Disdain For Your Audience

[SoVeryTired]

Maybe no-one out there cares what bass I'm playing, what effects I use, what notes I choose. Maybe they don't notice a single thing I do. But the moment I use that as an excuse for not caring what I do, or I let a band member get away with that attitude, is the point where I've got a problem.

I'm not a perfectionist. I mess up as much as the next man. I think I've developed the ability to not let it crush me. But I care. I care that I'm using the right bass, the right pickup selection, plucking or picking in the best place for the sound I want to produce. I care about adding those subtle touches of effects at the right moments. Even if no-one off-stage does, I do. And I'm going to play like everyone out there is a top bassist and music critic.

 

[will33]

"Disdain for your audience?". You better not have any or it's a quick path to wanking in your livingroom by yourself. I refuse to do that.

But, I've said plenty of stuff like "audience doesn't care" or "audience doesn't know" .....because it's true. That's not disdain for them, it's reality.

Sometimes it's in reference to gear snobs who are all "my tone, man". Truth is, audience doesn't care. Some dude who brings it with a cobbled together pile of stuff he got for $400 gets a whole lot more booty's shakin' than some dude with a $4000 bass who's only into himself.

Sometimes it's in so-called "perfectionists" who agonize over every little detail, all the while missing out on all the fun.

Sometimes it's folks who fail to see the gig from outside their own perspective. "Oh, I flubbed that one note there", or "hey, we were supposed to repeat that line 4 times, not 2", and think the song was a fail while the audience liked it and had a good time.

Disdain for the audience...no. Realistic...yes.


Caveat: I can't even count how many times I've started the intro to "brickhouse" in G, then modulated myself to A when it was time for the band kick in. Absolutely nobody noticed, and drank and danced and had fun just the same......except for the band...some ghost-white faces there.. Sometimes I still do it just to mess with them.

 

[guy n. cognito]

"Disdain for your audience?". You better not have any or it's a quick path to wanking in your livingroom by yourself. I refuse to do that.

But, I've said plenty of stuff like "audience doesn't care" or "audience doesn't know" .....because it's true. That's not disdain for them, it's reality.

Sometimes it's in reference to gear snobs who are all "my tone, man". Truth is, audience doesn't care. Some dude who brings it with a cobbled together pile of stuff he got for $400 gets a whole lot more booty's shakin' than some dude with a $4000 bass who's only into himself.

Sometimes it's in so-called "perfectionists" who agonize over every little detail, all the while missing out on all the fun.

Sometimes it's folks who fail to see the gig from outside their own perspective. "Oh, I flubbed that one note there", or "hey, we were supposed to repeat that line 4 times, not 2", and think the song was a fail while the audience liked it and had a good time.

Disdain for the audience...no. Realistic...yes.

Caveat: I can't even count how many times I've started the intro to "brickhouse" in G, then modulated myself to A when it was time for the band kick in. Absolutely nobody noticed, and drank and danced and had fun just the same......except for the band...some ghost-white faces there.. Sometimes I still do it just to mess with them.

Giant +1

 

[NWB]

Caveat: I can't even count how many times I've started the intro to "brickhouse" in G, then modulated myself to A when it was time for the band kick in. Absolutely nobody noticed, and drank and danced and had fun just the same......except for the band...some ghost-white faces there.. Sometimes I still do it just to mess with them.

LOL!!

I've done/do the same thing!

 

[will33]

LOL!!

I've done/do the same thing!

Just this past Saturday, on the gig, I don't remember what song it was now, but we ended up doing an entire tune in B instead of C 'cause my guitar player (who can be a little OCD about this type of stuff...he's cool though, I like him) started his intro a fret off. Sounded great and again, absolutely nobody outside the band knew the difference.

 

[marmadaddy]

The audience doesn't know, and generally they don't care. It isn't their job to know and care about the details, it's yours. A musical performance is made up of a hundred different details, most of which are beyond the ability of non-musicians to notice. That doesn't mean they don't matter.

The difference between a good band and a great one is generally that the great one put more effort into getting the details right, both individually and collectively.

Saying "it doesn't matter" or "the audience doesn't care" is really just another way of saying "I don't want to put that much effort into it." That's fine, but trying to put responsibility for that on the audience is intellectually dishonest.

As to disdain for an audience how's this: a drummer who drunkenly gets up from behind his kit, walks up to your mic and announces to a full dance floor "I hate playing this ****ing song." Now THAT'S disdain for an audience. It was also the catalyst for my resignation from the band.

 

[will33]

The audience doesn't know, and generally they don't care. It isn't their job to know and care about the details, it's yours. A musical performance is made up of a hundred different details, most of which are beyond the ability of non-musicians to notice. That doesn't mean they don't matter.

The difference between a good band and a great one is generally that the great one put more effort into getting the details right, both individually and collectively.

Saying "it doesn't matter" or "the audience doesn't care" is really just another way of saying "I don't want to put that much effort into it." That's fine, but trying to put responsibility for that on the audience is intellectually dishonest.

As to disdain for an audience how's this: a drummer who drunkenly gets up from behind his kit, walks up to your mic and announces to a full dance floor "I hate playing this ****ing song." Now THAT'S disdain for an audience. It was also the catalyst for my resignation from the band.

That sucks, man. Sorry to hear that.

When I say stuff like "audience doesn't care", it's usually in reference to some situation like I described above.

You said it well, in that it's not their job to notice little details like that, it's ours. They're supposed to be partiers, not analysts. They sure as hell do know if you're any good or not, and if you enjoy what you're doing or not. They don't need to know all the little why's and what-for's and how-to's.

 

[dhsierra1]

my attitude at gigs is to not copy Henri's:

 

[JonnyAngle]

The audience will not notice if you flub a few notes here and there...

But they will notice if you and you group have every single lick down tight, have perfect harmonies, etc.

That's the difference between, ” we went out last night and there was a band there,” and, ” there was an awesome band that played last night when we went out.”

 

[bolophonic]

Here's what I believe. Nobody cares about your gear. Nobody cares that the bass doesn't sound good because nobody hears it anyway. The audience is a bunch of non-musicians who don't know what good sound is.

However, I always take pro-level gear to gigs, I always try to get the best tone out of my gear, and I always try to play my best and entertain the crowd. But believing as I do, when I show up at a gig with "backline provided" and it turns out to be a Carvin BR600 15-inch combo, I do my best to squeeze a decent sound out of it, and comfort myself believing the first three statements to be true.

Well put.