Originally posted by celticcountrypersonally, if i had the talent i'd play acoustic - i've tried and i can't do it. bass is a great instrument but there's less instant satisfaction compared to lead - and you never get any of the glory 😉
I play acoustic . I have often wondered about Bass.
What would youy say to convert me to a Bass player?
Originally posted by EdwardipovDepends what you are into. For me, a good 4 string P-bass does the trick and there's lots of good inexpensive ones out there.
following on from the amp thread, i'm about to buy a bass guitar - haven't played in nearly 10 years so i'm only looking for a half-decent one i can play in the house for say £2-300 (or less if you know of one). anyone got any suggestions?
Yes. I'd reccomend a good four string (you don't need 5 or six) with a nice, rib-shaking quality, and a clear slap and pop.
I've had an Ibanez S800 for years. Active pickups, so there's a battery inside. Only I can't stop the bloody thing from draining the battery, so i ended up having to take it out every time I'd finished playing. Pain in the proverbial...
I could reccomend a brand, but it'd cost you a bit more. Why not go 2nd hand? If you buy new the thing devalues by 50% when you walk out of the shop!
Don't forget a decent amp! A bass is no fun without one. And playing on your own is ok, but a bassist needs to play in a band. Bedroom guitarists are more numerous than bedroom bassists for a reason.
Unless you have one, you'll need more dosh!
Good luck!
I play a '77 P-Bass, which I love, with an Ampeg SVT-5, which I also love. It sounds good live, and it's great for recording. I know an excellent bass player who plays an Ernie Ball Musicman 4-string, which sounds amazing live.
He explained the reason to me once - the P-Bass fits perfectly above the bass drum and below the guitars/toms, so it fills the spectrum nicely for a recording. The Musicman has a huge sound live, with a bigger bass response, so you can really get that earth-rumbling sound and make your audience poop ('cause they love it!!!).
If you're just looking for a budget bass to play around the house, you might be able to find a decent Fender P-Bass or Jazz bass for cheap. It won't sound as good as a more expensive American-made one, but it should be fine for noodling and playing with friends.
Originally posted by celticcountryi play both bass and classical acoustic guitar, so i can deliniate a bit here: playing bass is like dropping heavy things on the ground. it is best played loudly. bass is a powerful instrument. some may feel that it's not as glorious as lead guitar, and it's true that many people don't listen to the bass lines of songs unless they are overt, but they FEEL the BASS. you can't help it. people don't dance to lead guitar. they dance to drums and bass. get yourself a decent bass (don't be afraid of 5 strings. Fender makes an inexpensive mexican jazz bass with 5 strings, or 4, or whatever), decent amp and a drum machine (possibly provided in a cheap keyboard) and crank it up.
I play acoustic . I have often wondered about Bass.
What would youy say to convert me to a Bass player?
the psychology of the bass is different than guitar- it's not about being flashy. it's about holding down the low end. if you think of a band in terms of layers, the drums are on the bottom providing raw rythm, and the guitar is way up top flying around the melody, the bass in the middle. the bass is the glue between the rythmic and melodic parts.
another attractive point about bass giutar is that the distance between beginner and novice is not that far. sure, every instrument takes a lifetime to master, i know... for bass, however, the time between picking up the instrument for the first time and being able to play with other musicians effectively is not as far as guitar or piano... learn the root 3rd 5th and you can jam with pretty much anyone.
Originally posted by Darth SpongeCool post.
i play both bass and classical acoustic guitar, so i can deliniate a bit here: playing bass is like dropping heavy things on the ground. it is best played loudly. bass is a powerful instrument. some may feel that it's not as glorious as lead guitar, and it's true that many people don't listen to the bass lines of songs unless they are overt, but t ...[text shortened]... not as far as guitar or piano... learn the root 3rd 5th and you can jam with pretty much anyone.
I play the guitar (acoustic and electric), but not that well yet. So you are saying that the learning curve for bass is much less than guitar? I ask because I have been considering picking up a bass, but if it is too difficult to learn, I'll stick with the guitar.
Originally posted by PullhardWell, until Darth chimes in here, it has been my experience that every instrument is as difficult as you want to make it ...
Cool post.
I play the guitar (acoustic and electric), but not that well yet. So you are saying that the learning curve for bass is much less than guitar? I ask because I have been considering picking up a bass, but if it is too difficult to learn, I'll stick with the guitar.
With that out of the way, the thing about guitar vs bass for someone just beginning is that with the bass, there is no need to learn chord shapes; you just play single notes so it's easier to get playing right away.
On the other hand, unless you have something to play the bass to while you are learning, you will get bored very quickly, because playing say the root note and the 5 gets pretty monotonous without the other instruments.
WITH the other instruments, it's a whole different story; simple bass can sound terrific, can propel the whole band to a good performance if you play good.