Musicianship requires a unique common sense and I'm sure Colin would agree with me. Telling a fellow musician he "gets it" is the highest compliment I could pay him.
To "get it" means possessing the requisite amount of musical sense to adjust and improvise within a song. It also refers to how quickly a musician can learn and perform a song correctly. A guitarist who "gets it" can predict the next chord or even make up a solo on the spot. A drummer who "gets it" can adjust his speed to match tempo changes and fill the spaces between verses and choruses with fills and blasts. A bass player who "gets it"......is still a bassist.
I used to pay this compliment to Chuck, our drummer. His changes in dynamics and tempo, his fills and transitions and his adjustments used to confound me before I came to expect such a high level from him. Having performed with other, less gifted percussionists in the past, I felt Chuck was the only one who "got it."
This evening, my charismatic friend trotted down the road to my house, brand new bass in hand and asked to "jam" with me. I sat him down, gave him instructions and started playing. Much to my surprise, he was able to keep with me for the most part. It was clicking. He got it. He has a bright future ahead of him if he sticks with the instrument. Unfortunately, the talent ceiling for bass is pathetically low.
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