You think the audience doesn't notice? Think again!

[John Eland]

EDIT: Sorry if posted in the wrong forum. Had no idea where to post it.

Did a gig last night at an outdoor venue at The Villages in Fla (a big giant retirement community) that I play once a month, and we get a lot of regulars. I've been using my Hammersmith with a very dead set of Dunlop Super Bright Nickels there pretty much exclusively most of the year. Tonight I got a wild hair and brought out my modded 76 Precision with a newish set of the same strings instead. Both these basses have Geezer PJ's, and to me they sound about the same when the strings have comparable wear. Everything else was the same as usual...REDDI into the PA, same pedals I've been using all year set the same way and used in the same songs, same sound tech we usually have there and the same PA, which is a decent but not particularly great PA (a souped-up and somewhat customized Bose PA...one of the bigwigs of the Bose family lives at the Villages and has the ear of the family who owns the Villages).

I probably had 20 people who are regulars at our gigs come up to me on break and ask me how come the Fender sounded so much edgier and aggressive than the Hammersmith. Only one of them plays an instrument, and while most were guys, plenty of women said the same thing.

So if I ever hear any of you jokers try to claim that the audience doesn't know or care about your sound again, I will tell you that you're a very arrogant person who has zero respect for your audiences. Of course, I have been saying that for years, but now I've got proof. A big outdoor venue with about 3000 people there in various states of inebriation, and several non-musicians noticed that the strings on the Fender made it sound edgier.

The lesson I learned is I need to change my strings more often The lesson YOU should learn is that if you think your audience is so stupid that they can't tell the difference in your sound no matter what you use, maybe they're not the stupid ones.

Happy holidays, everyone!

I have heard it time and time again, oh they will all be pissed so it doesn't matter! A very big mistake, they pay more attention than you think so wise up bands, you really are being listened too.

 

[lat]

 

[Drgonzonm]

So, 20 out of 3,000. Can we say less than 1% will notice?

nope, my guess is closer than to 100, based on the pareto effect.
We do know that lots of bassists notice whats posted, seventeen pages, and Jimmym is going back to play, probably going to get paid, and will smile all the way to bank. Play on

 

[Vara La Fey]

Proved is a strong word. What was demonstrated waa that in this situation with these people in this place with this and that and the other thing is that something was noticed. I have too much respect for what proof actually is to accept this anectodal story as anything but. All I'm proposing is the refusal to accept an assertion. You tell me this jar of gumballs has an even number of gumballs and I say I don't believe that doesn't mean I say there's an odd number.

Yes, he proved a specific audience noticed a specific thing after having been accustomed to a different thing, while he did not expect them to notice it.

So what does THAT prove? It proves that you can't always know what an audience will notice.

And what does THAT prove? It proves that he was right to always be cautious about underestimating audiences.

Deconstructionism won't change the fact that these are obvious corollary conclusions. We ignore them at our peril.

 

[pwhalen]

nope, my guess is closer than to 100, based on the pareto effect.
We do know that lots of bassists notice whats posted, seventeen pages, and Jimmym is going back to play, probably going to get paid, and will smile all the way to bank. Play on

Your wording is unclear, are you saying 100 people will notice (7%), or 100% will notice? Also, please walk me through how the pareto principle (not effect) comes into play in this situation.

 

[Bassblisters]

I don’t remember Jimmy saying any such thing.
The first time I saw the Cramps I was terrified.

The first time I saw the Cramps, I was right up at the stage in front of Lux Interior, whose unitard was torn and his junk was jiggling over me. It was pretty terrifying.

 

[funkmaster p]

If a dozen or so white haired people told me that the bass I was playing sounded edgier and aggressive than my usual bass, I wouldn't make assumptions that this was a compliment. Depending on what old school music they prefer, your edgy and aggressive bass might sound to their ears more like a guitar and not enough like a bass.

 

[Gorn]

Yes, he proved a specific audience noticed a specific thing after having been accustomed to a different thing, while he did not expect them to notice it.

So what does THAT prove? It proves that you can't always know what an audience will notice.

And what does THAT prove? It proves that he was right to always be cautious about underestimating audiences.

Deconstructionism won't change the fact that these are obvious corollary conclusions. We ignore them at our peril.

It actually proved nothing and corellation isn't causation. A phenomina was observed and unwarranted conclusions were drawn from it.

 

[JimmyM]

View attachment 2855235
I don’t know about Jimmy’s dance skillz, but the best thing about being wireless, is having the ability to occasionally join the audience!

Trust me, my dance skills absolutely suck, but I do it anyway when it's called for! And to be fair, I'm not always entertaining...there are times I sit back and hand over the entertaining mantle to whoever's singing and I just stand there. But when it's my time, I'll darn sure take over!

 

[JimmyM]

the thrill is in the escape not in making fun of the audience i dont feel that way but i am totally making that velcro/pajama thing a new years resolution finally theres one i think i can actually do

Yeah, I like to get out and go when the gig is over, too. But I'm not going to be rude to fans to accomplish it. Nothing good comes of that in the long run.

 

[maturanesa]

Still waiting for the post "He is totally right. At a gig in Atlanta, one guy of the audience asked me why my bridge pickup was hotter than the front one. So i got a Geezer Butler's EMG at E-bay. Now i feel like they enjoy the show more. The venue´s manager booked another show for us".

 

[blue4]

I've always adjusted the tone settings on my equipment instead of changing my strings often. Some people run their tone and volume knobs on their bass wide open all the time. I use them and the amp to dial in the tone I want. I couldn't imagine buying and changing strings that often. The flats and tapes I use take a couple of weeks just to sound usable. I guess rounds are a different story.

I guess I should try to keep things in the spirit of the thread though so...
Don't you morons know that you can adjust your settings? Who's the stupid ones now? And don't give me any arrogant responses either..



I think it's as simple as knowing your audience. A recurring gig for retirees who have loads of time on their hands and give you their full attention a few times a month? They're going to notice your note choices and your tone. 200 strange drunks at Bob's Tap Room on Friday night? Odds are you can put off changing your strings a bit longer. That's not disrespect, it's being aware of the situation you're in. To be honest the only times I have ever noticed this "the audience doesn't care" attitude the OP is referencing is in the threads discussing tone woods and whether you play note for note or not. I have never once been in a thread where someone flat out said "Who cares the audience doesn't." People have said the audience don't care about your tone wood, or if you change up a fill from the original. Things like that. Let's face it, the audience watching someone pick up and set down different basses in the same show are going to notice a difference in the sound, especially if your amp settings remain the same. There may not even be much difference, the visual of that change is enough to let them know there should be a difference. Whether or not those same people notice a difference in your tone from show to show or notice that you changed up a minor part in a old song is a different matter all together.

 

[JimmyM]

At the end I still think Jimmy is wrong.

Don´t caring about the audience's opinion on your bass tone doesn't mean you are disrespectful.
He thinks doing what you want with your sound is a crime against the audience.
I dont agree.
A musician shows respect giving the 100% in the performance.
But he is free of using the sound he wants and giving a **** about a random guy opinion about that.
Audience are not bass techs.

I don’t remember Jimmy saying any such thing.

That's because I didn't. Yeah, I made a crack about needing to change my strings more often. Whoopee. But instead of focusing on anything else, he's insisting on laser focusing on that and ignoring everything else. That is why I am no longer going to reply to him regarding this topic. It's an absolutely ridiculous thing to focus on, and no matter how hard anyone tries to redirect his focus to the important stuff, he insists on sticking with that.

Whatever.

 

[JimmyM]

Definitely not suggesting anyone try this at home.

And you are of course right about insurance and liabilty issues.

None of which i personally thought about when hanging out a second story window drunk by my fingertips when i was 17.

Second story? Pfft! What'll you get? A broken leg? Broken arm? Chicken feed! Real men hang out of a 4th story window or higher. If you want to cheat death, freaking cheat death!

 

[Spidey2112]

That's because I didn't. Yeah, I made a crack about needing to change my strings more often. Whoopee. But instead of focusing on anything else, he's insisting on laser focusing on that and ignoring everything else. That is why I am no longer going to reply to him regarding this topic. It's an absolutely ridiculous thing to focus on, and no matter how hard anyone tries to redirect his focus to the important stuff, he insists on sticking with that.

Whatever.

Here's a perfect moment for a .gif of a cat shrugging it's shoulders, then coughing up a hairball the size of Guam...

 

[JimmyM]

The OP describes one event. That's what I was responding to. Data from multiple events has been discussed after the OP, but the first post talks about a single event and uses that single event as a data point to refute a position. A sample size of one ≠ science.

Oh please! Who said it was science? And when does believing that musicians should respect their audiences need to be scientifically proven?

And you wonder why I gave you the Bernie Mac blank stare.

 

[Son of Wobble]

Second story? Pfft! What'll you get? A broken leg? Broken arm? Chicken feed! Real men hang out of a 4th story window or higher. If you want to cheat death, freaking cheat death!

Well, I once dangled from a FOURTH floor dorm window at Eliot House at Harvard. But I didn't want to stand accused
of bragging about my higher eduction in front of the tort and flats crowd.

Now, where did I put that Poupon?

 

[JimmyM]

You said they commented you were edgier and aggressive. Is that a positive comment? Sounds like they might like the more dead thump?

Any time I can sound more aggressive in any type of music I play, I am happier with my tone. The last thing I want is for my bass lines to just lay there.

 

[Gorn]

Oh please! Who said it was science? And when does believing that musicians should respect their audiences need to be scientifically proven?

And you wonder why I gave you the Bernie Mac blank stare.

Everything is science. At least everything that involves interacting with the world around us.

I didn't say anything about whether or not a musician should respect his audience.

 

[JimmyM]

If a dozen or so white haired people told me that the bass I was playing sounded edgier and aggressive than my usual bass, I wouldn't make assumptions that this was a compliment. Depending on what old school music they prefer, your edgy and aggressive bass might sound to their ears more like a guitar and not enough like a bass.

I believe I stated this once before, but my sound didn't go from Jamerson to Entwistle.