I just goes to show...

schecter5string · #1 02-29-2012, 01:31 PM

I played an open mic night last night. I didn't play that well(I know this) but I got so many people afterwards coming up to me and saying I killed it

The songs we do are pretty bass driven, and they are popular rock and punk covers, songs people know well, I was pretty upset about my performance until I found out everyone but me loved it

IT JUST GOES TO SHOW.........

keiththebassist · #2 02-29-2012, 01:37 PM

We've had some horrible sloppy playing nights were we just weren't hitting and more than a couple people would say "man they're so tight up there" and I'm like "were you listening?"

As my guitar player always reminds us, We are our worst critics.

tsverrir · #3 02-29-2012, 03:06 PM

I just listened to an album I played on about 10 years ago. I was never happy with my performance on this album. I thought my parts were uninspired and my playing was sloppy.
Now I realize, this is probably the best work I've done to this day.

I've realized over and over again that we ourselves are in no condition to judge our performance while we are working on something. Especially on stage since usually, we have no idea about how the sound is out there.

And it's true people do not show up to appreciate the finer nuances of the bass performance

CrashMiller · #4 02-29-2012, 06:07 PM

Not sure how I feel about others critique.

Its like the other night (not music related, but same idea). We were having a family diner and (being the only one who can cook, and being vegan) I was in charge of all the side dishes, while my dad handled the meat. All my food was cooked on time (6pm), but since my dad was 20 minutes late on being ready, all my dishes suffered getting cold, dry or overcooked. Of course everyone told me how great it was, but I knew damn well there was serious issues, and that they could have been much better.

I guess my point is that, either people are obviously gonna tell you you did good. Or that there's a big difference between good and great.

(Plus I really wanted to rant about that to someone)

dtripoli · #5 02-29-2012, 07:12 PM

I'm in 3 groups.
One is an acoustic/electric doing Pop/Rock with an awesome vocalist
...IMO, I play some mighty tasty bass lines with them
Second is an 11 piece horn band doing R&B
...IMO, I play some great and complex bass lines
Third is a jangly, tempo challenged, barely mediocre group doing R&B/Soul covers.
I don't even tell people that I have gigs coming up with them.
...IMO, my bass lines suck. because the band is so tempo challenged I have to play super simple lines to keep the train on the track.

The first 2 bands play out occasionally and once in awhile people compliment us.
The third band plays out all the times, continues to stumble through songs with train wrecks and
miscues. People are constantly coming up and praising us. They are booked monthly through July '12

It just goes to show you.....

Russell L · #6 02-29-2012, 09:19 PM

What drives me nutz is when I make a point to ask how the band sounded, and all I get is, "Good," or, "Awesome." I want to know in what way was it good or awesome. If I ask about how the bass sounded I usually get the same, or "I could hear it good." Most folks don't know enough to give a full evaluation. Then there are those who just think everything is always good.

My wife scolds me when someone pays me a compliment and I act meek, especially if I point out my mistakes. I've gotten to where I'll just say, "Thanks" and leave it at that. It makes me want to ask, "But, did you hear when I played that cool line just awhile ago." Of course they didn't. Why is it that when you really do play something awesome, no one is listening or watching? Or so it seems.

Sigh...

But, there are those special times when a fellow musician will say something good and say why it was good, or even if they don't explain it you know that they know what they're talking about. That's a sweet feeling to have someone who knows the ins and outs appreciate what you're doing.

klejst · #7 03-02-2012, 08:51 PM

There is nights I know I did not do my best, yet people always seem to give me positive reviews, sometimes it makes me wonder if they are just being nice or could be somewhat sarcastic. I take it as it is, but I usually go to one of my friends who is is a "friend of the band" and ask him how I did because it is always a straight shooter and tells everything as it is. If he said I did great then I did great. However if I feel I killed it then I know. I know there is always room for at least some improvement though.

scottfeldstein · #8 03-02-2012, 08:58 PM

You know what, though, guys? What we're doing here isn't Guitar Hero. We're not doing hand/eye coordination accuracy tests for points in a competition. We're doing what we're doing so someone else can enjoy it aesthetically. Listening, dancing, singing along, whatever. We are successful when people enjoy it. Sure, there's pleasing yourself, too. I get that. But if that's really what we were after we wouldn't bother with live gigs (they're a pain after all).

Would you rather play ten of your favorite bass songs in the whole world, perfectly, at home in your basement? Or would you rather play ten average tunes in a "workmanlike" fashion for 100 people who are really frickin' diggin' it?

If people liked it, they liked it. Win. Don't ruin it for yourself by nitpicking your performance from a technical standpoint.

DeathFromBelow · #9 03-02-2012, 08:59 PM

Being on the stage and being in the audience are two completely different things...

millsbass5 · #10 03-02-2012, 09:20 PM

I'm very,very critical of my playing. I cringe every time I here a track that I've played on. Hindsight is DEFINITELY 20/20 when it comes to listening to yourself on playback. It's like,"I shoulda done this right here,I shoulda done that right there." Hell,I'm never satisfied when it comes to my playing.

jmattbassplaya · #11 03-02-2012, 09:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scottfeldstein

You know what, though, guys? What we're doing here isn't Guitar Hero. We're not doing hand/eye coordination accuracy tests for points in a competition. We're doing what we're doing so someone else can enjoy it aesthetically. Listening, dancing, singing along, whatever. We are successful when people enjoy it. Sure, there's pleasing yourself, too. I get that. But if that's really what we were after we wouldn't bother with live gigs (they're a pain after all).

Would you rather play ten of your favorite bass songs in the whole world, perfectly, at home in your basement? Or would you rather play ten average tunes in a "workmanlike" fashion for 100 people who are really frickin' diggin' it?

If people liked it, they liked it. Win. Don't ruin it for yourself by nitpicking your performance from a technical standpoint.

Great post, Scott!