So apperantly I play Oboe now.....

[Seattle_BassMan]

Like most of you, I'm used to the fact that a great majority of people have no idea what a bass guitar is or how it's different than a guitar. In fact a lot of times when people say that they like the way I play "guitar" or they like my "guitar" I don't even bother to correct them.

This last time takes the cake and I thought it was so funny I just had to share it ...

We finished our set and I'm talking to some of our regular fans and one of the girls husband says to me ...."hey, you really play a great oboe.." and the girl starts to turn a little red and says "you weren't supposed to tell him that...".

So it turns out that this girl who is a regular fan of the band and who we've sat and talked to a number of times, thought that the instrument I play is.....an OBOE (not that there's anything wrong with playing oboe).

The hilarious thing to me was that not even a week before I was in a local music store and saw a t-shirt that said "oboe players rock!" and I almost bought it.

Anway, I got a real kick out of the whole thing and wandered if anyone else here has been accused of playing the oboe or some other wildly different instrument.

[BellBottomBlues]

I was borrowing my friend's chapman and someone asked me if it was a sitar or a harp.

But that semi-understandable because its wierder than all hell.

[the_fonz]

i like to keep my friends and family under the impression that it's called an "Electric Didjeridoo"

[PKr]

Originally Posted by the_fonz

i like to keep my friends and family under the impression that it's called an "Electric Didjeridoo"

Lol, do tell more...

[BellBottomBlues]

thats a real instruement

[Fassa Albrecht]

So far one of my friends (who has seen my bass and me carrying it) seems to think I play the drums. Mistaken Drummer Syndrome- not good!
I also had a family member ask me how the harp was going

[s1l3nc3r]

Originally Posted by Fassa Albrecht

So far one of my friends (who has seen my bass and me carrying it) seems to think I play the drums. Mistaken Drummer Syndrome- not good!
I also had a family member ask me how the harp was going

lol thats so funny how could a family member think that but still ive only been accused of a guitar nothing to far off

[alfredpunkjazz]

I hate when people doesn't understands what you're talking about... In the best, they thing you play double bass... But never a bass guitar, is it soooo dificult to recognize?

[cowsgomoo]

as long as no-one thinks I play the pink oboe, I don't mind

[Ricky Daion]

My wifes now deceased (God rest her soul) grandmother used to ask me if I still had my "orchestra" which at that time was a five piece hard rock band. I thought it was kinda cute.

[RobertUI]

FWIW I think that people just don't pay attention. I play in a band where I am the lead singer and rythm guitar player, and after one gig, there was this lady talking to all of us in the band telling us how great we were. When she kept talking over to me, my buddy said, if you're looking for Robert, he's right here, and she said: "Oh were you up on stage I didn't see you" I smiled, but my buddy went nuts. I thought she was joking but apparently wasn't... it's funny now in retrospect.

[lowenduser]

Originally Posted by BellBottomBlues

I was borrowing my friend's chapman and someone asked me if it was a sitar or a harp.

But that semi-understandable because its wierder than all hell.

My grandmother poked my seven string bass the first time she saw it, and asked if it was one of those "Indian Guitar Things"

[Silver Hammer]

My AIM profile basically consists of some quotes and the word BASS in giant bold letters. A girl IM'd me and asked why I liked fish so much. Once I explained she felt stupid but I don't know her that well so it wasn't that bad lol. Now she asks me how playing the fish is going.

[fryBASS]

LOL. Too funny man!

[Mark Perry]

So, frybass, cook fish for a living, eh?

[jaaboy]

ive gotten accused of playing the drums before
Guy: You play the drums right?
Me: no...i play bass
GUy: I thought you played drums to? Like both?
Me: No, ive never played drums in my life
Guy: Really?! i could have sworn you played drums

[Seattle_BassMan]

to be fair to the girl who thought I played oboe.... I was playing my Barker Vertical Bass on this particular gig and in addition to her I had a number of other people that know I'm the bass player asking me what exactly was the instrument I was playing.

I like the electric didgeridoo suggestion, I think I'll start using that :-)

[Alvaro Martín Gómez A.]

It's very common when I'm carrying my double bass to hear people saying: "What a big violin!" or "what a big guitar!" or "that's a cello", but they're not TOO far from truth.

One day, at noon, I arrived with my DB to the building I used to live then. I entered the elevator and so did a dude with a lunch box for one of my neighbours. So then there were three in the elevator: The guy, the DB and me. Total silence as usual, but I think the curiosity was itching him and didn't want to leave without knowing, so he asked me THE question: "Excuse me... is that a trombone?"

[bacid]

When I used to play double bass everyone called it a cello. Once I had this dialogue with my friend:

"That's a cello right?"
"No, it's a bass."
"But it has 4 strings like a cello."
"Basses and cellos both have 4 strings."
"No, I thought a cello had 4 strings and a bass had 6."

People also tell me that they like my guitar. After the 4087623859126th time of correcting people, I got sick and now I just agree. One time when a girl didn't understand I showed her my Ibanez JEM guitar and my Yamaha TRB bass side by side to compare and tell her which is a bass and which is a guitar. Then she said "No, I still don't see the difference, they're both guitars." Where do these people get this stuff?

[doctorjazz]

Hmm, I had something kinda similar happen when I told my grandpa I had taken up guitar. He asked me whether I played bluegrass or Spanish-style.