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.
Let's face it: bass guitar isn't that hard
- Thread starter Mantis Tobaggan
- Start date
Simple . . . Perhaps.
Easy . . . Perhaps Not.
Easy . . . Perhaps Not.
I live to serve...
Here's the thing - your band is pretty much a drums and grinding guitar show. There is no space in the music, so simple bass lines probably do work best. Your trick then is to find that "best fit", but a lot of what makes bass fun and challenging (having space to work time, feel, etc) really doesn't exist in that genre - at least not to the extent that it does in other areas. So unless that is the only kind of music you love, I'd say the way to get off your plateau is to find some other bands to play with where you have more space/influene, or study with a good teacher, or gawd forbid, learn some jazz
When you're stuck in a rut, it is hard to see out of the trench...
So i guess you don't have those days where you just plain suck?? Some days I feel like I can't play to save my life. Other days I feel like God put me on earth to play bass. I am very thankful for those days. I am also grateful for every minute on stage or anywhere else as long as I am playing my bass. Easy??? F%$K NO!!
I can only speak from my viewpoint as a funk and soul bassist well into the world of jazz. I practice still every day to work out voicings, maintain my time, stretch my hands like yoga exercises and to stay musical. I have no ego about it nor any unreal assessment. There's bassists in this realm who make me look stupid but that isn't what music is about to me. Where I came from it was very competitive and still is for me. The end result is I am a listener of music first, foremost and as job no. one. My playing is a reflection of what is. Nothing more, nothing less. In other words, it's work to keep it real. One gets out of music what one puts into it.
I suppose that playing bass can be easy if you don't push yourself. I know what I know and feel that I play the songs reasonably well. However, there have been times when I stumble onto threads about the "double thumb slap thingie," then sat down and tried it for awhile, only ending with the thought of smashing my bass against the wall in frustration. So, I'm alright as long as I don't venture outside of my comfort zone, but then how good am I really?
As someone who has been struggling with getting better for years I will wholeheartedly disagree with you.
i don't care what instrument is being played ... when soloing - we all use the same 12 notes ...
some folks can 'play' forever and still suck ,... or not 'get it' ...
i've played keys 50+ yrs , ... gtr/bass 40+ yrs , ... plus a few more instruments ... there is always more to learn and practice and get better at ... unless you're brain-dead or just gave up ... !?
YES ... you can teach an old dog new tricks ... the brain can to continue learn until it's diseased or dead ... !
( but i'll never learn proper spelling , grammar or punctuation = because i just don't care .. !! )
some folks can 'play' forever and still suck ,... or not 'get it' ...
i've played keys 50+ yrs , ... gtr/bass 40+ yrs , ... plus a few more instruments ... there is always more to learn and practice and get better at ... unless you're brain-dead or just gave up ... !?
YES ... you can teach an old dog new tricks ... the brain can to continue learn until it's diseased or dead ... !
( but i'll never learn proper spelling , grammar or punctuation = because i just don't care .. !! )
It's cool, man. A very wise woman once said "all of these things are true"
Bass guitar does have, IMO, an easier "entry point" than any other band instrument. (Assuming the setup is good, and it often isn't for beginners)
And it often IS easier. Hmm let's see, the chord is a Cm7, I think I'll play a C. Maybe scoop up from the G. Meanwhile the guitarist references a chart and gets a hand cramp. This is the intermediate level, and the bass is still usually much easier.
But just beyond that, the bassist goes deep with harmony and melodic territory. Now we're into R&B, motown, grooving and melodic. We're trying to sing a lead vocal while playing an independent and complex bassline. Hitting harmonics, slapping, tapping out notes. And whatever the "kids" think of next.
BUT - even just playing a root on the one can become a real tightrope walk during an extended jam, when EVERY nuance of timing becomes apparent, and you can feel the entranement of those present. Indeed some of the hardest bass playing I've ever done is precisely playing a ONE (da-da-da, dum-da), but for 20, 30, 40+ minutes (thinking of bass drums here)
Bass guitar does have, IMO, an easier "entry point" than any other band instrument. (Assuming the setup is good, and it often isn't for beginners)
And it often IS easier. Hmm let's see, the chord is a Cm7, I think I'll play a C. Maybe scoop up from the G. Meanwhile the guitarist references a chart and gets a hand cramp. This is the intermediate level, and the bass is still usually much easier.
But just beyond that, the bassist goes deep with harmony and melodic territory. Now we're into R&B, motown, grooving and melodic. We're trying to sing a lead vocal while playing an independent and complex bassline. Hitting harmonics, slapping, tapping out notes. And whatever the "kids" think of next.
BUT - even just playing a root on the one can become a real tightrope walk during an extended jam, when EVERY nuance of timing becomes apparent, and you can feel the entranement of those present. Indeed some of the hardest bass playing I've ever done is precisely playing a ONE (da-da-da, dum-da), but for 20, 30, 40+ minutes (thinking of bass drums here)
Thats an awesome point. My whole hangup is when I am in a room with two guitar players and a drummer who have been playing as long as me or longer and shred, i feel like I have the easy job compared to them. Thats all. Im not trying to bash anything. I love the bass and i do feel like it is a journey and we are always pushing ourselves. Thanks for your post.
I think the "10,000 hours to mastery" estimate is pretty accurate. Read a few interviews with guys like Jaco, Stanley Clarke, and Michael Manring.
I consider myself a bedroom hack, just good enough to glimpse how much additional time and effort would be required to achieve something approaching "mastery", if such a word has any meaning. I have a kind of "glass ceiling" hanging over me, I can stop playing for months at a time and get right back to bumping my head on that ceiling in two weeks every time. I can see through it, but not break it.
I consider myself a bedroom hack, just good enough to glimpse how much additional time and effort would be required to achieve something approaching "mastery", if such a word has any meaning. I have a kind of "glass ceiling" hanging over me, I can stop playing for months at a time and get right back to bumping my head on that ceiling in two weeks every time. I can see through it, but not break it.
Sure - playing bass isn't that hard, like driving a car isn't that hard, and painting isn't that hard, and writing a story isn't that hard, and cooking dinner isn't that hard
- BUT -
being a bass virtuoso is HARD
being a professional race car driver is HARD
being a master artist is HARD
being a Pulitzer-caliber author is HARD
being a world-class chef is HARD
As stated above, it's easy to be mediocre, and I would add, it's not easy to EXCEL.
Watch the videos posted and then tell us that isn't hard. lulz.
- BUT -
being a bass virtuoso is HARD
being a professional race car driver is HARD
being a master artist is HARD
being a Pulitzer-caliber author is HARD
being a world-class chef is HARD
As stated above, it's easy to be mediocre, and I would add, it's not easy to EXCEL.
Watch the videos posted and then tell us that isn't hard. lulz.
Depends on if you want to learn songs or the actual instrument. I've been playing 30 years but still feel like I have a lot to learn about using the entire instrument.
I'm going to go practice now...
I'm going to go practice now...
I have been playing both electric (lead) guit@r and bass for 33 years. I'm not Steve Vai, but I reckon I can hold my own with most good/technical players.
One of the worst comments I absolutely HATE getting when the guitarist from whichever band I am playing BASS in discovers that I play guitar is: 'wow, you play guitar so well, why on earth do you want to play bass?' -as if it's a handicap or 2nd rate option.
I play bass because I can slap, tap, play two handed stuff, walking bass, melodic, fretless, solo or 'standard' accompaniment and I love it all!
In my experience, the majority of guit@rists are USUALLY egoistic, self important, arrogant fools who play for themselves and not for the better of the group/song. Believe me, I love playing guitar but it's on bass that I can change or decide the structure of songs. I love the rhythmic possibilities of bass -as well as the harmonic, and usually to change any of these things takes no more than a thoughtfully played single note. On guitar it's much harder to make any considerable difference/contribution to the music and it takes much more effort: use of effects, different sounds and thinking to accomplish so much.
Bass should not be seen as easier or 2nd rate to guitar -a true musician can make any instrument seem simple.
Peace,
Rob.
One of the worst comments I absolutely HATE getting when the guitarist from whichever band I am playing BASS in discovers that I play guitar is: 'wow, you play guitar so well, why on earth do you want to play bass?' -as if it's a handicap or 2nd rate option.
I play bass because I can slap, tap, play two handed stuff, walking bass, melodic, fretless, solo or 'standard' accompaniment and I love it all!
In my experience, the majority of guit@rists are USUALLY egoistic, self important, arrogant fools who play for themselves and not for the better of the group/song. Believe me, I love playing guitar but it's on bass that I can change or decide the structure of songs. I love the rhythmic possibilities of bass -as well as the harmonic, and usually to change any of these things takes no more than a thoughtfully played single note. On guitar it's much harder to make any considerable difference/contribution to the music and it takes much more effort: use of effects, different sounds and thinking to accomplish so much.
Bass should not be seen as easier or 2nd rate to guitar -a true musician can make any instrument seem simple.
Peace,
Rob.
get a towel and dry it off.
-seriously-
if bass is relatively easy for you to play, it probably means you are playing the right instrument. others may try it and find it hard/uninspiring etc.
what I notice about most bassists is that they aren't very fluid and can be choppy in their execution.
here are a couple examples of this-
in both these vids, it seems the bass line could benefit from smoother transitions from one note to another-these are the little details that make a huge difference but can take years to master.
this guy's take on BJ is smoother IMO-
after 30+ years of playing, I work on the details.
Last edited:
Are you talking about simply playing
or playing with some authority?
Ooooh Sid Vicious burn! LOL
I know this for sure: Whenever I listen to some really good music I ask myself if I was doing that recording would I have been able to put something better into the song. The answer is always no. 40 years, still learning.
