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Just A Bass-ic B*tch

The Inner Ramblings of a Female Bassist

By Connie MatthewsPublished 3 years ago 3 min read
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Me playing with my band wych elm at FarmFest, Bruton (July, 2021)

The misogyny within the music industry is nothing new, and every woman has experienced it. Not just from music lovers, but also from male bandmates, venues, promoters, labels -- the list is endless.

Whether it's being mansplained your instrument, being spoken over, dismissed and looked down on, to even more serious stuff, like being sexualised, abused, tormented and manipulated, it's something that gets forgotten and swept under the rug, continuously protecting the bald, cisgender white men in suits.

Men have the music industry in a choke-hold, and breaking into it as a woman or non-binary artist is tough. Being taken seriously whilst being constantly looked down on is impossible.

I joined wych elm in early 2020, alongside new drummer, Issy. Joining an already established band in your town is terrifying for anyone. The pressure to be just as good as your predecessors is immense, and for two women replacing two men, well, that pressure was 10x higher.

However, the response to us joining was magical, and with the support of lead singer Caitlin and lead guitarist Jack, we smashed our debut. The new music we recorded has been greeted with praise, and we are doing better than ever.

For some reason, though, there is this weird, underlying feeling of needing to continue to prove myself as a musician.

I practice my bass-playing more than I'd like to admit - not because I'm embarrassed, but I'm scared that it isn't paying off. I put so much pressure on myself to improve, to get better at playing, to learn more songs, to understand exactly what my effects pedals do -- and for what? Who am I trying to impress? I know I'm good enough to be in the band, so why isn't that enough?

As a bassist, regardless of gender, I've noticed there's this kind of ridicule you get. Kind of like, banter, amongst the music nerds.

"Bass is just an instrument for those who can't play guitar."

I get it, I do. If you've got rhythm, you can play bass. It isn't a hard instrument to play. But it still feels somewhat unnecessary to make a meme out of us. Maybe that's why I feel like I need to be better?

Maybe this underlying joke that bassists are just crap musicians that want to be in a band is making me feel like I need to be a good musician, which, you know, not to toot my own horn or anything, but I am. I've been playing music since I was tiny, so why, since picking up bass, has my confidence in my musicianship been lost?

I'm not really sure there is any hard evidence that means I need to prove myself, but that feeling is always there...

It could just be my own low self-esteem and anxiety. Like when I went to the music store to buy myself my Fender JMJ Road Worn Mustang, I spent the entire drive there worried about the comments from the men working there. "Yes, a Mustang will be perfect for your delicate, womanly hands" "Oh yes this bass will be perfect for you as it's not too heavy so your weak arms won't get tired." Okay so yep, maybe those thoughts were slightly unrealistic, and the salesman that served me was lovely...

Or maybe the sexism that I have endured, and watch my friends endure, has impacted me to instantly feel threatened and the need to prove myself when around any man. Maybe I feel like if I am THE BEST BASSIST IN THE ENTIRE WORLD, then I would be taken seriously as a musician, and described as "a bassist" rather than a "female bassist."

I have no idea. Maybe this whole blog post doesn't make any sense at all.

I guess I'll just keep worshipping Kim Deal and Annie Holland and telling myself that I am, in fact, a badass bass-ic b*tch.

Listen to my band on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/artist/60t8P09ao7dumEFbu7MkHR?si=d9VAPu2_RoOZ4uXJZ8Wuig&dl_branch=1

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About the Creator

Connie Matthews

Hi friends, my name is Connie and I play bass in a band called wych elm. This blog is for me to write down my inner ramblings, talk about music, being in a band and just whatever the heck I want.

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