When you say you have a favorite drummer / guitarist / whatever,

For me its style. Technicality doesnt mean shit unless they have an apparent style.
As a bassist, my personal favourite is Eric Judy from Modest Mouse because I really like how his parts fit into the song/his melodic type of basslines.

>>55376317
>Technical proficiency? Versatility? Songwriting?
All should be taken into account, along with creativity, innovation and performance.

>>55376392
>As a bassist
Opinion discarded

>>55376317
>Technical proficiency? Versatility? Songwriting?
a combination of all three

>>55376432
What about drummers? I feel like a lot of peoples' favorite drummers are based solely on technical proficiency. For the average listener it's pretty hard to judge them by anything else.

For me saying some musician is my favorite is not the same as saying he or she is, in my opinion, the best. It just means I like their music or their playing more than others. Usually it's the musician that inspires me the most or the one I look up to to improve my playing.

>>55376493
>for the average listener...
They are idiots.
>What about drummers?
The best drummers I've worked with will service the song, not themselves.

>>55376450
LOL so edgy xD

>>55376317
I've stopped picking favorites, but if what they play sounds good I respect what they do.

>>55376552
How is that edgy? it's a common opinion.

As a drummer, while I love drummers who are stupidly technical and fantastic in that aspect, I'll always aspire to Mitch Mitchell, because though he's never gonna rock a 13/8 beat or anything like that, his style and improvisation is incredible.

>>55376317
As a drummer, I think anyone can play hard and fast, but skill comes from having heart. If your heart isn't in it, it sounds boring. I think having soul, and being able to write good music makes you skilled. Mike Portnoy is one of my favorites because he plays with soul and he writes well.

NOT QUITE MY TEMPO!

>>55376392
This guy has his shit figured out.

>>55376572
It's not dude. I'm no bassist (not the guy you're replying to) but I play guitar and always moving around musicians, been playing in bands all my life etc. Bassists' opinions are generally considered as valuable as any other musician's. What actually is common is to disregard the instrument just to piss bassists off because there are people who are not musicians who complain that they cannot hear the bass and stuff. But it's more like a joke.

>>55376705
>What actually is common is to disregard the instrument just to piss bassists off because there are people who are not musicians who complain that they cannot hear the bass and stuff. But it's more like a joke.
Which is why this is a common opinion.

Please stop posting now.

I look at both technical proficiency and ideas, especially when a musician improvise, some ideas are brilliant and others can be very technical but souless and with out any real creativity, there's needs to be a combination of both, it also comes to sound and how they play in relationship to sound, you have to notice different styles of playing and determ what you like about each. That's 60% of what makes music awesome, personality, quick wits and creativity.

>>55376317
It depends entirely on what instrument they're playing.

When it comes to drummers, my favorite drummer is Jon Theodore. For me, it has NOTHING to do with his proficiency, because if it was just that, it'd be Zach Hill, Thomas Pridgen, etc. Jon has this way of fading his playing in and out of the musical space that is just fucking incredible. There's times where the music he does in The Mars Volta goes from rock heavy to ambient with no drums, and often I realize I don't even know when their drum work went out and went to ambient. In fact, when he left TMV, that's when I think they got somewhat...not boring, just not as creative, because everything was either 100% or 0%, whereas with Jon it was this constant gray area. It's the expression.

When it comes to guitarists, it's a mix. Omar Rodriguez-Lopez and Ben Weinman of The Mars Volta and The Dillinger Escape Plan, respectively, both have fucking incredible virtuosity. That's my first consideration, just the shear talent between playing and songwriting, their riffage, their use of effects, etc. But it's also their understanding of guitar as a sonic tool rather than an "instrument". Understanding that the use of distortion, echo, feedback, etc., is a performance in and of itself...it's just incredible.

I mean, compare this performance - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-QaFWURsMU

To this performance - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fE6YN9VcPPA&list=PL01B1E0D1627E9C4A&index=2

In the first, the playing is alright, but it's just 100% the entire fucking time. No nuance, no style, no life. The second though...it's nowhere near as fast and brash as Avenged Sevenfold's shit, but it's a billion percent more impressive, because you have to consider that there's like 70+ tracks in this song, and they are ALL mastered live (i.e., everything has to be mixed just in the live performance between like 14 performers), and the guitar somehow still manages to cut through.

>>55376871
Same with vocals, which for me is either Anthony Green or Cedric Bixler-Zavala, tied VERY closely with Gerard Way. There's just so much virtuosity in the performance, but it's also figuring out the lyrical lines (My Chemical Romance might be trendy as fuck and super lame after The Black Parade, but his lyrical work is really good and his singing is perfect for the genre), hitting the genre with a sound that they never even knew was defining, etc. Just fucking perfect.

Again, compare the shitty stereotypical goth pop punk sound of - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFDCHdKbKBY&list=PLojoux6nuPB97eNr3zADQAkU-cIMlYmSA

With - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00Z-Gbyb7l8

And you can see bands like Black Veil Brides or whatever are all cheap imitations in the most brashest form.

I know this all sounds hipstery, and I should be working so I'm rushing the fuck out of this, but I hope it makes sense.

>>55376771
So you take a joke originated in musician circles in expense of some non-musician's ignorance and make it YOUR opinion and then take for granted that it is a legitimate common opinion? And then brag about it on a thread that is clearly targeted toward musicians? Ok dude whatever. You seem to be a bit too susceptible for your own good but yeah, I'll stop posting. It gets old fast.

>>55376903
Also I know the bands I highlighted are all rock oriented and are considered by some to be pleb, but that's just my consideration. For instance, I think MC Ride's vocal work is far more interesting than Danny Brown, I think that Sirah's electronic work is far more interesting than modern electronic bands, I even think Autry's weird vocal inflections are interesting, despite her voice being fucking annoying. I have to like the performance for what it is - a performance - or I'm just bored as shit. Which is why I like the music of Neutral Milk Hotel, but based on music alone, would rate it 6/10, but with Jeff singing, it's a 10/10. Also why I would consider Elliot Smith without singing an 8/10, but with singing a 6/10, because his singing is so goddamn boring. Hell, even simple music like The Honorary Title is 10/10 for me because, while the music is somewhat boring, the singing fits fucking perfectly.

My favorite guitarist is Michael Cashmore because his compositions are a lot of fun to learn and play. My favorite musician who plays the guitar, though, is Devin Townsend.

>>55376771
As a drummer, I prefer having a good bassist laying down some lines. You sound like you don't play music which is a shame because you can blow a lot of hot air out of your face.

>>55377059
I play in four bands currently.

You?

>>55377129
Well I can only hope you don't treat the bassists in your bands with that kind of attitude

>>55377175
I am the bassist in some of them.

Lighten up.

>>55376705
le ebin bass emem

>>55377129
If you have that kind of consideration for all your bassists all of your bands (cos you wouldn't lie on the internet right?) must sound like shit.

>>55377226
>>55377191

>>55377242
Holy shit you play bass. Then we should not listen to your opinion according to your logic. Oh well it's been fun.

Y'all getting butthurt over this one guy
Anyway,
Tosin Abasi, am I right?

>>55377397
Personally I wasn't butthurt really, I was trying to discuss something with him in good terms. I thought he as serious about it the issue. But it looks like he got angry or something.

And yeah, Tosin is a great example of all the features OP said, plus a great innovator.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBX8an0PY5c

>>55377397
I find his music to generally be souless wank, there are some gems and I appreciate every nigger that listens to meshuggah

>>55377497
>. But it looks like he got angry or something.
lol

What's worse than a bass player is one with no sense of humor. Get used to your bands breaking up and then reforming without you with a different name.

>>55376317
Dude it's fucking Brian from Lightning Bolt, my gott!

>>55377596

Seen Lightning Bolt a couple days ago. Dang man that dude can rip up a drum set.

>>55377596
yeah, he has a solo side project called Black Pus, totally worth checking out.