Bass Under Pressure

The bass is the most important instrument in the group. It defines the harmony and with the drums defines the rhythmic component as well. The bass is to music what the jab is to boxing: everything else is built off it, from it. You can't have a group(at least none I'd want to hear)without a bass player.

But unfortunately, it's not always the most exciting instrument in the group. Being the foundation of the music much of the time you're supporting things from underneath . While the melody instruments are running across the carpet, you're busy holding up the floors.

So consequently relatively few folks take up this noble instrument. And you have to have a bass player, so somebody's gotta do it. Enter the doubler. Usually, though not always, a guitarist looking for more work. And after all, everybody plays guitar..

What happens here is that you get a ton more gigs, once you double on bass, since everybody needs one and hardly anybody(it seems)plays one. Some folks just go with the flow and become bass players. More power to 'em I say. Others chafe after a time under the gross gig imbalance, with suddenly even fewer gigs on their main instrument--or at least no time to take them.

I myself went through several years of 80% bass gigs and 20% guitar. Of course on the few guitar gigs I got(usually that I had to book myself)I would overplay horribly since it was after all my big chance to play. I was playing a lot more bass than I wanted to and not nearly enough guitar. It was pissing me off.

So it was then(can't remember the damn year, but I'm thinking '94)that I founded Bass Under Pressure, the support group for guitarists and other instrumentalists who take up bass as a second instrument to get more work and consequently get fewer gigs on their main instruments.

The group has five or six members at this point, mostly guitarists but one trumpet player. We've yet to have a meeting but it has been discussed. Just nice to know that there are others out there who share your struggles.