I don't think it's the bassist. I think it's the character of the person concerned. How about Lemmy, Geddy, Steve, Sting and Flea?
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No one listens to the bass player
- Thread starter Mark 63
- Start date
Just as Jay2U says, it is the bass player who should make himself remarkable, more on that here:
When I first joined my current band my song suggestions/requests were largely ignored, my corrections about some of the song structures were ignored, if somebody was out of tune or playing a wrong note/chord, the B/L would turn around and look at me.
Now (almost two years later), Im writing the setlists for our gigs which largely remain intact, and people are starting to listen to me in terms of what some of the song structures really are.
The battle that I've lost and probably won't win is regarding tempos for songs. We play a lot of songs where the tempo is faster than it should be, or just feel rushed and frantic. Can't figure out why these guys like to play everything in a rushed manner, but it is what it is.
Now (almost two years later), Im writing the setlists for our gigs which largely remain intact, and people are starting to listen to me in terms of what some of the song structures really are.
The battle that I've lost and probably won't win is regarding tempos for songs. We play a lot of songs where the tempo is faster than it should be, or just feel rushed and frantic. Can't figure out why these guys like to play everything in a rushed manner, but it is what it is.
I don't know if others have encountered this, but my general experience has been that the better the musician, the more humble and down to earth they are. It's generally guys/girls who were rocking hard on success in the 80s/90s, who still think they are rock stars, who seem to have the attitude.
Case in point: I saw Ghost Note at the Rex in Toronto, which is a fairly small jazz club. On this leg of the tour, they had a keyboard player who was with Prince on his last tour. I bumped into him whilst leaving the club and told him 'hey man, thanks for making music', and he looked me straight in the eye, and told me how much he appreciated that, and was very genuine when talking to me. Really good musicians generally 'get it'.
Case in point: I saw Ghost Note at the Rex in Toronto, which is a fairly small jazz club. On this leg of the tour, they had a keyboard player who was with Prince on his last tour. I bumped into him whilst leaving the club and told him 'hey man, thanks for making music', and he looked me straight in the eye, and told me how much he appreciated that, and was very genuine when talking to me. Really good musicians generally 'get it'.
Just turn up. When they ask you to turn down ignore them like they do you. And turn up some more. Only time anyone asks a bass player to turn down is when the bass player kinda sucks...no one ever asks to turn down good bass.
Are you paying them? Are you even the bandleader?
Musicians do not generally like to be told what to do, when they are playing for free. Flash some cash and watch how quickly and enthusiastically they take your suggestions.
How tragic for you; i always make myself perceive with a stringent underlining the songs and the show.
Get a focus, dude!
Get a focus, dude!
Thanks for these replies and suggestions. I quit the first band last year because I had no say in the direction. The second band issues seem to be about appeasing the singer, and I’m weighing my options. The third band are good guys, and we’re just getting started.
Absolutely. I remember once I was at Top of the Senator seeing Alain Caron play. A bunch of us were in the mens room on break to "empty our legs" and Alain saddled up to a urinal, and another guy came up next to him. Both proceeded to do their business when the other guy offered a handshake and a thanks. Some people are so weird.
But when I approached Alain later that evening by the bar, he was very kind, very humble, and a lovely guy to speak to. He offered to buy me a drink, when at the time I knew he was really slogging it on tour for his Le Band albums.
Ah yes, a TB tradition, the low self esteem bass player blues. I wonder if guitarists read these kinds of threads and laugh.
My theory is that often the kind of person who takes up bass is quiet and introverted to begin with. So they don't ignore you because you're a bass player; they ignore the bass player because he's you.
My theory is that often the kind of person who takes up bass is quiet and introverted to begin with. So they don't ignore you because you're a bass player; they ignore the bass player because he's you.
I'm going to translate this to Latin and put it in a picture frame!
You picked your instrument for the love of the sound. Regisiter tambre and timbre. Its harder to hear and doesnt come with up front attention. The others picked easier to hear and and built in Ego stroking. That human dynamic only gets worse regardless of the chord variation.
Start playing that song suggestion after last song before the gig break, and stop a few bars in. See if the crowd asks for it later. Tell the rest of the band it was a focus group test.
Leave out the singer, leave out guitars or keybords: no one will notice, but leave out the bassist ... know your importance when you‘re a bassist and keep on punching.
