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A list of nonsense
- Thread starter alex1fly
- Start date
A wise man once said: "I'd rather have a bottle in front o' me than a frontal lobotomy." I'll go with that.
1. Ordering instruments online
How I buy used basses from GC
2. Having more than 4 of a given instrument (bass, guitar, keys, flute, etc)
I don’t understand why someone owns 5 identical fender p basses
5. Analog gear
I have a digital camera & cell phone, my basses are fairly analog. Not ready for a synth bass
How I buy used basses from GC
2. Having more than 4 of a given instrument (bass, guitar, keys, flute, etc)
I don’t understand why someone owns 5 identical fender p basses
5. Analog gear
I have a digital camera & cell phone, my basses are fairly analog. Not ready for a synth bass
The gear stuff jumps out at me. I’ve got a less is more outlook these days. Find a tone that’s pretty good, quit fussing with it and get down to business. Stop browsing for gear and get better at the gear I already have!
Well, one thing I agree with - it's healthier to go online and whine to people in a forum I belong to than it is to whine to my loved ones. I try to keep the stronger side for them, and feel it does make sense to come here and let loose a bit.
That being said... that's a long list LoL..... rough day?
That being said... that's a long list LoL..... rough day?
I'm well past middle age, and I wish I'd given more consideration to these kinds of questions when I was your age.
What I've learned, often at an embarrassingly later age:
Probably a bad one for me to start off with since I order strings, mic stands, tubes and peripherals online, not instruments. So onto the next:
I limit it to two, and that's challenging, though I gig regularly on both.
I continue to work within reason to get close, though I accept when it doesn't happen.
I try to take stage volume in stride and context. Ear protection sometimes. If it's insanely loud, I just end up being coincidentally "already booked" when the next call comes in for that band. I'm lucky that most the guys I work with believe in reasonably sane stage volumes.
I play out, mostly as a sideman or sub, so it's still all analog gear in my case.
Painful, though kind of a necessary thing for my improvement. When it's particularly cringe to hear is probably when I really need to listen.
I've only got a P and J. They sound different. Though most BL's prefer the P.
I try not to think about it and defer the BL. Otherwise just more stuff I've got no control over (or the desire to control).
Extremely rare in my case. I guess if someone feels they need it. I'm just the hired help and life's too short to sweat it.
Uh, yeah/no to band drama. Fortunately, I'm not currently in a band that rehearses or has meetings or lengthy exchanges so I manage to completely sidestep such nonsense. I've got a weekly residence gig where we all show up, play what's assigned and just chill. There's also usually a pickup, sideman or sub gig or two each week with the same general outlook and results.
Besides, players who start drama are usually prone to whining/complaining. Whiners/complainers usually don't get call-backs.
Acceptance.
I've done both. For me, focusing on gear that meets basic necessities is much more spiritually fulfilling.
And I'm too much of a bad influence to encourage others what to do in this regard.
I'm not qualified to debate what's best. I can only speak to my own experience in what works for me. If I frame it from that perspective, I'm grateful to be excused from the debate club. Example: "For me, I've found being I'd rather have peace than be right."
If someone else can benefit from my shared experience, even if it's by seeing what they DON'T want to do, that's good, right?
Again, more spiritually fulfilling.
More personal experience: I've learned that my brain, motivated by ego, likes to lie to me about such things. I'm getting better at telling it when to shut up and sit down.
Accepting my flaws, because IMO we all have them. All of us.
There are so many different sounds out there. In some ways the pursuit of tone has borne me fruit; In many, many others, it's been an obsessive distraction in an attempt to quiet an unsettled spirit.
The answer for me, what probably answers most of these kind of questions, is acceptance and surrender, just going with it. Paradoxically, this has been remarkably freeing.
And I believe I just might be a more effective & supportive player as a result, especially when it comes to getting out of my own damn head and focusing on what matters right here and right now.
Good luck with these questions. You might be on a right path to something.
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"So as I enter middle age I'm thinking through a bunch of things and am making a concerted effort to battle nonsense in my life. Below is a list of things I consider nonsense in the music & gear world. Just opinions based on my experience!
How do y'all deal with nonsense?
1. Ordering instruments online
2. Having more than 4 of a given instrument (bass, guitar, keys, flute, etc)
3. Trying to get a perfect tone
4. Loud bands
5. Analog gear
6. Not recording myself and listening back
7. Thinking that my instruments sound significantly different from each other
8. Click tracks for small-time local performers
9. Band drama
12. Thinking that my musical pursuits might change the world
13. Spending more than a half hour per day on gear forums
14. Buying things *just to see what they sound like
15. How about the price of vintage Fender/Musicman basses - and thinking that what you're getting is really worth that amount of money? It isn't.
How do y'all deal with nonsense?
1. Ordering instruments online
Online is the only choice where I live as there isn't a music store anywhere nearby. I only ever buy used, but having said that, I think my bass buying days are over.
2. Having more than 4 of a given instrument (bass, guitar, keys, flute, etc)
Six basses here. Two six-strings and four four-strings. I use each of them on different gigs, and they all sound different (the reason I bought them in the first place).
3. Trying to get a perfect tone
Five of those basses give me what I consider to be the perfect tone for the kind of music I play.
4. Loud bands
Yes. I despise bands that are too loud. I'll also add 'sound people' who have no idea of what constitutes a good band mix.
5. Analog gear
My amps are digital, but whether they sound any better than my old solid state amps is open to debate. Nevertheless they sound very good and certainly win hands down when it comes to sound to weight ratio. I have no desire to cart heavy gear around these days.
6. Not recording myself and listening back
I agree. If one is intent on improvement, this can be a very-self correcting process, especially if one has a tendency to 'over-play'.
7. Thinking that my instruments sound significantly different from each other
Mine do, which is why I bought them in the first place.
8. Click tracks for small-time local performers
Yes. *Cringe*. I'll also include bands that have a drummer and a guitarist, but no bassist.
9. Band drama
I guess I've been lucky in this sense, because in all my years of playing (40) nearly all of the bands I've played in have been relatively drama free, and when minor issues have arisen, they've always been dealt with sensibly.
10. Treating GAS like a hobby and not like an addictive behavior. Corollary, encouraging my fellow musicians to buy gear beyond the basic necessities
I tend to agree.
11. Debating *best* this or that
See #10.
12. Thinking that my musical pursuits might change the world
I never think that, though they have certainly changed me for the better, which is the most important thing.
13. Spending more than a half hour per day on gear forums
Guilty as charged, heck I've just spent 15 minutes typing this reply LOL. In my defense though, it IS 0430 am here.
14. Buying things *just to see what they sound like
I never do that.
15. How about the price of vintage Fender/Musicman basses - and thinking that what you're getting is really worth that amount of money? It isn't.
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I agree with your list except for recording yourself and listening back. I have found this to be a most valuable tool, and do it myself at least once a week. I also recommend it to all my students. I have found I can hear better how I am with time for instance, when I'm listening and not playing. It also gives me a feeling for how far I've come if I listen back and compare with the most recent recording. I have done this with Donna Lee, recording myself every couple of weeks to analyze my progress. It's really helped me stay motivated.
My reaction to 1 thru 5 was "meh". But number 6 - "Not recording myself and listening back" - THAT'S USEFUL!
I almost always hear something valuable, something that really informs my playing going forward, by listening to recordings in which I'm playing bass - usually it's along the lines of (a) God, I overplayed that measure (b) That lick sucked, I totally abandoned the groove, (c) My playing is too repetetive, or (d) Wow, that sounded great!
I think everybody would benefit by really listening critically to their own recordings, whether recorded in the bedroom playing along with YouTube or Spotify videos, at a live gig, or in the studio. If I had to give valuable advice to bassists on TB that would probably be it, not gear upgrades, not lessons, etc.
I almost always hear something valuable, something that really informs my playing going forward, by listening to recordings in which I'm playing bass - usually it's along the lines of (a) God, I overplayed that measure (b) That lick sucked, I totally abandoned the groove, (c) My playing is too repetetive, or (d) Wow, that sounded great!
I think everybody would benefit by really listening critically to their own recordings, whether recorded in the bedroom playing along with YouTube or Spotify videos, at a live gig, or in the studio. If I had to give valuable advice to bassists on TB that would probably be it, not gear upgrades, not lessons, etc.
The busiest gigging bass player I knew personally had an upright, p-bass and an ampeg b-15.
He rarely discussed gear or tone or audio technology etc: He discussed music.
The older I get the more my thinking falls in line with that attitude.
He rarely discussed gear or tone or audio technology etc: He discussed music.
The older I get the more my thinking falls in line with that attitude.
I agree it's all nonsense (non-musical), but I'd defend #1 and #14. With good return policy, why not?
I would add to the list: flaky musicians. I'm so over people who talk big but fail to do the work or even just show up.
I would add to the list: flaky musicians. I'm so over people who talk big but fail to do the work or even just show up.
15. Making judgemental lists.
Based on my personal experience, these are all signs of being "over it", like it's time to move on and find something else instead of music to do with your time, money, and interests. It's ok if you didn't meet your goals or fulfill your dreams with music. Move on and do something else.
I get it. I found myself with a similar attitude for a while, and I still don't see myself going back to the old days of music-as-(2nd)career. I'm 45 now, been playing for 35+ years, and I've learned plenty of lessons along the way about what's important to me and what's not. I keep getting calls, though. I turn down what I don't want and take what I do (I used to just take everything). Sessions are my primary musical outlet, and church, and occasional gigs with people I like (no drama).
