Music: Can't we all just get along?

[Matt Till]

I was at a party/jam session the other night and I was playing with this drummer and we were groovin' like crazy. Quite an amazing experience. One girl (who I'm fairly sure doesn't know what she's talking about) said I was better than Les Claypool *cough very very wrong cough*.

But there were a lot of musical folk there, I know there was one other bassist. Who was aparently walking around the entire time telling people he was better than me. At one point, he even asked if he could play my bass. I was hot from jamming for so long, so I decided to step outside. His friend who played drums for him was very loud and out of time/punky. So he was just noodling with the bass and then gave up. I can't blame him, I couldn't sound good overtop of that either.

But why would you say you were better than anyone in your field (bass for example). Even if you are in most ways. It's such a subjective term. Maybe you can play a million notes per minute, but this guy over here can groove better. Maybe you can groove like crazy and know every lick in the book, but this guy can tune better than you.

This all comes back to the bassist Vs. bassist threads and stuff like that I suppose.

All artforms around here seem to be a competition for a lot of people. It's our nature I suppose to be competitive, but can't we surpress our primal insticts a little bit? Theres a kid who hangs out with me who basses and he is jealous of my funky stuff, and he says things like, "oh you are so much better than me." But he writes more melodically than I. So in turn, I think we (bassists in general) should learn from each other instead of saying, "OH YEAH! WELL..." *amazing slap solo, 250 BPM, melting your face off, out of time* "TAKE THAT MOTHA ****A!!"

[bryan bailey]

You're just realizing this now?

[seansbrew]

Good insight Matt, I agree 100 percent, why is it that so many people ( but not all) look at music the way a jock looks at football? You know,........." that guy smoked him", that kind of thing. After all it's not a competition is it? Well, maybe in some ways it is depending on the reasons that you play music. I suppose if you are a pro, you have to be competitive so that you can get the job over someone that is not as skilled. I always think it's weird when someone says "if you had to pick just one all time favorite bass player, who would it be"? That is an impossible question for me to answer because I like many bass players for many different reasons. I suppose if I only listened to one type of music I could answer that question. When I show up to a jam session I keep an open mind because I am always looking to learn something if I can. That being said if I am looking to " smoke someone" my mind is already closed and I would learn nothing.

[Benjamin Strange]

Ego is a prerequisite of being a musician. If we didn't have a little bit of it, there would be nothing to prompt us to take up an instrument. There's got to be something that makes us think "I can do that" when we encounter a musician that inspires us to pick it up.

That being said, I generally agree that musicians should be more tolerant of each other's skills, even if you don't like what music they are making (Phish, Ween, & Soul Coughing being on my hated yet respected list). My issue is when a musician puts business before art, thereby compromising their music and opening themselves up for ridicule (Nickelback, Linkin Park, N'Sync, etc.).

In summation: I love all you guys. I really do.

[nonsqtr]

"Good" is a relative term. Ultimately, tastefulness and the pocket are more important than the ability to shred. You have to have a pretty good mastery of your instrument to be able to play it tastefully. Any trained monkey can slap at 220 bpm. But not many people can toss in those couple of notes at just the right moment in the song, and make it sound good in context.

[cosmodrome]

a lot of musicians in my hometown try to outshine eachother every chance they get. when i was younger i couldn't handle that very well and i started to behave like a total jerk as well.

now, i really don't care about it anymore. more embarassed about the fact that i too behaved like a pathetic little twirp once.

[James Hart]

Dude, can I shove that in your face next time you come into a thread slamming the soul less, brain washed, spoon feed, bowl of crap of musical whatever it was you called the song/band of the day

That's what I've tried to tell you

But Hell Yeah, I go out of my way to shake the bassists hand and give a "great job" when they come off stage. It's all good

But why would you say you were better than anyone in your field (bass for example). Even if you are in most ways. It's such a subjective term. Maybe you can play a million notes per minute, but this guy over here can groove better. Maybe you can groove like crazy and know every lick in the book, but this guy can tune better than you.

This all comes back to the bassist Vs. bassist threads and stuff like that I suppose.

[john turner]

Originally Posted by Matt Till

But why would you say you were better than anyone in your field (bass for example).

maybe he wanted to get laid.

[Adam Barkley]

Step One: Apply generous helping of basesball hat to head or hands
Step Two: Be better than him


Just kidding. Seriously, ingore guys like that. Everyone has a different style so you can't judge a normal "grooving" player by the standards of a bass shredder. Either way of playing is fine, but I would much rather listen to an average "grooving" bassist, than the best bass shredder alive. Chops are ok in small doses but excessive wanking is really boring to me.

[Yossarian]

But I started playing bass because I wanted to WIN at MUSIC!

now I dont know how to feel...

[Kavorka]

I work with a guy who also plays bass and he's always making little comments about how awesome he is and takes jabs at me. But then, he does this on non-bass subjects, too. I either ignore it or walk away because I'm quite sure I'm not better on bass than any one other than an infant baby or the dead (but I could be wrong there, too).

Just stay above the BS and enjoy your art.

[Matt Till]

Originally Posted by James Hart

Dude, can I shove that in your face next time you come into a thread slamming the soul less, brain washed, spoon feed, bowl of crap of musical whatever it was you called the song/band of the day

I've never said, "d00d, I could so play a million notes before the dude from Nickleback even thought about playing one, that's because I'm so much better than him.

Art is meant to be critiqued, but not in a jocky sort of way. What was that quote from flea about how music is an art, so you shouldn't paint a moustache on the Mona Lisa or something along those lines?

I guess my reason for making music is because I love music and I want to make music I love. Not so I can one day have Billy Sheehan kissing my feet. I don't just make music to get laid....


... but man, it works!

[Erlendur Már]

Originally Posted by Matt Till

I don't just make music to get laid....


... but man, it works!

I started playing bass to get laid. It didn't work.

[dls59]

Originally Posted by Erlendur Már

I started playing bass to get laid. It didn't work.

That's 'cause you hang around with cockroaches.

[Mind Eroded]

i also started playing bass to get laid even though most chicks dont even know what bass is.

"you mean that knob on the stereo?"

[tplyons]

Geez, I was at Guitar Center the other day (so shoot me) and I was playing this sweet used Kubicki, just noodling around, playing fingerstyle, laid back groovy type things, and this other guy sits RIGHT NEXT TO ME! and starts slapping his $350 MIM Jazz Bass saying it's sweet!!! He's trying to duel, as I play something, he mimics it but faster, and back and forth. I pull a Billy Sheehan lick out of my arse and leave it off with a high pitched squeal, he gets mad and starts going crazy a la Flea.

I got up and found a nice little Strat and plugged into a nice little tube amp in the corner.

Why compete? Why prove you're better than someone? Bass isn't a dog-eat-dog thing, everyone's got their own style, there's no need to get at eachother's throats.

See, we get along right?

[gazman_res]

I am the biggest fan of Myung, Claypool & other Great bassists who can shred at speed /w any great guitarist.

So much so i tried to be that.. go head to head, ego vs. ego with any decent guitarist, drummer, bassist or any other musician for that matter.

Few years back i saw a guy who played was about to go on .. and he had a Fender P.. circa 1970.. and i thought.. pfft.. yeah i 0wnz this guy.. (since it was a band comp)

He was so tight, so in the pocket, so simple even it changed my entire perspective of bass playing... Afterwards we got chatting about gear and other stuff like bassists do.. He bought me a beer and told me he never seen a 6 string bassist.. nor a bassist who could shred.. prefered greats like Sting and rocco! But man the respect was the other way around.. i was basically speachless...

I can still shred, I can still go head to head with any muso i come across with... But im not ever leaving the pocket again.. thats my home man.

[Dr. Cheese]

Competitive playing at Guitar Center really grates my nerves because I come to Guitar Center to see the basses, not check out other players. It's cool to hear good players and I like to meet people at Guitar Center or other music stores, but I just hate it when someone has an amp on ten blasting everyone else, or when someone is trying to duel with everyone else. I know some guys like that who are basically nice fellas, but I think they need to get a practice room or hang out at a club that has jam sessions because they kill the atmosphere for people who want to check out a bass and hear themselves.

[Whafrodamus]

Originally Posted by john turner

maybe he wanted to get laid.

Everyone knows that only beards/facial hair can get you booty.

[Whafrodamus]

I met a fellow TBer at GC one day. We just chatted and chilled while talking about bassists, techniques, and such. The word "Better" never popped into the conversation at all.