jonnythenotes Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 I was at my usual jam session on Tuesday night, and one of the regular guitarists, turned to me and said, "something funky in A minor," then after a short pause he added, "Oh, just 'A' for you as it doesn't make any difference to the bass." I instantly got steamed up with him, but for the sake of peace and tranquility said ok, and in the jam that followed, deliberately when through every note in every mode to show that the bass, and the bass player can colour a song with far more than root notes, thirds, fifths and the octave... So I was wondering if other 'bass chatters' have come up against this "it's only the bass player" attitude, where other musicians perceive you as the person who stands at the back, and must speak only when spoken too. I must add that guys in my regular band understand the importance of full involvement from me, so perhaps it's mainly open mic or jam nights. Any chance of a few similar stories from you guys who have encountered 'burn the witch' mentality.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Starr Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 Ha ha he'd have got a lot of maj7's and 3rds from me, since he'd made it clear he didn't mind . Or maybe a 'can't you manage a chord change?' comment. Are you sure he wasn't just doing the equivalent of the 'drummer joke'? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonnythenotes Posted February 8, 2018 Author Share Posted February 8, 2018 I know how Emily Pankhurst felt when she first said "Wouldn't mind a vote myself if it's not too much trouble." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Dare Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 I never speak to guitar players unless absolutely necessary, so wouldn't have bothered me 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 The correct response would surely have been: "Funky? Don't know that one ... how does it go?". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
la bam Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 Thats why i dont like jam nights or jamming. Theyre not jam nights, theyre play something the guitarist can noodle over and show off nights. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikel Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 Slightly over sensitive perhaps? It was a jam night, relaxed and informal. I presume you didnt know each other so perhaps he was simply stating the obvious. No such thing as a poor relation in music, we all bring something to the party. If the guitarist was like that with other musicians he is probably best avoided. It takes all sorts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowdown Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 (edited) When he said "something funky in A minor," you should of asked "why not medium rock and in C major like everyone else?" (Sorry, a terrible old Beatles gag). Edited February 8, 2018 by lowdown Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 I`m never sure if instances like this are deliberately being condescending or being ignorant of the bass and what it can do. How about a bit of diplomacy and say both? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pbasspecial Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 I think the OP is right. At jam nights, guitarists tend think it is all about them due to their over inflated egos and the slightly weird sub/Dom relationship some bass players and geetardists have. Stay out for 12 bars and see just how weak guitar and drums sound on their own. Then come back in, the audience will then know what the bass player really does! I am fortunate that in the 3-4 piece band (soul/blues) I play in I play a prominent musical role and always get lots of compliments about note choice, groove, etc. I now try not to jam with guitarists I don't know because of their undeserved ego but on the rare occasions I get dragged up, if the guitarists is being a bit of a Richard, I am more than happy to show him up a bit. It's not mature but it's bloody fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsmedunc Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 I worked for many years with a singer/guitarist who basically was a condescending nightmare. He sacked everybody and anybody when he felt like it. He was unable to join in a jam. He had to lead it as he just didn't have the ability to jam with someone else's idea. Frantic rants broke out if anything went against the way he thought. His bass lines were always the "best" and he let everyone know it. Eventually I left and that was the end of his band career as no-one else on the planet would have put up with him! I've heard he has started another band though. He sacked the drummer in favour of a drum machine before the first rehearsal! I pity the bass player... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bass Groove Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 Your guitarist has clearly not heard of the Circle of Fifths Chart, his comments to you tell me he does not have a proper knowledge of the Rudiments and Theory of Music either, he may never understand such complexities of musical understanding. You did the correct thing ignoring his sarcasm. Good luck, Steve (Swansea UK). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 These days I don't play with amateurs, but I've had nonsense like this in the past. I'd have said something to let him know he was a Richard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonnythenotes Posted February 8, 2018 Author Share Posted February 8, 2018 Some great replies there guys........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JapanAxe Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 Want to stop a guitarist from widdling? Put the music in front of him... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thepurpleblob Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 Jam sessions have never, ever appealed to me. You're not helping Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leonard Smalls Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 I'd have said "Funky in A minor, eh?" And then I'd have fired up the 2 envelope followers, bass synth and tube distortion pedals and got going with "Aah the name is Bootsy, baby". 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebrig Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 I went to a Jam Night that was run by a guitarist who had the biggest ego possible, he started the evening by doing all the Hendrix stuff on his own at very high volume and with loads of distortion, this went on for about 30/40 minutes before he started calling people up, and yes, they were mostly his mates, even though myself and others had got there long before they did, (there was no board to put your name down), and then he asked if he could borrow my bass, to which I reluctantly agreed, he then proceeded to play for another 20 minutes with said mates, and yes, he sounded like an over-egotistical guitarist trying to play bass, and probably believed that he did a better job on bass than myself and the other bass players there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebrig Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 Here's another example to illustrate bass players being the "poor relation in a band" In the band I play in, I’m normally stuck at the back behind one of the guitarists who is 6ft 5in, but at one gig recently, there just wasn’t enough room in the tiny little corner I was in, so I had the audacity to move to the other side of the stage into the only space available, which happened to be right in front of the other guitarist who was also well over 6ft, so he easily towered over me seeing as I'm only 5ft 8in, but he was not happy, afterwards he complained that I had cramped his style, especially when he was doing his solo's, when I questioned him about his ego, he just said, “no one in the audience wants to see or hear the boring bass player, they only want to see the guitarists doing their solo’s”, and he mean’t it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 20 minutes ago, thebrig said: I went to a Jam Night that was run by a guitarist who had the biggest ego possible, he started the evening by doing all the Hendrix stuff on his own at very high volume and with loads of distortion, this went on for about 30/40 minutes before he started calling people up, and yes, they were mostly his mates, even though myself and others had got there long before they did, (there was no board to put your name down), and then he asked if he could borrow my bass, to which I reluctantly agreed, he then proceeded to play for another 20 minutes with said mates, and yes, he sounded like an over-egotistical guitarist trying to play bass, and probably believed that he did a better job on bass than myself and the other bass players there. Isn't this every blues jam night in the uk? If not we've been to the same one! Lol 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Blank Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 2 hours ago, jonnythenotes said: So I was wondering if other 'bass chatters' have come up against this "it's only the bass player" attitude, where other musicians perceive you as the person who stands at the back, and must speak only when spoken too... I have not experienced this, but then I've never been in a band with tnucs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrismuzz Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 10 minutes ago, thebrig said: “no one in the audience wants to see or hear the boring bass player, they only want to see the guitarists doing their solo’s” To be fair, standing in front of the guitarist during a solo is like standing in front of the vocalist during the choruses haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monkey Steve Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 59 minutes ago, pbasspecial said: I think the OP is right. At jam nights, guitarists tend think it is all about them due to their over inflated egos and the slightly weird sub/Dom relationship some bass players and geetardists have. Stay out for 12 bars and see just how weak guitar and drums sound on their own. Then come back in, the audience will then know what the bass player really does! This, all day long. A mate who is the lead guitarist in a signed band (and who I have played with in previous bands) - great bloke, great lead guitarist, and acknowledges that in order to be the lead guitarist you have to be something of a massive c#nt with a huge ego - had an issue with the new bass player in his band. Who was the friend of the singer who was a bang average rhythm guitarist and had never played bass before. Culminated in him not being allowed to play bass on their last album, and was shown the door shortly afterwards. Having to deal with that for longer than they should have put up with it, and also having to learn how to play bass to record the new album (one lesson from me, which boiled down to "don't even try and play with your fingers, you're terrible at it so use a pick") has suddenly given him a new found appreciation for the bass player's role. That we turn up, do our job, usually have a much better ear for melody and drive, and don't make a big fuss about it. He reports that his dealings with their new bass player are along the lines of "you're the bass player, you do your thing if you think it's better than the stuff we're suggesting" Perhaps they all need a bad bass experience Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Blank Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 What these people fail to understand is Bass is King. Guitarists have to do all sorts of flouncy virtuosic nonsense to get their sorry point across, there is nothing like standing at the back locked in with the drummer and fully realising that the reason that audience is dancing is nothing to do with the 6 string hair farmer but all to do with the deep, satisfying groove you are laying out there. Guitarists? I’ve s*** ‘em. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_lefty Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 (edited) 1 hour ago, thebrig said: no one in the audience wants to see or hear the boring bass player, they only want to see the guitarists doing their solo’s”, and he mean’t it. Love it! Unless you're a Hendrix tribute I don't think many audiences really care about the guitar solos! I play with two very good guitarists but our purpose is to get people to dance, so they play solos that fit the original tune and keep the groove, it's not a w4nkfest. Thankfully. I have played in those types of bands and people really don't care. New one for the profanity filter: w*nkfest. Edited February 8, 2018 by uk_lefty Profanity, self censorship Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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