Of course, there are also all the jokes about the viola going out of tune all the time…
But then I look at Celia Hatton and forget about all that.
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.
Guitarists looking down on bassists?
- Thread starter Cadillac_Mike
- Start date
But then I look at Celia Hatton and forget about all that.
I also believe it's mostly a Rock music thing. See this (fictional) interview with Eddie van Halen about his son Wolfgang "coming out as a bass player" (it's funny):
We Sat Down With Eddie Van Halen to Ask How He Accepted His Son Coming Out as a Bassist
We Sat Down With Eddie Van Halen to Ask How He Accepted His Son Coming Out as a Bassist
Last edited:
I love it! The Hard Times and The Onion are two of my favorite satire sites.
The "Lemmy tell you this" part had me in stitches!
The "Lemmy tell you this" part had me in stitches!
Of course, there are also all the jokes about the viola going out of tune all the time…
But then I look at Celia Hatton and forget about all that.
Not to derail the thread but as regards Viola:
Q: what is the difference between a Violin and a Viola exactly?
A (By the great Victor Borge):"Well, the viola burns longer."
Q: What is the definition of a minor second?
A: Two Violists attempting to play the same note.
By the way, did you hear about the Viola player that played so out of tune that even the other Violists noticed?
Ta dum tsssssss...
I liked the article, “People we would have rather lost than Lemmy”. With Martin Skreli featured.
I hear you. for years, I used to play guitar and front a trio. It was nerve racking. I had to write songs, worry about getting a sore throat, etc. I often felt like I was being hung out to dry by the bass player and drummer even when they were doing their jobs because the pressure was on me. If they were too laid back, I felt like they were leaving me up there to make an ass of myself. If they overplayed, they were messing with my pocket. I also felt that I had to make it worth their while to be in the band because we weren't making money.
Now I string some riffs together, tell the rest of the band that I've written a "song" and they finish it. The singer writes the words. I'm afraid to listen to em, because I'm picky about that stuff (which is why it takes me forever to finish songs), but I'm also very grateful to be in a band with a guy who walks around with a notebook full of words. I can help the audience have a good time, but unless I'm negligent, I can't really hinder them. I like being a cog in the machine. That said, I still think it'd be easier to be a guitar player if that was all you were doing.
Everyone knows that drummers have the hardest job because they have an acoustic instrument and they have the most stuff to do at the same time while they're playing, and they have the most stuff to haul. And for emotional labor, hand it to the singer. They're easy to hate, but it's stressful!
I'd say that in cover band the keyboard player's job is maybe no less hard - if the keyboard player worth their salt, that is. E.g. in just one of the Halloween song my band is learning atm the keyboard player plays parts of brass section, piano, organ, saxophone, and arpeggiated synth. Imagine all the switching and moving between multisplitted keyboard parts - and this is on the top of knowing what to play, which is not easy, too.
Playing keyboards is so alien to me that any decent keyboard player seems like they can do anything without even trying. Sometimes I dispute their decisions, but they seem like magicians to me, and bad keyboard players seem like they can suck all the energy out of a room. As a rock/punk player, I haven't been able to play with keyboards as often as I'd like to.
As a mediocre bassist who also can manage some guitar, and more recently an aspiring pianist / keyboardist, I can attest: keys are HARD. Even what seem like fairly straightforward parts can take way more work than I used to realize.
As much as I respect your point and I agree with you 100%, I must say that every thread like this is the proof that looking down on other musicians "works". I mean, if you are disappointend and offended it means that their opinion somehow matters to you. It shouldn't, really. Any musician who thinks that some instruments are more important or simply cooler than others doesn't know how music works. Simple as that.
I'm a multi-instrumentalist too (piano, guitar, bass, drums) and honestly I don't know how these people's brains work. It's music, every instrument has his own role and place. It's not rocket science.
I could make a few good arguments as to why the bass is a harder instrument than guitar. If a bass player wanted to play the guitar parts all night long on his bass, it would be an incredible technical feat, and some of it would be impossible. When I pick up a guitar and start noodling around, everything gets easier... of course: smaller neck/fretboard, lighter strings that can sound a note with hardly more than a touch of the left hand, chords and fast complex runs... easy, smaller body and less physical reaching... guitars lend themselves to this kind of expression. So, note for note, which instrument is easier?
LOL. Back in the day, I had a Univox 105W tube head. But only had the 4x12" cabinet. If I had known better, I would have either gotten a second cabinet or the 2x15" cabinet.
Someone wiser than me once said "picking up the bass is easy, being really good at it is hard".
Even after years of bass playing, I (humbly) still agree.
Even after years of bass playing, I (humbly) still agree.
This is why craigslist is filled with classifieds of bands "seeking bass player": who would want to play bass for a band when all they expect you to do is play the guitarist's material, the way he/she wants you to play it? "and make sure not to stand out in any way and steal my glory".
A band is not a band without a bass. Bass players are artists, too, and if we're not allowed any room to exercise our creativity, then playing in your band will be just as dull, tedious and unfulfilling as any other job.
A band is not a band without a bass. Bass players are artists, too, and if we're not allowed any room to exercise our creativity, then playing in your band will be just as dull, tedious and unfulfilling as any other job.
Sadly I have had many many encounters with guitar players with an attitude. One was my very own brother .. he got booted from the band and he never forgave me. Another was in a band with a guitar player who thought that I should carry all his gear because he was a star and wanted to leave after every gig leaving his gear for us/me to slog back to the van. I told him I was not going to do it and then he told me to go shag myself. It was a beach gig and he ended up with a face full of sand and I with his T shirt still firmly clenched in my fist after the other guys pulled me off him. Bass players, don't put up with poopie like this!!!
Remind your guitarist that the song doesn't really start until the bass comes in. I've played plenty of band gigs without a guitar, but no bass?NOPE, (with the exception of a solo acoustic guitar or pianist) I usually tell the guitarist not to be embarassed or self-conscious, not everybody can cut it on bass. I also play guitar and keys,but these days only bass on gigs. In younger days even played some trumpet. I find enjoyment in them all.
Why? Do you disagree?
The best thing about bass (and drums) is that they fit almost anywere while other instruments don't.
Yes. I disagree. I think every player has a place or role in their band or situation. Just because you and I play the same instrument it doesn’t mean we have the same role or place.
I also believe any instrument can fit almost anywhere. It’s up to the player to make it fit. And there are multiple fits.
someone wiser than me posted
Im going to go with this one
one thing prople dont realize is you can bring alot of expression to 8th note roots
its all about the feel,
i would really point out and guitarist doing scale based solos or hammer on pull off of the same 3 notes arnt really being creative
i guess its a matter of expanding your ideas of what "good" sounds like
Im going to go with this one
one thing prople dont realize is you can bring alot of expression to 8th note roots
its all about the feel,
i would really point out and guitarist doing scale based solos or hammer on pull off of the same 3 notes arnt really being creative
i guess its a matter of expanding your ideas of what "good" sounds like
