do u guys go through this problem??

[kazkingpin]

i have been playing bass for almost a decade and just recently go professional backing up artist and doing tv shows.

and as a human, i do make mistakes. but the mistakes every bass player make is very obvious and crucial that the other musicians will give you a "wtf are u playing?" look.

when a guitarist makes a mistake, he lets go and can get back when he finds his way in the song, same goes for the keyboardist as it wouldnt be so obvious.

and if a drummer is lost he can just go on or fit in drum fills because he doesnt have notes or chords to play, except if it is a punch or attack.

BUT when a bassist plays a wrong note or stops when he is lost. everyone can feel and her that the song is wrong. do u guys agree?? do hit my thread.

I have done my homework and have lots of practice, but its a different feeling when i play the actual thing. the pressure, the stress, the feeling of "don't mess things up". When i make mistakes, i dont feel good, and thoughout the rest of the show, i'll just be playing simple simple lines with no fills, and the band's mood is just @#$%^&*. I just can feel it.

 

[ahkiatt]

Scoop your mids a little. You'll go under the radar and nobody will be able to hear your mistakes. But on the other hand, nobody can hear you play either(just the way I like it).

 

[zamir666]

Scoop your mids a little. You'll go under the radar and nobody will be able to hear your mistakes. But on the other hand, nobody can hear you play either(just the way I like it).

hahaha, then what's the point of playing? lol

 

[Vaiyen]

About the band's mood being &$&^%, i think u are being oversensitive.
Don't worry so much! Pple love musicians who dare to make mistakes. Rather than the safe n boring type of players.
Also, if you've been playing for a decade, u really shld try to minimize ur mistakes.

 

[xclef_Junjie]

Don't worry too much, it's normal to make mistake. If you do make mistake just play on as if you make it on purpose to "let people notice you" LOL! And on stage playing just relax and go to your feel, don't stress up. The more you stress the more mistake you will make. So just relax, Good luck =)

 

[kazkingpin]

thats the problem. relax isnt something we can control. if ure pressured, ur pressured. the more u tell urself to relax, the more u tensed up. and when people get lost, we would take quite a while to get back on track. im not speaking abt ur own originals and songs ur familiar with. songs that u have to chart down or transcribe. when i get lost. i panic, my mind goes off my chart. i dont even know where im supposed to get back to. so its either i stop and spoil the song, or i gamble my way through the song. if im lucky enough, i might get back, if not i mess the song even more.

 

[kazkingpin]

About the band's mood being &$&^%, i think u are being oversensitive.
Don't worry so much! Pple love musicians who dare to make mistakes. Rather than the safe n boring type of players.
Also, if you've been playing for a decade, u really shld try to minimize ur mistakes.

i wasnt over reacting abt the band's mood. i just can feel it. and yes, i think all musicians try their best to minimise our mistakes. i dont have a problem playing with my band live on stage. but being in a backup band is totally a different feeling. thanks for ur advice.

 

[ahkiatt]

hahaha, then what's the point of playing? lol

Looking cool and banging chicks.

 

[zamir666]

Looking cool and banging chicks.

hahahahah, point taken. lol

 

[shinobi]

when the goalkeeper of a football team screws up, everyone looks at him and wonders wtf he is doing.

if someone plays the bass, he is supposed to 'know' what he is doing. if someone plays the drums/keyboards, he is supposed to 'know' what he is doing.

if someone plays the electric guitar and screws up, he does not have to know what he is doing, he is just some poser kid. people can accept and half-expect that from a guitarist.

but nobody expects the bass player to screw up. if you play the bass you are not supposed to screw up because you are supposed to know what you are doing.

the reason is: nobody poses on a bass guitar. posers go for electric guitar instead. and if someone does try to action bedek on a bass, then it is really CMI.

but nowadays there are many horseshit bands around being supported by young punks who have never heard music in their life, so i dunno...

anyway, music is all about time. time is a continuum. you can't take back something someone has heard. that means when the mistake has been made, you cannot do anything about it. after that, it becomes a matter of whether you allow that mistake to ruin the rest of your performance or not.

so you should never 'stop playing' no matter what instrument you are playing. you hit a wrong note on a wrong beat, that's finished. you continue playing the rest of the song.

you need to have alot of confidence and be very proud of your role in the band. you know that the band has to follow you. you need an ego that can withstand some bruising if you are going to play in front of people, knowing that human beings will make mistakes, and take it. without you, there is no band. just like the goalkeeper in a football team.

 

[Resetti]

you know if you're feeling too much pressure from this band and the members, perhaps this is not the right band for you?

you play best when you're relaxed, so if you find that you're not relaxed in this band, then perhaps it's not a good fit.

 

[kazkingpin]

thanks for the great motivation. i feel alot better. much much better. i was lucky it wasnt a live show so we had to re-record some songs. the rest of the band wasnt too happy with my playing last night, although i know most of them did make mistakes too, just that it wasnt as obvious as mine. i dont know who you are. but i will remember what you just said. so i owe u a big THANK YOU.

 

[bassinc]

Hi, if i can add some pointers here. We, as bass players, are the foundation of the band. The foundation of a song. Because of our frequency, listeners can tell if we missed a note or a beat. Try plugging off the subwoofer of your home theatre system, you will only hear the hi frequency of the movie which doesn't really gives the punch. The first thing you hear when entering a discotheque, is obviously the bass. So we got to have a solid foundation. Its quite the norm that we rarely get compliment, but when we make mistakes, everybody will give the LOOK!

 

[lamestaine]

hey relax.. i think drummer mistakes more obvious haha

 

[rudy]

get hold of the situation,nervous,uncertain,pessimist,stage fright,sweaty palms,those r symptoms of bad mojo.feel the groove in the song,the vibe,be in control,bassist r the 1 who learn the song faster,i think.i play wit feel,groove thru the songs,regardless of the music,i click wit the drums,like telepathic,i learn the drum rolls n drop those bass line in,u'll win in the end

 

[lummer]

Guys...
Music is music... whether u play e drums, guitar, bass or keyboard a mistake is a mistake... of coz drum n bass tend to be more critical. Don't look at music in a small picture but rather music as an entirety. As a seasoned session musician, you will have to do your homework and make sure u knw your parts of every songs. May it be spending 100hrs to remember a song u hv to do it... Of coz all that is to prepare ourselves to eliminate mistakes and play it to perfection but that doesn't guarantee no mistakes. But chances are few n far between if u put in the efforts...

U mentioned u play bass a decade already and now turn pro. U chart out ur parts... then how can u still make crucial mistakes? It is very good that u chart out ur parts... unlike some musicians leaving it all to memory... dangerous man. I suppose u are relaying on your memory rather then reading your charts... Must make sure u read the charts lar... read charts will not make crucial mistakes wan lar... relax steady abit... just enjoy... u have ur parts chart out in front of u leh.... the road map is already there just follow... Learn to listen to the rest of the band as well... its very important... by listening to the rest of the band you will understand and it makes more sense why u are playing those parts that are being written out...

Basically, look at music as an entirety... enjoy your musicality, enjoy music, relax and just let it go...

But bear in mind... professional circuit is like tat wan lar... Even worst... professional musicians all got attitude problem... Some not so good still act as though they damn good... got mouth to say others but no mouth to say himself type... this type of pros all can go throw in the longkang lar... no matter how good musicians they are... attitude one kind no use... Screw them...

 

[kazkingpin]

Guys...
Music is music... whether u play e drums, guitar, bass or keyboard a mistake is a mistake... of coz drum n bass tend to be more critical. Don't look at music in a small picture but rather music as an entirety. As a seasoned session musician, you will have to do your homework and make sure u knw your parts of every songs. May it be spending 100hrs to remember a song u hv to do it... Of coz all that is to prepare ourselves to eliminate mistakes and play it to perfection but that doesn't guarantee no mistakes. But chances are few n far between if u put in the efforts...

U mentioned u play bass a decade already and now turn pro. U chart out ur parts... then how can u still make crucial mistakes? It is very good that u chart out ur parts... unlike some musicians leaving it all to memory... dangerous man. I suppose u are relaying on your memory rather then reading your charts... Must make sure u read the charts lar... read charts will not make crucial mistakes wan lar... relax steady abit... just enjoy... u have ur parts chart out in front of u leh.... the road map is already there just follow... Learn to listen to the rest of the band as well... its very important... by listening to the rest of the band you will understand and it makes more sense why u are playing those parts that are being written out...

Basically, look at music as an entirety... enjoy your musicality, enjoy music, relax and just let it go...

But bear in mind... professional circuit is like tat wan lar... Even worst... professional musicians all got attitude problem... Some not so good still act as though they damn good... got mouth to say others but no mouth to say himself type... this type of pros all can go throw in the longkang lar... no matter how good musicians they are... attitude one kind no use... Screw them...

Thanks for ur advice. Im not saying im a pro. Pro as in working musician. and yes, i have my chart, but where there are like 12 - 16 bars of the same chord, then i had to go to the next progression, i just forgot where i was. and another one encounter is, musicians has the score/chart. but not the singers. from the point i see is. to hear out for the singer. meaning if he cmes in earlier or later than the arranged piece, i would try my best to follow the singer, its to save our asses anw. but some people say follow the arrangement, dont follow the singer, and some might agree with me to look and hear out for the singer. so which is best?

 

[aquanaut]

you cannot get caught up with what other musicians think of you when you are playing.

to make less mistakes, its simple...learn you song throughly and memorize it...all the fills, all the little riffs....all the arrangement and most important know the song itself....so lots of listening.

if you have been playing for 10 years, you should know by now that all songs have a pattern, get the root note...transpose...and you are almost there.

the best to play is original music where you can create you own lines...but when you cover covers like in a pub band you have to play almost exactly as the cd....as most musos in the scene are really anal about how the songs turns out.

what i do at home is i practise along with my list of songs ...when i hear a riff i stop, rewind and learn it then RTZ and begin again....it works and it also trained my ear in a live situation when the band 'stunt katak' you on stage with songs you dont know.

there is a sort of 'real book' of pub standards of pop / top 40 songs. compile this list and learn the tunes inside out.....example, hotel california, stairway to heaven, sweet child of mine, honky tonk woman, stand by me.....

so dont worry about what people think of you just put i the homework and your bandmates will stop listening to you....then ..it will be your turn ..to listen to them f**k up the chorus into the bridge...hehhehe!!

go for it .....all the bass!!!!

 

[Pete_Wentz]

LoL it depends on the song/type of music ur playing. I suppose ur playing some bass heavy funky song or a ballad.

Because bass mistakes are usually the least noticable in a rock band concept. Drummers have it the hardest imo. Its okay for guitarist to make a mistake if theres a bassist and rhythm guitar to fill it up, but its a different story if you're the lone guitarist in the band

I know lah shinobi, your proud to be a bassist and so am I. But ur bass-elitism is abit extreme liao la.

As for the topic creator, just let it slide. Everyone makes mistakes, and its good that you actually care about letting your band down as opposed to hecking care.

If ur bandmates are you close friends just do a 'OOops i messed up lol'

or if youre in a workin band, then just apologise in a professional manner and suck it up n practise more. Im sure they'll understand

I saw victor wooten when he came to SG, and even HE made afew minor mistakes which a noob like me can spot.

 

[Pete_Wentz]

when the goalkeeper of a football team screws up, everyone looks at him and wonders wtf he is doing.

if someone plays the bass, he is supposed to 'know' what he is doing. if someone plays the drums/keyboards, he is supposed to 'know' what he is doing.

if someone plays the electric guitar and screws up, he does not have to know what he is doing, he is just some poser kid. people can accept and half-expect that from a guitarist.

but nobody expects the bass player to screw up. if you play the bass you are not supposed to screw up because you are supposed to know what you are doing.

the reason is: nobody poses on a bass guitar. posers go for electric guitar instead. and if someone does try to action bedek on a bass, then it is really CMI.

but nowadays there are many horseshit bands around being supported by young punks who have never heard music in their life, so i dunno...

anyway, music is all about time. time is a continuum. you can't take back something someone has heard. that means when the mistake has been made, you cannot do anything about it. after that, it becomes a matter of whether you allow that mistake to ruin the rest of your performance or not.

so you should never 'stop playing' no matter what instrument you are playing. you hit a wrong note on a wrong beat, that's finished. you continue playing the rest of the song.

you need to have alot of confidence and be very proud of your role in the band. you know that the band has to follow you. you need an ego that can withstand some bruising if you are going to play in front of people, knowing that human beings will make mistakes, and take it. without you, there is no band. just like the goalkeeper in a football team.

Dunnoe about you, but ive always seen the anology between football and band as...

lead singer = striker
guitarist = midfielder
bassist = defender
drummer = goalkeeper