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"Why don't you play a normal guitar?" -.-

#21
Headphones, they can't hear you, and more importantly you can't hear them.

Drummers have the same problem I imagine, "Here is the drum part to ...". Most people really would only recognize the guitar or piano part of most songs. Even a song like "Message in a Bottle" a non musician is probably not going to recognize the guitar, bass or drum parts on their own even as unique as they are. If you played even the guitar part to some song they probably wouldn't recognize it either, that's what I'm getting at, you need a melody. Just play a melody on yer' bass!

I would bet the majority of people don't even know there is a guitar and a bass guitar and the differences between the two.
 
#22
Tell them bands like the one you are in don't use a tuba. Tell them the parts you play are tuba parts, and you can't play parts that low on a regular guitar. I bet they'll get it.

If you need to, you can also add that the other parts you play are the ones you play on a "dog-house bass" but your band doesn't use that, so you play your parts on an electric bass instead.

If they don't get the first one they won't get the second one, but it's nice to have spare ammo anyway.

Forgive their lack of information. Don't fight it, either. They are fighting their ignorance, not you. Sit with the pain. Use it to push you to practice and play MORE. You will come out on top. Scripts in your head that say you're not good enough? Welcome to the club. And you picked BASS. Welcome to the club again. You ARE good enough and deep down you know it. That committee is wrong and their process is flawed. Let it go in one ear and out the other.

We're with you.

:D
 
#24
Dad told me to put bass strings on a guitar when I told him I want to move on to a 6 string bass.

I have the problem of not being able to play anything when I think or know someone can hear, or see, but, being awesome when I'm all by myself.
The same applies to many other things in life.
 
#29
Personally, I think Johnny put it best.



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:hiding:

"If you ain't playin' it, don't worry about why."
 
#30
gumbynotpokey said:
Forgive their lack of information. Don't fight it, either. They are fighting their ignorance, not you. Sit with the pain. Use it to push you to practice and play MORE. You will come out on top. Scripts in your head that say you're not good enough? Welcome to the club. And you picked BASS. Welcome to the club again. You ARE good enough and deep down you know it. That committee is wrong and their process is flawed. Let it go in one ear and out the other.

We're with you.

:D
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Link Removed

.....or you could go this route. :D
 
#31
Thanks you everyone, I can't express how much I thank you all for this, and how much your answers mean to me. This is definetly the best forum there is, and you are all wonderful and supportive people. So again, thank you alot!

Also, this:

SnowCal said:
Start leaving open web pages on the computer showing bagpipes for sale. Start hinting that you're thinking about switching to a different instrument.
Click to expand...

Made me laugh so hard I almost choked xD
 
#32
Hey, look at it this way : Most people don't have a clue what makes their car run or what gives them electricity in their house. That's no reason for the auto mechanic or electrician to feel bad. It just means that you know more than they do, and that should be a self esteem booster. Part of rising above low self esteem (and it takes time ) is realizing you are not responsible for what other people don't or can't understand.
My wife can't pick the bass part out of a song on any level. I practice most every night sitting across the room from her while she noodles on the computer. She still can't tell the bass part in a song ? That's a hoot. Too funny. But not my fault in the least. Not yours either. :confused: :rolleyes:
 
#34
On the "why bass?" question. I intrigued a girl in college once with my answer to that question, and she's still my biggest fan a long time later... :bassist:

She asked me why I chose to play bass soon after meeting, and I explained that I started learning guitar via those transcriptions in guitar magazines. One of the things I noticed straight away was that the guitarists got to have their 8 bars of glory in the solo sections, but then they have to hold down the fort with "Riff A 8 bars, Riff B 32 bars" etc with very little variation.

Meanwhile the bassist would get to groove throughout the song, sometimes playing riffs with little fills and variations and other times getting to improvise throughout the song like John Paul Jones, Geezer or Entwistle. I found the bass role to be extremely attractive as you're the ninja covertly shaping the song - you can even play 'secret notes' that alter the chords that everyone else is playing! :ninja:

Anyways, good luck with the self-esteem - these questions are not always bad but you don't need them at this stage. Your family sounds pretty jerky, but they wouldn't bother you if they didn't want to understand on some level. Part of music is expressing yourself, so as you improve they might even understand your musical transmissions some day. And if they don't it's them that is not receptive enough.
 
#36
Make a mix CD/iTunes playlist/whatever with a bunch of well-known songs that have signature basslines. Play it in the car or whenever, and mention the cool basslines. For example: The Cure - Lovecats, Pink Floyd - Money, Beatles - Come Together, Queen - Another One Bites The Dust, White Stripes - Seven Nation Army (not actually bass, but it'll do), etc. etc. etc. At least then they might see that the bass does something.

You'll need to explain to them that you are actually playing songs, and you are playing the basslines for those songs. Tell them when when drummers practice, they also play songs; they play the drum parts. Singing and guitars are not the only possible elements of music. You don't have to go learn melodies just because musical illiterates don't recognise anything else.

A lot of people don't get it, but I find if you actually explain it without antagonizing them, they get it. It's especially helpful if you can have 'the talk' while their music is playing; most of time, there will be something by the way of a bass line to point out.

But yeah, many people don't get it, and so many times people (especially family members) have said "Why don't you pull out your guitar or bass or bass guitar or whatever it is and sing us some songs? C'mon, don't be shy!".
 
#38
punkjazzben said:
Make a mix CD/iTunes playlist/whatever with a bunch of well-known songs that have signature basslines. Play it in the car or whenever, and mention the cool basslines. For example: The Cure - Lovecats, Pink Floyd - Money, Beatles - Come Together, Queen - Another One Bites The Dust, White Stripes - Seven Nation Army (not actually bass, but it'll do), etc. etc. etc. At least then they might see that the bass does something.

You'll need to explain to them that you are actually playing songs, and you are playing the basslines for those songs. Tell them when when drummers practice, they also play songs; they play the drum parts. Singing and guitars are not the only possible elements of music. You don't have to go learn melodies just because musical illiterates don't recognise anything else.

A lot of people don't get it, but I find if you actually explain it without antagonizing them, they get it. It's especially helpful if you can have 'the talk' while their music is playing; most of time, there will be something by the way of a bass line to point out.

But yeah, many people don't get it, and so many times people (especially family members) have said "Why don't you pull out your guitar or bass or bass guitar or whatever it is and sing us some songs? C'mon, don't be shy!".
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Heh, the first bassline I ever learned is actually the White Stripes song you mentioned :) I actually tried and sang Eric Clapton's version of Sunshine of your love just to try and make a point it is not really the same as the whole band playing it, that turned out bad :)
 

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