It's true what they say about bass guitarists... - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

John Henry · 04-19-2005, 04:46 AM

...being in high demand. I just bought my first bass (Squier P-Bass) and amp (Peavey Hardcore HCM 30B) from an antiques shop (wtf!?) for £185 with lead, bag and strap and before I'd even handed over the cash I'd been asked to join a band.

Anyone here had similar experiences?

Fourtyrulz · 04-19-2005, 06:31 AM

Good bassists are an incredibly rare find, at least real bassists who arent just shitty guitarists on 4 strings. If you know how to play with technique you're good to go, but if you plan on just picking the root note good luck playing for more than a blink182 cover band.

John Henry · 04-19-2005, 06:41 AM

Funny you should say that. The guy was telling me how they were a rock and roll band. I started thinking "Hm, I'll have to practice my walking bass then" and he says "Basically you just have to play the note of whatever chord I'm playing, so if I'm playing 'A' you play the note 'A'"

Now I can't claim to be that fast or dextrous on the bass, but I'd like to think I was a bit more imaginative than that. If that's what their old bassist was like, I'm hoping that even with my mediocre/poor skills I'll be able to bring something to the band.

Dbass · 04-19-2005, 08:09 AM

I got job offers for just suggesting I play bass-it's definitely true. The best thing is if you play both upright and electric, and with a good ear anybody can do it. I get payed up to $100 for a single show, and if you get in with a musical, you're set.

IowaEric · 04-19-2005, 05:12 PM

Man, any guy that just wants you to play root under his chords is probably not worth your time. If you're just learning, take all the experience you can get, but anyone who is musically inclined to really create something special (in essence, the feeling one gets when jamming with others and everyone just looks at each other and KNOWS something's happening but no one can really name it) will appreciate a bassist who goes way beyond the root.

I guess really there are two things a bassist can be great at: one is knowing what's happening musically enough to add fills and melodic flourishes the way a 2nd guitarist would. #2 is a bassist with RHYTHM. A bass player and drummer that are well-synched can carry any band, period.

I've jammed with enough people in my day to know that if you have one of those two qualities, you'll be playing with lots of people for lots of years to come. If you don't have them, you can easily bring a good thing down.

I play from time to time, just for encouragement, with two brothers, one being the bassist and the other the guitarist. The guitarist is awesome, I love playing with him. The bassist can have his moments, but he's brought down so many moments for me that were just about there. It's a fine line, but in my opinion, the guy saying "play A for A" doesn't appreciate all a good bass player can offer by any means.

IowaEric · 04-19-2005, 05:15 PM

Just to clarify, I'm by no means a musician of high caliber. I sounded kind of cocky in that post, but I guess what I'm getting at is the feeling I get from music, and my ability to understand and feel it far more faster than most people, is what gets in the way of what I'm talking about above. I guess what I'm saying is, I know I've got musical talent above what most people do, I just don't choose to expand on it the way I should. But I've learned at the same time what it is that compels people to live a life far less glamorous than it is portrayed to get that "feeling" for a couple hours each night.

John Henry · 04-20-2005, 08:59 AM

I can sympathise with your sentiment there. That being 'in the zone' is what makes playing an instrument worthwhile, but I do think this guy had a sense of that. He was saying how playing with a band was one of the best things in the world, such an amazing experience etc. Hopefully he was just saying the root note thing so that I wouldn't be put off by thinking it would be too hard.

Having said that, he did tell me they play mainly Elvis covers and a bit of Cliff Richard

Cynthetiq · 04-20-2005, 09:20 AM

in the late 80s in LA bar/club

Some guy walks up to me and asks, "Are you in a band?" I say,"No."

"But you've got long hair..."

"So what does that mean?"

"But you've got long hair..."

Janey · 04-20-2005, 09:37 AM

My favourite bass (riff? segment?) has to be the tail end of Hocus Pokus by the Dutch band Focus.

to hear it you have to listen to the Dutch Masters and the second (reprised) version of Hocus Pokus (less yodelling, more bass). It shows how interesting bass can be. Not just playig the root note of a chord.

P-Naughty · 04-20-2005, 12:52 PM

A good bass player can always find his or her way into a band. Try to learn to play without the pick if you can. The sound created by doing so and the quickness it allows one to play has always interested me.

"The bass is like a fat woman. It's bag and likes to be slapped.... It even has a hole"

04-19-2005, 04:46 AM	#1 (permalink)
John Henry Addict Location: Grey Britain	It's true what they say about bass guitarists... ...being in high demand. I just bought my first bass (Squier P-Bass) and amp (Peavey Hardcore HCM 30B) from an antiques shop (wtf!?) for £185 with lead, bag and strap and before I'd even handed over the cash I'd been asked to join a band. Anyone here had similar experiences? __________________ "No one was behaving from very Buddhist motives. Then, thought Pigsy, he was hardly a Buddha, nor was he a monkey. Presently, he was a pig spirit changed into a little girl pretending to be a little boy to be offered to a water monster. It was all very simple to a pig spirit."

04-19-2005, 06:31 AM	#2 (permalink)
Fourtyrulz Psycho Location: io-where?	Good bassists are an incredibly rare find, at least real bassists who arent just shitty guitarists on 4 strings. If you know how to play with technique you're good to go, but if you plan on just picking the root note good luck playing for more than a blink182 cover band. __________________ the·o·ry - a working hypothesis that is considered probable based on experimental evidence or factual or conceptual analysis and is accepted as a basis for experimentation. faith - Belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence. - Merriam-Webster's dictionary

04-19-2005, 06:41 AM	#3 (permalink)
John Henry Addict Location: Grey Britain	Funny you should say that. The guy was telling me how they were a rock and roll band. I started thinking "Hm, I'll have to practice my walking bass then" and he says "Basically you just have to play the note of whatever chord I'm playing, so if I'm playing 'A' you play the note 'A'" Now I can't claim to be that fast or dextrous on the bass, but I'd like to think I was a bit more imaginative than that. If that's what their old bassist was like, I'm hoping that even with my mediocre/poor skills I'll be able to bring something to the band. __________________ "No one was behaving from very Buddhist motives. Then, thought Pigsy, he was hardly a Buddha, nor was he a monkey. Presently, he was a pig spirit changed into a little girl pretending to be a little boy to be offered to a water monster. It was all very simple to a pig spirit."

04-20-2005, 08:59 AM	#7 (permalink)
John Henry Addict Location: Grey Britain	I can sympathise with your sentiment there. That being 'in the zone' is what makes playing an instrument worthwhile, but I do think this guy had a sense of that. He was saying how playing with a band was one of the best things in the world, such an amazing experience etc. Hopefully he was just saying the root note thing so that I wouldn't be put off by thinking it would be too hard. Having said that, he did tell me they play mainly Elvis covers and a bit of Cliff Richard __________________ "No one was behaving from very Buddhist motives. Then, thought Pigsy, he was hardly a Buddha, nor was he a monkey. Presently, he was a pig spirit changed into a little girl pretending to be a little boy to be offered to a water monster. It was all very simple to a pig spirit."

04-20-2005, 09:20 AM	#8 (permalink)
Cynthetiq Tilted Cat Head Administrator Location: Manhattan, NY	in the late 80s in LA bar/club Some guy walks up to me and asks, "Are you in a band?" I say,"No." "But you've got long hair..." "So what does that mean?" "But you've got long hair..." __________________ I don't care if you are black, white, purple, green, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, hippie, cop, bum, admin, user, English, Irish, French, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, indian, cowboy, tall, short, fat, skinny, emo, punk, mod, rocker, straight, gay, lesbian, jock, nerd, geek, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, driver, pedestrian, or bicyclist, either you're an asshole or you're not. What's the best nation in the world? DO-NATION!

04-19-2005, 08:09 AM	#4 (permalink)
Dbass Crazy	I got job offers for just suggesting I play bass-it's definitely true. The best thing is if you play both upright and electric, and with a good ear anybody can do it. I get payed up to $100 for a single show, and if you get in with a musical, you're set.

04-19-2005, 05:12 PM	#5 (permalink)
IowaEric Tilted Location: You'd never guess..	Man, any guy that just wants you to play root under his chords is probably not worth your time. If you're just learning, take all the experience you can get, but anyone who is musically inclined to really create something special (in essence, the feeling one gets when jamming with others and everyone just looks at each other and KNOWS something's happening but no one can really name it) will appreciate a bassist who goes way beyond the root. I guess really there are two things a bassist can be great at: one is knowing what's happening musically enough to add fills and melodic flourishes the way a 2nd guitarist would. #2 is a bassist with RHYTHM. A bass player and drummer that are well-synched can carry any band, period. I've jammed with enough people in my day to know that if you have one of those two qualities, you'll be playing with lots of people for lots of years to come. If you don't have them, you can easily bring a good thing down. I play from time to time, just for encouragement, with two brothers, one being the bassist and the other the guitarist. The guitarist is awesome, I love playing with him. The bassist can have his moments, but he's brought down so many moments for me that were just about there. It's a fine line, but in my opinion, the guy saying "play A for A" doesn't appreciate all a good bass player can offer by any means.

04-19-2005, 05:15 PM	#6 (permalink)
IowaEric Tilted Location: You'd never guess..	Just to clarify, I'm by no means a musician of high caliber. I sounded kind of cocky in that post, but I guess what I'm getting at is the feeling I get from music, and my ability to understand and feel it far more faster than most people, is what gets in the way of what I'm talking about above. I guess what I'm saying is, I know I've got musical talent above what most people do, I just don't choose to expand on it the way I should. But I've learned at the same time what it is that compels people to live a life far less glamorous than it is portrayed to get that "feeling" for a couple hours each night.

04-20-2005, 09:37 AM	#9 (permalink)
Janey Junkie Location: Toronto	My favourite bass (riff? segment?) has to be the tail end of Hocus Pokus by the Dutch band Focus. to hear it you have to listen to the Dutch Masters and the second (reprised) version of Hocus Pokus (less yodelling, more bass). It shows how interesting bass can be. Not just playig the root note of a chord.

04-20-2005, 12:52 PM	#10 (permalink)
P-Naughty Crazy Location: Georgia Southern University	A good bass player can always find his or her way into a band. Try to learn to play without the pick if you can. The sound created by doing so and the quickness it allows one to play has always interested me. "The bass is like a fat woman. It's bag and likes to be slapped.... It even has a hole" __________________ I will not walk so that a child may live! - Master Shake