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Bass is 'easy'

#41
Patrick Spence-Lewis said:
Hello,

I contacted a few people asking if they needed bass parts for their projects and this is one of the replies I got...

"Thanks for contacting me, Patrick!

Since I work 100% ITB, I collaborate only with vocalists. But I know this market for many years, and would sincerely advise you to venture into additional musical instruments, to further increase your chances for a gig - guitars, mandolin, whatever. Just make sure it is an instrument which is problematic to emulate otherwise (unfortunately bass falls in a "easy to mockup" category, unless "starlike" quality and gear, or either complex funky genre is concerned).

Wish you a Happy New Year, and lots of success!
Vlad."
Click to expand...

Well, for much of the kind of pop that's being made these days, he's right. There's very little going on in the bass department where most contemporary top 40 pop is concerned. And it's not just bass. How much guitar do you hear in non-rock radio pop right now? It's all about one guy sitting at his DAW piecing things together with as few contributions from outside musicians as possible. Yay.
 
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#42
Maybe I was just real slow to catch on, but...

IME the hard part about playing bass in music that doesn't require virtuoso technique--just about all pop music, IOW--is twofold. One part is about rhythm: knowing when to play a note and when not to play a note. The other is about pitch: knowing when to stick to the root and when (and why) to play chord tones or scale tones.

The challenge is in learning to hear _everything_ else in the mix, and to make smart choices about what you do in it.

Last I heard, there's no button in ProTools that'll automate taste.
 
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#45
I walked into a guitar shop years past to look at basses. There was a college aged guy there with his pretty young girlfriend. He had picked up a 12 string guitar and proceeded to tell her how much harder it was to play because it had more strings. I chuckeled to my self, walked over to the upright bass and began playing Anesthea Pulling Teeth.

TL;DR fewer strings =\= easier to play.
 
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#49
Holy moly, y'all are cute as HECK!!

You literally have no idea what he even means, so are up in arms about it.

He is talking about In The Box, meaning relying completely on your DAW, and virtual instruments to make music. In that case, Bass IS very easy to emulate. He's speaking nothing about playing/leaning an instrument.

This is why he said he only works with vocalists, it's damn near impossible to synthesize a voice. This is why he recommended learning another instrument difficult to emulate.

You're all getting defensive over a misinterpretation of what he even said, which kind of speaks to how insecure you are.

He just isn't interested in OP's offer, and that's all. No need to be defensive, or try to insult a guy because you misunderstood his actual meaning.
 
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#50
Well yeah. Playing any instrument is technically as easy as you want to make it.
Guitarists don't HAVE to play any more complicated than the average pop bass line.
BB King rarely played more than 1 note at a time and he was a legend.

Now, actually understanding your selected role in the band context and applying
whatever it is you do with good musical taste (whether complex or simple)...
THATS where the real talent comes in.

A lot of musicians think it's just the right notes at the right time.
If that were true, then robots would be the best musicians in every situation.
 
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#51
Patrick Spence-Lewis said:
Hello,

I contacted a few people asking if they needed bass parts for their projects and this is one of the replies I got...

"Thanks for contacting me, Patrick!

Since I work 100% ITB, I collaborate only with vocalists. But I know this market for many years, and would sincerely advise you to venture into additional musical instruments, to further increase your chances for a gig - guitars, mandolin, whatever. Just make sure it is an instrument which is problematic to emulate otherwise (unfortunately bass falls in a "easy to mockup" category, unless "starlike" quality and gear, or either complex funky genre is concerned).

Wish you a Happy New Year, and lots of success!
Vlad."

This was my reply...

"Thanks for replying, Vlad

I see what you mean about bass being in the 'easy to mockup' category, but for me, someone that just plays the root notes of the chords (e.g. playing G for a G major chord) is not really a 'proper bass player'. It's like in a boy band where one of the guitarists gets put on bass as they need a bass player. He just then plays the root notes on every song. A 'real bass player' would create bass lines which improve the song (this rarely involves just playing root notes throughout the song). Personally, when I write a bass line I make sure it is interesting and adds something unique to the song.

I do also play the Ukulele if that is something you would be interested in :)
Thanks, Patrick"

How do you feel about the bass being "easy to mockup"?

Thanks, Patrick
Click to expand...

Hello Patrick. Little did you know you were contacting Vlad the Impaler. At least he's toned it down a bit in the last 500 years. But yeah... there is no pleasing that man.

Our boy Vlad, the inspiration for the novel "Dracula":

Vlad_Tepes_002.jpg
 
#58
Yeah bass is easy, but all these guitarists using capos so they don't have to learn more than four chords are musical prodigies.

A lot of pop and rock bass is root notes which isn't difficult to play.
A lot of pop and rock guitar is power chords which isn't difficult to play.
A lot of pop and rock drums is repetitive and basic and isn't difficult to play.
A lot of pop and rock singers have very little range and little to no training and use quite a bit of studio magic to sound good on their records.
 
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#59
Joe Nerve said:
I would say that was completely ridiculous, but it pales in comparison to the response I once got. From your picture though, I'd say it's because I've been around a lot longer than you :). Not looking to outdo you, but rather put things in perspective.

Getta Load of this!

Can't wait to hear your guys response, to your response.
Click to expand...

Why was he so upset? So his band wasn't the gig you were looking for, why wouldn't he just move on to the next ad, instead of taking the time to write you? Super weird! I guess he was really desperate for you to join his band. There must only be two bassists in your town and the other guy was their old bassist.
 
#60
Had this discussion tonight at rehearsal - every time I play my basses I think of a very close friend (who used to play bass in my band, and by sheer coincidence his uncle plays bass in Marillion, so he should maybe know better)...

He got bored of bass, and frowned when I said I was starting with it, saying "all you do is dum-dum-dum-dum over the song".

I'm determined to prove him wrong on my route to awesome.
 

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