Bassbuzz Demographics (a poll)

I’m really surprised at how many responses this poll has collected. More than twice what I had predicted. Keep it coming folks. :+1:

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Must be that analytical side of you @Jazzbass19!! Love it - Keep it coming!

Lanny

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We’ve had LOTS of newer people joining the Forums and signing up for @JoshFossgreen’s B2B course lately! . . . :+1:

I’d like to ask those new members to please take a few minutes to add their data to the poll (at the top of this thread). This may be helpful in planning future courses!

All results are anonymous, so don’t be shy :slight_smile:

Thanks very much, Joe

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I can’t believe we still don’t have a single less than 25 vote. :astonished:

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There are at least a couple out there that I’ve seen post in the Introduce Yourself thread but none that make a regular appearance in the forum. Which is too bad. I would like to see what the young bloods are up to right now.

Something to keep in mind is that B2B has a lot more students than people that post here.

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I was thinking about this the other day and I wondered how many folk are currently signed up - and how many have been through it. I wonder if @JoshFossgreen would give us an approximate number? It’s not really any of our business, but it’d be interesting to know how many folk aren’t coming into these forums - or not hanging out with us. Maybe it’s because of us. :crazy_face::thinking::zipper_mouth_face:

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Could be… :grin:

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:rofl::joy::rofl::joy::rofl::joy:

Hang on! Who you talkin’ 'bout? :face_with_raised_eyebrow:

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Hey, I even stenciled my own username in there :grin:

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I’m thinking (and I’m certainly guilty of this too) that maybe because we’ve all been around ‘this block’ for so long that it could be intimidating for some… Maybe what we can do to help offset the ‘possible’ intimidation (other than always ‘welcoming’ new posters) is to provide more of a ‘learning’ atmosphere so that any new student of the B2B course will feel as ‘safe’ as they do inside of the actual course in posting. Inside the course, Josh is pretty much the only one they have communications with and it’s ALL pretty much lesson focused.

I believe that in here (the forum), we have an additional (and important) responsibility (not only to have fun - or poke a little fun at each other) to any one else who may enter into the forum to also provide support so that others can learn even more from our experiences. Sometimes we need to think back and remember that at one time ‘we’ were the new guys…

Here’s something to think about… How long has it been since any student has made comment or reference to “Billie Jean” in the last month or two? There was a time when “THAT” song and "THAT’ lesson were always a topic of discussion on this forum. With all the new B2B students that have signed up to @JoshFossgreen’s course, you’d think that we’d be seeing tons of “Billie Jean” posts on this board…

Most of us who post on this forum are pretty much all “Regulars” whether we have that title showing on our posts or not (I personally don’t - but that’s my choice). Isn’t it up to us to help support the B2B concept by maybe helping others along their journey to bass BADASSISM…

Maybe there needs to be another forum topic other than Chat; Gear; Theory; Technique (or whatever) that new users can use to interact with others that are currently taking the B2B course instead of only having an “Introduce Yourself” thread… Hell, I dunno… All I do know is that if I were a new B2B student and stepped into this forum, I would much rather get to know and communicate with bass players at "my’ level - not the ‘forum’s’ level… Just my 2 cents (US Currency here) worth…

Keep on Thumpin’! Lanny Out! Soapbox Smashed!

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:arrow_up: This x 1000!!

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Granted I don’t know the infrastructure limitations of this forum but I think you are on to something there @Lanny. While there is a comments section below every lesson of the course, I think having a separate thread for each lesson could be helpful. That way, theoretically, those currently on that lesson could interact “in real time” I guess you would call it. However, if that was done. Then you’d have all us slack jawed yokels chiming in all the time trying to help and probably end up leading them astray. Master @JoshFossgreen probably already foresaw this and set things up as they are on purpose. :laughing:

You are wrong about one thing however @Lanny. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye: Personally I’m on the “Billie Jean” lesson at the moment. I chose the 6 month plan from the beginning on purpose as I knew how little time I had due to other life commitments and didn’t want to discourage myself by getting behind. It’s worked too. I’ve been consistently ahead which actually has motivated me even more at some points to push even farther. Nonetheless I digress, to say that I saw so many posts about Billie Jean that I knew what I was in for ahead of time. So maybe the lurkers are in the same boat. As a whole though I certainly agree with your thinking. Just had to jump in and bust your chops when I could. Don’t get many of those opportunities. :crazy_face:

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Well you certainly are not getting a virgin here @ChrisThomason!!:grinning::rofl::joy:

Spent too many years on old vintage diesel submarines to have a “Thin Skin” when it comes to chop bustin’!! :joy:

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So you’re suggesting he does guest spots with his most esteemed pupils (us) in for a video chat? :thinking: :wink:

I think we do that very well. I don’t always chime in because I’m still very ignorant compared to a few of the forum regulars. I’m proud to be part of the forums in which I’m yet to see a spat of any level - and never a serious subject broached that wasn’t for somebody’s benefit.

I’m sure there were a couple of mentions (other than from the regulars). Even having the thread or two with it as the subject has brought a comment or two. I know that when I hit that lesson I was relieved to find it was a common theme, and I know we’ve all shown solidarity with a newcomer over it.

What a waste: you could’ve made a soapbox bass out of it.

You’re right on many points but we all see things through our own version of rose tinted glasses (some of have bluer tints), but I really do think there is plenty of scope at all levels. When I came in here there wasn’t too many folk posting regularly, but that’s changed over the last few months. Maybe it was more popular in the past, and it wouldn’t surprise me if there wasn’t a turnover because of the nature of the place: it’s closely linked to the course and many people will either not engage in a forum anyway, or will move on once they’ve finished the course. That’s why I was interested in course numbers: to see what sort of crossover there is. But of course that’s not our business to know, I’m just nosy.

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We, the Regulars, could of course, try a coordinated ghosting of the forum for just a few days, and see who fills in the forum posts.

Yeah right, what am I thinking?!, can’t see that actually happening :grin:

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USA here, 49 yrs young, and still wanting to lay down heavy Metal grooving bass lines!

LOL…so I wonder how @JoshFossgreen feels about 64% of his students being 46yrs of age or older :slight_smile: (Maybe its just us “older” folks that have time or desire to be in the forums… lol)

I would think cool… I can actually get to that “older” (I hate that term) generation and get them back into playing music!

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I think it’s simply that older people have money to pay for the course. I think if it was free the demographics would shift to the younger side quite a bit. Probably a bit of mid-life crisis type stuff as well. I probably fall into that! Spare time will vary. I had a lot more time when I was younger!

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Hmm. Maybe it’s a late mid-life crisis for me (I’m 54). I just got tired of thinking I wasn’t up to the task of learning, and the way Josh came across on his BassBuzz channel – I just thought, “Hey, just maybe I can do this.”

I had actually recently purchased a guitar and was trolling for some help on learning that. I just watched one too many of Josh’s videos on lunch break, and I just had to order the course. He offers this stuff up in easy to digest lessons, and he makes me feel more than capable. I was always fascinated with the bass; especially the harmony. Josh just pushed me over the edge and here I am.

I guess that’s how I ended up in my demographic in the poll! It’s all Josh’s fault! I’m having a blast!

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He seems to hold an appeal for older men. :thinking:

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Well, I guess it’s back to why this demographic is so large. Let me offer this:

(1) I believe the bass has much broader appeal in the 20th century than it does today, so naturally it will appeal to an older demographic…

or

(1A) Josh presents a lot of older music that appeals to the older demographic.

Or maybe a little of both? I’ll cite this article for support of the former: https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2017/lifestyle/the-slow-secret-death-of-the-electric-guitar/?utm_term=.b96c868e8976

As I said, I am 54; a child of the 80’s. The bass was well established in the music I listened to, but when I listen to what my son listens to…I don’t know. That music is dominated by synth, electronics, etc. There may be a bass, and they may not. Josh is no spring chicken either, so maybe both explanations are a factor.

Why more guys than gals? I won’t say that there’s a hard and fast rule about what appeals to men and women, but when I was in high school…who was talking about bands and music? There are always exceptions, and everyone is different, but generally speaking. This article cited above however, does address the demographic question and also noted a surge in young women’s attention to guitar. Why? Read the article.

But for me personally, Josh is just awesome. He sneakily teaches while he entertains you! It’s ok to laugh! It’s ironic that he mixes some humor into his lessons, but at the same time is reverent about his craft. if you watch his stuff on his original channel, you can tell where he comes from. I’m thankful to have the opportunity to be a student, even if we’ve never met. The influence is there, and…

…I started eating bananas lately. :thinking:

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