How many years have you been playing?

[gerardpc]

Well, I'm new here. It's my first post and I'm quite new in playing bass -i own one since this august-, and I only know one professional bass player, my teacher, so I'm not in the bass world yet.
The question is simple: how many years have you been playing? Explain a bit your evolution with the bass: what did you play at what age (where the age is the time you had been playing), your musical knowledges, etc.. I just want to know what people do, because i don't know bass players here
As i said, i've been playing for 5 months, and now i'm with portrait of tracy and sex in a pan.

[GlennW]

Too many, not enough, and somewhere in between.

[Valerus]

63 months.

[swpyne]

I started playing Bass in 1964 when I was just 14. My dad bought me a used 55 P-Bass for $95.00 that had been hand painted black (a lot of money in 1964). I wish I still had that bass today!

I guess that means I have been playing bass for about 44 years. Too bad I'm not as good as I should be! I've never become a technique monster. Rather I just play from the heart. I guess that counts for something and I don't seem to be hurting for gigs either.

I actually started out as a trombone player and managed to secure a music scholarship to the Lamont School of Music at the University of Denver when I was 18. I think my familiarity with the F-Clef had a lot to do with me gravitating towards the bass. It has become a life long passion.................

[T. B. Player]

This year marked 35 years of bass playing for me, and 41 years of guitar.

My high school band director said that I should forget college and go to New York or Los Angeles and play. My parents freaked. When I got to college (music school), I found out I couldn't play piano, so switched to communications. When I was a senior, I found out that Nashville was the place to go for studio work if I didn't want to deal with NYC or LA. Too late.

I've been unemployed three times in my life, and have never been able to make a living at playing music. I've been a car salesperson (couldn't deal with the hours), an overnight DJ (couldn't deal with the hours), a radio station program director (my new general manager cleaned house), and an award-winning radio program producer (but budget cuts cut the program out). The only thing that has kept me sane and increase my self-worth is my ability to grab a bass or guitar and play - sometimes even play out, have people say, "Holy $#!+," why aren't you playing all the time!" and boost the ego a little so I can go to work the next day and get more "to do" things than I can EVER get done and get done well.

Enjoy the music, and make it your own - don't cover someone else. Play for the enjoyment, and if you get discovered, go for it. Otherwise, it's a great hobby.

Z

[Valerus]

Whoa, you guys have me beat.

[stedtale]

20 years...i started on the upright when I was ten, added BG at 12....added guitar, mandolin, banjo and other stuff along the way...

[Johnny Mack]

started at age 6 with piano, taught by grandpa. at age 12 i tried out in the junior high orchestra for piano with two others, but someone else incredibly talented got it. the other and i then learned upright and played all throughout junior and senior high together for a total of 6 years. i ended up playing first chair most of those years in front of anywhere between 3 and 10 other bassists. i ended up getting my first bass guitar (which is now named Frank) Christmas 2000. ive been in a handful of bands, two of which were/are serious and pretty well recognized locally.

learning piano and upright classically has been incredible for my knowledge on theory/technique/music in general. joining talkbass has been incredible for my knowledge on sound/audio/physics and of course G.A.S.!

[crkempton]

goin on 5...... started at 14 w/ guitar. So really only 4 years of strictly bass.

[Margus Alviste]

Hi! I 've been playing 28 years if not to count 10 years break.

[Dave Muscato]

Piano: 20 (since I was 3)
Guitar: 11
Bass: 5

but bass is definitely my primary instrument these days ::

[Moe Monsarrat]

Started as a singer in 1964 & started playing bass in '68.

[grace & groove]

Lets see I started on a wierd electric acoustic Danelectro that I got from my dad in '47. He played upright and didn't like the eletric so he gave it to me. I was only 7 but I'm a big person and I was able to play it. This month marked my 60th year of playing bass. Boy am I getting old!!











































Nah, I'm 16, been playing for about 4 years. Let's see how many people fall for that before they scroll down and see this.

[Valerus]

Originally Posted by grace & groove

Nah, I'm 16, been playing for about 4 years. Let's see how many people fall for that before they scroll down and see this.

Almost got me...almost.

[Dan Knowlton]

9 years for me. I'm a recovering drummer (drum set, brazilian and latin percussion, mallets, keys) after 30 years of being a drummer, so I have a LONG ways to go.

I'm starting back with lessons this week, so between work, school (3rd Master's), 4-year-old, and gigging - I'm gonna be tired!

Dan K.

[kevinmoore73]

0.583 years

[lonote]

Started in 1965, that's 42 years...but age is just a number.

[rfclef]

Started last November (14 months ago) at age 35 (music teacher, tuba player, never done bass or guitar, really). Got into my first band in September.

[MonetBass]

31 years on the string bass, 29 on the electric. 25 years on guitar as well. When I was between jobs I got a music degree (which helped me get better at piano) although I'm not using it in my career. I do play on recordings and do some string arrangements here and there, so I guess I'm using my expensive piece of paper a little.

[pointbass]

46 years Started DB in 1961

Doesn't seem like that much time has gone by .....