Hearing yourself as a bassist from long ago

bolophonic

bolophonic

Dec 10, 2009
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#1
A few days ago, I discovered that someone from my old college scene had digitized a ton of old demos and live recordings of all the bands that we were in together. It was the first time in ages since I had heard this recording of my first real band from 1992. I had only been playing for about five years of jamming bad covers before being asked to join. I feel like in retrospect, my composition and style were better than I have given myself credit for, but I'm certain my technique was questionable at best. It was a great musical network to join back then



Also: in listening to the entire archive of bands, I was startled to hear a riff in one song that sounded like a distant relative of a riff in a song that I had written a couple of years ago. I realized with astonishment that it was a band that I had auditioned for ONCE in 1991 or so. I didn't get the gig, which I understood, but I guess the intense pressure of that first big audition of my life managed to bake a vestigial piece of a hook into a full-on fossil in my brain. Weird...
 
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#2
I wish I had more recordings from my college band days. We were so young and impressionable. I listen to what we have from that time period and really enjoy what I hear because it wasn't burdened by GAS or anything that I've acquired since then. It feels more pure, yet, arguably, less refined.

Sort of like looking back at artwork I made as a kid. It's like, oh yeah, good thing he kept up with it.
 
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#3
Another reason a Zoom H4 records everything now.

Got some audio from live broadcasts in New Orleans(101 FM Live) we did a few times in the 70's. A '64 Gibson T-Bird and an Acoustic 370+301 mic'ed + a DI sound very good. We did Wishbone Ash, Crack the Sky, Zep, Queen, Boston, etc. + a few originals.....and had a singer who could actually do those.
 
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#4
My favorite part of listening to older recordings is thinking "hey, we really weren't all bad...". Lots of learning and relearning experience to be had, too. I've picked up old licks I had forgotten from back then that I could pull for songs I still play today.
 
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#5
twinjet said:
My favorite part of listening to older recordings is thinking "hey, we really weren't all bad..."
Click to expand...

Or conversely... :)

I've got stuff in my archives that goes both ways: Moments of incendiary bliss that make you wonder "Holy crap, what deity slipped into my head that night!?!?...and why couldn't I keep any of that magic for later use?" Or, on occasion, moments of embarassing cringe-worthy suckage that make you want to curl up in a ball and hide from anyone who might recognize you. Yep, I've got plenty of both.

But mostly they fall somewhere in between those two extremes. And for the most part the better stuff correlates to the more recent stuff, and I can usually write off the truly awful crap as "eh, I was young."

Usually.

But I think my favorite part of listening to older recordings is wondering "what in god's name were we thinking?!?!"
 
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#6
Bob_Ross said:
Or conversely... :)

I've got stuff in my archives that goes both ways: Moments of incendiary bliss that make you wonder "Holy crap, what deity slipped into my head that night!?!?...and why couldn't I keep any of that magic for later use?" Or, on occasion, moments of embarassing cringe-worthy suckage that make you want to curl up in a ball and hide from anyone who might recognize you. Yep, I've got plenty of both.

But mostly they fall somewhere in between those two extremes. And for the most part the better stuff correlates to the more recent stuff, and I can usually write off the truly awful crap as "eh, I was young."

Usually.

But I think my favorite part of listening to older recordings is wondering "what in god's name were we thinking?!?!"
Click to expand...

I have a tape of myself from like, the first year I ever picked up a bass. I am mortified to even look at it.
 
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#7
I recently listened to some music recorded with my first band, a demo from 1994, some rehearsal recordings from 1995, and another demo that was in progress in late 1995/early 1996 before I quit. It wasn’t bad, the only things that made me cringe were just some choices that I made that I would not have made now with regards to bass lines.
 
#8
crucislancer said:
I recently listened to some music recorded with my first band, a demo from 1994, some rehearsal recordings from 1995, and another demo that was in progress in late 1995/early 1996 before I quit. It wasn’t bad, the only things that made me cringe were just some choices that I made that I would not have made now with regards to bass lines.
Click to expand...

Its great to be able to look back and see how your musical boundaries have evolved.
 
#10
twinjet said:
My favorite part of listening to older recordings is thinking "hey, we really weren't all bad...". Lots of learning and relearning experience to be had, too. I've picked up old licks I had forgotten from back then that I could pull for songs I still play today.
Click to expand...

this is pretty much my thought to a T...

I listen back and think "man, I actually WAS "getting it", even though I didn't realize it. Which is a relief, cause there were a LOT of guys not getting it who thought they were....

One thing I notice about my playing - which has always been in original bands - is that I definitely wore my influences on my sleeves... to this day, I still do. Some guys are ashamed of that...I am actually proud of it, and do it on purpose as a "thank you" to the guys who influenced me. If we write a song, and it is "Maiden-esque", I am definitely going to throw a gallop or two in there for Ol' Arry...

I feel like my biggest evolution over the years has been getting comfortable in many styles, and my sight reading ability. That is the biggest change. In HS and college, I was definitely using my ear and instinct more. Now I feel like I have just added to that

the biggest thing that has NOT chnanged is my equipment. I still have the same 3 basses from my formative years (85-92), and still use a relatively basic rig: pre amp into power amp into cabs...no frills
 
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#11
xUptheIronsx said:
this is pretty much my thought to a T...

I listen back and think "man, I actually WAS "getting it", even though I didn't realize it. Which is a relief, cause there were a LOT of guys not getting it who thought they were....

One thing I notice about my playing - which has always been in original bands - is that I definitely wore my influences on my sleeves... to this day, I still do. Some guys are ashamed of that...I am actually proud of it, and do it on purpose as a "thank you" to the guys who influenced me. If we write a song, and it is "Maiden-esque", I am definitely going to throw a gallop or two in there for Ol' Arry...

I feel like my biggest evolution over the years has been getting comfortable in many styles, and my sight reading ability. That is the biggest change. In HS and college, I was definitely using my ear and instinct more. Now I feel like I have just added to that

the biggest thing that has NOT chnanged is my equipment. I still have the same 3 basses from my formative years, and still use a relatively basic rig: pre amp into power amp into cabs...no frills
Click to expand...

I agree, I don’t have a problem showing my influences. At my most recent gig, someone was telling me that he hear a touch of Steve Harris in one of our songs, and a bit of Geddy Lee in another. It’s true. My influences informed my playing right from the start, and as I’ve progressed over the years it’s all come together in my overall style.
 
#12
crucislancer said:
I agree, I don’t have a problem showing my influences. At my most recent gig, someone was telling me that he hear a touch of Steve Harris in one of our songs, and a bit of Geddy Lee in another. It’s true. My influences informed my playing right from the start, and as I’ve progressed over the years it’s all come together in my overall style.
Click to expand...

you must be a long lost brother cause those are also the guys people hear in my lines....with a little bit of Louiche Mayorga and Mike Dean thrown in as well
 
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