Guitar players are a dime a dozen, decent bassists are harder to come by. Bass players are lucky because it's much easier for them to find work.
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Guitarists looking down on bassists?
- Thread starter Cadillac_Mike
- Start date
But seriously folks, as a multi instrumentalist also, I don't see much of that snobbery among the good musicians on any instrument. The serious players don't look down on bassists unless their own experience with bassists is with those who don't do anything that takes skill (time/tone/tuning/note choices/crazy chops if that's yer thing but not the only thing that makes a great bassist).
But then maybe I'm in the wrong guitar forums. I honestly spend most of my time here, since the guitar forums I come across are so often filled with 15 year olds playing through practice amps that you just KNOW they have zero experience with real musicians... so I never return to those forums.
But then maybe I'm in the wrong guitar forums. I honestly spend most of my time here, since the guitar forums I come across are so often filled with 15 year olds playing through practice amps that you just KNOW they have zero experience with real musicians... so I never return to those forums.
I'd guess you're correct but I'd go further to say that it's probably even somewhat genre specific. I've not really encountered much of this either and I play mostly rock, but not necessarily rock that requires me to play the simplest possible lines. The people I work with respect that I can pull a little more out of my hat than root-5 and most of them have auditioned enough bassists by the time they get to me that they know it can be challenging to find one who really plays deep in the pocket. As I said in another thread, they may not know how to describe what they want, but they know it when they hear it.
So maybe the genre and the experience level of the players involved has something to do with this, too. I know it exists, but most guitarists I meet seem well aware of the scarcity of really good bassists (and drummers, too).
I can do both guitar and bass, along with a bunch of other instruments. Nothing is more fun than bass, and if you screw up a part of bass, the whole band looks bad. If you screw up your little noodly guitar solo or a chord or two, it is not as bad if everything else is good in the band.
I like being able to play almost 100% of the time at a gig as opposed to standing around waiting for my guitar solo or strumming chords all night.
And, luckily, I play with guitarists who have great respect for bassists.
I like being able to play almost 100% of the time at a gig as opposed to standing around waiting for my guitar solo or strumming chords all night.
And, luckily, I play with guitarists who have great respect for bassists.
One time, the drummer and guitar player told me I need to play more notes! More notes? I'm the bass player, not the 2nd lead guitarist!
obviously to weigh it. If someone weights the same as a duck, then they're made of wood. If they're made of wood then they're witch. Geesh. Did you pass science class?
I have never quite understood these type of drummer/guitarist/singer bashing threads. We are all musicians.
Over the years I have played with some goodies. Never really generalized their behaviour to the instrument they played. Aholes are aholes no matter what they play.
Over the years I have played with some goodies. Never really generalized their behaviour to the instrument they played. Aholes are aholes no matter what they play.
Of course I did
I studied science at the University of Monty Python
*All things that weigh as much as a duck are things that can float.
*So all things that weigh as much as a duck are things that are made of wood.
*Therefore, all witches are things that weigh as much as a duck.
*This thing is a thing that weighs as much as a duck.
*Therefore, this thing is a witch.
*I'm not sure, but I think Witch is code for Guitarist
depends if the guitarist weighs the same as a duck. Could be the singer.
Exactly what I thought... until a need to find a decent one arose.
When you start something on bass, you'd best know how you're gonna end it. On guitar you can go right off the high end of the fretboard and as long as the bass and drums are on point, everyone think it's cool.
that was a difficult sub-theme/POV for me to deal with when i first joined TB and started posting...like a rodney dangerfield joke "i don't get no respect" = where does that stuff come from?
THIS^
Plus you should be able to get work even if you’re mediocre but functional. But then, those are the kind of players that shade-throwing guitarists tend to focus on.
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Problem is, many (to most) guitar players are narcissistic - thinking they are the stars of the show. However, narcissism blind’s one to the truth, that drummers and bass players are the heart of the band, producing the heartbeat that shakes dancer’s booties and makes music music. Also, I bet there are many more bass players who are band leaders than there are guitar players.
I think the phenomenon of guitarists looking down their nose at bassists is 95% myth.
Maybe In Some rudimentary, garage rock n roll, teenage scenario, but not in the real world.
Maybe In Some rudimentary, garage rock n roll, teenage scenario, but not in the real world.
More notes? You should be so lucky. There’s constant pressure to “not play so busy” or “just play roots”.
I call it “Battered Bass Player Syndrome”.that was a difficult sub-theme/POV for me to deal with when i first joined TB and started posting...like a rodney dangerfield joke "i don't get no respect" = where does that stuff come from?
Anyone got this monkey's number? It sounds like he's easy to work with.I should like to meet this monkey, sounds like fun. And better than some lead players I've played with.
