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Are bassists looked down upon?
- Thread starter Thundersteel
- Start date
Rickett Customs
Commercial User
Guitards are just mad at bass because a 30 sec bass solo makes up for an hour of guitar wanking...
That depends on whether or not you're one of those guys who's into "short-scale".
Really, though, it's not the size that counts, it's the tone!
Most of us who have played bass for any period of time have experienced this. It used to bother me a bit, but now I just chalk it up to ignorance and just move on. The people who have opinions that I actually value know better.
Like a lot of you I have been playing stringed instruments of one type or another for years (27 in my case). I’ve never “just” played the bass. I have been a band leader, song writer, booker/manager, arranger, producer and enforcer at one time or another. Oh yeah, and I also play guitar too. I’ve had former band members tell me “Why are you wasting your time playing bass, you’re a great guitar player”. While that is certainly up for debate I always ask them why they would want to settle for someone who was just “good enough” on bass.
It’s true that most of the praise goes to guitar players in the music world. That’s just the way it is, deal with it. It’s a different set of skills to play bass well as opposed to playing guitar well, and it takes a different mindset as well. Crafting a great lead on a guitar is challenging and should be given respect, but not more so than creating a great bass line that will make the song better. Joe public who comes to see the show doesn’t have the depth of musical understanding to know that. That’s not a personal slam of non-musicians, it’s just a fact. There are a lot of guitarist who don’t get it either. That’s why so few of them make good arrangers and band leaders IMO. They fail to see the big picture. Most times when a guitar player picked up one of my basses to plunk around on at practice they tried to play it like a guitar….. and it didn’t sound too hot. Then I would hear the excuses about the string spacing being too big as compared to a guitar and gauge of the strings were too thick and that they couldn’t play fast on it, blah, blah, blah. Then they set it back down and go back to their guitar. For most guitarists as they become good musicians rather than simply guitar players they "get it" and appreciate playing with other good musicians (bassist included). Good bass players are hard to find, and valued in the real world. Real musicians know this. Just finding a place holder to stand there with a bass in their hand is not that difficult. It’s easy to tell the difference.
Like a lot of you I have been playing stringed instruments of one type or another for years (27 in my case). I’ve never “just” played the bass. I have been a band leader, song writer, booker/manager, arranger, producer and enforcer at one time or another. Oh yeah, and I also play guitar too. I’ve had former band members tell me “Why are you wasting your time playing bass, you’re a great guitar player”. While that is certainly up for debate I always ask them why they would want to settle for someone who was just “good enough” on bass.
It’s true that most of the praise goes to guitar players in the music world. That’s just the way it is, deal with it. It’s a different set of skills to play bass well as opposed to playing guitar well, and it takes a different mindset as well. Crafting a great lead on a guitar is challenging and should be given respect, but not more so than creating a great bass line that will make the song better. Joe public who comes to see the show doesn’t have the depth of musical understanding to know that. That’s not a personal slam of non-musicians, it’s just a fact. There are a lot of guitarist who don’t get it either. That’s why so few of them make good arrangers and band leaders IMO. They fail to see the big picture. Most times when a guitar player picked up one of my basses to plunk around on at practice they tried to play it like a guitar….. and it didn’t sound too hot. Then I would hear the excuses about the string spacing being too big as compared to a guitar and gauge of the strings were too thick and that they couldn’t play fast on it, blah, blah, blah. Then they set it back down and go back to their guitar. For most guitarists as they become good musicians rather than simply guitar players they "get it" and appreciate playing with other good musicians (bassist included). Good bass players are hard to find, and valued in the real world. Real musicians know this. Just finding a place holder to stand there with a bass in their hand is not that difficult. It’s easy to tell the difference.
That would piss me off more than bother me.
Its also annoying when people say 'bass is easy', or 'you play an easy version of guitar' or 'Bass is not important'.
quoted and bolded for truth
Guitar players are just bass players with no groove and no right hand coordination.
Yes of course, no right hand coordination. Finger plucking is way more harder and advanced than plectrum techniques such as sweeping, super-fluent alternate picking and pinched harmonics.
Not to dismiss bass technique, I can't do it properly myself, but that comment was plain stupid.
Guitar players just get more oppurtunities to show off in my opinion. For every bass solo in a song there's probably like 1,000 guitar solos. And the fact that there are a lot of those "Sid Vicious" type bass players out there who play one not at a time following the guitar player's progressions and don't even play the progressions right 
But guitar players,
whacha gonna do?
But guitar players,
whacha gonna do?
The lame guys that dis bass don't understand it, ditch the jerk, and go play with some friends that appreciate you.
IM HERE FOR THE MUSIC, NOT THE RECOGNITOIN OR FAME!!!
IM HERE FOR THE MUSIC, NOT THE RECOGNITOIN OR FAME!!!
Those bassists who allow guitarists to browbeat them into thinking they have to use altered tunings are not allowed to complain about guitards pushing them around.
Guitar forums are hateful toward bass players.
Bass forums are hateful toward guitar players.
It's dumb and it's just the way it is.
Take a good look at this thread and tell me why guitar forums would be different from here.
Bass forums are hateful toward guitar players.
It's dumb and it's just the way it is.
Take a good look at this thread and tell me why guitar forums would be different from here.
Its pretty hypocritical, but hey when you have a forum that calls everyone with 6 strings a guitard...
Played bass before guitar, picked up guitar later and people still ask me why I play bass.
I think this has somewhat historical reasons. In the 60 s and 70 s most people would start on acoustic guitar, then migrate to electric guitar, and then you would have a band with 5 guitarists and a drummer.
And eventually one of them (the one who was the weakest player) would pick up the bass. In many cases the quality of the bass playing reflected that.
Around in the mid 70s bass was really not a glamorous instrument, at least in rock.
When Jaco and Stanley and Mark King came along things changed slowly.
Still, I would say that if someone really has no talent and wants to play in a band, bass is the way to go, because you can get away with it. A bad guitar player is a lot more noticeable than a bad bass player.
Having said that, I also play bass and guitar, and I have more fun playing bass and I don't care about what people say.
And eventually one of them (the one who was the weakest player) would pick up the bass. In many cases the quality of the bass playing reflected that.
Around in the mid 70s bass was really not a glamorous instrument, at least in rock.
When Jaco and Stanley and Mark King came along things changed slowly.
Still, I would say that if someone really has no talent and wants to play in a band, bass is the way to go, because you can get away with it. A bad guitar player is a lot more noticeable than a bad bass player.
Having said that, I also play bass and guitar, and I have more fun playing bass and I don't care about what people say.
I respect anybody who plays their instrument well, be it guitar, bass, drums, keys, sax, etc. But this did get me thinking a bit. I think it's true that we're (bass players) not "noticed" as much as the guitarists and lead singers. But good musicians DO appreciate it when you're laying down some clean bottom. After all, it makes them look better too.
Another thing. If we're working up a new (to us) song (we do a lot of covers), my bandmates will often turn to me to ask about a particular key or chord (ie., "Jeff, what note are they hitting there?") We bassists tend to have good ears...
Another thing. If we're working up a new (to us) song (we do a lot of covers), my bandmates will often turn to me to ask about a particular key or chord (ie., "Jeff, what note are they hitting there?") We bassists tend to have good ears...
Yes, and the person looking down upon the bassists is myself, because any bassist out there going out of their way to impress someone else by throwing in a bunch of terrible sounding tapped "solos", unnecessary slapping, and fast melodic lines in sections where there should only be thick, bottom-end-kick drum note riding is what I would dub a failed guitarist.
I started out on bass, when my band director in high school (I also play tuba) told me he needed a bassist for jazz band. He said "you can read the music already, it won't take you too long". I picked up the guitar two years later when my mom got me an acoustic for fun. I'm still mainly a bass player, guitar is for songwriting on occasion. So I'm definitely not a "failed guitarist".
In my band, the lead guitarist actually started out on bass. He's a great guitarist, and a good musician. He's been playing for a year, but has just practiced obsessively. I've been playing five, and I've played live a good amount. He has once. So he respects my experience and ability, and respects the use of a good bassline. He has told me more than once that he wouldn't accept anyone else as a replacement, and is very open to the idea of bass solos (although I do try to limit myself, of course). And I respect his musical ability, and I have no problem holding down the line while he solos.
tl;dr: I respect my lead guitarist, and he respects me.
In my band, the lead guitarist actually started out on bass. He's a great guitarist, and a good musician. He's been playing for a year, but has just practiced obsessively. I've been playing five, and I've played live a good amount. He has once. So he respects my experience and ability, and respects the use of a good bassline. He has told me more than once that he wouldn't accept anyone else as a replacement, and is very open to the idea of bass solos (although I do try to limit myself, of course). And I respect his musical ability, and I have no problem holding down the line while he solos.
tl;dr: I respect my lead guitarist, and he respects me.
