Is being a good bass player a dying art?

[Marial]

Plenty of excellent bass players where I am.

[NWB]

Originally Posted by Marial

Plenty of excellent bass players where I am.

Darn straight Skippy!

[deepBassie]

Originally Posted by Bassist4Eris

...could it be that their inability to go wheedly-whee every five seconds might be the very thing that makes them desirable?

I wish I knew how to "wheedly-whee" every five seconds

[Steve Dallman]

I think the world of bass playing has just gotten a good start. Taste, talent, practice and ability will always win the day in the end.

When I was starting out, in the mid 60's, most of the bass players on records were professional studio musicians. Many of the actual bass players in the bands were very good as well. One could be a decent bass player, and not be very skilled. Play the right notes at the right time, and even if you weren't very proficient or flashy, you could provide a solid, dependable foundation. You could be basic, or very very good, and either could be good and appropriate.

Is it so different today? Make the band sound good and keep 'em either dancing or wanting to dance, and you've got it. My playing is simpler in many ways to what I played in the 70's. Today, I know when not to play and what not to play. I didn't early on. Every time a drummer would tell me I was his favorite bass player, I knew I was on the right track. Impress my peers? I'm not that interested, but I'm also not intimidated. I don't need to play better than anyone. I've been comfortable with my skill level and abilities for almost 30 years.

[lfmn16]

Originally Posted by bass12

That last point, for me, is key. The way I see it, bass used to appeal to the kinds of folks who were happy being sidemen. I'd say the majority of people taking up bass these days, however, have something very different in mind where the role of the instrument is concerned. They want the spotlight and they want to wow their peers with chops instead of musicality.

I'd say that makes them the same as people that play other instruments. On every instrument it is easier to be flashy rather than musical.

Frankly I think we're going backwards and we're doing it to ourselves. When I listen the bass players for Cream, Deep Purple, Faces, Rod Stewart, Free, Humble Pie, Rush, Foghat, Alice Cooper, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Led Zeppelin I realize that if they came out today, a bunch of people on TB would be complaining that THEY overplay.

I don't get why people are so resistant to Bass Players having an equal role in the band. If you don't like it, don't listen to it. I don't have a problem with what anyone else likes, I just get sick of them telling everyone else how they ought to play. How a bass player plays is between him and his band.

[deepBassie]

The world is thick with awesome bass players. Pop music, however, may not require their level of play. Out of sight, out of mind.

[Kenzy]

Originally Posted by lfmn16

Frankly I think we're going backwards and we're doing it to ourselves. When I listen the bass players for Cream, Deep Purple, Faces, Rod Stewart, Free, Humble Pie, Rush, Foghat, Alice Cooper, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Led Zeppelin I realize that if they came out today, a bunch of people on TB would be complaining that THEY overplay.

First, this ^^^ But don't forget Yes...

Also, where I live I can name local bands that will take bassists if they can at least play the roots of the chords and I can name bands that have bassists that play melodic or "lead" lines. Whichever you go with is really your choice, though I'll take the "lead" bassist over the old root-player any day. I don't mean I like it when the music takes a back seat to musicians merely seeking to impress their peers; the music shouldn't suffer because the bassist wants to "play lead", and it certainly doesn't have to; there are plenty of bands with "lead" bassists that don't gunk up the music at all, and, in my opinion, just enhance the music with their "lead" bits.

[Kenzy]

Additionally, I don't think bass playing should be an issue of playing something technically challenging or impressive vs playing something musical and appealing. I feel that these two "sides" of playing are really just one in the same. It's merely about seeking a balance.

[MNAirHead]

I'd say yes... it's now the era of vocals and knowing synthesis.

[NWB]

Originally Posted by lfmn16

I'd say that makes them the same as people that play other instruments. On every instrument it is easier to be flashy rather than musical.

Frankly I think we're going backwards and we're doing it to ourselves. When I listen the bass players for Cream, Deep Purple, Faces, Rod Stewart, Free, Humble Pie, Rush, Foghat, Alice Cooper, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Led Zeppelin I realize that if they came out today, a bunch of people on TB would be complaining that THEY overplay.

I don't get why people are so resistant to Bass Players having an equal role in the band. If you don't like it, don't listen to it. I don't have a problem with what anyone else likes, I just get sick of them telling everyone else how they ought to play. How a bass player plays is between him and his band.

[MatticusMania]

Originally Posted by Kenzy

Additionally, I don't think bass playing should be an issue of playing something technically challenging or impressive vs playing something musical and appealing. I feel that these two "sides" of playing are really just one in the same. It's merely about seeking a balance.

I feel my playing is all about finding a balance. It really depends on the song... there are times that something fancy and "lead based" is appropriate, and there are other times when the song calls for simplicity. A decent balance between the two and I can handle just about any song.

[Jarrett]

To clarify, my original post meant something like I don't see many bass players around today that could for example *really* pull off Jamerson's bass line to Marvin Gaye's Heard It Through The Grapevine. Just the feel, nuance, pocket, melodic sense that is in a classic line like that. It's not super technically hard, just takes focus, time and practice to own those fundamentals. Those core fundamentals seem to be missing more and more in modern playing. That's what I'm saying.

[Kmonk]

Originally Posted by baba

I assume you are talking about original bands. If so, yes I would agree. I think it carries into other instruments as well though.

In general, I think being good at anything is a dying art. Most people want to take the easy way.

[ImaStupidBaby]

I might get eaten alive for this post but whatever: Bass guitar is a fairly easy instrument to pick up and start playing and a lot (not all by any means) of the techniques are quite a bit easier than other instruments. But what makes bass a difficult instrument is that it takes subtlety. A lot of guitar players get a lot of props for being technically good, being able to shred or play a scale incredibly fast. But being a good bassist (to me) means you know where to put a note, how long to play it. And that is not at all an easy thing to learn. Playing a bass line that is just eighth notes is physically easy to do, but the difficult part is making that straight eighth note line sound great.

[AltGrendel]

Originally Posted by deepBassie

I wish I knew how to "wheedly-whee" every five seconds

Wait till you have an enlarged prostate.

[bass12]

Originally Posted by lfmn16

I'd say that makes them the same as people that play other instruments. On every instrument it is easier to be flashy rather than musical.

Some instruments are, by the definition of their roles, more out front than others. People who want the spotlight have traditionally been drawn to saxophone, guitar or vocals (for example) more than bass.

[Marial]

Originally Posted by Jarrett

To clarify, my original post meant something like I don't see many bass players around today that could for example *really* pull off Jamerson's bass line to Marvin Gaye's Heard It Through The Grapevine. Just the feel, nuance, pocket, melodic sense that is in a classic line like that. It's not super technically hard, just takes focus, time and practice to own those fundamentals. Those core fundamentals seem to be missing more and more in modern playing. That's what I'm saying.

I played with one on Friday. He'd just come in from the east coast that afternoon after finishing up a national tour and he was playing on three hours of sleep. He'd practiced once with the main gal (gut bucket blue-eyed blues) and just nailed it.

They are definitely out there.

[BawanaRik]

Ah yes, Life Of Brian.

Originally Posted by two fingers

Part of the problem as well is that so many musicians are one genre players these days as well. And there are so many genres (and sub genres) that fewer players are spread among many more genres. Want proof? Take a look at CL ads these days. You'll see quotes like this.......

"I only play doom/sludge/blood core. Don't even ask me to try any of that stupid death/scream/angry core junk."

Forgive me. I'm not up on all my "cores". But the point is that many players only play the kinds of songs that fit into their tiny little concept of what music is. When you spread a few bass players locally among 15 genres, with a dozen sub genres each, it gets pretty thin pretty quick.

So, the most talented players may be sitting in their bedrooms making the kinds of Youtube videos mentioned earlier, just waiting for the perfect southern Arkansas mud/math/evil core band to form. Until that fateful day, they will bury themselves in misery and post threads here such as "Where did all the good gigs go and junk?"

[bassbully]

Originally Posted by Marial

Plenty of excellent bass players where I am.

I agree...what do you want from weekend warrior type players? The only reason you even noticed is that you are also a bassist. Nobody else cares...trust me.

[Clef_de_fa]

Originally Posted by bass12

Some instruments are, by the definition of their roles, more out front than others. People who want the spotlight have traditionally been drawn to saxophone, guitar or vocals (for example) more than bass.

Bass isn't a role ... it is a sound, you can do whatever you want with it.