I hate these phrases, never use them ever, and I think anyone who does should be kicked in the sack repeatedly:
"The bass has to lock in with the drummer." Get real! First off, so many bassists misinterpret this as only playing when the bass drum plays. Second, maybe I don't feel like goosestepping in formation with the drummer. Maybe I feel like playing behind the beat, or pulling it a little. Or maybe I feel like ignoring the drummer and playing something completely different than him. Tell me I have to lock in with the drummer and I will tell you to get bent.
"It's all about the groove." Yes it is, if you're playing groove-oriented music like R&B or funk. But what about all those other types of music? Groove in a metal song and you're liable to be told to stop playing like a wuss. Groove in an old-school jazz tune, and you're liable to get a lesson in walking bass from the pianist. The phrase should be, "It's all about playing what's appropriate for the music."
"Overplaying is bad." Yes, sometimes it is. And sometimes overplaying is awesome. Does anyone tell Victor Wooten not to overplay? Or Jaco? Or Stanley Clarke? Or any number of the most-respected bassists out there? You need to be conscious of what the song needs, but sometimes it needs some overplaying. So don't rule it out just because some guitarist tells you not to do it so he can be the big showoff. I went through an "overplaying is bad" period once. During this time, I got asked to play on a friend's album. After cutting 3 or 4 songs, she says, "What happened to you? I called you because I wanted to hear some badass playing, and you're playing like you're scared to do anything!" So on the next song I cut loose and stepped all over everyone. She loved it! So sometimes overplaying is just what the doctor ordered.
"Real bassists don't use picks." I dare anyone to ever say that to my face. Quite simply, it's the most ******** thing anyone could ever say to a bassist. And bassists who say that are the biggest retards of all. And if any of you have a problem with me calling you a dufus, then maybe you should consider shutting your yap because you sound absolutely moronic.
"Bass is all about ____________." If you don't fill in that blank with the phrase, "whatever I want it to be about," FU. Don't ever tell me that bass is about what you think it should be. Bass is not about YOUR conceptions and prejudices. If I want a whammy bar on my bass, who the hell are you to tell me different? If someone wants to string his bass an octave lower than usual, so what? If someone wants to play a 25 string bass with a 12 octave range, what's it to you? This lesson got taught to me the hard way when I made fun of someone's 9-string bass before I heard him play it. I prefer 4-strings in standard tuning, but that's just me. Play whatever you want. And leave me the hell alone.
Any of you who wish to add to the list, please do so. Any of you who want to argue any of these things, please feel free to try.
