Internet forums

I posted this online recently in answer to a bunch of people who were ragging on a pro bassist that was contributing his opinions to some threads:

“I’m only gonna jump in on the issue of “J%^$£” very briefly on this…

I will preface this by saying he’s a mate of mine, but aside from that….

He is a terrifying musician. Think about that. Musician. His ability as a bassist is ridiculous, but this man is a fantastic musician. He plays beautifully, writes with depth and soul in his compositions, can read and transcribe fluently and has a fabulous ear. He plays a wide range of styles with confidence and authority and can put on different hats as a performer, whether as a bassist or playing drums or guitar, and also as a teacher, producer and arranger.

How many of us can hit the standard across so many skills simultaneously?

I find it hilarious that some musicians who (with no disrespect AT ALL) cannot hold a candle to his skill set, see fit to rubbish on him because he shares his opinions on the world that he finds before him and he does so unapologetically. When a man dedicates himself to an ideal and strives day in and day out to achieve that ideal, that should be an inspiration to all of us, even if that particular ideal isn’t one that we hold close to our heart.

People think of him as arrogant, because they assume that we’re all on the same page and all of our contributions are equally valid. (opening floodgates….. now.) They are not. The problem with the internet is that it allows billy armchair to jump up from his position of limited experience and go head to head with experienced professionals (in whatever field) as if we are all equals.

WE AREN’T.

I love that fact. Some of us are further down the road than others. I make no apologies for my abilities. I’ve worked fkng hard over the years for them. A lot of my students look up to me. I know that the level I hit inspires them. I look up to “J%^$&”. He inspires the sh*t out of me. I saw him play the last time he was in London and I was blown away. Honestly. It was euphoric. The whole band and the music they made was beautiful. If we assume that we are all equal and nothing is better than anything else, then what do we have to aspire to???

Also… some members ask for gear reviewers who will ‘tell it like it is’ about the assembly of a piece of wood and some metal. Don’t hold back -we’d respect your honesty and integrity.. etc etc…

When a player starts to ‘tell it like it is’ about actually being a musician for a living and trying to play your instrument well, (wherein they might rubbish some of the ideas of said members)

Suddenly you’re an arrogant prick.

I love it.

I stopped contributing opinions on forums a while back for the same reasons.

It seems like a lot of people ask questions, not because they want the truthful answers, but because they hope enough (other, similarly uninformed) people will agree with them that they can continue to justify their bad habits and counterproductive philosophies.

Personally, I love knowing that there are players out there who would clean me out. I read about them, I go to their masterclasses, I try to hang out with them and absorb their vibe if I can. It all makes me a better musician. Fk the bass. Bass is irrelevant. Music is where it’s at. To quote my friend richard Niles:

“The word ‘instrument’ is significant. A guitar or piano (or a computer) is an instrument that facilitates expression, like a spoon facilitates drinking soup. The important thing is the soup, not the spoon.”

He’s a great musician. If you don’t like his opinion, disregard it. But stop ragging on him.

End of rant.”

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