Don't know which instrument is right for me

[Oded Ben-Ami]

Greetings,

I am a composer / songwriter. My main instrument is the piano, and I play the organ in my job as choir director / organist in church.

I've been having the "bug" about playing bass for several years but didn't do anything about it. Now that my debut album is awaiting it's final phase of artwork and pressing, I feel it's the time to give it a try.

Physically, I am not a strong person.

I was most interested with the fretless bass. A friend was kind enough to lend me his bass (a fretted Vantage) and amp so that I can get a feel for the bass. Alas, It did not feel comfortable at all. It came with a three inch wide leather strap which did a fine job distributing the weight of the instrument, but the bass was nevertheless heavy, causing muscle tension in my left shoulder.
A second issue was holding my left hand in place - it builds more and more pressure on my left shoulder the further my hand goes towards the headstock.

If I tilt the bass so that the neck is closer to vertical, this second issue no longer exists.

Now I am not sure which way to go. Putting together my interest in a fretless instrument along with feeling comfortable with a vertical hand positioning, suggests that perhaps an electric upright bass would be more suitable for me. On the other hand, being an experimental composer, I wish to have as versatile an instrument as I can possibly have, one which would allow me to use tapping and slap/pop techniques with ease, harmonics etc'. The little knowledge that I have on uprights is that their action is higher than that of a bass guitar, so that tapping is not effective, and also that holding the bass in a vertical position would not allow me to use the slap/pop technique. Being able to use a bow would be a wonderful addition for sure.

Another thought is that perhaps I was too quick in coming to conclusions regarding the bass guitar - perhaps I just need much more time with it before if begins to feel comfortable.

Please educate me and share your thoughts.

[playerofthebass]

Hey, good to see another church musician! Since you've been getting the bass bug, I'd say go ahead and pick it up, fretted, fretless, and upright if you can get em.

First, I think that many people have the wrong idea about bass: you don't have to be all that strong to play bass, it all comes down to the technique. Even though the weight of the bass could be causing the tension, trying to keep a relaxed left hand position can help tremendously. But if that doesn't help, try a smaller/lighter bass. Especially for bass, one size does not fit all. Just don't give up on it though, cause it will be very worthwhile, especially with doing your own projects.

[hdiddy]

Since this is not your primary instrument, I would not bother with potential intonation problems by going with a fretless or EUB/DB. Too much work and more of a distraction from your piano playing. If you want just an vertical version of a fretted EB, take a look at the Barker Bass. I think you'll get what you want. Low tensions, frets, ability to pop/slap, vertical orientation.