Outta My League

[Jazz Ad]

I'm not too sure about your question.
When playing with people obviously much better than I am, I try to keep it simple and solid rather than showing off, since i'm not likely to impress them anyway.
I keep pyrotechnics for situations in which I feel comfortable.
As others pointed out, listening is key. It's like a conversation. You learn much more when you listen than when you talk.

[mightypog]

There are many, many people out of my league, and I've played with a lot of them. I've learned that when playing with some legendary guitar guy I'd rather not play a wrong note. I'll skip a whole lot of optional correct notes that might have been impressive just to stay off that wrong note. I won't look like a genius, but the guitar player will have a good time. No one has ever said to me "gee, I wish you'd wanked more."

[Fergie Fulton]

Originally Posted by Shoot_A_Hostage

Oh sorry. Allow me to elaborate,
...
wow this is hard to put into words =P
What techniques set apart a bass player from the crowd? Perhaps advanced things that many players dont know?
DOes that elaborate?

Its about the way they think, you have to think it to play it.
What you play should be correct be for the music, and for no other reasons.
Stand by me by Ben E King is a simple, maybe overlooked, misunderstood bass line by Leiber and Stoller.
What if anything could be done to make it better?
The fact that the song is really the bass line and it is picked up and played by different instruments as the song progresses, means it has done job. No technique around then or now could have made it better without changing the feel of the song.

If you are playing something just for techniques sake, you not really listening to the music, remember anyone can learn a technique, look at how many guitarists with great technique fail at playing bass.
If Steve Vai played started playing bass full time and put his fantastic skill to bass, does that make him a great bass player or just a guitarist playing bass?

[ShirazBop]

Originally Posted by mightypog

I've learned that when playing with some legendary guitar guy I'd rather not play a wrong note. I'll skip a whole lot of optional correct notes that might have been impressive just to stay off that wrong note. I won't look like a genius, but the guitar player will have a good time. No one has ever said to me "gee, I wish you'd wanked more."

Sooooo True!!!! LOL on that last line!