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How good do you think you are?

DBCrocky

DBCrocky

Guest
Oct 18, 2011
611
6
Cary, NC
#1
... as a bass/player musician?

Is it important to you to feel successful?
Is it important to you that your peers see you as successful?
Do you have something to prove?
How do you measure your own success?
How do you think others measure your success in their minds?
Do you think of TB as a place where you can compare yourself against others and measure your success?
Do you think your own sense of status on TB translates to status in the real world?
Do you think people on TB look up to other TBers they see as successful?

Just some thought provoking questions.
 
#2
I think i put victor Wooten to shame. At least in my head :hiding:

I don't think I'm really all that good. I try to stay conserved and humble with my playing. There's nothing worse than that guy saying "I'm awesome". I try not to play with people like that. Let your playing speak for you not your mouth.

I guess it's good to feel some level of being good, it keeps you going and gives you that push to keep trying and to get better.
 
#3
I can make my bass make the noises I want to hear. I don't know how else to qualify how good that makes me, but it makes me satisfied. There are others on here that are ridiculously better than me at getting their basses to make the sounds they want them to make. I admire their skill, but in the end, bass is for me to express myself, not outdo others.
 
#4
When I was 20, I literally thought I was one of the best bass players ever. Now that I'm almost 40, I realize two things: one, I'm about 9 times the musician I was when I was 20. Two, I am definitely *not* a world-class talent. Growing up sucks, I guess. But musicians I play with say I make the band groove, and I get compliments when I play the local clubs. So I guess I don't suck. I just love music, and am honestly grateful to be able to take part, even in my own modest, average schmuck kind of way.
 
#6
If the music i'm playing or involved with is personally satisfying, thats good enough for me. All musicians would like praise from those who listen to our music, but if you're happy with the band and your own performance, thats what matters most.
There's always someone "better" or "worse" than you. We all can get better.
 
#7
I would consider myself to be an ok bassist/musician. I'm no where as good as I strive to be and I know I'll never get to the point where I don't think that I need to learn anything else. I get the job done for what ever I'm playing and the guys that I play with seem to be happy with my skill level and what I bring to the mix. There is always room for improvement and I look forward to my personal progression in the years to come.
 
#8
I am a very big deal!

I'm not a great bass player in my own opinion, but I get gigs and I get paid for them.

A strong back and a great sense of timing count for a lot in this business it would seem.
 
#9
DBCrocky said:
Is it important to you to feel successful?
Click to expand...
Yes, but by being a huge factor in someone else's success. Especially a band's success. I've always loved those support roles where I have to do lots of (figurative) heavy lifting.

Is it important to you that your peers see you as successful?
Click to expand...
Couldn't give a damn what other people think.

Do you have something to prove?
Click to expand...
To others? No.

How do you measure your own success?
Click to expand...
By how well "the other guy" does, whether it's a band, or an I.T. client, or someone I'm helping with technical problems in the BG/SR world.

How do you think others measure your success in their minds?
Click to expand...
I don't worry about it. I doubt few of them get it anyway.

Do you think of TB as a place where you can compare yourself against others and measure your success?
Click to expand...
No, I measure my personal success on an absolute scale, not a relative one. I don't grade my performance on a curve.

Do you think your own sense of status on TB translates to status in the real world?
Click to expand...
No relationship whatsoever. But the larger issue is, who cares about status.

Do you think people on TB look up to other TBers they see as successful?
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I suppose so. I just hope they don't attempt exact emulations, because oftentimes what works for one player can turn out to be a long, bumpy, time-wasting rabbit trail that leads nowhere for another player.

Say, do I get a coupon or something for answering this survey? :smug:
 
#10
My username says it all. My timing is rock-solid, my ear is barely adequate (most of the time) and my basslines are generally simple. If I were being paid by the note, I'd switch to keyboards.

I play and sing for fun. That's a good thing, 'cause I'll never get rich doing it.
 
#11
You think you're good? Take up playing double bass, that'll knock the wind out of your sails! :p I am a lead vocalist while playing double bass, does that make me good?

What is good? I've been getting paid for playing since 1963. Does that mean I'm good? I doubt it. Just means I'm good at bluffing.
I get called to sub in bands with no rehearsal, does that mean I'm good? I doubt it. Just means I know a lot of songs and can hear changes on the fly, in a lot of differing styles.
A couple of days ago I heard a young bassist busking. He was about 20 I guess. He was playing Jaco/Brand X/Weather Report on a fretless, playing harmonic chords, sliding double stops, all the tricks. I thought he was good. Very good. Can I do what he was doing? No. Can he do what I do? Maybe, maybe not. Do I have the desire to do what he was doing? No. Vice versa? Probably not, it would likely bore him to tears.
Good is such a subjective term.
 
#15
... as a bass/player musician?

Better musician than instrumentalist which I believe is better than the other way around.


Is it important to you to feel successful?

Well, sort of, but for me that lies more in making killer records/songs.

Is it important to you that your peers see you as successful?

To be honest more important than I want it to be. But then again "anyone" can be famous but it would be nice to be recognized for the songs I write etc.

Do you have something to prove?

Probably :) I like to fight the singer in my bands for the spotlight ;)

How do you measure your own success?

Success? Amount of girls (and/or guys) flashing while we play :hyper:

Do you think of TB as a place where you can compare yourself against others and measure your success?

Nah, success for me = how close you are to where you wanna be. So its not comparable since we all have different purpose with our playing.
 
#16
Been playing a long time. Think that I'm better now at some things than I ever was like reading and soloing, and not as good at things as I used to be (quick learner, but in my own defense, the type of music I'm playing is more difficult).

While taking a serious look at my skill set recently, I started working on improving my slap/pop, although I don't play in bands where it is essential. It seems that it represents a type of bass playing that I enjoy hearing, a percussive, aggressive approach to bass lines.

I play in a very crowded market (LA) with comparatively few venues for its size. Have a band of my own, and a few other regular wannabe singer/song writers that I work for, but every now and then I get a call to fill in with some 'name' players and every so often they compliment me on my amateur status with pro skills. Those moments are gratifying.
 
#17
I think I'm still improving, so however good I am I'm getting better. :)

I do care whether other people think I'm any good, and actually I've turned down gigs in the past because I thought I'd end up looking bad. I should've just played the gigs. I need to be a bit more brave really.

I measure my ability by the sounds I make really and nothing else. I've never chased technique or worked on party pieces. I'm just not interested in all that.
 
#18
This may sound cocky. But, please don't take it that way. I am completely, and utterly confident in my playing, and also my professionalism (meaning stage presence, being on time, having quality, proper gear, versatility, etc...) as a musician. I'll go ahead and say it, and flame me all the hell you want: I'm VERY confident that if the majority of big-time bands were in need of a player, if they were to hear & see me play, they would scoop me up, based JUST on my playing abilities. Band chemistry is a whole 'nother ball of wax, but equally, IF NOT MORE important!! Just sayin'.....
Look, to be any good, YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE IN YOURSELF,first & foremost. Or else you won't never, ever get anywhere. And, that's just the facts. Now, there's one key thing about feeling this way: While it's necessary to challenge yourself musically, never, ever get W-A-Y in over your head and make a fool of yourself. A reputation for being a bad player goes a l-o-n-g, l-o-n-g way in this business. Even if those rumors aren't true, other players tend to be very skeptical, until they hear it with their own ears. Building a solid reputation is a vast part of "payin' yer dues."

I'm sure most experienced players with a level head will agree with me wholeheartedly.
 
#20
Is it important to you to feel successful?

Yes.

Is it important to you that your peers see you as successful?

Relatively.

Do you have something to prove?

Yes.

How do you measure your own success?

By how good I think I sound and how it translates to the listener.

How do you think others measure your success in their minds?

Don't know. Don't care.

Do you think of TB as a place where you can compare yourself against others and measure your success?

No.

Do you think your own sense of status on TB translates to status in the real world?

(now you're really getting fantastical) No.

Do you think people on TB look up to other TBers they see as successful?

Yes.
 

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