PETE_COMBS Posted June 20, 2003 Share Posted June 20, 2003 I was at a group of musicians house the other day,and the group was jaming ,you know just playing around getting there fingers loose,when a lot of poeple started to show up an just complimented the guitar players,and then a bassist that was there was doing some incredible stuffand nobody paid him any attension except me.I was just thinking to my self that nobody whos a non-player,or mostly everybody doesnt know or care of the work and art of bass. Bass is a unique instrument,just as guitar is.And the bassist could defintly show the guitarist of hat group up, and nobody heard a note,well I guess because the guitarist was singing some song strumming his 3 chords. Pete Combs... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Martin Posted June 20, 2003 Share Posted June 20, 2003 That's why upright players started slapping; in ain't musical, but it certainly calls attention to their instrument... Dave Martin Java Jive Studio Nashville, TN www.javajivestudio.com Cuppa Joe Records www.cuppajoerecords.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jreed Posted June 20, 2003 Share Posted June 20, 2003 And thats how it'll always be. I completely agree with you, I think bass players should get some more recognition. People who don't play bass don't realize how much we contribute do the band. If we mess up people in the audience might not notice, but, it'll throw the groove off a little. If a guitarist messes up, people will notice more, but, it doesn't always affect the flow of the song. You know, Its just the guitar and vocals are so 'up front' more, there going to get noticed. And drummers, you always here the drummer. Bass is just on the 'bottom' . Not heard but there. jreed jreed00@dcemail.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilMan99 Posted June 20, 2003 Share Posted June 20, 2003 It's been this way for decades, and won't change. There's a neat video "In the Shadow of Motown", where the "Funk Brothers", the musicians behind all the great motown hits are interviewed. NONE of them got any respect, not for racial issues, but because people identify with the "stars" (vocalists, at the time). Vocalists, and to a lesser degree guitarists, are the stars. Bass players, drummers and keyboardists are not. I think people need to be able to relate to the music. Vocalists (most people can sing if they have to), and guitars (which a lot of people play) are easy to relate to. People need to relate to the music, thinking "HEY, I CAN DO THAT!". Hence the popularity of "bubble-gum rock", "rap/hip-hop", "pop", "punk-rock", "(now) classic rock", "jazz", etc.. While all all of the genres have VERY serious musicians, they were all intended (including "jazz" in the '20s) to bring music to the "common people". Note the relative demise of "classical" and "big-band". Sadly, my childhood dream of sophisticated polyphonic rock, with the rigour of Bach or Bethoven, never came to fruition... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenLoy Posted June 20, 2003 Share Posted June 20, 2003 Get used to it. People do notice the bass for what it is, they're just few and far between. I usually can count on a positive comment on my bass playing from a lone participant in the audience every 3rd or 4th gig. You were the single person in the audience at that house. The only guys I really care about getting positive comments on my bass playing from are the guys in the band anyway. Nice comments from the public are icing on the cake, as far as I'm concerned. If you're concerned about glory, take up lead singing or guitar playing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
humabass Posted June 20, 2003 Share Posted June 20, 2003 People can't even identify a bass. My sister still says I play "guitar" I saw an article in the Washington Post about ebay and they were talking about a Sadowsky 5 string "guitar" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sam 2000 Posted June 20, 2003 Share Posted June 20, 2003 Originally posted by humabass: People can't even identify a bass. My sister still says I play "guitar" I saw an article in the Washington Post about ebay and they were talking about a Sadowsky 5 string "guitar" Yea iam totaly with you there i have "friend" who also plays bass and he calls it guitar which distrubs me greatly and makes me want to KABONK him with his pevy. I am getting really tired of having to explain the difrence between bass and g-tar to people. I Mean seriously is it really that hard to for people to stop and think "well that thing sure is big and it only has 4(or 5 or 6) really big strings, should i ask him if He/She plays guitar or what kind of insturment that is?" dont mind telling people its a bas but when you get it confused for guitar... it makes you wonder if people still have brains well it is always going to be this way but if we ever want to try to show the power of the bass players and get recognition we should clone Jimmy Hoffa and start a Union and go on strike....(yes i know that was stupid but if I didnt say somethin like that then you all would be like "whats wrong with Sam?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beermouse Posted June 20, 2003 Share Posted June 20, 2003 People tend not to appreciate the bass when it's there, but also tend to really miss it when it's not. Guitar parts, sure, they're a dime a dozen, but a good bass part... hey now, that's irreplaceable . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iplay5 Posted June 20, 2003 Share Posted June 20, 2003 I'm with you, but we can always refer to Sting, Paul McCartney, the guy from Level 42, Pete Cetera, etc. It helps if you can step up and sing a lead once in a while. Stick by a solid playing style, push and pull the music with choice notes and you'll feel good about what you're doing - the comments come... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassNStick Posted June 20, 2003 Share Posted June 20, 2003 Then there are the bass players with the B.C. Rich basses (not that all of them look that bad)... you can always get attention with your instrument. Of course, we'd all rather get it with our playing Flying Machine --A Progressive Rock/Postpop/Metal Project Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jreed Posted June 20, 2003 Share Posted June 20, 2003 you can always get attention with your instrument. Very ture. When I got my Rickenbacker and Ampeg set up, people. "Wow, I can hear you know, It sounds great". jreed jreed00@dcemail.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicalhair Posted June 20, 2003 Share Posted June 20, 2003 "Respect" is sort of a pet peeve of mine ! If musicians don't respect the bass then they should get what they deserve. As a bassist, I've played in too many situations "as a member of the band" (as in not employed to play bass for someone but as an "equal" member of the collective) where I'm not supposed to have any opinions, input, or goals. I've never understood how so many bassists ended up subserviant to singers or guitarists or anything else. Bass and every other musician is supposed to serve the music, not some spoiled brat's ego. For me, I've found the only "pop" music worth playing is largely "bass driven", and I say that not just as a bass player, but in my alter ego as guitar player. Unless you're being paid to play bass for some one else, you're either an equal partner or you are serving someone else's purpose. I've always felt that a good band leader brought together people that can work together and created situations where each individual can do what they want while serving the music. A good bassist can be the backbone of a band. If that doesn't deserve respect than what does? check out some comedy I've done: http://louhasspoken.tumblr.com/ My Unitarian Jihad Name: Brother Broadsword of Enlightened Compassion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sam 2000 Posted June 20, 2003 Share Posted June 20, 2003 All right i am going to go CLONE JIMMY HOFFA the rest of you get the Union PAPPERS!!!! LOL hahahahaha sorry i will stop being stoopid now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
... Posted June 20, 2003 Share Posted June 20, 2003 Originally posted by musicalhair: I've never understood how so many bassists ended up subserviant to singers or guitarists or anything else. Bass and every other musician is supposed to serve the music, not some spoiled brat's ego. For me, I've found the only "pop" music worth playing is largely "bass driven", and I say that not just as a bass player, but in my alter ego as guitar player.Part of the reason for this is that the bassist usually hangs out in the back by the drummer. He's burnin' it up and sticking in the shadows. The lead guitarist and/or lead singer is up at the front of the stage calling loads of attention to themselves. "Hey, check me out!! Listen and watch all my glory and splendor!" Thus, people pay attention to them. As BenLoy pointed out, the important people will notice your playing. I personally don't worry about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanYmaL X Posted June 20, 2003 Share Posted June 20, 2003 base? isn't that the thing you stand on when you play your big 4 string guitars? Aerodyne Jazz Deluxe Pod X3 Live Roland Bolt-60 (modified) Genz Benz GBE250-C 2x10 Acoustic 2x12 cab Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy c Posted June 20, 2003 Share Posted June 20, 2003 Boo hoo hoo, We don't get respect, we're not appreciated. Nobody loves me, except my mama, and she might be jivin' too. I didn't start playing bass to get respect or get noticed or get laid or anything like that. I play bass because I love music and I love the bass part of music. And that's been good enough for the last 35 years. This of course is another useless thread. It certainly doesn't make the Lowdown a better resource. Free download of my cd!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
humabass Posted June 20, 2003 Share Posted June 20, 2003 Gee,now I feel bad for having contributed to another useless thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Father Gino Posted June 20, 2003 Share Posted June 20, 2003 If you want to get noticed while playing bass, try unpluging your amp in the middle of a tune. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clatteramy Posted June 20, 2003 Share Posted June 20, 2003 If you feel like the bass isn't getting any respect, what are you doing to change that? How are you earning respect? Are you doing everything you can to break new ground on your instrument? Everyone knows who Flea is, and Les Claypool, and Geddy Lee, and Victor Wooten, even if they don't know anything about music. If you're playing music that benefits from a simple bass line, then yeah, people probably aren't going to point at you and say, "Wow, that bassist is amazing! They are playing quarter notes on an open string like a crazy person!" And that's OK, because to do anything else would ruin the song for that type of music. But for heaven's sake, the bass does NOT have to be relegated to the position of "back-up." The role of the bass is only limited by your imagination and hesitation to try something new and different. It's not the average person's fault that the bass doesn't get attention, it's the bass player's! Break out of the mold and show people what the bass is all about, that it is one of the most beautiful-sounding instruments ever devised, besides providing a rhythmic basis. If people are ignorant, educate them! OK, sorry for the rant, I've had too much caffeine this afternoon!! I just hate it when I hear stuff like, "It will never change" and "get used to it." Like hell it won't change, at least if I have something to say about it!!!!!! Get out there and make it change! www.clatter.com MySpace YouTube videos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PETE_COMBS Posted June 21, 2003 Author Share Posted June 21, 2003 There's not one time I siad anything about espectint the bassist,I siad pretty much nobody pays the bassist any attension for those who cant read. Pete Combs... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clatteramy Posted June 21, 2003 Share Posted June 21, 2003 www.clatter.com MySpace YouTube videos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy c Posted June 21, 2003 Share Posted June 21, 2003 There's not one time I siad anything about espectint the bassist,I siad pretty much nobody pays the bassist any attension for those who cant read. I know I've battling with you since you joined the forum, Pete, but like Amy, I have no idea what you just said. It'd be easier to talk if you spoke clearly and expressed your ideas in complete sentences with the words spelled reasonably correctly. There are spell check and preview post buttons right next to the add reply button. Meanwhile, it's not always easy to understand if you are making a statement, asking a question, or a trying to open up a topic for conversation. "How can bass players get more visibility with the general public?" would be a better thread title. "Bass not getting the respect it should" doesn't make a lot of sense to me on a forum with 1000 bass players of all levels from beginners to manufacturers to educators to serious professionals. Every "civilian" (non-musician ) that I meet seems to know what a bass guitar is when I tell them what I do. And in my daily life, I come into contact with large numbers of people from ages 11 to 80. "What about these two?" leading into a mention that "nobody talks about these bass players" is a little strange in a forum where some of us have been listening to the people mentioned for years, and have even seen them play recently, have seen ads for their signature model basses, etc. "Give me resources" when asking for things which many of us find with two clicks on the internet and then complaining in "Bass forum or not" that this place is not serving as a good enough resource for you bugs me too. Yes, I agree the general public doesn't "truly understand" what we do. Also many musicians playing other instruments don't either. And I don't care. I've also talked to a really big time bassist who has been bitter for many years about "lack of respect". But this bitterness did not help their life one bit. Open up a musical discussion: "How an a bass player improve a song?". Open up a cultural discussion: "What can a bassist do to get more visibility?" Introduce us to a new artist, or reintroduce us to an old one? "What do you think about Dominique Di Piazza's playing on John McLaughlin's Que Alegria?" "Has anyone listened to Beck Bogart and Appice lately? Does Tim Bogart's bass playing stand up to today's standards" Ask us a specific technical question where the answer is not easily found on the web: "How can flamenco strumming be applied on the bass?" Sorry for being my grumpy self today and ranting. I too would like to see the discourse on this forum stay at a high level. By the way, if anyone wants to use one of my sample thread titles, help yourself! Free download of my cd!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sam 2000 Posted June 21, 2003 Share Posted June 21, 2003 what ever i tried to do some incredible tapping when i had my 6 string bass and the guitar player gave me the boot cuz he couldnt do it. so thats where ground breaking has gotten me.... not that i still dont do it and say, "SCREW YOU mr g-tar player i will out play the crap on you with more than one insturment!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wraub Posted June 21, 2003 Share Posted June 21, 2003 Hear, hear Jeremy! Well said! (misspellings aside. ) And as an aside, has anyone else noticed the influx of topics/threads/questions, all similarly "pointless" and/or "ignorant", that all started about the same time? Within a day or two of each other, from new posters? All seemingly started to incite certain reactions from the rest of us? I am not going to name names here, but there are a few who seem pretty obvious, apparently misusing this forum, specifically to annoy. The search function is pretty well marked, and who on the Internet has not used spell check? C'mon... I apologise to those of you I include in this who may not be allied with the other(s) involved, but there are strange doings afoot here, y'all. Just my opinion. Peace, wraub I'm a lot more like I am now than I was when I got here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy c Posted June 21, 2003 Share Posted June 21, 2003 Sam 2000, my above post goes double for you. Lead, follow, or get out of the way! Free download of my cd!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hepnurecords Posted June 21, 2003 Share Posted June 21, 2003 Sam, Jeez, I hope that was sarcasm. I believe one of Dante's inner most circles of Hell included "some incredible tapping when i had my 6 string bass ". Did it make any sense with the song, the band, this particular dimension? My guitarist and I have "bit" where he starts an incredibly "sensitive" ballad and after eight measures I come in with this tapping pattern accross three strings. 32nds, in time and with the changes. The whole band, anyone hanging out and myself break down laughing in 10 seconds. It's just so f*!&ing stupid! No one cares that I CAN do that. They're all just happy I DON'T do it in any situation outside the "bit". Play the damn bass. Define your roll as you will. But remember - people don't buy beef when they want chicken. Be what we is. D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fig Posted June 21, 2003 Share Posted June 21, 2003 I play for each song, to make it groove as well as possible, and it's really only for my personal satisfaction. My own personal gratification for a job well done. And if I can do that well, along with the drummer and percussions, I've noticed the other musicians step up a notch or two, too. I really don't remember when I started enjoying playing just for the music, and not for my own personal benefits or ego. I used to be like that, but can't really remember when it changed. I do know that in the audience will probably be some other bassists, or 'civilians' who understand, appreciates and likes bass work, so as far as anyone paying attention specifically to me, I guess I do it for those select few. It drives me to make my parts clean, phat, groovin', and something fancy on occasion just for fun. But always for that particular song. Maybe when my attitude changed is when I went from bass player to musician. I like to think so. Don't tell me any different or I'll cry. Bassplayers aren't paid to play fast, they're paid to listen fast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpjfreak Posted June 22, 2003 Share Posted June 22, 2003 its sad but true, bass players are never given their just due. working in a guitar shop has allowed me to see it over and over. some guitarist can pick up a strat, play that same lick from sweet home alabama, wrong of course, and every woman in the store is instantly transformed into a groupie. on the other hand, a guy could pick up a bass and play the funkiest slap licks, or just nail an old standard, and everyone just completely tunes him out. and if you try talking to kids just stating out theyll say bass is easy i wanna play guitar. Then to be polite you say " what do you like to play?" and then comes the long anticipated answer i have way too much recently, the white srtipes. God save rock n roll.when the white stripes are the people kids are wanting to learn from.Proof that rock n roll may not be dead, but it is on an iron lung. Things will never change, and theres nothing we can do about it. guitar players will always win. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PETE_COMBS Posted June 22, 2003 Author Share Posted June 22, 2003 Good piont. Pete Combs... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banta Posted June 22, 2003 Share Posted June 22, 2003 I have observed that if you roll in a couple of SVTs you may not command instant respect, but you will instill instant fear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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