jlrush Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 So the wife and I are watching a PBS Christmas special tonight and they're playing a jazzed up version of 'Walkin in A Winter Wonderland'. Drums and bass are REALLY working a fast shuffle and I keep asking 'Where's the bass player?' I get a 1/4 second look of him a time or two and grump about how we don't get equal time. Then the guit player gets his solo and it's really lame in comparison to the bass and drums. I comment, 'Ooh that was really great', and the wife says 'Sounds like you've got a chip on your shoulder', - 'about the size of a bass guitar'. Who else has a bass guitar size chip on their shoulder? Nyuk, nyuk. Visit my band's new web site. www.themojoroots.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b5pilot Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 Bass players rarely get any face time on TV unless they are singing or jump out front. No they stick us in back or off to the side. That's just how it goes but that's ok. Lydian mode? The only mode I know has the words "pie ala" in front of it. http://www.myspace.com/theeldoradosband Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cthulhu Fhtagn Posted December 24, 2009 Share Posted December 24, 2009 Not anymore. I've grown accustomed to being the fat guy in the back next to the drummer. The spouse has noticed that bassists aren't feature promenently on some video music. I've grown past it. But it kills me when I can't get a long enough look to check out the gear. Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EddiePlaysBass Posted December 24, 2009 Share Posted December 24, 2009 Isn't that the reason why John Entwistle played bass solo's on "My Generation" ? I recall someone telling (or posting) this story, that The Who's manager suggested it because they'd shoot a video or a Top Of The Pops sort of TV appearance. What kills me is when there's a bass solo and they show the guitarist comping chords. Like they don't get enough attention ... Happened in the latest Uriah Heep dvd that came with the Celebration album. "I'm a work in progress." Micky Barnes The Ross Brown Shirt World Tour Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b5pilot Posted December 24, 2009 Share Posted December 24, 2009 Well speaking of "My Generation", remember that famous Smothers Brothers appearance where during the Ox's solo they had the camera on Pete T. the whole time. A bass solo? Inconceivable! Lydian mode? The only mode I know has the words "pie ala" in front of it. http://www.myspace.com/theeldoradosband Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Capasso Posted December 24, 2009 Share Posted December 24, 2009 It takes someone who loves you to notice your instrument is underappreciated and then accuses you of having the problem. I'm with Flank - I wish they'd show enough so I could see some gear... Tom www.stoneflyrocks.com Acoustic Color Be practical as well as generous in your ideals. Keep your eyes on the stars and keep your feet on the ground. - Theodore Roosevelt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcadmus Posted December 24, 2009 Share Posted December 24, 2009 I don't really care. The people who matter get it. The others, well... "Tours widely in the southwestern tip of Kentucky" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy c Posted December 24, 2009 Share Posted December 24, 2009 Nobody loves me but my mother, and she could be jivin' too Free download of my cd!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveC Posted December 24, 2009 Share Posted December 24, 2009 Fine with me. I like hanging upstage left. Since I have started singing some background vocals, I have been moved to the front more than I'd like to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham56 Posted December 24, 2009 Share Posted December 24, 2009 Doesn't bother me. But then I reckon if it's fame and attention you want you've chosen the wrong instrument... But as the saying goes, I am a typical well-balanced Scotsman... I've got a chip on each shoulder. Cheers! Graham (Uh-oh, I can hear it all getting a bit stressful downstairs with Christmas cooking, present wrapping etc going on. And my youngest has just dropped me in it..."Mum, Dad's on the computer again!" Time to go. Quickly. www.talkingstrawberries.com - for rocking' blues, raw and fresh! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocky McDougall Posted December 24, 2009 Share Posted December 24, 2009 I'm so old, fat, bald and ugly, they put me behind a blackout screen. Problem is, I really like it there. Rocky "Democracy is two wolves and a lamb, voting on what to eat for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb, contesting the vote." Benjamin Franklin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Brown Posted December 24, 2009 Share Posted December 24, 2009 Nobody loves me but my mother, and she could be jivin' too "When I take a stroll down Jackass Lane it is usually to see someone that is already there" Mrs. Brown Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picker Posted December 24, 2009 Share Posted December 24, 2009 ...I comment, 'Ooh that was really great', and the wife says 'Sounds like you've got a chip on your shoulder', - 'about the size of a bass guitar'... Tell her "Hey, better that than a cow chip, especially a fresh one..." Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlrush Posted December 24, 2009 Author Share Posted December 24, 2009 But it kills me when I can't get a long enough look to check out the gear. That was my main beef and usually is. It looked like the guy had a nice boutique bass with flamed maple and a large upper bout. It takes someone who loves you to notice your instrument is underappreciated and then accuses you of having the problem. LOL. Ain't it the truth. Visit my band's new web site. www.themojoroots.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcadmus Posted December 25, 2009 Share Posted December 25, 2009 Could be worse -- we could be trombone players. "Tours widely in the southwestern tip of Kentucky" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thabottomend Posted December 25, 2009 Share Posted December 25, 2009 I remember reading two nuggets of wisdom here some time back: Guitar solos last about thirty seconds. Bass lines last for the entire song. And my personal favorite: The eyes in the room may be on the star, but their asses are shaking to the bass guitar. Merry Christmas to all!!!!! Do not be deceived by, nor take lightly, this particular bit of musicianship one simply describes as "bass". - Lowell George "The music moves me, it just moves me ugly." William H. Macy in "Wild Hogs" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J. Dan Posted December 27, 2009 Share Posted December 27, 2009 Try being the keyboard player. At least the gals sometimes mistake the bass player for the guitar player. I've been both, and neither get the attention they deserve. Dan Acoustic/Electric stringed instruments ranging from 4 to 230 strings, hammered, picked, fingered, slapped, and plucked. Analog and Digital Electronic instruments, reeds, and throat/mouth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picker Posted December 27, 2009 Share Posted December 27, 2009 Inconceivable! I no think that word means what you think it means... Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicklab Posted December 27, 2009 Share Posted December 27, 2009 I think you all may be giving television directors far more credit than they deserve. They like things easy and predictable. That means focusing on the singer or guitar player. But they also may have a hard time communicating with their camera operators in a live music environment. I directed a live music tv show in college and communicating with the camera operators during a performance was next to impossible. Instead, I had to give the camera op's assignments before the show and trust that they would give me good shots because they had a very hard time hearing me over the headset intercom because the band was so loud. Occassionally they get it right though. Look at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame concert. When there was actually a significant bass fill by Bob Glaub during Jackson Browne's performance of "The Pretender" they focused on Bob. That was cool. But that show was put together in post production, with multiple cameras that were recorded directly to server and it was put together in the edit suite. That gives the director a lot more time to put together a television show that will actually show the bass player. Obligatory Social Media Link "My concern is, and I have to, uh, check with my accountant, that this might bump me into a higher, uh, tax..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcadmus Posted December 27, 2009 Share Posted December 27, 2009 Try being the keyboard player. But it might earn you a long, lingering kiss from Adam Lambert on national TV. "Tours widely in the southwestern tip of Kentucky" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b5pilot Posted December 27, 2009 Share Posted December 27, 2009 Inconceivable! I no think that word means what you think it means... I knew somebody would pick up on that. Lydian mode? The only mode I know has the words "pie ala" in front of it. http://www.myspace.com/theeldoradosband Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thabottomend Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 Inconceivable! I no think that word means what you think it means... I knew somebody would pick up on that. I didn't realize you were Sicilian, b5........ Do not be deceived by, nor take lightly, this particular bit of musicianship one simply describes as "bass". - Lowell George "The music moves me, it just moves me ugly." William H. Macy in "Wild Hogs" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picker Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 I didn't realize you were Sicilian, b5........ Ya never saw him get involved in a land war in Asia, didja? Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b5pilot Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 I didn't realize you were Sicilian, b5........ Ya never saw him get involved in a land war in Asia, didja? Of course not. Doesn't everybody know that? Lydian mode? The only mode I know has the words "pie ala" in front of it. http://www.myspace.com/theeldoradosband Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picker Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 I didn't realize you were Sicilian, b5........ Ya never saw him get involved in a land war in Asia, didja? Of course not. Doesn't everybody know that? Well, it IS one of the classic blunders, after all... Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric VB Posted December 29, 2009 Share Posted December 29, 2009 As you wish ... I did get some time behind the camera at the Assembly Line Concert. Just three cameras and a control board to switch/fade/etc. All I can say is (1) it can be a challenge and (2) sometimes the guy calling the shots, uh, calls the shots. As I've said before bass players haven't helped the matter by essentially being visually uninteresting. I understand. We're a humble bunch. Let the frontman/woman do his/her job while we put 100% effort into creating the groove. Doesn't have to be that way. I'm not saying to upstage anyone. I'm just saying if the bass player is at least a little interesting to watch maybe the camera will take notice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cthulhu Fhtagn Posted December 29, 2009 Share Posted December 29, 2009 Nope. Not buying it. It's the guitar-leaning media bias, the six-string conspiracy, the music media elites trying to keep us down, man. Time for ... revolution! Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlrush Posted December 29, 2009 Author Share Posted December 29, 2009 As I've said before bass players haven't helped the matter by essentially being visually uninteresting. What you're doing in your avatar is MOST impressive. I haven't been able to do something like that in 40 years. In the video from the Tim Bogert thread, I believe they thought he was the guitar player, the way he brought attention to himself. Visit my band's new web site. www.themojoroots.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b5pilot Posted December 29, 2009 Share Posted December 29, 2009 Doesn't have to be that way. I'm not saying to upstage anyone. I'm just saying if the bass player is at least a little interesting to watch maybe the camera will take notice. A good example is Flea. Laying down a good groove while connecting with the audience. I'm not saying come out wearing nothing but a tube sock, although it would surely get some attention, but at least look like you are in the game and don't shoe gaze. Also I would think that if you ever find yourself on TV find the cameras and know where to stand to get the most face time. I also used to do those back bends like you Eric, but that was 30 pounds and bigger stages ago. Now I'd need a spotter. Pathetic (face palm). I still dance around quite a bit if I have the room though. Lydian mode? The only mode I know has the words "pie ala" in front of it. http://www.myspace.com/theeldoradosband Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picker Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 Time for ... revolution! Aw, John Lennon tried that, and look what happened to him! Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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