The soapbox has always had the connotation of a forum to complain and pontificate on the ills of the world. Here’s my complaint about the music world: Mediocrity and conformity are celebrated, encouraged, and rewarded at the expense of our souls. I have been through years of inner struggle with becoming who I am, keeping integrity and honesty, being less original than I had hoped, and working in the music business by trying to be everything to everybody.

When asked why they are studying, my bass students often say, “To get good.” My response is, “That’s not enough—everyone is good.” You need to find your voice, to become who you are. Becoming yourself may not mean being 100 percent original, but it does mean you have to be authentic. This is a lifetime journey that cannot be taught; it must come from within. Teaching and learning scales, arpeggios, styles, and tunes is easy. Being yourself is difficult, but worth everything.

When I started playing seriously back in the early ’70s, the Allman Brothers’ Berry Oakley was my hero. I loved his sound, feel, and lines. I learned them all. Then it was Jaco, Marcus Miller, and Anthony Jackson—all great, but where was I?

I realized that one of the reasons I liked them so much was their unique voices. Throughout history, the people we admire most were true to themselves, and this often involved breaking the rules. I don’t think Bach was trying to get the latest harpsichord endorsement or appear on the cover of Lute Player. Mozart’s dissonance, Beethoven’s power, Louis Armstrong’s swing, Miles’s phrasing, and Coltrane’s compelling search were all driven by their inner spirit to be authentic.

It’s true that we must know the rules in order to break them, but we are now encouraged to think that the rules are enough. I hear so many musicians who are technically amazing but lack music, feel, phrasing, and melody. Technique is a means to an end, not an end in itself. It would be like going to a baseball game and only watching batting practice or infield warmups—what about the game?

I remember hearing that having a unique voice in Los Angeles is the “kiss of death.” In other words, you won’t be getting calls for gigs if you stand out. I disagree. What about Lee Sklar, Abe Laboriel, and Anthony Jackson? They’re all successful players with voices of their own. A voice does not mean standing out—it means being who you are.

I recently did a studio gig with my bass (a Harvey Citron AE5 that sounds beautiful), and when I took it out, the producer politely asked, “Did you bring your Fender?” My response was, “No—why don’t you just listen and see if you like it? Be open.” He did, and now it’s the only bass he wants me to play, which is good since it is the only one I do play.

So many players live by what they think others think of them, but in reality this is all an illusion. Our culture, and thus the music business (which are intimately intertwined), promotes celebrity over substance. How do we working bassists stay honest with ourselves and maintain our integrity? There is, of course, no easy answer, no pre-determined path. We must make our own path, like walking across a snow field with no footprints. Students ask how to get a gig. I say, “By getting a gig.” So much is involved—personality, age, race, gender, and looks—that to try to figure it out is to completely lose yourself.

When I listen to Paul Bley on Sonny Meets Hawk or Pat Metheny, Jaco, and Bob Moses on Bright Size Life, or anything Coltrane plays, I am challenged. I hear something so compelling that I go back again and again to try to evoke that spirit within me. I can’t say the same for much of the music that is heralded as great today. It is usually the ones who are doing what they do because the have no other choice but to be true to themselves—Steve Swallow, Gary Peacock, Dave Holland, Matthew Garrison—that inspire and inform, even when they do it quietly. Bassists are there to serve the music, so finding your voice as a bass player is all the more critical. We find our voice in being servants. When we serve the music and not our own egos, we find ourselves.

Be yourself, because you have no choice. Do not settle for being “good.” This only promotes mediocrity and homogeneity. Do not reach for what you can—reach for what you cannot.