Guitar vs Bass for the newbie

[Jojo212]

Aright, time to stop putting it off. I've been meaning to pick up the bass for years. But something's always haunted my thoughts. Please help put my mind at ease.

Guitar. Bass. Two fine music machines. But at the end of the day, its the bass that has my heart.

But I hate the hype. I hate hearing that its a bitch version of the guitar, that its a sidekick instrument, that its for people who can't handle the lead.

Confidentially, I think you can make pretty decent melody with the thing, and if I could just improve my voice some, plenty of bassists have been frontmen for bands, among them Gene Simmons and Paul McCartney.

Eventually, I'd like to get my hands on a both of them. I'm constantly being told that if I pick up the guitar, any skills I get will (mostly) transfer to playing the bass. So I've been told: pick up the guitar first. The bass will come naturally.

But... I just love the bass. I mean, I like the guitar fine and all, but when I hear a smooth bass groove to a light drum beat, it just moves me. I have a whole album comprised of bass solos I ripped from youtube, for crying out loud. The guitar just doesn't affect me the same way.

Now I'm a guy who prides myself on practicality, so if I could really be more or less picking up two instruments at once (at a basic level, I understand that once you get into the complexities of the instruments, they're very different), I might have to consider going with the guitar first, although I don't like it as much. Just so I could start with both quicker.

So my question is this: does it work the other way around? Can you apply bass techniques to the guitar? If I've been playing the bass for a year, will I have a decently easy time picking up the guitar? In your opinions, would it be easier or harder than moving from guitar to bass? Do you think the difference in difficulty between the two transfers is negligible? Are there any of you out there who went from bass to guitar? How difficult did you find it, generally?

I appreciate your thoughts. A lot.


PS. For those of you who will get on me about how its not a race and I shouldn't be in a hurry: its just always been part of my personality to try and pick things up quickly. It doesn't mean I won't stick with them for the long haul and try to improve.

[AxtoOx]

5 gallons of Diesel, Les Claypool and Buckethead. Buckethead is slapping and popping.

Guitar and Bass. I started on guitar also. Played gigs on guitar. It may sound weird, but I think better in bass. I can write bass lines on the spot all day long. There are 5 guys in the band, and me and the bass drum take care of the whole bottom.
Plus I play a lot of cool licks on my own, lots of funk and it's spilling over into my other music making me more rounded I think.
I'll never give up the guitar, but I'm a better bassist. I found my spot.

[thesteve]

Originally Posted by AxtoOx

Guitar and Bass. I started on guitar also. Played gigs on guitar. It may sound weird, but I think better in bass. I can write bass lines on the spot all day long. There are 5 guys in the band, and me and the bass drum take care of the whole bottom.
Plus I play a lot of cool licks on my own, lots of funk and it's spilling over into my other music making me more rounded I think.
I'll never give up the guitar, but I'm a better bassist. I found my spot.

Similar story here too. I might be a better guitarist still...but there's something about the bass that I just love.

The bass is definitely not a sidekick instrument. There's plenty of bands out there that don't have guitar players, but not nearly as many that don't have a bass player.

now...to address some questions with my thoughts

So my question is this: does it work the other way around? Can you apply bass techniques to the guitar?

My guitar playing definitely improved the more I played bass. I definitely feel that playing the bass has given me a better sense of time and musical placement.

If I've been playing the bass for a year, will I have a decently easy time picking up the guitar? In your opinions, would it be easier or harder than moving from guitar to bass?

Now...I went from guitar to bass...so I'm coming from that viewpoint.

I definitely feel like going from guitar to bass is easier than going from bass to guitar...at least at a beginner level. On the bass you're generally playing one note at a time...even if you're doing walking bass lines or what not, still usually doing one note at a time. On guitar you're looking at learning chord structures and what not so the left hand technique (if you're a right handed player) is going to be different.

However, I think it might actually be easier to pick up lead guitar after playing bass (this is another area where my guitar playing improved dramatically after I started learning the bass).

[Guiseppe]

First off, if I read what you're saying in your post correctly, it sure sounds to me like your passion is in the bass. I dig other instruments as well, but the only one that I want to play is the bass. I don't worry what people say about it being for people that couldn't hack it as guitarists - I don't play for THEM. If my hunch is right, and you pay your dues practicing your trade (not hard when you enjoy what you're doing) you'll be playing circles around THEM (I think that guitarists wish they could play the bass as well as we do).

If you want to play guitar, then by all means do. It's no different from learning anything else. It's just time that you can't spend on playing your bass, or whatever. No harm in playing something if you like it - I think playing some rythm guitar would likely help me on my picking technique (for the times when I use one).

Bottom line, as far as I can see it - music is a beautiful thing. If playing it makes you happy, then do it.

[xlows]

The only reason guitarists trash bass is that bass, as a single-note instrument, is easier to pick up without having to study the theory and learn the notes nearly as much as most guitarists do right off the bat. Here's what you do: pick up bass, get a great teacher, work your arse off and then show those guitarists up with your playing. You never have to trash talk them once. Let your playing talk for you.

[meev992]

Originally Posted by xlows

Let your playing talk for you.

It's also a sign of a bassist who's secure and is not threatened by guitardists.

[Marcus]

I've been playing bass for about 8 years now and have just picked up the guitar. From my recent experience, I think that there are certain techniques and attributes that carry over from bass to guitar and guitar to bass, but the instruments are quite different and could require a complete re-interpretation as to how you apply yourself musically.

The simplest example that comes to my mind is playing chords on guitar, rather than playing single notes on the bass. Obviously you can also play chords on the bass, but on guitar, you have to deal with different string gauges, for most people 2 extra strings, tight string spacing, etc. Having played bass for so long, going to guitar was a very different kind of challenge. Also having to play with a pick was (and still is!) quite an annoyance. One good thing about messing with the guitar though is that you technically could sight-read bass parts and play along. I find myself doing that when I just do not want to reach for my bass.

I think that if you pick up guitar and learn some basic harmony and theory, sure, you can apply that knowledge to the bass guitar but there are a lot of little technicalities though that might hinder playing, such as the difference in scale length and possibly adapting to playing without a pick. I do not think I would have the patience to re-learn how to play (efficiently) with my fingers were I to suddenly wake up one day and realize I cannot play bass anymore. Also, making the stretches using all four fingers on my fretting hand brings back nightmares.

When it comes down to it, I think that you should play what you want to play. Music should not be about practicality but more about what you want to say or do with your instrument of choice. If you can, I would suggest simply picking up both and practicing them independently from one another. Who knows, you could land a gig in a band as a bassist, and have time on the side to do things with the guitar. That's at least what I try to do.

[Valerus]

Originally Posted by Jojo212

But I hate the hype. I hate hearing that its a bitch version of the guitar, that its a sidekick instrument, that its for people who can't handle the lead.

Yeah it pisses me off.



Looks like we're going to have to show them differently.

[meev992]

Originally Posted by Valerus

Yeah it pisses me off.



Looks like we're going to have to show them differently.

Show them a picture of John Turner, that'll shut them up pretty fast.

[Phalex]

If you're seriously worried about it being the bitch version of the guitar, maybe you don't have the proper mindset to be a bass player. The bass players job is to lurk in the shadows and make the rest of the band look as good as possible. If you want to get noticed, bass is not a great choice. Music is the ultimate team sport, and bass is not the quarter back position by a long shot.

[GeoffByrne]

I started on guitar years ago and now I play both in almost equal measure.

I honestly believe my understanding of chord structure learned via guitar has given me a much greater understanding with where I can go in basslines, which I doubt I'd pick up playing one instrument only.

[MyUsernameHere]

I'm another guitar player turned bassist. For a long, long time I actually found it easier to get gigs on the guitar than bass (go figure) but I always considered myself a bassist first--just like playing it more.

Its true that lots of technique is transferable from guitar to bass, but its also true that a lot of what you do fingerstyle with both hands on bass is transferable to the guitar as well.

This guy's a good example of a guitarist using "bass-like" technique (although this is pretty tame for him): http://www.youtube.com/results?searc...&search=Search

There's no law saying the bass has to be the "bitch" sidekick in a band. Its every bit as important as any other instrument and I've yet to play with any one who was actually worth a s@#!, on any instrument, that didn't feel the same way or that a good bassist couldn't be every bit as technically impressive as a good guitarist.

As for the non-playing public...screw 'em. If you judge your own worth by how they feel, you're bound to be disappointed 99 percent of the time anyway.

[Jojo212]

You've all been pretty damn helpful. Honestly, I was expecting at least one "you are shallow for asking such a question" kind of response, if not more, but I didn't get much sass. I've made my decision.

I'm going to hop around a bunch of music stores in the area, trying different basses and guitars. I'm going to try and learn a bare-bones basic riff (suggestions, anyone?) so I can test the same tune on all of them. If I play my cards right, I'll hold one that, when played, casts a real spell on me.

If its a guitar, so be it...

But I have the feeling it will be a bass.

Once again, thanks. I appreciate the feedback.

[Guiseppe]

Originally Posted by Jojo212

You've all been pretty damn helpful. Honestly, I was expecting at least one "you are shallow for asking such a question" kind of response, if not more, but I didn't get much sass. I've made my decision.

I'm going to hop around a bunch of music stores in the area, trying different basses and guitars. I'm going to try and learn a bare-bones basic riff (suggestions, anyone?) so I can test the same tune on all of them. If I play my cards right, I'll hold one that, when played, casts a real spell on me.

If its a guitar, so be it...

But I have the feeling it will be a bass.

Once again, thanks. I appreciate the feedback.

"Whole Lotta Love" (Led Zeppelin)

[maxgrant]

A real guitar player, or for that matter a real musician, respects what the bass is doing. The bass typically plays fewer notes, but try this experiment sometime: Play with your band, and then when everyone is jamming along and things are going great, just stop.

See if they can keep going without you. That's how you know. The bass player controls the dynamics of the band. They keep the rest of the instruments together. I remember reading about how Sting was during the early solo tours described as trying to drive the band with his guitar playing, and how awkward it seemed.

[cheesemonkey]

Really i think bass to guitar is easier. I started on guitar but just found bass is really what i love (i love music in general so i also play guitar and saxophone but mainly bass.) Going for a bass to guitar the only think you really won't be use to hand positions. With bass you pretty much use one hand position the whole time with guitar you change your hand to form chords. Now with bass you tend to get a better sense of rhythm and you can stretch your hand better and cover many frets at a time. I only played guitar for a while before changing to bass but now i can read tabs and figure out the rhythm and find out how to move my hands in a couple of minutes. But a couple of guitarist i know can hardly cover the first second and third fret with all four fingers they strain to much also they can't read rhythm at all (which really playing guitar is no excuse for not learning rhythm) they are at my stage band at school and only read tab so if we play a song they don't know it takes them a very very long time to play it correctly because our teacher has to correct them on the rhythm. so to me Bass->>Guitar is easier than Guitar->>Bass

[Depth_Charge]

Originally Posted by Jojo212

But I hate the hype. I hate hearing that its a bitch version of the guitar, that its a sidekick instrument, that its for people who can't handle the lead.

If it's any consolation to you I am yet to play in a band where the lead guitard could handle the lead either (especially timing-wise). There's just no telling them that so you learn to just agree with them.