Gaolee
Official leathers tester and crash dummy
I only play for chicks and glory. That's why I play bass. You can't miss if you play bass.
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Bass player mental health?
- Thread starter settedollar
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- bass player health player
Musicianship and showmanship are two different things.
Just like with any other skill, one must work to develop good stage presence.
Competent performers understand this and pay just as much attention to mastering these skills as they do their instrument and songwriting skills.
If your bandmates have an issue with you being more "out front" just because you're the bassplayer (and NOT because you are so incompetent at being 'out front' that you make the band look like a clown show) then you have the wrong bandmates.
"The most important job for a musician is to entertain people, I really believe that." - Geddy Lee
Just like with any other skill, one must work to develop good stage presence.
Competent performers understand this and pay just as much attention to mastering these skills as they do their instrument and songwriting skills.
If your bandmates have an issue with you being more "out front" just because you're the bassplayer (and NOT because you are so incompetent at being 'out front' that you make the band look like a clown show) then you have the wrong bandmates.
"The most important job for a musician is to entertain people, I really believe that." - Geddy Lee
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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."
Performing live music is, in no uncertain terms, my personal salvation: that other people also enjoy it is simply a fringe benefit.
Needing to find your happiness and validation from others is a recipe for suffering, just do what you love; as the famous saying goes "what other people think of you is none of your business"
I just like making music with it. I came from a composition/guitar background playing improvisational music in my own groups (currently a quartet and big band - both 95% improvisational). It doesn't mess with me having made the jump to bass, I just want to make great music.
You just have to play in a way that sets you apart from others. If you are playing root eighth notes and standing still off to the side all night, you won't really be the most popular guy on stage.
Stop thinking like a guitarist and get hip to the power and wisdom of playing bass. You control everything, and as a bassist who's got 2 photo albums of debauchery, girls aren't a problem. Sting, McCartney, Bruce, and too many others to mention... They're not doing too bad. Once you get hip, you'll understand you're the only cool dude in the band imo. The bass means power and control... Think like a bass player, then you'll earn the lower frequency benefits that you own.
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I like being the metronome for the drummer. 
I actually listen to the drummer. I know, weird, huh.
Seriously, doing the work in the background that nobody else understands except those who are also doing the same thing has always been my MO. Very very few people ever saw or understood the code I wrote when I did that. Few even know the language I coded in and I don't care.
I actually listen to the drummer. I know, weird, huh.Seriously, doing the work in the background that nobody else understands except those who are also doing the same thing has always been my MO. Very very few people ever saw or understood the code I wrote when I did that. Few even know the language I coded in and I don't care.
If it helps your ego, think of playing bass as a subtextual testosterone throw-down: with the possible exception of drums and keys, yours is bigger than anybody else's on stage.
Here's my all time favorite Paul McCarney bass quote. Apparently he drew the wrong straw in the band. 
If you're good enough at bass people WILL appreciate it.
If you're good enough at bass people WILL appreciate it.
Playing bass suits my personality just fine. I don't need (much) praise or attention, and I'm happy to be the supportive guy in the back making things happen on-stage and off, without anyone really knowing it. I love working with original songwriters and (hopefully) making their stuff sound great while letting them get all the glory for their songs. That's way more rewarding IMO.
If it's attention you're after, functioning as a bass player isn't gonna get you there. You can always function as a lead player with a bass, but that's only gonna get you so far before you quit getting work as a bass player.
If it's attention you're after, functioning as a bass player isn't gonna get you there. You can always function as a lead player with a bass, but that's only gonna get you so far before you quit getting work as a bass player.
The only audience I really care about is the drummer and guitarist(s). As long as they are listening, I am enjoying playing music...
If your motivation in playing music is to get people coming out to specifically watch you, perhaps you should switch instruments and develop a solo act.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."
I realized that I don't need to be in the forefront, because I love to play! I've been told my many people (particularly musicians) that it shows to the point where it can't be ignored by those watching.
With all due respect to the bass virtuosos here and elsewhere, I don't believe anyone goes to a show or concert specifically to see the bass player solo...but a lot of non-musicians are frankly "easily impressed" and are perfectly happy to listen to the bass player stay in the pocket. They go to your gig to have fun, dance, maybe drink, maybe meet someone, and to have something to do on a Thursday (or whenever) night.
Maybe it's just me but I've always felt that as a bassist my biggest job was to put the music and show first and to be the biggest fan of the musicians onstage with me second. However I'm also to the point in my life where I don't care about being revered by random people at a show but am working hard to be the bassist that an artist or band leader immediately thinks of when they have a show and need an A-list player...and hope to get there someday.
Maybe it's just me but I've always felt that as a bassist my biggest job was to put the music and show first and to be the biggest fan of the musicians onstage with me second. However I'm also to the point in my life where I don't care about being revered by random people at a show but am working hard to be the bassist that an artist or band leader immediately thinks of when they have a show and need an A-list player...and hope to get there someday.
