The Most Ignorant Comments Ever About Bass & Bassists

[lyonaudio]

Okay. To all the bass players. How many of you wanted to be a bass player right from the start, started playing bass guitar at the beginning, and have played nothing but bass guitar since you started?

 

[TJL]

Is this thread really a thing?

You my friend just earned a place in my inane quotes list. LOL.

 

[RocknRay]

Okay. To all the bass players. How many of you wanted to be a bass player right from the start, started playing bass guitar at the beginning, and have played nothing but bass guitar since you started?

Me, after falling under the spell of Berry Oakley in ‘71. Dinked around with guitar & piano but never connected.

 

[RocknRay]

Keyboardist who is quite good & usually pretty level got his shorts in a wad once and gave me the “you only play one note at a time” line. I told him fine, packed up from practice and “called in sick” for a few more. Guitarist and drummer had a word with him and since then, everything’s been dandy!

 

[TJL]

Keyboardist who is quite good & usually pretty level got his shorts in a wad once and gave me the “you only play one note at a time” line. I told him fine, packed up from practice and “called in sick” for a few more. Guitarist and drummer had a word with him and since then, everything’s been dandy!

Ah, it must be a standard insult by keyboardists everywhere. To illustrate how misplaced this insult is toward a bassist, all of us know how important the chord and its individual notes are to playing bass. If you don't understand your arpeggios and chordal structure, you will have no idea where to go when playing a bass line. Bass is not about individual notes, but about all the appropriate and available notes of the chord so you can create the rhythm while moving through those notes. I would go so far as to say a bass player understands chords every bit as well as any other musician, and he has the added job of having to arrange those notes in a way that moves the song along rhythmically, and in harmony with the overlying instruments. Our job is essential and a darned hard one to perfect. Lowlife's matter!

 

[bassbully]

That bass players are the fat guys who wear hats in bands...lol..........ummm wait!

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

I had a guitarist that used to say "I want to feel the bass, but not to hear it".
He is bandless ever since I left because i wanted to hear myself.
He likes to speak about "glory days" of that band, because that was his playing highlight.
I never told him why I left ("it was me, not him ") because I know that he can't really understand something on that level.

Yeah dude, people actually think that way. Like, there's even a way to feel the bass without being loud enough to hear it, or simply drowning out everyone else with low end. Dumb

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

I would love for any forum members to contribute to this thread by adding the most inane comments they have heard about our beloved choice of musical instrument...the bass.
To get things started, I have two which are from top class musicians who also happen to be family members.
My father was the conductor and arranger for many great artists over his long career, but he used to bust my chops all the time. I'll never forget the day he said to me:
"What the hell do you know about music? Bass players only play one note at a time." This from the guy who used to complain that Ray Brown rushed all the time when playing.
The second and possibly the most idiotic comment is from my brother who is a top record executive, producer, and music publisher. His pearl of wisdom to me was the following:
"Bass is not important to a song, and it should be invisible and not really be heard. It is only there to give an unremarkable foundation for the important instruments to build on."
Have you ever heard anything more contrary to the hits of Motown, R&B, and funk? I can name a thousand hit songs from all genres of music where the bass line basically IS the song, and remains the focal point of the tune throughout. What would the beginning of "My Girl" have been without the bass line? Just the arrogant term "Important Instruments" is enough to tell you how misguided about bass a person can be.
I have many more, but please, let me know about your experiences with stupidity.

I would post one, but I'd get racial backlash and more points on my talkbass record. Hahahaha

 

[MynameisMe]

"Keep in mind church gigs are not like real world gigs, and people tend to be on their best behavior when God is watching. In a greasy back alley in Hollywood at 1am, less than savory opinions tend to get expressed, especially when struggling to make a buck in the music industry. Don't be sad, be glad you live in your hermetically sealed bubble".
I guess you haven't spent much time dealing with the egos of church musicians and music leaders. After 47 years, I think I have.

Yeah I thought the same thing. Just because someone attends a church or plays in their band does not mean they're a good person.

 

[awakefie]

The correct answer is “I don’t need to over-compensate with two more strings because mine are thicker and longer”.

Followed by "See, look how much bigger mine is."

 

[TJL]

I would post one, but I'd get racial backlash and more points on my talkbass record. Hahahaha

I think I know where you are coming from. I don't think a gig has gone by that I have not been called the "wrong color". Most often it is said with love, but....I was playing at NAAM, and someone yelled out at me and called me a "Hater". Bass is bass, and it is and should always remain a colorblind band of brothers....like the misfit toys from that Rudolf the Reindeer Xmas show.

 

[SouthTippBass]

The classic, “so you switched from guitar to bass because it’s easier with just four strings?”. I’d respond yeah, so I switched to a 5 string banjo but that was still too difficult and eventually wound up playing bass. Same reason manny people take up the violin, it’s just easier than the guitar.

Tell them you're considering moving to trumpet, only three valves! I cant lose!

 

[GretschWretch]

Precisely why I have not been put out to pasture after 42 years of being a bassist. I am going to start a new movement for bass self worth called "Lowlifes Matter". LOL.

Move the s and you've got a great band name: Lowlife Smatter.

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

I think I know where you are coming from. I don't think a gig has gone by that I have not been called the "wrong color". Most often it is said with love, but....I was playing at NAAM, and someone yelled out at me and called me a "Hater". Bass is bass, and it is and should always remain a colorblind band of brothers....like the misfit toys from that Rudolf the Reindeer Xmas show.

Its an ignorant stereotype that I choose not to disclose. But, its the most ignorant thing I can think of about bass. It has nothing to do with being the "wrong color", or wrong sex for that matter.

 

[11th Street Kid]

I once heard a guitar player say “I don’t want to play bass, it’s too easy”.

 

[TJL]

Its an ignorant stereotype that I choose not to disclose. But, its the most ignorant thing I can think of about bass. It has nothing to do with being the "wrong color", or wrong sex for that matter.

Well, then it is just plain wrong. Just keep playing until the ugliness washes away. It always does.

 

[TJL]

I once heard a guitar player say “I don’t want to play bass, it’s too easy”.

That is a winner!

 

[casualmadness]

Unfortunately the most asinine comment re: bass I've ever heard came from one of the best drummers I've ever played with. It's been several years ago, when I was still young and idealistic. I had placed several ads looking for musicians to start an original band. I specified the genre that interested me and was clear about what I wanted to do.
A drummer reached out to me. We talked on the phone; he seemed like a nice guy. He suggested I bring a bass and amp to his house and we do a drum and bass thing to see how we fit together. "Great idea! Lets do it." So I went to his house and what a great time we had! We just locked in perfectly. Everything sounded great. We just did improv for about 3 hours. It was amazing.
At the end of the night, he said he knew a keyboard player and wanted us to get together with him. "Sure!" Once again, smashing success. Fast forward a month or so, we had bass, drums, keys, and guitar. We had started writing songs.
I noticed at some point that the music wasn't really what I had in mind. Additionally, the other guys were talking more and more about a direction that was contrary to what I had sought. I kept pushing back on their ideas and would reiterate..."This isn't what I had in mind." I was completely dismissed every time.
Finally after a few weeks of literally being ignored, I said "You know it feels like my opinion doesn't even matter in this group." The drummer replied "Your opinion doesn't matter, you're just the bass player."
Initially I thought it was a joke but he was quite serious. I packed up my gear immediately and left. That was that.

 

[Charlzm]

I must live a sheltered life; in my 34 years of playing, I've never heard anyone say anything stupid about bass around me. Or at least, I don't remember it.

 

[TJL]

Unfortunately the most asinine comment re: bass I've ever heard came from one of the best drummers I've ever played with. It's been several years ago, when I was still young and idealistic. I had placed several ads looking for musicians to start an original band. I specified the genre that interested me and was clear about what I wanted to do.
A drummer reached out to me. We talked on the phone; he seemed like a nice guy. He suggested I bring a bass and amp to his house and we do a drum and bass thing to see how we fit together. "Great idea! Lets do it." So I went to his house and what a great time we had! We just locked in perfectly. Everything sounded great. We just did improv for about 3 hours. It was amazing.
At the end of the night, he said he knew a keyboard player and wanted us to get together with him. "Sure!" Once again, smashing success. Fast forward a month or so, we had bass, drums, keys, and guitar. We had started writing songs.
I noticed at some point that the music wasn't really what I had in mind. Additionally, the other guys were talking more and more about a direction that was contrary to what I had sought. I kept pushing back on their ideas and would reiterate..."This is what I had in mind." I was completely dismissed every time.
Finally after a few weeks of literally being ignored, I said "You know it feels like my opinion doesn't even matter in this group." The drummer replied "Your opinion doesn't matter, you're just the bass player."
Initially I thought it was a joke but he was quite serious. I packed up my gear immediately and left. That was that.

I have played in bands where that is the role of the bassist. "Shut up and play what is on the page". If you are getting a big paycheck like a show in Vegas, I can do as told. But in your situation where you are not seeing a penny, best to stay away from that toxic environment. If you are not respected from day one, it will only get worse with time.