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Guitar envy

C

Crimsai

May 17, 2011
12
1
#1
This sort of thing never used to annoy me, but I've found recently that in the band I'm playing with (a church band) the guitarist will often play the intro to a song (missing about half the notes) in practice but the choir will start cheering and telling him it sounded great, yet it's like I'm not even there most of the time even though we've been doing a lot of bass-driven songs recently with some pretty complicated rhythms. I had a solo in one of the songs a couple weeks ago and nobody even mentioned it. I've just found it a bit frustrating recently and was wondering if many people feel like this and how y'all deal with it?

I didn't get into music to get attention, but it would be nice to have a bit of appreciation.
 
#2
Your dilemma has nothing to do with guitar envy, or even musical envy, and has to do with you wanting appreciation from those you associate with.

There is nothing wrong with wanting appreciation, it's a basic human trait.

The real question is how you will let this perception, of these people not appreciating what you do, affect you on a personal level.

To answer that, you first need to truly know and understand your motivations for playing with this church band.
 
#3
If you find that you can, without thinking about it, put the same energy into your playing, the same desire for percection, and the same emotion into your playing when you play to an empty room as you would to a full house, then I'd say your motivations have a good chance of being correct.

Focus on the real reasons you're playing, and you'll probably be satisfied.
 
#6
Me (at a rehersal): In case you guys didn't notice, I kicked ass on that!"

Them: "Sure sure."

The point is that I know when I rock, and know when I'm struggleing. Look for approval elsewhere - but mention it, humbly, when you think you deserve it. No big.
 
#7
It doesn't surprise me. Guitarists get the attention, no shocking news. So what? If you do your job as a bassist and excel, you will be saving your bandmates' asses when they screw up (especially the guitarist), and you can certainly be proud about that.

But if you still want people to notice how important you are for the band, whenever the guitarist starts screwing up again, stop playing. Chances are the rest of the band will come crashing down (or the guitarist will sound so off, it will be undeniable), and the smartest ones will realize: "oh, so we DO need the bassist to keep everything tight and neat". Then, they might appreciate you more. Do this only on rehearsals, though.
 
#8
I can sympathize, but you have to realize that this the nature of bass. It is very rare that anyone appreciates the role it plays in an ensemble (I think this statement extends to a lot of musicians, too). They hear you, but they don't realize they hear you. On the other hand, people are programmed to hear and respond to the guitar.

But when the bass stops, all of the groove gets sucked right out of the song, regardless of what the guitar (or anyone else) does. People notice immediately, even if they don't realize why it doesn't sound right. But when the guitar stops, the beat goes, and people keep moving.

It has to be enough that YOU know this. It's great if your bandmates know this. It's shocking if anyone in the audience knows this.
 
#9
Most people, especially most audience members, are &*^%*^& idiots when it comes to music. They lavish tons of praise and attention on poor to mediocre singers and guitarists, and ignore almost everything else. I bet almost everyone here has experienced what you have, and yep, it kinda blows. Ultimately, you just have to decide how much it matters to you. If a lot, change instruments, or learn to sing and be the front man. If not so much, then just keep on keepin' on.
 
#11
Is your bass cutting through well? When I play at church I have to ramp up the highs to cut through acoustic guitarists, a pianist and a few vocalists. And moving around more will also get you more attention. I normally play guitar, but when I do play bass, I go nuts with running lines and do fills wherever there's a chance. I get compliments all the time, but I get way more when i play upright, probably because it's larger and not many people realize that it's just a bass.
 
#13
If no one is complaining or saying anything about your bass playing, that's a blessing in disguise. It basically means you are doing everything right - creating a groove and holding the fort down so your guitar player can screw up 100x and still get applause. That is the job of a bass player.

If people are clapping and not covering their ears while you are playing, that is a good thing! It's church for goodness sakes! You really expect to get compliments during church?
 
#14
Depending on the church, you might not be able to get away with blatant attention-attracting devices, but do you play any intros? Intros are a lot easier to notice than solos or complicated rhythms.

Other than that, move around more (if appropriate), wear a nice modern-looking suit (if appropriate), and be much better-looking than the guitarist (this is always appropriate). This may be bass humor but I am not joking about any of those.
Stilettoprefer said:
I get compliments all the time, but I get way more when i play upright, probably because it's larger and not many people realize that it's just a bass.
Click to expand...
This is very true. If you play DB people will notice you just because it's so large, and appreciate you just for the fact that you hauled something so large.
 
#15
Church music is a tricky endeavor because you're not playing to please or impress anyone. You are leading people into a place of worship, and you are singing to God. Make sure your motivations are in the right place, and check out Psalm 33:3.
 
#18
The majority of people won't notice the foundation unless it's missing. If the drums and bass don't attract any comments it's usually a good thing.

If you really want the attention and compliments, play lead guitar.

Me? I like compliments as much as the next man, but I also like knowing that I'm holding it all together. That's why I alternate between guitar and bass!
 

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