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I just don't get it

Thunderbird&Pbass73

Thunderbird&Pbass73

Guest
Mar 16, 2015
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28
#1
Ok as we all hopefully know, local scene bands are always looking for bassists right. So why do some of them treat us so bad and tell us that we aren't important? If they need us so bad then they should treat us as an equal member of the band! Now I know not all bands are like this but I know these bands are out there because I've been in a few. The way I see it bands and people in general that put us down constantly are part of the problem with there so few bassists. Some young kid sees and hears all these bassists stereotypes and then starts thinking the same thing, so he doesn't pick up the bass and chooses something else. So there is one less bassist in our ranks, but if course as I've said there's a shortage of bassists and these bands don't realize that they are helping to create the problem!

Sorry if this is a bit long but I had to say it anyone have their own opinion on this?
 
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#3
Have things changed that much since my day? Way back then and even now in my neck of the woods I've never heard any musician that I've known ever say that the bass wasn't important. The worst thing I ever had to deal with was one particular guitar players bruised ego when a woman on the dance floor favored me over him!
 
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#4
Mike M. said:
Have things changed that much since my day? Way back then and even now in my neck of the woods I've never heard any musician that I've known ever say that the bass wasn't important. The worst thing I ever had to deal with was one particular guitar players bruised ego when a woman on the dance floor favored me over him!
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Where I'm from bassists get treated badly by a lot of people whether those people are musicians themselves or if they don't play anything at all. However I do know some really cool guitarists and drummers who do treat the bass as their equal.
 
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#5
Have heard music store talk about the paucity of bass players, but there always seems to be plenty showing up to auditions.

Finding a good bass player, one that suits the listeners taste is more accurate, and there are plenty of different players out there.
 
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#12
Thunderbird&Pbass73 said:
Ok as we all hopefully know, local scene bands are always looking for bassists right. So why do some of them treat us so bad and tell us that we aren't important? If they need us so bad then they should treat us as an equal member of the band! Now I know not all bands are like this but I know these bands are out there because I've been in a few. The way I see it bands and people in general that put us down constantly are part of the problem with there so few bassists. Some young kid sees and hears all these bassists stereotypes and then starts thinking the same thing, so he doesn't pick up the bass and chooses something else. So there is one less bassist in our ranks, but if course as I've said there's a shortage of bassists and these bands don't realize that they are helping to create the problem!

Sorry if this is a bit long but I had to say it anyone have their own opinion on this?
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That would be why they're always looking for bassists!
 
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#13
nysbob said:
Nobody who knows anything about music disses bassists.

My question is, why would you even pay any attention to the opinion of someone who does?
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Your right that the people I know who actually know about music respect the bass. Trust me I don't give bass haters any attention I was pointing out that these people run their mouths about the bass but they are always looking for a bassist, so if they need us so bad why treat us poorly?
 
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#15
Thunderbird&Pbass73 said:
Ok as we all hopefully know, local scene bands are always looking for bassists right. So why do some of them treat us so bad and tell us that we aren't important? If they need us so bad then they should treat us as an equal member of the band! Now I know not all bands are like this but I know these bands are out there because I've been in a few. The way I see it bands and people in general that put us down constantly are part of the problem with there so few bassists. Some young kid sees and hears all these bassists stereotypes and then starts thinking the same thing, so he doesn't pick up the bass and chooses something else. So there is one less bassist in our ranks, but if course as I've said there's a shortage of bassists and these bands don't realize that they are helping to create the problem!

Sorry if this is a bit long but I had to say it anyone have their own opinion on this?
Click to expand...

There's no opinion on this. Fact: You are simply around the wrong musicians and bands.

It's no more plain and more simple than that.
 
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#17
Geri O said:
Well...I've been hearing the word for several years....

But no less props to you for properly using the word in a sentence here on TalkBass!!....:roflmao::roflmao::roflmao:
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Oh No!!! Please don't think that I'm claiming credit for inventing the word "asshat"! I was under the influence, and very happy to have turned the adjective into a verb. I teach English to speakers of other languages.I love the English Language...a language that is always growing and evolving! I gravitate toward books about English...Bill Bryson's "The English Is Coming...English And How It Got To Be that Way" is a favorite. Fact is; I'd never heard the word 'asshat' until 6 months ago, when I signed on to Talk Bass. As profanity is against the rules, I found "asshat' as a perfect substitute. Sometimes...in the middle of the day, for no apparent reason... I will giggle like a little school girl 'cause the word 'asshat' occurs to me!
 
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#19
Geri O said:
There's no opinion on this. Fact: You are simply around the wrong musicians and bands.

It's no more plain and more simple than that.
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I don't intentionally hang around with people like this. It usually starts with them asking me to jam with them and everything is fine for a while then it of nowhere they start in on the bass. Now I don't stay in a band like that or talk to these people any more after something like that. Now I think I should have made my question more clear, I wasn't asking why every band I play with or all the people that I talk to bash the bass, I was just wondering why these people say that bass is useless or sucks but then they are always looking for a bassist. I mean this on a broader level then just me.
 
#20
Thunderbird&Pbass73 said:
I don't intentionally hang around with people like this. It usually starts with them asking me to jam with them and everything is fine for a while then it of nowhere they start in on the bass. Now I don't stay in a band like that or talk to these people any more after something like that. Now I think I should have made my question more clear, I wasn't asking why every band I play with or all the people that I talk to bash the bass, I was just wondering why these people say that bass is useless or sucks but then they are always looking for a bassist. I mean this on a broader level then just me.
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I just think a lot of folks (musicians included) consider bass as almost an afterthought. For one thing, the "pretty boys" who play guitar and sing tend to be (IME & IMO) far more into the idea of being a "star" on stage...they are the extroverts...the showboaters.

Bassists--in general--tend to be more in the background in a way (both sonically and often as far as stage personality goes.) I'm not saying this is 100% true all the time, but in general this is my feeling.

So I think it's easier for the real "stage" guys (lead singer, lead guitar) to think of themselves as "The Stars" and consider rhythm sections to be a necessary evil (even though the rhythm section is typically the driving force and foundation of a rock and roll band.)

That's one of the interesting things about bass to me--a lot of people don't specifically listen to the bass in a song, but if you were to remove the bass from a song that someone knows, they sure as hell would know something was missing!
 

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