Doesn't the fact loads of young kids on YT are nailing it...

[Dad3353]

1 hour ago, Frank Blank said:

Yeah, once his scooter had to go to the scrapyard he became a goth.

[odysseus]

Kids learning to play well is a great thing. I wouldn't expect 'creativity' when really young. That would come later when they establish their own identity and what music their identity leads them to pursue.

[mikel]

8 hours ago, fleabag said:

There's fack all art in copying someone  else's  guitar / bass lines.  Fun though.  I  do that very thing meself.

The kiddies are talented, yes,  clever too,  but ultimately a zzzzzzzzzzz fest

 

The magic comes from the mind of the original composer.  When the embryos eventually compose something worthwhile, then i'll be impressed.

 

 

This. Copying something, perfectly, takes patience and technique, and is fine if that's what you want to do. If you have the instrument and the hours to spare most can do it. I have learned by rote a couple of guitar solos from tab and can knock them out at will. Ask me to come up with a solo myself and I am lost. 

[BigRedX]

13 hours ago, Barking Spiders said:

 

But when people vote in 'who's the greatest polls' they're most probably choosing players from their fave bands they think have the chops. The thing with these polls / lists is they almost solely focus on rock and metal whereas actually the best players, in terms of mastery of their instruments, are from other genres such as flamenco, jazz, country, classical, bluegrass etc.

 

I can't think of a single musician in any of the bands I really like who stands out as being more than adequate when it comes to technique. Maybe they do have "great chops" but in the context of their usual playing I don't see/hear it. What these musicians do have is great song writing and the ability when playing together to produce something that is far greater than the sum of their musical parts.

[BigRedX]

2 hours ago, odysseus said:

Kids learning to play well is a great thing. I wouldn't expect 'creativity' when really young. That would come later when they establish their own identity and what music their identity leads them to pursue.

 

I learnt to play when I was 13 for the express purpose of being able to write my own songs. As soon as I was competent enough to be able to strum my way through most of "The Beatles Complete" I concentrated on writing rather than just playing.

[Saul Panzer]

I like those vids for a bit casual "ooh ahh", it's usually just seeing something cool again and occasionally finding something new, I wouldn't have found dirty loops, charles berthoud, snarky puppy and a bunch of others without them.

Just a bit of fun and some inspiration.

 

As for the kids, getting good at stuff fast is kind if their thing. Probably better that they're getting good at instruments rather than the kind of stuff I got good at as a kid. 

Hopefully some go on and do great things but I imagine most will "outgrow" it and lose interest.

I know my nephew did, he's impressive on a double bass having picked it up at a crazy young age and spending years doing special classes, shows and such...now he never touches the thing, too busy working warehouse jobs and taking drugs with his mates.

[Saul Panzer]

double post, sorry.

Edited September 14, 2022 by Saul Panzer

[Crusoe]

It's possible that a lot of these kids are creative as well  as having the ability to play the covers really well. They might just put their own music up in their Bandcamp or Soundcloud and post the covers,almost as clickbait, to get people to check out their original stuff.

[BassTractor]

On 13/09/2022 at 20:17, Barking Spiders said:

 The word does seem to be widely applied to certain players as a euphemism for 'limited technique'.

In the 80s, an English rock musician "had his own style" (or summat), as reported in the media.
He responded along the lines of: "What they seem to not realise is that I just repeat my limitations".
IMHO that deserves respect.

Edited September 14, 2022 by BassTractor

[fretmeister]

On 13/09/2022 at 11:16, chris_b said:

I watch these videos with admiration and a large amount of jealousy, because they are nailing stuff I couldn't play in my wildest dreams..

 

These bass players are very talented people.

 

I appreciate talent. I see no reason to be negative about it.

 

 

Definitely this.

 

The comments on the vids are always from sad old blues gear snobs.

"It's got no feel man"

 

Not to you. But maybe to the person who's just spent months nailing a really complex part it is the most emotionally connecting music they have ever heard.

They wouldn't have learned the part if it didn't call to them in some way. Doesn't matter in the slightest that a piece doesn't speak to me.

 

Fair play to them - many are really young and are in the "play along to favourite records" stage of development. Some will stay in that groove and be in covers bands. Some will go on to write some banging original music.

The only difference is that for my generation we didn't have a chance to share our play-alongs with the world.

 

The amount of really capable young players on youtube makes me feel really hopeful for the future of music. There's some really dedicated youngsters out there with a work ethic that shames many of us.

[msb]

the kids inspire me to sit down and practice 

[Barking Spiders]

9 hours ago, BigRedX said:

 

I can't think of a single musician in any of the bands I really like who stands out as being more than adequate when it comes to technique. Maybe they do have "great chops" but in the context of their usual playing I don't see/hear it. What these musicians do have is great song writing and the ability when playing together to produce something that is far greater than the sum of their musical parts.

 Likewise. I don't give a flying f*** about shred-like ability on guitar or bass. My OP was more about this dull obsession many people have with 'top 10, 20, bazillion xx ' polls/lists, like any of that matters.  Outside of electronica my fave bands are mostly from the post punk/alt-rock genres e.g. Pixies, JAMC, Echo ATB, Siouxsie ATB where the guitarists had distinctive styles and imagination rather than perfect by-the-book technique while the bands are definitely examples of the whole> sum of the parts.

[lowdown]

On 13/09/2022 at 17:49, Dad3353 said:

 I'd rather play my Schubert's Ninth for the umpteenth time, and hear again something I'd not heard in there hitherto. One day, I might even go for a different version, and see what the conductor and/or orchestra have managed to 'create' from this old soup.
To each his/her own, naturally. 

 

So many good performances on Da Tube but, I went for John Eliot Gardiner this morning.

Excellent, although there must have been a shortage of combs, brushes and decent rugs in the dressing room that day:

 

 

 

Edited September 14, 2022 by lowdown

[Passinwind]

On 13/09/2022 at 01:44, Barking Spiders said:

playing covers of Eruption, Tom Sawyer bassline etc make a nonsense of all these 'who is the greatest ...blah blah' threads and polls across the webverse?

Nope, not unless "bass covers" or other play alongs are your idea of a musical goal post. 😉

[odysseus]

10 hours ago, BigRedX said:

 

I learnt to play when I was 13 for the express purpose of being able to write my own songs. As soon as I was competent enough to be able to strum my way through most of "The Beatles Complete" I concentrated on writing rather than just playing.

 

Indeed. I'm sure others do too, but I would expect them to be in a minority. Personally, I was trying to learn guitar and get some technique going in my early to mid teens. I don't think I 'wrote' anything until about 17. I switched to bass at 19 and then out it all came! 

[TimR]

I'm not sure who decides someone has or hasn't got good technique and why that even matters. 

 

Listen to Geddy Lee and John Entwistle isolated bass and tell me that either of them have anything approaching good technique. 

[MacDaddy]

1 hour ago, TimR said:

I'm not sure who decides someone has or hasn't got good technique and why that even matters. 

 

Listen to Geddy Lee and John Entwistle isolated bass and tell me that either of them have anything approaching good technique. 

 

It matters because bad technique can lead to RSI and other injuries - muscle, wrist, tendons. Even back injuries.

[stewblack]

I don't believe bass player A is better than bass player B. Although I will often fall into the trap of using that kind of language. I just have my preferences. 

 

It's great these kids have YouTube so we can enjoy the fruits of their labour. Playing skillfully and with high technical proficiency is the result of a lot of hard work and I believe should be celebrated.

[BigRedX]

13 hours ago, odysseus said:

 

Indeed. I'm sure others do too, but I would expect them to be in a minority. Personally, I was trying to learn guitar and get some technique going in my early to mid teens. I don't think I 'wrote' anything until about 17. I switched to bass at 19 and then out it all came! 

 

When I formed my first band at 14, with like-minded friends from school, it never occurred to us to start by playing "covers". In fact we probably didn't even know that word. Nearly all our favourite bands wrote their own songs, and those in the glam rock/pop world often made a big deal about it - usually disparaging those who had their hits written for them. Therefore there was never any question that we weren't going to start writing from the beginning.

[Grimalkin]

Those that can, do. Those that can't, just slag off those that can.

 

Welcome to Britain.

[lowdown]

1 hour ago, Grimalkin said:

Those that can, do. Those that can't, just slag off those that can.

 

Welcome to Britain.

 

That's a bit unfair. Those who slag off, do so with feel.

 

Edited September 15, 2022 by lowdown

[odysseus]

4 hours ago, BigRedX said:

 

When I formed my first band at 14, with like-minded friends from school, it never occurred to us to start by playing "covers". In fact we probably didn't even know that word. Nearly all our favourite bands wrote their own songs, and those in the glam rock/pop world often made a big deal about it - usually disparaging those who had their hits written for them. Therefore there was never any question that we weren't going to start writing from the beginning.

I was slightly hamstrung by the fact that none of my friends played instruments. It was only when I was able to drive, go and see bands, and meet like minded people that things opened up a bit more and the jamming started. 

[lowdown]

22 minutes ago, lowdown said:

 

That's a bit unfair. Those who slag off, do so with feel.

 

 

Edited September 15, 2022 by lowdown

[lowdown]

3 minutes ago, lowdown said:

 

 

Sorry for the triple post, my phone went bit weird and wobbly.

 

 

Edited September 15, 2022 by lowdown

[dclaassen]

I think it's a bit unfair (and unkind) to look down your nose at cover bands. Growing up in the States, almost every band was a cover band, and originals bands only played to a very few, usually uninterested, souls. I think they are two different animals, both very valid. Cover bands love to perform together and get the crowd moving. I think originals bands a bit more serious and are looking for a different type of validation.