Why is that?
Song suggestions dismissed
Knowledge about chord variations ignored
Song suggestions dismissed
Knowledge about chord variations ignored
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No one listens to the bass player
- Thread starter Mark 63
- Start date
I learned years ago to always be ready, no one EVER looks over to see if the bass player is tuning or getting his music out or whatever.
If your suggestions are dismissed, bring them up again. Firmly. You get to have input, even if you have to remind others of that fact.
If your knowledge about chord variations is dismissed, play it the way you think best. You're the bass player.
The implied thought is "You're a bass player.You CAN'T know what you're talking about"
DiabolusInMusic
Functionless Art is Merely Tolerated Vandalism
Find some new bandmates. If the issue persists, consider what role you might be playing that is causing you to be overlooked. If you find the issue still continuing, ask yourself, "am I playing metal?" If the answer is yes, don't hold your breath on them taking your input.
But seriously, I have had bands where my input is ignored but it is was those bands, not my role as a bass player.
When no one in the audience listens to the bass player, why should anyone in the band ?
Yes, indeed. they expect me to just fall in on a new song without checking if I'm even plugged in and without saying (or knowing) the song key or tonality.
I've been playing music for many years mostly on my own until I picked up bass. Now, I've been in 3 bands in the past 18 months (still in 2 of them) and it's the same in all 3. So, that's my grumble of the day.
When this happens I just let them start without me and when I'm just standing there not playing with my arms folded across my chest they figure it out pretty quick. It will only happen once or twice.
You have to be persistent in carving out space to get your points across. There are many reasons certain people are ignored in social situations and if you are one of those who seems invisible you might have to make a little more noise to be acknowledged.
There are times when I absolutely know someone is remembering an arrangement incorrectly and trying to lead us into a train wreck by insisting we do something that's not going to work. I will suggest that, no, we did it this way before, but when the insistence continues I will just look them straight in the eye and say "maybe I'm wrong. HUMOR ME." And I'll keep saying this until they agree to do it. If I'm wrong, I'm wrong, but when I am at the point that I feel I have to be invoke being humored, I usually am not.
There are times when I absolutely know someone is remembering an arrangement incorrectly and trying to lead us into a train wreck by insisting we do something that's not going to work. I will suggest that, no, we did it this way before, but when the insistence continues I will just look them straight in the eye and say "maybe I'm wrong. HUMOR ME." And I'll keep saying this until they agree to do it. If I'm wrong, I'm wrong, but when I am at the point that I feel I have to be invoke being humored, I usually am not.
- Oct 18, 2012
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Many years ago, a famous musician told that if nobody notices the bass, it's because he or she is doing their job. It's when they screw up that people notice that something is wrong. Ironically, when people dance, tap their foot, tap their hand, bob their head, they are doing so to the bass and drums.
Because everyone is afraid to acknowledge our superiority
The way to get people to listen to you:
1. Own the PA system
2. Sing all the songs
We're typing.
I've found no one listens to me whatever the case, just in life in general.
it's maddening!
#notallbassplayers
maybe you're with the wrong group of people
maybe you're not an effective communicator
it's not the instrument you're playing, it's either you or the other people you are working with.
maybe you're with the wrong group of people
maybe you're not an effective communicator
it's not the instrument you're playing, it's either you or the other people you are working with.
That’s been my grumble for 37 years.
In every band I’ve been in, except jazz combos at uni, I’ve had the most knowledge of both theory and sound reinforcement by a very wide margin. I still have 45+ year old guitar players trying to tell me what key a song is in or that it doesn’t matter what key it’s in, if the first chord is an A7, it’s in the key of A.
I can deal with the “just the bass player” attitude. It’s okay. Keys knows all; guitar, well, superior talent; vox doesn’t know there’s a bass; drummer, well drummer.
But I simply can’t understand why, when there’s this huddle on stage to switch up the set list, no one bothers to communicate the change to me. Happens in two of my bands.
But I simply can’t understand why, when there’s this huddle on stage to switch up the set list, no one bothers to communicate the change to me. Happens in two of my bands.
It took several months, but after enough times being right about how a song is structured, my band now all looks at me when they have a question along those lines. What I have noticed is that if I’m wrong just once at rehearsal, which certainly happens, I’ve lost a lot of credibility and people stop listening for the rest of the night. I am the bass player after all.
