What do audiences really want from the bass player?

[Al Krow]

A comment from a fellow BC'er (on another thread) got me thinking about what is it that our audiences really want / notice / care about in terms of what we're bringing to the party as the bass player? What is it that really notice about us? 

My thoughts on playing bass in a typical pub gig is that our audience is not going to notice:

• what kind of bass we're playing (other than it's NOT a Fender) 
• whether the modulation e.g. tremolo or flange is from a cheap MS-60B or a significantly more expensive L6H-Stomp / Eventide H9
• they probably won't even notice whether we're playing 4 or 5 strings (!) 
• and don't even get me started on compression 😂

But they will very likely notice if:

i) he or she is at the right volume and balanced with the rest of the band [Sound check, making sure the bass cuts through in the mids]

ii) the bass tone is harsh / crap / boomy [EQ settings right]

iii) he or she plays tight with the drums, with groove & 'feel'? [Just get a Squier bass and crack on!]

iv) the bass lines are interesting ? [IMO there are two parts to this. The first is the actual notes and style you play; the second part is where tonal variety of effects can play their part (from tremolo, octave, through dirt to filter and synth)]

v) there is a lot of dead air time between numbers or does the set flow? [Actually a decent multi-fx pedal where each song can be set up as a patch and you can just sequentially scroll through your 30-song, 2 hour set can make a difference here. Massive difference between our main guitarist who only uses dedicated pedals ('cos they're 'better') but can easily spend a full minute between songs dancing over his pedal board, and our dep who has a full-fat Helix and just "flows". Perhaps less of an issue at the dog n duck but certainly a BIG point if you're playing a party or function where folk are up and dancing]

vi) there's a really good cab (or sound system more generally if you're going FRFR)

vii) that I'm using a Future Impact for Synth sounds rather than a cheap (and super value) Zoom MS-60B, or a really good envelope filter or dirt pedal - what I'd describe as the "in your face" effects.

viii) whilst it's not important to the sound they'll probably also notice what colour the bass is! [White if you want to get noticed, right? 😂]

Do you agree with the above? Will it vary much between originals and covers bands, or higher-end functions as opposed to pub gigs? Do we get our focus wrong on what's really important to our audiences as bass players?

 

[MacDaddy]

Well if I go and see a band with Billy Sheehan, Stu Hamm, or Victor Wooten, I'm probably going to want a bass solo at some point.

If I saw Iron Maiden, and Steve Murray just stood at the back not moving, I'd be quite disappointed.

If I saw Motley Crue or Kiss, and there was no fire or pyro involving the bassist, again I'd be disappointed.

If I see a Psychobilly band, I'd want the bassist to at least spin his DB a couple of times.

So it all depends...

[Vinny]

5 minutes ago, MacDaddy said:

If I saw Iron Maiden, and Steve Murray just stood at the back not moving, I'd be quite disappointed.

Depends if they invited him or not, really. Probably quite creepy if they didn't.

[BigRedX]

IMO audiences want the bassist (or any other member of the band) to look as though they belong in the band. That means being dressed appropriately, having the correct instrument for the band image, and presenting themselves on stage in a way that fits in with the overall band performance.

Other than that unless you are horrendously out of tune or out of time they really don't care.

[Silvia Bluejay]

Um, do you mean Steve Harris? 😮

Edit: referring to MacDaddy's post.

Edited October 5, 2018 by Silvia Bluejay

[Lozz196]

1 minute ago, BigRedX said:

IMO audiences want the bassist (or any other member of the band) to look as though they belong in the band. That means being dressed appropriately, having the correct instrument for the band image, and presenting themselves on stage in a way that fits in with the overall band performance.

Other than that unless you are horrendously out of tune or out of time they really don't care.

Pretty spot-on imo.

[stewblack]

General public don't notice nuance. They often are unaware of what it is makes them enjoy one band and not another. All the stuff we obsess over is a matter of extreme indifference to your average punter.

I ran a live music venue for years and the bands which didn't quite work were invariably those with a substandard drummer.

The crowd knew they didn't like what they heard but couldn't tell you why. The bands where drummer and bassist were super tight went down a storm.

Don't expect Joe P to give a hoot about your rig (unless it's enormous and has flashing lights) but get into the groove with the monkey behind the kit and he or she will like your band.

[AntLockyer]

If people notice what I'm doing on my gig I've failed. My job is to provide a pillow for the band leader to lay on. I need to fill gaps he leaves, make him sound great and control the interaction the audience have with him. If they catch me doing it the curtain has been pulled back and that's no good.

[fretmeister]

Genre specific of course...

 

but if the audience is dancing then they like the rhythm section at least. They'll tolerate mediocre guitarists and singers if the rhythm is right.

 

As for the OP's comment about compression - I think that gets lumped in with the dodgy sound caveat. And even if the bassist isn't using a compressor - the FOH guy will (or should) be.

[Vinny]

3 minutes ago, stewblack said:

Don't expect Joe P to give a hoot about your rig (unless it's enormous and has flashing lights) but get into the groove with the monkey behind the kit and he or she will tell the guitarist he's brilliant.

Fixed it!

[fretmeister]

4 minutes ago, AntLockyer said:

If people notice what I'm doing on my gig I've failed. My job is to provide a pillow for the band leader to lay on. I need to fill gaps he leaves, make him sound great and control the interaction the audience have with him. If they catch me doing it the curtain has been pulled back and that's no good.

I hope he's paying you.

[Dood]

7 minutes ago, Silvia Bluejay said:

Um, do you mean Steve Harris? 😮

Edit: referring to MacDaddy's post.

Andy Murray.. apparently he likes to jam along pretending his tennis racket is a guitar 😂

[discreet]

Pub punters don't notice anything. They're dimly aware that a band is playing and depending on how drunk they are, they'll either talk loudly to each other or dance about wildly, spilling beer and bumping into things.

As far as bass goes, what you do is largely irrelevant. Punters don't notice what gear you're using, or even care. A few might be aware of your guitar being somehow bigger than usual, but in general they can't tell the difference between a bass and a banjo at three paces.

And they certainly don't understand which register you're playing in or where that powerful low sound is coming from. They don't differentiate between instruments - to them it's all one sound and that's how it should be.

[FDC484950]

In my professional career the most common opening line from a member of the audience in the break was “nice guitar”. Second was “are you the keyboard player” - often in a gig with no keyboards. This gave me great pride about my contribution to the music!

People who don’t play an instrument generally have a very different reaction to listening to music. They’ll know when it sounds right, and when it’s wrong (especially if the band is doing covers) but other than the singer and maybe the guitar/drummer it’s unlikely they’ll see much of the detail of what’s going on - unless the bass is really out front, and even then they’ll think it’s a guitar! Of course some anoraks, sorry, aficionados, will know all about the bass.

[bassace]

They like to hear what the bass is playing, which means not a dull thump but clear mids.

And remember, it’s the drums that make them tap their feet but the bass that makes them swing their hips.

[HazBeen]

Like Flea I generally wear a sock, else I will not be noticed......

Bottomline: people don't notice the bass AT ALL (well apart from the 1 or 2 people that come up to you after a gig, generally bassists and the odd bass lover), unless it isn't there, and they expectation is "what is the singer like". They see a bloke or girl playing a guitar with fat strings on stage and if they look like they are enjoying themselves and blend in to the rest all is well. 

[Monkey Steve]

I think there's two sides to this

It's a true-ism that crowds only really pay attention to the singer, with rock/metal crowds also paying some attention to the guitarist.  So, while I have had people come and speak to me about my bass after gigs, they generally don't care what you're playing.

However, they do dance/tap their feet/nod their heads to the bass and drums, and that lizard part of their brain may not actively be paying attention to the bass you're holding or the quality of your stomp boxes, but it can tell a good sounding band from a bad one, and if your gear helps you sound better or play better, then it's all helping whether the audience know it or not

[Al Krow]

16 minutes ago, discreet said:

Pub punters don't notice anything.

They'd certainly notice if the bass player wasn't there.

[Hamster]

48 minutes ago, MacDaddy said:

If I saw Iron Maiden, and Steve Murray just stood at the back not moving, I'd be quite disappointed.

Do you mean this Steve Murray? 

[HazBeen]

Murray Head?

[Low End Bee]

You'e just the bloke with the big guitar to a lot of punters.

[Al Krow]

10 minutes ago, HazBeen said:

Like Flea I generally wear a sock, else I will not be noticed......

Bottomline: people don't notice the bass AT ALL (well apart from the 1 or 2 people that come up to you after a gig, generally bassists and the odd bass lover), unless it isn't there, and they expectation is "what is the singer like". They see a bloke or girl playing a guitar with fat strings on stage and if they look like they are enjoying themselves and blend in to the rest all is well. 

Really?! You're clearly playing at different gigs to me. Just start the bass riff to 7 Nation Army unaccompanied and see if anyone notices!

[discreet]

8 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

They'd certainly notice if the bass player wasn't there.

You know what, I'm not entirely sure they would! You're not as important as you thought you were - sorry to demote you like this. 

[discreet]

Just now, Al Krow said:

Just start the bass riff to 7 Nation Army unaccompanied and see if anyone notices!

There is NO bass guitar on the original recording.

[Guest MoJo]

41 minutes ago, BigRedX said:

IMO audiences want the bassist (or any other member of the band) to look as though they belong in the band. That means being dressed appropriately, having the correct instrument for the band image, and presenting themselves on stage in a way that fits in with the overall band performance.

Other than that unless you are horrendously out of tune or out of time they really don't care.

 

37 minutes ago, stewblack said:

General public don't notice nuance. They often are unaware of what it is makes them enjoy one band and not another. All the stuff we obsess over is a matter of extreme indifference to your average punter.

I ran a live music venue for years and the bands which didn't quite work were invariably those with a substandard drummer.

The crowd knew they didn't like what they heard but couldn't tell you why. The bands where drummer and bassist were super tight went down a storm.

Don't expect Joe P to give a hoot about your rig (unless it's enormous and has flashing lights) but get into the groove with the monkey behind the kit and he or she will like your band.

 

30 minutes ago, discreet said:

Pub punters don't notice anything. They're dimly aware that a band is playing and depending on how drunk they are, they'll either talk loudly to each other or dance about wildly, spilling beer and bumping into things.

As far as bass goes, what you do is largely irrelevant. Punters don't notice what gear you're using, or even care. A few might be aware of your guitar being somehow bigger than usual, but in general they can't tell the difference between a bass and a banjo at three paces.

And they certainly don't understand which register you're playing in or where that powerful low sound is coming from. They don't differentiate between instruments - to them it's all one sound and that's how it should be.

I agree with these comments. The only audience member taking any notice of what you're doing is another musician