4 starters - What made you pick bass?

[ryco]

What made y'all pick bass?

OK - with all the glamourpuss up front instruments, what drew you to playing bass? What made you wanna be in the musical background as a supporting player? You coulda been the dazzling lead player getting all that pyrotechnic glory - you coulda been the keyboardist behind a mountain of synths what are obsolete every three weeks - you coulda been the drummer with three feet, one eye, and chronic beer breath who STILL gets all the gurls! Or to heck with learnin' to play anything at all!! Ya coulda (gawd forbid) been the lead singer with no gear to set up or roadie - that's right, you too coulda been the first one out the door before the last note dies away on your way to Denny's!

The bass - plodding in the background anchoring chords, melody and harmony into one cohesive unit. The one no one in the audience pays much attention too -- but would sure would notice if you WEREN'T there.

Let's hear your story! Supporting kinda person? Fourth guitarist and the bass player quit? Divine calling by angels? Drew straws? Lost a bet.....

[Jonki]

yeah, i started when a buddy of mine played guitar on some turbonegro songs, he wanted to play some covers and stuff, and i said i can try out bass because its soo simple ( ), but its not. kinda strange, way long before i picked up the bass, i always said to myself, "if i gonna be a musician, i'll be a bass player" (just because i saw Adam Clayton from a U2 musicvideo)

but what the heck, playing bass is so cool and fun to play, i friggin love it, man!

[heroincredible]

Well, I used to play guitar(just acoustic, none of that new age fancy shmancy lightning quick solo stuff), and someow ended up taking band in high school. So before I know it, I was told that I had to switch instruments, and I chose bass(without knowing how to read bass clef at the time, or what I was getting myself into at the time.) And after this conversion, I quit guitar lessons, bought a bass and have spent the last 4 years having the time of my life. I've probably played my acoustic 3 times since then.

[Alvaro Martín Gómez A.]

Well, I'm not a starter, but I perfectly remember when I decided to try the bass. I was taking acoustic guitar lessons when I was 19 and one day, my teacher started to play a tune in his guitar and he told me: "Play the bass part. It goes like this..." and it was very, very cool to me, so I asked him to tell me about the bass guitar and decided to give it a try. Thanks to him I got my first bass, a Peavey T-40. The thing is, I started to play an instrument which was absolutely unknown to me for a long time, because I didn't know anything about music. I've been a fan of listening music all of my life, but I remember every time I saw a rock band (my favorite genre): Everything were guitars for me. Didn't know about a "bass". Didn't notice the physical differences between those guitars. The first time someone told me about a bass was when I was 13 and showed a friend (who wasn't, isn't and won't be a musician) my just purchased copy of Judas Priest's "British Steel". The back cover has individual pictures of band members in action, and when he saw them, he said: "Oh, and this is the bass player". I looked and asked him: "Why do you know that?" then he replied (while pointing to the photo): "Because this has just four strings". I went like "Aaaaaaaahhhhhh..."

[JimmyM]

I started on drums. I liked the rhythmic aspects of drums but I wanted something with more melody. So I played trumpet, flute, tuba, and piano in the middle school band. They were OK for getting out of school to play little shows, but weren't really chick magnets. Then I wanted to start a rock band so I played guitar. It was fun and I still play it but the guitar was too much melody and not enough rhythm for someone who liked to play drums. So I tried my mom's friend's bass (she played in an old-time Dixieland band) and loved it. There you go.

[Gard]

Two words:

Geddy

Lee











....longer story than that, but the FIRST time I heard what he was doing, I knew I wanted to do THAT. It took 13 years of playing our thin-stringed cousin (including going to college as a classical guitar major) before I finally woke up one day and said, "That's it, I'm sellin' all of it (well, I kept my Strat and classical), and buyin' a GOOD bass and amplifier!". Literally, that's what I did. I was a fairly accomplished guitarist (could cover Eric Johnson and Allan Holdsworth stuff even), but was never "at home" on it. Played my first gig as a bassist about 2 months later, and *BAM*, I was home. Never leavin'.

[Stoned Bass]

I went to see Green Day and saw(and heard) Mike playing the bass and I just thought WOW F*CKIN WOW!!!
Im in my own punk band know and I still love the bass more than I did when I started.

[Arikash]

After watching the Dreamtheater Live at Budokan DvD, I say Myung getting into it, and was wow, that's cool. So I saved up, bought a bass, and a month into it, my brother broke my finger in a hockey game, and it finally feels good enough to play again

[Kaboom]

I've been playing drums for about 7 years now, but i always wanted sth a bit more melodic, as someone before me said.
so guitar? GOD FORBID!!!
i always found myself making up basslines to songs in my head, so after thinking about it on and off for a loooooooooooong time one day i just went to the store and got me a bass. KICKS ASS!!!!!!!!!!!

[All_¥our_Bass]

My friend plays guitar and one day he brought it over and I tried it. I liked the idea but the strings were too close together and I'd always end up muting a string that I never intended to . Well a few months later he let me try a bass. First thing I found... I could actually play this one !! He also let me borrow it for about two months and then I got my own for christmas .

[Mark Wilson]

I was 15 and I was camping with my family, and i had messing around on my mom's acoustic guitar, i could only play day tripper and sunshine of your love, and it was pretty terrible. So the day after we came home, we went to a music store which was new in town, and I said "i want to play bass, it's easier" haha! Yea right. So I got my Squier P-bass for x-mas and I haven't put it down since. I have a Groove Tools 7-string which i just payed 100 down on Boy am I excited!

[JoeyZ]

I started out on a guitar that I traded a stolen bike for. I played the guitar for around a year or so, but always had the ambititon to play a bass guitar. It just seemed way cooler. I was about to join a band when the bass player dropped out of the line-up..so taking the little amount of knowledge i had on bass I tried it and was aksed to play bass instead....I didn't own a bass so I convinced my mom to buy me a dean playmate when i was 16 an i've been playin for around 5 years now. I still have the playmate though....god does it sound like crap!!

[fr0me0]

my friend was like hey wanna borrow a bass, I have 3. And I was like sure. So then I started playing.

[ryco]

It started when I saw the Beatles on Ed Sullivan. I had to wait a couple of years 'til 4th grade when students could join orchestra. Actually I wanted to play drums but about 50 guys signed up before me and the teacher said "We don't need anymore Ringos". Some guy walked around the auditorium with a dbl bass and I thought it looked cool so I raised my hand and that was that. My folks were really into bebop and hot big bands and I always dug the sound of bass. Pop said play bass and you'll always have a gig. I got my first electric in jr high and pretty much stuck to bass guitar. If I had it to do over I would have kept up with bass viol as well. I did pick it up again for a couple of years in college but could never afford one. All I can say is practice lots - the better prepared you are and the more styles you can handle - the more opportunities you'll have to play. peace out

[theuzedrk]

Being a failed guitarist. I spent a few years in lessons on it, but never really improved. One day a friend of mine told me he bought a bass. I didn't think much of it until he let me play, I didn't realize it until a month or two ago that bass was what I was destined to play.
Still trying to get better, a few more months and I may look into some auditions.
I tried drums too, not too good at them. I have my set and don't intend to sell it though. Might come in handy for a band practice someday. That is if I can find an ad that doesn't say "experienced" or "ages 14-16."

[nasaldischarges]

my dad told me to get a bass (though he has no musical experience whatsoever) so i got a rogue....sadly, three years later, Im playing that same bass, sadly.

[thewanderer24]

growing up hearing loads of beatles and motown, I always followed the bass. The thing that really put me over the edge, and made me have to play the bass was getting the album "Ragin' Full On" by Firehose. To this day, I still drool over Mike Watt's playing and especially his tone on that record.

[Peter Squire]

Originally Posted by Gard

Two words:

Geddy

Lee

+1. I had been playing acoustic guitar for about 7 years when I first got turned onto Rush by a friend of mine. I had never been a great guitarist, and I just loved the bass lines I was hearing from Geddy. I picked up a POS bass and the rest is history. I actually felt more comfortable and musical from the very first day I picked up a bass. That was 20 years ago.

[geoffkhan]

Originally Posted by nasaldischarges

my dad told me to get a bass (though he has no musical experience whatsoever) so i got a rogue....sadly, three years later, Im playing that same bass, sadly.

Nevertheless, your dad has good taste.

[Bushfire]

Guy I know was forming a band. "wanna play bass?"
"sure."
"what is a bass anyway?"
bought a crappy samick w/ crappy amp
'bout 9 months ago that was, still playin'