"You cant do that on bass"

[corndog]

What I like about bass is it seems to have the "least amount of rules" for an instrument. JJ Burnel of The Stranglers is classically trained on guitar, but plays bass in a post punk band. You can hear him play his bass like a nylon stringed guitar sometimes.

I don't get why people limit themselves with silly rules and myths. You can carve wood with a hammer, its not just for hammering nails.

 

[Nev375]

Believe it or not, idiots also have opinions. They are usually wrong, but they keep hanging on to them anyway.

 

[Old Blastard]

My band leader told me I can't play bass naked.

I proved him wrong at the last gig.

I'm looking for a new band.

 

[Fat Freddy]

My band leader told me I can't play bass naked.

I proved him wrong at the last gig.

I'm looking for a new band.

Where's the poke your own eyes out with a stick emoji when you need it?.......

 

[Thumpin6string]

These guys were some of the first to show what "can't" be done with a bass.

 

[cnltb]

I dunno if anyone here has ever experienced this with their instrument, but I certainly have

Ive seen it said for so many things. You cant play chords on a bass guitar. You cant solo on a bass guitar. I hear it for many things, despite the fact there are talented bass guitarists out there who do these very things.

I even know a few people that, when I talk about having a bass guitar with good tone, respond with "but its a bass guitar". As if having real tone will somehow change that fact

Im just wondering if anyone here has any stories on people like this theyve dealt with in their lives. I have a few stories I might share later, too.

Not for a looong time.
I tend to forget unimportant things liek this quite quickly though.

 

[Merc Montclair]

I joined an original band being put together by a guy with a lot of money who wanted mostly to act as a booster for his best friend the guitarist. We worked up a few songs a couple of which I sang lead on.

He comes in for the first time to hear what we've come up with & starts tearing it all down. One of his main "critiques" to me? "You gotta make up your mind what you wanna do. Bass players don't sing lead!"

I asked him if any of these names were familiar to him: Sting, Paul McCartney, Lemmy, Mark King, Geddy Lee, Outfield, Chicago...

This list went on for several minutes. He remained unconvinced. I packed my stuff & never went back. I figured if the money guy was going to run the project guided by such patently idiotic ideas that the whole thing was doomed from the start.

 

[lloganbracee]

Mike Kerr from Royal Blood has a bone to pick with that. Solo's for days.

Try playing a shortscale bass like a guitar & prove everyone wrong.

 

[mcarp555]

There's nothing you can do that can't be done - John Lennon

 

[Moogi Beans]

I'm not trying to troll, do whatever you like. To me, each instrument is built for a function. The bass was built to play low notes mostly one at a time. Nowadays people building 20 string basses and playing classical guitar on em.

I dig Thundercat and he chords all the time. Most of the time I wish he wouldn't but he's a bad mfer and his groove is still strong so I'm into it. When I see a bass player chording with weak groove I am very much turned off.

Thats one thing I like about the bass, though. You can totally play the bottom of the E string and get that thumpy low sound if you want, but you can also play on the highest register and get a pretty sounding high end out of it, too.

You sometimes see bass guitarists take advantage of both of them, making it sound as if they are playing two instruments at once. I love that about bass guitar : p Heres an example if you wanna check it out-

I could drive in the desert with a bicycle - doesn't mean it's the best tool for the job.

Thats kinda extreme though. You arent using a bass guitar to kill people without getting hurt yourself I mean I get your just making the point that its not the best tool or whatever, but something as minor as just making a sound, I dont at all believe that multiple notes played at once on a bass guitar sounds at all bad, I think it sounds really cool In fact I wanted to play bass after hearing it, haha.

Music is subjective and all that, so Im not gonna tell you that youre wrong for not liking the same sounds as I do. But I dont believe that playing multiple notes at a time, or playing a leading melody, should only be left for instruments in a higher octave. I love low notes, so its fun to see more done with them than playing the E string along with the kick drum

 

[Hand slap]

I dunno if anyone here has ever experienced this with their instrument, but I certainly have

Ive seen it said for so many things. You cant play chords on a bass guitar. You cant solo on a bass guitar. I hear it for many things, despite the fact there are talented bass guitarists out there who do these very things.

I even know a few people that, when I talk about having a bass guitar with good tone, respond with "but its a bass guitar". As if having real tone will somehow change that fact

Im just wondering if anyone here has any stories on people like this theyve dealt with in their lives. I have a few stories I might share later, too.

One of the most bothersome comments to me, "is it must be easy to play, OR, easier than guitar, it only has 4 strings".

 

[Moogi Beans]

One of the most bothersome comments to me, "is it must be easy to play, OR, easier than guitar, it only has 4 strings".

That is always the reasoning behind the claim that I hear, too

I find that the hardest thing from transitioning from a standard four string bass to guitar is how close together the strings on the guitar are. Im used to having more space between them so it doesnt feel natural. Outside of that, it is not noticeably "more difficult" to play guitar, haha.

 

[LowActionHero]

To fix the oil light... turn key off and on twice. Turn the key two clicks. Step hard on the gas pedal five times. Put it in reverse. Turn key off and on. I am like... Be serious.... He was..

Sounds like a Chevy. I have to look it up every time.

 

[honeyiscool]

What I like about bass is it seems to have the "least amount of rules" for an instrument. JJ Burnel of The Stranglers is classically trained on guitar, but plays bass in a post punk band. You can hear him play his bass like a nylon stringed guitar sometimes.

I don't get why people limit themselves with silly rules and myths. You can carve wood with a hammer, its not just for hammering nails.

Don't tell me the bass has fewer rules than, I don't know, piano. You can play it with just about any hand position or posture, you can play it one handed, you can cross your hands, you can put objects on the strings that vibrate when you hit certain notes, you can use the pedals to create specific tonal resonance, you can play three or four or five simultaneous parts, you can play it like percussion, you can do an entire orchestra on it, and if you can't do it alone, multiple musicians can play on one piano at once. It's easily the most versatile instrument ever imagined, and most people only play "Heart and Soul" on it.

 

[Moogi Beans]

You can play it with just about any hand position or posture, you can play it one handed, you can cross your hands, you can put objects on the strings that vibrate when you hit certain notes, you can use the pedals to create specific tonal resonance, you can play three or four or five simultaneous parts, you can play it like percussion, you can do an entire orchestra on it, and if you can't do it alone, multiple musicians can play on one piano at once.

I dunno, I feel like the bass guitar can do just about all those things, too. I mean even with playing with multiple people-



As well as play multiple parts at the same time-



I mean the piano has an advantage in several of those, but only because its size and shape

 

[ONYX]

This thread reminds me of two quotes by Thelonious Monk:

"Whatever you think can't be done, somebody will come along and do it."

"The only cats worth anything are the cats who take chances."

 

[delta7fred]

One of the most bothersome comments to me, "is it must be easy to play, OR, easier than guitar, it only has 4 strings".

I just agree with them, there is no point trying to argue with stupid.

As a bonus if you agree with them that is the end of that conversation so hopefully they will go and find someone else who will benefit from their vast musical experience.

 

[Nev375]

Everything was impossible until someone proved it wasn't. fire, the wheel, nuclear energy, flight, landing on the moon, chords on bass, world peace... but i'm getting ahead of myself there. First, you gotta believe.

 

[socialleper]

I dunno if anyone here has ever experienced this with their instrument, but I certainly have

Ive seen it said for so many things. You cant play chords on a bass guitar. You cant solo on a bass guitar. I hear it for many things, despite the fact there are talented bass guitarists out there who do these very things.

I even know a few people that, when I talk about having a bass guitar with good tone, respond with "but its a bass guitar". As if having real tone will somehow change that fact

Im just wondering if anyone here has any stories on people like this theyve dealt with in their lives. I have a few stories I might share later, too.

It happens daily here on TB. There are some holders of TB Orthodoxy that say finger plucked roots on a 4 string split single coil bass is the only approved way to play. Anything else doesn't fit in the Holy Pocket.
Screw that noise.
A talented bass player can make anything work. Genius comes from experimentation, mediocrity comes from conformity.

 

[kesslari]

I'm pretty sure you can't windsurf on a bass. At least I can't. Not even on that 17 string "Olson".