Musician Forum - Band Discussion Board - BandMix

generally when someone decides to become a musician and they really don't know sh*t about music, they base their decision upon what they see as what will get them the most pu**y. Period. The rare wonderful creature known as the bass guitarist initially takes up his/her instrument from an pure and innocent as well as genuine need that comes from thier heart. As far as looking down on a bass player from the perspective of a harp player and rhythm guitar player I don't see that as much as I see women in the crowd magnetically drawn to the singer and lead player. I have observed that the bass player is a silently confident and layed back person most time because the know that the bitches are REALLY moving to his/her groove, and also knows that he/she is the true gem in the band and that without them the band will just fall the f**k apart. I can go outside pick up a rock throw it and hit either a lead player or a drummer, but I've had to resort to exteme measures like coming here to find a bassist. My old bassist, a vietnam vet, retired from music and then the grooves were gone- I mean old school riffs and some funky sh*t, man, and we just fell apart. Singers are out there, karioke bars are full of them. Just got to do your homework and put up with the ones who can't sing to find the ones who can. Stage presence can be taught to just about anyone.

It seems like I actually hear people complain about not being able to find drummers more than bassists. From my experience that seems to be the case too, although I actually had a weird run of luck a year or two ago when I tried to get a band together in finding drummers. I actually had a choice of two I believe. Of course the one I chose later on left (wanted to focus more on his day job and school). What little recruiting attempts I have made now for a drummer are pretty bad.

However, trying to find a singer has always been much worse, just atrocious. I can agree with the singer problem entirely.

I'll see about how tough it is to find a bassist now. The one I've been mainly playing with until recently was the one that I basically tried to form the band with, so I never had to worry about it until now (he got into financial and other life troubles, had to sell his gear, move away etc.). I also started playing with another bassist later, but I'm not sure he's serious about music anymore.

And I could see it being a regional thing as far as what musicians are and are not available.

gtzip (if you're still reading the thread)-so are you declaring Seattle to be official musicians' "nothin' going on gotta move" relocation area? Sounds good to me, as long as someone can lend me some money and find me a job, I'll be there in no time...lol. Well, ok, maybe not. However, the way things are going here, every now and again I have a fleeting thought of relocating, seeing what's out there. I would had thought where I'm at (Raleigh NC), it shouldn't be too hard to get something together. But damn...although I think at the moment I'm just burned out. Kind of worked for something like a straight year as more or less the main (many times only) organizer and instegator for trying to try to get a band together and off the ground, didn't quite work out. But, I'll probably get back to it sometime in the near future.

I think its always hard to find what you dont have.

Singers to me are the most crucial element, as far as guitarist like me, we just have to show up and look good. But a singer he has to able to front the band and good ones are few and far between.

I would love to play bass!!!
just need more funds...
still searching for a decent short-scale

I play bass and love it. Holding down the grove and making the bodies move is the shitz. Sadly, the glory/respect thing IS a real issue. Everybody thinks bass is sooooo easy to play. I seem to only get real respect from people who have an idea of how important the rhythm/grove is to a song. Drummers, other bass players and guitarists who have had to played bass for their songs know this. Everybody else is clueless.

I heard a saying about being a bass player, I forgot who said it but I live by it. "As a bass player I'm never noticed for my playing. People only notice when I'm NOT PLAYING". So next time you hear a hollow sounding tune remember that it might have sounded better if the band had given the old bass player some love so he stuck around.

Oh ya, lol. I'm looking for side projects to play in so if you’re around Joshua Tree, CA give me a holler and remember, bass players need love to.

A good friend of mine who is an awsome guitarist told me back in the 70's that the Bassest has to be the coolist guy in the Band.
Being such a hot head I switched to guitar

sanshouheil wrote:The bassist has to be the coolest guy in the Band

The bassist may have the coolest instrument, but the bassist is the most looked-over, under-rated band member... except for Claypool and Geddy cause he was the vocalist as well.

My main ax is keyboard.

when I started playing back around 65, I played combo organ exclusively.

Much of the popular music at that time was very simple, and most anybody , with enough inspiration, could form or join an honest to goodness "garage-band" with very little musical proficiency. I chose to play keys simply because I liked the way Alen Price played on the Animals' recording of"House Of The Rising Sun". I washed dishes for 80 cents an hour, saved up and bought a Farfisa Combo Compact organ and a Fender Super Reverb Amp, and soon found myself playing for school dances and at the resorts for money.

Somewhere along the line, we lost our vocalist, so I started singing through necessity. It was generally understood that you could never make a living playing rock & roll "kid music", so I graduated from high school, got a decent payin' blue collar job, married Cin , raised 3 boys, but for some strange reason , never could keep from playing and listening to music, so I'm still at it, more or less.

In the old days, I could never have imagined things like synthesizers, PCs, the internet, or BandMix. But here I am, still yackin' about rockin' out after all this time!

Life is good so.....
ROCK ON! whatever you find yourself playin'! (or whoever you find yourself playin' with)

Howlin'

We may be adding keys to our Band. And doing some experimentation with a back up vox. this Tuesday. A lady is coming out to get us started on a song she wants us to do for her. I think were overbooked for practice this week. I hope it works out well.

i have spent about 2/3 of my performing time as a singing bassist, because of the difficulty in finding one with "the right stuff".

my personal opinion is that the bassist is the most important position if you intend to have a really great band. that instrument is the only bridge between the drummer and the rest of the instruments. bass at it's best really links to the kick drum rhythm.

many bassists were guitarists that couldn't cut the mustard, and are also equally poor at bass. other than the typical drummer, most "bassists" are ignorant of music theory compared to guitarists...but it is the easiest of instruments to just "get by" on.

that being said, a keys player must know theory better than any other instrument to be even moderately capable. after all, a keyboard is laid out just like the staff of sheet music.

so while it is hard to find a good bassist, sheer numbers make a keyboardist hard to find at all, much less a good one.

good drummers are easier to find than either, but very few seem to have stable personalities capable of making commitments. That's what I'm wrestling with currently.

singers are kinda like bass players in the regard of how easy it is to claim to be one, but how hard it is to be a really good one.

that's my story and i'm stikkin' to it.

I agree with edisonfreeman in part. Bass is important (I play bass) and vocals are important (I sing). But in my opinion the most important band member IS the drummer. Here's my saying: a lousy band with a great drummer is a good band, a great band with a lousy drummer is a mediocre band. Oh yeah, you lead guitarists and keyboard/harmonica players are pretty important too. Later...

Bob,

If the drummer sucks, he's the first to go. lol

Capt. Scott wrote:If the drummer sucks, he's the first to go. lol

If anyone sucks, they're the first to go.

Scooterjohn wrote:I've been talking to someone in Florida that says bass players are plentiful, but drummer are scarce. It seems to vary according to region.

It also depends on timing. When I picked up the bass a year ago, you couldn't find loose bass players at all. Now, ya can't throw a rock without hitting one

You cant swing a dead cat around here without hitting two guitarist. We went through two drummers before we found Steve. Eric was the first and only Bassest that came to audition.