Ever hear ‘there is no wrong way to play the bass’. A perplexing and equally baffling statement. Ever see ‘said bass or bassist’ that is simply oblivious. And your inner child just wants to be helpful. While you’re screaming and yelling out the obvious (wisdom and humor intended). After all music is a gift to be shared. It’s not just for the selfish Rock & Roll gods that be. For all the don’t (never ever do) No-no’s. This is the happy place where we can release and feel safe together. And voice the No-no’s to your fellow bassists.
Never tell your Bass Principal that he is out of tune if you ever want to play beside him again. Never tell the conductor that the exaggerated bow stroke movements he demonstrated and demands will produce a worse, not better, result (he was a wind player!!)
Actually this is something I think about consistently with regards to art - and it brushes on the tenets of abstractionism. Does abstract technique belong in Music? I think that sometimes playing something "wrong" or "off" in an intentional way sounds great. There are countless representations of it through out music - stuff like Captain Beefheart Trout Mask Replica or Tom Waits Real Gone. Those are extreme examples as they employ the concept fully throughout the entire record. However, you can use that brush type lightly and come away with something that sounds amazing like the sax solo at the end of XTC Leisure, which while sounding amateur and slightly atonal on it's own plays to the desperation of the contextual situation playing out in the song. Sure, a perfectly suitable "normal" sax or guitar solo could sound really good there, even if they aimed for the same atonal desperation - but it would betray the atmosphere of the setting, as that amateurish playing works together with the theme of the lyrics and really drives home the sense of dread of being jobless. I think at the end of the day - there are definitely wrong ways to play an instrument (look at how David Lynch plays guitar, it is awesome - but definitely wrong, lol), but if you are years into your craft and are interested in the more cinematic qualities of music those "wrong" techniques can be potentially powerful brushes to have in your arsenal.
Does anyone remember the Bournemouth Symphony recordings that were just right enough to identify the music? Or Florence Foster Jenkins?
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