Is it because I'm a Bass player?

[Marvin]

[quote name='BurritoBass' post='748816' date='Feb 17 2010, 07:14 PM']I've heard it said (not on these pages) that the [b]sign of a good bassist is only noticing him when he goes wrong[/b].

I always get favourable comments in the studio, "Oh I like what you've come up with there". Usually I've been playing it that way for six months[/quote]
I'm truly brilliant. People always spot when I go wrong. Admittedly that is quite a lot.

[OutToPlayJazz]

I liked the original post on this thread...

The truth is that "Joe Public" fails to notice not only clever bassists, but good musicians in general.

As an example in question, I used to fill in as a geetardist in a sixties trio. Now, first of all I'm no guitarist at all. I can manage chords and the odd solo. That's about it. Not a patch on my bass playing.

The lead singer/bass player was awful. Terrible singer & possibly the worst bass player I've ever heard. Ever.

The girl on drums could just about hold an eight-beat rock rhythm together with a dodgy fill around the kit. Nothing else!

But we played 60's soul hits that Joe Public knew & could sing along to. [u]We cleaned up![/u]

So the moral of the tale is that it doesn't matter if you're a top line professional player or a mere simple plodder just starting out. As long as you play tunes that Joe Public knows, you'll go far.

As a little epitaph, I also used to play at a jam session in a Nottingham suburbs pub on a Thursday night many years ago. If the band were struggling to get it together, the two old hecklers at the back would shout, [b]"Play something we know!"[/b] If the band was really really bad, they'd shout, [b]"Play something YOU know!"[/b]

Edited February 17, 2010 by OutToPlayJazz

[retroman]

I once had a smug, ego boosted moment at a BOTB type thing, where I overheard the comment "S%*t, we've lost, that guys got a Rickenbacker!

I normally manage to raise a smile, and a laugh, when I start playing "Fueding Banjo's" as well....Well, a banjo has four strings doesn't it?

[Mykesbass]

[quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='748864' date='Feb 17 2010, 08:00 PM']I liked the original post on this thread...

The truth is that "Joe Public" fails to notice not only clever bassists, but good musicians in general.

As an example in question, I used to fill in as a geetardist in a sixties trio. Now, first of all I'm no guitarist at all. I can manage chords and the odd solo. That's about it. Not a patch on my bass playing.

The lead singer/bass player was awful. Terrible singer & possibly the worst bass player I've ever heard. Ever.

The girl on drums could just about hold an eight-beat rock rhythm together with a dodgy fill around the kit. Nothing else!

But we played 60's soul hits that Joe Public knew & could sing along to. [u]We cleaned up![/u]

So the moral of the tale is that it doesn't matter if you're a top line professional player or a mere simple plodder just starting out. As long as you play tunes that Joe Public knows, you'll go far.

As a little epitaph, I also used to play at a jam session in a Nottingham suburbs pub on a Thursday night many years ago. If the band were struggling to get it together, the two old hecklers at the back would shout, [b]"Play something we know!"[/b] If the band was really really bad, they'd shout, [b]"Play something YOU know!"[/b] [/quote]

Couldn't agree more - the most succesful band I've been in was a very shabby outfit in East Anglia - we played straight up old school rock & roll - nothing super authentic with slap double bass or anything like that, just a whole load of Elvis, Buddy Holly, Little Richard etc. The singer had a tiny PA and we all had to keep it way down for him to be heard but the comments we got from the Legions and Social Clubs was unbelievable, just because we played what they liked to hear.

[The Funk]

I was at the Jeff Beck/Eric Clapton gig recently. In one of his tunes Jeff Beck slipped into [i]Purple Haze[/i]. This was an arena full of guitar fans. I think I was one of about 10 people there to notice.

I went to the movies with my mum when I was abroad a few weeks ago and saw a film called [i]The Tooth Fairy[/i]. One of the characters is a kid learning guitar. He slips into the main riff from [i]Sunshine Of Your Love[/i] at a couple of points. After the film my mum said "that's the song you always used to play when you started". My mum is as un-musical as it gets so I have no idea how she could remember the riff and spot it outside the context of a song so many years after last hearing it.

It could be that most people don't notice 'cos they just don't care enough.

[discreet]

[quote name='The Funk' post='748925' date='Feb 17 2010, 08:51 PM']After the film my mum said "that's the song you always used to play when you started". My mum is as un-musical as it gets so I have no idea how she could remember the riff and spot it outside the context of a song so many years after last hearing it.

It could be that most people don't notice 'cos they just don't care enough.[/quote]

Quite! Your mum remembers because you're her very special baby and she cares very much!

[Tech]

[quote name='BurritoBass' post='748816' date='Feb 17 2010, 07:14 PM']I've heard it said (not on these pages) that the sign of a good bassist is only noticing him when he goes wrong.[/quote]

absolutely. as a bassist it's too easy to want to hear yourself and not the song. i love being the only guy in the room who really noticed that sneaky passing note, or that smooth double stop.

classic example of this - that pino video with john mayer ("who did you think I was") that's been posted a few times. i've jammed that song before and we always thought the chorus sounded a little bit "empty".

only after seeing the video I realised he hit the harmonics for a few beats! really made all the difference next time we jammed.


when i want to stand out, i play the guitar. when i want to have a wicked night doing what it is i love, i play bass

[xilddx]

[quote name='BurritoBass' post='748816' date='Feb 17 2010, 07:14 PM']I've heard it said (not on these pages) that the sign of a good bassist is only noticing him when he goes wrong.[/quote]
Kit, the singer/composer in one of my bands says "if anyone in the band f***s up, they look f***ing stupid. BUT, if the bass player in the band f***s up, they make the [b]whole band look f***ing stupid[/b].

It's my bass mantra now.

[Marvin]

[quote name='silddx' post='749007' date='Feb 17 2010, 09:53 PM']Kit, the singer/composer in one of my bands says "if anyone in the band f***s up, they look f***ing stupid. BUT, if the bass player in the band f***s up, they make the [b]whole band look f***ing stupid[/b].

It's my bass mantra now.[/quote]
Nothing like putting the pressure on just one person.

[xilddx]

[quote name='Marvin' post='749020' date='Feb 17 2010, 10:05 PM'] Nothing like putting the pressure on just one person. [/quote]
I dig that pressure man! But you're right, maybe it was just a test

[Cat Burrito]

[quote name='retroman' post='748880' date='Feb 17 2010, 08:13 PM']I normally manage to raise a smile, and a laugh, when I start playing "Fueding Banjo's" as well....Well, a banjo has four strings doesn't it? [/quote]

It's called Duelling banjos and those are 5 string banjos which is the standard. You can get 4 and 6 string ones though

[WalMan]

....what they all said.

End of the day you might find the odd serendipitous moment where a part from one song fits perfectly in another (a bit like the odd occasions in ISIHAC when "One song to the tune of another" just fits without having to be shoehorned), but it'll be a little joke only you, your drummer, the bass player in the crowd and possibly your guitarist (but almost certainly not the vocalist or anyone else) will get.

I (partially) remember a gig a while back where "Voulez vous couchez" just fitted under one of our rock cover (can't remember which, that's why it's partially). Slipped it in a couple of times (MATRON!) and got a grin from my partner in crime and a guy who roadies for us on occasion, but that was it. Kept me amused though and didn't hurt anyone

[exmando]

I'd rather have them not noticing than suddenly producing tambourines and joining in - which did once happen at an otherwise perfectly normal gig

[discreet]

[quote name='exmando' post='749594' date='Feb 18 2010, 12:50 PM']I'd rather have them not noticing than suddenly producing tambourines and joining in - which did once happen at an otherwise perfectly normal gig[/quote]

Excellent! Was it the Sally Army?

[exmando]

[quote name='discreet' post='749597' date='Feb 18 2010, 12:52 PM'] Excellent! Was it the Sally Army?[/quote]

That's the strange thing - no obvious external signs, it...just ... suddenly ... appeared
Mind you , years later I met some guys who were speaking about the time their dad joined in with us at a gig, and before I could launch into a full-on assault they told me that it was one of his fondest memories... it basically reinforced what loads of folk are saying here - people get different things from the music !

[Earbrass]

[quote name='discreet' post='749597' date='Feb 18 2010, 12:52 PM'] Excellent! Was it the Sally Army?[/quote]
[quote name='exmando' post='749606' date='Feb 18 2010, 12:58 PM']That's the strange thing - no obvious external signs, it...just ... suddenly ... appeared[/quote]

Maybe it was the Continuity Sally Army. They have notoriously refused to put all tambourines "beyond use".

[ezbass]

I'm pretty sure that the only people who notice what the bass player does are other bass players. Sad but true

I slip another one bites the dust into superstion, also sad but true

[skankdelvar]

[quote name='Earbrass' post='749624' date='Feb 18 2010, 01:10 PM']Maybe it was the Continuity Sally Army. They have notoriously refused to put all tambourines "beyond use".[/quote]

Kudos to that man.

[Apex]

[quote name='Earbrass' post='749624' date='Feb 18 2010, 01:10 PM']Maybe it was the Continuity Sally Army. They have notoriously refused to put all tambourines "beyond use".[/quote]

Happened to us a couple of years back at a charity gig.

She was a fully fledged member. The Sally army. Mustang brigade...

[Tinman]

I see what you did there, very good

[Marvin]

[quote name='Apex' post='749657' date='Feb 18 2010, 01:30 PM']Happened to us a couple of years back at a charity gig.

She was a fully fledged member. The Sally army. Mustang brigade...[/quote]
Huge round of applause

[stevebasshead]

I'm not too fussed if [i]what[/i] I play doesn't get noticed, as others have said joe public rarely makes the distinction between the instruments, they just get into the song and performance which is as it should be.

The only thing that bugs me is if the sound engineer doesn't get the bass [b]tone[/b] (mine or bands I'm watching) clear in the mix. I should add I get just as frustrated if the vocals/guitars/drums/key/whathaveyou get mangled, but this being a bass forum I'll take the liberty of single-ing out the bass From personal experience, I used to trust our regular engineer until I started going out front in the soundcheck only to hear something that sounded like 2 thick blankets and a duffel coat had been draped carelessly over the bass sound...harumph!

To me, if the sound of [i]all[/i] the instruments is as good as it can be the audience will enjoy the performance even more, even if they can't say why afterward. No instrument should be an exception to this and of course it relies on each musician giving tones that work well together in a band context to the engineer, and the engineer to feedback to the band if they're making his job impossible.