Bass player mental health?

[Nev375]

My impression is that bassists satisfy their need for attention by trolling online forums.

I mean, that's what I do. And now you do too! And that's perfectly normal and healthy.

 

[lbbc]

I share lead singing duties while playing bass. When not singing lead, I am singing background vocals (we sing 3-part harmonies). I think we get noticed as bassists if we do additional band duties. I went to see Victor when Steve Bailey and Anthony Wellington were in his band....great evening of bass greatness. Even my wife enjoyed the concert....just saying!

 

[Dana R Gregory]

Like Rodney Dangerfield used to say, we don't get no respect, until we stop playing. Then the bottom literally falls out of the bucket. The whole song falls apart and the beat starts to flounder.

 

[ThinCrappyTone]

Sooooo, odd question from a troll who never really posts: I've played guitar longer than bass (please no hate), but I've since discovered that I'm totally a natural at bass and often like playing it more. I can't hit my guitar hard enough to work out my aggression, after all.

HOWEVER, all bass player jokes aside, let's be honest: few people go to gigs to see any bass player, except maybe if your Victor Wooten calibre. Honestly, it's messing with my mental health. If I let myself think about it too much, I think of myself as just being the "extra guy" that nobody pays much attention to or cares about. Couple that with chronic pain issues that worse on bass than guitar, I think often about stopping the whole bass thing. Of course, over 75% of my gigs are on bass, so it's a Catch-22.

Anybody else have similar issues? How do you get over it? Should I go all Stuart Smalley & tell myself "I'm good enough, I'm slappy enough, and goshdarnit, people like me."

To the audience, everyone but the singer is the "extra guy" anyway. Zero change in status

 

[petrus61]

If you need adoring fans so badly that your mood and sense of self-worth suffers when all you're doing is making music, then yes, you have a mental health issue.



Have you ever been to a Victor Wooten concert? He puts on an outstanding show. I've been twice, with my wife, who is not a bassist. The first time she went along to humor me. The second time she was excited to hear that he was in our area again because she had so much fun the first time, and the second concert did not disappoint. I'd strongly recommend it. It's not two straight hours of rapid slappity soloing. He's a consummate musician and entertainer.

Lots. I'm included in the list of people whose mental health I question.

 

[pcake]

you're not the only one - i've played guitar since 1968, started playing bass in 1993 and fell in love with it. i also have pain when playing, although for me it was worse playing acoustic guitar because of the stretch over the deeper body. i've had to get all lighter basses, and short scale helps, too. but i miss playing aggressively on long scale basses.

i've perhaps been fortunate or perhaps the people i chose to play with valued me as a bass player, a musician and often a person who unofficially led the band or shared BL duties. every player i've played with has asked me to turn up if they couldn't hear the bass clearly, has wanted short bass solos or a few extra licks in some songs, has spoken highly of my playing and contribution to the band's music to others. i've also had people in audiences yell "bass! bass! bass!", and believe me, i'm no flea. i do tend to be connected with the audience, doing under and over playing, moving with the music and so on, and considering myself not a side "man" so much as a secondary front person - that is, if i'm not also the singer.

i hear a lot of bass players on board and sometimes in person who felt they were ignored, under-appreciated and felt bad about it. some didn't feel bad about it but did feel it was par for the course.

in the late '90s i saw flotsam and jetsam at i think the key club. jason ward was the bass player - he stayed at the front of the stage, doing all sorts of bits of business, shooting audience members with his bass and generally entertaining as well as rocking that bass. and people on that side of the room kept their eyes on him, not the singer. the same was true of a couple local bands i liked - the bass players were very much secondary front men, and the audience and their bands loved what they were doing.

of course, doing physical stuff to keep people watching and all that eye contact is more work than just playing the bass. lots of people wouldn't want to do it, even if their bands were okay with it. and if you haven't been doing it that way, you may well get pushback from the band(s) you're in as they're used to you not bringing attention to yourself.

if your band treats you like the "extra guy", maybe it would be worth forming or joining a band where you and your bass playing is appreciated. maybe after thinking it, doing more physical stuff would be hard with chronic pain, not to mention coming up with moves, or maybe you decide the spotlight isn't for you. but even so, being part of a band that appreciates you and your playing could be a much more emotionally rewarding experience.

oops - didn't mean to turn this into a rant...

* steps off soap box *

 

[two fingers]

Sooooo, odd question from a troll who never really posts: I've played guitar longer than bass (please no hate), but I've since discovered that I'm totally a natural at bass and often like playing it more. I can't hit my guitar hard enough to work out my aggression, after all.

HOWEVER, all bass player jokes aside, let's be honest: few people go to gigs to see any bass player, except maybe if your Victor Wooten calibre. Honestly, it's messing with my mental health. If I let myself think about it too much, I think of myself as just being the "extra guy" that nobody pays much attention to or cares about. Couple that with chronic pain issues that worse on bass than guitar, I think often about stopping the whole bass thing. Of course, over 75% of my gigs are on bass, so it's a Catch-22.

Anybody else have similar issues? How do you get over it? Should I go all Stuart Smalley & tell myself "I'm good enough, I'm slappy enough, and goshdarnit, people like me."

1) Did you honestly think there were lots of people who came to shows just to see you when you played guitar? Sadly, no. You could have been replaced by any guitar player who can cover the parts and the audience wouldn't have cared in the least.....or even noticed for that matter. (Not trying to bash you or anything. It's just true.)

2) If the limelight is your thing, you better learn to sing. Most bands who have a good front man/woman could replace pretty much anyone else on stage and nobody would notice. It's a good skill to work on anyway. You will get more work if you can at least sing backups. Take a few leads and you will get the attention you crave.

3) If attention is your thing, bass might not be.

 

[Skybone]

Sooooo, odd question from a troll who never really posts: I've played guitar longer than bass (please no hate), but I've since discovered that I'm totally a natural at bass and often like playing it more. I can't hit my guitar hard enough to work out my aggression, after all.

HOWEVER, all bass player jokes aside, let's be honest: few people go to gigs to see any bass player, except maybe if your Victor Wooten calibre. Honestly, it's messing with my mental health. If I let myself think about it too much, I think of myself as just being the "extra guy" that nobody pays much attention to or cares about. Couple that with chronic pain issues that worse on bass than guitar, I think often about stopping the whole bass thing. Of course, over 75% of my gigs are on bass, so it's a Catch-22.

Anybody else have similar issues? How do you get over it? Should I go all Stuart Smalley & tell myself "I'm good enough, I'm slappy enough, and goshdarnit, people like me."

As one who suffers from actual, medically diagnosed mental health issues, I can safely say that you need to get a grip.

Instead of feeling like "the extra guy", enjoy what you're doing, enjoy being in a band and making music with other people, enjoy the feeling of self worth while you're bringing the groove to your musical collaboration(s) on bass. As you're such a natural, then why not share your talent with the rest of the world and post video's of your playing on You Tube & other social media outlets.

As a self-confessed troll, well, you seem to be getting a reaction. Does that satisfy your narcissism?

 

[InhumanResource]

If a band has a great singer or guitarist, people say, "That singer/guitarist was great.". If the band has a great drummer and bassist, people will say, "What a great band."

If you're playing/making music for the adulation of strangers, go back to guitar.

People go to see bands more than they go to see individuals.

 

[sikamikanico]

I'd say bass players and drummers have the strongest mental health. generally quite a stable bunch, if not a little quirky and weird. It's a selection bias... most people with issues seem to get into music to write about them, so probably become singers and guitarists. But that also gave us some good music over the years, so it's not all drama and egos...

 

[Gravedigger Dav]

I don't care whether anyone notices me or not. I'm there to enjoy doing what I do.

 

[RustyAxe]

2) If the limelight is your thing, you better learn to sing. Most bands who have a good front man/woman could replace pretty much anyone else on stage and nobody would notice. It's a good skill to work on anyway. You will get more work if you can at least sing backups. Take a few leads and you will get the attention you crave.

While I don't crave the limelight, I do sing ... and am told I have the best voice in my two bands, although I'm not assigned the majority of leads in either (I'm not the band leader, so that's that). I also have an ear for harmony. I get plenty of recognition at gigs. Every once in a while (like last weekend) someone will recognize my bass playing, usually another bass player.

 

[TuneIn]

Bass serves as a foundation for music to thrive upon. it takes courage and strength to serve a song in this capacity. If ego is what moves you in music, then guitar is most suited for you.

 

[SteveHeissner]

Here's a 3 step process to help.

1. Play your bass like a guitar. In other words, just like John Entwistle.
2. Drink alcohol, snort cocaine, sleep with groupies.
3. Report back to us at TB as things progress.

Good luck.

 

[Thumb n Fingers]

Attention and recognition were long ago eliminated from my reasons to play bass. Not saying it's wrong to want that, just saying you have a tougher hill to climb if your outlet is playing bass. If you're playing because you love the low frequencies that you put out or because you love the way bass is the glue between the drums and the other instruments at the forefront, you'll regain your sanity and sense of self worth much more quickly.

 

[Mark_70]

Guitar is what you hear, bass is what you feel.

Stop playing for a few seconds and look at all the confused "what-just-happened"-faces.

I'm an introvert - standing in the back suits me just fine.

Regards
Mark

 

[basscapes]

I have to say that I AM addicted to playing bass guitar.

That being said, I concur with whoever first made the statement, "bass is the bacon of music."

Unless you are Vegan, you can understand that. Try to listen to a song while imagining there IS NO BASS GUITAR IN IT! Once you can master that skill (kinda like ear training at the utmost sound engineer level), you will/can realize just how important our contributions to the bass guitar AND the overall song really are.

Truly KNOWING what the bass line/part (and YOU, as a bass guitarist) can do in a song is almost like a secret fraternity or brother/sisterhood- those of us that understand this power/ability can, when we see it in action (watching another band/friend/fellow bass guitarist at a club, for example) simply smile and nod in the crowd. Those players that know how to "make bass the bacon" almost always seem to be able to pick us out of the audience BECAUSE we notice this!

 

[LowActionHero]

Sooooo, odd question from a troll who never really posts: I've played guitar longer than bass (please no hate), but I've since discovered that I'm totally a natural at bass and often like playing it more. I can't hit my guitar hard enough to work out my aggression, after all.

HOWEVER, all bass player jokes aside, let's be honest: few people go to gigs to see any bass player, except maybe if your Victor Wooten calibre. Honestly, it's messing with my mental health. If I let myself think about it too much, I think of myself as just being the "extra guy" that nobody pays much attention to or cares about. Couple that with chronic pain issues that worse on bass than guitar, I think often about stopping the whole bass thing. Of course, over 75% of my gigs are on bass, so it's a Catch-22.

Anybody else have similar issues? How do you get over it? Should I go all Stuart Smalley & tell myself "I'm good enough, I'm slappy enough, and goshdarnit, people like me."

Sit out one song, grab a beer when they start a song. You'll be missed pretty dern quick!

Anytime my band decides to practice without me (cuz I have a weird work schedule) I hear all about it- in a GOOD way!

 

[johnson79]

When I played in a band I sang about half the songs, so I was usually pretty up front. My brother played guitar and sang the rest. He was thinner and better looking than me, so he got more attention regardless of instrument. Hell, our drummer was also a handsome lil' fella so I was always the odd man out. But none of that had anything to do with the fact that I played bass.

 

[basscapes]

Sit out one song, grab a beer when they start a song. You'll be missed pretty dern quick!

Anytime my band decides to practice without me (cuz I have a weird work schedule) I hear all about it- in a GOOD way!

We truly are missed! Done that a few times (sometimes because it was called for/sometimes part of the day to day grind of the "day job"), and I too have heard about it the next day.