One of the orchestras I played for ran out of bass folders, so I ended up with a piccolo folder. It at least made me smile every time I took it out of the bag.
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Double Bass Don't you ever wish you played flute?
- Thread starter Bethelbass1
- Start date
Originally Posted by Mike Crumpton
I always get "that's a big guitar" or sometimes "how do you get that under your chin" to which the answer is (borrowed from Don Weller) "I keep my mouth shut"!
funny stuff^
dont mind me, i wondered over here, im an electric player
I always get "that's a big guitar" or sometimes "how do you get that under your chin" to which the answer is (borrowed from Don Weller) "I keep my mouth shut"!
funny stuff^
dont mind me, i wondered over here, im an electric player
related to the "band camp" line is one response to the old flute chestnut - "You will too when I..." However, on one occaision I simply acted totally deadpan. "Flute? How'd you mean? I'd never really considered the woodwind family cos I started on bass guitar(etc)..." Thought the poor guy was going to hang himself with his shoelaces!
jaydbass said:
Nicely done.I played a thing at a golf course tonight for a reunion of the school's band from '74. It was a school jazz band thing, and I had my DB there. While they were getting around to be finished talking, I took my DB out of the storage area and hauled it outside past a guy and his (2 or 3 year old) daughter on the porch. I unzipped the bag, and what do I hear this child say?
...
"Look daddy! What a big guitar!" I grinned, thought of this topic, and didn't say anything.
Yes I think all of us as bassists and have these comments before many times. Yesterday I heard someone make a triangle comment. I was playing a string quartet gig yesterday and we got there and there weren't any chairs for the violinists and violist to sit on (as I'd requested). Eventually they brought the chairs and the guy brings one to me and says "here's one for the cellist." To be fair, cello is the norm for a string quartet but most people just can't tell the difference.
This happened to me not a month ago...I went to a friend's house, took my bass out of the case, played the andante from the Bottesini 2 for her, she asked me no less than 3 times what the instrument was she was looking at, and then continued to call it a cello. Is it really that hard for laymen to tell?
Last night's conversation with an 8th grade kid:
"That's a big violin."
"Yeah, it hurts like hell when I put it on my neck."
"That's a big violin."
"Yeah, it hurts like hell when I put it on my neck."
It must've been a couple days ago, when I went to a local shop to check out their bows. I saw a bass and started playing it, just playing the g major scale to check out the tone of the bass. Then a girl that must've been in 3rd grade or so. Is just staring at me, her private teacher said.
"You like that instrument, he was going to put it under his chin but he didn't want to show off."
I said
"Ya I forgot my chin rest too."
Her jaw must've hit that floor, then she just walked off. It was pretty funny at the time...
"You like that instrument, he was going to put it under his chin but he didn't want to show off."
I said
"Ya I forgot my chin rest too."
Her jaw must've hit that floor, then she just walked off. It was pretty funny at the time...
I now live in NYC and get the flute comment but I have had a couple of good ones. 1. That's a big banjo. 2. How does a pretty young thing like you end playing such a huge instrument? My reply is just like anyine else. MY FAVORITE called out to me from a guy on his bike. 3. Yo little mama you need a wheel for that thing. (That day I didn't have one)
lwmoulton said:
Pretty weird comments, especially considering that, according to your profile, you're male.
I have back straps in my bag too. We must hook up & take a foto.
Would make a nice avatar, too.
R2
Walking through the village, maybe?Mike Goodbar said:Pretty weird comments, especially considering that, according to your profile, you're male.
I was at luthier Laurence Dixon's getting some work done on my bass and he told me another client, Dave Chamberlain, has a small Teddy Bear poking its head out of the the top pocket on his bass case. He always gets comments about the Teddy Bear, which he tells them is his mascot, and forstalls all the " humorous" comments about the bass.
Now that is clever psychology, get them thinking , and commenting ,about something else before they drive you mad. I think I will try this next. All the , to me, witty comebacks tend to take the smile, and the goodwill, out of the faces of the punters who make the " thats a big guitar" " the bass is bigger than you" "don't you wish you'd taken up the flute" "what is that?" comments. It has obviously never occured to them that you might have heard their comments before, and they are assured in their own minds and those of their freinds that they are unconventionally amusing. As I walk out of the door I would like them to have positive thoughts about me rather than think what a smartarse, although I couldn't possibly comment on whether my arse was smarter than them.
Now that is clever psychology, get them thinking , and commenting ,about something else before they drive you mad. I think I will try this next. All the , to me, witty comebacks tend to take the smile, and the goodwill, out of the faces of the punters who make the " thats a big guitar" " the bass is bigger than you" "don't you wish you'd taken up the flute" "what is that?" comments. It has obviously never occured to them that you might have heard their comments before, and they are assured in their own minds and those of their freinds that they are unconventionally amusing. As I walk out of the door I would like them to have positive thoughts about me rather than think what a smartarse, although I couldn't possibly comment on whether my arse was smarter than them.
simandlhandle said:
Lmao. I have a stuffed animal snake strapped onto my bass case. Got some weird looks walking around UT hallways
Conor MacCarthy said:
If you dont mind me asking, HOW!!!!????
The school basses all have Mooradian cases and I can never carry it comfortably! (My Palatino came with a cheap bag with back straps)
Holly Wright said:
Well the best way to carry it is to put the the strap over your left shoulder and carry the bass on the right. you can put alot of the weight on the bass on your hip, and then hold on the the hand strap on the from of the case with your right hand (thanks to dave whitla for showing me this way!). you can also alternate which shoulder carries the strap, while keeping the bass in the same position. after a while you can do this without even having to stop walking.
as for swinging it round on my back, i cant walk with it like this, but i can have both hands free - handy for finding house keys while you're at the door without taking the bass and putting it on the floor. it only works when you have the strap 'across' your body, ie bass on right, strap over left shoulder. then you just swing it around till it's completely behind you.
i had a soundware case before which had shoulder straps, and i find the mooradian single strap more comfortable now. it's a really good design. also i did give the bass a few knocks, especially on doorways, due to having it so high when i was walking around with it on back straps. also i had a bad experience in general with my soundware case. the shoulder strap broke completely, and some other minor things too.
