The Golden Boy
06-01-2008, 10:43 PM
Man.
I've been a bass player for 29+ years. I'm a hack. But I'm an experienced hack. I've played guitar for 25+ years. Again, I'm a hack- but an experienced hack. I've played with some amazingly awesome musicians, and it's only made me a better player. Not just as a bass player, not just as a guitar player, but as a musician.
To my way of thinking, a "musician" is concerned with creating a piece of work. Not just concerning themselves with their "role" but how their role interracts with everyone else's role. A piece of music is not just one piece, it's the combination of all the parts.
Recently, I've started REALLY taking issue with bass players that take the issue of being a "bass player" to the "us vs. them" level. In my mind, it doesn't matter if you're pounding the root, or if you're playing some intricate solo- if what you're doing serves the music- that's the point. It's entirely a team effort, and your "role" is to serve that piece of music. Yes, as a bass player, you have so much control over the music- but so do all the other musicians that you're playing with.
Thinking of music as a painting, and all the instruments as colors in the painting, no color is any more important than any other color- it's how they work together. To function on a "red is the best and most important color" mindset is stupid and ignorant.
When I hear/see the term "guitard," it makes me angry. Angry that the poster is that ignorant in the roles assigned to musicians. For all the "drooling out of both sides of the mouth" drummer jokes, I wonder about the experience of the posters. As far as bass players go, the only time I've ever heard/read about the term "basshole" is bass players using it as an excuse to use the term "guitard."
I hear/read about people bitching about being told to turn down, or turn their cabs and being a knob about it... Man, the idea is to create a whole of music that everyone can enjoy- Yes, you're there to create, and be a part of it- but damn- you're generally not "it." For all the complaining about the lack of respect that a bass player gets- I've never heard good and competent musicians complain about a competent bass player.
You don't have to be "awesome." You have to work to the best of your abilities with what you have to work with.
Know your role, know the song, know your parts, be able to roll with the changes and the unexpected... that'll make you "the man." Artificially elevating your role and yourself- isn't the way to ingratiating yourself with your fellow bandmembers, or even your self-respect. Doing what needs to be done- is.
Get over being "just the bass player." Get over the "you've only got 4 strings to deal with" thing. Just as a painting isn't all about the red paint- red goes where it goes, and without it, the whole work of art suffers, but remember, you're nothing without the blues, greens, yellows and blacks....
I've been a bass player for 29+ years. I'm a hack. But I'm an experienced hack. I've played guitar for 25+ years. Again, I'm a hack- but an experienced hack. I've played with some amazingly awesome musicians, and it's only made me a better player. Not just as a bass player, not just as a guitar player, but as a musician.
To my way of thinking, a "musician" is concerned with creating a piece of work. Not just concerning themselves with their "role" but how their role interracts with everyone else's role. A piece of music is not just one piece, it's the combination of all the parts.
Recently, I've started REALLY taking issue with bass players that take the issue of being a "bass player" to the "us vs. them" level. In my mind, it doesn't matter if you're pounding the root, or if you're playing some intricate solo- if what you're doing serves the music- that's the point. It's entirely a team effort, and your "role" is to serve that piece of music. Yes, as a bass player, you have so much control over the music- but so do all the other musicians that you're playing with.
Thinking of music as a painting, and all the instruments as colors in the painting, no color is any more important than any other color- it's how they work together. To function on a "red is the best and most important color" mindset is stupid and ignorant.
When I hear/see the term "guitard," it makes me angry. Angry that the poster is that ignorant in the roles assigned to musicians. For all the "drooling out of both sides of the mouth" drummer jokes, I wonder about the experience of the posters. As far as bass players go, the only time I've ever heard/read about the term "basshole" is bass players using it as an excuse to use the term "guitard."
I hear/read about people bitching about being told to turn down, or turn their cabs and being a knob about it... Man, the idea is to create a whole of music that everyone can enjoy- Yes, you're there to create, and be a part of it- but damn- you're generally not "it." For all the complaining about the lack of respect that a bass player gets- I've never heard good and competent musicians complain about a competent bass player.
You don't have to be "awesome." You have to work to the best of your abilities with what you have to work with.
Know your role, know the song, know your parts, be able to roll with the changes and the unexpected... that'll make you "the man." Artificially elevating your role and yourself- isn't the way to ingratiating yourself with your fellow bandmembers, or even your self-respect. Doing what needs to be done- is.
Get over being "just the bass player." Get over the "you've only got 4 strings to deal with" thing. Just as a painting isn't all about the red paint- red goes where it goes, and without it, the whole work of art suffers, but remember, you're nothing without the blues, greens, yellows and blacks....