Jus Lukin Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 (edited) - Edited February 25, 2022 by Jus Lukin 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 From what others have told me over the past few years with different varying style bands. Never really gave much thought to it. I just thought i was OK. Comments were made usually after auditions once i got to know the band a little better and i do tend to ask why a band selected me or why they got in touch with me. Confident with a strong aggressive style that pushes the songs. Reliable and always knows the bass part and song structures. Fluent but punchy bass style. Team player and easy to work with. Able to play any song suggested. The strangest comment was the fact i had good gear. That surprised me as i generally play Fenders and use studio amps and cabs for rehearsals altho i have reliable gear for gigging. Didn't think i was much different from most other bassists. From a personal point of view i like to think i'm reasonably competent and willing to be flexible in song choices depending on the band. I never miss a rehearsal or gig and i always put in 100% to any band i play with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yank Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 If musicians you like want to play with you, you're good. If musicians you play with all suck and and don't deserve to be playing with someone as good as you.........you're not good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricksterphil Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 Not bad but not brilliant. Our singer showed a video of a pub gig we did to a couple of pro musicians she knows and they complemented my playing without being asked which was a massive boost to my self esteem. Interesting thing is, since that point I've started working harder on my chops, driven by the fear of complacency! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dropzone Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 If you have to ask the question you already know the answer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 I don’t. But I am louder than them so it doesn’t matter. (also my eldest spawn is a very good clarinetist so she tells me whether I’m getting things right or not. Precocious little goit) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluewine Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 I only know how to know if I'm an average player. After 50 plus years of playing I know I'll never be more than average. I've never gone out and seen any other bar level players and thought they sucked. I always feel, I play pretty much at the same level as other bar band level bass players. Blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Dare Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 I agree with all those who comment along the lines of "I can do the job/I'm all right". It's dangerous to pin one's self esteem on it. If you enjoy playing, do a few gigs and get along with the people you play with, that's all good. Remembering how many people there are who can hardly play a note helps put it into perspective. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor J Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 I consistently enjoy my playing and sometimes other people do, too. Since I can't be sure anyone but me exists, I'll take my own word for it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Bay Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 People pay me, can’t be that bad? But seriously I know I am very average but am also sure I am above the curve for how long I have been playing. That’s thanks to a hell of a lot of practice and being in a band with some seriously good musicians which means I constantly push myself to improve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluewine Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 I think you get in trouble if you start believing and taking all the compliments on your playing from non- musician punters the wrong way. Blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyquipment Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 I compress everything Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivansc Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 I used to be good and then my hands started falling apart, so I wound up being less good and more sneaky. Nowadays, I must be faking it fairly well, as I still get a fair bit of work. But the crucial part of getting work when I was in Nashville was definitely how well you got on with the other guys, plus the ratio between your ears being open and your mouth being open. Oh, and you had to be able to play the parts., of course. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulWarning Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 I think other bass players always sound better than me, but then people say how come your band sounds so full and loud with one guitarist and I think, maybe I'm doing something right 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IainS Posted February 1, 2018 Share Posted February 1, 2018 We had to get a dep once when I broke a finger. He learned every song in one rehearsal, didn't hit a bum note on the night and left me feeling quite inadequate, and possibly redundant. But my band said that they never wanted to play with him again. He was technically brilliant but the band wanted someone 'solid', and that was me. I can live with solid being my outstanding quality as a bass player. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Browning Posted February 1, 2018 Share Posted February 1, 2018 26 minutes ago, IainS said: We had to get a dep once when I broke a finger. He learned every song in one rehearsal, didn't hit a bum note on the night and left me feeling quite inadequate, and possibly redundant. But my band said that they never wanted to play with him again. He was technically brilliant but the band wanted someone 'solid', and that was me. I can live with solid being my outstanding quality as a bass player. MY band had a drummer who was an amazing technician. He could pretty much play anything but it was like watching a cadaver playing. Not a flicker of emotion. Couldn't stand playing with him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Posted February 1, 2018 Share Posted February 1, 2018 It is subjective in some ways but much more objective than we may realise in others. First (only?) question; are you good enough to do what is required of you? If you needed to slap and you can't, you don't get the gig. If you need to read and you can't, you don't get the gig. If you are needed to jump around and strike a pose and you stand there like John Entwhistle on Mogadon, you don't get the gig. If you can play all the Bach Cello Suites in all the keys but are not able to improvise, you don't get the Jazz gig. If you play Bach Cello Suites over everything and it's a Country gig, you don't get the gig. In my experience, praise and criticism come from many quarters and some is utterly unreliable. I have been called both solid and fluid in the media. Is this because the person writing the review only heard one song, one recording, one gig or is this because the writer lacks the language or insight necessary to properly described what it is that defines your playing? Evaluating your own playing is a continuous process that is determined in no small part by the experiences you have as a player. If you never move out of your comfort zone, you will never find yourself challenged and will have a distorted view of your own competence. If you have never heard great players (which is often the case in young players), you may have a distorted view of your own capabilities (which is often the case in young players). Until you have played with great players, you cannot properly evaluate your playing. Outside of London, being asked to do a gig is as much to do with how bad everyone else is as it is a measure of how good you are. It can also be about availability. Great players are busy players and can be unavailable. I KNOW I often get gigs because the 19 other guys the bandleader generally uses are busy. Put it this way, how would Geddy Lee fare in Level 42? (Have you heard Neil Peart with a big band? Ouch!!!). How would Mark King cope with a Motorhead set? How would Percy Jones do in the pit orchestra of Jesus Christ Superstar? Horses for courses but does failure indicate incompetence? Yes or no? I play a weekly gig with some of the UK's greatest players and I am reminded weekly of my shortcomings (one of which is I don't really know tunes, a source of shame in the Jazz community) but, at the same time, I find out things about myself and my playing that give me considerable hope e.g. my knowledge and competence in Latin grooves is much greater that one of the best piano players I use. Also, my reading is better than his. Curiously, I have also noticed that I am a 'better' player when I have rehearsed/practised the material. In short, we all have strengths in our playing and we all have weaknesses. We can play to those strengths of have our weaknesses revealed at the moment we least expect it. The joy of achieving competence in our chosen instrument is in the journey not in the destination. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheddatom Posted February 1, 2018 Share Posted February 1, 2018 I see jazzers and funkers showing off and taking solos and not only do I love what they're doing, I know for sure I don't have those "chops". For whatever reason it's never occurred to me to play like that even though I love listening to it. So I'm definitely not as good as some players that I know, but I don't need/want to be. If it ever occurs I'll have to find some time to practise! On drums I'm definitely an average player, but at least I can play in time and with dynamics. I hate it so much when you see a band with a drummer that's trying to play stuff that's clearly beyond them. Their struggling ruins the groove. I saw a metal band the other day with arguably one of the best drummers in the world, except for whatever reason it was not "solid". It seemed to me that he was struggling to hear the click on their backing track. Maybe it was just an off night. Whatever, it seemed like he was struggling to play this really complicated stuff and it ruined the performance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monkey Steve Posted February 1, 2018 Share Posted February 1, 2018 I think it comes back to "best player" or "best fit for the band"? Cliff Williams is never going to win any awards for virtuosity, but I bet he wouldn't be short of job offers if he ever decides to come out of retirement Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleabag Posted February 1, 2018 Share Posted February 1, 2018 11 minutes ago, Monkey Steve said: Fleabag is always going to win any awards for virtuosity, and I bet he wouldn't be short of job offers if he ever decides to come out of retirement Quite right sir. Available for weddings, funerals, barmitvahs Thang yow - i'm here all weak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FinnDave Posted February 1, 2018 Share Posted February 1, 2018 1 minute ago, fleabag said: Quite right sir. Available for weddings, funerals, barmitvahs Thang yow - i'm here all weak Yeah, my hearing's a bit weak sometimes, too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleabag Posted February 1, 2018 Share Posted February 1, 2018 I could of done that deliberately ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FinnDave Posted February 1, 2018 Share Posted February 1, 2018 7 minutes ago, fleabag said: I could of done that deliberately ? We'll never know for sure Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleabag Posted February 1, 2018 Share Posted February 1, 2018 I'm sorry - speak up, my hearing's a bit week Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FinnDave Posted February 1, 2018 Share Posted February 1, 2018 4 minutes ago, fleabag said: I'm sorry - speak up, my hearing's a bit week You'll be OK unless it gets fortnight to play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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