When Did You Consider Yourself a Bassist?

[flashboom]

I've only been playing a couple of months and am making progress and enjoying the process. I was curious though: at what point did you say to yourself, "Hey, I can play this thing. I am ... a bass player!"? Was it after you learned a certain song or number of songs? Or after you mastered scales or the Circle of Fifths? Or after your first gig, paid or otherwise? Please share your epiphanies. I look forward to hearing your stories.

[derelicte]

after the first gig i didn't suck in.

[OOZMAN]

Dunno, probably when I realised i could play most of the songs I listen to.

[Swicked]

I still don't. No matter how hard I practice or how much people tell me I'm good I still think I'm mediocre at best.At least it keeps me practicing.

[sound of bass]

RIGHT, after my first gig!

[Passifid]

I know i am rubbish but i consider'd myself a bassist as soon as i reliesed i could not go back to playing lead guitar because i love the instrument. I say you are a bassist as soon as it becomes your main instrument and you love playing it.

to me a bassist is a bass player, not a GOOD bass player or a guitarist playing bass.

when will i consider myself good, never probably

[DonKartofflo]

when a pal of mine and i had the idea of founding a band, we went to a local music store tom find out which instruments would suit us best. first i had the idea of playing lead guitar and doin some background vocals, he was suppose to do rhythm guitar and lead singing.
so we tried out some nice guitars but i really wasn't that euphoric cuz it kinda wasn't as much fun as i had expected. a little desperate, i wandered through the store, finally ending up at the bass sector. wonderous about the long, elegant four stringed monsters, i went to try one out, i still remember it was a black and white fender precision bass into some huge orange amp. and this was the moment when BOOOOM i knew i wasn't going to play lead guitar in our band ;D
since then i'm a passionate bass (and keys) player and i haven't regretted my choice once^^
the band still exists and even though my pal sometimes makes fun of me for having chosen the bass, i forgive him cause he simply is deaf for the creamy, warm awesomeness which comes from my speakers
btw im pretty much into using synths and distortions on my bass which entitles me to somewhat a rhythm-guitar bass like lemmy is that may be the reason why i never had these background-instrument-complexes some bassists seem to have
and that's basically it one tip for every bassist: (although i know i'm not a very good player i entitle myself to give tips to other bass players^^) NEVER EVER let your guitarist tell you whats the limit for your distortion or how loud your bass shoudl be!!
since some guitarists seem to think that a bass has to be quiet they always will try to tell you to stay in the background. dont do that

[One Bad Monkey]

Honestly, I thought of myself as a bassist since I picked it up, because the only criteria to be a bass player is to, well, play the bass. In that mindset, I was a "bass player playing music."

It wasn't until about 6-7 years later when I was in the house band at Cedar Point when I stopped listening to myself as much and focused on how my playing interacted with the band that I thought of myself as a "musician who plays bass."

[Timothy6480]

When I first put down the pick. Then again when I did my first pay gig.. and again after I switched to flats. There more like little milestones that solidified (my) place in music.

[Melik]

When I stopped to play drums and became playing bass full-time! Then I felt like a bassist

[RustyAxe]

A more pertinent question is: when did real musicians consider you a bassist? There are lots of people who own/operate basses that consider themselves "bassists" ... and aren't. Humans have an unlimited capacity for self-deception.

[BassNeo]

I still question my abilities, which drives me to improve every day.

I've been told by several people that I'm a talented musician, but I don't know if it's humility or self-criticism that makes me think otherwise.

[bigboy_78]

I'll consider myself a bassist when I sell my Strat and buy a P-Bass. Until then I'll still think of myself as a guitarist playing bass.

[Jhengsman]

When I had to substitute and run the sound board and the rest of the team asked the leader to let someone else do it so I could play

[nutdog]

I'm a bass owner.

[anonymous122511]

Originally Posted by One Bad Monkey

Honestly, I thought of myself as a bassist since I picked it up, because the only criteria to be a bass player is to, well, play the bass. In that mindset, I was a "bass player playing music."

I'd been playing two or three years and I told my teacher I couldn't wait 'till I was a "real" bass player. Without missing a beat he said I was a real bass player....just not a very good one yet.

It wasn't until about 6-7 years later when I was in the house band at Cedar Point when I stopped listening to myself as much and focused on how my playing interacted with the band that I thought of myself as a "musician who plays bass."

That's a satisfying milestone to reach ain't it?

[Nev375]

You are a bassist if you are playing the bass. Being a "bassist" does not necessarily carry any meaning that you are a good bassist.

That's what those adjectives are for.

English, it's not that hard.

[anonymous122511]

Originally Posted by Nev375

English, it's not that hard.

Did you mean difficult?

[bassybill]

When my Dad paid me to play with his band.

[EricssonB]

...when I began to enjoy writing bass lines more than the guitar lines for my own music.