Is the bassist really the "loser" of the band?

depends
If the bassist also sings (which is quite common) then no
If the bassist is a girl, then no
Basically, the bassist stands out the least in a rock band because they don't have solos e.t.c. and a lot of norms can't distinguish between the sound of the bass and the guitar, so they assume it's all done by guitar
Guitarist here, people always tell me how thick my sound is, but it mostly due to how tight the bassist is with me.

In a lot of small cities, it's difficult to find a real bass player. That's why most small bands will take the first alcoholic they find in the local bar, give him a bass and ask him to play root notes.

But in civilized areas bass players can be normal people too.

>>54913617
I can feel that. I play bass in an emo band and I've never really thought of myself a loser, band-wise. I'm not the best musician, but I've always felt kind of passively about bass but loved what I added.

>>54913564
picture is missing keyboard player who has a boyfriend

only if they're a chump who sticks to root notes.
>implying playing bass isn't the key to qt castle

>>54913564

If it's a funk band, bass player is on top.

>>54913684
Hell ya brother


But in my experience, no, it's not

>>54913617
post punk often has switched importance of guitar and bass so there's hope in that genre.

>>54913564
>implying a bassist have a need for any sort of sexual pleasure beside the one provided by the sweet vibes of his instrument

>>54913701
In my opinion, slap bass and anything flashy on bass is so tacky. I might be a shitty simple bassist but I really do like thick, warm backbone tones.

>>54913709
it's really not, but if we keep telling ourselves that maybe it'll be true

>>54913701
yeh on top of another guy fucking him in the cause hes a gay bass playing homo!

>>54913649
Well, in bands with guitars doing more spaced out guitars (if by emo you mean midwest stuff) the bass is more noticeable, people will actually see you do stuff and hear it.
In my old band from back in school it was block chooooorrrddsss and the bass just did roots.

Jazz is a whole different story. The guitarist is expendable. It's the frills, the adornment to the rhythm section. It sits in the range where the horns sit, so you often get drowned out. The bass and piano are ESSENTIAL for the feel of the songs, the guitar does funky non essential shit
In a big band rhythm section:
Drums > Piano = Bass >>>>>>>> Guitar
I still get guitar solos though, which is funny

>>54913736
you only think it's flashy b/c you can't slap

i should know, i'm the same way ;-;

Only to plebs. Anyone who has ever played in a halfway decent band understands how vital a good bassist is. They never get attention, but bassists make the guitarist and singer sound good. Guitarists and singers are really the most superfluous part of a rock band, they just add frill to the foundation that the drummer and bassist lay down.

>>54913736
I agree for the most part. That kind of thing does have its place though. I'm the sort of bassist who would rather just groove in the pocket than show off.

Every now and then I hook up an octaver and my big muff and play lead bass guitar but that only really works if you're only playing with a drummer and not a full band.

I could play anything in a band and still be the loser.

>>54913772
>>54913736

>SLAPPA DA BASS, MON, SLAPPA DA BAASS

>>54913789
The fact drums and bass lay a foundation hardly makes the guitars superfluous
There's a difference between understanding the significance of the D&B in a band, to blowing them out of proportion.
The guitar is the melody, the harmony, the chords whatever, and is just as significant as the others, determining tonality and mood.
Hell yeah, the bass is important, but you're silly if you think the singers and guitarists are 'superfluous'

>>54913789
Pretty much this.
You ain't shit if your rhythm is shit.

>>54913837
>tell people I'm a bassist
>say this shit, look at me waiting for me to laugh
>awkward silence, probably can tell it annoys me
>every fucking time

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>>54913885
That feel, man

>>54913851
To me, the addition or subtraction of any instrument should have a reason behind it; no instrument is more important than any other. It all depends on how it is being used.

I think we can all agree that bass is important in pretty much all aspects. It adds depth and warmth and thickness etc. But are we viewed like shit by people who don't play music?

I love playing bass and I guess I don't care for the most part, but I've been curious lately.

the drummer is always the loser. they should be disposed of and replaced with a drum machine instead.

>>54913929
EXACTLY
therefore calling anything superior to the other is silly.
It does depend on the style of music, Pig Destroyer did perfectly well without a bassist for ages, and many bands don't have vocalists

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Also, why are like most drummers potheads or drunks?

>>54913941
>>54913941
Most people are such plebs it's unbelievable. You have no idea how many times I've been asked "so what's the difference between bass and guitar". But yeah most of them can't even tell the difference between a guitar part and a bass part and just assume that the bass is inaudible.

>>54913941
It's mostly ignorant guitarists, who assume that just because they play guitar means they would be ace at bass too.
I was rhythm guitar in my band, and I had to do all the theory shit with the bassist and write the songs, and the lead guitar would put some tacky melody over it and do a solo which probably involved tapping at some point.
He would constantly mock the bassist, saying how "he doesn't have to play chords" and it even got to the point where he was digging at me because I was 'just' rhythm.
So it's dickhead guitarists mainly

Who needs a bassist when you can get a pedal that shifts your guitar down an octave?

>>54913564
If this is true then why is bass sexy as fuck when done right?

Is it that most bassist are just shit?

>>54913978
Because they're a dime a dozen, if that. You could pick up a homeless man outside the venue and give him some buckets and shit and he'll be able to keep up with the band.

>>54913978
>>54913978
I'm guessing because they grow up idolizing people like Keith Moon. Out of the drummers I've played with, the only ones who weren't druggies/alcoholics were church players or session drummers.

I always thought the sheer amount of volume and kinetic movement involved attracts a certain kind of personality, although I couldn't really explain it very well.

>>54914020

Holy shit, I know that feel and I fucking hate it. I've been asked "how do you make the rhythm?" before, even.

>>54913668
keyboard has nobody just more keyboards

>>54913944
>>54913944

This. There is no reason for a live drummer anymore other than "muh vintage feels." A drum machine is more precise, takes up far less space, is less expensive, and can play more intricate drum parts and faster than is humanly possible. I can make a 400bpm beat that would require 6 limbs if I want to. Drummers are the live music equivalent of vinyl DJ's. They're pissed off and try to demean new technology because because they spent their life practicing something that is now obsolete.

>>54914052
Always wondered this myself, then you'd have a bass that can play more complex stuff.

>>54914052
People who enjoy not being alone

>>54914160
>>54913944
Drumming is pretty subtle, also have fun playing out of 4/4 with a drum machine.

>>54914131
I hate how true this is

>>54914160
you can say this to any other instrument - just automate it so it's precise and as complex as it can be

losing a human feel in music often makes it feel quite lifeless imo. if the future is robots making exact perfect music, that's not very fun

>>54914160
Because you can't improvise with a drum machine as you can with a drummer, because drum machines are shit for certain genres, etc. Don't get me wrong, I fucking love drum machines but they can't always replace a drummer. Plus, you can fuse vintage drumming with technologies for some interesting results (sort of what Zach Hill does in DG).

Also, an octave pedal wouldn't sound as thick and warm as a bass. Double also, you can always buy a 6-string bass if you want complexity.

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>>54914220
This is correct

>>54914160
>A drum machine is more precise, takes up far less space, is less expensive, and can play more intricate drum parts and faster than is humanly possible.
you could say the same thing abouth bass synth

not in prog rock

>>54914298
>prog
>any of the band getting girls

>>54914319
I was responding to the question, rather than the picture

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>>54913564
no.

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>>54913564

heh, no

I'm definitely the loser in my band... Despite that, I've managed to become reasonably essential to most processes, avoid being Newsted-ed, and do alright with being hit on and striking conversation.

I'm slightly awkward, and I'm definitely the ugly one.

>>54913649
>emo
>>54913631
kek

its all about the show nigga

>>54914417
too bad when most people look at cars they look at the body and colors instead of the engine

>>54914533
But people that actually care and know about cars care way more about the engine

But bass is the sexier instrument

>>54913564
im gay so i become a bassist to get all the cocks

>>54914417
But this is BULLSHIT
YES, the bass and drums are important, but claiming that EVERYTHING ELSE is all superficial is STUPID
People who think this are as bad as guitarists who think they're the most important part

No, it's just a childish view point.

>tfw singer
>tfw everyone comes to see me, and everyone else in the band is replaceable
feels good being the most important member of the band. :^)

A bass player is irrelevant and could be replaced by a square wave synth.

>>54914160
>Drummers are the live music equivalent of vinyl DJ's
DJing with proper records allows you to do so much more than going digital.
It's much more comfortable to use them and you don't pretend that you're doing something insanely huge, like almost everyone who goes full digital does.

>>54914653
She doesn't strike me as very knowledgeable about cars.

Bass as a foundation does make sense - it covers rhythm, and helps to colour chords and melodies above it. However, the bass does provide a lot of energy from the low midrange up to 5kHz, which does allow it to be a melody instrument when the low end / chords and rhythm are being covered.

A car is much more than an engine and a colour scheme, and music is much more variable than a pedal, clutch, transmission, and engine should ever be, separately or together.

>>54914844
>can't timestretch without pitch variation
>can do so much more than digital

LOL

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>>54913564
become a world-famous composer and get all smartest and most beautiful women

>>54914417
>implying people care about an engine that they are going to swap out anyway

drummers pls leave

>>54914891
So, why are those relevant.
If you need them your library isn't large and expansive enough.

>>54914908
I'm trying (film scores), but for now I'm just the lowly bassist.

>>54914918
At first my brain was full of rage, then I thought about it and chuckled.

That's the entire range of my emotions. Kudos.

>>54913767
In a big band you're totally right, guitar is practically just for adding cute arrangements, but there are guitar trios and lead guitars in bebop and such.

Guitar gets drowned heavily by brass instruments and it has a darker sound, but it has the advantage of chords, so it has a place.

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not always

>>54914160
Yeah, maybe for music that uses a backbeat but that's fucking pleb shit

Lead guitarist here, I'm probably the loser of the band. The singer always gets the most attention, despite often being the least talented. The bassist in my band is considered pretty cool, but that's probably a reflection on him rather than the bass being cool

>>54913789
Had to work with bands with a good bassist and crappy guitars. We would just lower the guitarist in the mix as much as we can and emphasize the bass notes to carry the riffs .Made sure to never tell the bands. Blame the sound on the venue.

>>54914160
>a bass that can play more complex stuff

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxJll6oUsPU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvEhyxZqtCk

>>54916301
Jeff is the man! Just wish he would would get a higher profile gig.

>>54916353
Six Feet Under's not exactly low profile.

>>54914063
lots of beginner-tier bassists play too loud. in most situations, the bass should be *felt* more than it is actually *heard.* think about it.

the tendency of new bassists is to turn their amp up to the point where you can hear their plectrum or their finger actually slapping against the strings, and hear their fingers moving along the frets. this is too loud. a good bass part moves subtly. the audience is *aware* of the low frequencies moving underneath everything, but it's not completely obvious what's happening.

a good example of this is Song 2 by Blur. you can *feel* the low-ness of the riff. but you couldn't pick out the bass unless you actually tried.

a bad example of this is Flea when he's doing slapping and popping. like i said, if that's the actual sound you're going for, then cool. but if you're just playing roots, there shouldn't be a "doink doink" being heard every notes are being played.

tl;dr: newbasses have their shit too loud 80% of the time.

>>54916683
Totally right, it annoys the fuck of me.

When I played bass in a band I always adjusted my amp because loud bass made my head hurt after a few minutes, yet I met a ton of bassists that don't give a fuck and they make the band sound like shit.

Worse yet is when they do slap, that shit sounds loud as fuck compared to normal playing, if you're gonna do it prepare your volume beforehand.

>>54913564
In rock music yes but in genres like funk, the bass player is a god.

>>54913564

The bassist is jus as loserish as the guitarist depending on what's being played.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHWIKn0v2c0

>>54913978
wat, most drummers are normal and responsible people, OP's image is spot on

>>54916683
(or their amp is too quiet, so the temptation is to pick or strum harder to compensate, which also sounds bad. in that case, you need a higher-wattage amp.)

>>54916815
>yet I met a ton of bassists that don't give a fuck and they make the band sound like shit.
this. they're so excited to be on-stage they can't comprehend yet that it's not exactly about *them* as much as it is about the *overall sound.*

>>54913978
>tfw the drummer never stops playing when you're discussing song changes/parts, etc

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>>54914908
>that gif
you got me

>>54914160
> not getting hard when your drummer rips out an energized, syncopated beat
A machine just can't give me that feel, believe me I've tried.

And like
>>54914232
Says, there are lots of ways to fuse tech and trad drumming. I'm trying to coax our guy into toying with some tube powered pads and one of those weird digital kicks that kinda look like a big octagon. I wish I knew what they were called

>>54916094
I do not envy your job, man. There are too many cunty sound guys, so shitty bands always scapegoat them. But then you get fuckin wizards who take shit and get a poor rep simply because these bands don't have a clue what theyre doing.

>>54913736
SHLAPPIN DA BASE

>>54916683
>>54916815
>>54916968
I've been thinking about taking up bass, as well as using a bass amp for heavier sounding guitar playing as well.

I do agree that bass needs to be felt more than heard. It's not really the same as playing a guitar.

There are very few drummers where I live and they're mostly (read: all) morons.
Any germans here? Are drummers in suprplus in germany?

>>54917347
>using a bass amp for guitar

Wholly unnecessary unless you don't have a bassist, and you're tuning down to compensate. At this point you'll need distortion to compress your fundamentals so you keep the treble as well.

>>54917347
A bass amp makes a guitar sound like shit.

If it has an equalizer you can somewhat fix it but I wouldn't recommend it.

>>54913564
Yeah, Geddy Lee is probably a homeless virgin these days.

>>54913649
>I've never really thought of myself a loser,

dont worry everybody else already did

>>54917046
>everyone with an instrument plays random shit anytime band isn't playing a particular song together

>>54917433
Same with Les Claypool, actually.

>>54913885
Not as bad as "drop the bass" jokes

>>54917404
>>54917427
Well what if I split my channels?