When did you give up the guitar for bass?

[debra1rlo]

I'm getting paying gigs playing with a couple established artists (not a cover band) and I'm playing more instruments than ever. So f**k giving up instruments.

[ghettosynth]

@codec_spurt: I hope you have not offended because it was absolutely not my intention... If I understand correctly are just different points of view... unfortunately (or luckily?) I am (feel) not a performer or a session musician but a composer and it's just frustrating to play covers but really, take it easy! PEACE! ^_^

No, I wasn't offended. By anyone.

I just feel a bit silly about showing my soul.

and yet I feel fortunate to be able to read it and get to know a fellow KvR'r a little better, nothing silly there imo

edit: but I dont accept the premise you play anything badly

Yeah man, I'm with Hink on this one. Although, I kind of feel you on the playing badly bit, in the sense that one feels that they should be better given the amount of time spent with the instrument. I'm not criticizing you here, I have no idea how YOU play, I'm talking about my own experience. I've played in bands, I get along, I've been paid to play, but it's not like at anytime I'm doing anything more than just doing my best to convey someone else's ideas. I joke that I only know three or four riffs on any instrument, it's not far from the truth.

I was jamming with a friend of mine over the internet recently, we play noise/ambient. It's a release, I don't listen to what we play ever again, it's just an in the moment process. My better half comes down the stairs and comments that she likes my sounds. I told her thanks, but I'm just a "selector", an organizer of sound. I mean that not in the narcissistic zappa sense loaded with false modesty, but rather quite literally, in that I just chose the sounds, nothing more. It sounded interesting to me, for some parts, but it's not good music, hell, it's hardly even music, and yet it's still the best stuff that I do, I'm just not good at creating music. Unfortunately, that doesn't stop me from spending major parts of my life trying, all the while managing to waste far too much money that would be better spent on almost anything else.

But yes, people give up the guitar for bass because a good guitar player can be a decent bass player with little effort and everybody still wants to be the lead guitar player because that's the guy that pulls most of the trim so decent bass players are harder to find, relatively speaking.

One of the shitty and pointless bands that I played in had a primidona of a bass player who the band finally got tired of and fired. We tried to find a new bass player and had multiple people, who claimed to play, show up and have no idea what a "key" was or even have any sense of rhythm. I don't mean "know what a key was in any serious sense", I mean a statement like "this is a 12 bar blues in A" conveyed nothing. They'd start playing and I'd say "no dude, in A", and I'd get this deer in the headlights look followed by "which string should I be playing on. " f**king really? How in the f**k do you get there? How do you show up to a band audition and your only relationship with the instrument is that you own the damn thing?

On choosing an instrument for financial reasons, my first instrument was the harmonica, I couldn't afford anything else.

[trimph1]

Lemmy....guitarist for Sam Gopal....then turned bassist for Hawkwind...then to Motorhead....end of story.

I'm more in agreement with Hink, Debra here.....

[robogone]

I started on guitar but when I was about 18 I got a good deal on a bass that I couldn't pass up so I bought one. I didn't ever give up guitar, but I got a lot more gigs as a bass player as there were far too many guitarists and not enough bass players. This is of course back in the day when 99% of bands were guitar/bass/drums.

[tapper mike]

But yes, people give up the guitar for bass because a good guitar player can be a decent bass player with little effort and everybody still wants to be the lead guitar player because that's the guy that pulls most of the trim so decent bass players are harder to find, relatively speaking.

One of the shitty and pointless bands that I played in had a primidona of a bass player who the band finally got tired of and fired. We tried to find a new bass player and had multiple people, who claimed to play, show up and have no idea what a "key" was or even have any sense of rhythm. I don't mean "know what a key was in any serious sense", I mean a statement like "this is a 12 bar blues in A" conveyed nothing. They'd start playing and I'd say "no dude, in A", and I'd get this deer in the headlights look followed by "which string should I be playing on. " f**king really? How in the f**k do you get there? How do you show up to a band audition and your only relationship with the instrument is that you own the damn thing?

Yeah been there done that. For awhile I was trying to put together a trad jazz band. I rented rehersal space put out ads in craigslist and metro times. It was so sad, I threw a lot of money out there just for someone to jam with and no true jazz cats were showing up. So I figured I'd find a jazz teacher take lessons as a guise and have someone to jam with. I went to these local guitar stores and pickens were slim. I'd be very specific about what I was looking for in a teacher. Manager would say "don't worry we've got you covered" and I'd be in a room with a guy who could play 12 bar blues bud didn't know any standards. Went through teachers like water looking for a jazz jammer. So I had my routine down pat when meeting these teachers. Bring laptop and guitar and press clippings. Play scales "See I'm not here to learn how to play scales" Play songs "see I already know my chords and standards and how to read music" Then break out BIAB and try to get them to jam over a song. Usually they'd be curious about biab enough to drag through the lesson. Finally, finally I find someone who is a true jazz guitarist that can play along. Problem he wants to play leads all the time because he's in love with himself. I kept on explaining that it isn't his show. It's my dime and my time. Had about four lessons before I dropped him as a teacher.

Went back to an old teacher of mine, brought biab he caught on quickly and was willing to trade licks and back me up. He kept on asking me "What do you need me for you've got biab" A real person, a real player with serious chops who knows how to improvise with a real jazz player. It was worth every penny jamming with him. Hour "lesson" I called all the shots, we both had plenty of solo time. Eventually I took a huge financial hit and could no longer justify the cost of lessons.

[robogone]

a good guitar player can be a decent bass player with little effort

I don't entirely agree with that. I think a good guitar player can become an average bass player with little effort, but I think to become a decent bass player involves taking on board a different mindset.

I get what you're saying, but I think to be anything more than the bass player who can figure out the root notes with little effort and provide a solid enough rhythm you do need to put more than a little effort into it. Depends on the genre you're trying to play too, obviously.

[ghettosynth]

a good guitar player can be a decent bass player with little effort

I don't entirely agree with that. I think a good guitar player can become an average bass player with little effort, but I think to become a decent bass player involves taking on board a different mindset.

I get what you're saying, but I think to be anything more than the bass player who can figure out the root notes with little effort and provide a solid enough rhythm you do need to put more than a little effort into it. Depends on the genre you're trying to play too, obviously.

I don't disagree at all, I guess were quibbling over what "decent" means and I think that depends a LOT on context. I also don't think that going beyond the basics of root notes is all that challenging, assuming basic fingerstyle or pick playing. How much of that a guitar player knows is, in part, a function of their level of guitar skills, which, is why I qualified my statement with "good" in the first place. When you start talking about slap bass, funk, jazz, etc, then it's a completely different ballgame.

[fluffy_little_something]

How about a 6-string bass guitar?

Guitar seems by far the most common instrument, which also makes it one of the most boring in my view. So many people sooner or later get one of those cheap acoustic country and western guitars. With bass you usually need an amp, which makes it more expensive.
I don't know what the ratio is, but I assume something like 50:1 in favor of guitar, maybe even 100:1. That leads to much more competition...

I never even started to play the guitar, it has always been an instrument for pussies in my view I went straight for the bass.

[foosnark]

I started on violin. Picked up a cheap guitar and was terrible at it. Picked up a fretless bass and... it's almost familiar. At this point I am better at on the fretless than I am on violin.

That said, I never bothered to learn other people's songs and have zero interest in playing gigs. I just improv and mess around and have fun.

[cryophonik]

Sorta reverse situation for me. I started on bass when I was kid back in the late 70s. I noodled around with guitar a bit over the years, but the idea of playing guitar never really appealed to me until about 10 years ago, give or take. I'm still a complete hack at guitar, but I mostly only play strummed/picked acoustic guitar parts, and I can get by well enough for my songs with enough takes/comps. I'm not about to give up bass for guitar, though.

[UncleAge]

Got my first guitar in '74 when I was a kid. It was an electric guitar. Bought my first bass in '07. I enjoy playing the bass more than the guitar. Don't get me wrong, I still play the guitar but I consider myself a bass player. Well, aspiring bass player

[jancivil]

Bass and guitar are two different things in any music I was ever interested in. I had no impetus to want to play bass. I started out on a trumpet and the idea, encouraged by my father, was always me as lead player. I saw Hendrix in '69 - by then I thought I was a drummer, braces killed trumpet for me soon enough - and this was when I settled on guitar.

I was never the personality for bass, you would not have wanted me on bass. I have filled in with synth bass but my limitations as a keyboardist actually made that a good role for me.
As a composer with a ways and means to get good bass in tracks I came up with a bass player persona for bass parts. Which is too busy for some people still, but I'm sure this fulfills the bass role properly.

Tal Wilkenfeld started on guitar and people liked to say to her 'you think like a bass player' so then. I'm sure she is a capable guitarist but prefers that voice in a band.

[debra1rlo]

I never even started to play the guitar, it has always been an instrument for pussies in my view

Quoted to piss someone off and start an argument. Because it's Tuesday and what else is going on here?

[hibidy]

How about a 6-string bass guitar?

Guitar seems by far the most common instrument, which also makes it one of the most boring in my view. So many people sooner or later get one of those cheap acoustic country and western guitars. With bass you usually need an amp, which makes it more expensive.
I don't know what the ratio is, but I assume something like 50:1 in favor of guitar, maybe even 100:1. That leads to much more competition...

I never even started to play the guitar, it has always been an instrument for pussies in my view I went straight for the bass.

Nothing like hitting and "A" chord with guitar

I was a pretty good bass player back in the day. Can't play it for crap these days, but still love it. Something about that bottom end.

I had a 6 string once. Was stolen. A Modulus Nice bass, but required a good ability to mute strings. 5 is enough for me now.

[trimph1]

I say 8 string FTW!!!!11!!111eleventyoneoneone11!!!!