Note choice covers my inherent weakness: I'm just not fast on bass. Kids who've played bass for two years are faster than me. In thirty years of bass playing I've improved in pretty much everything, but I'm still not good at lightning-fast runs, it's like I have this concrete barrier in me. Must be a physical thing, it certainly doesn't come from lack of playing. So stuck with the realization that no matter what I'd do I'd never be a flashy player, I started looking into notes, melodies, harmonies etc.
And then I noticed that unless you do a fast run on your own in a break or something (and then preferably slapped!), the general public doesn't recognize if you are playing a fast melody run in a song, but they do recognize if you play something slowly melodic and it makes them take notice becaue most people (who are not bass players) don't realize that a bass can be melodic. And frankly, most guitarists I have met have no idea what they are doing harmonically, circle of fifths, parallel keys, they just don't get it at all. In thirty years of playing with guitarists I haven't met one who would be able to answer the question: "What is the parallel major key to A minor?" much less explain what determines a parallel key. Somehow, they know by ear that C major and A minor go together well, but if you tell them that A minor 7 and C major 6 are made up of the same four notes they are baffled. So I'ved learned over time that guitarists find it more impressive if you play a solitary F# to their D major chord than some quick run based around the root note. What gullible creatures they are!
