Have you ever been rendered speechless by a player less than half your age?

verbass · #1 02-20-2006, 06:51 PM

I walked into my favorite guitar shop to day and I saw this young Kid PLaying. This child young enough to be my son was playing with these great chops and conviction . Iwas so bl;own away that I asked the Bass guru there , a great Player in his own right, how long the youngin had been playing he said 18 months . I can't wait to see what this kid is doing ten years from now.

The Golden Boy · #2 02-20-2006, 07:26 PM

I don't know about "half my age," but most people blow me out of the water!

Platypus_Of_420 · #3 02-20-2006, 07:32 PM

spokane is full of talentless emo kids and metalhead wannabe's at guitar center, most of the time theres nothing but a buncha 13 year olds drooling over those gothic pieca crap BC rich and saying "OMG THIS IS THE BEST GUITAR EVER IT SOUNDS SO GOOD AND LOOKS SO GOOD OMG OMG OMG OMG I JUST CRAPPED MY PANTS"

i hate guitar center

but on the other hand, i have a few friends who're amazing at guitar, and we're only 15

**j-raj** · #4 02-20-2006, 08:34 PM

yup, Jon Reshard! He's SCARY GOOD!

jerry · #5 02-21-2006, 08:23 AM

I'm 51, almost everybody is way younger than me, and way better! It's all good!

corrosiontrav · #6 02-21-2006, 08:36 AM

I've WOWed a few players in my gigs with my old band. I'm 26 now and I was in that band when I was 20-22.

I used to play Jaco's "Blackbird" and a solo piece that was something that Cliff Burton would have played.

Anywho, I did just run into an 18 year old who was playing some great slap style. he told me he had been playing for about 10 mos. He rocked the slap, but that was about all he had in his bag of tricks.

BloodTypeBlue · #7 02-21-2006, 10:26 AM

A player less than half my age would be younger than 9 1/2. Therefore, no. Bwahahaha!

Fawkes007 · #8 02-21-2006, 01:01 PM

As I am now nearly 44, yes. It's been happening over the last ten years or so. I'll bring my playing to a level and think, "cool, I'm gettin' it down." Then I'll go to a music store to buy strings and some pimply faced teenager is playing some silly Jaco or Fieldy riff...

thesaddpenguin · #9 02-21-2006, 05:07 PM

The most important thing is that you're having fun with it. I'm only 16, but I have know some people who are younger who can surely play(technically), but with age come wisdom, so a lot of the times, the older players really know what's going on and the younger players can only play a slap groove over a Gmaj. chord. I bet if you give a set of changes to a young kid, the kid won't be able to play as well over them as an older player will be able to. ehh, oh well. It's all good. We're mainly just playing bass to have some fun(and I guess for some cash too).

SGT. Pepper · #10 02-21-2006, 07:22 PM

Yea, I was in GC and this 11yr old kid dressed in a Jamaican poncho with braided hair { Blond haired, blue eyed white kid} played a Punk Jazz passage and a Teen Town passage {Two of Jaco's most hard to emulate} and smoked them like he was playing 12 bar blues. I turned and told him "Nice chops kid!", he replied "Thanks" I then went to the other end of the mall where Sam Ash was and he was in there. I called him little Jaco and he ate it up. This kid sounded and looked like him. His dad didn't seem very happy about it though.

floydbass · #11 02-21-2006, 07:39 PM

most of the time its someone who is a littl eolder than i am. In a bass solo competition i was involved in a 20 year old played portrait of tracy flawlessly. I was stunned. Other times i am the player that is blowing others out of the water. (this is not ego, im considered teh ebst bassit in my school, my music teachers have told me so.)

iamlowsound · #12 02-21-2006, 08:12 PM

not by anyone that was half my age (they would be 8 1/2) but by people that had been playing a fraction of the time that i have been playing

lowsound

Jazzin' · #13 02-21-2006, 09:44 PM

I'm too young because I'm 18, but all the amazing bass players I've seen are still all older than me. But I haven't that many bass players younger than me.

Skel · #14 02-21-2006, 10:05 PM

Ha Ha Ha!!!! I walked into a GC about 6 years ago, and some kid about 22 was pullin' *all* the stops!!! He was just there to get attention, and he was getting it from me, at least. Smart ass. But you have to factor in; Can he play in a band? Can he show up for rehersals, get along with people, bar owners, *lead singers*, etc., or can he just do free shows at GC.

Skel

XavierG · #15 02-21-2006, 10:32 PM

Yep! When you get to my age, most really good players are either younger than you, or dead.

... ok, so I exaggerate.

burk48237 · #16 02-21-2006, 10:34 PM

When your 48, the question is, can you bring the bass over to me young fella while I sit here on this couch?

Yeah, although I meet a lot of "slap monsters" who can't play over basic changes, doing things like slapping a dominant seventh over a major seventh chord!

slugworth · #17 02-21-2006, 11:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skel

Ha Ha Ha!!!! I walked into a GC about 6 years ago, and some kid about 22 was pullin' *all* the stops!!! He was just there to get attention, and he was getting it from me, at least. Smart ass. But you have to factor in; Can he play in a band? Can he show up for rehersals, get along with people, bar owners, *lead singers*, etc., or can he just do free shows at GC.

Skel

>>> Good point. Chops alone mean very little in the music business.

Slug

Brad Johnson · #18 02-21-2006, 11:17 PM

Speechless? No. Impressed? Yes.

That usually only comes in small doses. It's all about perspective I guess. Depends on how long you listen to them

I've seen a ton of one trick pony players and I've seen some very solid ensemble work. I'm much more impressed with the ensemble players... guess I've seen one too many players work a trick up to warp speed.

Crockettnj · #19 02-21-2006, 11:20 PM

i work in a HS and host & do sound for a lot of open mic/battle o bands/ acoustic sets etcetc.

there was a really big drop in talent for a while. I blame it on nirvana and the like. however, the past 2 years have really shown a resurgence or talented musicians. suddently, there are some pretty damned good string benders (6 stringers).

on the bass side of things, there are a LOT of kids who think slapping is it. twangity twang, clackity clack. there is scant little gigging experience, therefore any concept of staying in teh pocket is rare. it jst isnt developed yet. that being said, there have been 3 very proficient bass players in the past 2 years, and 1 is absoultely SICK.

It is almsot cliche to post this, but he plays multiple Jaco tunes fluidly, and feels it. i cant shine his shoes on my best day.

slugworth · #20 02-21-2006, 11:30 PM

The last time I was impressed by anyone about anything was by this guy: http://www.sonnyradio.com/chrisbliss.htm
click WATCH. He wasn't a bass player; in fact he's not even a musician!

Slug