your BIGGEST influence: bassists or music?

[arther daily]

I'm influenced and inspired more to create/write/play music through my bass playing by music in general than by 'bassists'.

I rarely buy music because the bass player is oustanding and I find that a good piece of music will inspire and influence me regardless of bass and/or technique used in creating it.

What do y'all think about this?

How are y'all most influenced by music? - Are you inspired to play when you hear great bass or great music?... or both... or neither?

[arther daily]

Oh and I'm not trying to say either is right or wrong, just interested....

[gweimer]

That's my stand, too. Once I find the music I like, I learn to play it (or past tense at my age). It's why (waiting for flames on this...) I'm not a big Jaco fan. All the technique stuff I understand, and I'm impressed, but I just never got into that style of music, so his genius falls on deaf ears to me. People like Tony Levin, Martin Turner, Jack Bruce, etc. - well, that's a different story. That's probably how some of us pull up names that many people don't know in the "greatest bassist" discussions. Gary Thain was an incredible bassist, but unless you happened to be a Uriah Heep fan, you might not ever hear his name mentioned. It's always been the music first, and the players after that.

[Bruce Lindfield]

Well as far back as I can remember, I have always heard the basslines first and foremost and quite often never even hear lyrics in music. I can remember at school that all my friends were into Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple etc and this was great as there were always bass riffs and lines to listen to. But quite often if you wanted to meet girls and go out with them, you had to go to "discos" where they played other sorts of music. Now my mates would be standing around the floor scowling, but I would be happy dancing and listening to the basslines - though the music (Motown etc) was "soppy" - I loved some of the basslines and spent all night thinking about them in my head! Ever since I have doen this and if a song has a great bassline I will get up and dance and be unselfconscious, but if not, I am lost!

[Oysterman]

Bassists are my influence/inspiration when I play bass.
But music in general is the driving force when I write songs.
That said, I rarely write anything these days.

[Matthew West]

That's my stand, too. Once I find the music I like, I learn to play it (or past tense at my age). It's why (waiting for flames on this...) I'm not a big Jaco fan. All the technique stuff I understand, and I'm impressed, but I just never got into that style of music, so his genius falls on deaf ears to me

Amen. Same here for Victor Wooten, John Patitucci, etc. I don't really care what any musician is playing as long as the song as a whole has that magic to it.

[the Qintar]

both are definetly influences but i think music in general has gotten me into it more than any one bassist.

[yawnsie]

I'd have to say that music is more of an inspiration - long before I picked up a bass, or even knew what one was, I listened to music. And when I write, I often don't even consider the bass until the band has taken it up, which isn't very often...

[Brendan]

Music.

[Herm]

Originally posted by Brendan
Music.

ditto

[FUZBOT WANAMKER]

Music is my life,to not hear would kill me.
But remember the music of vision is a dancer.
As long as the rhythm of life is in me,I'm happy!

We are all wrong if all we listen to are bass players.I love the low end,but all instruments add to our style,writing and inspiration.
Whenever i step up to solo on my fretless i think..
Play like miles would
play like miles would
...

[Dragonlord]

music is the main inspiration for me too...glad to see most of you agree on that.

[Bruce Lindfield]

Originally posted by Dragonlord
music is the main inspiration for me too...glad to see most of you agree on that.

But what if these are the same people who come onto this board and say thing like they can't hear the basslines and can't transcribe them - there have been loads of threads like this - people saying things like "how do you isolate a bass part" or "how do you slow down the track so I can transcribe it".

And what's wrong with being inspired by the instrument you play - if I didn't like bass lines I don't think I would have chosen to play bass. But then I get the impression that a lot of people on this board aren't actually bass players - I'm not saying that this is the case with those who have replied to this thread - but I do get the impression that there are maybe 20 or so people on this board who actually play bass in a band out of hundreds or thousands (?) who post.

I agree with Oysterman that obviously music inpsires you, but as a bass player I think you do need to focus on the great players and hear basslines when you listen to music. If you are actually going to progress and learn, then you need to be transcribing this stuff all the time and basically every time you listen to music.

When I am listening to classical music, I am inspired to be a composer an dto think about writing a symphony, but when I hear any music with a bass line, I'm listening to that and thinking how I can apply it to my own playing.

[JimK]

[quote]Originally posted by Bruce Lindfield

I agree with Oysterman that obviously music inpsires you, but as a bass player I think you do need to focus on the great players and hear basslines when you listen to music. If you are actually going to progress and learn, then you need to be transcribing this stuff all the time and basically every time you listen to music.
...but when I hear any music with a bass line, I'm listening to that and thinking how I can apply it to my own playing.

Right, Bruce...focusing on the great players. Those guys, in my world, are the Amrstrongs, Birds, Dizzys, 'Tranes, Miles, Shorters, Tony Williams, Coreas, blahblah in addition to all the guys who play a bass.
So, when I am in listening mode, I'm attempting to incorporate & apply many things into the BS that I produce outta my instrument. That may mean playing a Charlie Parker phrase but groovin' it like Clyde Stubblefield.
Don't get me wrong, I still love the bass; for me, it's pretty much the music(at least, I like to think so).

[CS]

Both sides of the argument can co exist.

In some pieces of music the whole thing will inspire you and in others the instrument will.

I heard some Jaco stuff last night that moved me because he was a genius on bass but I will never buy it. I have liked U2 for 20 yrs but Adam Clayton is never going to win an award for technique without a demand for a recount.

Some music apeals to your head and some to your heart.

[brianrost]

I wanted to take up the bass after hearing Jack Bruce in Cream, but none of my other early musical heroes and influences were bass players: Zappa, Todd Rundgren, Steve Winwood, Robert Fripp, Capt. Beefheart, Bach, Miles Davis, John Coltrane.

[Acacia]

both.

[gweimer]

originally post by Bruce Lindfield
I agree with Oysterman that obviously music inpsires you, but as a bass player I think you do need to focus on the great players and hear basslines when you listen to music.

This can be a problem, though. Great basslines are only great within the context of the music. If you're only focusing on the bass, then you're not seeing the forest for the trees. This is the approach that creates bass players that have technical prowess, but no clue as to what belongs, and doesn't belong, in certain musical settings. In a lot of ways, we may be saying very much the same thing, but I approach it from the music side first. So, as I'm working up a bass line on something, I might think, "Oh, a bass line like [fill in the blank] would work really well here", as opposed to saying "I need to find a way to put this bassline in here somehow". And, as we all listen and play more and more, these two approaches start melting together. Yes, I always start by listening to the music, but I always end up listening to how the bass works inside the context. Likewise, when I hear a really strong bassline, I'll examine the surrounding music to see why it's making a strong impact - is it a supportive or dominant role, etc.

[Oysterman]

Originally posted by gweimer

This can be a problem, though. Great basslines are only great within the context of the music. If you're only focusing on the bass, then you're not seeing the forest for the trees. This is the approach that creates bass players that have technical prowess, but no clue as to what belongs, and doesn't belong, in certain musical settings.

Ain't that the truth. That's who I am. And do not take pride in it - I would give all my chops (the few there are) and one of my fingers for the talent of playing the right thing at the right time.

[5156246]

"music was my first love
and it'll be my last"

Music is IMO still the most important fact of all playing and listening.

(Maybe that's the reason why so many people like the beatles although they weren't very good musicians?)