Every stereo ever made has an option to adjust the bass. There’s no guitar knob. You won’t find a way to make the drums louder. The singer’s output is set and out of your control. But the bass…you can turn up the bass. Nobody turns it down.
It takes a special kind of person to be a bass player. Oh sure…lots of people can play some stuff on the bass, but that doesn’t necessarily make them a bassist. There are certain unique qualities one must possess to be the keeper of the bottom end.
Below are the Top 10 reasons that bass players rule – and whether you play bass or not, by the end of the article you will be in complete agreement. You’ll want to tell your friends and family and to share this insight all over the internet!
Let’s get thumpin’!
10. Four strings
Guitar players are a dime a dozen…and they need six strings with an annoying B-string that just throws everything off. They also need to hold a plectrum between their fingers all night to play their instrument.
Bass players just need their God-given digits to make some music…and only need four strings to do it. Heck, they can even drive a solid groove with only two strings! Just check out this cat below laying it down on a stick!
9. They are the melody and rhythm
Ok, let’s be honest. It’s actually pretty easy to play bass. You only have to play one note at a time, you can just stand in the back and chill, and if you make a mistake, you just call it a “passing tone.”
But the insider trick to know is that if you play in-time and play the right notes most of the time, you are keeping the song moving melodically and rhythmically. You, my friend, are the most important part of the song.
8. They are responsible for keeping everything together
Have you ever heard electric guitar and full-on acoustic drums being played together with no bass? It’s awful! Those two need someone to be the referee. That’s where the bass comes in.
The bass player is the perfect mediator in the band. He (or she) keeps the other players in line and holds everything in place. Without the bass player, everything would fall apart and be a big mess.
7. They can always get work
I’ve heard many musicians say that one of the hardest things to do is to find a good bass player.
So if you’re a good bass player, you’ll get work.
Just post an ad on Craig’s List and you’ll have an audition within a few days.
You don’t even need to be great. You just need to play the right notes in time. (See Reason #9)
6. They can deal with the drummer
They all know but are perhaps afraid to say it…drummers can be a handful.
Bass players have known this since the very first time they jammed with one.
But I’m gonna tell you a little known secret. As long as you promise not to repeat it to anyone.
Good? Okay.
The bassist is steering the drummer.
That’s right.
Bass players instinctively know how to manipulate the drummer into doing what they want them to do – and the drummer has no idea that it’s happening.
It’s nothing personal. The bassist just wants the music to be right.
So if the tempo is too fast, the bass player is going to slow the drummer down without saying a word.
If their kick pattern is wrong, the bassist will just play the correct one until the drummer subconsciously joins up.
If the groove is solid, there is no issue.
It’s why they work so well together as the rhythm section. It’s the perfect relationship.
5. Bass players look cool
All bass players know that they hold a seriously powerful weapon in their hands…and they know how to use it. It’s actually physically impossible to play bass even just fairly well and not look cool.
4. Can practice without disturbing anybody
Electric bass guitar, when played acoustically, is probably the quietest instrument that exists. A bass player can plug in headphones through a Bass Pod™ and mixer and sound like he’s playing in a stadium in his ears, but to the people around him, pretty much nothing is happening.
Can you think of a quieter instrument? I doubt it…but go ahead and try. I’ll wait.
Right. Bass is it.
Low frequency combined with no amplification equals a player that is getting better in stealth mode. That kinda rules.
3. Bassists are laid back
There is a quiet confidence that is indicative of every great bass player, even when they’re rocking out. The bass player is the kind of person that you know you can talk to without any feathers getting ruffled.
While the singer is running back and forth on stage like a confused puppy, the guitar player is totally digging himself, and the drummer is just banging shit, the bass player is chilling like a Zen master, knowing that the music is nothing without him.
2. They don’t really care what anyone thinks
Bass players know what they’re doing and they don’t really need your input.
They’re pretty much like cats. They will observe, but not be affected by anything you do…and just go about their business.
Your point-of-view is pretty much irrelevant to the bassist…and if they want to do anything from dress in full makeup, to go on stage naked, they’ll do it with no concern about anyone else’s opinion.
1. Everyone likes the bass player
They don’t get the most girls. They don’t get asked to sign autographs often. They usually stand in the back of the stage and require no praise. But everyone knows how essential they are in the big picture.
A bass player will always be a great friend. A bass player is patient. A bass player loves what he does, and knows that the most important job is to ensure that people feel something. That they dance. That they lose themselves in the groove.
Bass players are people that you can talk to, drink with, hang with, or build a lifelong relationship. They’ll always be there for you no matter what the circumstances. And they’ll always be an essential part of the magic of music.
