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Am I a horrible bass player?

#142
I only read one page of posts so I may repeat stuff here. I’m going to twig on to a few things you said that I relate to.

I went to music school as well and found that a lot of my self esteem was tied to how good i thought I was at bass. I got in because I could read music well and play but honestly my ears were the weak link and I just didn’t know what to do with my life. Then you get a bunch of charts to work with and they become a crutch and it’s not the best learning method. I wanted to quit too and sold a double bass which I can never replace and that’s one of my biggest regrets. I did stop playing for a number of years.

Then a few years later I started jamming with some guys just for fun who knew tons of songs and I had to play by ear to keep up. It really developed my ear to the point that I can play a lot of songs without having heard them and make it sound like I have.

I get a lot of enjoyment from music now. My advice is stick with it. Don’t sell anything you’ll regret. Give yourself a break in how you judge yourself. Play for fun with people who are good players that like playing with you. You don’t have to tell people you went to music school. I don’t. I don’t want to set up expectations.

You’ve got skills and the knowledge you have picked up will help you develop your weaknesses. My friend is a fantastic musician but just won’t learn the concept of I-II-III-IV-V-VI. You have a deeper understanding which will help you.
And ditch the charts.

Or dive in and woodshed and get a cruise ship gig ;) I wish I did that when I had the chance.
 
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#143
IME, the key to succeeding music and all realms of life is the ability to deal with rejection. Whether you're a bunch of kids in a garage or all-stars playing in a stadium, people get fired and quit. And in both situations, there could be a whole lot of people who didn't make it past the audition to quit or get fired. It happens, whether we like it or not. People come and go, and that's the nature of the business. But the thing is to keep at it. Like a blind squirrel that finds a nut, even the most untalented of people somehow manage to find bands. With time and with work, someone's ability will increase. IMO, IME, a band is the best way to improve as a bass player. None of us were born being awesome, and many of us will never be awesome, but it's worth putting effort into because we can still have fun banging away on the bass and share the joy with others in the meantime.

Cutting someone after one rehearsal? Sure. I have no problem with doing that. My time is valuable, and I don't want to waste time getting a player up to speed. They need to nail it on the first go, because I like to perform at a high level without too much rehearsal (or any). Although, I wouldn't act like they are still in the band when I know it wouldn't work out. I guess they aren't comfortable with confrontation.

Is the OP horrible? I don't know, I haven't heard her playing. What I can ascertain is that she wasn't a fit for the band. It doesn't mean she's horrible. I have seen some horrible musicians find a fit, while some talented musicians have a hard time finding a fit. You don't need every band to want you as a bassist, just one. And from there, who knows who else.
 
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#145
Aren’t the best success stories those that include prior rejection, ostricizing, etc.? Your future success hinges on you moving forward, despite the adversity.

Also, don’t blame the band. If you showed up to your 1st rehearsal not knowing your part, it sends a bad message. Like another poster said, you practice your specific part at home, not rehearsal.

You’ll be okay if you don’t quit.
 
#146
I would say that you don't learn anything by everyone telling you how great you sound. Then you tend not to improve if that's all you hear. So as long as you don't give up, you will grow and tend to get better quickly. Chances are you are better than Sid Vicious ever was, so you probably have a chance at success.
 
#147
Everyone else covered it so I just want to highlight three points:
You just started playing
The group was hitting Green Day with alternative tuning
Friend’s hubby wants in

The first point is that you should cut your self some slack. It sounds like you’re a dedicated musician who’s willing to put in the work.

The second point is a bit more complicated except it’s not about you at all. If they’re breaking out alternative tuning in a three-piece arrangement, then they’ve already been playing it and they were looking/listening for something particular or…

Hubby was going to be the bassist for this group and claiming you weren’t cutting it was the method chosen to put him in.
 
#149
Man, forget about it!! Take it as a learning experience. I’ve been playing for 30+ years, and have been turned down plenty of times, as recent as 4 months ago. Then I got an opportunity about a month and a half ago to do baselines for a guy back on the east coast, and contracted for 12.5% of the royalties. So don’t give up brother, keep practicing and keep playing...someone will eventually like what he hears and and grab you up...just a matter of time bro!! Stay strong!!
 
#151
Years ago I played a lot of fast pitch softball. For a while, I was on two different teams. On one of the teams, the other players made it clear that I was not good enough for them, and I ended up playing just like they expected - not as good as the other guys on the team. The other team made it clear that they loved the way I played. They complimented me on my fielding at first base and kept telling me that I was an amazing hitter. Guess what? I played like an all star on that team. Not to mention that it was 100 times more fun playing with them. What I learned from that is that one's mental state has a lot to do with one's performance and that one's companions have a lot to do with one's mental state. I have had the same thing happen with jams. I used to jam with a terrific guitarist who was a bar band burnout. He loved playing with me (and told me so) because he could call out any song and, so long as he told me the key, I could play something that fit. He told me he was sick of players who kept saying "sorry, but I don't know the bass part to that one". I have also been in jams where I was expected to note-for-note duplicate the recorded bass part of the song we were trying to cover. I wasn't so good at that, the other players hated me, and the longer we played, the worse I got. I rarely got invited back to those jams, and I usually didn't really want to go back. My advice for you: screw (figuratively) those folks who treated you badly. Find people you like who like the way you play. I guarantee that they are out there. You will play better with them and have 100 times more fun, too. End of sermon. Let there be songs to fill the air.
 
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#152
I've skipped many pages of this thread, so I may be repeating earlier posts too. Things about this situation to remember:
1. Most people are moral cowards and won't tell you the truth to your face. That's all the firing-by-text amounted to.
2. A pandemic disease among bar bands is "egos outstripping accomplishments". This is a clear case of that. The OP really did not want to be in this band. Though she may not have realized it at the time, she'd have found out soon enough.
3. If the OP was not informed ahead of time that using non-standard tunings was required, she was set up to fail. She should have been told and given some time to prepare. An earlier poster compared bar band rehearsals to theater rehearsals. I don't really buy the analogy, but even if you do, actors get their scripts weeks ahead of time and go into 1st rehearsals knowing what's expected of them (and rarely get fired after one rehearsal either). Totally unprofessional behavior on the part of the "band" (I use the term VERY loosely).
4. In the entertainment business dealing with rejection, fair or not, is a survival skill. The thing to do is analyze it and, if there was a lack on your part, figure out how to fix it for the next time around. Whatever you do, don't let it stop you if you really want to play.
Greg
P.S. I was a theatrical production sound mixer and sound designer for a major part of my career. I've sat through MANY theatrical rehearsals, both early and late in the process. Actors being expected to be "off book" at the 1st rehearsal was unheard of. The 1st few rehearsals are almost always "read-throughs". At some point, usually a week or two in, the director will give the cast a date when expects them to have their lines down cold. THAT'S how the professional process works.
 
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#153
This has happened to me more than once. It can be a real drag but the more experience you gain, the easier it will be to handle. You haven't hooked up with the right players, that's all.

Keep practicing and try to hook up with players that are in your league. One of the worst situations is jamming with people that are not at same level as you. Once you find the right guys, it will click and everybody will be happy.
 
#154
Katthestar said:
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.
Click to expand...
Dude, all of us have been booted by one band or another. It’s not how many times you get knocked down it’s how many times you can get back up. Be kind to them they will at some point learn your value and keep playin. Your worth it. OK.
 
#155
I'm a gal-bassist of 40+ years and IMHO bassists are the MOST "criticized" member of the band. Reason being, whatever blends or counter the bassist selects in their interpretation of the song being performed makes or breaks the overall sentiment and success of the entire presentation, regardless of how good the guitarists think they are. The listener relates emotionally to what the bass is speaking, no matter what the music--the crazy part is noone else realizes what the bass is really doing except the bassist and maybe a few others in the band if you're lucky. The most successful bass players know how to add the right pinch of this "emotional feel" to the music. The craziest part is that its the most thankless task for the most significant part of the success of the song!

Its a very tough job but can also be crazy-rewarding. The sense of a job well-done cannot be matched in many other aspects of everyday life. And noone--and I mean noone--hits a home-run in the song every single try. If there's any member of the band that gets praised or dumped the most, it's the bassist. And every bassist has their own style-signature--right for some not for others---professional or amateur.

My advice is that if you want to be a bassist, be a flexible person that can brush yourself off and walk away from hurt. No other way--as a bassist, you're going to be exulted and you're going to be "shot" at, all part of the game...and there's alot of wanna-be bassist out there. If you honestly cannot hack the blame of being a bassist, then I strongly recommend you pick up another instrument or learn to sing to make yourself valuable in whatever talent you enjoy. Two years ago, I got sick of so many good bassists available in my area and feeling like I was in a rat race, I started learning the fiddle and bought myself one....BIG stretch from a bass fretboard LOL but a much-more-needed instrument in most bands these days. Best move I ever made, variety for me and what they need more of for them !

Oh yeah--if you decide to stay with the bass and don't want to get a 5-string, buy yourself a pitch tuner. I just got the Boss TU3 footpedal tuner and best investment I've ever made. I can quietly tune by display with a mute mode, even in half-semitones, now how to keep the strings from slipping on the pegs when I want to go back to normal pitch? :bored:
 
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#156
I got asked to play in a band years ago becaue their bass player broke his ribs... I have never even jammed outside of my home, I only played alone in my basement as a hobby.
I showed up and they gave my the 31songs I had to learn for the gig coming up.
I worked feverishly to learn them note for note and was failing miserably at it. I brought them to my bass teacher and he said stop, just make a chord chart and play root notes for the gig as I only had 2 weeks. He said that’s enough to keep the vibe while we play and that once I got to know the songs I could add a few things in or learn more then.
I played the gig and they kept me as their bass player and it was a Great couple of years.
I never have become a great player by any stretch, but I did learn not to try and keep up on songs I don’t know, just play the root and practice at home. Playing this waynallowed me to keep up with them, keep the groove going and become much more familiar with the song.
The most progression I have ever made though was jamming with a few better players on a biweekly basis. They’re all excellent musicians but more importantly thy all just love to play. So I am the weak link in us. I generally lay down some groove or pattern I like then they follow along and some days we jam on it for 5-10min and other times it’s wrapped up in a minute and a half... but we have no expectations we just make noise.
This has progressed my playing to average but my confidence to get up and just jam with anyone has skyrocketed. Most of the time I play I/V or I/III but I play with a huge smile.
I focused for years in trying to be a great bass player... the only way to get great is to play with a huge smile and take events like this as a blessing.
Don’t worry about finding a band, jus find some guys to jam with and you’ll find it easier to bridge the gap from practicing to playing in a band.

Disclaimer: the band I played in was a) a fundraising band so nobody was asking for money back if we hit a wrong note and B)the playbthe root method only works in non bass dominated tunes... it won’t work for Another one bites the dust or Money
 
#158
Katthestar said:
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.
Click to expand...
Shame they didn't have guts to tell you at time. They should also warned you about drop tuning. Think that project was dead in water from word go just cos of their attitudes. Don't blame yourself. I play bass but not with a band at the moment but do open mic nights to give me some live experience. Good luck and don't give up. I'm sure you will find a band you can work with eventually.
 
#159
This business can be cut-throat. Sounds like they were some people you met, not your friends . It didn't work for some unknown exact reason. Which would be helpful but you'll never know.
This is not uncommon. Get up, get out, and find something better. There are many nice people out there.
I'd just start looking at the ads and jamming around at this point. Meet a better crowd.
I recommend 1 lesson w/ a different teacher hopefully a professional to get second opinion on where your playing is at.
 
#160
find yourself a record player that has 16 speed. start learning records groove by groove. if the bass line is too fast or lost in the mix, slow it down to 16. at that speed, it will drop to almost one octave, you'll have to tune your bass up a little but you will be able to pick out the bass line pretty easy that way. practice it slow until you get used to how your fingers are going to move while you're playing the line. once you feel comfortable that way then put the record back to 33.3 and play along at normal speed (you'll have to retune your bass) until you can do it without having to stop. I learned hundreds of albums that way. it takes a while to learn how to play with a full band even for an advanced bass player. just don't give up. if you can play guitar, you're halfway there. knowing the chords on guitar makes it easier to understand what to play on your bass and how it will work with another guitar player. since your fingers are working differently on a bass, it will be very difficult to try to sing and play at the same time. it takes a lot of dedication to learn how to do it. also, play with the drummer, you and the drummer are the core of the band, every other instrument is just icing on the cake. if you have a chance to practice one on one with a drummer, you will learn volumes and will be ready when the guitar comes to play. just don't give up. I can advise further but that should get you started. good luck.
 

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