and fitter these days, I must be like Hercules 😂

Edited November 4, 2023 by Linus27

[dmccombe7]

36 minutes ago, Linus27 said:

I'm a terrible bassist and person if truth be known, I mean, I've been playing for 37 years and all my basses started with frets and these days, they've either all fallen out or simply worn away 😂

 

On a good note mind, when I started out as a mere teenager, I really struggled to carry my Carlsbro or Trace Elliot speakers. These days, I can easily carry my Barefaced cab, in either hand and one handed so all this playing has made me so much stronger and fitter these days, I must be like Hercules 😂

 that's made my morning. Still laughing as i type this. 

Dave

[jonno1981]

I’d say I’m pretty average, but reckon I’ve played in some above average bands over the years.
Point I’m trying to make is that it’s not about the individuals, but how they come together that’s the important bit for the music. No one cares how good you are if the band just doesn’t gel. 
 

Edited November 4, 2023 by jonno1981

[gafbass02]

I tend to get lots of compliments about my playing. I have no theoretical knowledge at all, (more’s the pity), I couldn’t play a single scale. I’ve played live most weekends for the past 30 years, in many genres at various levels, from tiny pub corners to no one, to festivals on t’telly and venues like the Apollos and SECC etc. 

I think what brings the compliments is that I’m fast and flashy in my style. It makes people go ‘oooh’. Often bands capitalise on it and give me solos etc (which I hate). 
 

But secretly, I know that I’m overplaying and that I’m playing the same basic stuff over and over in a ‘fast and flashy’ way - which makes me feel a total fraud. It is what it is, and I’m too busy these days with my new job to think about doing much about it. With age I’ve started to play less and more tastefully (I hope), but I know I’ve plenty of room to improve…

One of these days. 

Edited November 4, 2023 by gafbass02