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When does a bass player become a bassist?

#27
tjmdetroit said:
What????? There's a difference between a bass player and a musician?????? Here in the USA bass players are musicians... so are singers.... piano players... drummers.... etc. Righto Governor?
:rolleyes:
Tim
Click to expand...

There is a difference IMO. A bass player would likely focus only on bass and in many cases isn't truly aware of anything/everything else that's going on. When you get beyond that and deal with music vs. solely your instrument...

now granted if you want to call yourself a musician despite not being a very good one, that is indeed your right as an American.
:D

Think about it... who can't play a cowbell or shake a tambourine (regardless of how well)? They're musical instruments too.
:hmm:
But put a tambourine in Jack Ashford's hands and you hear what it sounds like when played by an actual musician. It's not as simple as many think.


I know people who can mimic another person's work or even play from a sheet of music but are completely lost without that basis. That's a bass player.

I know the terms bass player and bassist are now interchangeable but just about anyone who can maneuver around it can "play" a bass. Not necessarily very well. Many think they're bassists, particularly guitarists/guitar players who grab a bass and start flailing away and think they're playing bass when they're actually playing guitar on a bass;). Big difference.

Understanding it's function is what separates a bassist from a bass player IMO.
:cool:
 
#33
In my book, a bass player becomes a bassist when he/she becomes proficent at both electric bass guitar and the upright bass. FWIW - I'm still a bass player, but someday hope to give the upright a spin.
 

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