Another repeat from June, 2018. A few years ago, I went to see a jazz concert. The leader / clarinet player was a friend. The bass player didn’t show up, so the leader asked us to imagine a bass line being played in the background. I told him this was a blatant appear to our bass-er instincts.
Comics I Don't Understand 
My guess–and it’s only a guess–is that it’s one of those “musician” jokes.
“Mommy, I’m going to be a drummer when I grow up!” “But junior, you can’t do both!”
What is a phrase you never hear? “That’s the banjo player’s Porsche.”
Etc.
Q: What’s the difference between a trombone and a trampoline?
A: You take your shoes off to jump on a trampoline.
A number of years ago, the Seattle Symphony was doing Beethoven’s Ninth under the baton of Milton Katims. At this point, you must understand two things:
There’s a long segment in this symphony where the bass violins don’t have a thing to do. Not a single note for page after page.
There used to be a tavern called Dez’s 400, right across the street from the Seattle Opera House, rather favored by local musicians.
It had been decided that during this performance, after the bass players had played their parts in the opening of the Ninth, they were to quietly lay down their instruments and leave the stage rather than sit on their stools looking and feeling dumb for twenty minutes.
Once they got backstage, someone suggested that they trot across the street and quaff a few brews. After they had downed the first couple rounds, one said, “Shouldn’t we be getting back? It’d be awfully embarrassing if we were late.”
Another, presumably the one who suggested this excursion in the first place, replied, “Oh, I anticipated we could use a little more time, so I tied a string around the last pages of the conductor’s score. When he gets down to there, Milton’s going to have to slow the tempo way down while he waves the baton with one hand and fumbles with the string with the other.”
So they had another round and finally returned to the Opera House, a little tipsy by now. However, as they came back on stage, one look at their conductor’s face told them they were in serious trouble. Katims was furious! And why not? After all…
It was the bottom of the Ninth, the score was tied, and the basses were loaded.
Also, as long as I’m here, I just want to point out that the text in the speech bubble is not original to the comic panel. Even aside from the obvious graphical artifacts, there is the fact that Bizarro uses a handwritten font, not Times New Roman.
beckoningchasm: Definitely. Wife’s nephew is a bass player and there are LOTS of bass player jokes. My favorite:
Band is playing, lead vocalist/guitarist is looking at crowd, thinking, “Good crowd! Hope there are some hot groupies.”
Rhythm guitarist is thinking, “Good crowd! They don’t appreciate me.”
Drummer is thinking, “Good crowd! Hope we get paid.”
Bass player is thinking, “D. E. D. E. D. E…”
This is artwork from a Bizarro comic that has been digitally altered to create new dialogue without Dan Piraro’s consent. It’s also been cropped to remove his signature and copyright info and the resolution is very poor. It was probably shared on Facebook.
I know for a fact that he hates when people do this s***!
Original strip: January 26, 2012 Bizarro. Original text, “He had over 2,000 Facebook friends. I was expecting a bigger turnout.”
Bass player joke: In the cartoon Metalocalypse, Dethklok is so overwhelmingly popular that the band is one of the top five economies in the world…and still, the bass player has no fans.
How do you get a bass player (or drummer, accordionist, etc.) off your front porch? Pay him for the pizza.
Hah! Good one, Powers (3)! And bensondonald (8)!
Why shouldn’t you pick a fight with a clarinet player?
He woodwind.
Cartoonist/musician Lennie Peterson plays the trombone. His slice-of-life comic strip The Big Picture often features disparaging remarks about that profession.
https://www.gocomics.com/thebigpicture/2025/06/09
A joke I heard:
“What is the difference between a drummer and and savings bond? The bond will eventually mature and earn money.”
“You can’t tie down a banjo man!” — Timmy Fretwork
How do you make a trombone sound like a French horn? Stick your hand in the bell and miss a lot of notes.
How do you make a French horn sound like a trombone? Take your hand out of the bell and miss a lot of rehearsals.
Why is an oboe like a murderer? Because no one is happy until it’s put away and the case is closed.
What is perfect pitch? When the accordion doesn’t touch the sides of the dumpster after you throw it.
Explorer: “Drums! Drums all day and all night long! I can’t stand it!”
Guide: “Drums good. Drums must not stop.”
Explorer: “Why? What happens if the drums stop?”
Guide: “Very bad! Very bad! Do not ask!”
Suddenly, after three days, the drums stopped.
Guide: “Drums stop! No good! Very bad!”
Explorer: “What happens now?”
Guide: “Bass solo.”