Just have to ask...

[mgibson]

Who do you idolise, why did you pick up bass, I'm not just talking about bass players here, everything you aspire to and do off the bass, feed into your bass playing, so if theres' a footballer , who's attatchued you admire, the chances are you bring that to the bass.

This thread probably already been started but i people's opinions change from day to day so I'll start it up again.

Hell if you want talk about a place that inspirs you, 'cause bass playing is an art form, and you need to things, people and places to help you create the best art you can.

[hillbilly deluxe]

I picked up guitar,or rather,nagged my dad to get me one after seeing Bowie's Ziggy farewell concert on the news and wanted to be,(and still do,apart from the being dead bit) Mick Ronson.R.I.P.I picked up bass in about 1990 ? because our "bass player" was crap,although i had owned several basses before then.

[Tinman]

My Old Man.

He played guitar and urged me to do the same, with the words that I'll never forget: "Play this Son and you'll get laid" I was 6 and didn't have a clue what he meant......I found out

[thisnameistaken]

The first bass player I wanted to be more like was Norwood from Fishbone. I thought Tony Kanal from No Doubt was uber cool too.

The first musician, long before I noticed bass players, was Ian Dury.

[Cat Burrito]

Mum & Dad's records (Dylan / Beatles / Soul / Country) got me into music. The Dogs D'Amour & The Quireboys sparked my interest in [b]me[/b] playing in a band. That was 23yrs ago...

These days I play for pleasure. I'm influenced by musicians I play with, by my succesful battle with illness last year and the fact that it's so deeply ingrained in who I am. My goals in life are mainly music related. I strive to record an album this year and play overseas. These are much bigger factors on my playing then a long list of bands I think are cool right now.

Edited February 16, 2010 by BurritoBass

[Huw Foster]

What initially inspired me to become a musician were two films I watched endlessly when I was young: The Blues Brothers, and the Chuck Berry bit in Back to the Future.

I came round to the idea of playing bass because my brother already played guitar and wouldn't let me as well. Actually that's not the whole truth - I really wanted to learn 'Sunshine of Your Love' and 'Hey Joe'. I thought the bass had something cool going on in each of those.

That was almost 10 years ago. These days I'm most inspired by... jamming I guess? I just love the feeling achieved from interaction with other musicians, whether it's in a rehearsal room or on a stage. Can't beat it.

[oldslapper]

Bass player that made me want to play bass was Dee Murray. Listening to him on my older brothers early Elton John albums was the first time I actually noticed the bass parts.
He was a beautiful player and great b vocals.

IMHO I think he, Nigel Olsson and Davey Johnstone were a great rhythm section. They all had a huge influence on me.
Listen to "funeral for a friend/love lies bleeding" on "goodbye yellow brick road", probably the last EJ album with any credibility, before he disappeared up his own ****.
I'm afraid it's not very funky, or complicated, but it does exactly what it should do, and sits where it should.

During the 80's I got into Jazz/rock/fusion.....anyone who played fast complicated parts ("first one to E wins" kind of thing) and disappeared up my own ****, but came back to simple melodic playing as my first love.

I still have a tendency when in "auto" to play a fav Dee line, and I love doing b/v's.

When I went to see "Slade in Flame" at the flicks with a mate. We hid in the cinema and watched it 3 times, that's what made me want to be in a band.

Lately been influenced by good writers like Cole Porter, George Shearing and Fats Waller, can't help but want to play bass to a good tune...

[Low End Bee]

I don't idolise anyone apart from Mrs LEB and the nippers.

Meeting a few former 'heroes' has sorted that one.

[ThomBassmonkey]

Been raised around music and got forced into piano lessons aged 5 and then keyboard at 11, never got on with them though but I do attribute a certain amount of my ability to being surrounded by music and learning to play at a young age.

Started playing bass because a friend got a guitar, I only really started to properly learn to play after getting into Incubus. Dirk Lance completely changed the way that I looked at the instrument. No longer was it a way of pumping out a rhythm while reinforcing the note being played, it opened up runs and other parts and styles.

Now I'm more influenced by whoever I play with. Although I say I have a relatively bluesy style (I love blues bass playing, never really been into the music as a whole though) I pretty much just play along with whatever the drummer and guitarist are doing.

[WWRRSS]

I wanted to play bass cause of Krist Novoselic, my household and infact whole family bar me have no real interest in music.

I stood behind Krist at ATP a couple of years ago but what too scared and in awed to say anything to him.

[cetera]

I started playing having seen Gary Tibbs live with Adam & The Ants in 1981. My cousin then introduced me to KISS and they're firebreathing, blood spitting bassist Gene Simmons. That was me hooked.....

From there I got into the melodic rock players of the 70's (80's was all synth & slap to me....)
Peter Cetera (Chicago), Dee Murray (Elton John), Tiran Porter (Doobie Brothers), Joe Puerta (Ambrosia), Kenny Gradney (Little Feat) etc etc....

Outside of bass players and my family I'm not sure I've taken huge inspiration from anyone...

[neepheid]

I owe it all to my wife, she inspires me, encourages me and challenges me, sometimes all at the same time.

[retroman]

[quote name='ThomBassmonkey' post='747933' date='Feb 17 2010, 01:28 AM']Been raised around music and got forced into piano lessons aged 5 and then keyboard at 11, never got on with them though but I do attribute a certain amount of my ability to being surrounded by music and learning to play at a young age.[/quote]

+1 to the letter, almost!

I was actually very good on the Piano, but, to be honest, I hated it. I would be up in my room, listening to Sabbath, Motorhead, Saxon, Slayer, etc, then get called down to practice classical music on the Piano.........I think you can all see the dilema! I even managed to get grade 5 practical, and theory. As luck would have it, I managed to fall of my bike, smash my knee up, and was off my feet for about 13 weeks! Very rare that I will tinkle the keys these days, but I couldn't resist playing "In a gadda davida" on a rather nice church organ last year!!!!

Biggest initial influences were probably Lemmy, and Cliff Burton. Later influences are probably people like Scott Reeder,and Steve Harris, bass wise. Musically, I find anything written by Doom legend, singer songwriter "Wino" very influential. That guy has written some of the heaviest riffs on earth, without the need for silly low drop tuning.

[retroman]

[quote name='neepheid' post='748281' date='Feb 17 2010, 12:10 PM']I owe it all to my wife, she inspires me, encourages me and challenges me, sometimes all at the same time.[/quote]

+1. We are both very lucky

[HMX]

My family have always supported me, no matter what instrument I picked up. They haven't inspired me due to my parents never touching an instrument, but my grandfather played piano and I guess that was always a bit of inspiration.

I guess a few years ago, I found that I'd love to play bass, this mysterious instrument that wasn't always talked about, and sometimes missed. I trained my ear slowly to listen out for the bass, turning from metal (with some barely audible stuff) to other rock, punk, funk, jazz.

In terms of inspirational bass players, Mic Todd from Coheed and Cambria is definitely one. As for others, they change in order of what music I'm currently listening to.

Edited February 17, 2010 by HMX

[BassCat]

I've wanted to be a guitarist since I was about 8 years old & heard Mark Knopflers solo on Sultans of Swing on the Alchemy Live album. However it was fellow Basschatter STAG that actually got me into playing bass, so thank you Stag!

When on stage I would ideally like to be some kind of cross between John Paul John and Micheal Anthony - technically brilliant but mad as a brush & able to do a 10 minute "solo" after necking a bottle of Jack Daniels!

[Buzz]

I have no idea what my insperation is. Not the foggiest.

However, I do know what my [i]inspiration[/i] is, and that's hearing sublime basslines that work with the song, sometimes subtly, and I want to do that. Hearing bands live always gives me a surge of enthusiasm as well.

[fatback]

My mum took me to see Thin Lizzie do a lunchtime gig in Dublin, long before they went off to get famous. It was the first gig I ever was at, and I never got over how cool that man was. I wouldn't have known what a bass did, but I knew that whatever it was he was holding was the thing you had to have.

Edited February 17, 2010 by fatback

[RussFM]

Flea, Timmy C and Duff were the reason I picked up a bass in the first place. None of them have any real influence on my style anymore, but I learnt from playing their songs.

[quote name='HMX' post='748421' date='Feb 17 2010, 01:45 PM']In terms of inspirational bass players, Mic Todd from Coheed and Cambria is definietely one. As for others, they change in order of what music I'm currently listening to.[/quote]

+1 for modern players that keep me inspired!

[Jerry_B]

David J, Sooyoung Park, Dave Riley, Klaus Fluoride, John Nowlin. For starters anyway...

[Marvin]

I wanted to be a tennis player but misjudged the number of strings that were required, and size of bat.

[HMX]

[quote name='Marvin' post='748548' date='Feb 17 2010, 03:31 PM']I wanted to be a tennis player but misjudged the number of strings that were required, and size of bat. [/quote]


Maybe table tennis is more your thing.

[Clarky72]

What got me started was listening to Duran Duran. I listened to John Taylor's basslines when I was about 11 and thought he was the coolest guy in the band (pushed by my girlfriend at the time who though he he was hot). Listening to him I got into a lot more funk, particularly Chic, Bernard Edwards, is still in my opinion untouchable.... For pure showmanship and bloody-mindedness it has to be Gene Simmons (and Nikki Sixx, although Nikki clearly is no musical inspiration).

So yeah:

Bernard Edwards
John Taylor
Gene Simmons

Edited February 19, 2010 by Clarky72

[Malc62]

The first bassist I "got it" from was Jean Jacques Burnel - I remember feeling absolutely euphoric when I discovered we had the same birthday (which incidentally, was yesterday). At 18 I got hit with the funky stick after someone brought a Chic LP to a party at our place and left it behind. Finally, I got into slap listening to that blond guy from the Isle Of Wight.

I've since got into other players (like Andrew Levy from the Brand New Heavies) but JJ, 'Nard and Mark King were the ones wot got me started.

Edited February 22, 2010 by Malc62

[doctorbass]

Initially it was Dee Dee Ramone. Then I got into blues and it was Keith Ferguson from the Fabulous Thunderbirds. His playing still inspires me.