My musical knowledge and theory is limited so I have always considered myself as a player ...so I am a bass player.
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Musician or Bass Player?
- Thread starter Pumpkin
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- bass player musician player
I'm a hack. I play bass when needed, guitar when needed. I'm always busy so I must be doing something good. I don't care how people label me, though.
I try to have fun as much as I can, musician, player or whatever.
I try to have fun as much as I can, musician, player or whatever.
as my bass teacher told me, the difference is being a bass player or a musician: A player cares about his own instrument, a musician cares about the music. Sage advice, and I have seen the difference a thousand times over the years.
I go where the $ is - even if it's not much $.
I live in SF, CA. Since 1994 I've managed to play a wide variety of music on a professional level on several different instruments.
In HS and College I played lead guitar in classic rock and jam bands w a little bluegrass on the side.
When I moved west I got curios about mandolin - and I started playing bluegrass and real book jazz on mandolin.
I wound up in a swing jazz band (called the Chazz Cats) that recorded 2 CDs and toured Europe 3 times
('96, '98 and 2002.)
When the mid-'90s swing craze died (because dancer's didn't like to drink booze) half of my swing band morphed into a hard driving bluegrass band delving in both original and traditional stuff (Belle Monroe & Her Brewglass Boys).
We recorded 2 CDs, played a ton of clubs, bars, festivals and private gigs and in some small way still exist in theory.
We have one gig on the books - this August at a Grateful Dead-centric festival in Mendocino County.
Meanwhile - a friend left her double bass at my house (probably sometime around 2007.
I started getting at it and eventually bought the bass.
Then I got intrigued with all my rock jollies and in succession purchased a Fender Jazz, a Modulus Q5, a Fretless Mod - a big, great sounding bass rig and eventually a sweet vintage '54 Kay.
I now play in several active bands and get calls all the time to play mandolin, flat top guitar, double bass or electric bass in Bluegrass or Rock bands playing all around the Bay Area.
Its all music afterall....
I live in SF, CA. Since 1994 I've managed to play a wide variety of music on a professional level on several different instruments.
In HS and College I played lead guitar in classic rock and jam bands w a little bluegrass on the side.
When I moved west I got curios about mandolin - and I started playing bluegrass and real book jazz on mandolin.
I wound up in a swing jazz band (called the Chazz Cats) that recorded 2 CDs and toured Europe 3 times
('96, '98 and 2002.)
When the mid-'90s swing craze died (because dancer's didn't like to drink booze) half of my swing band morphed into a hard driving bluegrass band delving in both original and traditional stuff (Belle Monroe & Her Brewglass Boys).
We recorded 2 CDs, played a ton of clubs, bars, festivals and private gigs and in some small way still exist in theory.
We have one gig on the books - this August at a Grateful Dead-centric festival in Mendocino County.
Meanwhile - a friend left her double bass at my house (probably sometime around 2007.
I started getting at it and eventually bought the bass.
Then I got intrigued with all my rock jollies and in succession purchased a Fender Jazz, a Modulus Q5, a Fretless Mod - a big, great sounding bass rig and eventually a sweet vintage '54 Kay.
I now play in several active bands and get calls all the time to play mandolin, flat top guitar, double bass or electric bass in Bluegrass or Rock bands playing all around the Bay Area.
Its all music afterall....
I used to be more of a bass player than a musician I would say.
These days it's the other way around even if I guess I always been both.
When that is said I do actually consider everyone who likes expressing them self through sounds that transcends the spoken language a musician no matter preferred media, instrument or genre they prefer to express them self through.
When I say I regard myself more as a musician today than juts a bass player, it is because I use more time composing and playing other instruments than I used to vs. just being the bass player of the band.
Bass is still my preferred instrument of expression though, and as such I also still consider myself a bass player.
These days it's the other way around even if I guess I always been both.
When that is said I do actually consider everyone who likes expressing them self through sounds that transcends the spoken language a musician no matter preferred media, instrument or genre they prefer to express them self through.
When I say I regard myself more as a musician today than juts a bass player, it is because I use more time composing and playing other instruments than I used to vs. just being the bass player of the band.
Bass is still my preferred instrument of expression though, and as such I also still consider myself a bass player.
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Others call me a musician, but I beg to differ. I consider myself a guy who can play bass. That is when I have time. I'd consider myself a musician if I played or taught for money, or played or taught simply for the benefit of others. Back in the day it I would have considered myself a musician, as I gigged quite a bit, even though it was always for free.
I don't think Steve Harris is that ignorant at all. He is a musician and a bassist and a songwriter. He has clearly codified how to write a great Iron Maiden song for example. He knows how to play major, minor and augmented arpeggios in varying time signatures (usually 4/4, 6/8 and 12/8). He knows how to get a lot of mileage out of the E-Minor scale in particular. I don't think it matters much how he thinks of these things in his head because he knows how to communicate his ideas to his bandmates.
Michael Schreiber
Commercial User
I think @Mike Sorr just wanted to give an example of a musician who admits not knowing much theory - to those in this thread who'd take that as ignorant. Don't think Mike's intention was to say Steve Harris would be ignorant. Just mentioning, in case there was a misunderstanding.
I fully agree with you.
Another example: Ross "The Boss" from ManOwaR also said that he doesn't know the notes, he plays by heart.
And that's how it feels to me; like he's playing with his heart, not his head. I like that. And I don't care whether he does that with or without knowing any theory
I think @Mike Sorr just wanted to give an example of a musician who admits not knowing much theory - to those in this thread who'd take that as ignorant. Don't think Mike's intention was to say Steve Harris would be ignorant. Just mentioning, in case there was a misunderstanding.
Exactly. Harris is my main bass hero. Sure, I have lots of influences now and many players I admire, but Harris is the reason I own a bass today. I didn't mean that I think he's an ignorant person, I meant that in interviews I have read he has admitted to not ever taken lessons or studied the mechanics of music. I used the word ignorant in the way I would describe my own lack of knowledge of say, auto mechanics. When it comes to cars I know how to drive them, but I don't know really what makes them work outside of the basics. Lots of really excellent musicians are the same way. They can play an instrument, but may not be all that knowledgeable of the mechanics.
