Bass players, that shy species of musician who, unbeknownst too much of the western world, have been holding down the low end of the music you listen to, dance to, love to, cry to, and all manners of verbs to every day. I proudly count myself amongst their ranks just as my father before me. The unfortunate thing I have found is that, despite being in almost every form of western music imaginable, we, as a certain Mr. Dangerfield once said, can’t get no respect! It seems every time the musician question comes up (OMG you’re a musician!? What instrument do you play!?) I get one of two distinct reactions when I state that I am, in fact, a bassist. The first of which is the typical drop in excitement and the polite “Oh… that’s cool I guess” or the classic “what’s that?” Other musicians and many laymen, especially those who have experienced the unbelievably boring bass mode in guitar hero games, would say that we are simpletons. Needless to say, the stigma involved with my instrument of choice has brought me to the breaking point. With this blog I am setting out to conquer the adversity that has befallen bassists across the globe. I am making it my mission to raise awareness of this misunderstood and down trodden race.
It is not like the bass is some obscure instrument like a daxophone ( no offense to all the daxophonists out there); though for some reason the bass has taken on the role of the quiet, backstage player in modern music. Maybe this phenomenon is caused by the fact that to the untrained ear it might be a bit hard to pick out of the mix; though I can guarantee that if it was not there you would here that open space. If I asked you right now to name the lead singer or the lead guitarist of a band I am sure almost anyone could rattle off hundreds of names right of the top of their heads. Now if I asked the same question about bassists I would get blank stares and maybe a “Flea” or “McCartney,” but I am almost positive that’s as far as the list would go. Sorry folks the ignorance ends here.
As one might be able to see I have a very large task set in front of me. Next week I am going to start tackling this beast with an introduction to the instrument in question. I am also going to feature one bassist a week to get world familiar with the low end. Also for all my fellow bassists I will start gear and music reviews for you in the upcoming weeks. For now here is some recommended listening to familiarize all the folks out there with the sounds of the bass:
The Jackson 5: “I Want You Back”
Stay classy and don’t forget to respect the bass!
bassrespect 