Theory: Bassists are Awesome!

[gtirard]

I dislike generalization in general, but in that particular case, I think it's quite true and easy to explain.

The bass instrument is out of the spotlights by nature, so people with ego problems are attracted by other instruments (guitar, vocals, drums). The muscical role of the bass is to provide a link between the rythm section and the melody, so it's normal that it attracts ampathic people.

And that also explains why Talkbass is a much much nicer place than any other forum/social medai that I know.

 

[Bass Motifs]

Playing a bass register instrument (in classical music too) requires perspective of the whole musical landscape, not just providing foundation but also driving the harmonic progression forward.

So... yes agree with you

 

[TreySonagras]

I believe there is a certain part of the brain where “groove” is stored. Maybe the same part houses “general niceness”.

 

[themickster]

I know some lovely folk through music and couldn't say which are the best.

 

[-Stingray]

Agree with OP 100%. The bass forums I generally visit are filled with the nicest guys and gals. Can't say that about the guitar or drum forums I frequent.

Case in Point: Go spend some time on TGP....

 

[2saddleslab]

When making others look good is one of your main jobs, empathy seems like a useful trait.

 

[Tom Bomb]

"I like bass players now."

​

 

[Avigdor]

My motto comes straight from James Stewart in My Friend Harvey:

"To get ahead in this life you have to be ever so clever or ever so pleasant. I tried clever, I recommend pleasant."

 

[smtp4me]

I would agree. Fine print: there are always exceptions to every rule. Having said that, the bass itself, in most cases, is a supportive/background instrument. Captain Obvious, I know...

Therefore, bass players are, generally but not always, not people who seek out the spotlight. They are okay being in the background, supporting the rest. This means low ego.

 

[Minimalist]

I think it's more nature than nurture.
Certainly for those who've always identified as bass players.

But I identify as a keyboard player.

 

[Minimalist]

I have an operating theory I've developed over the 30+ years I've been playing and networking with musicians: Bassists tend to share a few broad traits, among them empathy, general kindness, open-mindedness and all around "good-guy (girl)-ness". Most of the players I've met who've "made it" tend to be down to earth, happy to share their wisdom, and appreciative of their success. Not that these traits don't apply to other instrumentalists (or the occasional singer) but bassists tend to present this way more often IME.

If you subscribe to this theory, do you think that bassists tend to be that type, and gravitate to bass as a support instrument, or perhaps that the supportive role bass usually plays in the ensemble molds us that way? This would be a Nature vs Nurture discussion I suppose, and certainly just my own observations, but I thought it might make for a fun discussion.

It's not a theory, it's a fact.

 

[Katoosie]

Idk. I think we are all a little bit biased

 

[Gully Foyle]

Interesting, but also seems to hold for bassists that do not only provide supporting roles - Geddy as the archetype. I have always seen bass as co-equal to the other pieces, however many they be, but I have never in my 35 years of bass played genres that require root/fifth, or pedal 8th notes (well, i have played plenty of hard rock, but don't do the root 8th note thing (too hard to get right, lest anyone think i am hating on Mr. Anthony).

I have always thought it was about how you heard music - well before I played bass, I listened to bass.

The selection might also work the other way - guitar and drums might attract people with a higher priority on 'look at me'!

 

[fdeck]

My first instrument was cello. I started playing bass because the school jazz band needed a bass player, and I could read bass clef. I serve the needs of the audience, the music, the band, humanity, and the universe, not some "role."

I wonder if it's some kind of genres, more than instruments, that attract prima donnas. Sure, the singers and guitar gods during the rock era. Bassists are a constant through that because of our versatility, and the fact that nobody else fully understands what we do. But in order for versatility to be an asset, you have to be able to deal with people, because they can just call someone else.

On the bandstand, I greatly prefer the "one among equals" vibe that I experience in a jazz setting. Perhaps that's part of what attracts me to that genre.

 

[Spectre Gunner]

Singers or Frontmen seem to have unique personality traits or quirks that are different from most bass players I've known. Here's a quote from a very famous Frontman.

"I'm not conceited...I'm convinced!" - Little Richard

 

[BobDeRosa]

I read the same thing about trombone players on a trombone forum. Or was it about obists on an oboe forum. It could have been about cajon players on a cajon forum. Then again it could have been about...

But I'll bet you didn't read it on a singer forum, or a lead guitarist forum. Different personality types in those places.

 

[Jefenator]

As much as I'd like to subscribe to this theory, I've observed too many fellow bass players who are "difficult".

 

[wysiwyg248]

Bogus, although in general lines I tend to think highly of myself and bass players in general, my wife -a psychologist by trade- has pointed several times flaws that show otherwise.

 

[JakobT]

My impression is that bass players tend to be team players. Bass is not a solo instrument, so anyone who gravitates towards bass is usually more group-oriented.

 

[mambo4]

I wonder how much longer this thread would be if the title was
BASSISTS: THEORY IS AWESOME!