No one listens to the bass player

[MidnightBottle]

I have no idea what that means. But I'm just playing an E, and I don't play chords, so there's no problem. And if I said something like that to a guitarist, he would be justified in thinking that I'm a complete ass.

I mean yeah if you phrased it like that, pretty ass-y. But that sort of thing, tastefully done, can really add another layer to a song. One of my bands has a kind of jazzy song (jazzy for that band at least) that is a lot of F C and G in different patterns, certain spots when the guitarist is playing C I'll play a C root, and in other spots he'll finger the same chord and I play a G on the 1 instead. Not as extreme as turning an Em into a Cmaj7, but it helps give the song a little more sense of direction, movement and tension. This band is somewhat experimental and down to do some weird stuff... Sometimes I play around with other intervals and usually get the stink eye, but have sold the BL on a few of them!

And yes, you should know if the guitarist is playing Em or Emaj, because if you want to expand your part out past the root note you need to know what other notes are in play. Is the third of the chord G or G#?

 

[FunkHead]

Wow. So you're another bassist who knows no theory. Ok. Good.

Seems like this has turned into a theory thread.
I'll listen to a guy with a lot of theory so long as he has a good ear. But so many play songs all wrong because they can't really tell if it's right. It can get frustrating and life's too short....

 

[Pilgrim]

Wow. So you're another bassist who knows no theory. Ok. Good.

Yeah, it has really hampered me (not at all) in playing since 1964. Although I did have a 23-year layoff, so i've really only been playing for 30 years or so. Maybe some day when my career develops it will matter.

Tell me, how much theory do I need to play ZZ Top and Dick Dale covers???? I should start brushing up....

 

[MidnightBottle]

Yeah, it has really hampered me (not at all) in playing since 1964. Although I did have a 23-year layoff, so i've really only been playing for 30 years or so. Maybe some day when my career develops it will matter.

Tell me, how much theory do I need to play ZZ Top and Dick Dale covers???? I should start brushing up....

Blues pentatonic box oughta do it then!

 

[Neko]

You do not need to know any theory when you can grab a guitar to show what you are talking about...and if I can play the guitarist's part, I know where the right notes are on my bass.
After that, if a guitarist still need the theory beind what I showed him, thrue the door my friend, thrue the door.

 

[EricMordus]

In one band I was in the two guitarists disregard for me (bass player) was unbelievable. From tuning up, to switching basses. Song suggestions became a waste of my time as well.

It all came down to the middle of a gig, I needed 15 seconds to check tuning. One guitard goes " come on man, no one gives a s&*t if the bass is in tune.

OK, so they start the next song, I don't play ONE NOTE for the entire song. People came up to the sound guy to turn me up, they came up to ME and did the "up up" thing with their thumbs. I was miming, but turned my volume off.

After that song I walked up to the guitarist, smiled, flipped him off, unplugged, packed my stuff up & left. 4th song of the first set.

I do NOT recommend you do this, unless it was (as it was for me) the last straw.

 

[FunkHead]

In one band I was in the two guitarists disregard for me (bass player) was unbelievable. From tuning up, to switching basses. Song suggestions became a waste of my time as well.

It all came down to the middle of a gig, I needed 15 seconds to check tuning. One gui**** goes " come on man, no one gives a s&*t if the bass is in tune.

OK, so they start the next song, I don't play ONE NOTE for the entire song. People came up to the sound guy to turn me up, they came up to ME and did the "up up" thing with their thumbs. I was miming, but turned my volume off.

After that song I walked up to the guitarist, smiled, flipped him off, unplugged, packed my stuff up & left. 4th song of the first set.

I do NOT recommend you do this, unless it was (as it was for me) the last straw.

I don't blame you.

 

[Ekulati]

Yeah, it has really hampered me (not at all) in playing since 1964. Although I did have a 23-year layoff, so i've really only been playing for 30 years or so. Maybe some day when my career develops it will matter.

Tell me, how much theory do I need to play ZZ Top and Dick Dale covers???? I should start brushing up....

Awesome if that works for you to only play the simplest of styles. I play pretty much everything. Much of it demands that I know, musically, why the right notes are the right notes. It also allows me to play other instruments, write vocal arrangements, help translate between horn (transposing) instruments and others. Tons of stuff that make me more than just the guy with four strings who learned where to put his fingers.

 

[Pilgrim]

Awesome if that works for you to only play the simplest of styles. I play pretty much everything. Much of it demands that I know, musically, why the right notes are the right notes. It also allows me to play other instruments, write vocal arrangements, help translate between horn (transposing) instruments and others. Tons of stuff that make me more than just the guy with four strings who learned where to put his fingers.

You have my sincere respect. it's very cool when someone's musical talents are versatile. I have no animus against those who get into complex playing styles or whose talents extend across multiple instruments. I just want them to respect me for not pursuing a similar path...and that does not amount to a demeaning phrase such as "the guy with four strings who learned where to put his fingers."

Perhaps unintentionally, you hit it on the nose. My ambitions extend only to playing solid and tasteful basic versions of music that I like. That leans heavily to surf, blues and some classic rock. My style is indeed basic, and that's all I need in order to meet my goals. Probably my all-time favorite tune is the Peter Gunn Theme, which has 5 notes. I enjoy laying down that classic bass line without deviations, and letting the other musicians play on top of it. I'm also a fan of simple bass lines like Green Onions and Pipeline.

I wouldn't be surprised if there are a lot of folks here with similar approaches, and I think there is much to be said (and respect to be offered) for keeping it basic, executing that kind of music well, and for pleasing audiences in the process.

 

[Neko]

@Pilgrim, big plus one here, but also, as a bass player, you can do too much! In a band with only one guitar player, you have a lot to cover as a bass player, but as soon as there is one more instrument (guitar, piano, sax...) you kind of have to stick to the basics to leave room for other player to have expression space. This doesnt mean that you have to play a boring part thoug, just keep it simpler than what you would do with only one guitar. In one of my ex bands, we were loaded with guitar, piano, violin, but I managed to get pretty melodic bass parts, but I started basic and gradually take the space that the other players were leaving to me.

 

[FunkHead]

My ambitions extend only to playing solid and tasteful basic versions of music that I like. That leans heavily to surf, blues and some classic rock. My style is indeed basic, and that's all I need in order to meet my goals

And I'd rather jam with you any day of the week!

 

[Alevine1nc]

If you've been around at all as a bass player then you've had to encounter it at some point. I decided that I was going to do what I wanted to do regardless. Here's a tip (another way of saying what others have said). If you're not being listened to when you want to speak then you are probably not being listened to when you play. Depending on the situation this could be a good thing. Freedom to do what you want.

 

[Fuzzbass]

IME the bass player is felt more than heard (or listened to).

Oh wait, you are talking about bandmates, not audience. Never mind.

 

[BillLee64]

The way I play bass, and this is said with all the humility I can muster, I don't ever receive the treatment I've read about on here. The best defense is a good offense. I can be corrected and handle it with grace. When you're told repeatedly that you're "killin' it," you get listened to in those few times you choose to speak. No one intimidates me and no one messes with me. I come from a soft place when saying this, not one of bravado. And I love cats even more than dogs.

 

[isaac42]

This has never been the case for me. Maybe because I'm also a singer. Maybe because I'm assertive with my opinions. Maybe because I have a lot more musical knowledge than your typical rocker. Maybe all of the above, or something else entirely. But my bands have always listened to me.

 

[dartagnan]

Well, I'm the band leader in mine so I think it varies.

I'm the band leader in my band. Sometimes, when I'm pretty sure no one is listening to me, I take my bass off, put it on its stand, pick up my Gibson ES-335 and put it on, and play a chord. Then I tell the band how it's going to be. Then I put the guitar back on its stand, and put on my bass, and I say, "As the bass player, I have no choice but to go along with what the band leader says."

I very rarely have to put my foot down, but when I do, I put it down on the boost pedal, and play the chord again. For the record, the chord is Gmaj7b5.

 

[armelind]

Why is that?
Song suggestions dismissed
Knowledge about chord variations ignored

It seems that those members think they are more imortant than you. If you allow it to happen, then it is up to you to change it. If you make yourself heard and continue to be disrespected, then you should find musicians that can respect you.

 

[armelind]

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

I owned the PA and the vehicle that moved it... not to mention, I hired every member standing on the stage next to me. I never got dismissed. I also created the flyers, ran the recording sessions, created set lists, booked gigs and filmed practices and posted the songs that needed to be worked on in the cloud for each member to work on before next gig or band practice. Btw, did I also say i played bass too? LOL

 

[LBS-bass]

To be frank, this happens to me when I'm the new kid in the band, and generally it's because I am usually pretty quiet initially as I am figuring out the group dynamics and so forth. Then there's sometimes the awkward period during which I might express an opinion at long last and find everyone surprised that I have one.

Depending on the people involved, there may also be a period during which I have to establish equal footing for various reasons unrelated to music, where I need to assert my right to not be talked over, etc. After that's established, it's all about whether or not I have valid opinions or interesting suggestions. I try not to assert myself on the basis of my own preferences; my goal is always to make sure I'm surrounded by capable people who will add good things if given the latitude to do it. But sometimes there are misunderstandings between members on what we agreed to do last week, etc., and lately I've taken to making notes about things like song endings, arrangement points where we discussed something different, etc., and making sure everyone sees my notes and agrees at the end of rehearsal that my notes are what what we agreed to. Next week we have a record, if anyone has forgotten, and it's pretty much a guarantee that one of us will have a memory lapse.

Sometimes just being the voice of reason and the mediating member can bring a lot of reward. It's not always about being heard as much as making sure that everyone gets heard, because often it's not just you feeling unheard.

 

[waveman]

Yeah, I have dealt with that stereotype before. Let's just say I am no longer in the band that I had to deal with it, and after I left everyone but the singer is left. It took her a year and a half to build a good sounding band again. I knew exactly what would happen when I left, but she could only hold on to the notion that the guitar player was irreplaceable and would not let me fire the guy, who was also someone I considered a friend for over 30 years, but came to realize that was not true...anyway, we had lunch several months after I quit because I was still maintaining the website at the time, she admitted it was a mistake to let me go.

I have decided since then, ain't no way I'm putting up with that crap again in a band I am a member of. The last couple of bands I have been in are/were more of the everyone is equal thing.

Now I might ignore/put up with that if it's mostly friendly banter and/or I'm subbing.