Let's face it: bass guitar isn't that hard

[godofthunder59]

Are you talking about simply playing

or playing with some authority?

You can get away with bloody murder on a bass and many seem more than happy to accept it. I have spent my life practicing and developing my own style and pushing the bass to the fore ground. I can give most lead guitarists a run for the money the trick is to keep the groove and know when to let it rip!

 

[Spirit of Ox]

I think we should end this thread by saying those who think bass or any instrument is easy than they will never reach the level of challenge that the instrument or music provides.
If you feel like you mastered an instrument than that instrument has mastered you.

 

[goff]

I disagree. Bass occupies a fundamental position in any song. To know how to construct parts that tie the entire song together is not an easy task and I admire a bass player that understands this. Filling holes and adding counterpoint takes talent hence holding up the entire song is key. Not that you have to play notes all over the place. Taste and discretion.

Take Stevie Wonder's I Was Made To Love Her with Jamerson on bass. The bass parts transform the song and was outside the box for its time.

Or Paul Bushnell's parts on Kelly Clarkson's I Do Not Hook Up...

 

[StraffordMike]

I think you are seriously undervaluing what you do! You've been playing for 22 years! I've met many people over the years who don't have the gumption to stick with something for that long. That accomplishment alone is worth many congratulations! Sure, there are people out there who say they can play bass, but can they really? There are some guitar players out there who try, some more successful than others. But mostly, they play guitar on bass. There is a unique skill set for bass players. When to drive the song, when to leave space, when to play in front of the beat, when to play behind the beat, locking with the drummer! The list goes on and on! Loads of people say to me, it must be easy playing bass. You make it look so easy...Well, I've been playing for 40 years! I have developed many cheap and no-so-cheap parlor tricks. I hand them my bass and tell them to give it a try! Inevitably, they fail miserably! Easy, I think not! For what its worth, I've never met a bass player who regretted being a bass player.

I agree!! 100%
Now, if I could find that oh,so elusive drummer!!!

 

[/\/\3phist0]

Definitely not now! Everyone will tell me i feel inferior because i suck. I dont think i suck, i just feel like drums and guitar is harder so i get this weird inferiority at band practice. They have all been playing as long as i have.

Question if you are so dis-enchanted, why not play another instrument?

 

[fuzzychaos]

Guitar and keyboard players in my band just annihilate everything when soloing, and they have much greater musical knowledge than me

It sounds like you have a lot more learning to do then.

Few years back I started playing guitar as well, because it seemed interesting to me and I thought why not learn something new. I can say that I still don't feel confident enough to play guitar in a band.. With bass I was ready and felt comfortable very quickly, and it was my first instrument

I play guitar as well, I didn't find it more difficult than bass, especially bass played correctly, with groove and timing. It all depends on the music as well, I don't know you, but I highly doubt you were ready to play Jaco and Wooten ( and so many others) tunes straight off the bat. Bass, along with all instruments, is easy to learn, but difficult to master, remember that. Just because someone can drive does not mean they could manage an Indy car.

 

[hintz]

This. I thought I was pretty good being able to keep up with Steve Harris gallops, until the day I plugged into an envelope filter and found out just how much my playing touch was all over the place.

Funny you mention this,I was thinking about practicing with the envelope filter to make sure my playing was truly even, especially with the DOD fx25, that thing is soooo touch responsive its almost embarrassing

 

[40Hz]

Some truths and half-truths (in no particular order) I've gradually come to believe after playing bass for 40+ years:

• There is no intrinsic value in the fact an instrument is difficult to play.
• The more difficult an instrument is to play, the more it proves how poorly designed the instrument is.
• Bass is a very easy instrument to play badly.
• To play a bass well requires just as much commitment and effort as any other instrument.
• The hardest aspect of bass playing to master is embracing the truth that says "less truly is more" when it comes to this instrument.
• The instrument does not make the musician. By itself it's just an inert hunk of wire, wood, plastic, and metal.
• Practice doesn't make "perfect." All it does is improve technique.
• Good technique is important, but not essential.
• Most of what's considered "good" is not necessarily "new."
• Most of what is genuinely "new" isn't necessarily "good."
• Musicianship isn't (or shouldn't be) a competition.
• Somebody will always play the damn thing better than you can. Deal with it.

And FWIW, although I admire genuine and demonstrable ability, I've never been particularly impressed by anything I myself can do. Nor am I particularly blown away by anything I've ever accomplished.

I was always of the opinion that if I could do something, somebody else could probably do it too.

But maybe that's because I was never into hero worship. And that includes myself as 'hero' first and foremost.

YMMV.

 

[stringtapper]

I've always liked the jazz educator Hal Galper's take on this.

He says that the instrument is an illusion. YOU are the instrument.

 

[NortyFiner]

Here's a video of him doing a bass playthrough yk just to help

I notice that around 0:40-0:45 he does a strumming thing not wholly unlike sweep picking on a guitar. Even if you don't like the music, interesting to watch just for the techniques.

 

[40Hz]

Well you got two kinds of bass players, a nice simplistic one laying down the groove and well you got this guy

I notice that around 0:40-0:45 he does a strumming thing not wholly unlike sweep picking on a guitar. Even if you don't like the music, interesting to watch just for the techniques.

This...even if one man's expression of genius is another man's mode of masturbation.

That said, the video shows someone put in the effort, and did what was needed, to get what he was looking for musically. And for that much, I have to give him credit - even if it's not my cup o' tea. But it's a big world with room enough for just about anyone's taste when it comes to music. For which I'm grateful.

 

[40Hz]

I've always liked the jazz educator Hal Galper's take on this.

He says that the instrument is an illusion. YOU are the instrument.

Truth!

Know it.

 

[NortyFiner]

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)

Indeed. For example, watch what Joey and Scott are doing here...



What they're doing may seem incredibly simple; single kick, almost a "clap-stomp" beat and a picked triple gallop. But when maintaining that steady background for an entire song, let alone an extended jam, even the seemingly simple becomes difficult.

 

[Fxpmusic]

Never underestimate your importance as a Bass player. Last week, during rehearsal, I had to leave the room for a bit because I was filling ill. We were working on a new tune and the bass line drives it. It is mad simple, two chords where I'm walking root, third and fifth... Throughout the whole song... My guitar player jumps up to the occasion I show him the line quickly and walk away. He's a solid player, can shred and pick about anything by ear, yet it was the syncopation that got him. I came back to the room to find the whole rehearsal completely stopped. It has nothing to do with the amount of strings or physical abilities on the fretboard.

 

[Mantis Tobaggan]

I play guitar and in no real way is it harder. Chords are far easier to

Question if you are so dis-enchanted, why not play another instrument?

Im not

 

[Funk³]

Depends completely on how you play bass. If you play like Flea, Amos Williams, Jean Baudin, Victor Wooten then bass is just as hard as guitar.

 

[Hot Rats]

The bass is a very powerful instrument. It has the power to change the direction of a song, it gets the bootie's moving and a whole note could be the dominating presence of a measure. It's a complicated instrument and while the notes on the fretboard might be easy to play, it is by no means an easy instrument to master. I know what to play and not play is very subjective. But, in my opinion, the difficulty of this instrument is most evident when the bass player is not playing it properly for the song. It takes years to be a bassist and go beyond being just a bass player.

 

[Funk³]

Well you got two kinds of bass players, a nice simplistic one laying down the groove and well you got this guy

LePointe is one of the best bass players ever.

 

[fishdreams]

If bass is easy for you, congratulations. Why feel guilty? Enjoy it!

 

[Sav'nBass]

I have been playing bass guitar for 22 years. I have played in a folk rock band, a jam band, a cover band, a punk band and now I am playing in a metal band.
Does anyone else feel kind of modest when discussing being a bass player? I feel like I am good at bass but also like this isn't that big of a deal. I also feel like it is probably the easiest instrument to learn and get decent at. I tend to offer suggestions and discuss things with my band, but I also keep myself in check by reminding myself that I am just the bass player. I guess I have a slight inferiority complex about being a bassist. The other guys in my band think I'm great and it is strictly me doing this to myself btw. Am I the only one who feels this way?
It's bad. When someone compliments my bass playing I smile and say thanks but I think to myself "it only has four strings and we dont play chords but thanks..." Maybe I am being too hard on myself ...

I agree with the other members of your band.. and I disagree with the highlighted parts of your post and think that yes .. you are being to hard on yourself ... No w go stand in the corner.

I disagree. I know guys who have been playing for years and still have zero groove.

Word.... and I have my moments but I am still a work in progress in this respect.

Easy? Depends on the music you play. You can bet that if your parts are easy, so are everyone else's.

Absolutely... but you know what... something as "simple" as a walking bassline... is nopt as simple as it looks/sounds...

Well you got two kinds of bass players, a nice simplistic one laying down the groove and well you got this guy

Yikes... No offense to anyone who is into that sort of thing... but when I hear this kind of music I think of demonic communication from some nether realm... This is the one type of music that I have just never been able to get into but as a bass player I look at all types of bassists and some of these ... what is this... like ... acid metal? Some of these guys are phenomenal players in terms of speed and dexterity ... but the music itself I just cannot/do not get.

Some truths and half-truths (in no particular order) I've gradually come to believe after playing bass for 40+ years:

• There is no intrinsic value in the fact an instrument is difficult to play.
• The more difficult an instrument is to play, the more it proves how poorly designed the instrument is.
• Bass is a very easy instrument to play badly.
• To play a bass well requires just as much commitment and effort as any other instrument.
• The hardest aspect of bass playing to master is embracing the truth that says "less truly is more" when it comes to this instrument.
• The instrument does not make the musician. By itself it's just an inert hunk of wire, wood, plastic, and metal.
• Practice doesn't make "perfect." All it does is improve technique.
• Good technique is important, but not essential.
• Most of what's considered "good" is not necessarily "new."
• Most of what is genuinely "new" isn't necessarily "good."
• Musicianship isn't (or shouldn't be) a competition.
• Somebody will always play the damn thing better than you can. Deal with it.

And FWIW, although I admire genuine and demonstrable ability, I've never been particularly impressed by anything I myself can do. Nor am I particularly blown away by anything I've ever accomplished. I was always of the opinion that if I could do something, somebody else could probably do it too. But maybe that's because I was never into hero worship. And that includes myself as 'hero' first and foremost.
YMMV.

 

[hintz]

Indeed. For example, watch Joey and Scott are doing here...



What they're doing may seem incredibly simple; single kick, almost a "clap-stomp" beat and a picked triple gallop. But when maintaining that steady background for an entire song, let alone an extended jam, even the seemingly simple becomes difficult.

Nice!! I seen manowar about 12 years ago in NJ, I'm surprised I can still hear *anything* LOL!!

I will say, as I get older I appreciate the less is more approach for most situations and these guys are a great example, but then Joey Demaio plays "flight of the bumblebee" at lightning speed so he doesn't lack chops, he just knows when to bust them out... To me that's the sign of mature musicianship