bass philosophy

scottos150 · #1 05-04-2009, 10:03 AM

Why do we play bass and What is it that makes us as bass players unique from the rest of the world of music?

fingers · #2 05-04-2009, 10:41 AM

I started to get girls then quickly realized I made a bad choice. I decided to switch to DB to make my chances even slimmer. Then I moved on to be a professional musician in order to let the only girl I could ever get support me.

Pretty bleak eh?

In all seriousness I have really taken pride lately in giving **** a solid backbone. I hear bass players all the time that really should have picked a different instrument 'cause they want everybody to notice them. I consider it a compliment when the audience doesn't notice me. To me that is a sign that they are taking my support for granted. That's my goal. And to make feet tap.

Nathan Parker · #3 05-04-2009, 10:48 AM

I'm pretty sure it was Ron Carter that said "My job is to make you sound better than if I weren't playing for you". I'm paraphrasing and again, I'm not 100% sure it was Ron Carter that said it.

That aside, I try and think of that as my mantra when I play. To make the group sound better than they would if I wasn't on the gig. Not sure I achieve that goal every time, but it's a work in progress.

zeytoun · #4 05-04-2009, 12:23 PM

Funny little anecdote: when a neighbor learned I played bass, she started trying to think of songs with memorable bass riffs, to ask if I played them. All she could come up with was "smoke on the water"....

But the whole experience shows how misunderstood an instrument's role can often be. You don't get much in the way of "memorable riffs" (unless you played with Bob Marley), but a good bass backbone is almost indispensible in almost any musical situation.

TroyK · #5 05-04-2009, 01:11 PM

it is an interesting question. I've noticed parallels to other parts of my life and personality. Most notably, I'm the consumate "guy behind the guy". I really enjoy making it happen, but not being the one with the microphone and the spotlight, so to speak.

More specifically to the instrument, I love that we cradle that big sound box into the center of our body and can feel the sounds that we're creating. We get to establish rhythm, like a drummer, but also provide harmony, like a pianist.

What's not to love?

two fingers · #6 05-04-2009, 01:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TroyK

it is an interesting question. I've noticed parallels to other parts of my life and personality. Most notably, I'm the consumate "guy behind the guy". I really enjoy making it happen, but not being the one with the microphone and the spotlight, so to speak.

More specifically to the instrument, I love that we cradle that big sound box into the center of our body and can feel the sounds that we're creating. We get to establish rhythm, like a drummer, but also provide harmony, like a pianist.

What's not to love?

Well put.