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What does 'talented bassist' mean in your minds?

It's not all about how many notes either. A talented bass player also knows when few is better.

Agree 100%. Too many of us idolize the flashiest riffsters (and make poor attempts to imitate them). Guys like Duck Dunn are ignored or dismissed because they don't display fancy chops. That's just crazy: IMO it's a far worse sin to overplay than to underplay.

The question is "what is talented bassist?" IMO, it's anyone who consistently plays what's right for the song: appropriate feel, appropriate note choices. Flashy chops and a unique voice are nice (when properly deployed), but those qualities define an "exceptional" or "virtuoso" bassist.
 
IMO, talent is something you're born with. Ability is something you learn, so a talented bassist is someone who is born with a gift, usually of music, and then focuses his talent on his ability to play the bass. Some people are born with it and some people learn it over time, but the naturals will always learn faster and progress quicker because it's in them from birth.
 
Music is 90% emotion and 10% ability.

Whoa, there pardner. If music theory, technique, dexterity, and practiced muscle power in both hands is just 10% of the talent mix, something is wrong with your proportions.

We all know players who can read their A****s off, but can't play a lick without a chart. Conversely, thrashing 8ths may have an emotional appeal, even as a raw display but it ain't exactly technically challenging.

My definition: something that makes them rise above the rest.
 
Whoa, there pardner. If music theory, technique, dexterity, and practiced muscle power in both hands is just 10% of the talent mix, something is wrong with your proportions.

We all know players who can read their A****s off, but can't play a lick without a chart. Conversely, thrashing 8ths may have an emotional appeal, even as a raw display but it ain't exactly technically challenging.

My definition: something that makes them rise above the rest.



I'd say the ratio of technical ability vs. creativity is WAY off, but I would rather hear a creative bassist than a "talented" bassist.
 
a talented musician is somebody who has a natural talent for something.....
but i guess what im saying is a talented bass player is no longer simply playing the bass...his instrument is now just a vehicle for his musical thoughts, whether he wants to play one note or a million, the point is he/she can do it as easy as if they were talking
 
IMO, talent is something you're born with. Ability is something you learn, so a talented bassist is someone who is born with a gift, usually of music, and then focuses his talent on his ability to play the bass. Some people are born with it and some people learn it over time, but the naturals will always learn faster and progress quicker because it's in them from birth.

You hit the nail on the head.
Talent is what you're born with. For example, someone can have perfect pitch or an innate sense of rhythm and never touch an instrument, or even care about music.
*All* the other stuff involves skill, education, taste, experience, and so on.