“Don’t get the gig and then complain about it. If you can’t find something good in the music, that’s your fault”: What it takes to get to the top of the bass world, according to Victor Wooten

When he burst into our consciousness with the 1989 release of Béla Fleck & the Flecktones’ self-titled debut, Victor Wooten almost immediately earned his place among the bass guitar gods.

Not since Jaco Pastorius had a player so profoundly pushed the instrument's voice forward, forever expanding our notion of its possibilities.

Wooten's singular slap technique – incorporating rapid-fire double-thumbing and multi-finger pops – overwhelmed the bass world, and the impact was obvious at any large gathering of bassists.

Wooten could have easily maintained his rarified status without much effort. Yet, the decades since he achieved international recognition are marked not by complacency, but by a drive to get better.

“I tell people, ‘Don't worry about becoming famous,’” said Wooten in the November 2017 issue of Bass Player. “Develop something. Become someone that the rest of the world will benefit from knowing about, and in doing that, you'll find an audience. That's been my goal since I was little.”

Wooten’s voluminous output, whether under his own banner, as a duet partner with longtime collaborator Steve Bailey, or as a sideman with the likes of Mike Stern, Greg Howe or Dave Matthews Band, reveal a bassist with tireless curiosity and ability to acknowledge his own weaknesses in order to grow.

“As egotistical as this may seem, you have to please yourself first; then, you become so good at it that other people enjoy it. I learned that from my parents.

“Even when we were playing sports, my mom would say, ‘Somebody has to lose, and if you're not big enough to lose, you're not big enough to play.’ I just translated that to music.”

Looking over his prolific discography – which to date includes ten solo albums, 10 studio albums with the Flecktones and numerous collaborations, including the SMV project with Stanley Clarke and Marcus Miller – it’s striking that Wooten’s constantly able to renew his creative spark.

So how do you maintain focus with each new project?

The main thing is to surround yourself with good people who help, but the fact that I’m playing music is usually inspiring enough.

There's too many people out there wishing they had a gig. Don't get the gig and then complain about it. There's a fine line, though; you don't want to lose yourself, either. If you can't find something good in the music, that's your fault.

What have you learned about balancing so many demands on your time?

You always need to replenish your energy, especially when you're living such a public life and giving yourself to other people, like I do when I'm out on the road. I want to see everyone, sign everything, and hug everybody. It takes a lot. Sometimes you have to go in your own cocoon.

What does your cocoon look like?

Usually when we get to a town, I go out for a walk. I'm very lucky that I rarely have to set up my own gear anymore, even though I sometimes enjoy it; it's almost meditative. But now when I get to a venue, I can take a walk.

What would you like to improve in your playing?

I'd like to get better at using the music theory I know. I'm still not good at that. I'm also not that good at soloing through changes. If I know the tune well, I'm fine, but if you give me a new song and I'm just looking at it on paper, I'm horrible. I know how to do it, but I can't do it fast enough on the spot.

Victor Wooten, "The Lesson" - YouTube

Watch On

How do you think about the roles of a sideman and a leader?

When it comes to being a leader, my first big teacher was Béla Fleck. Béla is the leader of the Flecktones – always has been, always will be. But he's also consistently said he feels like a leader among equals. He knows that when you squash someone's chance to speak, they'll quit speaking.

Also, when Béla writes a song, he comes in and plays only his part; he doesn't dictate other parts. He tells us nothing. He just starts playing, and that allows us to react with our first impressions. It's wonderful, and his songs often change because of it. If we're taking his song too far away, he can always bring it back.

Is there something in your own regimen that you stay committed to?

Really, just listening. Then going for what I hear. I play from emotion, and while the emotion is usually there, sometimes the notes just aren't, so I end up having to fix a note on a record while trying to keep the emotion. Sometimes I'll leave the wrong note because the right note didn't carry the same emotion. Then, sure, there's some practicing thrown in.

Bela Fleck & Victor Wooten - YouTube

Watch On

What do you practice?

I try to do a little of all the things I hear. I may literally be onstage at soundcheck and hear Béla play a line, and I'll figure out what it is, put some chords in the looping pedal, and then practice it over changes.

The days of having hours to practice are gone for me, because I've got a busy schedule, kids, and more who need my time when I'm off, so I have to know how to practice in the spur of the moment wherever I am, whenever I can.