Why isn't Bass Guitar "academic"?

[powellmacaque]

So here's my story:

I went to a university with an undeclared major. I decided at the end of my freshman year that I really wanted to study music, and I blindly audition for the school's music program. Mind you, I'm a rock player whose only experience in "school music" was playing for my high school's jazz/pop/vocal group. I didn't know how to read music prior to auditioning, but I did receive an A in theory and ear training when I took the classes as a college freshman.

I let the department know this, and they told me to audition anyway. I also told them that I was an electric bassist and they said that was also not a problem, but that I'd have to learn double bass before I graduated.

I auditioned, got accepted, and promptly purchased an Engelhardt and a German bow to start my studies.

I go to school in the fall, and the bass instructor who guided me through my audition decided to work elsewhere, and about two weeks into the school year the school hires a replacement, who is a great teacher.

Next thing I know, I am being told to only play Double Bass and am given a jury just on DB. Mind you, I am a declared Jazz Major. Needless to say, I receive an "I" on my first jury because after 10 weeks I cannot play the thing for the life of me.

During the span of four months from November to February my roommate gets arrested (so I end up paying the last 2 months rent and etc by myself), my girlfriend of two years cheats on me, and my Engelhardt, bow, and all my music get stolen. Sounds like I need to play country, right? Well, I actually did get hired by a country singer at the time, but that's besides the point.

Needless to say, by the end of this past school year I am financially and emotionally drained, and I pretty much flunk myself out of school. Smart idea? No, but I wasn't exactly in the right frame of mind. Is it all the school's fault? No. I take quite a bit of responsibility for what happened.

But I really am mad at the fact that I was juried on double bass and that I couldn't get instruction on electric bass, as was promised. When I asked why I couldn't play more electric bass, the school simply told me that electric bass wasn't "academic". Mind you, I learned how to read music at a collegiate level in one month and I could play practically anything they gave me on electric, but on upright I was still learning and it took me quite some time to get the positions down.

So, in the 21st century, why is electric bass seen as a second-rate instrument? Is my experience unique to the school I attended, or is this a universal though at upper-level institutions?

PS - Just in case you're curious, I'm now attending my local community college and doing ensembles for fun. I may take lessons if they allow it.

[powellmacaque]

Mods - sorry! I meant to post this in Miscellaneous

[kreider204]

Quite a story! It's sounds like you're back on track, though - glad to hear it.

It varies quite a bit from school to school. When I was a music major, there were quite a few electric bass jazz studies majors. Unfortunately, your school wasn't like that.

Honestly, I don't think there's any reason why electric bass isn't / shouldn't be "academic." I don't even understand how the physical instrument could determine that. However, many people are still prejudiced against the electric bass, especially the fretted electric, and especially with regard to jazz. Maybe it's because it's not as old as the DB, I don't know. Unfortunately, the people in charge of the program get to decide, and you have to choose your program with that in mind.

[hrodbert696]

I don't know too much about music programs, but it seems to me the question is whether they made a commitment to letting you pursue the program on bass guitar. Do they have anything in writing saying that bass guitar is or isn't part of the program, or is there a list of acceptable instruments in any kind of student handbook or academic catalog? Was the auditioning instructor bending the rules to let you in or is the new instructor changing the rules? Is choice of instruments for your jury a decision made by individual faculty members or is there school policy on it?

I don't buy the bit about bass guitar not being sufficiently "academic," but I can't tell from the way you write the story WHO actually said this. Was this an individual instructor, a dean, a secretary, who (likewise the "I was told this wasn't a problem" you use a lot in the second paragraph)? Like I said, I don't know a lot about formal music programs, I do know that my university has a guitar ensemble as part of its program and they do have a bassist in there. Don't know if she has to work with other instruments or what.

Would you have flunked out if you had passed your jury or is that a separate issue? I know how life's curve balls can screw you up, both from my own experience and from my own students coming to me. Sometimes it's best to take some time off from school to deal with the other stuff. Just don't let it sidetrack you permanently from your goals. Anyway, it sounds like Murphy's Law was in effect there, and I'm really sorry to hear it.

[PDK]

There are some purist that feel that electric bass is an inferior instrument. If that is the case then why isn't the double bass used exclusively by recording artist. I'm not knocking the double bass at all. I'm just being practical. I ran into this problem in college it caused me to switch from bass performance to music business.

[MalcolmAmos]

Academia is academia. Sorry, fact of life. It's their way or the highway. You have to jump through the hoops to get the sheepskin. It does not have to make since you just have to do it. Been like that forever.

[thehippie]

I went though the same thing at a collage around here. I wanted to learn theory and how to read on the electric bass if possible. Turns out no ensemble would let me play the electric for collage credit tho

[kreider204]

In some ensembles, I can see their point. You can't play electric bass in a string bass section for an orchestra. And if they only have a limited number of jazz ensembles, and enough DB players to man them, and they prefer DB (as many do), then there's just not room for you.
Ensembles are generally part of a music major, so in those cases, it makes sense. If you just want to take theory classes and lessons, though, I don't see why it should be a problem.

[Bruce Lindfield]

Originally Posted by PDK

There are some purist that feel that electric bass is an inferior instrument. If that is the case then why isn't the double bass used exclusively by recording artist. I'm not knocking the double bass at all. I'm just being practical. I ran into this problem in college it caused me to switch from bass performance to music business.

I suppose the criterion is not what is used in "popular" music and recordings - but rather, "serious music" - which generally means what is accepted in orchestras, chamber groups,opera etc.

I think also that if you are being trained as a bass player then the point is that you should be educated sufficiently to play whatever instrument is required and that means Double Bass as well as bass guitar.

Given that it is generally agreed that Double Bass is physically harder to play - then there is a certain kind of logic in only testing on that instrument as the stiffer test...?

[Dr. Cheese]

OP, I see nothing wrong with learning DB since you want music as a career. I do think you might want to go to a school that is more sympathetic to what you want to study instead of them just telling you what you need to learn.

I know that the U of Miami is bass guitar friendly (I know it is also private and expensive too.) There are public schools like the one where I work that are very friendly to jazz and pop music. If you want info, you can PM me.

I will say this: professors need to teach you what they know, they cannot perfectly fit what you want to learn. As a student, you need to find teachers and programs that fit most closely what you want to achieve.

[Bardley]

Originally Posted by PDK

There are some purist that feel that electric bass is an inferior instrument. If that is the case then why isn't the double bass used exclusively by recording artist. I'm not knocking the double bass at all. I'm just being practical. I ran into this problem in college it caused me to switch from bass performance to music business.

PDK and I started college together as the only 2 electric bass playing Music Performance majors at our School. I had the same problem. They allowed me to play electric but it was a pain playing pieces written for an organ or a DB with a bow on a 5 string electric. Also there was no "default ensemble" to place you in to get your ensemble credit. There were only about 5 groups that needed an electric bass and all of the spots were full. I was told they were going to stick me in Chamber Orchestra playing DB. I told them "no thanks" and switched to vocal performance my second year, then to Telecommunications where I am now a happy audio engineer.

[bassandbeyond]

Sorry to hear about your run of bad luck. It's unfortunate that the majority of college music programs still don't allow students to major in electric bass. I encourage students to double on upright if the instrument appeals to them, but it seems to me a lot of schools are simply refusing to enter the 20th century (much less the 21st) with this kind of policy.

In today's music business, bass guitar is at least as employable an instrument as upright bass, and schools that don't allow students to major in electric are doing them a disservice IMO. Fortunately, there are more and more institutions now offering degrees in EB and contemporary music, so I say take your business to them!

[mulchor]

Originally Posted by powellmacaque

So here's my story:

I went to a university with an undeclared major. I decided at the end of my freshman year that I really wanted to study music, and I blindly audition for the school's music program.

Having been faculty at a few different universities, I think the troubles started with this approach to school. We'll see students who're meandering through school, as opposed to following an academic program that the school designed. Undecided major, blindly audition... this kind of approach is risky.

The other thing I've seen is students attempting to do programs of study that don't actually exist at a school. The student interested in herbal medicine who's in a chem engineering program. Or the ones that are awkward to deal with -- the university has a program listed in its decades-old catalog, but the required courses haven't been taught in years and any faculty with interest have left/retired.

Monday morning quarterbacking is easy, but it seems like this result (flunk out and unhappy) was inevitable.

It's just like with a girlfriend.
It's not the university's job to change for a student.
It's not the students' job to change for the U.
You need to find a compatible match from the start.

[bucephylus]

Lots of good comments to the OP, and I hope you work this out.

Couple more things:
The DB is a marvelous instrument, even if it is not your first call axe. The investment of time learning it (and that may take you a couple of years with weekly instruction) is well worth it. Don't give up just because of this. My experience has been that the DB techniques are useful in how you approach the electric bass; there is reasonable synergism to be had.

Second, I presume your stuff was stolen from your apartment? Really typical for student housing. Usually the music department will have a secure location at the school to keep the bass. If you manage to replace your axe and get back into it, look into keeping the bass at the department.

Next thing is you have to spend beaucoup hours at the department shedding. But, that is what school is all about. I recall Edgar Meyer running a Master class at Central Michigan a while ago. He was working with their bass students and asked the most senior how many hours a day he was putting in. Answer was about 4 hours a day, to which Edgar shook his head and said "not even close to enough; needs to be more like 10 to 12." So, if you're really going to commit, you have go all the way. Its crazy.

Anyhow, GL.

[panama]

Go to berklee

[Raymeous]

Anyone else here thinking "elitist snobbery"?

Don't let them get you down and keep playing and learning. Get yourself a hollow body (fretless?) electric with F holes and play it vertically on a peg stand. Tell them its a new style of DB that was designed for use in small acoustic ensembles.

Something like these would be good options -

http://bass-guitars.musiciansfriend....ass?sku=520234

or

http://bass-guitars.musiciansfriend....tar?sku=511838

[mulchor]

I don't think it's elitist snobbery, or that the issue is that bass isn't academic. Surely it could be considered academic for some programs.

For #$%^& sake, we even allow "Women's Studies" as a major.

Anything for which you can have structured inquiry could be academic, if you have the training.

The trouble is having a student in a program that doesn't match the student.

[MNAirHead]

long short story...

I had a similar experience.

I got some GREAT advice... "go out and do it --- nothing here will help you make more money --- it will just rob you of your youth"

I had agreat bass teacher.. nailed the improv.. nailed the theory

REalty was that MOST schools are not intended for commercdial music... they create law studens or telemarketers.

[Bruce Lindfield]

Originally Posted by Bardley

PDK and I started college together as the only 2 electric bass playing Music Performance majors at our School. I had the same problem. They allowed me to play electric but it was a pain playing pieces written for an organ or a DB with a bow on a 5 string electric.....

This is a good point - so a lot of music for bass is going to be bowed, sustained notes that just won't work on electric.

A lot of colleges must have built up collections of music and tests/etudes that are based on bowed Double Bass and they aren't going to fork out extra for the odd person who chooses not to play DB.

A Bass Guitar is really going to stand out in the standard repertoire for chamber groups as well!

So - Violin, Viola and Cello (or flute, oboe etc) will blend with a DB in some pieces for small group and so you can fit DB students into chamber ensembles with other students - but an electric BG will stick out like a sore thumb!!

A college may have bought loads of parts at considerable expense, for things like "The Trout Quintet" which just doesn't work for BG...

[mulchor]

Originally Posted by MNAirHead

REalty was that MOST schools are not intended for commercdial music... they create law studens or telemarketers.

The actual reality is that real schools create scholarship, cuz that's what pays the bills, and that's why faculty become faculty.

Teaching students is something they do on the side.