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Are bassists underrated?

Bassists are underrated?

  • yes

  • no


Results are only viewable after voting.
I guess I should check them out. I play in a band with people who have always listened to music from that era, and I know that some people, including my band mates, refer to Yes, but either being influenced or inspired by bands such as Yes. I am way younger than the rest of the Band (age is ranging from 28 to over 60),and I grew up listening to other bands, and only not too long ago i started to get into modern prog rock/prog Metal, so i have nö clue about Mostly Anything lol

Boy are YOU in for a treat!
 
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I guess I should check them out. I play in a band with people who have always listened to music from that era, and I know that some people, including my band mates, refer to Yes, but either being influenced or inspired by bands such as Yes. I am way younger than the rest of the Band (age is ranging from 28 to over 60),and I grew up listening to other bands, and only not too long ago i started to get into modern prog rock/prog Metal, so i have nö clue about Mostly Anything lol
If you're into prog whatever, this is it's roots, son :cool:

Chris Squire is likely a partial reason a lot of your older musically inclined friends picked up a bass to begin with (Just click around on user profiles and see how many TB users list him as an influence.)

Guy was a pioneer :bassist:
 
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If you're into prog whatever, this is it's roots, son :cool:

Chris Squire is likely a partial reason a lot of your older musically inclined friends picked up a bass to begin with (Just click around on user profiles and see how many TB users list him as an influence.)

Guy was a pioneer :bassist:

Yeah, see, I am one of the rare species called bassimus erectus in my surroundings, so I hardly know any Other bass players :D
 
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a guitarist can easily play bass. physically it is not much different, the notes are in the same location. they could jump in and fake their way through with 99% of the audience not noticing any difference.

Not true IME. While the basic technique is similar (press down string at fret), bass requires a totally different technical approach to play it cleanly. The frets are much further apart, so are the strings.
You need to mute much more with your fretting hand, even using a pick is different on bass, since the instrument is much larger and hangs in a different position.

Sure, any guitar player can pick up a bass and fret some notes, but without adjusting to requirements of the instrument, it is usually a mess. Same goes for a bass player picking up a guitar BTW.
 
Yeah, see, I am one of the rare species called bassimus erectus in my surroundings, so I hardly know any Other bass players :D
Well, it's true that 'you don't know what you don't know', & until somebody or something enlightens you on something... you never will :)

Now you know (or shall knoweth with just a few clicks ... much easier to be enlightened in this day and age :thumbsup:)


As for you fellas(?) squabbling about the different approaches to the bass vs a 6 string geetar, there are already probably 100+ threads dedicated to that here and near ... a few clicks would show them.
 
I play in a band. I don't play bass, per se. Bass is the thing I do to play in a band. I've played drums in a band. I could possibly play guitar in a band. But bass is the best route for me to be in a band that makes music. That's it.
It's not underrated to me. Bands need a bass sound. I provide that in a way that challenges me and contributes to the band's music, which I enjoy hearing and making. It seems to be a win-win.
 
As for you fellas(?) squabbling about the different approaches to the bass vs a 6 string geetar, there are already probably 100+ threads dedicated to that here and near ... a few clicks would show them.

I responded to that because I felt that this way of thinking is part of why bassists are often underrated.
"Any guitar player can do it", "bass player is often just a failed / the worst guitar player in the group".
No. Its not that simple, playing bass in a competent way requires way more than just to play it like a larger guitar with fewer strings. BTW if it isn't obvious from my sig, I actually AM a guitar player - who likes noodling around on a bass from time time. I can't do half the stuff on bass that I can do on a guitar.

But maybe that just means I'm a bad bass player, just wanted to give my opinion.
 
I responded to that because I felt that this way of thinking is part of why bassists are often underrated.
"Any guitar player can do it", "bass player is often just a failed / the worst guitar player in the group".
No. Its not that simple, playing bass in a competent way requires way more than just to play it like a larger guitar with fewer strings. BTW if it isn't obvious from my sig, I actually AM a guitar player - who likes noodling around on a bass from time time. I can't do half the stuff on bass that I can do on a guitar.

But maybe that just means I'm a bad bass player, just wanted to give my opinion.
Word, my man.

The best put concise way I've heard it said is that 'bass may be an easy instrument to pick up and do a fair job making the necessary sounds the band needs (just playing roots), but is as difficult to master as any other instrument.'
 
Not true IME. While the basic technique is similar (press down string at fret), bass requires a totally different technical approach to play it cleanly. The frets are much further apart, so are the strings.
You need to mute much more with your fretting hand, even using a pick is different on bass, since the instrument is much larger and hangs in a different position.

Sure, any guitar player can pick up a bass and fret some notes, but without adjusting to requirements of the instrument, it is usually a mess. Same goes for a bass player picking up a guitar BTW.


what i am saying is if the bass player suddenly dies on stage and someone from the band needs to replace him,the guitarist could easily do it in more than acceptable fashion. yes the nuances that only bass players have/notice would probably not be there but for 99% of the population they would be just as good as the original bassist. the drummer, which was mentioned as a more appropriate replacement for the bassist previously, is less likely to be able to pick up the bass for the first time during a show and play the rest of the set.
 
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I played a concert with Marshall from New Model Army, he's a very genuine and sweet guy!
That's great!!
NMA are one of my all time favorite bands.
Had the opportunity to see them (by chance) during a visit to Austria (Speak On Festival). I was having so much fun.
Bottom line... All of their bass players are amazing (past and present) and put on a great show.
 
That's great!!
NMA are one of my all time favorite bands.
Had the opportunity to see them (by chance) during a visit to Austria (Speak On Festival). I was having so much fun.
Bottom line... All of their bass players are amazing (past and present) and put on a great show.

I don't know anyone from NMA :D

Played with his other project calledBlackballed, with his brother on the drums, and their bass player is really good! You should definitely check them out, he says, that project is where his heart is, and you can absolutely see that in their show! :)
 
My wife seriously does not understand why my band skip practice when I am sick or otherwise engaged. "Why do they need your bass?" she says...

I'd forgotten this, but it's so true. We'd go ahead without the drummer, the singer, lead guitarist and sometimes the rhythm guitarist/main song generator (not all at the same time, obviously). But if I couldn't make it, "next fortnight, then." And I wasn't ahead in the technical ability stakes. My last band had a guitarist annoyingly proficient at bass and the singer was a bass player by trade but the songs were how they were because of my take on them and if bass doesn't turn up it all suddenly seemed pointless. Similarly, my wife got a bit irritated that our domestic schedule (even a holiday) would get shuffled around because, otherwise, band night would get cancelled.
 
what i am saying is if the bass player suddenly dies on stage and someone from the band needs to replace him,the guitarist could easily do it in more than acceptable fashion. yes the nuances that only bass players have/notice would probably not be there but for 99% of the population they would be just as good as the original bassist. the drummer, which was mentioned as a more appropriate replacement for the bassist previously, is less likely to be able to pick up the bass for the first time during a show and play the rest of the set.
Sad but true. Many famous bands have basslines that have sat on the root for 99% of the time.