Why do bassists get so little love??

[Falloffthebonetone]

Re: Why do bassists get so little love??

Because bassists are more secure with themselves with less of an inferiority complex. We don't need to conpensate for anything while at the same time care more about the music turning out well than wankery with our own instrument.
Besides have you noticed a trend in recent pop culture? Guitar is becoming less and less relevant while bass and other instruments are filling up the foreground of the sound more. People are getting over guitar wankery, they have been for a while now.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Why do bassists get so little love??

I wish I knew a bass player like that".

You do. The recorded works of this bass should be hiding amongst your music collection. Name's Donald "Duck" Dunn, James Jamerson, Bob Babbitt, Carol Kaye, John McVie, John Deacon, Michael Henderson, yadda, yadda.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Why do bassists get so little love??

Another phenomenon, appearing weekly on this forum, there is a handful of forum members who willingly tackle the knottiest of guitar wiring questions. Almost nobody answers the bass guitar wiring questions. :rant:

 

[dg27]

Re: Why do bassists get so little love??

The guys who play bass because they weren't "good enough" to play guitar and went to bass "duuuhhh...because it has only 4 strings so it's, like, easier" just do not understand bass at all.

Hallelujah. :clap: Thanks for this.

I can always spot "the guys who play bass because they weren't "good enough" to play guitar" from several miles away.

 

[toneseeker74]

Re: Why do bassists get so little love??

Or Barry White, or the guy from the Temptations ("And mama? Bad talk goin' around town, said papa had 3 outside children and another wife... an' that ain't right!")

Those who fail to see or hear the importance of bass have limited contact with human females. Any note from A or lower is like a 'personal massage'. The guitarists are just the ones standing in the way.

Definitely. How many women do you who talk about awesome guitar solos? Is that what gets the ladies on the dance floor? Nope, it's the groove. The bass. That's what gets the hips a shakin'.

 

[toneseeker74]

Re: Why do bassists get so little love??

I ALWAYS listen for the bass in the music I listen to. I have a habit of pointing out when a bassist is good or not by listening to albums. Many time's I've been on the road with my girlfriend and I just say "that's a good bassist, he's in there playing his fills and they're memorable but they're not in the way. i wish I knew a bass player like that".

I have always loved pointing out the talented musicians in bands to my non-musician friends, especially watching live music. My wife was always in awe of how I could disect what worked, what didn't and why.

 

[marvar]

Re: Why do bassists get so little love??

Groupie Accidentally Sleeps With Bass Player
Published February 2009
LOUISVILLE, KY – The day after The Academy Is concert, Victoria Jorgensen, 22, was terrified to realize that she had accidentally slept with the band’s bass player – mistaking him for someone important in the band.
“I can’t believe how stupid I was,” said Jorgensen. “I mean, I went up to the guy and was like ‘are you in the band’ and he was all like, ‘yeah, I’m in the band’ so I did him. Then this morning I was telling my friends and I realized he was just the bass player. This happens to me all the time.”
Jorgensen plans to do more research before sleeping with another band member.
“This won’t happen again,” said Jorgensen. “If I’m going to sleep with someone, they’d better be important. I mean, I could find someone here in town as important as a bass player.”
Adam Siska, The Academy Is bass player, was unavailable for comment.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Why do bassists get so little love??

Definitely. How many women do you who talk about awesome guitar solos? Is that what gets the ladies on the dance floor? Nope, it's the groove. The bass. That's what gets the hips a shakin'.

Good point. Most chicks aren't into guitar solos; they're there to drink and dance.

 

[Rockstar216]

Re: Why do bassists get so little love??

Depending on the genre bass players are a hot commodity. My theory professor told me that one of the best ways I could of got into the Berklee college of music was to play bass instead of lead guitar and I just had to be good not great at it. As a lead player I totally understand the importance and difference between a true Bass player and a guitarist trying to play bass.

Two things I never really understood is why guitar players try to play bass like a guitar and why bass players try to play bass like a lead.

 

[Dr.K]

Re: Why do bassists get so little love??

John Paul Jones is freakin awesome! The song escapes me right now, but he leads that tune the whole way through. There are some bassists that do get some love, JPJ, Steve Harris, Geddy Lee and Billy Sheehan are a few of my favorites.

 

[Little Pigbacon]

Re: Why do bassists get so little love??

Another phenomenon, appearing weekly on this forum, there is a handful of forum members who willingly tackle the knottiest of guitar wiring questions. Almost nobody answers the bass guitar wiring questions. :rant:

That's because you guys do weird stuff with your volume controls.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Why do bassists get so little love??

^
Somebody took a wrong turning.

 

[Bludave]

Re: Why do bassists get so little love??

The bass player is the foundation that allows all other musicians in a given band to play. Guitar players tend to go off on a tangent but without a solid bass/drummer, the whole thing falls apart. That said is most of the bass players I have played with are..... well.... unusual. The definitely walk to a different beat!

 

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: Why do bassists get so little love??

You do. The recorded works of this bass should be hiding amongst your music collection. Name's Donald "Duck" Dunn, James Jamerson, Bob Babbitt, Carol Kaye, John McVie, John Deacon, Michael Henderson, yadda, yadda.

I'm pretty sure he was talking about someone he actually had contact with, as in a potential band member.

Two things I never really understood is why guitar players try to play bass like a guitar and why bass players try to play bass like a lead.

Different strokes. Anyone who thinks bass should only be "thump..thump..thump-a-dump-dump" is as bad as someone who thinks there are only two types of music; Country AND Western, who say "GITar" instead of "giTAR", who say "a cue stick" instead of "acoustic", who ask "do you play rhythm or lead?", and who ask "do you play a flat top or a solidbody?". That goes right back to post #2: There are far too many idiots on this planet.
Steve Harris' style fits Iron Maiden, but wouldn't work for Judas Priest. Ian Hill's style works for Judas Priest, but would not work for Iron Maiden.

John Paul Jones is freakin awesome! The song escapes me right now, but he leads that tune the whole way through. There are some bassists that do get some love, JPJ, Steve Harris, Geddy Lee and Billy Sheehan are a few of my favorites.

How Many More Times, Dazed And Confused, I Can't Quit You Baby, Since I Been Loving You, Custard Pie, Trampled Underfoot (though JPJ's keyboard adds just as much), Achilles Last Stand, Song Remains The Same, Ten Years Gone, In The Evening, Candy Store Rock, Ozone Baby, Houses Of The Holy, Wearing And Tearing (adds definition to what Page is doing), Nobody's Fault But Mine (once the bass kicks in), The Wanton Song, All My Love (adds just as much to the main melody as the opening synth), We're Gonna Groove, You Shook Me, Down By The Seaside, Hot Dog (though it could also be the bass keys of the piano), Carouselambra, South Bound Saurez, The Rover, The Crunge.

 

[wolf]

Re: Why do bassists get so little love??

As toneseeker74 said

How many women do you [know] who talk about awesome guitar solos? Is that what gets the ladies on the dance floor? Nope, it's the groove. The bass. That's what gets the hips a shakin'.

VERY good point.
And let's not forget that legendary, often-quoted American Bandstand evaluation of a song's worthiness:
"Hey, it's got a good beat and it's great to dance to."
Without a bass, a song loses a HUGE amount (if not all) of its rock and roll credibility.
Yes, it get the ladies on the dance floor but "the beat" appeals to everybody.
What gets anyone interested in a song from the first time they hear it? The musicianship and technical knowledge of the synthesizer player? The innovative use of the time signatures? NO - it's the beat that gets you.

 

[guitfiddle]

Re: Why do bassists get so little love??

It's because the bass is more important than the guitar to a good rockin' sound, and people hate to admit that. Don't believe it? How many good rock songs are there that don't even feature guitar, i.e. with piano and sax? Lots, compared to the rockin' songs without a bass, which are basically none.

Those who fail to see or hear the importance of bass have limited contact with human females. Any note from A or lower is like a 'personal massage'. The guitarists are just the ones standing in the way.

Spot on. I played a gig once in a bar, and this hit little chick sat down on my bass amp. You better believe I enjoyed tickling her for the whole set with the lowest notes I could play. :fing2:

 

[Johnny the Kid]

Re: Why do bassists get so little love??

Two things I never really understood is why guitar players try to play bass like a guitar and why bass players try to play bass like a lead.

I don't mind that really. I hear enough of the bass players playing "thump thump thump thump" or just the root of the chord that hearing something different is nice. I play my bass like a guitar. Chris Wolstenholme (from Muse) plays his bass like a guitar. An argument could be made that Geddy Lee plays his bass much differently than a standard rock bassist and his sound is very forward in the mix, almost like a guitar. Playing one instrument like another isn't wrong. It just means you're more creative.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Why do bassists get so little love??

I don't mind that really. I hear enough of the bass players playing "thump thump thump thump" or just the root of the chord that hearing something different is nice. I play my bass like a guitar. Chris Wolstenholme (from Muse) plays his bass like a guitar. An argument could be made that Geddy Lee plays his bass much differently than a standard rock bassist and his sound is very forward in the mix, almost like a guitar. Playing one instrument like another isn't wrong. It just means you're more creative.

+1. That sticking to the root and fifth stuff gets old fast. If that's mainly what he wants to do, he should try another instrument. A good bass player can make a huge difference to a song and take it to the next level. Also agree about playing one instrument like another. Many of the early electric guitarists (who got things going for the rest of us to follow) were heavily-influenced by sax players.

 

[Johnny the Kid]

Re: Why do bassists get so little love??

+1. That sticking to the root and fifth stuff gets old fast. If that's mainly what he wants to do, he should try another instrument. A good bass player can make a huge difference to a song and take it to the next level. Also agree about playing one instrument like another. Many of the early electric guitarists (who got things going for the rest of us to follow) were heavily-influenced by sax players.

Well I think there's a place for the root and fifth (popular music), but I don't think that in my music I would want that. Bass is a tricky instrument. If you play it right there's a load of stuff you can do but the problem is most players think that playing it right means they have to be the bass. For me it's knowing when to be the bass and when to stand out. Cliff Burton is really influential to me as a bass player, because with him it was another lead instrument not just the bass.

For the standard rock or blues bassist I would like to say: be different. Put a wah pedal or something on there.

 

[El Dunco]

Re: Why do bassists get so little love??

Bass gets plenty of love. When Steve joined the band many, many people said how fantastic of a bass player he was and how good we sound as a result and we're a metal band.

That being said, we operate as a power trio (I handle all guitar duties with lead vocals) so there's more room for the bass. Him and I have been working together a lot on the songs for our new album rather than just me writing a the majority.

I'm also a bass player so I have enough love for the bass to want to make it more present in our music than the typical metal sound where it's a supportive role to the rhythm guitars.