Hey Doc, I came across this video today. Put things into a new perspective for me, maybe it will for you. 
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Making Peace with My Mediocrity
- Thread starter Dr. Cheese
- Start date
We live in a time where we're constantly exposed to the best that's out there. On one hand this can be amazing; on the other it can be a real downer. 
When I start comparing my playing to that of others I often have to remind myself of what kind of bassist I am at heart - and of what kind of bass playing made me want to pick up the instrument in the first place. Would it be nice to be able to have virtuoso style chops? Sure! It would be really fun (I assume) to be able to blow people's minds. Well, then why did I never spend the time working on the kinds of chops that would have led me into technical virtuosity territory? It could be due to laziness but I suspect it has more to do with the fact that what I've always loved about bass most of all is the basic function of laying down a groove within a unit. Turns out I'd rather play in a reggae band than in a fusion band. When I'm honest with myself about what really turns me on about bass I can relax and feel that I don't need to be a virtuoso. Jaco and players of his ilk are amazing and I can very much enjoy listening to them, but the people who really hit home for me are bassists like Meshell and Bernard Edwards. These days I'm focusing a lot on just playing as solidly time-wise and consistency-wise as I can. The concepts I'm currently working on are very simple and straightforward but the well is still deep. I was listening to T-Bone Wolk on some Hall & Oates recordings the other day and I thought, "Yeah, this is where it's at". Not that there's anything wrong with more "complex" bass, just to say that there is a lot of satisfaction to be found in well-executed and tasteful "simple" bass playing. So, doc - what kind of bassist are you at heart?
When I start comparing my playing to that of others I often have to remind myself of what kind of bassist I am at heart - and of what kind of bass playing made me want to pick up the instrument in the first place. Would it be nice to be able to have virtuoso style chops? Sure! It would be really fun (I assume) to be able to blow people's minds. Well, then why did I never spend the time working on the kinds of chops that would have led me into technical virtuosity territory? It could be due to laziness but I suspect it has more to do with the fact that what I've always loved about bass most of all is the basic function of laying down a groove within a unit. Turns out I'd rather play in a reggae band than in a fusion band. When I'm honest with myself about what really turns me on about bass I can relax and feel that I don't need to be a virtuoso. Jaco and players of his ilk are amazing and I can very much enjoy listening to them, but the people who really hit home for me are bassists like Meshell and Bernard Edwards. These days I'm focusing a lot on just playing as solidly time-wise and consistency-wise as I can. The concepts I'm currently working on are very simple and straightforward but the well is still deep. I was listening to T-Bone Wolk on some Hall & Oates recordings the other day and I thought, "Yeah, this is where it's at". Not that there's anything wrong with more "complex" bass, just to say that there is a lot of satisfaction to be found in well-executed and tasteful "simple" bass playing. So, doc - what kind of bassist are you at heart?
So I decided to come back to this one for another dig.
@Dr. Cheese don't discount your effort or fret what makes someone else "better". Everybody has strengths and everybody has bad habits. There is a really big club for bassists who can't do everything that Jaco could do. I count myself a life member.
You can work and improve and you can recognize a habit you wish to change. That insight alone is pretty valuable. I wouldn't wish Jaco's heavy load on anybody for all of his talent.
@Dr. Cheese don't discount your effort or fret what makes someone else "better". Everybody has strengths and everybody has bad habits. There is a really big club for bassists who can't do everything that Jaco could do. I count myself a life member.
You can work and improve and you can recognize a habit you wish to change. That insight alone is pretty valuable. I wouldn't wish Jaco's heavy load on anybody for all of his talent.
I love T Bone Wolk's playing, as well.We live in a time where we're constantly exposed to the best that's out there. On one hand this can be amazing; on the other it can be a real downer.
I think, looking back at 46 years of playing, that I studied much harder at
" being in a band" than I did at being a "great" bass player.
Here's a fun exercise.
On a scale of 1-100, 100 being say Jaco, and zero being Sid Viscous, where would you rate your own ability?
I think I'd put myself around a 50. The perfect example of mediocrity.
But I prefer to consider myself " proficient ".
If I was at a ZZ Top concert, and Dusty suddenly keeled over ( god forbid)
And Billy Gibbons asked " Is there a bass player in the audience?"
I'd make a bee-line for the stage.
But if the same thing happened to Victor Wooten at Bela Fleck show?
I wouldn't even raise my hand....
I remember reading some years ago about a producer who was working on a Paul McCartney project. He and Sir Paul were plotting out who they would bring in various duties on the recording when Paul asked " So who should we get on bass?"
He said he just stood there, blinking, and said " What do mean who were gonna get!" Paul said something like, " Oh, ok..I just thought we'd get get a proper bass guy"....
Apparently, even Sir Paul considers himself a little " mediocre ".
Makes me feel better about myself.
" being in a band" than I did at being a "great" bass player.
Here's a fun exercise.
On a scale of 1-100, 100 being say Jaco, and zero being Sid Viscous, where would you rate your own ability?
I think I'd put myself around a 50. The perfect example of mediocrity.
But I prefer to consider myself " proficient ".
If I was at a ZZ Top concert, and Dusty suddenly keeled over ( god forbid)
And Billy Gibbons asked " Is there a bass player in the audience?"
I'd make a bee-line for the stage.
But if the same thing happened to Victor Wooten at Bela Fleck show?
I wouldn't even raise my hand....
I remember reading some years ago about a producer who was working on a Paul McCartney project. He and Sir Paul were plotting out who they would bring in various duties on the recording when Paul asked " So who should we get on bass?"
He said he just stood there, blinking, and said " What do mean who were gonna get!" Paul said something like, " Oh, ok..I just thought we'd get get a proper bass guy"....
Apparently, even Sir Paul considers himself a little " mediocre ".
Makes me feel better about myself.
I think it’s easy for us to feel like we aren’t progressing as players especially after playing for a couple decades and looking back on chunks of time where our playing progressed noticeably more than others. For example, do I feel like I’m currently improving at the same rate as I was in the 90s? Absolutely not. But I still am happy just to move forward. Even if it’s baby steps. Even if I’m improving at a snails pace I’m happy.I have been playing bass longer than many who post here have been alive. For years, I was mainly self taught, and was mostly a bedroom bassist. I have played in bands, and I have gigged a little. Mostly, I have played with choirs since the 1990’s. About five years ago, I started taking lessons, and I have really been consistent for the last three years. I can see the improvement, but it has become obvious to me that I have some ingrained habits that are very hard to stop at sixty. To be blunt, I do not think I will ever come close to what I might have been if I had started serious study at least thirty years ago. Ideally, I should have stuck to string bass in college. That would have given me a very strong foundation. I do not plan to quit lessons or serious practice. I just know that it is more for personal enrichment at this point in life.
I’ve played on hundreds of sessions and I’ve learned that technique is about tasty notes, touch and time. You can play bro, and it ain’t about speed... It’s about experience and knowledge. You can be a session monster, but pat yourself on the back for being tasty...
Dr. C. - I have played professionally for 50 years, but almost quit when I heard Jaco for the first time. I thought, "If this is where the bar is set, I may as well give up." Then I realized that people were already paying me to play, so I don't have to play like Jaco. I've been okay since then...
I feel that way about slap bass really.. I know that is probably illegal to say, but i just don't like the sound, except for flea
75% of Jaco's tempo is probably good enough for 99 percent of the gigs out there. I'm in the same ballpark as you age wise, and plenty of churches are willing to put up with my obviously "non-virtuostic" playing. It's not about being the fastest bassist on the planet, it's about being the best bassist you can be - there are places where what you do probably fits better than what Jaco would have done.
Jaco hasn't played anywhere near as many good notes as you (or I) the last few years.
Doc, you're too humble. We've all heard you play!
Personally, I keep practicing, and while progress isn't what it could have been when I was college age, it's still happening. The older I get, the easier the big picture musicianship stuff gets. My ability to hear and follow multiple lines in an ensemble keeps getting better. My ability to transcribe keeps getting better. My ability to hear something in my head and write it down is better than it's ever been.
My bass playing gets better, too, but nobody's going to mistake me for a virtuoso. I'm a "gets the job done" bassist, locking into a groove, supporting the melody and changes. Don't ask me to take a lot of solos (does anybody even like bass solos?) or play a bunch of fast junk in thumb position. I'm ok with this station in life; I've always admired "stay at home" bassists (term borrowed from description of solid hockey defensemen I also admire).
Personally, I keep practicing, and while progress isn't what it could have been when I was college age, it's still happening. The older I get, the easier the big picture musicianship stuff gets. My ability to hear and follow multiple lines in an ensemble keeps getting better. My ability to transcribe keeps getting better. My ability to hear something in my head and write it down is better than it's ever been.
My bass playing gets better, too, but nobody's going to mistake me for a virtuoso. I'm a "gets the job done" bassist, locking into a groove, supporting the melody and changes. Don't ask me to take a lot of solos (does anybody even like bass solos?) or play a bunch of fast junk in thumb position. I'm ok with this station in life; I've always admired "stay at home" bassists (term borrowed from description of solid hockey defensemen I also admire).
Are you having fun playing the instrument?
Are you having fun listening to players and recordings?
Are you having fun researching, buying and discussing gear?
Are you having fun reading and posting on this site?
I think I know how you'd answer these questions. Keep after it and enjoy. That's what life is all about.
Are you having fun listening to players and recordings?
Are you having fun researching, buying and discussing gear?
Are you having fun reading and posting on this site?
I think I know how you'd answer these questions. Keep after it and enjoy. That's what life is all about.
I have been playing bass longer than many who post here have been alive. For years, I was mainly self taught, and was mostly a bedroom bassist. I have played in bands, and I have gigged a little. Mostly, I have played with choirs since the 1990’s. About five years ago, I started taking lessons, and I have really been consistent for the last three years. I can see the improvement, but it has become obvious to me that I have some ingrained habits that are very hard to stop at sixty. To be blunt, I do not think I will ever come close to what I might have been if I had started serious study at least thirty years ago. Ideally, I should have stuck to string bass in college. That would have given me a very strong foundation. I do not plan to quit lessons or serious practice. I just know that it is more for personal enrichment at this point in life.
Well put, Mr. @Stumbo . I used to be second singer in the 80's along with bass and backup vocals. I practiced and practiced lyrics but never got 100% on all my assigned lead vocal songs. I remember singing and the ladies on the dance floors mouthing the correct words to me while they danced!Doc, you wanna know about limitations? My wife is a human jukebox...melody and lyrics. And, she can learn and remember, pretty much forever, at will, a song after 3 or 4 listens.
Little ol' me, no matter if I had practiced 1 million hours, would be able to that. She's just born with it.
So I just do what I can do and have fun. It is what it is.
Oh, and she has perfect relative pitch.
Doc, you play in a church and you provide invaluable information and reports to thousands of TB'ers. You aren't Jaco or whoever else. You are you and people appreciate you. Life is a challenge. Whatever you can't play today--look forward to challenging that tomorrow. Thank you for your contributions to the community.
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Sixty isn't even middle-age... really, you're just getting started!
There's No Limit to Longevity, Says Study Reviving Human Life Span Debate
Do you want to be Jaco at 30 and long dead at 60 or be who you are and still playing with a kick a$$ horn section when you are 75????
