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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 3:14 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 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 4:59 pm to Broke
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 7:24 pm to Broke
quote:Yeah, at the back of the stage, and furthest away from the photographer.
They have their place I think.
Posted on 5/17/16 at 9:22 pm to Broke
Brian Wilson. What a loser!
Posted on 5/18/16 at 2:41 am to Broke
The bass is a lot like blues music, very simple to play, but impossible to master. Also nothing sounds worse than a guitar player with no experience on bass trying to play bass. They may both have strings and the same fretboard layout, but just like piano and organ they are almost two different instruments.
Posted on 5/18/16 at 2:49 am to Broke
Nikki Sixx - he was Motley Crue. Wrote pretty much every song.
Flea - RHCP wouldn't be shite without him
Cliff Burton - Metallica
Geddy Lee - Rush
Lemmy Kilmeister - Motorhead
Gene Simmons - KISS
John Entwistle - The Who
Paul McCartney - The Beatles
Bootsy Collins - Parliament
Geezer Butler - Black Sabbath
John Paul Jones - Led Zeppelin
Les Claypool - Primus
Pino Paladino - Played with tons of people
Roger Waters - Pink Floyd
Sting - Solo and The Police
Kim Deal - The Pixies
Bill Wyman - The Rolling Stones
Aston Barret - The Wailers (Bob Marley)
Larry Graham - Sly and the Family Stone
Donald "Duck" Gunn - Booker T and the MG's
Carol Kaye - Played on a lot of Beach Boy songs and the Mission Impossible theme song
Tal Wilkenfeld - She is a mf'n badass!!!
If anybody looks down on any of these bass players, they are a fool.
Between Gene Simmons and Nikki Sixx, they have probably had more fine arse than most lead guitarists and singers in the world.
Flea - RHCP wouldn't be shite without him
Cliff Burton - Metallica
Geddy Lee - Rush
Lemmy Kilmeister - Motorhead
Gene Simmons - KISS
John Entwistle - The Who
Paul McCartney - The Beatles
Bootsy Collins - Parliament
Geezer Butler - Black Sabbath
John Paul Jones - Led Zeppelin
Les Claypool - Primus
Pino Paladino - Played with tons of people
Roger Waters - Pink Floyd
Sting - Solo and The Police
Kim Deal - The Pixies
Bill Wyman - The Rolling Stones
Aston Barret - The Wailers (Bob Marley)
Larry Graham - Sly and the Family Stone
Donald "Duck" Gunn - Booker T and the MG's
Carol Kaye - Played on a lot of Beach Boy songs and the Mission Impossible theme song
Tal Wilkenfeld - She is a mf'n badass!!!
If anybody looks down on any of these bass players, they are a fool.
Between Gene Simmons and Nikki Sixx, they have probably had more fine arse than most lead guitarists and singers in the world.
This post was edited on 5/18/16 at 6:09 am
Posted on 5/18/16 at 8:59 am to Broke
The most badass member of arguably the most badass metal band of the last 30+ years. He 'is' Iron Maiden.
Steve Harris
Steve Harris
Posted on 5/18/16 at 10:53 am to Broke
Skillful bass playing has the ability to make simplistic, unremarkable music come alive. If you ever learn a song on guitar and it has like four chords and it's kind of boring to play, but somehow it's still a kickass song, listen to the bass in it. That's usually the reason it works.
Posted on 5/18/16 at 10:12 pm to Broke
Some of my favorite bass licks:
Eddie Breckenridge from Thrice - To What End. Nasty parallel to the guitar with a groovy little solo lick - LINK
Les Claypool of Primus - Southbound Pachyderm. Just filthy. so sick when it drops - LINK
Justin Chancellor of Tool - The Grudge (best tool song ever). omggg - LINK
Eddie Breckenridge from Thrice - To What End. Nasty parallel to the guitar with a groovy little solo lick - LINK
Les Claypool of Primus - Southbound Pachyderm. Just filthy. so sick when it drops - LINK
Justin Chancellor of Tool - The Grudge (best tool song ever). omggg - LINK
Posted on 5/20/16 at 5:40 pm to Broke
bass can be very sexy and sound cool
flea
butler
flea
butler
Posted on 5/20/16 at 8:09 pm to Broke
quote:
They have their place
Like drummers, nothing more, nothing less. Nothing but white noise to the piece.
Posted on 5/20/16 at 8:09 pm to Broke
quote:
They have their place
Like drummers, nothing more, nothing less. Nothing but white noise to the piece.
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