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The Truth About Being a "Good" Bass Player

#21
theroan said:
I've been playing bass now for 15 years. Though in my later years, I've been playing a lot more guitar. Recently, I've been picking it back up for this or that project. Maybe this isn't a new realization, but it is for me. After all my years practicing scales, watching videos on slapping, tapping, harmonics, developing speed etc, essentially trying to be like all my bass heroes.

In the end no one cares. Unless you're in a prog or funk band. Most people do not care about the bass. Keep time, with the root, toss in a fill here and there but most of the time, just stay out of the way. In fact, if you're paired with a prideful guitar player, they'll will actually resent your skill, taking the spotlight where it doesn't belong.

It kind of sucks because I feel like a wasted a lot of time. I can do a lot of cool stuff on the bass and it took me a long time to be able to do them. In the end, it doesn't really matter.
Click to expand...
I think I see your point. Yes, it does seem often that the lead singer, guitarist, other instrumentalists, and even the audience DON'T seem to notice the bass. They would notice it if it wasn't there (as many have already said). The problem is that if you play too much or don't play enough, they'll simply replace you with a bassist who does what they believe a bassist is supposed to do.

If you want your bass playing to be appreciated by someone other than the other bass players, you have to do a few things.
1) Play in a genre that values the bass line. Prog Rock and Funk are not the only "open-minded" genres; however, Country and Blues are probably NOT the place to be if you want artistic freedom on the bass.
2) It's not enough to know HOW to do lots of cool things on the bass. You have to know WHEN and WHERE to do them. Above all else, you must make the music FEEL GOOD. You absolutely MUST be groovy no matter what genre or song you're playing. Usually, it doesn't take much embellishment on a bass to make the mood of the music change. You can make it sinister or sexy or cool simply by which notes you select when (you know this already).
3) If you play live, have some stage presence. Make yourself a character that the audience will remember...someone they feel they "know" (like Bootsy or Flea but you don't have to be that extreme--just examples of memorable characters). Move around and interact with the audience. Make some eye contact and some non-verbal communication...in essence, PUT ON A SHOW! If the frontman can't deal with you having ANY character then you simply need to change bands. Don't waste your time with no-talent hacks and cowards. You don't have to upstage the frontman but you also don't have to be like Entwistle. You're a performer--perform. The guy at the party who sits by himself with a beer doesn't go home with a girl, doesn't have fun, doesn't get remembered, doesn't get invited to the next party. He's soon forgotten. If you don't want to be forgotten then Invalid Link Removed. If you are someone the audience likes and looks forward to seeing, it won't be long before they start screaming for a BASS SOLO during your shows...the frontman can't do a damned thing about that, can he?

Last week a friend of mine who's played guitar for over a decade and decided to buy a cheapo little bass at a pawn shop was talking to me in the grocery store and said, "Well if you can play guitar, you can play bass." That's the attitude that many...TOO MANY people have. The bass has the 4 lowest strings that the guitar has so they assume that it's the same but easier and is only supposed to play the basic, roots and stuff. Leo Fender both blessed us and cursed us at the same time. If you were to go back in history and put a double bass next to a spanish guitar, no one would automatically assume that they're the same. Fender meant to help bassists, which he did, but in the process he also kind of cheapened our instrument in the eyes of the world. Truth is the bass is a different instrument than guitar just like the drums and the piano are. They aren't the same and being a guitarist doesn't mean someone understands the bass. The bass is unique in the band...there's usually only one and it sounds different than the other instruments. Embrace that and make it noticed as being unique...and make YOURSELF noticed as being unique on the bass.

So in the end, does it matter?
I don't know...do you MAKE it matter?
 
#23
As some of the other guys have stated we all go through various phases in our bass playing lifetime(noodling, wanking, and going for the big picture of the song itself). IMO If You feel good about and are proud of the music You are part of, None of the attention and spotlight will matter as much. I guess what I am trying to say is, if the guys You are playing with appreciate Your role in the sound of the band, and the audience loves the music, the rest is just icing on the cake. If the folks You are jamming with don't appreciate You and your role in the sound of the music, then I'd find some new folks to jam with. Swapping instruments wont fix the fact that some folks are true A-holes.
 
#25
IMO, it's really not our role to be "noticed" but rather our role is to complete the song. A bassist, unless they're in a band where the bass stands out, will NEVER get the respect from the general public as a guitarist or singer. Our instrument isn't designed to stick out. It's designed to fill in gaps and support the structure of the music. However, take out our instrument from the mix and people will realize that music just isn't as good, or any good at all for that matter. To be a bassist you must love music and play music because you love it, not for notoriety or attention. The crowd may not understand our role at all but a true musician will definitely understand and respect our role. I hear all the time how hard it is to find a good bassist, especially by church musicians. Local bands here are constantly looking for bassists. Most of the time they'll find a guitarist willing to "humble themselves" but it's not the same. True bassists, for the most part, are true musicians first.

Be happy, be proud, but most of all be available because bands out there are looking for musicians like us.
 
#26
I think you're discounting how all that practice has lead you to this current place. It takes a large amount of practice to develop an ear, technique, and timing.

Simple bass lines still require a finesse to write and perform well.

That said, the only philosophy that I have related to how much I play or don't play is... Determine how sonically full a song is and play accordingly.

In each band I play, there is a need to make this determination from song to song. Some I try to have an interesting melody line going on underneath, some I pound 8th notes. Some it's whole notes. Some are very rhythmic lines.... etc.

That said, in a band with a bunch of overplayers, i mostly play roots and try to have a subtle rhythm.
 
#28
Even in simple root-oriented music, people can tell the difference between a noob and someone who's been playing as long as you and I. They probably wouldn't be able to tell you "It's the bass player dragging this group down" but they would be able to feel it.
 
#29
theroan said:
I've been playing bass now for 15 years. Though in my later years, I've been playing a lot more guitar. Recently, I've been picking it back up for this or that project. Maybe this isn't a new realization, but it is for me. After all my years practicing scales, watching videos on slapping, tapping, harmonics, developing speed etc, essentially trying to be like all my bass heroes.

In the end no one cares. Unless you're in a prog or funk band. Most people do not care about the bass. Keep time, with the root, toss in a fill here and there but most of the time, just stay out of the way. In fact, if you're paired with a prideful guitar player, they'll will actually resent your skill, taking the spotlight where it doesn't belong.

It kind of sucks because I feel like a wasted a lot of time. I can do a lot of cool stuff on the bass and it took me a long time to be able to do them. In the end, it doesn't really matter.
Click to expand...



You're wrong. It does matter. But what doesn't matter is a whole lot of "star licks" that are played out to death. Maybe what you're playing just isn't exciting anybody.

Time to take the next step -- learning to play melodically, interesting counterpoint, voice leading, groove. Do it well, and people will notice. Believe me.
 
#31
First: man it's so nice to see so many be able to treat this subject the way it's been done here. Makes me feel all warm and gooey inside.

It's all been said here, but here's another analogy in case it's needed, cause if something is said a million different ways, it can be understood by a million different people with a million different life experiences.

When you see a house, you see the siding, the layout, the windows, the yard. These are all the pretty things that grab you attention. But if the foundation or framing of the house, which no one ever sees, is poorly done, the house will just "look" wrong. That's what bass playing is about in many styles. You're not there to be seen, your there to make it work.

Here's another, there's plenty of stereotypes about plumbers right? Useless, fat, overpaid, anyone brain-dead monkey can do it.... Well, how drastically different would your daily life be if a good plumber wasn't there when your house or apartment was built?

You can indeed find glory in playing bass, but it will come from the satisfaction of a job well done, not from the adulation of the masses.

ooooh... think I might keep that last line there, that was nice...
 
#32
I play bass, because it's who I am. I am a supporter, in all my aspects of life.

I'm the one playing therapist with my friends, i'm the one helping lift the couch that's being moved, i'm the one doing the driving everyone around, i'm the one in the band helping keep it all together.

Do I get my moments of fame and glamour?

Not often.


Am I appreciated?

Quite often.


I play, not only because I want to, but because the bass itself fits who I am. I mean, yeah, I can get pretty damn close to 16th notes, I can do triplets, and all that. I can be fast. But unless the song calls for it, I don't. I'll play something simple like Smoke On The Water if it's needed. I'll also play The Trooper if it's needed. Sure, i'll do my own thing sometimes, and I really like getting the spotlight for any amount of time at all. But i'm happy helping others.

The point is, it DOES matter. It's almost like saying the power steering in a car doesn't matter because you don't hear it and it doesn't look cool.

You ARE important.

But whether or not you choose to accept it is your own choice.

I'm sorry you feel so bummed. :hmm:
 
#34
I always felt like bass is the grout between bricks. Without it everything would fall apart, even though it may not be as a noticeable. Plus, I have always felt that my favorite bands everyone had their purpose and killed it in their own way. Like the bass in "Be Careful with that Axe, Eugene" is awesome for that song even if it's only two notes. I also recently watched a youtube vid with Lee Sklar playing bass for James Taylor for "Smiling Face"...**** is HEAVY (to me) because of his super simple grooves.
 
#36
theroan said:
I've been playing bass now for 15 years. Though in my later years, I've been playing a lot more guitar. Recently, I've been picking it back up for this or that project. Maybe this isn't a new realization, but it is for me. After all my years practicing scales, watching videos on slapping, tapping, harmonics, developing speed etc, essentially trying to be like all my bass heroes.

In the end no one cares. Unless you're in a prog or funk band. Most people do not care about the bass. Keep time, with the root, toss in a fill here and there but most of the time, just stay out of the way. In fact, if you're paired with a prideful guitar player, they'll will actually resent your skill, taking the spotlight where it doesn't belong.

It kind of sucks because I feel like a wasted a lot of time. I can do a lot of cool stuff on the bass and it took me a long time to be able to do them. In the end, it doesn't really matter.
Click to expand...

Basically what you're saying is (in equivalence) that the melody is more important than the rhythm.

The violin is not more important than the bass.

The viola is not more important than the cello.

You need all of them to have an orchestra.

You need both of them to have a band.

At least a good one.

The fact that there are even forums like these means that at least some people do care. Personally I think the bass is evolving more and more as an instrument that isn't just "play the root and fill". Look at all the bassists who have done great things for the instrument and it's easy to see the bass very much does matter.

It sounds to me like you're in a band that isn't a band or one that doesn't know what a band is. It's not a pissing contest for spotlight, it's to make one sound and one piece of music. Or at least it should be, in my mind. And missing one piece of the music ruins the rest of it, I think.

I don't play the bass to get spotlight though. I play the bass for me; because it's grown into a part of who I am.
 
#39
in a just world, you should be rightfully rewarded for the work you have put in on intricate bass maneuvers. Just don't expect to get it from the general public. They only know the hooks, the vocal chorus and the beat. We, your brothers/sister in axe, love and understand you. :) We've either been there, are getting there, or are right there along with you. never forget: Bass is THE most important job in the band. You define pitch and rhythm in a way no one else has the authority to do. Keep playing.
 
#40
this thread is ass. i see a lot of bass players out there who aren't hurting for appreciation. it ain't the glamour position but i really don't have much of a problem with being appreciated.
 

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