Can you guys do this?

[WillaiMC]

Something I hear with bass players say about guitars is that they small weaks and have itty bitty 'strands' for strings and find them impossible to play because they're so small and hack the strings close together.


I find this hard to belive. My total experiance with basses, guitars and music is 3 months of bass and guitar. I'm alright on both but I find that it not THAT HARD to play both, I can go chug through some Living colour bass lines (lots of slapping, and spreads) then go pick up the guitar and put out some System (of a down). Is this normal is or is it odd to be a 2 instrument man? I'm also quite aware that I'm going to get all sorts of gripe about being a guitar player aswell.

[cosmicevan]

don't worry about others. if you are fortunate enough to start out playing more than one instrument at the same time and you find some sort of talent at both...push yourself as hard as you can and make good use of your time and turn your talent into a career!

i do find that guitar strings are way closer together, but that is a fair trade-off for a chord dominated instrument. playing bass for 14 years now, i definitely spend some time with a guitar in my hands, but will always feel like a bassist playing guitar when i jam on guitar ('cause i AM a bassist).

the only advice i can give to you if you find that you are a musical prodigy is regularly keep yourself in check. people love to play with a solid musician, but nobody likes to hang out with someone with a huge ego.

...and viva living colour!!!

[keb]

I play both and I don't have any issues switching. Different instruments, different mindsets kick in, and I guess a different set of muscle memories kick in as well.

And don't let anyone give you grief for playing guitar! I'm a bassist first and foremost, but I couldn't live without playing guitar. It's a vital part of my personal musical identity and I want to go about expressing myself.

[west*coast*bass]

Originally Posted by WillaiMC

Something I hear with bass players say about guitars is that they small weaks and have itty bitty 'strands' for strings and find them impossible to play because they're so small and hack the strings close together.

I would love to chime in but I am at a loss as to what this first paragraph in your thread means...

[thekyle]

I've found I don't have much of a voice on the guitar, and I have played for several years. I just don't enjoy it anywhere near as much as bass. I can make so many cooler sounds with just my hands and bass than my guitar player can make with $1,000 worth of guitar pedals.

[Bard2dbone]

I find that it's easier to switch from bass to guitar and back than to switch among basses with different feels, or guitars with different feels.

Mandolin to bass = fine.
Bass to acoustic 12-string = fine.
Acoustic 12-string to strat = still fine.
Strat(25.5" scale) to Hamer archtop(24.8" scale) = a cast iron 8!+(# on toast.

[mjolnir]

I got a few years worth of playing experience behind me and I can honestly say theres no real trouble switching between bass and guitar. Granted, I get some problems when I try to fingerpick bassist-style on guitar, but otherwise it's pretty simple. I can understand, however, a bassist's difficulty in picking up a guitar if he's never done it before. The string spacing is a HUGE difference and that gets in the way. I don't know if it's supposed to be like this, but I find there's a different way to fret for each instrument. I guess it would come down to how long the bassist has played either instrument...

[Lazylion]

Originally Posted by mjolnir2730

I got a few years worth of playing experience behind me and I can honestly say theres no real trouble switching between bass and guitar... I don't know if it's supposed to be like this, but I find there's a different way to fret for each instrument.

Yeah, that's the only trouble I have. I play bass more, and when I go to g**tar, I find that my callouses aren't quite in the right spots! I use the pads more for bass, and the tips more for g**tar.

[mjolnir]

Yeah, that's generally how I find it to be too. I've been playing both almost evenly (a 'lil more bass... ) for almost eight years, though, so I have callouses in both places.

[Alexander]

I can play both - started on guitar, but switched to bass. Not hard to go back but since I made the switch, the question is why? Bass rules

[morf]

Thing is - for most people whove started on bass, they understood pretty fast that the way you fret changes your tone, so they concentrate too much getting the right note on guitar. I play a little (badly) guitar, and the idea is to just PLAY and forget about how well your finger presses the string. All in all, it is easier to start off by playing without much precision, and not to think too much about pressing other strings while you do so, but rather concentrate on the picking hand. Its helped me.

[tplyons]

I've always had a guitar since I started playing bass. I've only recently started to concentrate a bit more on guitar. But I also do some piano.

No problem switching between them.

[cliff_fan]

It's like totally excellent and awesome to be good at two instruments, like myself...

[morf]

youre so cool, send me your autograph! can i be your groupie????

[McHack]

Originally Posted by WillaiMC

Is this normal is or is it odd to be a 2 instrument man? I'm also quite aware that I'm going to get all sorts of gripe about being a guitar player aswell.

What IS normal? What's normal to me or you, could be completely insane to someone else! Personally, it doesnt seem odd at ALL to be able to play multiple instruments. In fact, I think learning your first, makes learning the second MUCH easier.

[fretless Bob]

the only type of guitar that i feel comfortable playing is a spanish guitar, mainly because of the wide string spacing, i have never felt right playing electric guitar, always felt like a toy.


Dave