Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
I don't buy any of this. There was, is and will be female players in bands, no more or less than there ever was.
There are men playing very softly with care and truly savage bassist women. Deprived from vision, nobody is able to tell the difference between a man and a woman playing.
Smooth_bass88
vaxx!
- Oct 31, 2006
- 12,122
- 16,793
- Disclosures
- have been on nationally released albums, charting on the Billboard 200
...and if you close your eyes, (or just listen to the audio without any video) you cannot tell the gender of the musicians.
There are no gender lines in bass playing. There are even men who can do the boob over the top thing.
I didn't even know I was being considered for the gig!
Existence itself is, at its core, a long and continuous audition.
Which one is that? Are you posting in the same thread I’m reading?
I love this video where Tal and Lizzie Ball unintentionally but totally outclass Jeff Beck without even trying:
(Or catch Janek Gwizdala‘s S.O. Chelsea when she’s winding out on her bass. She’s another great player. )
(Or catch Janek Gwizdala‘s S.O. Chelsea when she’s winding out on her bass. She’s another great player. )
Last edited:
I have a question about Bruno Mar's "24K" and Alessandra's great bass cover of it (see post #1). I am learning it for this weekends set list (which is how I discovered her video).
I was following her fingering, but kept on hearing Eb as the lowest note rather than E. So I switched to my 4 string (always tuned to Eb) and , voila, the fingering got a lot simpler. So I think she was using a muted E to approximate the Eb similar to what James Jamerson did a lot.
Do you hear Eb or E as the low note on the original?
I am trying to get my octave pedal to work on this song, but its not stable at the lower pitches. Any suggestions to approximate the synth tone?
I was following her fingering, but kept on hearing Eb as the lowest note rather than E. So I switched to my 4 string (always tuned to Eb) and , voila, the fingering got a lot simpler. So I think she was using a muted E to approximate the Eb similar to what James Jamerson did a lot.
Do you hear Eb or E as the low note on the original?
I am trying to get my octave pedal to work on this song, but its not stable at the lower pitches. Any suggestions to approximate the synth tone?
There are literally thousands of people who paly bass better than I do.
Why is the fact that some of them female worthy of its own thread?
The whole thing has a “not bad for a girl” vibe about it.
Those are awesome fills, but please credit Bruno’s brilliant bassist Jamareo Artis for them. He came up with the fills. She’s just copying his stuff, verbatim, from this SNL appearance.
Last edited:
I felt Jeff did a great job. He, like Carlos Santana, has a very unique sound. BTW, they both are over 70 now. It s a shame that the clips from the Ronnie Scott DVD are no longer on the internet bcause that's a heck of a performance by Jeff, Tal and Vinnie. I am wondering if Tal moved on because Jeff was getting closer to retirement rather than just to do her solo thing.
Tal's playing has a great feel, possibly in part from her jazz background. She used to play the jazz clubs in NYC when she was a wee lass. I think she was really getting into her playing based on the facial expressions.
Tal's playing has a great feel, possibly in part from her jazz background. She used to play the jazz clubs in NYC when she was a wee lass. I think she was really getting into her playing based on the facial expressions.
Wow! Thank you so much for flagging this SNL performance! Artis kills it...and I think he is detuned to Eb. I like his version and tone better than the official version.
He’s arguably the finest player in popular music right now, IMO. Sounds and plays like a guy twice his age and it’s really him playing live.
No matter how good you are, there's always someone better. And in this case, better looking.
And don't forget Tina Weymouth.
And don't forget Tina Weymouth.
I totally agree with the statement that "if you close your eyes, you can't tell what the gender of the bass player is"
It just does not matter. If your good, your good.
However, for top artists like Jeff Beck and others, there probably is a sense of how a young, talented and attractive person adds to the visual quality of his show. I know that these top artists can get anyone they want to play in their bands, but I'm certain they are also aware of the visuals involved. Another example could be Prince, who could have had his choice of any killer players he wanted, but because he was aware of both the quality of the audible and visual aspect of his shows, he always had a strong (and very talented and attractive) group of women in his bands (Sheila E, Wendy Melvoin etc.)
On a much smaller scale, I have been playing in an original Americana type band for the past 2 years that has a (very attractive) woman on violin, and a very diverse set of players. So, the visuals are somewhat unique and tend to set us apart. On the occasion when the band is made up of mostly "old white guys" (like when schedules conflict and we have to use subs) ... I have definitely detected a difference in how audiences reacts to us.
OTOH, when these talented and attractive young bass players are the same age as, say, Jeff Beck is today, I'm guessing they will have to survive entirely on their chops
oh, and I was also not aware that I was up for the Jeff Beck or Bruno Mars gigs ... in my case though, its probably age as much as anything
It just does not matter. If your good, your good.
However, for top artists like Jeff Beck and others, there probably is a sense of how a young, talented and attractive person adds to the visual quality of his show. I know that these top artists can get anyone they want to play in their bands, but I'm certain they are also aware of the visuals involved. Another example could be Prince, who could have had his choice of any killer players he wanted, but because he was aware of both the quality of the audible and visual aspect of his shows, he always had a strong (and very talented and attractive) group of women in his bands (Sheila E, Wendy Melvoin etc.)
On a much smaller scale, I have been playing in an original Americana type band for the past 2 years that has a (very attractive) woman on violin, and a very diverse set of players. So, the visuals are somewhat unique and tend to set us apart. On the occasion when the band is made up of mostly "old white guys" (like when schedules conflict and we have to use subs) ... I have definitely detected a difference in how audiences reacts to us.
OTOH, when these talented and attractive young bass players are the same age as, say, Jeff Beck is today, I'm guessing they will have to survive entirely on their chops
oh, and I was also not aware that I was up for the Jeff Beck or Bruno Mars gigs ... in my case though, its probably age as much as anything
Last edited:
