Could starting to play guitar make you a better bass player?

[ampcarfan]

I know this is totally bass akwards from the usual, but I have been really wanting to teach myself to play reg guitar or at least (noodle around with/buy one), for awhile now. Now before you guys all flame me, I have NO desire to be a lead or rhythm guitarist, I LOVE playing bass and have never owned a reg guitar in my life (I'm 43 and got my 1st bass given to me when I was 13). I think it would help me understand chords better, how to build better bass lines and understand what the melodic end of the blend deals with. What do you guys think? Good extra interest/hobby or complete waste of time that would just create confusion that would be better spent just practicing bass guitar?

[amosjones]

Learning to play another instrument will help you understand the bass better. Go for it.

[MalcolmAmos]

IMHO a second instrument will only add to your understanding of how music thinks. Will a 6 string guitar help your bass playing. Won't do much to help your technique, but, it will help your understanding of music and where the rhythm section fits into all this.

I play banjo, rhythm guitar, of course bass, keyboard and clarinet. Not one of those hurt me or cause me trouble playing any of the other instrument. Go for it.

[funkybassinator]

Do it. And get play around with keys to while your at it too. There's nothing like the linearness (is that a word) of keys to help you "see" the music.

[Tenma4]

Learning other instruments will make you a more well-rounded musician, so that you have a stronger internal sense of how various instruments interact...probably boosting your sense of groove, and songwriting ability.

I'm all about learning more instruments.

[C.Linton]

I noticed a couple of times I had concentrated for a short while on learning a little guitar, when I went back to bass, it had indeed helped. Just a little, but it was noticeable.

[Zitch]

My experience was a little different, i felt like I was spending more time noodling around on the guitar and less time working on the Bass. When I finally decided to stop playing guitar my bass playing really started to improve. If its bass you want to play I say just play the bass, but again thats just my experience and opinion.

[bassyness]

I Play French Horn as well as bass
French Horn has completely different style and fingering
Its In a Complete Different Clef then bass!!
I think that now that i can read treble clef, it has increased my musicianship.
Playing a different instrument then your major cant hurt!!
In my past ive played piano, violin, cello, french horn, and of course-bass!

[mambo4]

any additional instrument helps, but especially one that lets you play chords.
Guitar is great
piano even better : the fingering patterns are completely different, forcing you to develop a more instrument-independent understanding of the musical commonalities...

[SurferJoe46]

Playing guitar also lets you learn how to spot the key and chords that are being played - another good reason to at least be familiar with the fingering of the guitar and barre chords so you can figger where the bass should be.

[JTE]

Anything that makess learning, playing, and exploring harmony easier will be a huge help in playing bass.

John

[Ed Fuqua]

Unless, of course, you're just playing guitar to avoid practicing what you need to on bass. If you really want to play an instrument that will help your understanding of harmony, then learn piano.

[pasta4lnch]

learning bass made me a better guitar player!

[thlayli]

Learning guitar has made me a better bass player, and learning how to transpose to baritone guitar has made me a better guitar player AND a better bass player.

[Simo98]

It helped me. Gave me a better understanding of how chords are constructed etc. Also helps you to pick up what the guitar player is playing, and jump straight in.

[hrodbert696]

Originally Posted by SurferJoe46

Playing guitar also lets you learn how to spot the key and chords that are being played - another good reason to at least be familiar with the fingering of the guitar and barre chords so you can figger where the bass should be.

+1. I learned a handful of basic guitar chords and now it's a lot easier to "follow hands" with the guitarist and pick up a new song faster.

[glowinghamster4]

i played guitar for years before i started playing bass, and while i consider myself a bass player i still keep up with my short 6. I dont think that it has really affected my playing ability either way in terms of technique, but it definitely does help. Especially if your playing with people who learn things on the fly, being able to glance at the guitarist and know exactly what chord he is doing is a big advantage, and knowing all those chord shapes will also help you create more interesting lines that will fit better with whats going on

Really I think that learning any new instrument can only have positive effects on the ones you already play. Youll pick up on subtle similarities and be able to pick up on stuff faster than if you were only familiar with.

[AcidFripp]

I was asking myself that exact same question, OP!
Now I know the answer. I will learn some guitar to take advantage of the opportunity that has come up. Thanks, guys!

[ampcarfan]

You can almost always count on the people here on TB for great advice. I have to admit, I was a little worried what the responses might be to a question like this! Looking forward to shredding secretly..lol

[dalkowski]

+1,000,000 to all of the above. My trouble is, I sometimes have barely enough time to practice the bass!