Do you encourage less skilled musicians?

[Joedog]

I've noticed several threads lately complaining about sloppy or unskilled musicians lately. In retrospect, I've (too often, and recently) been guilty of the same. Yes some are just too lazy to challenge themselves to improve....many of us are guilty of that to "some" degree. OR, perhaps they just have different and equally valid life priorities! Many of us will never be world renowned, even if we are pretty darned good. I see it as kind of a sliding scale. I've seen/heard too many musicians trash others seemingly to make themselves feel superior. Maybe we need to realize some musicians do not aspire to the same goals? How many of us have tried to form/join a band where things just didn't match up? I look back to when I was a young, green musician, And to this day I am moved and extremely grateful to those great BP's who encouraged/helped and complimented me on my journey. I have tried to pay it forward, especially w/young musicians. I think dissing others is (in part) a competitive thing. Again, I've been guilty. Just to throw it out there......perhaps we should be a bit more mindful and positive. I'm likely to fail on occasion, but I'm committing to try and be a more positive force with/for those coming up behind us. Feel free to opine. My apologies for not being at my best at times.

Signed: Hoping to be a better man.

 

[Old P Bass Guy]

I'm still waiting to run into the "less skilled" player!

 

[brianrost]

I try to pay back those that encouraged and had faith in me by doing the same for players I meet, esp. at jam sessions that I host.

There is a subtle difference though between players who are trying to improve and those that don't know they need to improve. For the latter, I just don't want to have to play with them

 

[Kyllsa]

Im one of those less skilled players. Im in a new country (im American, I moved to the Netherlands 3 years ago) and would love nothing more than to meet some other musicians to jam with and learn from. Between my crippling shyness, the language barrier yet, and this sort of attitude, I fear I may never find people to play with and learn from. More established musicians looking down the length of their nose at me because I sometimes still flub a simple ii v I or a 12 bar blues line doesn't do any favours for any of us.

 

[jackstraw316]

Please don't shoot me but I find it all to easy to be complacent on the bass for beginners (depending on their style). Rock bass, if you're young there is a good chance this is where you're headed and lets face it a lot of the popular music does not feature anything special on bass. For me after getting my Jack Bruce, John Bohnum and Roger Waters licks down I thought I was a bad ass than I stumbled upon a Weather Report record of my dads (Heavy Weather) got the Jaco instructional movie and was very... very humbled!

 

[stigbeve]

I used to try to show our drummer how to play certain parts and techniques. Given up.
Our only cover is Hallowed Be Thy Name, he still can't get it right after quite a few years. drool

 

[bolophonic]

I encourage everybody, but I will only play with people who have massive skills.

 

[jackstraw316]

Speaking of Jam sessions, to preface: I don't have the best "people" skills out side of work (believe it or not I've been in sales 10 years and am damn good, just don't bother me outside of work).

I was at an open jam where I sounded like crap, well I think I did damn sound guy could never get me in the monitors. Anyways after watching a kid and his dad do some song by Arcade Ice fire or Ice Ravens or something Ice I think, I approached the kid in the back with my bass. I'm sure I said something like, you sound pretty good can I show you a lick that really helped me early on? Wanted to show him a run that stretched my fingers and playing out when I was young (basic little walk started on E string (G) and just walking A and D strings down from frets 1-4 ending with a A and B flat on the G). His dad jumped my butt, saying how he's just learning and doing his best I'm just like "I'm just trying to show him something the changed my playing"... I blew him off and that jam session off after that. I wonder if I had been able to hear myself and play along with the guitarist I was jamming with if it would have been different or if his dad was just uber over protective.

 

[Old P Bass Guy]

I guess I need to thank the generous musicians who welcomed a 14 year old into their bands. Most of these guys were formally educated in music even though our music was Rock and R&B. I didn't know a Pentatonic from a Gin & Tonic. They were patient and encouraged me to get better everyday.

 

[AlexBassMP]

Always

 

[5teven5trummer]

Im one of those less skilled players. Im in a new country (im American, I moved to the Netherlands 3 years ago) and would love nothing more than to meet some other musicians to jam with and learn from. Between my crippling shyness, the language barrier yet, and this sort of attitude, I fear I may never find people to play with and learn from. More established musicians looking down the length of their nose at me because I sometimes still flub a simple ii v I or a 12 bar blues line doesn't do any favours for any of us.

The Dutch are great English speakers. Such mellow cats! I think youre being too hard on yourself !

 

[bassdude51]

Actually, less skilled musicians encourage me! Why? They make me feel not so bad about my limited skills.

 

[Mannyinnewyork]

I can’t find any.

 

[Joedog]

Im one of those less skilled players. Im in a new country (im American, I moved to the Netherlands 3 years ago) and would love nothing more than to meet some other musicians to jam with and learn from. Between my crippling shyness, the language barrier yet, and this sort of attitude, I fear I may never find people to play with and learn from. More established musicians looking down the length of their nose at me because I sometimes still flub a simple ii v I or a 12 bar blues line doesn't do any favours for any of us.

Hang in there. If you love playing bass, keep at it. Play along w/your favorite songs until you nail them! When you have a bit more confidence in your ability, take a risk! Search out an open jam, or musicians looking to jam. Yeah, sometimes it seems like a train wreck, but that's how we learn. Few have succeeded w/o a bit of failure....don't fear it. It's not going to kill you, it'll make you stronger! Have patience....it took me 50 years to get to where I am, and I'm still not nearly as good as I want to be, and still trying to get better. Yeah I know some very good musicians who "look down there noses" at those not as experienced. I have far less respect for them, compared to those with less experience, but are working hard, improving, and rejecting negativity. Rock on! I remember a quote that says something like: at the end, we don't regret the things we did, nearly as much as regret the things we did NOT do.

 

[buldog5151bass]

I will encourage any musician, regardless of talent level. But at my stage in life, I only have a certain amount of time to devote to music. If I am going to play in a band, it has to be of a certain level (especially the drummer)

 

[dbase]

I played at an open mike night as we were the headliner band. 1st time on stage in quite a few years and I was nervous as hell not knowing if any other bass players were in the audience watching. We did our show and it was good. When other musicians got up afterwards to jam, the bass player had some sort of Gretch bass and he played "Ok". He obviously was a beginner compared to me but afterwards I commented him on how well he played and asked him questions about his bass. That made him feel important and I felt good about myself. Recently, I commented to our new guitar player how good he was (he is good) and how compared to him my chops were lacking and I needed more practice. He told me "Don't worry about it, you're playing in a band aren't you." Pass it forward.

 

[Londo Molari]

 

[lfmn16]

I encourage motivated less skilled musicians. One of my drummer's sons play drums and we let him sit in with us at rehearsal. One of my bass students wanted to play with his friends so I let them use my rehearsal space in my basement (drums, bass amp, guitar amp, PA). If you suck because you're lazy though, forget it.

 

[Leiria]

Why wouldnt I? Its always motivating for me to get encouraged by better musicians so of course Im going to do the same. I even encourage people who arent musicians but have a deeper than usual love/knowledge of music to get started. Playing is tons of fun, I want more people to be able to enjoy it

 

[Scootbass1]

When I was young my father was a drummer working out of the local musicians hall and I was around tons of older well seasoned musicians. When I decided I wanted to play the bass at 15 years of age all of those musicians encouraged me and shared a great deal of valuable info, tips and help. One of the bass players my father worked with played Upright mostly, but he introduced me to the unlined fretless. I fell in love with the tone and expressivenes of the fretless. He always showed me something to do to improve my electric playing everytime I saw him over 35 years until he passed away. He taught me how to improve my ear to differentiate different notes to allow me to play the fretless without staring at the fingerboard all of the time. I'm comfortable enough to play entire gigs or open mic nights on the blank plank now. Since those excellent players shared with me I have always strove to pass it on. One young bass player was at a local music store I was helping and he stated that he could never play fretless. I said nonsense and asked him if he wanted try it? He sat there with me for almost an hour absorbing what I was telling and showing him. Fast forward a year and he is an accomplished fretless player now. He thanks me for being a cool old dude everytime I see him. I say thank you and share that I was honored that I could pass on what I have to give.
Keep paying it forward all,
Mike