Coolest thing anyones said to me after a gig

Nvr2old · #1 03-05-2013, 06:47 AM

I've only been playing a few years (straight to bass, no background with guitar - or any other instrument), and started gigging a year ago, so I'm not a shredder by any stretch and I'm generally happy to hold down a groove and catch the bridge turns. After attending a Victor Wooten seminar a month ago I started to 'groove' with the bass and (try to) look less like an awkward 14 year old attempting to casually unsnap that first bra.

So after a well attended gig last weekend, someone who had never seen us play comes up to me afterward and said that when she closed her eyes she totally thought I was playing an upright bass.

I don't consciously try to play that way, but that has to be the coolest thing anyone's ever said to me after a gig.

Wesley R · #2 03-05-2013, 08:22 AM

That is way cool, congrats!!

I also saw Victor. He was very inspiring.

dbase · #3 03-05-2013, 03:31 PM

I started playing bass in 1965 and had a garage band. We would open the garage door and practice. The kids in the neighborhood would gather around the chain link fence and watch us play. One kid in particular would be interested in the bass. We did all instrumentals then and I would let him see the notes I was playing to try to teach him bass. Most guys in bands would never let you watch their playing ie. (Kinks lead guitar player). Well 30 some years later at a wedding reception I run into that guy who was at the fence and he told me that he always remembered me and thought I was a stand up guy to show him how to play rather than snub him. I thought that was the nicest thing ever said to me about the bass. What goes around comes around.

DanAleks · #4 03-06-2013, 07:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dbase

I started playing bass in 1965 and had a garage band. We would open the garage door and practice. The kids in the neighborhood would gather around the chain link fence and watch us play. One kid in particular would be interested in the bass. We did all instrumentals then and I would let him see the notes I was playing to try to teach him bass. Most guys in bands would never let you watch their playing ie. (Kinks lead guitar player). Well 30 some years later at a wedding reception I run into that guy who was at the fence and he told me that he always remembered me and thought I was a stand up guy to show him how to play rather than snub him. I thought that was the nicest thing ever said to me about the bass. What goes around comes around.

That IS very cool!

SactoBass · #5 03-06-2013, 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dbase

I started playing bass in 1965 and had a garage band. We would open the garage door and practice. The kids in the neighborhood would gather around the chain link fence and watch us play. One kid in particular would be interested in the bass. We did all instrumentals then and I would let him see the notes I was playing to try to teach him bass. Most guys in bands would never let you watch their playing ie. (Kinks lead guitar player). Well 30 some years later at a wedding reception I run into that guy who was at the fence and he told me that he always remembered me and thought I was a stand up guy to show him how to play rather than snub him. I thought that was the nicest thing ever said to me about the bass. What goes around comes around.

Way cool!

bassteban · #6 03-06-2013, 07:08 PM

Chick singer told me I made her wet herself a little

BloomBass · #7 03-06-2013, 07:21 PM

I used to play in a technical death metal band so a lot of our songs were pretty fast. I had a guy tell me it sounded like I had extra fingers hidden somewhere because it wasn't possible to play as fast as I was with just three. I always really liked that one because he was the bassist in another band playing that night. It's always awesome to receive compliments from other musicians, especially in a genre where everyone was always trying to play the tough guy.

Also overheard someone say, "We gotta find a bass player like that." in reference to me. That'd be a close second :]

Vince Klortho · #8 03-06-2013, 10:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dbase

Well 30 some years later at a wedding reception I run into that guy who was at the fence and he told me that he always remembered me and thought I was a stand up guy to show him how to play rather than snub him. I thought that was the nicest thing ever said to me about the bass. What goes around comes around.

Very cool! Something sort of similar happened to me once. I was in college and attending a party that had a band playing. During their break the bass player came up to me and said, "I remember you. You played in a band with Dave at a party under the watertower in Harrisburg a few years ago. You guys sounded great and I really liked your playing. You're the reason I started playing the bass." That was in about 1981.

Jazzdogg · #9 03-06-2013, 10:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dbase

I started playing bass in 1965 and had a garage band. We would open the garage door and practice. The kids in the neighborhood would gather around the chain link fence and watch us play. One kid in particular would be interested in the bass. We did all instrumentals then and I would let him see the notes I was playing to try to teach him bass. Most guys in bands would never let you watch their playing ie. (Kinks lead guitar player). Well 30 some years later at a wedding reception I run into that guy who was at the fence and he told me that he always remembered me and thought I was a stand up guy to show him how to play rather than snub him. I thought that was the nicest thing ever said to me about the bass. What goes around comes around.

Feels good, doesn't it! I love it when former students reach their potential and acknowledge the fundamentals we established together "way back when."

Best compliment from an audience member: Playing outdoors on a restaurant patio, and being approached by an African-American patron during our break who said he'd heard our set, but couldn't see the band from where he was sitting; he approached me, asking if I was "really the bass player." When I responded in the affirmative, he said, "Damn. I thought from your playing that you'd be a brother."

funkingroovin · #10 03-06-2013, 10:59 PM

Two months ago I was approached by a studio engineer that's worked/works with some big names(Uncle Ted,TheSilverBullet,KidRob,etc)and has a vacation home in the area. He's the serious/critical type and 'compliment' isn't in his vocabulary.

He had the bar owner introduce us after our 'ClassicRock' set(Hendrix/Zep/Beatles) and told me "Your taste and technique made me think I was listening to Jamerson for the last hour,and those were honestly the best tones I've heard in my 40-some years in sound..seriously,don't change a thing."

I was dumbstruck. Considering the source,that's easily the best compliment I've received..

Jazzdogg · #11 03-06-2013, 11:34 PM

^ Wow!

bigswifty1 · #12 03-07-2013, 01:59 AM

My favourite was from the bass player in the headliner (we were the support). I was playing my RW sunburst jazz:

Him: Ahhh that was a great tone man. I don't care what anyone says, you can't beat the old ones for pure tone.

Me: Hey thanks!

Him: So what year model is yours?

Me: 2009

Him: ........

HunterBurgan4Me · #13 03-07-2013, 02:32 AM

I'm playing in a metalband but my background is in Funk and Crust Punk, both of which have much more imaginative bass than pure metal (except for the likes of Periphery). I had a bassist come up to me after a show and say he'd never heard Slap bass in Metal before and told me I sounded like a machinegun in my picked sections.

Made me smile so much.

On the other hand though i've had a lot of people telling me I was a "try hard" because I don't double up every guitarpart with root notes. Don't get me wrong I don't try to outshine the other musicians and I know that less is more. But on the other hands there isn't a single original song we play where i'm not working up a sweat sometime or another.

lbbc · #14 03-07-2013, 03:03 AM

The best compliment I ever received....I was playing "Punkin Chunkin" this year and one of the people in the audience came up to me and said I sounded like Michael Anthony on both bass and vocals. Quite a compliment IMHO.

Lukc · #15 03-07-2013, 03:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lbbc

The best compliment I ever received....I was playing "Punkin Chunkin" this year and one of the people in the audience came up to me and said I sounded like Michael Anthony on both bass and vocals. Quite a compliment IMHO.

As long as you don't sound like Jack Daniels Michael Anthony, that is a compliment XD

73jbass · #16 03-07-2013, 04:02 AM

Recently rejoined my last band after being fired 6 months ago for being a "perfectionist". Did my first gig with them last friday night,and when we finished,the lead vocalist came up to me, she gave me a big hug and said "thank you for coming back. I never worried about where beat 1 was all night". Apparently she is happy now!

mgash · #17 03-07-2013, 09:51 AM

Nice legs

One Drop · #18 03-07-2013, 10:10 AM

A few people have said they can't stop watching me when I play, but that is more of a compliment on my bass face and dancing than any musical ability.

Rando100 · #19 03-07-2013, 12:16 PM

I played mandolin and bass for a CD release party in Cleveland a couple years ago. Walking back from break, an attractive young woman stopped me to compliment me on my playing, especially since my bass was fretless. She plays bass with a local band. I told her it just takes a little practice, and that there are dots on the side of the neck that get me in the ballpark. She replied, "All I know is that you looked like a god up there with that fretless!"

p-lo · #20 03-07-2013, 01:42 PM

I came off stage during a break back in December and had a random guy grab me as I was walking by.

He said "I play a little...you sounded good man...but I don't know how."

(insert confused look from me)

"If I was you with the guitars capoing a different fret every song I'd tell them to F*@# off."

I explained it was to fit the singers voice and I just transpose the songs based on the capo position.

He sent me on my way with "Well she sings good, and your lead player is great...but tell them to F*@# off for me."