Man, I love being a bassist but...

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...The general public sure doesn't. I can't tell you how many times I've had to describe the difference between bass and guitar. I get comments like:

-Man up and move on to a six string guitar!
-Why is there only four strings?
-You're out of tune!
-Bass is useless, you can't even hear it over guitar!
-And there was once this one girl who tried to put me down as "a guitarist who can't take six strings!"

I even show them most times that I can in fact play a guitar or that I can in fact rock with four strings. But still, the public rejects bassists.

/Rant of a bassist

Well that's just plain and simple ignorance. I think bass is one of the hardest instruments you can play. You need to have such a perceptive ear to be able to fit in with the harmony when you're playing that low. It's so easy to screw up. When you're a good bassist, no one notices, but when you're just a bit off, it's really obvious and people berate you. Basically the good bassists get no credit because they do such a great job of fitting in and no one notices them.

It's funny because people always think piano is hard; it's not that hard, I should know because I play piano for a living.

The bass is the most underrated instrument. It compliments every other instrument in the band and brings out every aspect of the piece of music just as well as the drummer, guitarist, singer, and anything else thrown in the mix. Just wish people would appreciate bassists more because you guys deserve much more than you get from these "haters".

I am a guitarist myself, but I love hearing someone jam out and shred on a bass guitar.

I'm not good at picking out instruments in songs but if that's a bass in Panic Switch by Silversun Pickups that MAKES the song.

True of many other songs. I wish I could think of them now.

EDIT: The High Road by Broken Bells?

A big cheer for bassists everywhere.

I too can play six string but there is nothing more enjoyable than setting down a good bass groove.

Well, if it makes you feel any better, one of the first things I notice that makes a good track is the bass line. If the bass line doesn't grab my attention, it's usually not a particularly memorable song to me.

Many guitarist think they can play bass. They hit the notes, but it doesn't move the song along. When a drummer and a real bass player "lock up" on a song, That's what makes it. Everything else is just dressing it up.
I appreciate a good bass player even more know that I play lap steel because often I can't play the root note of a chord. I need to know the bass player is going to have that there when I need it.
If people ask you why there are only 4 strings, just say. "That's all I need. I'm that f#@*ing good!!"

I HATE it when people say you can't hear the bass over the music. I think most don't even know what the bass sounds like.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6glYZvLe2vo[/youtube]

The public sucks. Also, if you want to stop the comments, do what I did and upgrade to a 5-string (or 6-string) bass. They also add a lot of tonal variety and allow you to do a few things you can't do on a 4-string bass (easy 2-octave sweeps. Yes, I mostly play metal. But hey, it can be used elsewhere!). As for the stupid people who think that a bass is a failed guitar should be met with this:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teZbA14ZSTA[/youtube]

The starting melody is playable on a 4-string bass, too. 6-string makes it a lot easier to play, though. And it definitely shows how versatile a bass is compared to a guitar...and more fun to play, too. (I play both)

You know what, this song speaks for itself.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_c0Q5IRets[/youtube]

I remember before ever hearing this solo that I thought bassists were useless (give me a break, I was 10). I thought all they did was just stand in the background and play along to whatever the guitarist did. Then I heard this song and was blown away. Got my bass 8 years later and have found I have a hell of a lot more fun on the bass then the guitar.

\m/ RIP Cliff \m/