Get me a strait-jacket, I must be sick

chokeslam512 · #1 04-19-2011, 07:41 AM

Last night after a lovely Seder, a couple of my friends were jamming out some acoustic guitar stuff. My wife has mentioned wanting to learn to play the guitar before and the four glasses of wine coupled with some pretty cool music furthered that desire... I always need an excuse to buy another piece of gear, so I ordered her an acoustic guitar this morning... Now for the sick part: I think I may try to learn with her.

For those of you who dabble in the dark arts, has it helped you bass playing at all? As far as learning chords and scales etc?

viper4000 · #2 04-19-2011, 07:51 AM

simple answer: YES

detailed answer: YES, because you have a better sense of what the guitar is capable of. So if you are jamming, and you are on bass, you can easily tell where the guitar is (by recognizing the chords or riff) therefore you have another tool in you stable to use when playing with folks albeit it a duo or a band. Some say it easier to compose on a guitar as well (depending on your musical taste).

YMMV - enjoy!

tdub0199 · #3 04-19-2011, 07:54 AM

I would have to agree YES it has helped my bass playing alot....

StyleOverShow · #4 04-19-2011, 07:54 AM

Darn! I had a nice Seder dinner last night and didn't wake up with any new instruments. What am I doing wrong??

I think, piano is the grand 88 instrument of them all, but sax, trumpet, guitar, etc. they all help.

Mazeltov

JTE · #5 04-19-2011, 10:24 AM

Yep, it sure helps. Being able to comprehend chords as chords and not just arpeggios or being limited to a few voicings due to lack of strings is a huge help in learning harmony. The HEAR a chord with the fifth in the bass, or what happens when you put an A natural under a C major triad is a big help.

And a guitar is a lot more portable than a piano....

John

HeadyVan Halen · #6 04-19-2011, 10:36 AM

I hope it was a guitar you like. Probability of you playing it more than her: High.

But yes it will help you out a ton. Like others have said, you get to find out how other notes make up different sounding chords (I think it's called harmony). It can expand your ear in the sense that you can hear different tones than just the root, as all us bass players should be good at.

But please, please for the love of all humanity, please expand more than just Open G and Open C on an acoustic. I have it in my contract that if someone plays that, I have to be a minimum of 500 feet away from the offender..so cliche...so worn out....so college Abercrombie and Fitch it's disgusting.

tangentmusic · #7 04-19-2011, 10:41 AM

This is what four glasses of wine will do! Win-win situation.

OmnitzGarima · #8 04-19-2011, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chokeslam512

For those of you who dabble in the dark arts, has it helped you bass playing at all? As far as learning chords and scales etc?

I actually started out in the dark arts, and added bass later. I have to say that learning bass, really studying it, has made me a much better guitarist. I hope it works the other way for you, too.

Good luck!

OmnitzGarima · #9 04-19-2011, 10:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HeadyVan Halen

But please, please for the love of all humanity, please expand more than just Open G and Open C on an acoustic.

Absolutely. Check out Freddie Green. His style taught me a lot.

The Freddie Green Web Site

Pilgrim · #10 04-19-2011, 10:54 AM

Just to make sure your wardrobe is correctly chosen, you want a straitjacket, not a straight jacket. Those are two very different things.

Straitjacket - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

And yes, geetar playing is a plus for understanding what you can do with a bass. Just PLAY like a bass player, not a geetar player.

EDIT: Thread title nicely edited!!!

caden000 · #11 04-19-2011, 10:55 AM

YES. my guitar playing has helped my bass playing and vice versa.

JoZac21 · #12 04-19-2011, 11:04 AM

I played guitar as my main instrument for 16 years before switching to bass as my primary... IMO/IME, to play both well they need to be approached as very different instruments, which they are. It's always good to be able to play multiple instruments... but the truth is, the guitar and bass, in my opinion, are as much related as the sax and clarinet... you're technique and approach will have to change if you want to play the guitar convincingly, like a guitarist. YMMV... I've had this argument many a time... but they're totally different instruments... it'll help you as a musician only to the extent that you are now in a different musical role, playing a totally different instrument, providing you with a new perspective.

OmnitzGarima · #13 04-19-2011, 11:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoZac21

IMO/IME, to play both well they need to be approached as very different instruments, which they are.

Agreed, very much so.

chokeslam512 · #14 04-19-2011, 11:21 AM

Thanks guys, I really appreciate all the input. The guitar is nothing special by any means. I just bought something fairly cheap, 7/8 scale, to keep up the guise that it is indeed mostly for my wife and not me... If it turns into something more serious for her, I'll definitely be upgrading... which gives me an excuse to get an acoustic bass

NOAH_FX · #15 04-19-2011, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chokeslam512

Thanks guys, I really appreciate all the input. The guitar is nothing special by any means. I just bought something fairly cheap, 7/8 scale, to keep up the guise that it is indeed mostly for my wife and not me... If it turns into something more serious for her, I'll definitely be upgrading... which gives me an excuse to get an acoustic bass

I learnt on Acoustic Guitar long before coming over to bass.. I find it's helped most with my writing. I find it alot easier to write a progession I like with Acoustic First get it recorded so I can play bass overtop to see what sounds right to me.

They also sound pretty :P

EdHunter · #16 04-19-2011, 04:57 PM

There's a girl at school (the subject of that BM thread which turned into a "let's bash Bill" thread) looking for guitar lessons. She asked me where to find them, in front of my guitarist friend, then when I said, oh I'm a bassist/self taught, she kept asking, then asked about the guitar she had... I think I'm in.

Well, that was a little off-topic. Acoustic guitars - fine, for girls...

LiquidMidnight · #17 04-20-2011, 04:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by viper4000

simple answer: YES

detailed answer: YES, because you have a better sense of what the guitar is capable of. So if you are jamming, and you are on bass, you can easily tell where the guitar is (by recognizing the chords or riff) therefore you have another tool in you stable to use when playing with folks albeit it a duo or a band. Some say it easier to compose on a guitar as well (depending on your musical taste).

YMMV - enjoy!

This

Also, the guitar, like most harmony instruments, is a great writing tool.