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The most important skill a bass player must posses.
- Thread starter samrock5000
- Start date
That's not a basic skill, that's a level of skill or achievement. If that were the most important skill, there would be no bass players other than accomplished pros and semi-pros.
IMO the most important skills a bass player needs are ability to keep a basic groove and willingness to continually learn.
Habitual pot smoking over time will make you slow, lazy, dumb and scatter-brained. I've seen it happen.
The most important skill for a bass player is to listen to the rest of the band. Follow them when they go somewhere good, reel them in when they go somewhere bad, and take the lead when they give it to you.
The most important skill for a bass player is to listen to the rest of the band. Follow them when they go somewhere good, reel them in when they go somewhere bad, and take the lead when they give it to you.
One of the most creative bassists I've ever heard was Wade Matthews with Tim Eyermann's East Coast Offering. A friend and I went to one of their concerts, and asked him what his secret was to having such a flexible left hand. His response was "Lots of weed."
Never went that route, but fast forward today today and several of those incredibly talented musicians are dead from cancer.
Brain research, absolutely - but that's head stuff (pardon the pun) - important head stuff, but it shows "why" things work and not necessarily "how to get there."
There are three things necessary "to get there," IMHO (backed up by a Master's Degree in education
)
1) Practice, practice, practice. "Perfect" practice builds myelin sheaths around nerves and nerve endings so that your technique improves and becomes second nature. It's commonly termed "muscle memory," but it's really the muscles strengthening and the nerves building their networks working together.
2) Listen, listen, listen. To as many things as you can. If you want to play like a particular person, then listen to them. BUT, it really doesn't do YOUR reputation any good to say you sound exactly like them. Listen to as much as you can to develop who YOU are. When you seek your "sound," you must remember that it's a combination of three things - your instrument (its woods, strings, construction) and your amplification, and the acoustic conditions that surround you. While you may want to have a tone like someone else, you have to experiment - with instruments and gear, not drugs - to get to what you have in mind. Oh - and this isn't an overnight process either. It may take years to get there.
3) Experience. Get out there and play with others - not guitar players...Drummers. Lock in to what the kick drum is doing to make your band "tight." It doesn't matter if the recording of the song has the bassist playing 1..x2..x3...x4. If the drummer is kicking 1...(2)x....x4x, the foundation will sound like it's falling apart. You and the drummer need to be of one mind to build the base for the guitars, keyboards and vocals to build on. Remember that it's important to fail, too, as long as your learn from your mistakes.
Combine the three of these things together and a fourth element emerges - as the first responder said, "The Zone." It's REALLY cool when it happens at a gig. The best way I can describe it is to watch the movie, "The Matrix," when everyone realizes Neo is "The One." His realization of what he can do when all his training, experience, and knowledge come together is quite astonishing to not only himself but others around him. Then you realize the blessing of the talent that has been given to you and that you have nurtured.
Z
Never went that route, but fast forward today today and several of those incredibly talented musicians are dead from cancer.
Brain research, absolutely - but that's head stuff (pardon the pun) - important head stuff, but it shows "why" things work and not necessarily "how to get there."
There are three things necessary "to get there," IMHO (backed up by a Master's Degree in education
)1) Practice, practice, practice. "Perfect" practice builds myelin sheaths around nerves and nerve endings so that your technique improves and becomes second nature. It's commonly termed "muscle memory," but it's really the muscles strengthening and the nerves building their networks working together.
2) Listen, listen, listen. To as many things as you can. If you want to play like a particular person, then listen to them. BUT, it really doesn't do YOUR reputation any good to say you sound exactly like them. Listen to as much as you can to develop who YOU are. When you seek your "sound," you must remember that it's a combination of three things - your instrument (its woods, strings, construction) and your amplification, and the acoustic conditions that surround you. While you may want to have a tone like someone else, you have to experiment - with instruments and gear, not drugs - to get to what you have in mind. Oh - and this isn't an overnight process either. It may take years to get there.
3) Experience. Get out there and play with others - not guitar players...Drummers. Lock in to what the kick drum is doing to make your band "tight." It doesn't matter if the recording of the song has the bassist playing 1..x2..x3...x4. If the drummer is kicking 1...(2)x....x4x, the foundation will sound like it's falling apart. You and the drummer need to be of one mind to build the base for the guitars, keyboards and vocals to build on. Remember that it's important to fail, too, as long as your learn from your mistakes.
Combine the three of these things together and a fourth element emerges - as the first responder said, "The Zone." It's REALLY cool when it happens at a gig. The best way I can describe it is to watch the movie, "The Matrix," when everyone realizes Neo is "The One." His realization of what he can do when all his training, experience, and knowledge come together is quite astonishing to not only himself but others around him. Then you realize the blessing of the talent that has been given to you and that you have nurtured.
Z
I dunno - as a scientist, sometimes I need drugs to help me concentrate (caffeine, modafinil), then at night after a stressful day (red wine, dark beer). These seem to help you send the brain where it needs to be (that is, concentrating or relaxing or whatever). So I think likely a bowl would grab your brain's attention during a jam - get it redirected from other interfering thoughts, and if you got also got joyously, energetically involved with the music, bonus! But like any other drug, it's effect decreases as your brain gets used to it. So I usually save drugs for special occasions so they have maximal effect and even then there's no guarantee.
Ok, while I agree - technically smoking weed is not a skill 
The most important skill, I think? Probably the freedom of mind and the freedom of ear to accept non-standard sounds and harmonies.
Personally I think that standard, Western, blues based I IV V chord rock is dead, dead, dead as a doornail. There's nothing left in it.
You have to be willing to expand your mind to hear out there sounds and understand their place. The way to this skill is probably through extensively listening. The more jazz, world, noise music can you absorb the better you should become at this skill.
The most important skill, I think? Probably the freedom of mind and the freedom of ear to accept non-standard sounds and harmonies.
Personally I think that standard, Western, blues based I IV V chord rock is dead, dead, dead as a doornail. There's nothing left in it.
You have to be willing to expand your mind to hear out there sounds and understand their place. The way to this skill is probably through extensively listening. The more jazz, world, noise music can you absorb the better you should become at this skill.
Yeah but he didn't NEED drugs to have inspiration and talent.
but he DID take them, theres no denying that
. i agree he probably didnt need them, because that kind of talent is purely natural. All the recreational drug use did was take that already amazing talent to the next level.
You tend to notice the guys most able to go into that "zone" because they end up with a bass-face to end all faces. And they may even drool...
but seriously, I guess it's just a thing everyone has but you have to allow yourself to get to the state where you're comfortable to slip into it as and when. And remember to close your mouth every now and then...derp.
Edit: and as for drugs? May lower inhibition to try out "ker-razy" ideas, but I've found stoner bandmates I've had in the past to sit around and giggle alot without actually making much melody. Just bad experience maybe, worrisome thoughts to be had as to what would have come if the Beatles, Led Zep, The Who, Hendrix, Jaco...and pretty much every musical pioneer hadn't had access to the funky stuff. Hmm?
but seriously, I guess it's just a thing everyone has but you have to allow yourself to get to the state where you're comfortable to slip into it as and when. And remember to close your mouth every now and then...derp.
Edit: and as for drugs? May lower inhibition to try out "ker-razy" ideas, but I've found stoner bandmates I've had in the past to sit around and giggle alot without actually making much melody. Just bad experience maybe, worrisome thoughts to be had as to what would have come if the Beatles, Led Zep, The Who, Hendrix, Jaco...and pretty much every musical pioneer hadn't had access to the funky stuff. Hmm?
I wouldn't recommend sex, drugs or insanity for everyone, but they've always worked for me. - Hunter S. Thompson
There are a number of qualities that go into making a great player. But of the skills, the elements of the craft of bass playing good time is the single most important. You'll be forgiven for a whole lot if you got the deep pocket lock.
If you are in Holland, and you can go into a Cafe and order up White Widow, then do it man.
there's a lot of controversy over that stuff.
I'm in Canada, the DR told me not to smoke it becuase it causes short term memory loss and burns the top layer of you're brain.
but so does alcohol?
anyway, if you get into being a stoner 24/7 you'll eventually hate the tolerance build up find yurself spending more cash to get stoned, then eventually your getting stoned to feel sober.
so make sure you pace it out nicely, every 3 days at the most.
you can lose lung capacity, but regain it in 2 weeks after you stop smoking it.
I dont recomend it if you work out, go to the gym a lot, it seems to mess up routine when your burned out and cant move...
harmless drug if it is used properly, take the smoke in deep, hold it in your lungs until you cant no more, and your golden. lol
there's a lot of controversy over that stuff.
I'm in Canada, the DR told me not to smoke it becuase it causes short term memory loss and burns the top layer of you're brain.
but so does alcohol?
anyway, if you get into being a stoner 24/7 you'll eventually hate the tolerance build up find yurself spending more cash to get stoned, then eventually your getting stoned to feel sober.
so make sure you pace it out nicely, every 3 days at the most.
you can lose lung capacity, but regain it in 2 weeks after you stop smoking it.
I dont recomend it if you work out, go to the gym a lot, it seems to mess up routine when your burned out and cant move...
harmless drug if it is used properly, take the smoke in deep, hold it in your lungs until you cant no more, and your golden. lol
