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Originally Posted by jdsz10  Ok.. in a nutshell. I want a background on playing the bass.. some tips for beginners.. or any tips at all..
I'm really into music and can play piano pretty well.. and started learning guitar like 3 months ago, but already play quite good, in fact my playing has impressed one of my friends who have a band.. We get along pretty well, I can read notes better than the. Anyway, he wants me in on his band as bass guitar, I have no real experience with guitar but I think ti will be easy for, because of my experience in piano, guitar, even violin... I don't think I have too much problems in music.
I can get my hands on a bass easily.. The band is pretty unprofessional actually, but they can still play pretty good ,just never get a vocalist (although my voice isn't too bad, probably one of the reasons they want me in)I just need to know about being a bass player it, I wanna do this, I know I can..
by the way i'm like 14 so yea..
i know it sounds pretty vague.. but trust me.. i can do this 
EDIT: wanna know pros and cons and how to become better or how rock stars do it haha.. my idols are robby takac from the googoodolls and guy berryman from coldplay |
Bass guitar is a different animal than any type of viol, remember that.
I thought it'd be easy to transition over to the bass guitar from the bass viol.
It was not as easy as I thought. Like I said--it's a different color horse.
Don't play an instrument unless you really want to. If you do it as a business decision you may as well just throw the bass away and give it to a bum. He'll get more fun out of it than you will if you approach it under the notion of doing this to support the band, or "taking one for the team".
Pros and Cons of the bass?
Pros:
Sexiest instrument ever made.
Bassists are generally the men in the band with the largest penises. (First one to name that quote gets a
)
Provides the thunder to go with the lightning in a band. Without the bass you have no feeling to your words--your music is weightless.
Fun instrument. The bass is so diverse and so varied that it can perform so many roles and it's constantly being pushed. New bassists arise as old ones lay the brickwork and add to what's been created. Guitarists do the same thing, yes, but you don't see as many true innovators on the guitar these days as you do on the bass. Hell, Larry Graham, the father of the thump and plunk, is still kicking, as are all of those whose style was spawned out of his talent.
Opportunities. Like I said before, the bass is brimming with opportunity. Grab ahold of one and use it to your advantage. So many things haven't been explored on the bass or haven't developed fully. It's like an uncharted land, almost, though the beach-head has been established.
Cons:
It's not easy. You won't ever know everything about the bass. There will always be a stone you won't turn over.
Bassists are generally given the most boring pieces of music. Play this chord or play this same key over and over again and don't forget to sit in the back in the dark so the guitarist can hog all of the spotlight. I don't agree with this, nor do many here.
It hurts. In every sense of the word. You will be frustrated, feel like giving up, doubt yourself and you will (physically) bleed.
Your fingers will turn to stone.
Your addiction to the instrument will grow as you play. Some days I play for six hours without knowing it. Sitting down in the chair and listening to something while slapping away, not even noticing that I'm playing.
It's hard to play and sing at the same time.
Other cons include things like: The strings cost a ton, the instruments aren't cheap either, fretlesses are almost rare in some cases, five and six string basses are also oddities in guitar-centered places and finding bands that allow you to really let loose and play like you want to is not easy in some cases.
Although, I may have a warped opinion, considering the area where I live has an enormous number of guitarists and a tiny number of bassists--even smaller number of good bassists.
