Basschat

Impostor syndrome analysed by silvia bluejay

Judging by a recent discussion on our forum, some of us are a tad insecure about our musical ability. Yes, Basschat has been exploring impostor syndrome. While few of us know singers or lead guitarists who suffer from it, it seems to strike a chord (pardon the pun) with bassists.

Many of us have felt, at some point, as if we’ve ended up in a band, or in a pit, or on stage, out of sheer luck. We feel like we’re bluffing, that we haven’t earned our spot thanks to our talent and our years of practice and preparation. On some occasions the feeling is made worse by other musicians’ cliquey attitude, or by our awareness of their superior talent or experience. However, other than in our own minds, there is absolutely no reason for us to feel like impostors; the accounts posted on the thread relate that, far from finding any fault in our performance, our bandmates and the audience almost invariably enjoy it. In any group of musicians, there will always be someone who’s ‘better’ than us – rather than feeling intimidated, we should learn as much as possible from playing with them, and concentrate on having fun.

So why do we suffer from this syndrome? Is it because, as part of the rhythm section ‘at the back’, we tend to focus more on technique than on attitude, becoming our own harshest critics? Or because we are painfully aware that, most of the time, only other musicians will notice what we play, while the average punter doesn’t even realise there’s a bassist in the band? Is it just because we still can’t believe we’re being paid to do something we love? Some of us point out that you can feel like an impostor when you sit down, on your own, to work out the bass-line to a new song, and spectacularly fail to unlock it.

Time to quit bass-playing and take up knitting? Not so fast. Suddenly, as if by magic, the correct notes unleash themselves, hitting your fingers and your ears like a wave. Perhaps you a musician after all… There seems to be no escaping the syndrome, but sometimes it’s not us who should suffer from it. Your band can be absolutely on fire, its chemistry immense, its performance raising the roof, and yet provoke no reaction. The audience takes no notice. They keep talking to their friends. No, you’re not at fault. In these cases, it’s the audience who’s the impostor.