How many of you as bass players,

[JAUQO III-X]

How many of you as bass players, play music for you first? and any thing else is secondary but just as equally meaningful to you as playing music for you first.

[Rickett Customs]

Originally Posted by JAUQO III-X

How many of you as bass players, play music for you first? and any thing else is secondary but just as equally meaningful to you as playing music for you first.

That would be I, and the reason secondary is just as important is because, It's not all just about me.

[Marcury]

I make art (music, video, images) for myself and my soul development first, but it's all in an effort to communicate.

[Phalex]

I play music in order to play the bass. Otherwise I'm just a guy with a bass but not necessarily a bass player. I just want to play. What I play is secondary to the act of playing.

[Dave Muscato]

Originally Posted by JAUQO III-X

How many of you as bass players, play music for you first? and any thing else is secondary but just as equally meaningful to you as playing music for you first.

I'm not sure I understand what you're asking... Everything I do, I do for me. I wouldn't do it if I didn't feel that I was getting some benefit out of it. Even giving to charity... it makes me feel good to know I'm helping x cause, and that feeling is more valuable to me than the money, so I give. I play bass for me, whether I'm playing my own music with my band, or on a session, or doing covers that I hate - Not to sound selfish, but if I weren't doing it for me, why would I be doing it at all?

[Bassman8416]

Hmmmmm.....for me it starts with the love of Music....paricularly when I practice alone, working on being an all around better musician, but when I am with other musicians I've learned its about making everyone else sounding better as a main goal.....in other words its not all about me yet thats where it starts.....theres a little Zen for ya........Peace

[JAUQO III-X]

Originally Posted by Dave Muscato

Not to sound selfish, but if I weren't doing it for me, why would I be doing it at all?

Doesn't sound selfish at all.

Some musicians believe that they are nothing more than entertainers and that they should play for the audiences approval first.

[etoncrow]

A major psychological platitude: "If you don't love yourself, how can anyone else love you?"

[()smoke()]

this is a deep question to me, and one that i've asked myself on occasion regarding things i do--i'm not sure i can answer it coherently, but i'll give it a shot

i need creative outlets like air and water, and a lot of the things i want to say via music or building is still in a formulative stage that i'm learning to clarify

until i can clearly communicate everything, i imagine that i'll continue to play music that is non entirely for me first, but fulfills my need for creative outlet in a way that gives me a certain level of personal attachment that is a lot like the way i love design, like a child, wherein i can at once be proud but also see the weaknesses and inherent flaws...sometimes i love those flaws too

[Drifta]

I play for myself. But Recently i've got to a point where now I want to share music with people, i want to play live in front of audiences. I can't explain to you why other than that I had a chance to have a jam-gig as a fill in witha buddy and it was so awesome i'm hooked. before that i just played for my self always thought i couldn't gig or that i wouldn't do it and then i realized that anythings possible and i've taken a really dedicated approach since. so i'd say its pretty important to me.

[Dave Muscato]

Originally Posted by JAUQO III-X

Doesn't sound selfish at all.

Some musicians believe that they are nothing more than entertainers and that they should play for the audiences approval first.

Oh, don't get me wrong, sometimes I play music I don't like with the express purpose of entertaining the audience. But in that case, I'm doing it for their enjoyment, which in turns means I'm doing it for money, so I can pay my bills (or for the good feeling it gives me, see my charity post above), so, again, doing it for me first Then again, I'm not so desperate for work that I won't turn down playing music I really dislike or disagree with, unless the pay is really phenomenal, but there's plenty of competition for those gigs, and frankly, they can have it.

[DWBass]

Originally Posted by JAUQO III-X

How many of you, as bass players, play music for you first?

I have to satisfy myself first before being able to satisfy whomever I'm playing for.

Originally Posted by JAUQO III-X

...and any thing else is secondary but just as equally meaningful to you as playing music for you first.

If "music for you" means creating my own music, I think I'm more comfortable, and happier, interpreting other folks music first.

[CapnSev]

I play because it's what I love to do above everything else.

That being said, I want others to experience the same joy I get out of music. I don't want to force it on them or anything, but I get as much satisfaction seeing the light bulb turn on in others, as I do playing myself.

I put the enjoyment of others on the same plane as my own personal enjoyment.

[JimmyM]

I record for myself, I play gigs for the money.

[CapnSev]

^ Money matters too.

[phat daddy]

Originally Posted by Dave Muscato

Oh, don't get me wrong, sometimes I play music I don't like with the express purpose of entertaining the audience. But in that case, I'm doing it for their enjoyment, which in turns means I'm doing it for money, so I can pay my bills (or for the good feeling it gives me, see my charity post above), so, again, doing it for me first Then again, I'm not so desperate for work that I won't turn down playing music I really dislike or disagree with, unless the pay is really phenomenal, but there's plenty of competition for those gigs, and frankly, they can have it.

+1. When gigging I'm in the entertainer role; that comes first. When writing it's for me, but I still consider my target audience because it's in my best interests to do so. You could say I even consider my audience for me. It's not a black and white world.

[Elmo Oxygen]

everything i write and play is for me, and me alone (that's when the audience loves it, for some reason). i'll help express someone else's vision, but only if i share it. when a player isn't "feeling it", the listeners can tell. when you are that player, you're just doing a job. i recently left a band that had been one of my favorites since i was 15 because it had taken a turn for the worse (a.k.a. 'gone in a different direction') and since i didn't like the music anymore, showing up to "work" (after my full-time job) 5-6 days a week was downright painful. why would i want one of my biggest loves in life to feel like a chore? IMO (this goes for any musician or performer): if you don't love what you're doing, it sounds like crap (and...you kind of feel like a prostitute).
thank you, goodnight!

[Caca de Kick]

Oh yes...
First person I have to convince is myself.

[Deacon_Blues]

Nowadays, I play only songs I like to play and feel comfortable playing. I've come to the conclusion that I can't put my heart and soul into the music if I don't enjoy playing it. That means the music suffers, and if it suffers because of me, I'm going to suffer. So better play music you like and find an audience that likes that music. (Being the lead singer, I'm extra picky about this - If I'm singing something I'm not comfortable singing, the feel suffers and I look and feel like a moron as well. I'm not a good actor who can fake this).

Then there's of course borderline cases as well...

[MikeT]

I agree deacon, theres an audience for pretty much anything out there if you look. My band and I play music that we love, first off, and then worry about finding people who also enjoy it. If you don't like our stuff, that's fine, we do. Everyone has different tastes, it doesn't really bother us. If you do like us, then awesome, we love that, but that's not why we do what we do. That's just our attitude, not putting down others who write or play for a specific audience.