how early in life did you discover that

[SelenaBassGirl]

you were in love with the bass and that the bass was for you??? when did you come out of the "bass closet"??
I have been that way all my life it seems. As a kid, there was always something about certain songs that I really stood out for me, but I couldn't put my finger on it. Then I discovered it was the bass when I was in middle school. I was always drawn to the sound and would put my ear on the speaker and just concentrated on the bass. During high school, I played keys but still loved that bass. I had a huge crush on a bass player in school and always seemed to be drawn to basses and bass players. Naturally what really sucks is that my ex hubby lied to me and told me he played bass. Oh yeah he had one. I never heard him play it. Then after that, I developed a HUGE crush on a local bass player and then finally figured it was time to buy one, and started teaching myself. (going on a year now since I started playing and 3 bass player crushes and or relationships later)
At what age did you start realizing this?? Not exactly when you started playing but when you discovered the love for bass? I'll say with me age 8 with funk music...

[JimmyM]

Took me till I was about 12. I had played drums when I was 6, but at age 10 I started with guitar, then played some wind instruments in the school band like trumpet, flute, tuba, etc. But guitar and drums were still my favorites, so I thought bass would be the perfect combination of the two. I was right.

[Jazzdogg]

I, too, became fixated on the sound of bass in junior high; while my friends were focusing on song lyrics, I was noticing and remembering bass parts.

My late step-father, a fantastic upright jazz player, recognized my interest and got me a used Kawai electric bass when I was thirteen.

Although I was already preoccupied with bass, I "caught fire" after hearing Ray Brown and Rocco Prestia play, and I've been consumed by bass - like one of those underground coal fires that can't be extinguished - ever since.

[ryco]

Junior high here as well.
Played DB in grade school, but didn't get a BG until 7th grade.
Used to drool over basses in the Sears and Montgomery Ward catalogs.
Earned enough money picking on truck farms and ranching at the grandparents to finally buy a used Univox BeatleBass copy.
After that - it was ALL OVER. Goodbye sports - hello music.

[guitarrock24]

i guess im a little late. i fell in love in high school. started out playing a 6 string for a little over a year. then i switched over to bass, best decision of my life.

[Honk'n_down-low]

I grew up listening to all the great Music of the 60's - I was the 8th child of 9 and all of my siblings were always playing great music. The Bass was what caught my ear - and I still love all of that music - especially the sounds of Motown. Something about the sound of the Bass touches my soul - I crave it.

[Parabolic Box]

I don't think I was ever really in love with bass. When I was a little kid, I just thought the guitar was too small and liked the "bigger guitar" more, because I thought it was "cooler".

Well, fast forward several years... and I [attempt to] play bass.

Nothing fantastical, unfortunately.

[nickn]

When I was 16. I first started learning guitar, and I played for about 1-2 months before I picked up a bass and thought "Whoa.... this feels RIGHT." Now I'm almost 18 and I have a nice little collection of basses, all paid for with my own money earned through a part-time job.

[Porksicle]

I started early in high school - around 13-14 or so. I played drums at 11, and wanted to start a band with my friends. I was the only one who had instruments, so I learned a little on guitar and bass (mostly AC/DC songs and Nirvana songs) around 1991-1992 and tried to teach a couple friends how to play. We were going to start a band and rule the world (and get tons of chicks!)

In '92 I met a local rock/metal band who was really good - playing all of the Ozzy/Rush/Maiden/Yngwie/Satch stuff. A Niel Pert-esque drummer, two guitar players who were total EVH/Randy students, and a vocalist who was a Dickenson/Halford freak. They needed a bass player, and I jumped at the opportunity.

I had an Eastwood jazz copy, and an old Fender 4-12 and a Peavey powered mixer for a head. I dubbed copies of old tapes and LP's, and ended up learning about 30 songs in three weeks - everything I could from VH 1 and 2, 1984, Blizzard of Oz and Diary of a Madman, Moving Pictures and Permanent Waves, Maiden Japan, etc. I spent most of '92 and '93 playing with them, eventually writing about 10 originals and putting out a little demo. I had one of those awful dual cassette decks that would completely compress the high end when you dubbed, so everything in the 60-250 Hz range was automatically boosted... made listening and learning lines really easy!

The best part was - I was completely oblivious on whether I was doing anything "right". I learned mostly by ear, and my technique developed into "playing what sounded right". I didn't have any cash or fancy equipment, and didn't have any realistic means of getting any, so I just played the hell out of what I had. When I wanted to dirty it up, I boosted the gain on the power amp and played hard and heavy - when I wanted a mellow sound, I cut the tone knob on the bass and lightened my touch.

So I guess I never really fell in love with the bass, I just loved being in awesome bands with awesome musicians, and the bass gave me the best opportunity to do that.

(plus, does the world really need another neck-wankin' guitard?)

[Timbo]

loved it when I played sax in jazz band in 6th and 7th grade and always envied the bass player. He had a speaker dedicated just to him! The subwoofer... At the end of 7th grade picked up bass and haven't looked back.

[danomite64]

Probably when I was 12-13, and started getting into Yes and Rush; that's when I realized the bass was special. My dad played bass in his band when I was a kid, but really he was a guitar player who had to play bass in the band because the other guitarists were better than he was. So, he inspired me to play guitar, which I picked up at about 17. A few years into it I was forced to switch to bass in my band when the bassist quit, but really after a week or two I knew this was the instrument that spoke to me.

[Deacon_Blues]

I was around 20 I suppose. Took a couple of years more until I picked it up and started learning it seriously.

I still love to play the guitar when I play alone and not in a band.
I love to play the drums too, but unfortunately I haven't really had the opportunity to do that a lot to be calling myself a drummer.
I love to play the bass, but only in a band. I don't really enjoy practicing it by myself, which is bad because it prevents me from improving and keeping up a good technique...

[GeoffByrne]

57

[varunkapahi]

14

[Techmonkey]

when I was 11...

I used to play the violin pretty well but I broke my wrist pretty badly whilst skating and wasn't allowed to play for 4 or 5 months... just wasn't comfortable going back to it after that, it didn't feel the same and I never got used to it.

fast forward to the aforemention age of 11, and I heard this crazy thing called a bass solo - it was actually level 42's mr. pink.... and it just did this crazy thing to me, like got me up and going before I could control myself.

when my older brother got an electric guitar, I immediately picked it up and started picking along to the 'guitar' parts in chilis songs - especially around the world. when my brother told me that was the bass, I knew I didn't need any more convincing. I mowed the lawn every other weekend for 6 months to get £60 for a beat up bass and amp on ebay and never looked back

the more I played, the more I realised it was actually what I'd been missing musically

[keb]

When I was a little kid, first or second grade, there was some kind of musician's workshop at my school where we all wandered around the gym where various musicians had set up shop to demonstrate their playing and instruments. I was drawn to a guy playing an upright bass and he played the Barney Miller theme for me (which I recognized because my parents always watched that show) and I thought it was the coolest thing. I think that planted the bass bug in me.

[Arsenal_Fierce]

I was a late bloomer, my preoccupation with bass didn't really form until my freshman year in college. I had wanted to play guitar in junior high but never really got a feel for it. I took classical guitar as an elective during my senior year in high school and found I was much more comfortable playing individual notes than strumming chords, which led me to bass. One of my guitard friends insisted that I only wanted to play it because I perceived it as "easier" than guitar, but what's wrong with playing an instrument that feels like a better fit? After that, I really started paying attention to basslines and was seduced by the low, sexy thump.

[CamMcIntyre]

I started listening to the bass pretty heavy in the rock and blues music that my parents would play. Add some of the left over disco from when I was really young. My Dad got me my first bass when i was 11.

I didn't start to really take off with it until high school. Now-i play pretty heavily and am gradually getting more and more gigs.

[Drazon]

4th grade. Music workshop in the cafeteria. I walked in really, really wanting to play trumpet. But after I failed to make a note from the horn I saw some huge violin thing.

Here I am, eight years of academic orchestra.

[thudfromafar]

high school. i started playing cello in the hs orchestra, but slowly learned that i was more attracted to the sound, look, and feel of the bass. brought out an old bass guitar, started taking lessons. then started playing upright consistently along with electric.