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Why are bassists looked down on
Posted on 5/17/16 at 3:02 pm
Posted on 5/17/16 at 3:02 pm
I see a lot of bassist bashing in the real world. Why exactly is that? They have their place I think.
24
Posted on 5/17/16 at 3:05 pm to Broke
"When The Kinks started up Pete Quaife and I flipped a coin to see who would be the bassist. Pete lost." -- Dave Davies
Posted on 5/17/16 at 3:07 pm to Kafka
Lol that's hilarious!
Posted on 5/17/16 at 3:14 pm to Broke
quote:
Why exactly is that?
It is considered a lower level skill than lead and even rhythm. And, when you consider it was a throwaway instrument for some bands (The Sex Pistols) and the instrument for the masses of unsigned/less regarded bands is generally the one you can spare your least gifted player (other than drummer of course
). quote:
They have their place I think.
More than that - it's almost required at the high end - and a drummer to match - without them, the music won't have any sense of cohesion. Let's face it, rock and pop music isn't all that complicated, even at the high end. If it's not held together by a solid rhythm section, it quickly degenerates into simplistic cacophony.
Imagine Zeppelin without JPJ or The Who without Ox - just as 2 examples.
Posted on 5/17/16 at 3:18 pm to Broke
Posted on 5/17/16 at 3:42 pm to Broke
Ftw
Posted on 5/17/16 at 3:49 pm to Broke
There's a lot of reasons:
1. Bass is the instrument that requires the least amount of talent to play passably in a band playing fairly simple music.
2. Bassists are often socially awkward.
3. Nothing about bass is "sexy". They're generally always a role player, never the star.
This creates the perception that bassists aren't valued. While it's a funny joke, a meme, and a truth among female groupies, a great bassist is worth its weight in gold. They are hard to come by and can really add a ton of value to a band's sound. They are also very much so in demand and hard to keep. It is much easier to replace a drummer or a lead guitar player than it is to replace a really talented bassist.
1. Bass is the instrument that requires the least amount of talent to play passably in a band playing fairly simple music.
2. Bassists are often socially awkward.
3. Nothing about bass is "sexy". They're generally always a role player, never the star.
This creates the perception that bassists aren't valued. While it's a funny joke, a meme, and a truth among female groupies, a great bassist is worth its weight in gold. They are hard to come by and can really add a ton of value to a band's sound. They are also very much so in demand and hard to keep. It is much easier to replace a drummer or a lead guitar player than it is to replace a really talented bassist.
This post was edited on 5/17/16 at 3:50 pm
Posted on 5/17/16 at 3:50 pm to Broke
The band was on the way to a gig, the singer was driving and the lead guitar player was riding shotgun, the turn signal seemed jacked up so the singer pulled over and told the bass player to get out and check it out, the bass player gets out and says "ok try it" so he turned on the blinker
Singer: "Is it working"
Bass player: "Its not working"
"Its working"
"Its not working"
"Its working"
Singer: "Is it working"
Bass player: "Its not working"
"Its working"
"Its not working"
"Its working"
Posted on 5/17/16 at 3:53 pm to SEClint
quote:The Electras, featuring John Kerry on bass
Ftw
The Electras - "Summertime Blues"
"Well I called my congressman and he said, quote:
" 'I'd like to help you son, but you're too young to vote'"
Posted on 5/17/16 at 4:02 pm to Broke
Q: what do you call a guy that hangs around a bunch of musicians?
A: the bass player
A: the bass player
Posted on 5/17/16 at 4:05 pm to kingbob
Adding to that point, lots of bassists happen to be versatile musicians as well: Paul McCartney-basically all rock band instruments, John Entwistle-horns, Jack Bruce-piano and harmonica, John Paul Jones-keyboards and strings, Rick Danko-strings, Geddy Lee-keyboards, etc.
Posted on 5/17/16 at 4:23 pm to kingbob
quote:Interestingly, Country music had a tradition of bass players taking center stage as boisterous comedy relief
Nothing about bass is "sexy". They're generally always a role player, never the star
At extreme left is Elvis' future bassist Bill Black (EP's future guitarist Scotty Moore is at extreme right) in The Starlite Wranglers, c. 1954
It was rock & roll that would relegate bassists to the background. Here in 1956 Bill is still whooping it up a bit with Elvis, but the fade-into-the-background process has clearly already begun:
Posted on 5/17/16 at 4:59 pm to Broke
Posted on 5/17/16 at 5:21 pm to Reservoir dawg
Is that why bass players are so hard to find? We've been looking for one for months.
Posted on 5/17/16 at 6:09 pm to Broke
I never really thought there was much bassist bashing from my view. I think they're an integral part to any band at hold down the bottom and coming up with revolutions on their own. I feel their growth in notoriety can be greatly attributed to the British Invasion when The Beatles had Paul up front singing prominently with that Hofner Bass and his songwriting partnership with Lennon. Compound that with Entwistle's groundbreaking solo on My Generation and bassists would never stay in the background again.
Posted on 5/17/16 at 6:16 pm to kingbob
quote:
Nothing about bass is "sexy".
Are you telling me that groupies aren't getting moist down below at the sight of a guy fingering and plucking the shite out of his strings with that kind of precision, speed, power, and feel?
Also, Nikki Sixx, Gene Simmons, and Lemmy beg to differ. Each of those guys has bedded several THOUSAND women.
This post was edited on 5/17/16 at 7:24 pm
Posted on 5/17/16 at 6:36 pm to saint amant steve
Lemmy RIP
Posted on 5/17/16 at 7:04 pm to kingbob
quote:
1. Bass is the instrument that requires the least amount of talent to play passably in a band playing fairly simple music.
you notice a bad bass player very quick.
Posted on 5/17/16 at 7:08 pm to saint amant steve
Jack Bruce, Noel Redding and one of my personal favorites, Skip Battin: all turning in their graves at the notion that bass players are looked down on ....
Posted on 5/17/16 at 7:17 pm to Mars duMorgue
Jack Bruce was the antithesis of bassists being looked down upon because he was the lead vocalist, main songwriter and lead bassist for one of the most important rock groups in history. He was the epitome of that bass revolution from Britain.
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