LeftyBassist.com

I'm impressed with what I see on social media. I don't just mean poppers and slappers. I mean: great tone, great feel, great skill. There are young kids who can do what I never could. There are middle aged folks who have upped the game tremendously. I also don't mean crazy speed. A lot of these players are tasteful.

My first inclination is to feel a bit defeated. it's a bit like looking at pretty people on social media and feeling ugly in comparison.

However, isn't it inspiring to see young and old folks so consumed by playing bass that they've mastered so many aspects of the instrument? It should inspire me enough to make me get more organized and work on improving my own game.

I can relate to that feeling. I have fooled around with guitar since age 14, but when I see Tommy Emmanuel or Richard Smith I want to do one of two things - go home and practice or just destroy my guitar. lol

Just practice, but don't base your life on what you see on social media. Someone planned for months to record a one-minute performance

Personally I can’t stand that stuff. For them It’s about clicks & ad revenue, not music. I cringe every time I see scotts bass “lessons” clickbait bullshit. And there’s a whole crop of other influencer wannabes out there too obviously.

Yeah, I'm always seeing super-impressive stuff in the short video format. I also admit to having a weakness for playalongs--if nothing else it puts the bass where it belongs in the mix--RIGHT UP FRONT

But my favorite is to see multiple performers coming together to make something that really gels, where it shows off just enough creativity to feel new and different while still being accessible/musical to my ears. I guess my tastes will always tend towards band chemistry and albums that are listenable all the way through--I hate constantly futsing with my music player.

I think I'm mostly over judging myself against even dedicated amateurs. I got a late start, I have a demanding job, wife and kids, and I'm a bit of a gym rat. Music has never been higher than third on the list. Plus I took up piano a couple years ago. So all I can do is embrace the suck and enjoy myself.

I tend to agree with you on this one. I'm generalizing here, but in my opinion, the Insta-players have chops, and perfect 'hi-fi pin drop' tone, with no finger noise etc. But in my - albeit loud and big stage rock and roll based - experience, those things don't matter a bit in the mix if you haven't spent time playing with other real humans in real time. Again... I'm talking rock and roll here. I know jazz and other more subtle types of music are different. But who hasn't watched a 16 year old virtuoso play a cover of a Rush or Led Zep tune so perfectly that it comes all the way back around to.... wrong. And chances are that kid - as amazeballs as he is - would get eaten alive on a stage with 3 or 4 other peeps fighting for dominance. Or worse, they don't develop the skills to listen to the other people on stage and do what's right for the songs. And, as has been pointed out, it sets unrealistic expectations of what good is.

All I'm trying to say is, if you enjoy playing your bass and you have some buddies that you make loud rock and roll - or other - noises with. You're not doing it wrong. Is there really a wrong? Can anyone be good at all the things? Any practice is good practice. Pick your next goal and focus on that for awhile. I spent a great deal of my ten thousand hours learning how to hold down a solid groove while singing lead vocals, or with two other guys in harmony without wandering off the meter. I traded that skill for some Insta-chops for sure. But I wounld't change it if I could. You can't have it all, right? I mean.... right? Like.... no one.... well... ok... maybe there's a couple Paul McCartney's out there. But that's next level prodigy stuff. Hah... (Also... listen to PM's isolated tracks. They are flat out some of the most amazing things I've ever heard. And yet.... you can hear his fingers on the strings. You can hear little flubs. You can hear the human. Then listen to that track as a whole with the band. Guess what.... no more finger noise. No more flubs. Still human....)

My motto has always been, "I'd rather be a mediocre bass player that plays really well with others, than a virtuoso that sits in my basement trying to see notes per minute I can play."

I can say with absolute experience, I've earned some great gigs over other - technically better - bass players than myself because I found a way to fit in to the situation better than them. Find your thing. Do you.

Perfectly stated, my man!

I enjoy watching those 20-somethings. But I've got to be honest, they've never influenced or inspired me. It never entered my head - it's just pure entertainment. Likewise, it never occurred to me that they might not be used to playing in bands. Who knows?

Excellently stated. One of my favorite drummers was a mediocre musician but a great listener. Any time I turned onstage to get his attention, he was already looking - constantly scanning the band for upcoming ques.

Yes fully agree with difference between live performance and internet performers however I grateful for all those who do bass covers (some as young as 15 when I first started) that I use to learn songs. Sometimes I am given a set list for a band I am sitting in with and I go right to youtube to learn about 20 songs I have never played before and folks like Constantine have helped me out.

I had to learn Lawyers, Guns and Money and there is a video of Leland Sklar the original bassist playing the song on bass right infront of the camera for me to learn. So I am learning from the master himself.

Can't remember the last time I learned a song from scratch, so kudos to all those bass players who help us out.

I agree that playing with others creates a whole 'nother set of dynamics. Still find some of the people on line amazing to watch.

The ones I don't like are the ones who sit in their rooms playing, close their eyes, obviously faking being "so into it." They're click bait.

I want to say that there are some great female bassists online and playing in bands. But I don't like to get the feeling that it's more about selling looks than bass. Male or female. It's often so cloying that I want to puke.

Still, I think I can learn something from the ones who are doing what they do best.

DANNY SAPKO BEHS!!

Sapko is the GOAT. Self deprecating but actually a great player. I've also seen vids of him with his band. He's a serious player. Love that guy!

Me too.