How do you deal with the feeling of inferiority?

Hey @Fahri : One last thing to keep in mind that I forgot to add to my post…
I have discovered that one of the wonderful things about learning the bass is the ability to play a less than complex version of most songs, and still have fun in the process. Just because you don’t play it the same was as the original, does not necessarily make it wrong. I was reminded of this aspect when I saw Josh’s new video outlining 5 different levels of playing the same song:

I don’t mean to present this as a lazy way of setting the bar low- but I just want to point out that if you can play with clean notes, make the changes at the appropriate moments, and most importantly keep good time with the drummer, it is quite possible to play basic versions of a lot of songs without being a virtuoso.

From the beginning, I have always practiced A LOT with drum tracks when writing riffs just because it is so much more fun. Without realizing it, I was getting better at keeping time and locking in with the beat, for example knowing in my head when a drum fill was coming since patterns seem to be in groups of 4 or 8. I really think that when you start playing with others (especially drums) if you can lock in and keep time, its possible to get away with playing roots and playing basic stuff.

One of the first things my guitarist told me after our first get together: “A lot of guys try to do too much and play too busy- but I really liked what you were doing.” I guess that could be taken the wrong way, but for me that was perfect validation that I could get away with a minimal approach. (and minimal talent, haha!)

5 Likes