Bass or Guitar: Beginner Question

[punkndisorderly]

I posted this in the Bass forum, but figured I'd post here too, and get both sides.

 

I don't have any musician buddies so I figured I'd ask you guys this:

 

What type of people are drawn to bass, and what type of people are drawn to guitar? What do you think I'd be drawn to?

 

Here's why I ask, I'm trying to decide which one to start playing on. From what I've read going through the forums, the bigger part of me thinks bass, but part of me thinks guitar.

 

What makes me think bass is that I have shortish, thick fingers which I've heard make guitar harder. I also really dig a good bass line.

 

What makes me think guitar is that I'll probably be doing most, if not all, my playing alone. I've heard bass is more of a social instrument, and isn't as fun to play alone.

 

Also, if you start one, then gravitate towards the other, is it easier to switch from guitar to bass or bass to guitar? Or are the two so different that swithcing from one to the other is like learning an entirely new instrument?

[The Geoff]

I've played guitar for many years, but have been playing bass these last two.

 

Having experienced both, my opinion is that knowledge of guitar chords and the chordal sequences which predominate standard music is a great aid to playing bass.

 

You would learn a lot more about songs, the way they are constructed and how the notes fit together by learning to play guitar, even if you wish to play bass.

 

And welcome to the Guitar Forum, too!

 

Geoff

[S. Yeti Bigfoot, Esq.]

Well...here goes. First off, guitar and bass are so radically different that if you learn to play one first, you can't possibly learn the other. Don't listen to Geoff. He's on drugs and half the time doesn't know what he's saying. He actually thinks he's in a home improvement forum, but we don't tell him it's really a guitar forum. Bass is, in fact, a social instrument. They don't like being alone. They like being in the company of other basses and drums...and sometimes keyboards, but they hate guitars. Sometimes you find them in groups of 20 or 30 or more. Guitars are usually loners. They don't like other instruments. Guitars have been known to kill basses if left alone together. I think, judging from what you've said so far, you should learn to play bassoon. It's a much more peaceful, self-assured instrument. It's a very popular instrument for heavy metal, punk and thrash music.

 

JUST KIDDING!!!!

 

Geoff is one of the good guys here, and he's right (plus he doesn't do drugs and knows exactly where he is....most of the time ) Lots of people play both...there's no reason you can't eventually play both. Which one to start with is just a matter of choice, really. Maybe bass would be good because you really learn rhythms...or maybe guitar because you really learn melodies...either will teach you harmonies...

[Braxat]

welcome to the forum,

 

hand flexibility can be worked on, thats not as much as a problem.

and yea, bass cant be played alone to the point a guitar can.

in my fair opinion guitar is far more complicated than bass in some aspects and once u play guitar its 95% sure u can play bass.

[punkndisorderly]

Thanks for the good opinions (and the laugh sasquatch). At least for the near future, I'll be playing alone. I tend to be somewhat of an insomniac, and see most of my playing being the "it's 3AM, what can I do to entertain myself?" variety. This is kind of my sticking point. I'm leaning towards bass, but the fact that I'll be playing alone pushes me towards guitar.

[Ricardo.]

I would also suggest guitar. I've never played bass though >_>

[Junior 1]

If your playing at 3 A.M., a guitar through a nice small tube amp would probably be better than shaking walls with a bass. I have small hands and Braxat is right, you can work on your flexibility. I'm a bedroom player and I used to play bass a long time ago. In the band atmosphere a bass is a blast, because you feed off the other musicians, alone, you can only enjoy runs for so long. I have fun with a guitar now, even though I'm not very good. I still want a short scale bass! Go figure! Welcome.

[A String]

If you are a fan of the bass, I'd recommend going that way. Bass players get the jobs. Guitarists are a dime a dozen.

 

For playing alone, try jamming with CDs. Put on the tunes you want to learn and play along. You can also play along with a drum machine.

 

The bass player has a very important job in a band and can, single handedly, change the feel of a tune.

 

Only you can make the decision. Listen to lots of your favourite songs, do you want to be the Bass player or the guitar player when you hear those songs?

[King Kamehameha]

Welcome to the forum!

 

Can you guess what I'm going to say?

 

I think bass. I started on bass and then started learning guitar, it has been relatively easy to make the switch that way. It's easier to switch from fingers to a pick. I know a guitarist who, when asked to play a B, would play a B chord because he didn't know which note of the chord was a B. That would never happen on a bass.

 

But do what interests you most!

[ekoldr]

I say start with Bass because there aren't enough bass players in the world, just as A string said, bass players get gigs. I am currently playing bass in two bands and probably going to start a thrid hip hop band. Also Bass is more versitile allowing you to play in numerous types of bands with numerous different types of artists. You'll rarely find a type of music that doesn't have a bass guitar. But hey that's just my opinion. However if you do switch to bass I recommend the guitar forum any way these guys are way more fun!

[rw2003]

There is no reason why you can't play both. But like others have written, I'd check out the bass first. Take some lessons and practice for a few months and then try to join a band that plays your style of music. You'll have a lot of fun and make some new friends. Grab a guitar along the way at some point and play that too. You'll come to your own decision.

[bernie sawford]

Hi Punkndisorderly,

I play bass and guitar, I have been playing bass for about 20 years now, but I am a guitarist! What do I mean? My first instrument years ago was a bass and I found it very difficult to learn on my own so it ended up in the corner of the room! So I got a guitar and started to learn that. There were more books on guitar at the time, having gone down that route I sure can play the bass, but I don't have that extra bit of soul that true bass players have! The bass is a very emotional instrument and as mentioned earlier in this thread can make a huge difference to any band. I also agree that good bass players get a lot more work, my advice to you, think about getting an inexpencive guitar and start to learn the fundimentals of both, this will help with the relationship between both instruments, then follow your soul!

Keep rocking.

[guitarisawayoflife21]

Originally posted by punkndisorderly:

Also, if you start one, then gravitate towards the other, is it easier to switch from guitar to bass or bass to guitar? Or are the two so different that swithcing from one to the other is like learning an entirely new instrument?

My brother bought himself a bass about 4 months ago and I picked it up no problem. The transition between guitar and bass was not difficult for me at all. It was almost like playing the same instrument, only the strings were thicker. I have found myself wanting to join a band just to play bass in because it is so fun.

[Kramer Ferrington III.]

The fingers thing is neither here nor there. I have what is called a "short scale" bass and the neck is about the same size as a guitar's.

 

I've tried to play guitar for years on end and I pretty much suck at it, but bass I'll always love. In fact, a lot of the time when listening to records, I can't really HEAR what guitars are playing, I'm just too locked into hearing the bassline. When I've tried playing other instruments, I've always found myself trying to do basslines, even on flute.

 

You can see the bass for what it IS, a bass GUITAR, but it requires different skills. With guitar you can play a lot of notes and be considered good (witness shredders), whereas bass is all FEEL. You might just be playing the roots of chords in a country band but you still have to have a sense of "swing". To be a good bassist, you have to have heart.

[bernie sawford]

You can see the bass for what it IS, a bass GUITAR, but it requires different skills. With guitar you can play a lot of notes and be considered good (witness shredders), whereas bass is all FEEL. You might just be playing the roots of chords in a country band but you still have to have a sense of "swing". To be a good bassist, you have to have heart

 

Could'nt put it better myself, right on the nail

[Trucks]

Originally posted by Kramer Ferrington III.:

The fingers thing is neither here nor there. I have what is called a "short scale" bass and the neck is about the same size as a guitar's.

 

I've tried to play guitar for years on end and I pretty much suck at it, but bass I'll always love. In fact, a lot of the time when listening to records, I can't really HEAR what guitars are playing, I'm just too locked into hearing the bassline. When I've tried playing other instruments, I've always found myself trying to do basslines, even on flute.

 

You can see the bass for what it IS, a bass GUITAR, but it requires different skills. With guitar you can play a lot of notes and be considered good (witness shredders), whereas bass is all FEEL. You might just be playing the roots of chords in a country band but you still have to have a sense of "swing". To be a good bassist, you have to have heart.

Spot on!

[The Geoff]

As for the 'playing late at night' thing, I have a pedal/simulator (Digitech Genesis 1) which has a CD in and a Line out. It allows me to do many things, including plugging the CD into it along with a decent pair of headphones and jamming along with any track I fancy, on either guitar or bass, and all in complete silence!! (Except for a bit of string rattle:o)

 

 

Geoff

[Hardtail]

Originally posted by A String:

The bass player has a very important job in a band and can, single handedly, change the feel of a tune.

Yep. Next time anyone listens to Scuttlebuttin', listen to just the bass part. It really has a powerful groove that makes the tune that much better.

[Pappy P]

I started with Bass, but grew to love playing guitar too.

 

I still think playing bass is my first love.

 

However, I could not write songs with out my acoustic guitar. I create most of my songs starting with the acoustic.

 

However I have written three songs starting with a bass line, then buiding on that. They always turn out the best. However, I still prefer building the rhythm guitar part first.

 

I have noticed though that the techniques I learned for playing bass carried over into my guitar playing. I something hit my strings way to hard and have to concentrate on not doing that. And I think I focus on an implied bass line while playing ryhtym.

 

The good thing: I can be more creative when I record the bass line.

 

The bad thing: when I've played rhythm guitar with a bassist I was stepping on them and had to ajust my playing.

 

Learn both. Love both. That's best advice I can give you.

[Pappy P]

quote:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Originally posted by A String:

 

The bass player has a very important job in a band and can, single handedly, change the feel of a tune.

 

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+2

[Gruupi]

All good points here. I think learning any instrument will build your musical knowledge that will make switching to another instrument easier than if starting from scratch. Bass and guitar do have a similar technique and there are many things that make it even easier to play both.

 

I am curious why your ambitions are to only play alone. The comments that bass will not be all that fun as a solo instrument are valid. Bass is a role playing instrument but really shines in a band environment. Most bass players learn music theory pretty quickly, I think again its a nature of finding what notes are a part of an overall musical picture that forces you to learn the rudiments of music.

 

Guitar and also piano are excellent solo intruments. Being able to play chords and melodies at the same time opens up all kinds of possibilities. Also the guitars range is great as a lead instrument. It has a similar range and tonality to the human voice. I guess our ears are well suited to hear this range clearer than to the lower range of the bass.

 

I myself have never seriously studied the bass. I would like to learn more of it from a conceptual standpoint. I have a feeling the physical technique part of switching to bass would be pretty simple. My limitations are that I have a really hard time distinquishing the notes in the bass range. My ear, especially in the context of other instruments, just can't hear the pitches that well. Maybe with practice I could get past this. But the times I have jammed with people on bass I have often found myself playing in the wrong key for a minute before I even realized it.

[Pappy P]

Gruupi brought up a good point.

 

I think it is easier to find more work as a bassist.

 

I heard a few guys here say that being able fill in on bass will open up more oppurtunities.

 

That might be something to think about.

[punkndisorderly]

I wouldn't say my ambition is to play alone, but until I meet some local players and end up working a normal schedule, it's not likely to happen.

 

Thanks for the tips, anvice, and "guitar philosophy 101". I think bass is going to be the way I go, but may pick up a guitar, too. Then I can fiddle around on both and see which one I gravitate to.

[King Kamehameha]

Good plan.

[The Geoff]

Originally posted by Sasquatch51:

Don't listen to Geoff. He's on drugs and half the time doesn't know what he's saying.

Yeah, Beta-blockers, Statins and Asprin!!!!

 

 

G.

[S. Yeti Bigfoot, Esq.]

Don't forget those NSAIDs! They're the best!!

[The Geoff]

?

 

G.

[S. Yeti Bigfoot, Esq.]

Non Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs. (ibuprofen)

[The Geoff]

Ahhh! the aspirin is to keep my blood thin - I'm not sure Ibuprofen does that.

 

 

G.

[Newf]

I play bass. I started on guitar but I really wasn't doing well on it due to problems forming basic chords and my total incompetence at using a pick. My skilled guitar playing buddy gently suggested I try bass and it suits me more (fingerstyle is wonderful) plus I like the lower register. I don't play in a band ATM but I can play for hours by myself.

 

I'm now at a point where I need to learn some theory though.

 

BTW does anyone have a link to a site/info to improve my rather limited flexibility in my hands?

 

Cheers

Newf