15 MORE Things I Wish I'd Learned Sooner as a Gigging Bassist 

Funny pee story: about 10 years ago I was playing a punk gig and it was the very first and last gig for the band opening for us. The singer left mid song to take a pee. The guy unplugs his mic after two songs and goes to wait in line for the bathroom well the band continues to play the song. He then proceeds to pee and the entire club is waiting in complete silence for this guy to finish. The guy comes back and the band stop and unplug and leave the show literally never to be seen again. They didn’t even stick around to split the door at the end of the night.

Not everyone has a P bass or a jazz or even a spare bass. Some only have only one bass. Soooo, my advice is 'get to know your instrument and amp'. Can you change your eq settings, move your right hand to change the sound, mute with palm and pluck with thumb...etc. There are ways to emulate other bass sounds without having to have another bass.

A lot of musicians don’t have teachers or mentors so this video will be VERY useful. I loved your original video to this and this one is also very useful!

warming up is super necessary..I have been playing rock and metal since I began being a musician, now days my right hand hurts pretty bad in the morning. one time last year on the upper side of my right elbow, a swollen nerve muscle could be seen drawing through my skin. and a few days ago I woke up with two fingers of my right hand super stiff being unable to move. the middle finger and the ring finger to be precise. so be careful.

If you're an opening act, it is a darned good idea to know the headliner's tunes so you DON'T do one of them as your opener set list!!!

In regards to #4 and as a general tip; practice how you perform. If you get high or have a few beers at practice, then get high or have a few beers for the gig

LOVE THIS! Cheers JF! From big fan MTW in L.A. Guitar/bass/vocals

Good stuff here for sure! I struggle with keeping my cables neat. I play electric and acoustic guitar for most gigs, sometimes Mandolin as well. Three instruments, two amps, 5 cables. Three into my pedal board and two out. Fun times.

Bring extra 9 volt batteries, everybody needs them. Active/Passive bypass switches are handy too

Ssssssuuuuuper cool post. Great subject. Thanks for your work!

I love these little 1 on 1 sit downs Josh. Very informative!!!

Great tips. I hope to get to the point of playing live someday. I'm taking your course and it is soooo helpful and fun!! Thanks 😊

Love your videos Josh. I've been playing for about two years now and your videos have been super helpful for me. Fingers crossed I can be gigging someday once all this pandemic stuff is behind us.

Just so you know, I've learned my bass playing mostly from you videos. And I thank you so much for you content! 😊

all very excellent points. thanks for taking the time to share what people added to the previous video.

This is a really great channel. Honest and often funny.

Cara! Seus vídeos são demais! sua didática é incrível! Obrigado!

Great video! 😊

Thanks Josh.

Thanks!

#8 is pretty good. I would have been a hero at one of my last gigs if I had a few of the picks our guitar player uses handy and an extra guitar stand to loan him, he brought the wrong bottom part / slingshot looking thingy. My #1 tip is get there way early, there's nothing I hate more than feeling rushed. Although, sometimes you still have to wait until the very last minute, then quickly set up, play, then quickly clear the stage.

I have to admit, I had no idea you owned a bass other than your Peavey until I watched some of your videos! I only ever saw that one when you were with Tempest.

Wait, so you are saying there are basses out there that are NOT p basses with flats. Who knew.

You are THE BEST

Who makes your strap? Looks super comfy.

Zip ties are always a good thing to have and a cutting instrument

I have 3 Peavey Cirrus basses from the 90s. The tuners go bad. I had one disintegrate 5 minutes before downbeat. Unfixable broken metal. Luckily someone had a bass I could use, but I sure didn't like playing his four string when I needed five. I've noticed your bass has had mismatched tuners in old videos, so I assume you've had similar problems. I have a gig bag that holds two basses, and I carry two basses to all gigs now.

I like the naily sound but I play heavy music on high distortion so it adds to the metallic grind.

Great information in this business you have to be willing to learn after all no one knows everything and I don't want to be a mediocre bassist, noodling hate it.

Also, the spare battery, cable and even a bass are obvious. What is NOT so obvious - always have A STAND FOR YOUR BASS, so that you wouldn't have to put it on the ground (which never should happen.. Never!), on a chair or on its strings (cool tip I learned from one of your other vids), risking it falling.

If you use icy hot on your tennis elbow, remember to wash hands thoroughly before you piss and get onstage. Unless you are an Elvis impersonator.

Bring one of those mats for people who work hours standing in one place. They around $30 at home improvement stores. You can hide cables and your feet will thank you after long gigs

Also, maybe have a barrier between yourself and the punters. I've had many pedals messed up because some drunk spilt drinks all over my pedals. Grrrr 🤬

Oh, number 4 is SO bassist's! I always find myself handing out the setlist to all the bandmates :)

Oh man, one suggestion I have: Keep irrelevant conversations OFF of the stage. I was on a gig once where the lead guitarist and drummer were arguing over what song we were playing next and it was so embarrassing because the microphone caught ALL of the argument. It doesn't look good to anyone when members of a band are doing that and everyone can hear!

I used to believe that without alcohol I wouldn't be able to sing well or act cool on stage. so i got used to be drinking and playing bass as well as singing. one night in the middle of the first song, I had to rush off the stage since I couldn't hold the pee anymore. today I don't drink anymore. turns out I was very wrong, I don't need alcohol to feel comfortable on stage.

You started gigging at age 15? How?

Oh wait, I gotta pee.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................whew, ok, I am back, let's rock! Hilarious!

I swear any person who could dislike the video is just someone in denial.

I used to practice stoned all the time and when I quit smoking, it felt like I was playing worse x(. I don't think cannabis significantly effects technical skill, but I believe it boosts creativity and improvisation. There's pros and cons :/

14:51 This quote aged very poorly after the last BassBuzz video

Do you like bananas?

You guys must have small bladders. I've never once been on stage and needed to pee.

Don’t play covers!