How did you all 'discover' the DB?

Dvorak · #1 12-19-2001, 09:10 AM

It's not exactly a standard instrument. Did you start playing for school, and then really like it, or just saw it and thought it looked fun, etc?

For me, I started at school. I was supposed to be taking drama instead of music, but there wasn't enough room, so they moved me into my second choice (music). I've always like bass in general in songs etc, so I thought I'd give it a try. I loved it.

And now I have my own

Just bought it a couple weeks ago.

I'd like to hear other peoples stories. There's probably some pretty interesting ones

cheers

mchildree · #2 12-19-2001, 09:27 AM

I came into it as a means of broadening my musical horizons. Some of the types of music I wanted to get into are most credibly performed with a DB. Plus, I'm a sucker for a big old hunk of wood.

brianrost · #3 12-19-2001, 09:41 AM

I started playing bluegrass and realized my bass guitar just wasn't making it

LA · #4 12-19-2001, 09:43 AM

I took the "seashore" musical aptitude test in 4th grade (about six days ago). After I scored 69/70, my mother asked a director of music in our local school district what was needed. "String Bass" was his answer, so here we are.

Danny Adair · #5 12-19-2001, 09:49 AM

While playing guitar and sucking, 6th grade loomed large on the horizon.

Choir = HELL NO!
Band = too many people would want to play the stuff I would want to play
Orchestra = Hmm... I play electric guitar ... kinda sorta like an electric bass ... there's the upright bass ... SIGN ME UP!

Almost 15 years later it's still my first love!

Christopher · #6 12-19-2001, 10:09 AM

There was a 1/2 size DB in the practice room of the music room in junior high. Didn't look like anyone had touched it for a couple years, so I claimed it until high school graduation.

mchildree · #7 12-19-2001, 10:25 AM

This is a pretty interesting thread. My 12-yr old came home back in Sept. and said he'd chosen to join the orchestra at school. I asked him why he chose Orchestra specifically, and he said "it's the only band at school where I can play upright bass". Evidently, the bug that got me in the spring also got him over the summer.

Wish I'd been able to start DB that young...

Marcus Johnson · #8 12-19-2001, 10:48 AM

Ron Carter, on Miles' recording of "Basin Street Blues" from the album "Seven Steps to Heaven", given to me by my Dad, when I was about fifteen. Still one of my favorite bass tracks. Next day, I went into the back room in the music department and dug out the old white bass that had lived there forever. I went back home a couple of years ago and borrowed the same bass, 25 years later, for some jamming with my family at a reunion. Fortunately, I remembered to bring a set of Thomastics along...

Wil Davis · #9 12-19-2001, 11:23 AM

I just unzipped the cover - and there it was...

- Wil

rablack · #10 12-19-2001, 11:55 AM

After lots of years of part-time rock and roll bar band playing first on guitar then bass, I got sick of all the noise and joined a quieter band. (an acoustic, folky, swingy, violinmandolinbanjoguitardoublebassflutepennywhist leclarinetaccordian handpercussionthreepartharmony kinda band). I tried to fake it on fretless plank for awhile but it just didn't sound right. Saved my pennies and took the plunge. I love the sound particularly arco. The only thing I miss about the plank is the portability.

Mike Goodbar · #11 12-19-2001, 11:59 AM

Like a lot of players, I got into playing bass by default -- nobody else wanted to do it.

I had played piano since the sixth grade and was taking a music theory class my junior year of high school for an easy "A."

The teacher told us one day that the orchestra had no bass player, and would anyone be interested. Since I knew bass clef, and because there was a cute violin player I was interested in, I raised my hand.

I never got the girl, but I've been playing bass ever since (20+ years).

oldsaw · #12 12-19-2001, 04:08 PM

I wanted to play the bass when I was in second grade (1954). It wasn't until I was in the 4th grade that I was able to play and even then I had to play a cello because of my height or lack of it. I was drawn to the bass line in all of the popular music of the time. In the 7th grade I had casts on both legs which made playing the cello impossible. Fortunately the school I attended had a half size bass that was not in use and the orchestra need another bass player. I continued playing through high school, several allstate orchestras, jazz bands, community symphony orchestras etc. The day I left high school I dropped all music.

Fast forward to 1997/98. My son, who was in the fourth grade, told his mother that he wanted to play the string bass. Neither knew that I had played. First came the rental of a quarter size bass for him, to today he dropped the bass and is now taking guitar lessons. Many thousands of dollars later, many trips to great shops such as Gages' and Kolsteins', many lessons, many frustrating hours of practice and finally the rewarding experiences of playing with several great local orchestras.

I have a long way to go but the trip is so much fun.

Mark

David Kaczorowski · #13 12-19-2001, 05:49 PM

I was 5 or 6 years old, my parents took my brother and me to see the Pennsylvania Ballet's production of the Nutcracker. During the performance I could see the scrolls poking up from the pit, and at intermission I went to go see what was so big and so deep. I think that's when I fell in love.

In elementary school I picked up the sax; the only stringed instrument offered was the violin, and in elementary school, everyone knows the violin is a girls instrument. I started playing the toybass when I was twelve, then a couple of years later I came home to the realbass in high school playing the school's basses. I wish they would've given me some instruction though. Bass lessons weren't offered and I was expected to be able to play because I could play the toybass. Thinking of all those quarter-tones and eighth-tones I played in half position with 1-2-3-4 fingering spaced like the frets on a bass guitar brings a real smile to my face.

Bob Gollihur · #14 12-19-2001, 05:53 PM

I was seduced into taking up the Violin at age 7 or 8 by our elementary school's "Music Man" (more promoter than musician, but I'm not saying that's a bad thing - he got a lot of us interested). He introduced me to a US Navy surplus aluminum bass at age 11 (having mastered the violin, of course <g>) and how could I resist??

bassbrad · #15 12-19-2001, 06:35 PM

In the 5th grade (1969) I was the tall kid so I got stuck playing the string bass. All thru school it was something else I did between baseball seasons.

dhosek · #16 12-20-2001, 09:33 AM

I've always been a bit of an oddball among many bass players because I wasn't a convert to DB from cello, violin or bass guitar. I started as a double bass player (actually, I'd been playing piano for 3-4 years before).

What had happened was that I had a dentist appointment the day that the orchestra director came around and let the third graders try out instruments. I ended up arriving at school late and the try-an-instrument period was almost over. I was standing in line to try playing the cello, when Chuckie Snyder said, "hey, what about this thing!" and pointed at the bass that had been lying neglected next to the teacher's desk.

Big rush of students to try it, myself included. It was the only instrument I tried and I decided that it was the instrument for me because I was tall and had big hands. That's some 25 years ago. I had a layoff from college until a couple years ago which I filled with playing piano, guitar and (gasp) bg, but db is probably my favorite instrument to play. But I'll do whatever the job takes (including what the drummer described last night as a "disco porn" bassline on bg).

-dh

Jay · #17 12-20-2001, 10:57 PM

On December 20, 2001, about one hour ago, I walked in from rehearsal with my Christian hardcore band (I've been playing toybass for a little over four years) and there it was. Standing up by the Christmas tree. Almost taller than the Christmas tree.

In elementary school, I always loved that big fat sound behind rock bands. In 7th grade I picked up the bass guitar and rocked away. Now I'm a junior (11th grade) and I am deeply in love with jazz. I convinced myself that this was the time to take the plunge. So I picked out a bass (used Engelhardt EC-1) and asked for it for Christmas. I just got it early because there's no place to hide a DB and you can't wrap it. This is one of the happiest days of my life!

Somebody, congratulate the new kid!

Peace

rablack · #18 12-21-2001, 10:57 AM

Congrats metalarch. Welcome to the dark side.

Aaron · #19 12-31-2001, 02:42 AM

I choose to play upright for school orchestra. I prefere the sound of upright over electric.

steve chase · #20 12-31-2001, 12:19 PM

I was gently coersed into it by my younger brother who has played in bands for some years.
After watching and following his band for a while i got an urge to want to play something,you know,as you do.So the band decide it would be great to have a bass.My dear wife duly buys me a bass guitar for Christmas.After several months of solid practise,learning the set(i hadn`t played any sort of musical instrument before) I began to sit in on gigs.Great,they said,but it would sound really good with a real bass.
So there you have it,I am a convert,I love it,I haven`t had so much fun with my clo.....

`You know the rest`- Steve Earle.