to Guitar or not to guitar?

xb100 · #1 02-10-2005, 04:20 PM

Hey guy's my instructor for bass told me last night that if i was still interested for bass lessons, that i should look for someone who does bass only ( he does both guitar and bass but is mainly guitar) And i was thinking, ive been playing bass for almost 4 years. So why not learn guitar?

I've got an acustic here at my house i can jam on and i really like my instructor alot and dont feel like changing and getting used to someone new.

What do you guys think??

Do you think i should pick up a new instrument and broaden my horizon in musical instruments??

Nadav · #2 02-10-2005, 04:27 PM

I say... if you feel like it might be fun, go for it! Try it out for a little while, and see if you like it. Who knows, you may discover that... er, nevermind.

buzzbass · #3 02-10-2005, 07:21 PM

TRAITOR !

bass-shy · #4 02-10-2005, 07:39 PM

I think you should ABSOLETELY learn guitar. For that matter, learn to play drums, sax and piano too. The best way to understand the role of bass in a band is to learn and understand everyone elses roles as well. I started out as a guitar player and the knowledge I picked up from that helps me to see the big picture. My Martin acoustic is also the best songwriting tool in my arsenal. You can bash me for being a traitor, but I don't see how it could be a bad choice. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Nadav · #5 02-10-2005, 07:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bass-shy

I think you should ABSOLETELY learn guitar. For that matter, learn to play drums, sax and piano too. The best way to understand the role of bass in a band is to learn and understand everyone elses roles as well. I started out as a guitar player and the knowledge I picked up from that helps me to see the big picture. My Martin acoustic is also the best songwriting tool in my arsenal. You can bash me for being a traitor, but I don't see how it could be a bad choice. Good luck with whatever you decide.

+1

In fact, just earlier today I thought that I should take a couple of drum lessons to get a feel for it (I've never played a drumset in my life).

Bard2dbone · #6 02-10-2005, 09:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bass-shy

I think you should ABSOLETELY learn guitar. For that matter, learn to play drums, sax and piano too. The best way to understand the role of bass in a band is to learn and understand everyone elses roles as well. I started out as a guitar player and the knowledge I picked up from that helps me to see the big picture. My Martin acoustic is also the best songwriting tool in my arsenal. You can bash me for being a traitor, but I don't see how it could be a bad choice. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Mostly +1

I become a spastic chimpanzee if you hand me a pair of drumsticks. But I play my Taylor 12-string as much or more than my bass most weeks. Like Bass-shy said, it's the best songwriting tool I have. I'd like to get a grip on drums as well, but it helps a lot to know the concepts of what 'fits' for keys, guitar, and horns, as well as bass. I never learned sax, but I started out on brass and still hear trumpet and trombone parts in my head while writing some songs.

By all means learn guitar. But not just to kill time on, like so many kids who learn enough guitar to shred a screaming lead, but couldn't comp a shuffle if their life depended on it. Actually learn some decent technique and theory and most of it will apply to your bass playing as well.

Philbiker · #7 02-11-2005, 06:22 AM

Definitely learn to play guitar! It's great, you can sit alone and play a WHOLE SONG all by yourself. Holy crap!!!!

Find your local Seagull or Norman dealer and go to town.

Hollow Man · #8 02-11-2005, 08:10 AM

Learning guitar has been a great tool for me to better understand bass. From developing technique to understanding complex chords to learning how to interact with other guitarists while playing bass, it's been a great experience. And a ton of fun too, if you don't turn out like Yngwie.

Joe P · #9 02-11-2005, 09:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Philbiker

Definitely learn to play guitar! It's great, you can sit alone and play a WHOLE SONG all by yourself. Holy crap!!!!

...

I'm learning to do two-part tap, and working on chords, so I can do that on my BASS.

I got plans. I'm planning on getting some of my tapping stuff down in a few different musical styles, and then starting a thread that tries to convince TBers that tapping is not just for amazing, intimidating Bach-counterpoint amazo-stuff. For some things it's EASY and useful.

I've been learning to play simple bass lines along with two-note 'chords' - it works great. I'm pretty good at singing while I play bass, but it seems to me that it's actually EASIER to sing-along when you're playing tapped-out bass and rhythm chords, than with the bass line alone played conventionally. I've been working out the main verse-part to Waiting in Vain by Marley, and it's still easier for me to sing along with the tapped version than the bass part alone (the main problem I have is a habit of picking both of my hands up at the same time whenever I'm singing it, at times when I should be stopping the chord first, and letting the bass note ring longer - grr).

The easiest is Folsom Prison Blues (and a thousnd others like it), because you can play it all-alternating - in other words, you never have to sound a note with both hands at the same time. ..And ya gotta admit: almost everyone likes Johnny Cash songs!

Now I'm adding The Beer Barrel Polka to my tapping set (that one just BEGS for it!), but what I'd really like to learn along those lines also is a couple Mexican 'Corridos' tunes (sounds a lot like polka).

I'm stickin' with my BASS.

Joe