If you were just a hobby/bedroom player.

FenderHotRod · #1 11-23-2011, 08:35 AM

witch would you concentrate on more? Guitar or bass?

My thing is I don't think I'll ever be in a band again, but I still love playing music. I like both instruments, but time/life makes it hard to practice on both right now.

So if you had one to chose to play alone in your bedroom which would you do?

ggunn · #2 11-23-2011, 08:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FenderHotRod

witch would you concentrate on more? Guitar or bass?

My thing is I don't think I'll ever be in a band again, but I still love playing music. I like both instruments, but time/life makes it hard to practice on both right now.

So if you had one to chose to play alone in your bedroom which would you do?

If you are truly doomed to play forever alone, then guitar will give you a wider footprint and be more self-supporting. But I have to ask what it is that has driven you to this point. It's not just aging, is it? I have been playing music since... well, let's just say that it's been many decades, and I am presently in three bands and host jams at least once a month. For me, playing with other folks is what makes the whole adventure worth the trouble.

Music is not my livelihood, but it rankles when people refer to guys like me as "hobby" musicians. I have been a musician far longer than I have been anything else, and I am serious about it. I just don't use it to pay the bills.

FenderHotRod · #3 11-23-2011, 09:04 AM

Nah not really an aging thing. I have a three year old and wife and a job were I'm on call two weeks out of the month.

So right now it has kind of become a time thing. I have some time to practice before work. Then a little bit at night. Lately I've been playing both, but I haven't been improving on either one. I'm just looking concentrate my efforts on for right now.

Thanks for the reply

ggunn · #4 11-23-2011, 09:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FenderHotRod

Nah not really an aging thing. I have a three year old and wife and a job were I'm on call two weeks out of the month.

So right now it has kind of become a time thing. I have some time to practice before work. Then a little bit at night. Lately I've been playing both, but I haven't been improving on either one. I'm just looking concentrate my efforts on for right now.

Thanks for the reply

Oh, well, then it's a temporary situation. That's good. For the time being, guitar still might be the thing.

You might look around for open mic events around where you live. They can be cool to get your jones out without having to commit to a band.

**DougD** · #5 11-23-2011, 09:41 AM

Why cant you do both? Get yourself a loop station and lay down tracks on both. Just a thought.

scottbass · #6 11-23-2011, 09:45 AM

As ggunn said, guitar will give you a more "complete" take on whatever music you will be playing alone. However...

If you are like many of us, you are giving up playing in bands because you have a young family. I did that. When my youngest was in high school, I started playing in bands again. And EVERYONE knows bass players are much more in-demand than guitarists. You will have a much easier time getting back into the band scene - when the time is right - as a bassist rather than a guitarist.

So play away on whichever instrument you want. But I would advise you to not sell your bass gear!

**pacojas** · #7 11-23-2011, 10:10 AM

after 2.5 decades of serving the Bar Flys, I have recently become a closet bassist. free now to explore the realms beyond whole, quarter, and eighth notes. yeah, I also pondered studying guitar until I realized so much unexplored territory on my bass.

over the last 24 months, my playing has improved vastly in every way possible. Jaco riffs are like taking candy... no longer do I fear the Unknown!

i loved playing all the 4/4 stuff growing up, but now jazz and classical music is the Flavor of the Month! (so much fun)

funny thing to me is,.. I can't stop GAS'n for a nice Strat! GL&GS

chaosMK · #8 11-23-2011, 11:01 AM

I guess it depends how far along you are with either instrument. I am young-ish dude (30 is considered ancient relative to kiddies, but probably not too old around here) with the fortune of having a good job. My original prog metal band parted after 5 years of being pretty serious with it (3 albums, constant shows, rehearsal 6-7 days a week for the first few years, down to 2-3 toward the end).

I do bass for a project just kind of as a favor to one of my friends (practice 1 day a week, everyone is a beginner), and consider myself a bedroom musician right now. Still passionate though!

I am really interested in the writing side of things so I ended up getting a guitar. I can do a lot with bass, but guitar is kind of needed for me to flesh things in. It's been fun to pick it up and start learning, and not to have to rely on collaborating with a guitarist! Basic and good quality recording interfaces (with software) are extremely cheap these days, you can get very good sounding stuff recorded from a bedroom now. EZ Drummer is a phenomenal software, it sounds better than the real thing.

Guitar is a whole new area of tone nerding too! GAS... Rondomusic has amazing quality Les Paul copies (~$400 for a guitar that is constantly reviewed as being comparable or prefereable to $1000+ Gibson models) and so many of them look awesome...

Ayce · #9 11-23-2011, 11:02 AM

I'm more like Harry Chapin's Mr. Tanner, atm. I love playing music with others, but can't right now. So I practice some at home, come up with bass lines, and generally noodle around. There is nothing that compares with playing out, though, especially with a great band when everything falls into place.

And to save everbody a few seconds to get the reference,

Harry Chapin: MR TANNER 81 - YouTube

klokker · #10 11-23-2011, 11:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FenderHotRod

So if you had one to chose to play alone in your bedroom which would you do?

Bass of course. But I'm a bass player. Bass fricken rocks!

**Bryan R. Tyler** · #11 11-23-2011, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by klokker

Bass of course. But I'm a bass player. Bass fricken rocks!

Pretty much.

I've always been a hobbyist. Not that I haven't played with other people a lot or in front of groups of people- I have. Just never gigged or sought out working bands as it was always a hobby outside of my painting. But when I was at the point where I knew I wasn't going to be playing with other folks much, I still stuck with bass because I love the instrument. Getting a good looper when you're by yourself has a large benefit, and can also get you to explore playing bass in a manner outside of the stereotypical bassist "role."

ffutterman · #12 11-23-2011, 11:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ayce

I'm more like Harry Chapin's Mr. Tanner, atm. I love playing music with others, but can't right now. So I practice some at home, come up with bass lines, and generally noodle around. There is nothing that compares with playing out, though, especially with a great band when everything falls into place.

And to save everbody a few seconds to get the reference,

Harry Chapin: MR TANNER 81 - YouTube

+Lots

Chapin fans of the world, unite!

charlie monroe · #13 11-25-2011, 06:39 AM

I like Harry also. Greatest Stories Live is a fantastic recording.

To the OP, I would play the guitar. You can play a bass line with an octave pedal. It may not be organic, but it will feed the need for the low end.

A more important reason is the exposure to chord voicings. I know a lot of bassists that are hung up on scales. I think that also pulling your lines from chord shapes can really round out your sound.

Playing guitar can't help but improve you as a musician and more particularly, as a bassist.

HereIGoAgain · #14 11-25-2011, 01:16 PM

To the OP, you can do both. In your shoes, those, I would stick with bass. Flexibility and tonal options? Look at what Stu Hamm and Victor Wooten can do. Guitar is also a money drain inherently. The Gear Page is full of guys who argue about which $5,000 amp is best to play in the bedroom. Bass: all you need is bass, cord, amp. There are many sub-$100 practice amps, and if you're unsatisfied with their sound, your gig amp has a volume knob.

Whatever you decide, don't settle for a "make do." It's cheaper to wait for what you want.

FenderHotRod · #15 11-26-2011, 01:17 PM

Thanks for the replies,

Finally decided to stick with Bass, or at least concentrate on that more than guitar for now... I've played guitar since I was 15.. And I've always wanted to learn how to do those cool walking bass lines..

I have been playing bass for awhile now, but never really concentrated on really how to play the bass if that makes any sense.

Awhile back a few of the basses I did have went on trade for the strat I now have, but I did keep one bass and my amp. I'm good on that part.

The fun part lately has been my three year old running around saying.."Daddy play BASS, I play Guitar"

Thanks again, Heres to the Low End:

Kelly

totallyfrozen · #16 11-26-2011, 05:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FenderHotRod

Guitar or bass?

So if you had one to chose to play alone in your bedroom which would you do?

I have both and I play both...alone in my room. If I to choose only ONE for some odd reason, GUITAR.

Bass is an ensamble instrument. Guitar is a solo instrument. If I truly believed that I would NEVER play music with others again, I would put all my focus in guitar.

Martin89 · #17 11-26-2011, 06:23 PM

I have both but I play my bass a lot more because it's out of the case on the stand. And I need to focus on it more for current projects. I tend to do a lot of chord type stuff on my bass too instead of pulling out the guitar. My guitar is more in a tinkering project right now anyways.

ksandvik · #18 11-26-2011, 06:27 PM

There are zillions of guitar players of which 99% sound boring and cliche-centric. Now, there are not that many good bass players out there...

awakefie · #19 11-26-2011, 06:36 PM

If it is temporary, hone your chops on bass. When the "temporary" goes away you'll be an awesome bass player and "in-demand".

NKUSigEp · #20 11-26-2011, 06:49 PM

Guitar AND bass - play 'em both. I've played for almost 15 years and have been in a couple bands...the most recent one actually experienced some great but brief success before going down in a fiery blaze. Since then I've been a little disenfranchised with the whole band thing and would rather just make my own music at this point.