General Music Chat

I've got to agree that good bassists are hard to find! It must be the low frequencies...we had one guy who kept arcing on the microphone because of the plate in his head and another who wet himself during practice! Needless to say, we're still looking!

Believe it or not in Mt Airy, NC Great Bass players can't find a decent damn band to gig with. I'm ready to move back to NJ.

Go downtown and give andy and opie a hug ,,, you need love lol.

We rode through Mt Airy on a motorcyce trip during the festival .... on or way to see our daughter after a couple days on the parkway. If the hug doesnt work ,, jump off pilot mt lol rat

To be a bass player is to understand the music. You lead the band into the changes, you have to understand the function of the bass, not just the notes. You are the rudder of the ship. You are the reponsible one who lays down the groove so the others can explore and not lose their place. Every note counts, and you need a great sense of time. You need to listen to everything. You need certainty and confidence without ego- be willing to assume a supportive role. Anyone can pluck strings and wiggle their fingers. Few are bass players.

Not only was that well said, your song, "Learn How To Dream," demonstrates you put your bass where your mouth is. It is a great song, by the way, and you certainly demonstrate that you know where the center of the beat is. I enjoyed it very much.

I took a listen to your tune as well Bob T., very smooth.

Good job !

Believe it or not in Mt Airy, NC Great Bass players can't find a decent damn band to gig with. I'm ready to move back to NJ.

Ain't that the truth. I move to NC from from San Jose CA. How does a place like the triangle have a better live music scene that the bay area and yet musicians are harder to find here. Even to jam with! Oh well thank god for Jamstix and NINJAM.

I got to page 2 and got bored. I got here because I need a bass player too. I'm in Miami, FL and need someone from Lauderdale to Miami. Must want to play mid 70's to early 80's rock and a few newer songs. However, it's not classic rock as it would not include psychedelic music or bluesy rock. Yes, that means no Zep, Floyd, Hendrix, etc, etc, etc. It's just pop, rock and hard melodic rock of that era. You know, Boston, Kansas, Journey, Fleetwood Mac, Eddie Money. In other words, rock and not metal or classic rock. Someone help I'm at jorgana and then the @ sign and then yahoo.com.

no

Yes.

I wonder if there are any bands worth a good bass player's time.

Biggest reason for me rejecting bands which contact me: they suck. They lost their last bass player because he got sick of playing the same three classic rock songs (or slow blues, or whatever hackneyed crap they were playing) and moved on.

I notice that some bands never seem to have a problem finding a bass player. I also know a lot of good bass players who are just fed up with overblown guitar-hero wannabes and erector-set drummers (if you have more than four toms, your kit is Too Big!) and don't bother to audition.

Having trouble finding a bass player? Maybe you need to think about the message you're sending to prospects. Ask me to show up to an audition after preparing to play Old Time Rock-n-Roll and you've got two and three quarters strikes against you. I'll play the song if it's part of the repertoire, but for an audition? Honestly? The message that sends to me is you just want someone who will shut up and do as he's told. You don't need a bass player, you need a drum machine with bass line capabilities.

Fine.

Pay me, then. Not only for shows, but for every rehearsal. If you're going to waste my time, you can at least compensate me for it.

Aiki, ol' buddy, I read your post last night and had to laugh-cuz your absolutely correct! I've been thinking about that very situation a lot lately.

In nearly 20 years of playing with bands (most of them in the same area), I don't really want to mess with it anymore. Probably 80% of the musicians (and I use that term loosely) I have played with couldn't keep up with me. Period.
I don't say that to be arrogant, it's just true. You wouldn't believe how many times I've played walking bass lines and felt like I was playing lead...ridiculous. If I played at the their level, I'd do nothing but 8th note roots for eternity.
I was jamming with my bro-in-law yesterday (whom I've played with for several years now). I asked him to play a C# chord...and he looked at me like I was stupid (yeah, I get that a lot)! I asked him to tell me how I needed to communicate that to him, and he told me to "put his fingers in the right place FOR HIM!!"
In the rare event that I did get to play with a knowledgeable musician, then they have been stuck in one style or stuck on themselves or something-and the usual stance in those situations was more or less for me to sit in the back and shut up...
The truth of the matter is that, in those twenty years, I can count the number of experiences with "real" musicians on one hand (probably).
*I know my instrument.
*I love my instrument.
*I've played about any kind of music you can imagine.
*I know tons of covers and have forgotten more original material than most people come up with in their lifetimes.
*I've played many live performances and I am pretty well versed in the studio, too.
*I have a comprehensive understanding of the different aspects of this business (marketing, performance, etc.). I know it's not just about showing up and playing G C D.
*I have a clean driving record (I just thought I'd throw that in there).

The point of all this? It seems like once a month someone comes on here and regurgitates the same old complaint:

"I can't find a bass player."

You want one? Fine. I'll do it. And when you waste my time, I'll kill you (in my mind).


***DISCLAIMER*** I've had too much Red Bull today. Sorry for the rant.

***DISCLAIMER*** I've had too much Red Bull today. Sorry for the rant.

Red Bull Good. Red Bull make bass player speak Big Truth.

"Don't make cave bassist angry!"
- With apologies to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, beer and modern neaderthals everywhere.

(basically anything from the Guitar God era of the hair metal days)

Right. So I think I found your problem.

See that bit about "Guitar God"? Right, well, there ya go.