Am I a horrible bass player?

[Wesley R]

My guess is most of the people here have had an audition that did not result in them joining a band. I even had one band (I swear I could not hear the chord changes) told me I was in, I left my amp, then they called to tell me I was out and asked if I could leave my amp there for the others auditioning. Lesson learned on that one. I have auditioned so far out of my element it was not even funny. A tremendous experience, but wow, so embarrassing.

I have had the best luck when I was prepared.

Welcome to TB

 

[Spidey2112]

This is why it's all connected... just finished with the Daily Cryptoquote, from 12/16/16... (I save them, and I'm a little behind)

"Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into flames of achievement."

Golda Meir

I think it fits...

 

[Spidey2112]

"No one gets to their heaven without a fight..."

Sounds familiar... .

 

[Bunk McNulty]

Welcome to TB. We all sucked when we started. And we all dealt with large servings of rejection at one time or another. Keep at it. With time you'll get the skills, and once you've got the skills, you'll get the confidence.

And realize that a lot of people will act like jerks because they want to avoid confrontation. It's just human nature. It's got nothing to do with you. Best of luck!

 

[Boristhespyder]

There's one thing that I can absolutely guarantee you....

You are NOT the world's worst bass player.....

I happen to know the world's worst personally........

You may be second worst though..........

Seriously.....You've got to grow a thicker skin and take all of the negative and try to make it positive....

I'm gonna stop now as I may be a little over medicated.........

Have FUN!.....

You are NOT the world's worst bass player.....

I happen to know the world's worst personally...

You know me personally???

 

[cnltb]

Am I a horrible bass player?
I have no idea, but nt getting a gig happens to the best just as it does to anyone else.

 

[RichardW]

Dude, relax. You've been playing bass for a year and you expect to be Mike Dirnt? Mike Dirnt wasn't even Mike Dirnt after just a year.

There's no shame in not having the same chops as others in your band. It doesn't mean you are a bad player. It just means someone else is better than you. Get used to it. EVERYONE is in the same boat, no matter how long they've been playing.

This band didn't want you. Wish them luck and move on.

 

[gln1955]

If I gather correctly, before this "practice" took place they never played with you or even heard you play. This wasn't practice, it was an audition. So, you didn't pass their audition. Not a big deal really. We've all been there at one point or another. Learn from it and move on. The thing is, auditions go both ways. The band knew you were inexperienced yet didn't tell you the keys they play songs in, didn't give you decent charts and didn't try to work with you during the audition. Then they weasel out by giving you the happy face BS before texting you the bad news. THEY failed their audition. Badly.

There will be more opportunities, lots more. Next time, you know'll how to be better prepared and nail it.

 

[stringthrough]

Every good bassist was once a bad bassist. Keep working on it.

And here's a tip - Practice techniques, styles (funk, prog) etc. that stretch your current ability. This will allow you to perform simpler music such as surf and Green Day tunes without breaking a sweat.

 

[hsech]

We can't all pick up a bass and become instant rock stars. You have to start somewhere. It will get better.... promise. I have been switch hitting between bass and guitar for over 50 years. I still struggle a little with a new band until I get in the groove and see if things click with the other band or jam members.

 

[Count Bassie]

I've never posted before, so hello. I switched to bass last year so I could join a surf rock band. I found myself really loving bass. I have 4 of them, and an Ashdown Engineering 115 watt amp. I love all of my basses.

I met with some girls and we were going to start a Green Day cover band. We picked out three songs and just played together today. I'm not going to lie, I didn't do that well. I had trouble keeping up and the charts I had were in standard tuning, except for one. They were playing EVERY song in drop D. The guitarist was mad at me for not tuning in drop D. I did after a couple of songs, but I was trying to just play down a fret on my bass. I had a hard time keeping up because they were playing at tempo and never slowed down or stopped to work on a few measures here and there. Still, I tried to use my ears and catch on as best I could. I felt like I got better as time went on. I had trouble finding the time to practice this week.

I even mentioned my concerns that I was the weak link, but they brushed it off and said that as long as we got along personally, we would be fine. They kept saying we were in good shape. I drove home thinking about practicing my butt off and working with my bass teacher to try and connect more with the guitar. I was really excited to play in a band finally.

Of course, after I got all my stuff put back in at home, I got a text where they said I wasn't working out. This was only our first practice and we had no gigs coming up or anything. I suspect that the husband of one of the girls wanted to play the bass instead. I know I didn't do well, but I was hoping to improve.

I feel so depressed now. It really did feel personal because they didn't say anything to me while I was there. I thought about just getting together with the guitar player for a practice together so we could work stuff out. We had even talked about next week. They didn't really give a reason other than I wasn't "working out".

I called my bass teacher and he said it was kind of poopy of them to dump me after only one practice, since we were just forming and didn't have a gig set up or anything.

I'm worried I'm the world's worst bass player and that I should just quit. That I'm a stupid musician and that my ears are no good. I really wanted to play with others and I wanted to put the work in, too. I tried to follow the tabs and charts I had. When I got lost, I would try to find the roots and just play those to see if I could line up with the guitarist. For them to lie to my face really hurt. I didn't have a lot of confidence before, and now it's shattered. I played in a band as a guitar player for a while and it wasn't like this. They didn't want me singing, but even though I was a newbie they kept me around.

I thought I was okay at bass. I thought my bass teacher had taught me well and I graduated from music school. I feel so stupid and ashamed now. I'm wondering if I should just sell my gear to pay off my debt.

This is more me venting than anything else. i'm just so shocked and upset. I could understand if we had practiced together a few times, but after 1 practice just seems so sudden. That they couldn't tell me to my face really hurts, too. I believed I could get better, and that I just needed to play more with the guitarist so we could lock in. I hate how they lied to me and said getting along mattered more. I feel like it's all my fault. I'm sorry if I sound like an idiot.

People often suck, in a hapless sort of way (considering their own issues), especially when they haven't paid enough of their own personal dues to develop simpatico with their peers. We all started out brand new, and we all learn at our own rate. You learn at yours. Before you can think to look up, you'll have moved forward in your skills, ear training, and savvy a few notches.

There's nothing wrong with you. You're a bass player.

Get back on the horse, go join another band. If you love it, stay with it. Chalk this little unfortunate incident up to experience, let it lay and move on.

 

[Herrick]

@Katthestar have you ever play those Greenday songs before or songs at at that tempo?

 

[buldog5151bass]

A couple of thoughts:

1. Band interactions cab be crazy - who knows why?
2. If the songs were picked out, and you came in not being able to play the songs properly, they have a reason to be pissed. Maybe they had another bassist they they knew was ready to play the stuff.

I've been playing in bands about 35 years. At the same time one person said he wasn't pleased with my bass playing, another gigging guitarist said told me he thought I was the best bassist he had ever played with. Move on. But the next time you play with a new group, remember that nothing impressed more than being able to mail the parts first time through.

 

[J-Bassomatic]

Hi Kat, welcome to TalkBass.
I'd chalk it up to an audition that you didn't pass. When I started I got 'lucky'. My first band (I only ever played in originals bands) was a punk rock type band and I could ride the roots all day but I rode 'em real hard and the other guys, who were basically beginners too, liked that. I practiced all the time, we morphed into a sort of roots American rock band and I have to say I was OK, could write some nice bass lines.

Here's a funny story. Once years later the same guitarist/singer and I were BS'ing at a rehearsal and he grabbed my bass and played a lick. I asked him what that was and he said that was the original bass line for a song we did in the original punk band. I asked why we didn't use it and he said he knew I couldn't play it. I got a real laugh out of that. I can't shimmy up and down the neck like Scott Devine but nothing's keeping me from playing around with my bass. My hands are weak and shakey these days but I love my bass guitar, I jam occasionally with a friend but mostly just me and the bass and the two rabbits. Keep us up to date with your progress, some awesome and talented people here (not me).

I have two pieces of advice, one, be careful here. I haven't even been here a year and I've already bought 3 basses and an amp that's way bigger than I need. These folks are ENABLERS and they can detect weakness a mile away.

The second is never forget you are Kat the Star!!!

 

[40Hz]

Hey Kat! Welcome to TB. You’re among friends here. We can all sympathize since many of us have been through similar situations ourselves.

Try to roll with it best you can. It happens and it’s part of your education as a musician. You’re going to meet a lot more prima donna types if you stay with it. If their opinion is unjustified, shrug it off if possible. (And if you ever figure out how to do that, be sure to tell me how. ) If it is justified, use it as incentive to work harder at it. Bon Jovi credits the much of his success to Bruce Springsteen telling him he ought to just hang it up after he heard Bon Jovi’s band play. Bon Jovi said that got him so angry he decided right then and there that he was going to make The Boss eat those words some day. No matter what it took.

So keep working on your skills and music. If you ever show up for an audition with serious professionals, you’ll get one or two numbers (rarely as many as three) to impress and show you’re up to their standards, or you’ll be politely thanked and sent packing. If it’s any consolation, it happened to me a few times early on and those were some of the best and most valuable experiences for me - even if I was completely mortified both those times.

I’ve auditioned and not gotten gigs because: I “didn’t look the part,” didn’t bring “the right bass” to the audition, didn’t have a van like the other guy who was auditioning did, asked the lead guitarist what chords he was playing at a certain spot (turned out he couldn’t tell me because he played completely by ear), and once because (unbeknownst to me at the time) the singer mistook me for somebody a friend of hers broke up with the year before.

Their loss as far as I was concerned.

Just keep at it. Don’t let what other people think about you (or do to you) control what you decide do or take away from who you think you are. There are plenty of idiots out there with very high opinions of themselves who are going absolutely nowhere. Don’t play along with them.

Get angry. Get depressed about it a little. Then get over it and get back to practicing and playing with other musicians as soon as you can. Bass is 10% talent and 90% simply making the commitment to putting in the time to build the skills.

Hang in there.

 

[Count Bassie]

...Just keep at it. Don’t let what other people think about you (or do to you) control what you decide do or take away from who you think you are. There are plenty of idiots out there with very high opinions of themselves who are going absolutely nowhere. Don’t play along with them.

Get angry. Get depressed about it a little. Then get over it and get back to practicing and playing with other musicians as soon as you can. Bass is 10% talent and 90% simply making the commitment to putting in the time to build the skills.

Hang in there.

Great advice.

 

[sean_on_bass]

I've never posted before, so hello. I switched to bass last year so I could join a surf rock band. I found myself really loving bass. I have 4 of them, and an Ashdown Engineering 115 watt amp. I love all of my basses.

I met with some girls and we were going to start a Green Day cover band. We picked out three songs and just played together today. I'm not going to lie, I didn't do that well. I had trouble keeping up and the charts I had were in standard tuning, except for one. They were playing EVERY song in drop D. The guitarist was mad at me for not tuning in drop D. I did after a couple of songs, but I was trying to just play down a fret on my bass. I had a hard time keeping up because they were playing at tempo and never slowed down or stopped to work on a few measures here and there. Still, I tried to use my ears and catch on as best I could. I felt like I got better as time went on. I had trouble finding the time to practice this week.

I even mentioned my concerns that I was the weak link, but they brushed it off and said that as long as we got along personally, we would be fine. They kept saying we were in good shape. I drove home thinking about practicing my butt off and working with my bass teacher to try and connect more with the guitar. I was really excited to play in a band finally.

Of course, after I got all my stuff put back in at home, I got a text where they said I wasn't working out. This was only our first practice and we had no gigs coming up or anything. I suspect that the husband of one of the girls wanted to play the bass instead. I know I didn't do well, but I was hoping to improve.

I feel so depressed now. It really did feel personal because they didn't say anything to me while I was there. I thought about just getting together with the guitar player for a practice together so we could work stuff out. We had even talked about next week. They didn't really give a reason other than I wasn't "working out".

I called my bass teacher and he said it was kind of poopy of them to dump me after only one practice, since we were just forming and didn't have a gig set up or anything.

I'm worried I'm the world's worst bass player and that I should just quit. That I'm a stupid musician and that my ears are no good. I really wanted to play with others and I wanted to put the work in, too. I tried to follow the tabs and charts I had. When I got lost, I would try to find the roots and just play those to see if I could line up with the guitarist. For them to lie to my face really hurt. I didn't have a lot of confidence before, and now it's shattered. I played in a band as a guitar player for a while and it wasn't like this. They didn't want me singing, but even though I was a newbie they kept me around.

I thought I was okay at bass. I thought my bass teacher had taught me well and I graduated from music school. I feel so stupid and ashamed now. I'm wondering if I should just sell my gear to pay off my debt.

This is more me venting than anything else. i'm just so shocked and upset. I could understand if we had practiced together a few times, but after 1 practice just seems so sudden. That they couldn't tell me to my face really hurts, too. I believed I could get better, and that I just needed to play more with the guitarist so we could lock in. I hate how they lied to me and said getting along mattered more. I feel like it's all my fault. I'm sorry if I sound like an idiot.

Don't be so hard on yourself. You've only been playing for about a year, this is something people spend lifetimes improving on. That is lame that they weren't quite honest with you face to face, but that's on them, not you. As a bass player, bands will come and go over and over again. Best not to dwell on it, a band is sometimes like a marriage and very frequently members might not gel musically even if they get along as friends.

Also, you never know what you need to work on until you get into situations like this. This is all part of the learning process. Take this opportunity to analyze what went wrong and work to improve it.

 

[40Hz]

Great advice.

Not so much advice as an acceptance of the reality of the situation. What other options do we really have?

 

[Spectre Gunner]

It sounds like they didn't give you a fair chance and they took the cowardly way to tell you. I think YOU are being harder on yourself then they were. Being rejected sucks (obviously) but if you have "tough skin" it sucks less. Only you can control how you're effected by this. There are some ways you can deal with this. Either continue to feel sorry for yourself or maybe even quit playing altogether. Or you can use this experience as motivation and determination to get better. I guarantee if you do the latter you will become a much better player.

 

[Fxpmusic]

Their bad etiquette does not say anything about you but about them. I have been in your situation and the only thing I can do is make sure I don’t do it to other musicians. Yes, it can be scary and sad to look at somebody in the face and tell them they’re not a fit.

Now, to your playing. Every musician has strengths and weaknesses and IMO, a band is a team and just like any other team, communication and support is key. Challenging each other and picking up your mates shortcomings is what makes a band interaction truly beautiful. Don’t stop, grieve this loss and shake it up, there may be more sour events but in the long run, the smiles will outnumber the frowns. I’ve been playing for close to 20 years and absolutely love rocking a rehearsal or crowd, I’m in a strong band that is expected to do so. But when we don’t, for any particular reason, the feelings of insecurity jump back up and all those feelings of quitting you mentioned take over. However, I am as thankful for those face plants as I am for the good times.