What's the worst you've ever been disrespected as a bass player?

RyRob813 · #1 07-19-2009, 10:45 AM

Just recieved mine about 30 seconds ago. I sit here at work, writing out walking basslines for a lesson with my teacher tomorrow, as well as occupying myself.

A patron I don't like, (but am always nice to, being that it's my job!) comes by to buy a drink, spots my staff paper, and asks me if I go to college for music, to which I answer, "yes, I'm a bass major."

I ring up his product, after which he asks me if I'll ever switch to "lead guitar." I laughed, and said that it's a common misconception, but that the bass and the guitar are two entirely different instruments, they just look similar. He proceeds with, "well maybe you'll change someday, because if you look at any great guitar player, you never knew who their bass player was."

I told him that if we're talking about solo guitarists, that it's really not about the bass. I also then dropped the first names that popped into my head such as Jamerson, Pastorious, Mingus...so on.

I realize that this guy is just an ignorant ***** that knows knows about anything, and I heard him last Sunday yelling rascist slang terms across the gym. He's a typical, western PA moron that's never been anywhere outside the crap town we live in. Still annoys me though, and definitely makes me glad I'm in music school now, and far away from the hellhole I'm from.

So I'm sure you all have stories too...what's the worst misconception/disrespect you've encountered as a bassist?

bobba66 · #2 07-19-2009, 11:00 AM

Never had any real problem. Pretty thick skinned anyway.

Rocker949 · #3 07-19-2009, 12:31 PM

I've never had any problems like that, either.

ugly_bassplayer · #4 07-19-2009, 12:37 PM

You already wasted way to much time on that A-hole.

RyRob813 · #5 07-19-2009, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ugly_bassplayer

You already wasted way to much time on that A-hole.

Haha ordinarily I wouldn't have bothered talking to this guy, but it's part of my job to be nice so that he continues to buy a membership to the facility, so I had little choice.

I must just have grown up in a bass-prejudice town then, because I'd be rich if I had a buck for every time I heard the, "oh you play bass because it's easier than guitar" comment!

Oh well, I only meant to entertain!

ugly_bassplayer · #6 07-19-2009, 12:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RyRob813

Haha ordinarily I wouldn't have bothered talking to this guy, but it's part of my job to be nice so that he continues to buy a membership to the facility, so I had little choice.

I must just have grown up in a bass-prejudice town then, because I'd be rich if I had a buck for every time I heard the, "oh you play bass because it's easier than guitar" comment!

Oh well, I only meant to entertain!

I get what you are saying, but the guy really looks like a D***, and racist on top of that.
I learned a while ago that those types never change & are not worth any time of yours, they just want to get under you skin.
Just go learn a few Jamerson licks, it will pass.

unclekebm · #7 07-19-2009, 01:01 PM

Mine came more as a Musician than a Bass Player...
Soundman asks what I need, and before I can say anything the
Bandleader turns and says "Just shut the #### up and deal with it!" I quit,

He couldn't find a Bass Player to work with him, So now he and his wife
run a sequenced bass part with a Bass monitor on stage...

RyRob813 · #8 07-19-2009, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by unclekebm

Mine came more as a Musician than a Bass Player...
Soundman asks what I need, and before I can say anything the
Bandleader turns and says "Just shut the #### up and deal with it!" I quit,

He couldn't find a Bass Player to work with him, So now he and his wife
run a sequenced bass part with a Bass monitor on stage...

Sounds like they're a match made in hades eh?

stflbn · #9 07-19-2009, 01:34 PM

It's only disrespect if you choose to let it bother you.

Me... I don't give a rats ass. I don't do it for fame, or monetary support. I play because I enjoy it and have always naturally been better than average.

Jefenator · #10 07-19-2009, 02:00 PM

Everyone wants to learn guitar, keys, drums, vocals, horns... anything but bass! That means one thing: more gigs for me!!

Very unlikely I could be paying the rent around here, freelancing on any of those other instruments.

I felt maybe a bit of the condescension when I was starting out with lame garage bands. But IME when you start dealing with more serious outfits who understand the importance - and scarcity - of a good bass player, the disrespect vanishes very quickly!

If being the bassist makes me invisible to certain ignorant a-holes... well so much the better!

Spector_Ray · #11 07-19-2009, 03:07 PM

When I was replaced because I didn't quite look the part. It served them right because even though they found a bassist, he couldn't really quite play the parts correctly. Meh, it was no skin of my huevos.

DigthemLows · #12 07-21-2009, 01:54 PM

that was ignorance, not disrespect.........no worries, he'll never get to know how fun it is to play bass and watch folks dance to your playing, not to the guitars.............

jmcgliss · #13 07-21-2009, 04:23 PM

We played a benefit show that disrespected us in several ways. First, the "organizer" kept interrupting our sets, grabbing the mic instead of getting it all done at once as we had agreed. Folks who wanted to dance were getting irritated.

When we were seated for dinner at a table with some attorneys, the d***s seemed to enjoy putting us down in front of their wives. Comments like "how do you guys make a living playing music?". We all had significant corporate jobs, but they knew all the answers. I now refuse to play benefits for lower scale if it's a well heeled crowd and other vendors are getting paid.

Sartori · #14 07-22-2009, 01:01 AM

Probably with my Santa Cruz band where the two guitarists were talking about how to transition between two sections of a song. I suggested something and they kept right on talking. So I got up and left. Later when they were wondering why, I explained and they looked embarrassed.

Yes, that's the worst I've been disrespected as a bassist. Most people don't say anything condescending to me about my being a bassist. I think they're scared I'll kill them or something.

Jools4001 · #15 07-22-2009, 03:44 AM

I played with a ceilidh band a few years ago. It was quite fun playing fiery celtic music with a loud drummer and chunky rythmn guitar. The band also played some reasonable sized gigs and festivals. We were just setting up at one of these festivals when the fiddle players ex-wife turned up unexpectedly (he hadn't seen her at all for around two years), turns out she was playing keyboards with another band on the bill.

Even though I was setting up just feet away from them, she started talking to him as if I wasn't even there. "Oh, I see you've got a new bass player, it won't work out - nobody can play bass like Dave used to, the band sounds rubbish when anybody else plays bass with you". All this without hearing me play a single note.

Dave, the band's former bass player was pretty good, but we'd played in various bands depping for each other from time to time, so although we weren't best buddies we got on well enough and he'd once told me "I hate following your fotsteps in a band, you make me feel like a learner". I think that was much more a sign of Dave's lack of confidence than my skill level, but even so I could easily hold my own with him.

When we did a soundcheck, a tune arrangement where I even doubled the fiddle line at one point. One of the sound guys scurried over and said 'that was great guys, you sound so much tighter than you did last year". The look on the fiddle players ex-wifes face was priceless and she shut up after that.

I'd not even spoken to her by this stage - a look was enough

tdurden · #16 08-16-2009, 07:14 PM

Back in college I was replaced before I even played!!

All music majors had to play in forums before all of the music students. I was fortunate to have an outstanding horn player in my theory class. He asked if I would sit in on the song he would be performing at the upcoming forum. I was ecstatic. This cat was a great player and I had just started to learn jazz. At the first practiced he played his part and one of the instructors sat in on the drums. I recorded the practice, took the sheet music home. I listened to the recording over and over and began writing a bass line. At the second practice I was ready to play when all of a sudden the GUITAR INSTURCTOR (not the bass instructor) told me that HE WOULD BE PLAYING!!! I WAS PISSED!!!!! After the practice the horn player asked why I did not want to play with him. I told him that the instructors gave me the boot.

Fortunately a few years later I ran into the instructor and was able to express my feelings about him.

Pilgrim · #17 08-16-2009, 07:42 PM

Never been disrespected. People who make offhand comments like that are just being thoughtless. Musicians are the ones who realize the value of the bass player.

RAM · #18 08-16-2009, 09:37 PM

The kind of disrespect, which I still encounter after 26 years of playing live and elsewhere is that I'm "just a bass player"...I often get buried in the mix and my position in the band gives me a unique perspective as to how the instruments all blend together. Obviously the guitarist is focused on melodies and overall song structure, and the keyboardist is too busy playing ALL the song parts (see other threads I've written on this issue), the drummer listening to the basic guitar lines (still admits he doesn't follow the rhythm, but rather the guitar lines - not bass), and the singer has a limited exposure to the instrumentalism (if that's a word). I'm more accomplished as a musician (which they will all attest to), yet my opinions don't carry much water, yet the rare occasion they actually listen to my input, they find it the most useful set of suggestions to go by.

Really, it comes down to being considered a "less important cog" than the rest of the instruments...and I get mixed UNDER the other instruments as a result.

I've encountered this in many bands. They're always impressed what I can do on the bass, but once they're impressed, they generally discount the bass as being less important, and the input I have as less important.

Munjibunga · #19 08-16-2009, 11:48 PM

Well, let's see. My lead guitarist bought a Behringer graphic EQ after I told him, "No Behringer in the band." That's pretty much it.

Oh yeah, there was that time somebody asked me if my Lakland 55-94 was as good as a Fender.

hbarcat · #20 08-17-2009, 01:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RyRob813

I realize that this guy is just an ignorant ***** that knows knows about anything, and I heard him last Sunday yelling rascist slang terms across the gym. He's a typical, western PA moron that's never been anywhere outside the crap town we live in. Still annoys me though, and definitely makes me glad I'm in music school now, and far away from the hellhole I'm from.

So I'm sure you all have stories too...what's the worst misconception/disrespect you've encountered as a bassist?

I guess this is a case of a bigoted stereotype that I ran into on the internet somewhere:

I realize that this guy is just an ignorant ***** that knows knows about anything, and I heard him last Sunday yelling rascist slang terms across the gym. He's a typical, western PA moron that's never been anywhere outside the crap town we live in.