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Anyone Can Play Bass

#41
My bandmates stopped joking about bass when I started writing my own songs. I keep making my songs too difficult, it seems. Seriously, I pretty much can't hear the difference between 7/4 and 4/4 :D

Usually the "bass is easy" comments either come from newbies, or guitards that love themselves.
 
#42
How about something along these lines:

"Sure enough, the bass is easier to play, so you will have to work a lot harder. Life is unfair. But don't get discouraged. Have you considered taking lessons? Of course, while playing the bass is easy, being a good bassist is hard, so maybe it's fair after all. Still, it's our job to make it look easy."
 
#50
Being a bass player isn't all easy as it seems...I was asked to sit in for two songs at the beginning of a set, and the drummer was late for the first song and we could only hold the beginning of the song for so long. So the guitarist said "let's go on with the song" and we we played it thru without a drummer. I am still new at the "playing with the band thing", and this was a song that the drums really makes it complete, but when I was done with the second song (the drummer was there for that one), and got off the stage, it dawned on me, it was I who kept the band in sync for that song. I had to basically take the place of the drummer.I felt like I had a lot of responsibility on me, and these other guys has been playing their instruments and in bands since I was like a baby!!!! So imagine a two year-self taught-don't know all the notes but play by ear-inexperienced bassist! that's a job! ok I will shut up! :o:hiding:
 
#54
yeah, I don't really understand how or why a statement like "anyone can play bass" even matters or why it would be necessary to have a "comeback" for it. OF COURSE anyone can play bass, like PsychoScout just said above me, anyone can play any instrument. I guess if you ONLY play a bass and consider yourself a "bass player" rather than a "musician" I can kind of see why a statement like that might bother you, at that point you are simply trying to better yourself at a task as a show of your own prowess. If how difficult a particular instrument was to play had any impact over the end result of a musical composition then we would all be playing concert harps and bassoons.

Fortunately, music (for most of us) is about creating songs for people to listen to not showing off how good you are at a physical task (I'll leave that to athletes) or how difficult it is to make the instruments you are using make pleasing sounds.

So, I guess that would be my answer.
 

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