How good do you think you are?

[Mo'Phat]

... as a bass/player musician?

As a bassist, I think I'm technically sound. When I see a technique that I've never done, I can figure out how to do it. Most of Victor, Les, Stanley, etc. techniques I 'can' do...but rarely have the opportunity to do them in a band. As a musician, I have a huge hole in the theory and reading department. I have no schooling.

Is it important to you to feel successful?

Success, while relative, is a driving force. I like to feel that our shows are a success, and that means a good crowd, good reviews, and a very tight set by the band.

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

It's nice...I like having other bands ask us to play gigs and get sporadic recognition because they think they have something to gain by playing with us.

Do you have something to prove?

Not really...but I freely admit that I like to know how good I am compared to the other players on the bill. I find very selfish and egocentric reasons to want people to know I was the best bassist on the bill. Hopefully that's not all they think about the show. If that makes me a bad person...

When I played sports, it always made ME feel great to have people tell me I was a great player, in addition to telling me what a great team we had.

On the flipside, if there's another player that just smokes me, I relish the opportunity to watch and learn, and hopefully they do the same.

How do you measure your own success?

By how well my band is doing compared to other bands in town at our level.

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

They see me, my band, and other people talking about us on Facebook and assume we're doing well. That's pretty much it.

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

Not really. Sometimes I'll find someone on here from San Diego, and I'll start following them...but you can't really compare to other players at your same level unless they're toiling in the same market.

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

Nope. I doubt I have a status here.

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

There's idol worship here, certainly. How many threads does Greenboy have? I'd like to think that I don't really fall into that, but I will say I'm envious of some people (cab builders, effects geeks with piles of pedals, etc.) I also know...er, hope...that TalkBass is such a minute part of everyone's lives. There should be so much more to people to either like or dislike.

 

[bassman1nh]

The older I get the better I was.

 

[Calaverasgrande]

some people seem to think I am a really good bassist. This is because I can play really fast and have a couple techniques I have developed over the years that are not common on the bass. Such as playing "false" harmonics, chords etc.
I think they are easily impressed, and I know I am not as good as some of my bass heros. I also think my timing needs a lot of work.

 

[phillybass101]

What I see here is overwhelming evidence of a bass player mentality. I congratulate you all and I'm proud to belong to this community. Bass players really are some of the coolest people on the planet.

 

[4StringShooter]

... 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.

Stupid topic for a thread.........

 

[NoiseNinja]

I do believe I am Gods gift to humanity when it comes to playing bass.
To answer your questions: That sort of God chosen purpose just kind of shines though and gives the answers by them self as such by default just like my flawless yet untamed and raw bass play.

 

[Mo'Phat]

Stupid topic for a thread.........

.....that has spawned seven pages of discussion.

What's the best bass for metal?

 

[delta7fred]

Stupid topic for a thread.........

Yet you still responded.

Most people ignore the threads they not interested in.

 

[mellowinman]

Stupid topic for a thread.........

I know.

Right?

We could've discussed so many other things.

Here's one for you:

If you pour grecian syrup on tobacco, does it make yams taste more like elderberries or Llama?

No cheating!

 

[bassinplace]

I do believe I am Gods gift to humanity when it comes to playing bass.
To answer your questions: That sort of God chosen purpose just kind of shines though and gives the answers by them self as such by default just like my flawless yet untamed and raw bass play.

Vids or it didn't happen.

 

[metlman72]

I am good enough to get 1/3 of the door cover. Some nights that has been less than 50, some over 100.

 

[Calaverasgrande]

Yet you still responded.

Most people ignore the threads they not interested in.

exactly.

 

[Calaverasgrande]

More on topic, I truly did think I was the greatest bassist ever. I would jam on my headphones at home. Then the next day go jam with some other musicians. We all agreed it was a really tight groove etc.
Then I got into recording.
I could hear when I hesitated on a note. When I rushed the beat. I could also hear when I was inadvertently swinging the measure because I was letting my technique dictate my timing (not the other way around!).
In a way I kind of feel fortunate, these days musicians have much better access to recording equipment than I did when I was getting into music.
I kind of wonder if this doesn't inject too much second guessing into their music?

As far as success, I have never achieved much more than notoriety as a bassist. Though I have had a couple young folks tell me I influenced them. So in a way I do feel I achieved something.

 

[DBCrocky]

I agree, recording is a complete mind-f**k. You'll hear every tiny flaw, and think you need to correct them all. The truth is, it's the feel and energy of a take is more important and the little flaws are the character that people like. IME, it's always best not to be the one who to make decisions on your own takes.

 

[David Jayne]

I'm easily the best bassist on my street. No contest.

 

[paganjack]

I am good enough to play just about any live gig out there. I'm not speaking of the über-technical stuff of Wooten's, etc but jazz/rock/metal/pop/anything else, I got it down. I used to doubt myself technically, but a lot of experience in the last year or two (including performing & jamming at the Montreux Jazz festival) has helped me accept that I'm awesome at the bass. I used to just play a ton of notes, but now I play really musically (although toomanynotes is fun sometimes). There's still an infinite amount of time I could spend improving- that's one of the things that's so fun about music! You'll never be the ultimate best.

With regards to recording... I'm coming along. Most tracks (especially my own music) I can do in a single take. With super technical stuff, it still takes a heck of a long time to nail down perfectly.

 

[JoZac21]

Ooooh... an interview!!!

Q;... as a bass/player musician?
A: I would say well above average, both as a bass player and a musician general, but certainly not a "master" or anything like that... and definitely not at the level I would like to be at.

Q: Is it important to you to feel successful?
A: Extremely so - and I don't. It kills me... I know that I'm good (again, not a great... but very good). At this point I would do anything for some success... well, almost anything...

Q: Is it important to you that your peers see you as successful?
A: No. I want me to think I'm successful... I don't at the moment... I would like to change that .

Q: Do you have something to prove?
A: Hmm... I'm not sure what you mean by "prove"... but I would have to answer no. I would like to be liked... that would be nice... but I would mostly like to be able to make a good living as a musician... to get paid and be able to support myself and my lady doing what I love most... playing my bass.

Q: How do you measure your own success?
A: A tough question. Having never really gotten to the point where I really consider myself "successful" I like to think I will know when I get there...

Q: How do you think others measure your success in their minds?
A: I have seen a lot of musicians "better" than me fall to the wayside... and I've seen musicians significantly "worse" than me have what I would consider success... again, it doesn't matter... I want to be happy with where I am a musician. I'm not there yet, but my personal scale of success is very personal, and I feel I'm the only one that can ever say, "yes, I am successful and am happy with where I am".

Q: Do you think of TB as a place where you can compare yourself against others and measure your success?
A: I guess... for me, it's a place to converse with and hear from people that share my debilitating obsession. I don't compare myself really to people on TB... you guys, I feel, are my army buddies on the vanguard... maybe I should think of you as competition more. lol.
Q: Do you think your own sense of status on TB translates to status in the real world?
A: Nope... not at all.

Q: Do you think people on TB look up to other TBers they see as successful?
A: Perhaps. Again, success is a personal concept for me. It does make me feel a little better to know that people I would consider as being successful do the same things I do (i.e. lurk on a forum!)

Q: Just some thought provoking questions.
A: I agree. Thanks... that was fun.

 

[CS]

Is it important to you to feel successful?

No

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

No

Do you have something to prove?

No

How do you measure your own success?

I don't

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?

I don't have any status unless you count registration date.

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

It's possible.

IMHO music is about the music. My day job funds my music stuff. I choose to play for free and walk when I dont enjoy it.

 

[Ric5]

I am good enough.

And trying to get a little better.

 

[Marial]

I think I have a basic competency on the instrument, enough, at least, that I've never been fired from a band. I'm just a meat & potatoes kind of player and my favorite compliments center having good tone, good groove, and driving the band.

I don't really care about much more than having fun by playing music I like to as many people who also like it as possible, and it's okay if that's ten people or five hundred.